Numerical investigation of metal-semiconductor-insulator-semiconductor passivated hole contacts based on atomic layer deposited AlO x

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ke, Cangming; Xin, Zheng; Ling, Zhi Peng; Aberle, Armin G.; Stangl, Rolf

2017-08-01

Excellent c-Si tunnel layer surface passivation has been obtained recently in our lab, using atomic layer deposited aluminium oxide (ALD AlO x ) in the tunnel layer regime of 0.9 to 1.5 nm, investigated to be applied for contact passivation. Using the correspondingly measured interface properties, this paper compares the theoretical collection efficiency of a conventional metal-semiconductor (MS) contact on diffused p+ Si to a metal-semiconductor-insulator-semiconductor (MSIS) contact on diffused p+ Si or on undoped n-type c-Si. The influences of (1) the tunnel layer passivation quality at the tunnel oxide interface (Q f and D it), (2) the tunnel layer thickness and the electron and hole tunnelling mass, (3) the tunnel oxide material, and (4) the semiconductor capping layer material properties are investigated numerically by evaluation of solar cell efficiency, open-circuit voltage, and fill factor.

The curious case of exploding quantum dots: anomalous migration and growth behaviors of Ge under Si oxidation

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

We have previously demonstrated the unique migration behavior of Ge quantum dots (QDs) through Si3N4 layers during high-temperature oxidation. Penetration of these QDs into the underlying Si substrate however, leads to a completely different behavior: the Ge QDs ‘explode,’ regressing back almost to their origins as individual Ge nuclei as formed during the oxidation of the original nanopatterned SiGe structures used for their generation. A kinetics-based model is proposed to explain the anomalous migration behavior and morphology changes of the Ge QDs based on the Si flux generated during the oxidation of Si-containing layers. PMID:23618165

Oxide Structure Dependence of SiO2/SiOx/3C-SiC/n-Type Si Nonvolatile Resistive Memory on Memory Operation Characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamaguchi, Yuichiro; Shouji, Masatsugu; Suda, Yoshiyuki

2012-11-01

We have investigated the dependence of the oxide layer structure of our previously proposed metal/SiO2/SiOx/3C-SiC/n-Si/metal metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) resistive memory device on the memory operation characteristics. The current-voltage (I-V) measurement and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy results suggest that SiOx defect states mainly caused by the oxidation of 3C-SiC at temperatures below 1000 °C are related to the hysteresis memory behavior in the I-V curve. By restricting the SiOx interface region, the number of switching cycles and the on/off current ratio are more enhanced. Compared with a memory device formed by one-step or two-step oxidation of 3C-SiC, a memory device formed by one-step oxidation of Si/3C-SiC exhibits a more restrictive SiOx interface with a more definitive SiO2 layer and higher memory performances for both the endurance switching cycle and on/off current ratio.

Epitaxial growth of YBa2Cu3O7 - delta films on oxidized silicon with yttria- and zirconia-based buffer layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pechen, E. V.; Schoenberger, R.; Brunner, B.; Ritzinger, S.; Renk, K. F.; Sidorov, M. V.; Oktyabrsky, S. R.

1993-09-01

A study of epitaxial growth of YBa2Cu3O7-δ films on oxidized Si with yttria- and zirconia-based buffer layers is reported. Using substrates with either SiO2 free or naturally oxidized (100) surfaces of Si it was found that a thin SiO2 layer on top of the Si favors high-quality superconducting film formation. Compared to yttria-stabilized ZrO2 (YSZ) single layers, YSZY2O3 double and YSZ/Y2O3YSZ triple layers allows the deposition of thin YBa2Cu3O7-δ films with improved properties including reduced aging effects. In epitaxial YBa2Cu3O7-δ films grown on the double buffer layers a critical temperature Tc(R=0)=89.5 K and critical current densities of 3.5×106 A/cm2 at 77 K and 1×107 A/cm2 at 66 K were reached.

Positron annihilation on the surfaces of SiO 2 films thermally grown on single crystal of Cz-Si

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Wen; Yue, Li; Zhang, Wei; Cheng, Xu-xin; Zhu, Yan-yan; Huang, Yu-yang

2009-09-01

Two-detector coincidence system and mono-energetic slow positron beam has been applied to measure the Doppler broadening spectra for single crystals of SiO2, SiO2 films with different thickness thermally grown on single crystal of Cz-Si, and single crystal of Si without oxide film. Oxygen is recognized as a peak at about 11.85 × 10-3m0c on the ratio curves. The S parameters decrease with the increase of positron implantation energy for the single crystal of SiO2 and Si without oxide film. However, for the thermally grown SiO2-Si sample, the S parameters in near surface of the sample increase with positron implantation energy. It is due to the formation of silicon oxide at the surface, which lead to lower S value. S and W parameters vary with positron implantation depth indicate that the SiO2-Si system consist of a surface layer, a SiO2 layer, a SiO2-Si interface layer and a semi-infinite Si substrate.

Enhanced PEC performance of nanoporous Si photoelectrodes by covering HfO2 and TiO2 passivation layers

PubMed Central

Xing, Zhuo; Ren, Feng; Wu, Hengyi; Wu, Liang; Wang, Xuening; Wang, Jingli; Wan, Da; Zhang, Guozhen; Jiang, Changzhong

2017-01-01

Nanostructured Si as the high efficiency photoelectrode material is hard to keep stable in aqueous for water splitting. Capping a passivation layer on the surface of Si is an effective way of protecting from oxidation. However, it is still not clear in the different mechanisms and effects between insulating oxide materials and oxide semiconductor materials as passivation layers. Here, we compare the passivation effects, the photoelectrochemical (PEC) properties, and the corresponding mechanisms between the HfO2/nanoporous-Si and the TiO2/nanoporous-Si by I–V curves, Motte-schottky (MS) curves, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Although the saturated photocurrent densities of the TiO2/nanoporous Si are lower than that of the HfO2/nanoporous Si, the former is more stable than the later. PMID:28252106

Enhanced PEC performance of nanoporous Si photoelectrodes by covering HfO2 and TiO2 passivation layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xing, Zhuo; Ren, Feng; Wu, Hengyi; Wu, Liang; Wang, Xuening; Wang, Jingli; Wan, Da; Zhang, Guozhen; Jiang, Changzhong

2017-03-01

Nanostructured Si as the high efficiency photoelectrode material is hard to keep stable in aqueous for water splitting. Capping a passivation layer on the surface of Si is an effective way of protecting from oxidation. However, it is still not clear in the different mechanisms and effects between insulating oxide materials and oxide semiconductor materials as passivation layers. Here, we compare the passivation effects, the photoelectrochemical (PEC) properties, and the corresponding mechanisms between the HfO2/nanoporous-Si and the TiO2/nanoporous-Si by I-V curves, Motte-schottky (MS) curves, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Although the saturated photocurrent densities of the TiO2/nanoporous Si are lower than that of the HfO2/nanoporous Si, the former is more stable than the later.

Enhanced PEC performance of nanoporous Si photoelectrodes by covering HfO2 and TiO2 passivation layers.

PubMed

Xing, Zhuo; Ren, Feng; Wu, Hengyi; Wu, Liang; Wang, Xuening; Wang, Jingli; Wan, Da; Zhang, Guozhen; Jiang, Changzhong

2017-03-02

Nanostructured Si as the high efficiency photoelectrode material is hard to keep stable in aqueous for water splitting. Capping a passivation layer on the surface of Si is an effective way of protecting from oxidation. However, it is still not clear in the different mechanisms and effects between insulating oxide materials and oxide semiconductor materials as passivation layers. Here, we compare the passivation effects, the photoelectrochemical (PEC) properties, and the corresponding mechanisms between the HfO 2 /nanoporous-Si and the TiO 2 /nanoporous-Si by I-V curves, Motte-schottky (MS) curves, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Although the saturated photocurrent densities of the TiO 2 /nanoporous Si are lower than that of the HfO 2 /nanoporous Si, the former is more stable than the later.

Growth of cubic silicon carbide on oxide using polysilicon as a seed layer for micro-electro-mechanical machine applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frewin, C. L.; Locke, C.; Wang, J.; Spagnol, P.; Saddow, S. E.

2009-08-01

The growth of highly oriented 3C-SiC directly on an oxide release layer, composed of a 20-nm-thick poly-Si seed layer and a 550-nm-thick thermally deposited oxide on a (1 1 1)Si substrate, was investigated as an alternative to using silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates for freestanding SiC films for MEMS applications. The resulting SiC film was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) with the X-ray rocking curve of the (1 1 1) diffraction peak displaying a FWHM of 0.115° (414″), which was better than that for 3C-SiC films grown directly on (1 1 1)Si during the same deposition process. However, the XRD peak amplitude for the 3C-SiC film on the poly-Si seed layer was much less than for the (1 1 1)Si control substrate, due to slight in-plane misorientations in the film. Surprisingly, the film was solely composed of (1 1 1) 3C-SiC grains and possessed no 3C-SiC grains oriented along the <3 1 1> and <1 1 0> directions which were the original directions of the poly-Si seed layer. With this new process, MEMS structures such as cantilevers and membranes can be easily released leaving behind high-quality 3C-SiC structures.

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.

Evaluation of quantum confinement effect in nanocrystal Si dot layer by Raman spectroscopy.

PubMed

Mizukami, Y; Kosemura, D; Numasawa, Y; Ohshita, Y; Ogura, A

2012-11-01

Quantum confinement effect in the nanocrystal-Si (nc-Si) was evaluated by Raman spectroscopy. The nc-Si dot layers were fabricated by the H2 plasma treatment for the nucleation site formation followed by the SiH4 irradiation for the nc-Si growth. Post-oxidation annealing was also performed to improve the crystalline quality. After post-oxidation annealing for 5 or 10 min, the asymmetric broadening on the lower frequency sides in Raman spectra were obtained, which can be attributed to the phonon confinement effect in nc-Si. Furthermore we confirmed that hydrostatic stress of approximately 500 MPa was induced in nc-Si after post-oxidation annealing.

Thermochemical Compatibility and Oxidation Resistance of Advanced LWR Fuel Cladding

DOE PAGES

Besmann, T. M.; Yamamoto, Y.; Unocic, K. A.

2016-06-21

We assessed the thermochemical compatibility of potential replacement cladding materials for zirconium alloys in light water reactors. Considered were FeCrAl steel (similar to Kanthal APMT), Nb-1%Zr (similar to PWC-11), and a hybrid SiC-composite with a metallic barrier layer. The niobium alloy was also seen as requiring an oxidation protective layer, and a diffusion silicide was investigated. Metallic barrier layers for the SiC-composite reviewed included a FeCrAl alloy, Nb-1%Zr, and chromium. Thermochemical calculations were performed to determine oxidation behavior of the materials in steam, and for hybrid SiC-composites possible interactions between the metallic layer and SiC. Additionally, experimental exposures of SiC-alloymore » reaction couples at 673K, 1073K, and 1273K for 168 h in an inert atmosphere were made and microanalysis performed. Whereas all materials were determined to oxidize under higher oxygen partial pressures in the steam environment, these varied by material with expected protective oxides forming. Finally, the computed and experimental results indicate the formation of liquid phase eutectic in the FeCrAl-SiC system at the higher temperatures.« less

Strong and reversible modulation of carbon nanotube-silicon heterojunction solar cells by an interfacial oxide layer.

PubMed

Jia, Yi; Cao, Anyuan; Kang, Feiyu; Li, Peixu; Gui, Xuchun; Zhang, Luhui; Shi, Enzheng; Wei, Jinquan; Wang, Kunlin; Zhu, Hongwei; Wu, Dehai

2012-06-21

Deposition of nanostructures such as carbon nanotubes on Si wafers to make heterojunction structures is a promising route toward high efficiency solar cells with reduced cost. Here, we show a significant enhancement in the cell characteristics and power conversion efficiency by growing a silicon oxide layer at the interface between the nanotube film and Si substrate. The cell efficiency increases steadily from 0.5% without interfacial oxide to 8.8% with an optimal oxide thickness of about 1 nm. This systematic study reveals that formation of an oxide layer switches charge transport from thermionic emission to a mixture of thermionic emission and tunneling and improves overall diode properties, which are critical factors for tailoring the cell behavior. By controlled formation and removal of interfacial oxide, we demonstrate oscillation of the cell parameters between two extreme states, where the cell efficiency can be reversibly altered by a factor of 500. Our results suggest that the oxide layer plays an important role in Si-based photovoltaics, and it might be utilized to tune the cell performance in various nanostructure-Si heterojunction structures.

Cyclic etching of tin-doped indium oxide using hydrogen-induced modified layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirata, Akiko; Fukasawa, Masanaga; Nagahata, Kazunori; Li, Hu; Karahashi, Kazuhiro; Hamaguchi, Satoshi; Tatsumi, Tetsuya

2018-06-01

The rate of etching of tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) and the effects of a hydrogen-induced modified layer on cyclic, multistep thin-layer etching were investigated. It was found that ITO cyclic etching is possible by precisely controlling the hydrogen-induced modified layer. Highly selective etching of ITO/SiO2 was also investigated, and it was suggested that cyclic etching by selective surface adsorption of Si can precisely control the etch rates of ITO and SiO2, resulting in an almost infinite selectivity for ITO over SiO2 and in improved profile controllability.

Isothermal and cyclic oxidation resistance of pack siliconized Mo-Si-B alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Majumdar, Sanjib

2017-08-01

Oxidation behaviour of MoSi2 coated Mo-9Si-8B-0.75Y (at.%) alloy has been investigated at three critical temperatures including 750, 900 and 1400 °C in static air. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) data indicates a remarkable improvement in the oxidation resistance of the silicide coated alloy in both isothermal and cyclic oxidation tests. The cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopic analysis reveal the occurrence of internal oxidation particularly at the crack fronts formed in the outer MoSi2 layer during thermal cycling. The dominant oxidation mechanisms at 750-900 °C and 1400 °C are identified. Development of MoB inner layer further improves the oxidation resistance of the silicide coated alloy.

Growth and surface analysis of SiO2 on 4H-SiC for MOS devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kodigala, Subba Ramaiah; Chattopadhyay, Somnath; Overton, Charles; Ardoin, Ira; Gordon, B. J.; Johnstone, D.; Roy, D.; Barone, D.

2015-03-01

The SiO2 layers have been grown onto C-face and Si-face 4H-SiC substrates by two different techniques such as wet thermal oxidize process and sputtering. The deposition recipes of these techniques are carefully optimized by trails and error method. The growth effects of SiO2 on the C-face and Si-face 4H-SiC substrates are thoroughly investigated by AFM analysis. The growth mechanism of different species involved in the growth process of SiO2 by wet thermal oxide is now proposed by adopting two body classical projectile scattering. This mechanism drives to determine growth of secondary phases such as α-CH nano-islands in the grown SiO2 layer. The effect of HF etchings on the SiO2 layers grown by both techniques and on both the C-face and Si-face substrates are legitimately studied. The thicknesses of the layers determined by AFM and ellipsometry techniques are widely promulgated. The MOS capacitors are made on the Si-face 4H-SiC wafers by wet oxidation and sputtering processes, which are studied by capacitance versus voltage (CV) technique. From CV measurements, the density of trap states with variation of trap level for MOS devices is estimated.

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.

Effects of a capping oxide layer on polycrystalline-silicon thin-film transistors fabricated by continuous-wave laser crystallization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yi-Shao; Wu, Chun-Yi; Chou, Chia-Hsin; Liao, Chan-Yu; Chuang, Kai-Chi; Luo, Jun-Dao; Li, Wei-Shuo; Cheng, Huang-Chung

2018-06-01

A tetraethyl-orthosilicate (TEOS) capping oxide was deposited by low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) on a 200-nm-thick amorphous Si (a-Si) film as a heat reservoir to improve the crystallinity and surface roughness of polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) formed by continuous-wave laser crystallization (CLC). The effects of four thicknesses of the capping oxide layer to satisfy an antireflection condition, namely, 90, 270, 450, and 630 nm, were investigated. The largest poly-Si grain size of 2.5 × 20 µm2 could be achieved using a capping oxide layer with an optimal thickness of 450 nm. Moreover, poly-Si nanorod (NR) thin-film transistors (TFTs) fabricated using the aforementioned technique exhibited a superior electron field-effect mobility of 1093.3 cm2 V‑1 s‑1 and an on/off current ratio of 2.53 × 109.

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.

Thickness measurement of a thin hetero-oxide film with an interfacial oxide layer by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Kyung Joong; Lee, Seung Mi; Jang, Jong Shik; Moret, Mona

2012-02-01

The general equation Tove = L cos θ ln(Rexp/R0 + 1) for the thickness measurement of thin oxide films by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was applied to a HfO2/SiO2/Si(1 0 0) as a thin hetero-oxide film system with an interfacial oxide layer. The contribution of the thick interfacial SiO2 layer to the thickness of the HfO2 overlayer was counterbalanced by multiplying the ratio between the intensity of Si4+ from a thick SiO2 film and that of Si0 from a Si(1 0 0) substrate to the intensity of Si4+ from the HfO2/SiO2/Si(1 0 0) film. With this approximation, the thickness levels of the HfO2 overlayers showed a small standard deviation of 0.03 nm in a series of HfO2 (2 nm)/SiO2 (2-6 nm)/Si(1 0 0) films. Mutual calibration with XPS and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to verify the thickness of HfO2 overlayers in a series of HfO2 (1-4 nm)/SiO2 (3 nm)/Si(1 0 0) films. From the linear relation between the thickness values derived from XPS and TEM, the effective attenuation length of the photoelectrons and the thickness of the HfO2 overlayer could be determined.

Layer uniformity in glucose oxidase immobilization on SiO 2 surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Libertino, Sebania; Scandurra, Antonino; Aiello, Venera; Giannazzo, Filippo; Sinatra, Fulvia; Renis, Marcella; Fichera, Manuela

2007-09-01

The goal of this work was the characterization, step by step, of the enzyme glucose oxidase (GOx) immobilization on silicon oxide surfaces, mainly by means of X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The immobilization protocol consists of four steps: oxide activation, silanization, linker molecule deposition and GOx immobilization. The linker molecule, glutaraldehyde (GA) in this study, must be able to form a uniform layer on the sample surface in order to maximize the sites available for enzyme bonding and achieve the best enzyme deposition. Using a thin SiO 2 layer grown on Si wafers and following the XPS Si2p signal of the Si substrate during the immobilization steps, we demonstrated both the glutaraldehyde layer uniformity and the possibility to use XPS to monitor thin layer uniformity. In fact, the XPS substrate signal, not shielded by the oxide, is suppressed only when a uniform layer is deposited. The enzyme correct immobilization was monitored using the XPS C1s and N1s signals. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements carried out on the same samples confirmed the results.

Microstructure of as-fabricated UMo/Al(Si) plates prepared with ground and atomized powder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jungwirth, R.; Palancher, H.; Bonnin, A.; Bertrand-Drira, C.; Borca, C.; Honkimäki, V.; Jarousse, C.; Stepnik, B.; Park, S.-H.; Iltis, X.; Schmahl, W. W.; Petry, W.

2013-07-01

UMo-Al based fuel plates prepared with ground U8wt%Mo, ground U8wt%MoX (X = 1 wt%Pt, 1 wt%Ti, 1.5 wt%Nb or 3 wt%Nb) and atomized U7wt%Mo have been examined. The first finding is that that during the fuel plate production the metastable γ-UMo phases partly decomposed into two different γ-UMo phases, U2Mo and α'-U in ground powder or α″-U in atomized powder. Alloying small amounts of a third element to the UMo had no measurable effect on the stability of the γ-UMo phase. Second, the addition of some Si inside the Al matrix and the presence of oxide layers in ground and atomized samples is studied. In the case with at least 2 wt%Si inside the matrix a Silicon rich layer (SiRL) forms at the interface between the UMo and the Al during the fuel plate production. The SiRL forms more easily when an Al-Si alloy matrix - which is characterized by Si precipitates with a diameter ⩽1 μm - is used than when an Al-Si mixed powder matrix - which is characterized by Si particles with some μm diameter - is used. The presence of an oxide layer on the surface of the UMo particles hinders the formation of the SiRL. Addition of some Si into the Al matrix [7-11]. Application of a protective barrier at the UMo/Al interface by oxidizing the UMo powder [7,12]. Increase of the Mo content or use of UMo alloys with ternary element addition X (e.g. X = Nb, Ti, Pt) to stabilize the γ-UMo with respect to α-U or to control the UMo-Al interaction layer kinetics [9,12-24]. Use of ground UMo powder instead of atomized UMo powder [10,25] The points 1-3 are to limit the formation of the undesired UMo/Al layer. Especially the addition of Si into the matrix has been suggested [3,7,8,10,11,26,27]. It has been often mentioned that Silicon is efficient in reducing the Uranium-Aluminum diffusion kinetics since Si shows a higher chemical affinity to U than Al to U. Si suppresses the formation of brittle UAl4 which causes a huge swelling during the irradiation. Furthermore it enhances the formation of more stable UAl3 within the diffusion layer [14]. In addition, Si will not notably influence the reactor neutronics due to its low absorption cross section for thermal neutrons of σabs = 0.24 barn. Aluminum has σabs = 0.23 barn.Williams [28], Bierlein [29], Green [30] and de Luca [31] showed the first time in the 1950s that alloying Aluminum with some Silicon reduces the Uranium-Aluminum diffusion kinetics in can-type fuel elements. However, up to now uncertainties remained about the most promising Si concentration and the involved mechanisms.Ground powder - possibility 4 - introduces a high density of defects like dislocations, oxide layers and impurities into UMo grains. Fuel prepared with this kind of powder exhibits a larger porosity. It may also be combined with an AlSi matrix. As a consequence, the degree of swelling due to high-burn up is reduced compared to fuel with atomized powder [5,6,25].This study focuses on the metallurgical characterization of as-fabricated samples prepared with ground UMo and UMoX (X = Ti, Nb, Pt) powders and atomized UMo powder. The influence of some Si into the Al matrix and the presence of oxide layers on the UMo is discussed. Details of the differences of samples with ground UMo from atomized UMo will be discussed.The examined samples originate from non-irradiated spare fuel plates from the IRIS-TUM irradiation campaign [5,6]. The samples containing ground UMoX powders and atomized UMo powders with Si addition into the matrix have been produced for this study [32]. Powder mixing: The UMo powder is mixed with Al powder. Compact production: UMo-Al powder is poured into a mould and undergoes compaction under large force. Plate-processing: An AlFeNi frame is placed on an AlFeNi plate and the UMo-Al compact is placed into the frame. Afterwards it is covered with a second AlFeNi plate. This assembly is hot-rolled to reduce the total thickness to 1.4 mm. Subsequently, a blister test (1-2 h at 400-450 °C) ensures that the fuelplate is sealed. After this step, the UMo particles are tightly covered with Al as shown in Fig. 1. To access the meat layer, small samples have been cut from the fuel plates. The AlFeNi cladding has been removed using abrasive paper and diamond polishing paste. Cross sections were prepared from each sample and examined using SEM/EDX and XRD. Laboratory scale XRD Laboratory sealed-tube XRD on a STOE-STADIP diffractometer equipped with an incident beam focusing monochromator and used in reflection geometry with respect to the sample. MoK-α radiation has been used. Details on the systems used can be found in [39]. mu;-XRD using micro-focused synchrotron radiation at the Swiss Light Source μ-XAS beamline (PSI, Switzerland). At SLS, the beam size was 3 × 3 μm2, the energy was 19.7 keV. Further details on the experimental procedure can be found in [40]. Only very small sample volumes are probed with this technique, therefore the results may not be representative for the whole miniplate. The standard deviation of the lattice parameters obtained with this method is ±0.01 Å in case not different given. High-energy XRD (HE-XRD) in transmission mode using synchrotron radiation at the "High Energy Diffraction and Scattering Beamline ID15B" of ESRF. An X-ray energy of 87 keV has been used, the beam size was 0.3 × 0.3 mm2. Details on the experimental procedure are presented in [41,42]. It was possible to determine the average mass fractions of the phases present inside the sample using this technique. The standard deviation of the lattice parameters obtained with this method is ±0.001 Å in case not different given. laser granulometry to determine the size distribution of the particles, XRD for phase identification. Granulometry measurements showed that a significant amount of very fine particles of a few μm to 10 μm size are present in the first class of powder.In both cases, laboratory XRD analyses evidenced only two phases: γ-UMo and UO2. In contrast to observations on the final fuel plates, there are no signs of α-U. Comparing XRD data of atomized UMo powder (taken form the IRIS4 experiment) and ground UMo powder with almost the same Mo content, the peaks are broader in XRD patterns of ground UMo and there is a higher background [44]. This points that the lattice structure of the UMo inside the ground powder is strongly disordered during the grinding process.Complementary investigations were performed in these ground UMo powder samples using HE-XRD. The obtained data can therefore directly be compared to those measured on pre-oxidized atomized UMo powders [45] and IRIS-TUM fuel plates [41]. For both powder samples the γ-UMo lattice constant has been estimated to 3.433 ± 0.002 Å which corresponds to about 7.2 wt% for Mo in the alloy according to Dwight's law [46]. The existence of two UMo phases inside these ground particles (as in atomized case) could not be investigated because of the huge peak broadening (presence of micro distortions). Whatever the sample granulometry, the analysis of the HE-XRD data showed a non-negligible nitride contamination in ground powders (see Fig. 2). Two uranium nitride phases are indeed found in these samples: UN and U2N3+x[47]. Note that the presence of UN has also been found in the as-fabricated plates. These results confirm the high reactivity of UMo with both Oxygen and Nitrogen in the grinding conditions. As a comparison for temperatures in the 200-250 °C range, it seems that UNx phases are more difficult to grow: they were not present in outer layers obtained by heat treatment under air on atomized particles [45]. Finally it can be seen in Table 3 that the weight fractions of UO2 and U2N3+x phases are lower in the sample with larger UMo particles. This suggests the existence of an oxide, nitride outer shell around UMo ground particle with thickness that does not strongly evolve with particle size. This constant outer shell thickness has also been found in pre-oxidized atomized powders [45].The UMoX powder used for the samples MAFIA-I-18 - MAFIA-I-21 has not been investigated prior to plate fabrication. However, since the grinding process is essentially the same as for the pure UMo powder, similar characteristics are assumed. Thin oxide layers with a thickness ⩽1 μm on some of the particles that were not intentionally oxidized. Although the UMo powder was stored and handled under an inert atmosphere over the whole production process, some residual oxygen has reacted with the UMo. Already this thin oxide layers exhibits cracks (Fig. 5). Thicker oxide layers with a thickness up to 5 μm on the UMo particles that were oxidized purposely. This kind of oxide layer is very brittle and shows large cracks (Fig. 6). The oxidized UMo particles tend to detach with the matrix as gaps between the UMo particles and the oxide layer could be observed (Fig. 6). This is most obvious at spots where a UMo particle has been pulled out during polishing. A part of the oxide layer remained inside the resulting hole (Fig. 7). Atomized UMo powder 2 wt%Si in Al matrix, alloyed AlSi 2 wt%Si in Al matrix, mixed AlSi 5 wt%Si in Al matrix, mixed AlSi 7 wt%Si in Al matrix, mixed AlSi Ground UMo powder 2 wt%Si in Al matrix, alloyed AlSi The influence of an oxide layer around the UMo particles on the formation of the SiRL during fuel plate production is further discussed. The growth of a Si rich layer surrounding the UMo particles in the 2 wt%Si alloyed powder (oxidized UMo), as well as the 5 wt% and 7 wt%Si mixed powder (non-oxidized UMo) during production of the miniplates. The presence of Si precipitates in the Al-matrix (large precipitates in case of mixture, small si particles in alloy). No oxide layer: If no oxide layer is present around the UMo particles a homogeneous SiRL grows at the interface UMo-Al (Fig. 15a). Brittle oxide layer: An oxide layer is present around the UMo particles, the SiRL grows always between the UMo particle and the oxide layer (Fig. 15b). In this case the the SiRL is thin and not homogeneous. As presumed by Ripert et al. [7] it is essential that the oxide layer reveals cracks perpendicular the UMo particle surface to make path for the Si diffusion. Dense oxide layer: In case of a thin (≈1 μm) but compact oxide layer no SiRL is formed even at high Si concentrations inside the matrix (Fig. 15c). The observed effects are pronounced when the thickness of the oxide layer is increased, as shown in Fig. 16: UMo particles covered with a thicker oxide layer (>1 μm) inside an Aluminum matrix with 5 wt%Si (mixed Al-Si powder). The oxide layer is dense at the left side of the particle, no Si can be found there (Fig. 16a). In contrast, the brittle and cracked oxide layer on the right side made path for a Si diffusion but the SiRL is thinner than in the sites where the UMo particle is not covered with an oxide layer. EDX maps at different positions of the sample showed that in general no SiRL forms around UMo particles covered by oxide layers with a thickness greater than 1 μm (Fig. 16b). This behavior is identical for the samples with 5 wt%Si and 7 wt%Si added to the Aluminum matrix (mixed Al-Si powder). Obviously the presence of a (dense) oxide layer hampers the formation of a SiRL. different UXSiY phases with strongly overlapping peaks can be found in the SiRL, these phases are characterized by small sizes of the crystallites (a few tens of nanometers) and/or cell parameter gradients. Two different crystallographic phases have been usually identified: U(Al,Si)3 displaying a small lattice parameter of a0 = 4.16 Å. This indicates that about 40% of the Al lattice sites are occupied by Si atoms. The second phase is isostructural to U3Si54 with a different lattice parameter [59-61]. Although the U-Si-Al phase diagram contains a variety of phases, none of the phases reported in literature [62] could be used to fully refine the measured diagram. Therefore, three different hypotheses are suggested to explain the occurence of this unknown phase: The observed compound consists of two phases: Conventional U3Si5 and USi2, as has been suggested by the authors before [58]. However, only one literature source (Brown et al.) describing the occurrence of USi2 below 450 °C could be found [63,64]. Furthermore, it has not been possible to reproduce the experiments described by Brown et al. Therefore, this hypothesis remains doubtful [59]. The observed phase may be a new unknown phase. For example, a cubic phase with lattice constant a0 = 3.96 Å can be used to refine the observed peaks. This hypothesis can neither be confirmed nor refused based on the existing data. The observed phase can be a U3Si5 variant containing Mo and/or Al atoms. This hypothesis is supported by the authors. Hence in the following sections this structure will be denoted as U3Si5. No traces of SiRL phases are found inside the sample with 2 wt%Si mixed-powder matrix (MAFIA-I-3), all the Si remained inside the matrix. A SiRL is present inside the samples with 2.1 wt%Si alloyed powder matrix (MAFIA-I-4) and 5 wt%Si (MAFIA-I-5) and 7 wt%Si (MAFIA-I-7) mixed powder matrix. However, between 76% and 96% of the Si remained inside the matrix in form of precipitates or Si particles. The SiRL is formed readily when the Si is present inside the matrix in form of precipitates (i.e. Al-Si alloy matrix, MAFIA-I-4 and IRIS-TUM 8502) compared to particles (i.e. Al-Si mixed powder matrix, MAFIA-I-3, MAFIA-I-5 and MAFIA-I-7). This behavior can best be observed on the sample prepared with ground powder and with 2.1 wt%Si alloyed powder matrix (IRIS-TUM-8502): The matrix contains no Si, only SiRL phases are found. Since the sample with 5 wt%Si mixed powder matrix (MAFIA-I-5) has the lowest SiRL fraction but by far the highest UO2 content, it is concluded that the presence of UO2 around the UMo kernels tends to hamper the formation of a SiRL. UMo/Al samples prepared with ground powder contain irregularly shaped UMo kernels. They are in general oxidized and also contain oxide stringers. These samples have a high porosity content of around 8 vol%. In contrast, UMo/Al samples prepared with atomized powder contain spherical UMo kernels. Only the surface of the UMo kernels is oxidized in some cases. Thick oxide layers must be grown intentionally while thinner layers are the result of oxidation during the whole process. The oxide layer is in general brittle and exhibits cracks. The Uranium-oxide content of all examined samples (atomized and ground) varies between 2 and 13 wt%. gamma;-UMo present in the fresh UMo powder destabilizes to transform to an α-U-like phase, U2Mo, and two γ-UMo phases with different Mo content during the fuel plate production. For ground powder, α-U content varies in 28-38 wt%, for atomized powder in 11-14 wt%. The degree of γ-phase destabilization is therefore higher for ground powder. Ternary addition of Nb, Ti or Pt to the UMo did not impact the extent of decomposition. The γ-phase decomposition in the atomized and ground powder does not follow the expected in the U8wt%Mo TTT diagram between 400 and 450 °C [41]. According to Repas et al. [65], the route is γ-UMoa → γ-UMob + α-U → γ-UMoc+α-U + U2Mo . γ-UMoa,b,c differ in the Mo content where γ-UMoa has the lowest and γ-UMoc has the highest Mo content. We observe a new route of decomposition of ground powder into two different γ-UMo phases. One of them has approximately the original Mo content and the other has a higher Mo content. Further U2Mo and a phase with deformed lattice parameters compared to pure α-U have been observed. The latter is known as α' in literature.For atomized powder, also two different γ-UMo phases and traces of U2Mo have been found. However, a different α-U like phase has been identified: α″ [41,53-55].Repas et al. used as cast samples that have been examined with conventional XRD and different metallographic methods [65]. The difference to our data can be explained by the superior resolution of the here used HE-XRD diffraction. Most probably, conventional lab X-ray sourcces could not resolve fine differences in the lattice parameters of α-U and may not enable to separate two γ-UMo phase. To overcome this uncertainty it is highly desirable to examine the TTT diagram of UMo with high resolution. When Si is added into the matrix - by using alloyed Al-Si powder as a matrix or blending Al and Si powder - in general a SiRL is formed at the interface between the UMo and the Al matrix. An exception can be found in MAFIA-I-3 in which the overall Si content was to low to form a SiRL. The SiRL consists of U(Al,Si)3 and U3Si5. The SiRL forms less readily in case of mixed Al-Si than in case of alloyed Al-Si powder. In the latter case (MAFIA-I-4), a Si depleted zone has been observed around the UMo particles. For ground powder in combination with an Al-Si alloyed matrix, the entire Si from the matrix has reacted with the UMo forming SiRL phases. The presence of a dense oxide layer around the UMo kernels can prevent the formation of a SiRL. However, as soon as the oxide layer is cracked a SiRL forms between the UMo and the oxide layer. A dense oxide layer isolates the UMo from the Si inside the matrix and occurring cracks make path for the diffusion of Si towards the UMo. U3Si 5 is also called USi2-x or USi1.66 in literature.

Silicide Coating Fabricated by HAPC/SAPS Combination to Protect Niobium Alloy from Oxidation.

PubMed

Sun, Jia; Fu, Qian-Gang; Guo, Li-Ping; Wang, Lu

2016-06-22

A combined silicide coating, including inner NbSi2 layer and outer MoSi2 layer, was fabricated through a two-step method. The NbSi2 was deposited on niobium alloy by halide activated pack cementation (HAPC) in the first step. Then, supersonic atmospheric plasma spray (SAPS) was applied to obtain the outer MoSi2 layer, forming a combined silicide coating. Results show that the combined coating possessed a compact structure. The phase constitution of the combined coating prepared by HAPC and SAPS was NbSi2 and MoSi2, respectively. The adhesion strength of the combined coating increased nearly two times than that for single sprayed coating, attributing to the rougher surface of the HAPC-bond layer whose roughness increased about three times than that of the grit-blast substrate. After exposure at 1200 °C in air, the mass increasing rate for single HAPC-silicide coating was 3.5 mg/cm(2) because of the pest oxidation of niobium alloy, whereas the combined coating displayed better oxidation resistance with a mass gain of only 1.2 mg/cm(2). Even more, the combined coating could significantly improve the antioxidation ability of niobium based alloy at 1500 °C. The good oxidation resistance of the combined silicide coating was attributed to the integrity of the combined coating and the continuous SiO2 protective scale provided by the oxidation of MoSi2.

Investigation of nanoparticulate silicon as printed layers using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray absorption spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

DOE PAGES

Unuigbe, David M.; Harting, Margit; Jonah, Emmanuel O.; ...

2017-08-21

The presence of native oxide on the surface of silicon nanoparticles is known to inhibit charge transport on the surfaces. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies reveal that the particles in the printed silicon network have a wide range of sizes and shapes. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy reveals that the particle surfaces have mainly the (111)- and (100)-oriented planes which stabilizes against further oxidation of the particles. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XANES) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements at the O 1s-edge have been utilized to study the oxidation and local atomic structure of printed layers of silicon nanoparticles which were milledmore » for different times. XANES results reveal the presence of the +4 (SiO 2) oxidation state which tends towards the +2 (SiO) state for higher milling times. Si 2pXPS results indicate that the surfaces of the silicon nanoparticles in the printed layers are only partially oxidized and that all three sub-oxide, +1 (Si 2O), +2 (SiO) and +3 (Si 2O 3), states are present. The analysis of the change in the sub-oxide peaks of the silicon nanoparticles shows the dominance of the +4 state only for lower milling times.« less

Ultraviolet GaN photodetectors on Si via oxide buffer heterostructures with integrated short period oxide-based distributed Bragg reflectors and leakage suppressing metal-oxide-semiconductor contacts

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

Szyszka, A., E-mail: szyszka@ihp-microelectronics.com, E-mail: adam.szyszka@pwr.wroc.pl; Faculty of Microsystem Electronics and Photonics, Wroclaw University of Technology, Janiszewskiego 11/17, 50-372 Wroclaw; Lupina, L.

2014-08-28

Based on a novel double step oxide buffer heterostructure approach for GaN integration on Si, we present an optimized Metal-Semiconductor-Metal (MSM)-based Ultraviolet (UV) GaN photodetector system with integrated short-period (oxide/Si) Distributed Bragg Reflector (DBR) and leakage suppressing Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (MOS) electrode contacts. In terms of structural properties, it is demonstrated by in-situ reflection high energy electron diffraction and transmission electron microscopy-energy dispersive x-ray studies that the DBR heterostructure layers grow with high thickness homogeneity and sharp interface structures sufficient for UV applications; only minor Si diffusion into the Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} films is detected under the applied thermal growth budget. Asmore » revealed by comparative high resolution x-ray diffraction studies on GaN/oxide buffer/Si systems with and without DBR systems, the final GaN layer structure quality is not significantly influenced by the growth of the integrated DBR heterostructure. In terms of optoelectronic properties, it is demonstrated that—with respect to the basic GaN/oxide/Si system without DBR—the insertion of (a) the DBR heterostructures and (b) dark current suppressing MOS contacts enhances the photoresponsivity below the GaN band-gap related UV cut-off energy by almost up to two orders of magnitude. Given the in-situ oxide passivation capability of grown GaN surfaces and the one order of magnitude lower number of superlattice layers in case of higher refractive index contrast (oxide/Si) systems with respect to classical III-N DBR superlattices, virtual GaN substrates on Si via functional oxide buffer systems are thus a promising robust approach for future GaN-based UV detector technologies.« less

Thermal oxidation of Si/SiGe heterostructures for use in quantum dot qubits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neyens, Samuel F.; Foote, Ryan H.; Knapp, T. J.; McJunkin, Thomas; Savage, D. E.; Lagally, M. G.; Coppersmith, S. N.; Eriksson, M. A.

Here we demonstrate dry thermal oxidation of a Si/SiGe heterostructure at 700°C and use a Hall bar device to measure the mobility after oxidation to be 43,000 cm2V-1s-1 at a carrier density of 4.1 ×1011 cm-2. Surprisingly, we find no significant reduction in mobility compared with an Al2O3 device made with atomic layer deposition on the same heterostructure, indicating thermal oxidation can be used to process Si/SiGe quantum dot devices. This result provides a path for investigating improvements to the gate oxide in Si/SiGe qubit devices, whose performance is believed to be limited by charge noise in the oxide layer. This work was supported in part by ARO (W911NF-12-0607) and NSF (DMR-1206915 and PHY-1104660). Development and maintenance of the growth facilities used for fabricating samples is supported by DOE (DE-FG02-03ER46028). This research utilized NSF-supported shared facilities at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Surface texture of single-crystal silicon oxidized under a thin V{sub 2}O{sub 5} layer

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

Nikitin, S. E., E-mail: nikitin@mail.ioffe.ru; Verbitskiy, V. N.; Nashchekin, A. V.

The process of surface texturing of single-crystal silicon oxidized under a V{sub 2}O{sub 5} layer is studied. Intense silicon oxidation at the Si–V{sub 2}O{sub 5} interface begins at a temperature of 903 K which is 200 K below than upon silicon thermal oxidation in an oxygen atmosphere. A silicon dioxide layer 30–50 nm thick with SiO{sub 2} inclusions in silicon depth up to 400 nm is formed at the V{sub 2}O{sub 5}–Si interface. The diffusion coefficient of atomic oxygen through the silicon-dioxide layer at 903 K is determined (D ≥ 2 × 10{sup –15} cm{sup 2} s{sup –1}). A modelmore » of low-temperature silicon oxidation, based on atomic oxygen diffusion from V{sub 2}O{sub 5} through the SiO{sub 2} layer to silicon, and SiO{sub x} precipitate formation in silicon is proposed. After removing the V{sub 2}O{sub 5} and silicon-dioxide layers, texture is formed on the silicon surface, which intensely scatters light in the wavelength range of 300–550 nm and is important in the texturing of the front and rear surfaces of solar cells.« less

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

Properties of various silicon oxide phases in thin films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ritter, E.

1980-01-01

Layers of SiO2 with reproducible properties can be manufactured relatively easily today. In the case of SiO and Si2O3 layers, it is necessary to carefully check all of the manufacturing parameters for producing layers with reproducible properties. The properties of the layers in the case of SiO2 do conform to expectations. In the case of Si2O3 and SiO, they can be understood at least qualitatively. Additional interesting models are available for a quantitative understanding.

Deposition and characterization of silicon thin-films by aluminum-induced crystallization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ebil, Ozgenc

Polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) as a thin-film solar cell material could have major advantages compared to non-silicon thin-film technologies. In theory, thin-film poly-Si may retain the performance and stability of c-Si while taking advantage of established manufacturing techniques. However, poly-Si films deposited onto foreign substrates at low temperatures typically have an average grain size of 10--50 nm. Such a grain structure presents a potential problem for device performance since it introduces an excessive number of grain boundaries which, if left unpassivated, lead to poor solar cell properties. Therefore, for optimum device performance, the grain size of the poly-Si film should be at least comparable to the thickness of the films. For this project, the objectives were the deposition of poly-Si thin-films with 2--5 mum grain size on glass substrates using in-situ and conventional aluminum-induced crystallization (AIC) and the development of a model for AIC process. In-situ AIC experiments were performed using Hot-Wire Chemical Vapor Deposition (HWCVD) both above and below the eutectic temperature (577°C) of Si-Al binary system. Conventional AIC experiments were performed using a-Si layers deposited on aluminum coated glass substrates by Electron-beam deposition, Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) and HWCVD. Continuous poly-Si films with an average grain size of 10 mum on glass substrates were achieved by both in-situ and conventional aluminum-induced crystallization of Si below eutectic temperature. The grain size was determined by three factors; the grain structure of Al layer, the nature of the interfacial oxide, and crystallization temperature. The interface oxide was found to be crucial for AIC process but not necessary for crystallization itself. The characterization of interfacial oxide layer formed on Al films revealed a bilayer structure containing Al2O3 and Al(OH)3 . The effective activation energy for AIC process was determined to be 0.9 eV and depended on the nature of the interfacial oxide layer. Poly-Si layers prepared by AIC technique can be used as seed layers for epitaxial growth of bulk Si layer or as back contacts in c-Si based solar cells.

Silicon carbide as an oxidation-resistant high-temperature material. 1: Oxidation and heat corrosion behavior

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schlichting, J.

1981-01-01

The oxidation and corrosion behavior of SiC (in the form of a SiC powder) and hot-pressed and reaction-bound material were studied. The excellent stability of SiC in an oxidizing atmosphere is due to the development of protective SiO2 coatings. Any changes in these protective layers (e.g., due to impurities, reaction with corrosive media, high porosity of SiC, etc.) lead in most cases to increased rates of oxidation and thus restrict the field of SiC application.

Improved out-coupling efficiency of organic light emitting diodes fabricated on a TiO2 planarization layer with embedded Si oxide nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sung, Young Hoon; Jung, Pil-Hoon; Han, Kyung-Hoon; Kim, Yang Doo; Kim, Jang-Joo; Lee, Heon

2017-10-01

In order to increase the out-coupling efficiency of organic light emitting diodes, conical Si oxide nanostructures were formed on a glass substrate using nanoimprint lithography with hydrogen silsesquioxane. Then, the substrate was planarized with TiO2 nanoparticles. Since TiO2 nanoparticles have a higher refractive index than Si oxide, the surface of substrate is physically flat, but optically undulated in a manner that enables optical scattering and suppression of total internal reflection. Subsequently, OLEDs formed on a substrate with nanostructured Si oxide and a TiO2 planarization layer exhibit a 25% increase in out-coupling efficiency by suppressing total internal reflection.

Modification of FN tunneling provoking gate-leakage current in ZTO (zinc-tin oxide) TFT by regulating the ZTO/SiO2 area ratio

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jeng-Ting; Tsai, Ho-Lin; Lai, Wei-Yao; Hwang, Weng-Sing; Chen, In-Gann; Chen, Jen-Sue

2018-04-01

This study addresses the variation in gate-leakage current due to the Fowler-Nordheim (FN) tunneling of electrons through a SiO2 dielectric layer in zinc-tin oxide (ZTO) thin film transistors. It is shown that the gate-leakage current is not related to the absolute area of the ZTO active layer, but it is reduced by reducing the ZTO/SiO2 area ratio. The ZTO/SiO2 area ratio modulates the ZTO-SiO2 interface dipole strength as well as the ZTO-SiO2 conduction band offset and subsequently affects the FN tunneling current through the SiO2 layer, which provides a route that modifies the gate-leakage current.

Influence of intermediate layers on the surface condition of laser crystallized silicon thin films and solar cell performance

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

Höger, Ingmar, E-mail: ingmar.hoeger@ipht-jena.de; Gawlik, Annett; Brückner, Uwe

The intermediate layer (IL) between glass substrate and silicon plays a significant role in the optimization of multicrystalline liquid phase crystallized silicon thin film solar cells on glass. This study deals with the influence of the IL on the surface condition and the required chemical surface treatment of the crystallized silicon (mc-Si), which is of particular interest for a-Si:H heterojunction thin film solar cells. Two types of IL were investigated: sputtered silicon nitride (SiN) and a layer stack consisting of silicon nitride and silicon oxide (SiN/SiO). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements revealed the formation of silicon oxynitride (SiO{sub x}N{sub y}) ormore » silicon oxide (SiO{sub 2}) layers at the surface of the mc-Si after liquid phase crystallization on SiN or SiN/SiO, respectively. We propose that SiO{sub x}N{sub y} formation is governed by dissolving nitrogen from the SiN layer in the silicon melt, which segregates at the crystallization front during crystallization. This process is successfully hindered, when additional SiO layers are introduced into the IL. In order to achieve solar cell open circuit voltages above 500 mV, a removal of the formed SiO{sub x}N{sub y} top layer is required using sophisticated cleaning of the crystallized silicon prior to a-Si:H deposition. However, solar cells crystallized on SiN/SiO yield high open circuit voltage even when a simple wet chemical surface treatment is applied. The implementation of SiN/SiO intermediate layers facilitates the production of mesa type solar cells with open circuit voltages above 600 mV and a power conversion efficiency of 10%.« less

Effect of N2 annealing on AlZrO oxide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pétry, J.; Richard, O.; Vandervorst, W.; Conard, T.; Chen, J.; Cosnier, V.

2003-07-01

In the path to the introduction of high-k dielectric into integrated circuit components, a large number of challenges has to be solved. Subsequent to the film deposition, the high-k film is exposed to additional high-temperature anneals for polycrystalline Si activation but also to improve its own electrical properties. Hence, concerns can be raised regarding the thermal stability of these stacks upon annealing. In this study, we investigated the effect of N2 annealing (700 to 900 °C) of atomic layer chemical vapor deposition AlZrO layers using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOFSIMS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The effect of the Si surface preparation [H-Si, 0.5 nm rapid thermal oxide (RTO), Al2O3] on the modification of the high-k oxide and the interfacial layer upon annealing was also analyzed. Compositional changes can be observed for all temperature and surface preparations. In particular, we observe a segregation of Al(oxide) toward the surface of the mixed oxide. In addition, an increase of the Si concentration in the high-k film itself can be seen with a diffusion profile extending toward the surface of the film. On the other hand, the modification of the interfacial layer is strongly dependent on the system considered. In the case of mixed oxide grown on 0.5 nm RTO, no differences are observed between the as-deposited layer and the layer annealed at 700 °C. At 800 °C, a radical change occurs: The initial RTO layer seems to be converted into a mixed layer composed of the initial SiO2 and Al2O3 coming from the mixed oxide, however without forming an Al-silicate layer. A similar situation is found for anneals at 900 °C, as well. When grown on 1.5 nm Al2O3 on 0.5 nm RTO, the only difference with the previous system is the observation of an Al-silicate fraction in the interfacial layer for the as-deposited and 700 °C annealed samples, which disappears at higher temperatures. Finally, considering layers deposited on a H-Si surface, we observe a slight increase of the interfacial thickness after annealing at 700 °C and no further changes for a higher annealing temperature.

Sodium Iodate Produces a Strain-Dependent Retinal Oxidative Stress Response Measured In Vivo Using QUEST MRI.

PubMed

Berkowitz, Bruce A; Podolsky, Robert H; Lenning, Jacob; Khetarpal, Nikita; Tran, Catherine; Wu, Johnny Y; Berri, Ali M; Dernay, Kristin; Shafie-Khorassani, Fatema; Roberts, Robin

2017-06-01

We identify noninvasive biomarkers that measure the severity of oxidative stress within retina layers in sodium iodate (SI)-atrophy vulnerable (C57BL/6 [B6]) and SI-atrophy resistant (129S6/SvEvTac [S6]) mice. At 24 hours after administering systemic SI to B6 and S6 mice we measured: (1) superoxide production in whole retina ex vivo, (2) excessive free radical production in vivo based on layer-specific 1/T1 values before and after α-lipoic acid (ALA) administration while the animal was inside the magnet (QUEnch-assiSTed MRI [QUEST MRI]), and (3) visual performance (optokinetic tracking) ± antioxidants; control mice were similarly assessed. Retinal layer spacing and thickness in vivo also were evaluated (optical coherence tomography, MRI). SI-treated B6 mice retina had a significantly higher superoxide production than SI-treated S6 mice. ALA-injected SI-treated B6 mice had reduced 1/T1 in more retinal layers in vivo than in SI-treated S6 mice. Uninjected and saline-injected SI-treated B6 mice had similar transretinal 1/T1 profiles. Notably, the inner segment layer 1/T1 of SI-treated B6 mice was responsive to ALA but was unresponsive in SI-treated S6 mice. In both SI-treated strains, antioxidants improved contrast sensitivity to similar extents; antioxidants did not change acuity in either group. Retinal thicknesses were normal in both SI-treated strains at 24 hours after treatment. QUEST MRI uniquely measured severity of excessive free radical production within retinal layers of the same subject. Identifying the mechanisms underlying genetic vulnerabilities to oxidative stress is expected to help in understanding the pathogenesis of retinal degeneration.

Solution-deposited F:SnO₂/TiO₂ as a base-stable protective layer and antireflective coating for microtextured buried-junction H₂-evolving Si photocathodes.

PubMed

Kast, Matthew G; Enman, Lisa J; Gurnon, Nicholas J; Nadarajah, Athavan; Boettcher, Shannon W

2014-12-24

Protecting Si photocathodes from corrosion is important for developing tandem water-splitting devices operating in basic media. We show that textured commercial Si-pn(+) photovoltaics protected by solution-processed semiconducting/conducting oxides (plausibly suitable for scalable manufacturing) and coupled to thin layers of Ir yield high-performance H2-evolving photocathodes in base. They also serve as excellent test structures to understand corrosion mechanisms and optimize interfacial electrical contacts between various functional layers. Solution-deposited TiO2 protects Si-pn(+) junctions from corrosion for ∼24 h in base, whereas junctions protected by F:SnO2 fail after only 1 h of electrochemical cycling. Interface layers consisting of Ti metal and/or the highly doped F:SnO2 between the Si and TiO2 reduce Si-emitter/oxide/catalyst contact resistance and thus increase fill factor and efficiency. Controlling the oxide thickness led to record photocurrents near 35 mA cm(-2) at 0 V vs RHE and photocathode efficiencies up to 10.9% in the best cells. Degradation, however, was not completely suppressed. We demonstrate that performance degrades by two mechanisms, (1) deposition of impurities onto the thin catalyst layers, even from high-purity base, and (2) catastrophic failure via pinholes in the oxide layers after several days of operation. These results provide insight into the design of hydrogen-evolving photoelectrodes in basic conditions, and highlight challenges.

Influences of ultra-thin Ti seed layers on the dewetting phenomenon of Au films deposited on Si oxide substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamiko, Masao; Kim, So-Mang; Jeong, Young-Seok; Ha, Jae-Ho; Koo, Sang-Mo; Ha, Jae-Geun

2018-05-01

The influences of a Ti seed layer (1 nm) on the dewetting phenomenon of Au films (5 nm) grown onto amorphous SiO2 substrates have been studied and compared. Atomic force microscopy results indicated that the introduction of Ti between the substrate and Au promoted the dewetting phenomenon. X-ray diffraction measurements suggested that the initial deposition of Ti promoted crystallinity of Au. A series of Auger electron spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results revealed that Ti transformed to a Ti oxide layer by reduction of the amorphous SiO2 substrate surface, and that the Ti seed layer remained on the substrate, without going through the dewetting process during annealing. We concluded that the enhancement of Au dewetting and the improvement in crystallinity of Au by the insertion of Ti could be attributed to the fact that Au location was changed from the surface of the amorphous SiO2 substrate to that of the Ti oxide layer.

Dopants Diffusion in Silicon during Molecular Oxygen/nitrogen Trifluoride Oxidation and Related Phenomena

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, U. S.

1990-01-01

To date, chlorine has been used as useful additives in silicon oxidation. However, rapid scaling of device dimensions motivates the development of a new dielectric layer or modification of the silicon dioxide itself. More recently, chemically enhanced thermal oxidation by the use of fluorine containing species has been introduced to verify the potential of fluorine in the silicon oxidation process. In this study, gaseous nitrogen trifluoride (NF _3) was selected as the fluorine oxidizing source based on ease of use and was compared with the dichlorofluoroethane (C_2H _3Cl_2F) source. Two different kinds of boron marker samples were prepared and oxidized in O_2/NF_3 ambient for the comparison of surface vs bulk oxidation enhanced/retarded diffusion (OED/ORD). The phosphorus, arsenic and antimony diffusion in silicon during fluorine oxidation has been studied using the various covering layers such as SiO_2, Si_3 N_4, and SiO_2 + Si_3N_4 layers. The oxidation related phenomena, i.e. enhanced silicon and silicon nitride oxidation in fluorine ambient were studied and correlated with the point defect balance at the oxidizing interface. The results of this investigation were discussed with special emphasis on the effect of fluorine on enhanced oxidation and dopant diffusion.

Electrical characterization of thin nanoscale SiOx layers grown on plasma hydrogenated silicon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halova, E.; Kojuharova, N.; Alexandrova, S.; Szekeres, A.

2018-03-01

We analyzed the electrical characteristics of MOS structures with a SiOx layer grown on Si treated in plasma without heating. The hysteresis effect observed indicates the presence of traps spatially distributed into the oxide near the interface. The shift and the shape of the curves reveal a small oxide charge and low leakage currents, i.e. a high-quality dielectric layer. The generalized C-V curve was generated by applying the two-frequency methods on the C-V and G-V characteristics at frequencies in the range from 1 kHz to 300 kHz and by accounting for the series resistance and the leakage through the oxide layer. The energy spectra of the interface traps were calculated by comparing the experimental and the ideal theoretical C-V curves. The spectra showed the presence of interface traps with localized energy levels in the Si bandgap. These conclusions correlate well with the results on this oxide’s mechanical stress level, composition and Si-O ring structure, as well as on the interfacial region composition, obtained by our previous detailed multi-angle spectral ellipsometric studies. The ellipsometric data and the capacitance in strong accumulation of the C-V curves were used to calculate the thickness and the dielectric constants of the oxide layers.

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.

Dual-Layer Oxidation-Protective Plasma-Sprayed SiC-ZrB2/Al2O3-Carbon Nanotube Coating on Graphite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ariharan, S.; Sengupta, Pradyut; Nisar, Ambreen; Agnihotri, Ankur; Balaji, N.; Aruna, S. T.; Balani, Kantesh

2017-02-01

Graphite is used in high-temperature gas-cooled reactors because of its outstanding irradiation performance and corrosion resistance. To restrict its high-temperature (>873 K) oxidation, atmospheric-plasma-sprayed SiC-ZrB2-Al2O3-carbon nanotube (CNT) dual-layer coating was deposited on graphite substrate in this work. The effect of each layer was isolated by processing each component of the coating via spark plasma sintering followed by isothermal kinetic studies. Based on isothermal analysis and the presence of high residual thermal stress in the oxide scale, degradation appeared to be more severe in composites reinforced with CNTs. To avoid the complexity of analysis of composites, the high-temperature activation energy for oxidation was calculated for the single-phase materials only, yielding values of 11.8, 20.5, 43.5, and 4.5 kJ/mol for graphite, SiC, ZrB2, and CNT, respectively, with increased thermal stability for ZrB2 and SiC. These results were then used to evaluate the oxidation rate for the composites analytically. This study has broad implications for wider use of dual-layer (SiC-ZrB2/Al2O3) coatings for protecting graphite crucibles even at temperatures above 1073 K.

Electronic properties and morphology of copper oxide/n-type silicon heterostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindberg, P. F.; Gorantla, S. M.; Gunnæs, A. E.; Svensson, B. G.; Monakhov, E. V.

2017-08-01

Silicon-based tandem heterojunction solar cells utilizing cuprous oxide (Cu2O) as the top absorber layer show promise for high-efficiency conversion and low production cost. In the present study, single phase Cu2O films have been realized on n-type Si substrates by reactive magnetron sputtering at 400 °C. The obtained Cu2O/Si heterostructures have subsequently been heat treated at temperatures in the 400-700 °C range in Ar flow and extensively characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging and electrical techniques. The Cu2O/Si heterojunction exhibits a current rectification of ~5 orders of magnitude between forward and reverse bias voltages. High resolution cross-sectional TEM-images show the presence of a ~2 nm thick interfacial SiO2 layer between Cu2O and the Si substrate. Heat treatments below 550 °C result in gradual improvement of crystallinity, indicated by XRD. At and above 550 °C, partial phase transition to cupric oxide (CuO) occurs followed by a complete transition at 700 °C. No increase or decrease of the SiO2 layer is observed after the heat treatment at 550 °C. Finally, a thin Cu-silicide layer (Cu3Si) emerges below the SiO2 layer upon annealing at 550 °C. This silicide layer influences the lateral current and voltage distributions, as evidenced by an increasing effective area of the heterojunction diodes.

Layer-by-layer self-assembled graphene oxide/silica microsphere composites as stationary phase for high performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Liang, Xiaojing; Liu, Shujuan; Song, Xinwang; Zhu, Yangwen; Jiang, Shengxiang

2012-11-21

Graphene oxide (GO) has been layer-by-layer assembled onto silica microspheres to form a GO/SiO(2) composite stationary phase. All the characterizations of GO/SiO(2) by elemental analysis, Raman spectroscopy and Fourier transformed infrared spectrometry confirmed that with the increase of the assembled layer, GO gradually increases on the silica surface. The chromatographic properties of bare SiO(2) and GO/SiO(2) with different GO assembled layers show that the amount of GO plays an important role in the separation of analytes. Only the appropriate amount of GO on SiO(2) can perform a good chromatographic separation. The comparison between chromatographic performances of bare SiO(2) column, GO/SiO(2)-2 column and C18 commercial column clearly show that GO/SiO(2)-2 and C18 columns obtained a better separation; GO/SiO(2)-2 exhibits a large π-electron system and C18 exhibits hydrophobicity. The eluting order, peak width and resolution of analyte on GO/SiO(2)-2 column was highly dependent on the size of its π-electron system, while on the C18 column the decisive factor is its hydrophobic property.

Chemical gating of epitaxial graphene through ultrathin oxide layers.

PubMed

Larciprete, Rosanna; Lacovig, Paolo; Orlando, Fabrizio; Dalmiglio, Matteo; Omiciuolo, Luca; Baraldi, Alessandro; Lizzit, Silvano

2015-08-07

We achieved a controllable chemical gating of epitaxial graphene grown on metal substrates by exploiting the electrostatic polarization of ultrathin SiO2 layers synthesized below it. Intercalated oxygen diffusing through the SiO2 layer modifies the metal-oxide work function and hole dopes graphene. The graphene/oxide/metal heterostructure behaves as a gated plane capacitor with the in situ grown SiO2 layer acting as a homogeneous dielectric spacer, whose high capacity allows the Fermi level of graphene to be shifted by a few hundreds of meV when the oxygen coverage at the metal substrate is of the order of 0.5 monolayers. The hole doping can be finely tuned by controlling the amount of interfacial oxygen, as well as by adjusting the thickness of the oxide layer. After complete thermal desorption of oxygen the intrinsic doping of SiO2 supported graphene is evaluated in the absence of contaminants and adventitious adsorbates. The demonstration that the charge state of graphene can be changed by chemically modifying the buried oxide/metal interface hints at the possibility of tuning the level and sign of doping by the use of other intercalants capable of diffusing through the ultrathin porous dielectric and reach the interface with the metal.

Microstructure and Oxidation of (La,Sr)CrO3-Added Ti3SiC2 Composites.

PubMed

Lee, Dong Bok

2015-11-01

Composites of Ti3SiC2-(10, 20, 40)wt% La0.8Sr0.2CrO3 were synthesized by hot pressing powders of Ti3SiC2 and La0.8Sr0.2CrO3. These powders reacted to form stable TiC carbides and LaTiO3, Cr2Ti4O11, La2O3, and SrCrO4 oxides during hot pressing. The composites consisted primarily of a fine TiC-rich matrix phase and coarse Ti3SiC2 dispersoids. The addition of oxidation-immune La0.8Sr0.2CrO3 into Ti3SiC2 increased the oxidation rate because TiC formed during hot pressing. During oxidation of the composites at 800-1000 degrees C for 100 h in air, Ti diffused outward to form an outer rutile-TiO2 layer, and oxygen transported inward to form an inner oxide layer.

Characterization of crystal structure features of a SIMOX substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eidelman, K. B.; Shcherbachev, K. D.; Tabachkova, N. Yu.; Podgornii, D. A.; Mordkovich, V. N.

2015-12-01

The SIMOX commercial sample (Ibis corp.) was investigated by a high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD), a high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and an Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) to determine its actual parameters (the thickness of the top Si and a continuous buried oxide layer (BOX), the crystalline quality of the top Si layer). Under used implantation conditions, the thickness of the top Si and BOX layers was 200 nm and 400 nm correspondingly. XRD intensity distribution near Si(0 0 4) reciprocal lattice point was investigated. According to the oscillation period of the diffraction reflection curve defined thickness of the overtop silicon layer (220 ± 2) nm. HRTEM determined the thickness of the oxide layer (360 nm) and revealed the presence of Si islands with a thickness of 30-40 nm and a length from 30 to 100 nm in the BOX layer nearby "BOX-Si substrate" interface. The Si islands are faceted by (1 1 1) and (0 0 1) faces. No defects were revealed in these islands. The signal from Si, which corresponds to the particles in an amorphous BOX matrix, was revealed by AES in the depth profiles. Amount of Si single crystal phase at the depth, where the particles are deposited, is about 10-20%.

Considerably improved photovoltaic performance of carbon nanotube-based solar cells using metal oxide layers.

PubMed

Wang, Feijiu; Kozawa, Daichi; Miyauchi, Yuhei; Hiraoka, Kazushi; Mouri, Shinichiro; Ohno, Yutaka; Matsuda, Kazunari

2015-02-18

Carbon nanotube-based solar cells have been extensively studied from the perspective of potential application. Here we demonstrated a significant improvement of the carbon nanotube solar cells by the use of metal oxide layers for efficient carrier transport. The metal oxides also serve as an antireflection layer and an efficient carrier dopant, leading to a reduction in the loss of the incident solar light and an increase in the photocurrent, respectively. As a consequence, the photovoltaic performance of both p-single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT)/n-Si and n-SWNT/p-Si heterojunction solar cells using MoOx and ZnO layers is improved, resulting in very high photovoltaic conversion efficiencies of 17.0 and 4.0%, respectively. These findings regarding the use of metal oxides as multifunctional layers suggest that metal oxide layers could improve the performance of various electronic devices based on carbon nanotubes.

Considerably improved photovoltaic performance of carbon nanotube-based solar cells using metal oxide layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Feijiu; Kozawa, Daichi; Miyauchi, Yuhei; Hiraoka, Kazushi; Mouri, Shinichiro; Ohno, Yutaka; Matsuda, Kazunari

2015-02-01

Carbon nanotube-based solar cells have been extensively studied from the perspective of potential application. Here we demonstrated a significant improvement of the carbon nanotube solar cells by the use of metal oxide layers for efficient carrier transport. The metal oxides also serve as an antireflection layer and an efficient carrier dopant, leading to a reduction in the loss of the incident solar light and an increase in the photocurrent, respectively. As a consequence, the photovoltaic performance of both p-single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT)/n-Si and n-SWNT/p-Si heterojunction solar cells using MoOx and ZnO layers is improved, resulting in very high photovoltaic conversion efficiencies of 17.0 and 4.0%, respectively. These findings regarding the use of metal oxides as multifunctional layers suggest that metal oxide layers could improve the performance of various electronic devices based on carbon nanotubes.

Direct electron injection into an oxide insulator using a cathode buffer layer

PubMed Central

Lee, Eungkyu; Lee, Jinwon; Kim, Ji-Hoon; Lim, Keon-Hee; Seok Byun, Jun; Ko, Jieun; Dong Kim, Young; Park, Yongsup; Kim, Youn Sang

2015-01-01

Injecting charge carriers into the mobile bands of an inorganic oxide insulator (for example, SiO2, HfO2) is a highly complicated task, or even impossible without external energy sources such as photons. This is because oxide insulators exhibit very low electron affinity and high ionization energy levels. Here we show that a ZnO layer acting as a cathode buffer layer permits direct electron injection into the conduction bands of various oxide insulators (for example, SiO2, Ta2O5, HfO2, Al2O3) from a metal cathode. Studies of current–voltage characteristics reveal that the current ohmically passes through the ZnO/oxide-insulator interface. Our findings suggests that the oxide insulators could be used for simply fabricated, transparent and highly stable electronic valves. With this strategy, we demonstrate an electrostatic discharging diode that uses 100-nm SiO2 as an active layer exhibiting an on/off ratio of ∼107, and protects the ZnO thin-film transistors from high electrical stresses. PMID:25864642

Investigation of 3C-SiC/SiO2 interfacial point defects from ab initio g-tensor calculations and electron paramagnetic resonance measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nugraha, T. A.; Rohrmueller, M.; Gerstmann, U.; Greulich-Weber, S.; Stellhorn, A.; Cantin, J. L.; von Bardeleben, J.; Schmidt, W. G.; Wippermann, S.

SiC is widely used in high-power, high-frequency electronic devices. Recently, it has also been employed as a building block in nanocomposites used as light absorbers in solar energy conversion devices. Analogous to Si, SiC features SiO2 as native oxide that can be used for passivation and insulating layers. However, a significant number of defect states are reported to form at SiC/SiO2 interfaces, limiting mobility and increasing recombination of free charge carriers. We investigated the growth of oxide on different 3C-SiC surfaces from first principles. Carbon antisite Csi defects are found to be strongly stabilized in particular at the interface, because carbon changes its hybridization from sp3 in the SiC-bulk to sp2 at the interface, creating a dangling bond inside a porous region of the SiO2 passivating layer. Combining ab initio g-tensor calculations and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements, we show that Csi defects explain the measured EPR signatures, while the hyperfine structure allows to obtain local structural information of the oxide layer. Financial support from BMBF NanoMatFutur Grant 13N12972 and DFG priority program SPP-1601 is gratefully acknowledged.

Silicon Cations Intermixed Indium Zinc Oxide Interface for High-Performance Thin-Film Transistors Using a Solution Process.

PubMed

Na, Jae Won; Rim, You Seung; Kim, Hee Jun; Lee, Jin Hyeok; Hong, Seonghwan; Kim, Hyun Jae

2017-09-06

Solution-processed amorphous metal-oxide thin-film transistors (TFTs) utilizing an intermixed interface between a metal-oxide semiconductor and a dielectric layer are proposed. In-depth physical characterizations are carried out to verify the existence of the intermixed interface that is inevitably formed by interdiffusion of cations originated from a thermal process. In particular, when indium zinc oxide (IZO) semiconductor and silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ) dielectric layer are in contact and thermally processed, a Si 4+ intermixed IZO (Si/IZO) interface is created. On the basis of this concept, a high-performance Si/IZO TFT having both a field-effect mobility exceeding 10 cm 2 V -1 s -1 and a on/off current ratio over 10 7 is successfully demonstrated.

Enhancing the Oxidation Performance of Wrought Ni-Base Superalloy by Minor Additions of Active Elements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tawancy, H. M.

2016-12-01

We show that the oxidation performance of Cr2O3-forming superalloy based upon the Ni-Cr-W system is significantly improved by the presence of minor concentrations of La, Si and Mn, which outweigh the detrimental effect of high W concentration in the alloy. Although Cr2O3 is known to transform into volatile CrO3 at temperatures ≥950 °C, the respective protection is extended to temperatures reaching 1150 °C, which has also been correlated with the beneficial effects of La, Si and Mn. During high-temperature oxidation, an inner protective La- and Si-modified layer of α-Cr2O3 in contact with the superalloy substrate is developed and shielded by an outermost layer of MnCr2O4. The distribution of La and Si in the inner oxide layer has been characterized down to the scale of transmission electron microscopy, and the possible mechanisms underlying their beneficial effects are elucidated.

Development of an iral coated SiC-C functionally gradient composite for oxidation protection of graphite and carbon-carbon composites. Final report, 15 July 1992-14 July 1995

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

Richards, M.R.; Richards, A.C.; Ohuchi, F.S.

1995-10-27

This report is the final summary for AFOSR project number F49620-92-J-0367. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the oxidation protection afforded to graphite or C/C composites by combining IrAl with SiC-C functionally gradient coatings FGCs. This project involved the design and construction of a novel cold wall levitation chemical vapor deposition (LCVD) reactor capable of producing continuous FGCs, and the modification of an existing physical vapor deposition (PVD) system to allow for codeposition of Ir and Al. The SiC-C FGCs were produced using the SiCl4-C3H8-H2 gas system. By continuously varying the Si to C ratio in the gasmore » stream the composition of the coatings could be precisely controlled and tailored to fit a predetermined compositional profile. IrAl was deposited onto the SiC-C FGC by alternately depositing layers of Ir and Al and reacting them at 700 deg C, in vacuum, to form IrAl. Analysis of the as reacted film indicated that IrAl had indeed formed, however, a secondary reaction had occurred between the Ir and SiC producing IrSi3 and graphite. Cracking of the IrAl coating was also observed and was attributed to the CTE mismatch between SiC and the IrAl coating. Upon exposure to a high temperature oxidizing flame (<2100 deg C for 5 min.), the IrAl formed a protective layer of alumina, however, the extensive cracking of the IrAl layer allowed the SiC-C FGC layer to oxidize.« less

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

Unuigbe, David M.; Harting, Margit; Jonah, Emmanuel O.

The presence of native oxide on the surface of silicon nanoparticles is known to inhibit charge transport on the surfaces. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies reveal that the particles in the printed silicon network have a wide range of sizes and shapes. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy reveals that the particle surfaces have mainly the (111)- and (100)-oriented planes which stabilizes against further oxidation of the particles. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XANES) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements at the O 1s-edge have been utilized to study the oxidation and local atomic structure of printed layers of silicon nanoparticles which were milledmore » for different times. XANES results reveal the presence of the +4 (SiO 2) oxidation state which tends towards the +2 (SiO) state for higher milling times. Si 2pXPS results indicate that the surfaces of the silicon nanoparticles in the printed layers are only partially oxidized and that all three sub-oxide, +1 (Si 2O), +2 (SiO) and +3 (Si 2O 3), states are present. The analysis of the change in the sub-oxide peaks of the silicon nanoparticles shows the dominance of the +4 state only for lower milling times.« less

Spectroscopic ellipsometric characterization of Si/Si(1-x)Ge(x) strained-layer superlattices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yao, H.; Woollam, J. A.; Wang, P. J.; Tejwani, M. J.; Alterovitz, S. A.

1993-01-01

Spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) was employed to characterize Si/Si(1-x)Ge(x) strained-layer superlattices. An algorithm was developed, using the available optical constants measured at a number of fixed x values of Ge composition, to compute the dielectric function spectrum of Si(1-x)Ge(x) at an arbitrary x value in the spectral range 17 to 5.6 eV. The ellipsometrically determined superlattice thicknesses and alloy compositional fractions were in excellent agreement with results from high-resolution x ray diffraction studies. The silicon surfaces of the superlattices were subjected to a 9:1 HF cleaning prior to the SE measurements. The HF solution removed silicon oxides on the semiconductor surface, and terminated the Si surface with hydrogen-silicon bonds, which were monitored over a period of several weeks, after the HF cleaning, by SE measurements. An equivalent dielectric layer model was established to describe the hydrogen-terminated Si surface layer. The passivated Si surface remained unchanged for greater than 2 h, and very little surface oxidation took place even over 3 to 4 days.

Mo/Si multilayers with enhanced TiO II- and RuO II-capping layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yulin, Sergiy; Benoit, Nicolas; Feigl, Torsten; Kaiser, Norbert; Fang, Ming; Chandhok, Manish

2008-03-01

The lifetime of Mo/Si multilayer-coated projection optics is one of the outstanding issues on the road of commercialization of extreme-ultraviolet lithography (EUVL). The application of Mo/Si multilayer optics in EUVL requires both sufficient radiation stability and also the highest possible normal-incidence reflectivity. A serious problem of conventional high-reflective Mo/Si multilayers capped by silicon is the considerable degradation of reflective properties due to carbonization and oxidation of the silicon surface layer under exposure by EUV radiation. In this study, we focus on titanium dioxide (TiO II) and ruthenium dioxide (RuO II) as promising capping layer materials for EUVL multilayer coatings. The multilayer designs as well as the deposition parameters of the Mo/Si systems with different capping layers were optimized in terms of maximum peak reflectivity at the wavelength of 13.5 nm and longterm stability under high-intensive irradiation. Optimized TiO II-capped Mo/Si multilayer mirrors with an initial reflectivity of 67.0% presented a reflectivity drop of 0.6% after an irradiation dose of 760 J/mm2. The reflectivity drop was explained by the partial oxidation of the silicon sub-layer. No reflectivity loss after similar irradiation dose was found for RuO II-capped Mo/Si multilayer mirrors having initial peak reflectivity of 66%. In this paper we present data on improved reflectivity of interface-engineered TiO II- and RuO II-capped Mo/Si multilayer mirrors due to the minimization of both interdiffusion processes inside the multilayer stack and absorption loss in the oxide layer. Reflectivities of 68.5% at the wavelength of 13.4 nm were achieved for both TiO II- and RuO II-capped Mo/Si multilayer mirrors.

Use of gas-phase ethanol to mitigate extreme UV/water oxidation of extreme UV optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klebanoff, L. E.; Malinowski, M. E.; Clift, W. M.; Steinhaus, C.; Grunow, P.

2004-03-01

A technique is described that uses a gas-phase species to mitigate the oxidation of a Mo/Si multilayer optic caused by either extreme UV (EUV) or electron-induced dissociation of adsorbed water vapor. It is found that introduction of ethanol (EtOH) into a water-rich gas-phase environment inhibits oxidation of the outermost Si layer of the Mo/Si EUV reflective coating. Auger electron spectroscopy, sputter Auger depth profiling, EUV reflectivity, and photocurrent measurements are presented that reveal the EUV/water- and electron/water-derived optic oxidation can be suppressed at the water partial pressures used in the tests (~2×10-7-2×10-5 Torr). The ethanol appears to function differently in two time regimes. At early times, ethanol decomposes on the optic surface, providing reactive carbon atoms that scavenge reactive oxygen atoms before they can oxidize the outermost Si layer. At later times, the reactive carbon atoms form a thin (~5 Å), possibly self-limited, graphitic layer that inhibits water adsorption on the optic surface. .

XPS Study of Oxide/GaAs and SiO2/Si Interfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grunthaner, F. J.; Grunthaner, P. J.; Vasquez, R. P.; Lewis, B. F.; Maserjian, J.; Madhukar, A.

1982-01-01

Concepts developed in study of SiO2/Si interface applied to analysis of native oxide/GaAs interface. High-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) has been combined with precise chemical-profiling technique and resolution-enhancement methods to study stoichiometry of transitional layer. Results are presented in report now available.

The Effect of Bi on the Selective Oxide Formation on CMnSi TRIP Steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oh, Jonghan; Cho, Lawrence; Kim, Myungsoo; Kang, Kichul; De Cooman, Bruno C.

2016-11-01

The effect of Bi addition on the selective oxidation and the galvanizability of CMnSi transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) steels was studied by hot dip galvanizing laboratory simulations. Bi-added TRIP steels were intercritically annealed at 1093 K (820 °C) and galvanized in a 0.22 wt pct Al-containing Zn bath. The oxide morphology was investigated by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and 3D atom probe tomography. Bi formed a Bi-enriched surface layer during the intercritical annealing. A decrease of the oxygen permeability was observed with increasing Bi addition. The internal oxidation was suppressed in Bi-added CMnSi TRIP steel. The surface oxide morphology was changed from a continuous layer morphology to a more lens-shaped morphology. The galvanizability of the Bi-added TRIP steel was improved by the combination of the change of the oxide morphology and the dissolution of the Bi-enriched surface layer during immersion of the strip in the Zn bath.

High temperature solar selective coatings

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

Kennedy, Cheryl E

Improved solar collectors (40) comprising glass tubing (42) attached to bellows (44) by airtight seals (56) enclose solar absorber tubes (50) inside an annular evacuated space (54. The exterior surfaces of the solar absorber tubes (50) are coated with improved solar selective coatings {48} which provide higher absorbance, lower emittance and resistance to atmospheric oxidation at elevated temperatures. The coatings are multilayered structures comprising solar absorbent layers (26) applied to the meta surface of the absorber tubes (50), typically stainless steel, topped with antireflective Savers (28) comprising at least two layers 30, 32) of refractory metal or metalloid oxides (suchmore » as titania and silica) with substantially differing indices of refraction in adjacent layers. Optionally, at least one layer of a noble metal such as platinum can be included between some of the layers. The absorbent layers cars include cermet materials comprising particles of metal compounds is a matrix, which can contain oxides of refractory metals or metalloids such as silicon. Reflective layers within the coating layers can comprise refractory metal silicides and related compounds characterized by the formulas TiSi. Ti.sub.3SiC.sub.2, TiAlSi, TiAN and similar compounds for Zr and Hf. The titania can be characterized by the formulas TiO.sub.2, Ti.sub.3O.sub.5. TiOx or TiO.sub.xN.sub.1-x with x 0 to 1. The silica can be at least one of SiO.sub.2, SiO.sub.2x or SiO.sub.2xN.sub.1-x with x=0 to 1.« less

Meniscus-force-mediated layer transfer technique using single-crystalline silicon films with midair cavity: Application to fabrication of CMOS transistors on plastic substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakaike, Kohei; Akazawa, Muneki; Nakagawa, Akitoshi; Higashi, Seiichiro

2015-04-01

A novel low-temperature technique for transferring a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) layer with a midair cavity (supported by narrow SiO2 columns) by meniscus force has been proposed, and a single-crystalline Si (c-Si) film with a midair cavity formed in dog-bone shape was successfully transferred to a poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) substrate at its heatproof temperature or lower. By applying this proposed transfer technique, high-performance c-Si-based complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) transistors were successfully fabricated on the PET substrate. The key processes are the thermal oxidation and subsequent hydrogen annealing of the SOI layer on the midair cavity. These processes ensure a good MOS interface, and the SiO2 layer works as a “blocking” layer that blocks contamination from PET. The fabricated n- and p-channel c-Si thin-film transistors (TFTs) on the PET substrate showed field-effect mobilities of 568 and 103 cm2 V-1 s-1, respectively.

Slow positron studies of hydrogen activation/passivation on SiO2/Si(100) interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lynn, K. G.; Asoka-Kumar, P.

The hydrogen atoms are one of the most common impurity species found in semiconductor systems owing to its large diffusivity, and are easily incorporated either in a controlled process like in ion implantation or in an uncontrolled process like the one at the fabrication stage. Hydrogen can passivate dangling bonds and dislocations in these systems and hence can be used to enhance the electrical properties. In a SiO2/Si system, hydrogen can passivate electronic states at the interface and can alter the fixed or mobile charges in the oxide layer. Since hydrogen is present in almost all of the environments of SiO2/Si wafer fabrication, the activation energy of hydrogen atoms is of paramount importance to a proper understanding of SiO2/Si based devices and has not been measured on the technologically most important Si(100) face. There are no direct, nondestructive methods available to observe hydrogen injection into the oxide layer and subsequent diffusion. The positrons are used as a 'sensitive', nondestructive probe to observe hydrogen interaction in the oxide layer and the interface region. A new way is described of characterizing the changes in the density of the interface states under a low temperature annealing using positrons.

Metal/silicon Interfaces and Their Oxidation Behavior - Photoemission Spectroscopy Analysis.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yeh, Jyh-Jye

Synchrotron radiation photoemission spectroscopy was used to study Ni/Si and Au/Si interface properties on the atomic scale at room temperature, after high temperature annealing and after oxygen exposures. Room temperature studies of metal/Si interfaces provide background for an understanding of the interface structure after elevated temperature annealing. Oxidation studies of Si surfaces covered with metal overlayers yield insight about the effect of metal atoms in the Si oxidation mechanisms and are useful in the identification of subtle differences in bonding relations between atoms at the metal/Si interfaces. Core level and valence band spectra with variable surface sensitivities were used to study the interactions between metal, Si, and oxygen for metal coverages and oxide thickness in the monolayer region. Interface morphology at the initial stage of metal/Si interface formation and after oxidation was modeled on the basis of the evolutions of metal and Si signals at different probing depths in the photoemission experiment. Both Ni/Si and Au/Si interfaces formed at room temperature have a diffusive region at the interface. This is composed of a layer of metal-Si alloy, formed by Si outdiffusion into the metal overlayer, above a layer of interstitial metal atoms in the Si substrate. Different atomic structures of these two regions at Ni/Si interface can account for the two different growth orientations of epitaxial Ni disilicides on the Si(111) surface after thermal annealing. Annealing the Au/Si interface at high temperature depletes all the Au atoms except for one monolayer of Au on the Si(111) surface. These phenomena are attributed to differences in the metal-Si chemical bonding relations associated with specific atomic structures. After oxygen exposures, both the Ni disilicide surface and Au covered Si surfaces (with different coverages and surface orderings) show silicon in higher oxidation states, in comparison to oxidized silicon on a clean surface. Preferential Si dioxide growth on the Au/Si surface is related to the strong distortion of the Si lattice when Au-Si bonds are formed. In comparison, a monolayer of Ni on a Si surface, with its weaker Ni-Si bond, does not enhance oxide formation.

Recombination reduction at the c-Si/RCA oxide interface through Ar-H2 plasma treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Landheer, Kees; Bronsveld, Paula C. P.; Poulios, Ioannis; Tichelaar, Frans D.; Kaiser, Monja; Schropp, Ruud E. I.; Rath, Jatin K.

2017-02-01

An Ar-H2 plasma treatment was applied on an ultrathin RCA oxide to create well-passivated silicon wafers with symmetric c-Si/SiOx:H/a-Si:H passivation layer stacks. The effective lifetime of these samples increased from 10 μs to 4 ms after annealing at 200 °C through Ar-H2 plasma treatment of the oxide. The results indicate that the plasma treatment can modify the RCA oxide and this enables atomic hydrogen diffusion at low annealing temperature, leading to a well passivated c-Si/SiOx:H interface. This might provide new possibilities to use wet chemical oxides in c-Si solar cells, for example as tunnel contacts.

Study Trapped Charge Distribution in P-Channel Silicon-Oxide-Nitride-Oxide-Silicon Memory Device Using Dynamic Programming Scheme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Fu-Hai; Chiu, Yung-Yueh; Lee, Yen-Hui; Chang, Ru-Wei; Yang, Bo-Jun; Sun, Wein-Town; Lee, Eric; Kuo, Chao-Wei; Shirota, Riichiro

2013-04-01

In this study, we precisely investigate the charge distribution in SiN layer by dynamic programming of channel hot hole induced hot electron injection (CHHIHE) in p-channel silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon (SONOS) memory device. In the dynamic programming scheme, gate voltage is increased as a staircase with fixed step amplitude, which can prohibits the injection of holes in SiN layer. Three-dimensional device simulation is calibrated and is compared with the measured programming characteristics. It is found, for the first time, that the hot electron injection point quickly traverses from drain to source side synchronizing to the expansion of charged area in SiN layer. As a result, the injected charges quickly spread over on the almost whole channel area uniformly during a short programming period, which will afford large tolerance against lateral trapped charge diffusion by baking.

Li4SiO4-Based Artificial Passivation Thin Film for Improving Interfacial Stability of Li Metal Anodes.

PubMed

Kim, Ji Young; Kim, A-Young; Liu, Guicheng; Woo, Jae-Young; Kim, Hansung; Lee, Joong Kee

2018-03-14

An amorphous SiO 2 (a-SiO 2 ) thin film was developed as an artificial passivation layer to stabilize Li metal anodes during electrochemical reactions. The thin film was prepared using an electron cyclotron resonance-chemical vapor deposition apparatus. The obtained passivation layer has a hierarchical structure, which is composed of lithium silicide, lithiated silicon oxide, and a-SiO 2 . The thickness of the a-SiO 2 passivation layer could be varied by changing the processing time, whereas that of the lithium silicide and lithiated silicon oxide layers was almost constant. During cycling, the surface of the a-SiO 2 passivation layer is converted into lithium silicate (Li 4 SiO 4 ), and the portion of Li 4 SiO 4 depends on the thickness of a-SiO 2 . A minimum overpotential of 21.7 mV was observed at the Li metal electrode at a current density of 3 mA cm -2 with flat voltage profiles, when an a-SiO 2 passivation layer of 92.5 nm was used. The Li metal with this optimized thin passivation layer also showed the lowest charge-transfer resistance (3.948 Ω cm) and the highest Li ion diffusivity (7.06 × 10 -14 cm 2 s -1 ) after cycling in a Li-S battery. The existence of the Li 4 SiO 4 artificial passivation layer prevents the corrosion of Li metal by suppressing Li dendritic growth and improving the ionic conductivity, which contribute to the low charge-transfer resistance and high Li ion diffusivity of the electrode.

Cyclic Thermal Stress-Induced Degradation of Cu Metallization on Si3N4 Substrate at -40°C to 300°C

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lang, Fengqun; Yamaguchi, Hiroshi; Nakagawa, Hiroshi; Sato, Hiroshi

2015-01-01

The high-temperature reliability of active metal brazed copper (AMC) on Si3N4 ceramic substrates used for fabricating SiC high-temperature power modules was investigated under harsh environments. The AMC substrate underwent isothermal storage at 300°C for up to 3000 h and a thermal cycling test at -40°C to 300°C for up to 3000 cycles. During isothermal storage at 300°C, the AMC substrate exhibited high reliability, characterized by very little deformation of the copper (Cu) layer, low crack growth, and low oxidation rate of the Cu layer. Under thermal cycling conditions at -40°C to 300°C, no detachment of the Cu layer was observed even after the maximum 3000 cycles of the experiment. However, serious deformation of the Cu layer occurred and progressed as the number of thermal cycles increased, thus significantly roughening the surface of the Cu metallized layer. The cyclic thermal stress led to a significant increase in the crack growth and oxidation of the Cu layer. The maximum depth of the copper oxides reached up to 5/6 of the Cu thickness. The deformation of the Cu layer was the main cause of the decrease of the bond strength under thermal cycling conditions. The shear strength of the SiC chips bonded on the AMC substrate with a Au-12 wt.%Ge solder decreased from the original 83 MPa to 14 MPa after 3000 cycles. Therefore, the cyclic thermal stress destroyed the Cu oxides and enhanced the oxidation of the Cu layer.

Interface formation of epitaxial MgO/Co2MnSi(001) structures: Elemental segregation and oxygen migration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McFadden, Anthony; Wilson, Nathaniel; Brown-Heft, Tobias; Pennachio, Daniel; Pendharkar, Mihir; Logan, John A.; Palmstrøm, Chris J.

2017-12-01

The interface formation in epitaxial MgO /Co2MnSi (001) films was studied using in-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). MgO was deposited on single crystal Co2MnSi (001) layers using e-beam evaporation: a technique which is expected to oxidize the Co2MnSi layer somewhat due to the rise in oxygen partial pressure during MgO deposition while leaving the deposited MgO oxygen deficient. Not unexpectedly, we find that e-beam evaporation of MgO raises the oxygen background in the deposition chamber to a level that readily oxidizes the Co2MnSi surface, with oxygen bonding preferentially to Mn and Si over Co. Interestingly, this oxidation causes an elemental segregation, with Mn-Si effectively moving toward the surface, resulting in an MgO /Co2MnSi interface with a composition significantly differing from the original surface of the unoxidized Co2MnSi film. As MgO is deposited on the oxidized Co2MnSi , the Mn-oxides are reduced, while the Si oxide remains, and is only somewhat reduced after additional annealing in ultrahigh vacuum. Annealing after the MgO is grown on Co2MnSi causes oxygen to move away from the oxidized Co2MnSi interface toward the surface and into the MgO. This observation is consistent with an increase in the tunneling magnetoresistance ratio with post-growth annealing measured in fabricated magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs). The findings are discussed in light of fabrication of MgO/Heusler based MTJs, where the exponential decay of tunneling probability with contact separation exemplifies the importance of the ferromagnet/tunnel barrier interface.

Resistance Switching Memory Characteristics of Si/CaF2/CdF2 Quantum-Well Structures Grown on Metal (CoSi2) Layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Denda, Junya; Uryu, Kazuya; Watanabe, Masahiro

2013-04-01

A novel scheme of resistance switching random access memory (ReRAM) devices fabricated using Si/CaF2/CdF2/CaF2/Si quantum-well structures grown on metal CoSi2 layer formed on a Si substrate has been proposed, and embryonic write/erase memory operation has been demonstrated at room temperature. It has been found that the oxide-mediated epitaxy (OME) technique for forming the CoSi2 layer on Si dramatically improves the stability and reproducibility of the current-voltage (I-V) curve. This technology involves 10-nm-thick Co layer deposition on a protective oxide prepared by boiling in a peroxide-based solution followed by annealing at 550 °C for 30 min for silicidation in ultrahigh vacuum. A switching voltage of lower than 1 V, a peak current density of 32 kA/cm2, and an ON/OFF ratio of 10 have been observed for the sample with the thickness sequence of 0.9/0.9/2.5/0.9/5.0 nm for the respective layers in the Si/CaF2/CdF2/CaF2/Si structure. Results of surface morphology analysis suggest that the grain size of crystal islands with flat surfaces strongly affects the quality of device characteristics.

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

Vanheusden, K.; Warren, W.L.; Devine, R.A.B.

It is shown how mobile H{sup +} ions can be generated thermally inside the oxide layer of Si/SiO{sub 2}/Si structures. The technique involves only standard silicon processing steps: the nonvolatile field effect transistor (NVFET) is based on a standard MOSFET with thermally grown SiO{sub 2} capped with a poly-silicon layer. The capped thermal oxide receives an anneal at {approximately}1100 C that enables the incorporation of the mobile protons into the gate oxide. The introduction of the protons is achieved by a subsequent 500-800 C anneal in a hydrogen-containing ambient, such as forming gas (N{sub 2}:H{sub 2} 95:5). The mobile protonsmore » are stable and entrapped inside the oxide layer, and unlike alkali ions, their space-charge distribution can be controlled and rapidly rearranged at room temperature by an applied electric field. Using this principle, a standard MOS transistor can be converted into a nonvolatile memory transistor that can be switched between normally on and normally off. Switching speed, retention, endurance, and radiation tolerance data are presented showing that this non-volatile memory technology can be competitive with existing Si-based non-volatile memory technologies such as the floating gate technologies (e.g. Flash memory).« less

Arsenic silicide formation by oxidation of arsenic implanted silicon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hagmann, D.; Euen, W.; Schorer, G.; Metzger, G.

1989-07-01

Wet oxidations of (100) silicon implanted with an arsenic dose of 2 × 1016 cm-2 and an energy of 30 keV were carried out in the temperature range between 600 and 900° C. The oxidation rate is increased on the arsenic implanted samples up to a factor of 2000 as compared to undoped samples. During these oxidations the arsenic suicide phase AsSi is precipitated at the oxide/silicon interface. After short oxidation times at 600° C, a continuous AsSi layer is found. It is dissolved during extended oxidation times and finally almost all As is incorporated in the oxide. After 900° C oxidations, substantial AsSi crystallites remain at the Si/SiO2 interface. They are still observed up to the larg-est oxide thickness grown (2.3 µm). The AsSi phase and the distribution of the im-planted arsenic were analyzed by TEM, SIMS and XRF measurements.

Characteristics of high-k gate dielectric formed by the oxidation of sputtered Hf/Zr/Hf thin films on the Si substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, H. D.; Roh, Y.; Lee, J. E.; Kang, H.-B.; Yang, C.-W.; Lee, N.-E.

2004-07-01

We have investigated the effects of high temperature annealing on the physical and electrical properties of multilayered high-k gate oxide [HfSixOy/HfO2/intermixed-layer(IL)/ZrO2/intermixed-layer(IL)/HfO2] in metal-oxide-semiconductor device. The multilayered high-k films were formed after oxidizing the Hf/Zr/Hf films deposited directly on the Si substrate. The subsequent N2 annealing at high temperature (>= 700 °C) not only results in the polycrystallization of the multilayered high-k films, but also causes the diffusion of Zr. The latter transforms the HfSixOy/HfO2/IL/ZrO2/IL/HfO2 film into the Zr-doped HfO2 film, and improves electrical properties in general. However, the thin SiOx interfacial layer starts to form if annealing temperature increases over 700 °C, deteriorating the equivalent oxide thickness. .

Metal assisted photochemical etching of 4H silicon carbide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leitgeb, Markus; Zellner, Christopher; Schneider, Michael; Schwab, Stefan; Hutter, Herbert; Schmid, Ulrich

2017-11-01

Metal assisted photochemical etching (MAPCE) of 4H-silicon carbide (SiC) in Na2S2O8/HF and H2O2/HF aqueous solutions is investigated with platinum as metallic cathode. The formation process of the resulting porous layer is studied with respect to etching time, concentration and type of oxidizing agent. From the experiments it is concluded that the porous layer formation is due to electron hole pairs generated in the semiconductor, which stem from UV light irradiation. The generated holes are consumed during the oxidation of 4H-SiC and the formed oxide is dissolved by HF. To maintain charge balance, the oxidizing agent has to take up electrons at the Pt/etching solution interface. Total dissolution of the porous layers is achieved when the oxidizing agent concentration decreases during MAPCE. In combination with standard photolithography, the definition of porous regions is possible. Furthermore chemical micromachining of 4 H-SiC at room temperature is possible.

Silicide Schottky Barrier For Back-Surface-Illuminated CCD

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hecht, Michael H.

1990-01-01

Quantum efficiency of back-surface-illuminated charge-coupled device (CCD) increased by coating back surface with thin layer of PtSi or IrSi on thin layer of SiO2. In its interaction with positively-doped bulk Si of CCD, silicide/oxide layer forms Schottky barrier that repels electrons, promoting accumulation of photogenerated charge carriers in front-side CCD potential wells. Physical principle responsible for improvement explained in "Metal Film Increases CCD Output" (NPO-16815).

Selective dry etching of silicon containing anti-reflective coating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sridhar, Shyam; Nolan, Andrew; Wang, Li; Karakas, Erdinc; Voronin, Sergey; Biolsi, Peter; Ranjan, Alok

2018-03-01

Multi-layer patterning schemes involve the use of Silicon containing Anti-Reflective Coating (SiARC) films for their anti-reflective properties. Patterning transfer completion requires complete and selective removal of SiARC which is very difficult due to its high silicon content (>40%). Typically, SiARC removal is accomplished through a non-selective etch during the pattern transfer process using fluorine containing plasmas, or an ex-situ wet etch process using hydrofluoric acid is employed to remove the residual SiARC, post pattern transfer. Using a non-selective etch may result in profile distortion or wiggling, due to distortion of the underlying organic layer. The drawbacks of using wet etch process for SiARC removal are increased overall processing time and the need for additional equipment. Many applications may involve patterning of active structures in a poly-Si layer with an underlying oxide stopping layer. In such applications, SiARC removal selective to oxide using a wet process may prove futile. Removing SiARC selectively to SiO2 using a dry etch process is also challenging, due to similarity in the nature of chemical bonds (Si - O) in the two materials. In this work, we present highly selective etching of SiARC, in a plasma driven by a surface wave radial line slot antenna. The first step in the process involves an in-situ modification of the SiARC layer in O2 plasma followed by selective etching in a NF3/H2 plasma. Surface treatment in O2 plasma resulted in enhanced etching of the SiARC layer. For the right processing conditions, in-situ NF3/H2 dry etch process demonstrated selectivity values greater than 15:1 with respect to SiO2. The etching chemistry, however, was sensitive to NF3:H2 gas ratio. For dilute NF3 in H2, no SiARC etching was observed. Presumably, this is due to the deposition of ammonium fluorosilicate layer that occurs for dilute NF3/H2 plasmas. Additionally, challenges involved in selective SiARC removal (selective to SiO2, organic and Si layers) post pattern transfer, in a multi-layer structure will be discussed.

Osteoblast responses to different oxide coatings produced by the sol-gel process on titanium substrates.

PubMed

Ochsenbein, Anne; Chai, Feng; Winter, Stefan; Traisnel, Michel; Breme, Jürgen; Hildebrand, Hartmut F

2008-09-01

In order to improve the osseointegration of endosseous implants made from titanium, the structure and composition of the surface were modified. Mirror-polished commercially pure (cp) titanium substrates were coated by the sol-gel process with different oxides: TiO(2), SiO(2), Nb(2)O(5) and SiO(2)-TiO(2). The coatings were physically and biologically characterized. Infrared spectroscopy confirmed the absence of organic residues. Ellipsometry determined the thickness of layers to be approximately 100nm. High resolution scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomice force microscopy revealed a nanoporous structure in the TiO(2) and Nb(2)O(5) layers, whereas the SiO(2) and SiO(2)-TiO(2) layers appeared almost smooth. The R(a) values, as determined by white-light interferometry, ranged from 20 to 50nm. The surface energy determined by the sessile-drop contact angle method revealed the highest polar component for SiO(2) (30.7mJm(-2)) and the lowest for cp-Ti and 316L stainless steel (6.7mJm(-2)). Cytocompatibility of the oxide layers was investigated with MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts in vitro (proliferation, vitality, morphology and cytochemical/immunolabelling of actin and vinculin). Higher cell proliferation rates were found in SiO(2)-TiO(2) and TiO(2), and lower in Nb(2)O(5) and SiO(2); whereas the vitality rates increased for cp-Ti and Nb(2)O(5). Cytochemical assays showed that all substrates induced a normal cytoskeleton and well-developed focal adhesion contacts. SEM revealed good cell attachment for all coating layers. In conclusion, the sol-gel-derived oxide layers were thin, pure and nanostructured; consequent different osteoblast responses to those coatings are explained by the mutual action and coadjustment of different interrelated surface parameters.

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

Duan, Guo Xing; Hatchtel, Jordan; Shen, Xiao

Here, we investigate negative-bias temperature instabilities in SiGe pMOSFETs with SiO 2/HfO 2 gate dielectrics. The activation energies we measured for interface-trap charge buildup during negative-bias temperature stress were lower for SiGe channel pMOSFETs with SiO 2/HfO 2 gate dielectrics and Si capping layers than for conventional Si channel pMOSFETs with SiO 2 gate dielectrics. Electron energy loss spectroscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy images demonstrate that Ge atoms can diffuse from the SiGe layer into the Si capping layer, which is adjacent to the SiO 2/HfO 2 gate dielectric. Density functional calculations show that these Ge atoms reduce themore » strength of nearby Si-H bonds and that Ge-H bond energies are still lower, thereby reducing the activation energy for interface-trap generation for the SiGe devices. Moreover, activation energies for oxide-trap charge buildup during negative-bias temperature stress are similarly small for SiGe pMOSFETs with SiO 2/HfO 2 gate dielectrics and Si pMOSFETs with SiO 2 gate dielectrics, suggesting that, in both cases, the oxide-trap charge buildup likely is rate-limited by hole tunneling into the near-interfacial SiO 2.« less

Plasma-Sprayed Refractory Oxide Coatings on Silicon-Base Ceramics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tewari, Surendra

1997-01-01

Silicon-base ceramics are promising candidate materials for high temperature structural applications such as heat exchangers, gas turbines and advanced internal combustion engines. Composites based on these materials are leading candidates for combustor materials for HSCT gas turbine engines. These materials possess a combination of excellent physical and mechanical properties at high temperatures, for example, high strength, high toughness, high thermal shock resistance, high thermal conductivity, light weight and excellent oxidation resistance. However, environmental durability can be significantly reduced in certain conditions such as when molten salts, H2 or water vapor are present. The oxidation resistance of silicon-base materials is provided by SiO2 protective layer. Molten salt reacts with SiO2 and forms a mixture of SiO2 and liquid silicate at temperatures above 800C. Oxygen diffuses more easily through the chemically altered layer, resulting in a catastrophic degradation of the substrate. SiC and Si3N4 are not stable in pure H2 and decompose to silicon and gaseous species such as CH4, SiH, SiH4, N2, and NH3. Water vapor is known to slightly increase the oxidation rate of SiC and Si3N4. Refractory oxides such as alumina, yttria-stabilized zirconia, yttria and mullite (3Al2O3.2SiO2) possess excellent environmental durability in harsh conditions mentioned above. Therefore, refractory oxide coatings on silicon-base ceramics can substantially improve the environmental durability of these materials by acting as a chemical reaction barrier. These oxide coatings can also serve as a thermal barrier. The purpose of this research program has been to develop refractory oxide chemical/thermal barrier coatings on silicon-base ceramics to provide extended temperature range and lifetime to these materials in harsh environments.

The evolution of vacancy-type defects in silicon-on-insulator structures studied by positron annihilation spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coleman, P. G.; Nash, D.; Edwardson, C. J.; Knights, A. P.; Gwilliam, R. M.

2011-07-01

Variable-energy positron annihilation spectroscopy (VEPAS) has been applied to the study of the formation and evolution of vacancy-type defect structures in silicon (Si) and the 1.5 μm thick Si top layer of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) samples. The samples were implanted with 2 MeV Si ions at fluences between 1013 and 1015 cm-2, and probed in the as-implanted state and after annealing for 30 min at temperatures between 350 and 800 °C. In the case of SOI the ions were implanted such that their profile was predominantly in the insulating buried oxide layer, and thus their ability to combine with vacancies in the top Si layer, and that of other interstitials beyond the buried oxide, was effectively negated. No measurable differences in the positron response to the evolution of small clusters of n vacancies (Vn, n ˜ 3) in the top Si layer of the Si and SOI samples were observed after annealing up to 500 °C; at higher temperatures, however, this response persisted in the SOI samples as that in Si decreased toward zero. At 700 and 800 °C the damage in Si was below detectable levels, but the VEPAS response in the top Si layer in the SOI was consistent with the development of nanovoids.

Teflon/SiO₂ Bilayer Passivation for Improving the Electrical Reliability of Oxide TFTs Fabricated Using a New Two-Photomask Self-Alignment Process.

PubMed

Fan, Ching-Lin; Shang, Ming-Chi; Li, Bo-Jyun; Lin, Yu-Zuo; Wang, Shea-Jue; Lee, Win-Der; Hung, Bohr-Ran

2015-04-13

This study proposes a two-photomask process for fabricating amorphous indium-gallium-zinc oxide (a-IGZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs) that exhibit a self-aligned structure. The fabricated TFTs, which lack etching-stop (ES) layers, have undamaged a-IGZO active layers that facilitate superior performance. In addition, we demonstrate a bilayer passivation method that uses a polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon) and SiO₂ combination layer for improving the electrical reliability of the fabricated TFTs. Teflon was deposited as a buffer layer through thermal evaporation. The Teflon layer exhibited favorable compatibility with the underlying IGZO channel layer and effectively protected the a-IGZO TFTs from plasma damage during SiO₂ deposition, resulting in a negligible initial performance drop in the a-IGZO TFTs. Compared with passivation-free a-IGZO TFTs, passivated TFTs exhibited superior stability even after 168 h of aging under ambient air at 95% relative humidity.

Effect of Pre-Oxidation Treatment of Nano-SiC Particulates on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of SiC/Mg-8Al-1Sn Composites Fabricated by Powder Metallurgy Combined with Hot Extrusion.

PubMed

Li, Chuan-Peng; Wang, Zhi-Guo; Zha, Min; Wang, Cheng; Yu, Hong-Chen; Wang, Hui-Yuan; Jiang, Qi-Chuan

2016-11-26

Nano-SiC particulates (n-SiC p ) reinforced Mg-8Al-1Sn (AT81) composites with different pre-oxidation parameters were fabricated by powder metallurgy (P/M) process combined with hot extrusion. The effects of pre-oxidization treatment of n-SiC p on the microstructure and tensile properties of 0.5 vol % n-SiC p /AT81 composites were investigated accordingly. The distribution of n-SiC p with different pre-oxidation parameters was homogeneous in the composites. Moreover, it was found that a thin MgAl₂O₄ layer formed at the interface when the n-SiC p were pre-oxidized at 1073 K for 2 h, while the MgAl₂O₄ layer became much thicker with pre-oxidization temperature increasing to 1273 K for 2 h. After an appropriate pre-oxidization treatment of n-SiC p at 1073 K for 2 h, the as-extruded 0.5 vol % n-SiC p /AT81 composites exhibited an enhanced strength. It was found that the yield strength (YS) and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) increased from 168 MPa and 311 MPa to 255 MPa and 393 MPa compared with the as-extruded AT81 alloy, reflecting 51.8% and 26.4% increments, respectively. The improvement of mechanical properties should be mainly attributed to the grain refinement and homogeneous distribution of n-SiC p in the composites. Moreover, a well-bonded interface and the formation of an appropriate amount of interfacial product (MgAl₂O₄) benefited the material's mechanical properties.

Effect of Pre-Oxidation Treatment of Nano-SiC Particulates on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of SiC/Mg-8Al-1Sn Composites Fabricated by Powder Metallurgy Combined with Hot Extrusion

PubMed Central

Li, Chuan-Peng; Wang, Zhi-Guo; Zha, Min; Wang, Cheng; Yu, Hong-Chen; Wang, Hui-Yuan; Jiang, Qi-Chuan

2016-01-01

Nano-SiC particulates (n-SiCp) reinforced Mg-8Al-1Sn (AT81) composites with different pre-oxidation parameters were fabricated by powder metallurgy (P/M) process combined with hot extrusion. The effects of pre-oxidization treatment of n-SiCp on the microstructure and tensile properties of 0.5 vol % n-SiCp/AT81 composites were investigated accordingly. The distribution of n-SiCp with different pre-oxidation parameters was homogeneous in the composites. Moreover, it was found that a thin MgAl2O4 layer formed at the interface when the n-SiCp were pre-oxidized at 1073 K for 2 h, while the MgAl2O4 layer became much thicker with pre-oxidization temperature increasing to 1273 K for 2 h. After an appropriate pre-oxidization treatment of n-SiCp at 1073 K for 2 h, the as-extruded 0.5 vol % n-SiCp/AT81 composites exhibited an enhanced strength. It was found that the yield strength (YS) and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) increased from 168 MPa and 311 MPa to 255 MPa and 393 MPa compared with the as-extruded AT81 alloy, reflecting 51.8% and 26.4% increments, respectively. The improvement of mechanical properties should be mainly attributed to the grain refinement and homogeneous distribution of n-SiCp in the composites. Moreover, a well-bonded interface and the formation of an appropriate amount of interfacial product (MgAl2O4) benefited the material’s mechanical properties. PMID:28774083

SiC Composite for Fuel Structure Applications

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

Yueh, Ken

Extensive evaluation was performed to determine the suitability of using SiC composite as a boiling water reactor (BWR) fuel channel material. A thin walled SiC composite box, 10 cm in dimension by approximately 1.5 mm wall thickness was fabricated using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) for testing. Mechanical test results and performance evaluations indicate the material could meet BWR channel mechanical design requirement. However, large mass loss of up to 21% was measured in in-pile corrosion test under BWR-like conditions in under 3 months of irradiation. A fresh sister sample irradiated in a follow-up cycle under PWR conditions showed no measureablemore » weight loss and thus supports the hypothesis that the oxidizing condition of the BWR-like coolant chemistry was responsible for the high corrosion rate. A thermodynamic evaluation showed SiC is not stable and the material may oxidize to form SiO 2 and CO 2. Silica has demonstrated stability in high temperature steam environment and form a protective oxide layer under severe accident conditions. However, it does not form a protective layer in water under normal BWR operational conditions due to its high solubility. Corrosion product stabilization by modifying the SiC CVD surface is an approach evaluated in this study to mitigate the high corrosion rate. Titanium and zirconium have been selected as stabilizing elements since both TiSiO 4 and ZrSiO 4 are insoluble in water. Corrosion test results in oxygenated water autoclave indicate TiSiO4 does not form a protective layer. However, zirconium doped test samples appear to form a stable continuous layer of ZrSiO 4 during the corrosion process. Additional process development is needed to produce a good ZrSiC coating to verify functionality of the mitigation concept.« less

Crystallization of silicon-germanium by aluminum-induced layer exchange

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Isomura, Masao; Yajima, Masahiro; Nakamura, Isao

2018-02-01

We have studied the crystallization of amorphous silicon-germanium (a-SiGe) by aluminum (Al)-induced layer exchange (ALILE) with a starting structure of glass/Al/Al oxide/a-SiGe. We examined ALILE at 450 °C, which is slightly higher than the eutectic temperature of Ge and Al, in order to shorten the ALILE time. We successfully produced c-SiGe films oriented in the (111) direction for 16 h without significant alloying. The thickness of Al layers should be 2800 Å or more to complete the ALILE for the a-SiGe layers of 2000-2800 Å thickness. When the Al layer is as thick as the a-SiGe layer, almost uniform c-SiGe is formed on the glass substrate. On the other hand, the islands of c-SiGe are formed on the glass substrate when the Al layer is thicker than the a-SiGe layer. The islands become smaller with thicker Al layers because more excess Al remains between the SiGe islands. The results indicate that the configuration of c-SiGe can be altered from a uniform structure to island structures of various sizes by changing the ratio of a-SiGe thickness to Al thickness.

Electroluminescence color tuning between green and red from metal-oxide-semiconductor devices fabricated by spin-coating of rare-earth (terbium + europium) organic compounds on silicon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsuda, Toshihiro; Hattori, Fumihiro; Iwata, Hideyuki; Ohzone, Takashi

2018-04-01

Color tunable electroluminescence (EL) from metal-oxide-semiconductor devices with the rare-earth elements Tb and Eu is reported. Organic compound liquid sources of (Tb + Ba) and Eu with various Eu/Tb ratios from 0.001 to 0.4 were spin-coated on an n+-Si substrate and annealed to form an oxide insulator layer. The EL spectra had only peaks corresponding to the intrashell Tb3+/Eu3+ transitions in the spectral range from green to red, and the intensity ratio of the peaks was appropriately tuned using the appropriate Eu/Tb ratios in liquid sources. Consequently, the EL emission colors linearly changed from yellowish green to yellowish orange and eventually to reddish orange on the CIE chromaticity diagram. The gate current +I G current also affected the EL colors for the medium-Eu/Tb-ratio device. The structure of the surface insulator films analyzed by cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) has four layers, namely, (Tb4O7 + Eu2O3), [Tb4O7 + Eu2O3 + (Tb/Eu/Ba)SiO x ], (Tb/Eu/Ba)SiO x , and SiO x -rich oxide. The EL mechanism proposed is that electrons injected from the Si substrate into the SiO x -rich oxide and Tb/Eu/Ba-silicate layers become hot electrons accelerated in a high electric field, and then these hot electrons excite Tb3+ and Eu3+ ions in the Tb4O7/Eu2O3 layers resulting in EL emission from Tb3+ and Eu3+ intrashell transitions.

Thermal degradation study of silicon carbide threads developed for advanced flexible thermal protection systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tran, Huy Kim; Sawko, Paul M.

1992-01-01

Silicon carbide (SiC) fiber is a material that may be used in advanced thermal protection systems (TPS) for future aerospace vehicles. SiC fiber's mechanical properties depend greatly on the presence or absence of sizing and its microstructure. In this research, silicon dioxide is found to be present on the surface of the fiber. Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis (ESCA) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) show that a thin oxide layer (SiO2) exists on the as-received fibers, and the oxide thickness increases when the fibers are exposed to high temperature. ESCA also reveals no evidence of Si-C bonding on the fiber surface on both as-received and heat treated fibers. The silicon oxide layer is thought to signal the decomposition of SiC bonds and may be partially responsible for the degradation in the breaking strength observed at temperatures above 400 C. The variation in electrical resistivity of the fibers with increasing temperature indicates a transition to a higher band gap material at 350 to 600 C. This is consistent with a decomposition of SiC involving silicon oxide formation.

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.

Control of Alq3 wetting layer thickness via substrate surface functionalization.

PubMed

Tsoi, Shufen; Szeto, Bryan; Fleischauer, Michael D; Veinot, Jonathan G C; Brett, Michael J

2007-06-05

The effects of substrate surface energy and vapor deposition rate on the initial growth of porous columnar tris(8-hydroxyquinoline)aluminum (Alq3) nanostructures were investigated. Alq3 nanostructures thermally evaporated onto as-supplied Si substrates bearing an oxide were observed to form a solid wetting layer, likely caused by an interfacial energy mismatch between the substrate and Alq3. Wetting layer thickness control is important for potential optoelectronic applications. A dramatic decrease in wetting layer thickness was achieved by depositing Alq3 onto alkyltrichlorosilane-derivatized Si/oxide substrates. Similar effects were noted with increasing deposition rates. These two effects enable tailoring of the wetting layer thickness.

Investigation on Tribological Properties of the Pre-oxidized Ti2AlN/TiAl Composite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Daqun; Sun, Dongli; Han, Xiuli; Wang, Qing; Wang, Guangwei

2018-03-01

Different oxidation layers on the Ti2AlN/TiAl substrate which was fabricated by in situ synthesis were prepared through thermal oxidation process. The microstructure, phase identification and elements distribution of the oxidation layers were analyzed. The tribological performance of pre-oxidized composites against Si3N4 ball at 25 and 600 °C, as well as the effect of pre-oxidation layers on tribological performance was systematically investigated. The results show that, compared to Ti2AlN/TiAl, the pre-oxidized composites present more excellent tribological properties, especially the wear resistance at 600 °C. It is a significant finding that, different from severe abrasive wear and plastic deformation of Ti2AlN/TiAl, the tribo-films formed by the pre-oxidation layers on the worn surface of pre-oxidized composites weaken abrasive wear and suppress the development of plastic deformation to protect the underlying composite substrate from wear. Moreover, the stable cooperation on the interface between tribo-films and Si3N4 ball results in the relatively steady friction coefficient.

Quantitative determination of the clustered silicon concentration in substoichiometric silicon oxide layer

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

Spinella, Corrado; Bongiorno, Corrado; Nicotra, Giuseppe

2005-07-25

We present an analytical methodology, based on electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) and energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy, which allows us to quantify the clustered silicon concentration in annealed substoichiometric silicon oxide layers, deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The clustered Si volume fraction was deduced from a fit to the experimental EELS spectrum using a theoretical description proposed to calculate the dielectric function of a system of spherical particles of equal radii, located at random in a host material. The methodology allowed us to demonstrate that the clustered Si concentration is only one half of the excess Si concentration dissolvedmore » in the layer.« less

Effects of SiO 2 overlayer at initial growth stage of epitaxial Y 2O 3 film growth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cho, M.-H.; Ko, D.-H.; Choi, Y. G.; Lyo, I. W.; Jeong, K.; Whang, C. N.

2000-12-01

We investigated the dependence of the Y 2O 3 film growth on Si surface at initial growth stage. The reflection high-energy electron diffraction, X-ray scattering, and atomic force microscopy showed that the film crystallinity and morphology strongly depended on whether Si surface contained O or not. In particular, the films grown on oxidized surfaces revealed significant improvement in crystallinity and surface smoothness. A well-ordered atomic structure of Y 2O 3 film was formed on 1.5 nm thick SiO 2 layer with the surface and interfacial roughness markedly enhanced, compared with the film grown on the clean Si surfaces. The epitaxial film on the oxidized Si surface exhibited extremely small mosaic structures at interface, while the film on the clean Si surface displayed an island-like growth with large mosaic structures. The nucleation sites for Y 2O 3 were provided by the reaction between SiO 2 and Y at the initial growth stage. The SiO 2 layer known to hinder crystal growth is found to enhance the nucleation of Y 2O 3, and provides a stable buffer layer against the silicide formation. Thus, the formation of the initial SiO 2 layer is the key to the high-quality epitaxial growth of Y 2O 3 on Si.

Improving the electrical properties of lanthanum silicate films on ge metal oxide semiconductor capacitors by adopting interfacial barrier and capping layers.

PubMed

Choi, Yu Jin; Lim, Hajin; Lee, Suhyeong; Suh, Sungin; Kim, Joon Rae; Jung, Hyung-Suk; Park, Sanghyun; Lee, Jong Ho; Kim, Seong Gyeong; Hwang, Cheol Seong; Kim, HyeongJoon

2014-05-28

The electrical properties of La-silicate films grown by atomic layer deposition (ALD) on Ge substrates with different film configurations, such as various Si concentrations, Al2O3 interfacial passivation layers, and SiO2 capping layers, were examined. La-silicate thin films were deposited using alternating injections of the La[N{Si(CH3)3}2]3 precursor with O3 as the La and O precursors, respectively, at a substrate temperature of 310 °C. The Si concentration in the La-silicate films was further controlled by adding ALD cycles of SiO2. For comparison, La2O3 films were also grown using [La((i)PrCp)3] and O3 as the La precursor and oxygen source, respectively, at the identical substrate temperature. The capacitance-voltage (C-V) hysteresis decreased with an increasing Si concentration in the La-silicate films, although the films showed a slight increase in the capacitance equivalent oxide thickness. The adoption of Al2O3 at the interface as a passivation layer resulted in lower C-V hysteresis and a low leakage current density. The C-V hysteresis voltages of the La-silicate films with Al2O3 passivation and SiO2 capping layers was significantly decreased to ∼0.1 V, whereas the single layer La-silicate film showed a hysteresis voltage as large as ∼1.0 V.

Suppression of Leakage Current of Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor Ta2O5 Capacitors with Al2O3/SiON Buffer Layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tonomura, Osamu; Miki, Hiroshi; Takeda, Ken-ichi

2011-10-01

An Al2O3/SiO buffer layer was incorporated in a metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) Ta2O5 capacitor for dynamic random access memory (DRAM) application. Al2O3 was chosen for the buffer layer owing to its high band offset against silicon and oxidation resistance against increase in effective oxide thickness (EOT). It was clarified that post-deposition annealing in nitrogen at 800 °C for 600 s increased the band offset between Al2O3 and the lower electrode and decreased leakage current by two orders of magnitude at 1 V. Furthermore, we predicted and experimentally confirmed that there was an optimized value of y in (Si3N4)y(SiO2)(1-y), which is 0.58, for minimizing the leakage current and EOT of SiON. To clarify the oxidation resistance and appropriate thickness of Al2O3, a TiN/Ta2O5/Al2O3/SiON/polycrystalline-silicon capacitor was fabricated. It was confirmed that the lower electrode was not oxidized during the crystallization annealing of Ta2O5. By setting the Al2O3 thickness to 3.4 nm, the leakage current is lowered below the required value with an EOT of 3.6 nm.

Environmentally Resistant Mo-Si-B-Based Coatings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perepezko, J. H.; Sossaman, T. A.; Taylor, M.

2017-06-01

High-temperature applications have demonstrated aluminide-coated nickel-base superalloys to be remarkably effective, but are reaching their service limit. Alternate materials such as refractory (e.g., W, Mo) silicide alloys and SiC composites are being considered to extend high temperature capability, but the silica surfaces on these materials require coatings for enhanced environmental resistance. This can be accomplished with a Mo-Si-B-based coating that is deposited by a spray deposition of Mo followed by a chemical vapor deposition of Si and B by pack cementation to develop an aluminoborosilica surface. Oxidation of the as-deposited (Si + B)-pack coatings proceeds with partial consumption of the initial MoSi2 forming amorphous silica. This Si depletion leads to formation of a B-saturated Mo5Si3 (T1) phase. Reactions between the Mo and the B rich phases develop an underlying Mo5SiB2 (T2) layer. The T1 phase saturated with B has robust oxidation resistance, and the Si depletion is prevented by the underlying diffusion barrier (T2). Further, due to the natural phase transformation characteristics of the Mo-Si-B system, cracks or scratches to the outer silica and T1 layers can be repaired from the Si and B reservoirs of T2 + MoB layer to yield a self-healing characteristic. Mo-Si-B-based coatings demonstrate robust performance up to at least 1700 °C not only to the rigors of elevated temperature oxidation, but also to CMAS attack, hot corrosion attack, water vapor and thermal cycling.

Proton trapping in SiO 2 layers thermally grown on Si and SiC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Afanas'ev, V. V.; Ciobanu, F.; Pensl, G.; Stesmans, A.

2002-11-01

Positive charging of thermal SiO 2 layers on (1 0 0)Si and (0 0 0 1)6H-, 4H-SiC related to trapping of protons is studied using low-energy proton implantation into the oxide, and compared to the trapping of holes generated by 10-eV photons. Proton trapping has an initial probability close to 100% and shows little sensitivity to the annealing-induced oxygen deficiency of SiO 2. In contrast to protons, hole trapping in as-grown SiO 2 shows a much lower efficiency which increases upon oxide annealing, in qualitative correlation with the higher density of O 3Si• defects (E' centers) detected by electron spin resonance after hole injection. Despite these differences, the neutralization of positive charges induced by holes and protons has the same cross-section, and in both cases is accompanied by liberation of atomic H suggesting that protons account for positive charge in both cases. The rupture of Si-O bonds in the oxide observed upon proton injection suggests, as a first basic step, the bonding of a proton to a bridging oxygen atom in SiO 2 network.

Feasibility of SiC composite structures for 1644 deg gas turbine seal applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Darolia, R.

1979-01-01

The feasibility of silicon carbide composite structures was evaluated for 1644 K gas turbine seal applications. The silicon carbide composites evaluated consisted of Si/SiC Silcomp (Trademark) - and sintered silicon carbide as substrates, both with attached surface layers containing BN as an additive. A total of twenty-eight candidates with variations in substrate type and density, and layer chemistry, density, microstructure, and thickness were evaluated for abradability, cold particle erosion resistance, static oxidation resistance, ballistic impact resistance, and fabricability. The BN-free layers with variations in density and pore size were later added for evaluation. The most promising candidates were evaluated for Mach 1.0 gas oxidation/erosion resistance from 1477 K to 1644 K. The as-fabricated rub layers did not perform satisfactorily in the gas oxidation/erosion tests. However, preoxidation was found to be beneficial in improving the hot gas erosion resistance. Overall, the laboratory and rig test evaluations show that material properties are suitable for 1477 K gas turbine seal applications.

Metal oxide composite enabled nanotextured Si photoanode for efficient solar driven water oxidation.

PubMed

Sun, Ke; Pang, Xiaolu; Shen, Shaohua; Qian, Xueqiang; Cheung, Justin S; Wang, Deli

2013-05-08

We present a study of a transition metal oxide composite modified n-Si photoanode for efficient and stable water oxidation. This sputter-coated composite functions as a protective coating to prevent Si from photodecomposition, a Schottky heterojunction, a hole conducting layer for efficient charge separation and transportation, and an electrocatalyst to reduce the reaction overpotential. The formation of mixed-valence oxides composed of Ni and Ru effectively modifies the optical, electrical, and catalytic properties of the coating material, as well as the interfaces with Si. The successful application of this oxide composite on nanotextured Si demonstrates improved conversion efficiency due to enhanced catalytic activity, minimized reflection, and increased surface reaction sites. Although the coated nanotextured Si shows a noticeable degradation from 500 cycles of operation, the oxide composite provides a simple method to enable unstable photoanode materials for solar fuel conversion.

Low-temperature preparation of GaN-SiO2 interfaces with low defect density. II. Remote plasma-assisted oxidation of GaN and nitrogen incorporation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bae, Choelhwyi; Lucovsky, Gerald

2004-11-01

Low-temperature remote plasma-assisted oxidation and nitridation processes for interface formation and passivation have been extended from Si and SiC to GaN. The initial oxidation kinetics and chemical composition of thin interfacial oxide were determined from analysis of on-line Auger electron spectroscopy features associated with Ga, N, and O. The plasma-assisted oxidation process is self-limiting with power-law kinetics similar to those for the plasma-assisted oxidation of Si and SiC. Oxidation using O2/He plasma forms nearly pure GaOx, and oxidation using 1% N2O in N2 forms GaOxNy with small nitrogen content, ~4-7 at. %. The interface and dielectric layer quality was investigated using fabricated GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors. The lowest density of interface states was achieved with a two-step plasma-assisted oxidation and nitridation process before SiO2 deposition.

Comparison of interfaces for (Ba,Sr)TiO3 films deposited on Si and SiO2/Si substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suvorova, N. A.; Lopez, C. M.; Irene, E. A.; Suvorova, A. A.; Saunders, M.

2004-03-01

(Ba,Sr)TiO3(BST) thin films were deposited by ion sputtering on both bare and oxidized Si. Spectroscopic ellipsometry results have shown that a SiO2 underlayer of nearly the same thickness (2.6 nm in average) is found at the Si interface for BST sputter depositions onto nominally bare Si, 1 nm SiO2 on Si or 3.5 nm SiO2 on Si. This result was confirmed by high-resolution electron microscopy analysis of the films, and it is believed to be due to simultaneous subcutaneous oxidation of Si and reaction of the BST layer with SiO2. Using the conductance method, capacitance-voltage measurements show a decrease in the interface trap density Dit of an order of magnitude for oxidized Si substrates with a thicker SiO2 underlayer. Further reduction of Dit was achieved for the capacitors grown on oxidized Si and annealed in forming gas after metallization.

Blue/pink/purple electroluminescence from metal-oxide-semiconductor devices fabricated by spin-coating of [tantalum:(gadolinium/praseodymium)] and (praseodymium:cerium) organic compounds on silicon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohzone, Takashi; Matsuda, Toshihiro; Fukuoka, Ryouhei; Hattori, Fumihiro; Iwata, Hideyuki

2016-08-01

Blue/pink/purple electroluminescence (EL) from metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices with an indium tin oxide (ITO)/[Gd/(Ta + Gd/Pr)/(Pr + Ce)-Si-O] insulator layer/n+-Si substrate surface is reported. The insulator layers were fabricated from organic liquid sources of Gd or (Ta + Gd/Pr)/(Pr + Ce) mixtures, which were spin-coated on the n+-Si substrate and annealed at 950 °C for 30 min in air. The EL emission could be observed by the naked eye in the dark in the Fowler-Nordheim (FN) tunnel current regions. Peak wavelengths in the measured EL spectra were independent of the positive current. The EL intensity ratio of ultraviolet (UV) to the visible range varied with the composition ratio of the (Ta + Gd) liquids, and an optimum Ta to Gd ratio existed for the strongest blue emission, which could be attributed to the Ta-related oxide/silicate. The pink EL of the device fabricated with the (\\text{Ta}:\\text{Pr} = 6:4) mixture ratio can be explained by EL emission peaks related to the Pr3+ ions. The purple EL observed from the (\\text{Pr}:\\text{Ce} = 6:4) device corresponds to the strong and broad emission profile near the 357 nm peak, which cannot be assigned to Ce3+ ions. The results suggest that the EL can be attributed to the double-layer oxides with different compositions in the MOS devices. The upper layer consists of various Ta-, Gd-, Pr-, and Ce-related oxides and their silicates, while the lower SiO x -rich layer contributes to the FN current due to the high electric field, and thus the various EL colors.

A boron and gallium co-doped ZnO intermediate layer for ZnO/Si heterojunction diodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Yuanxi; Huang, Jian; Li, Bing; Tang, Ke; Ma, Yuncheng; Cao, Meng; Wang, Lin; Wang, Linjun

2018-01-01

ZnO (Zinc oxide)/Si (Silicon) heterojunctions were prepared by depositing n-type ZnO films on p-type single crystal Si substrates using magnetron sputtering. A boron and gallium co-doped ZnO (BGZO) high conductivity intermediate layer was deposited between aurum (Au) electrodes and ZnO films. The influence of the BGZO layer on the properties of Au/ZnO contacts and the performance of ZnO/Si heterojunctions was investigated. The results show an improvement in contact resistance by introducing the BGZO layer. Compared with the ZnO/Si heterojunction, the BGZO/ZnO/Si heterojunction exhibits a larger forward current, a smaller turn-on voltage and higher ratio of ultraviolet (UV) photo current/dark current.

In Situ Study of Silicon Electrode Lithiation with X-ray Reflectivity

DOE PAGES

Cao, Chuntian; Steinrück, Hans-Georg; Shyam, Badri; ...

2016-10-26

Surface sensitive X-ray reflectivity (XRR) measurements were performed to investigate the electrochemical lithiation of a native oxide terminated single crystalline silicon (100) electrode in real time during the first galvanostatic discharge cycle. This allows us to gain nanoscale, mechanistic insight into the lithiation of Si and the formation of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). We describe an electrochemistry cell specifically designed for in situ XRR studies and have determined the evolution of the electron density profile of the lithiated Si layer (Li xSi) and the SEI layer with subnanometer resolution. We propose a three-stage lithiation mechanism with a reaction limited,more » layer-by-layer lithiation of the Si at the Li xSi/Si interface.« less

Evolution of a Native Oxide Layer at the a-Si:H/c-Si Interface and Its Influence on a Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cell.

PubMed

Liu, Wenzhu; Meng, Fanying; Zhang, Xiaoyu; Liu, Zhengxin

2015-12-09

The interface microstructure of a silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cell was investigated. We found an ultrathin native oxide layer (NOL) with a thickness of several angstroms was formed on the crystalline silicon (c-Si) surface in a very short time (∼30 s) after being etched by HF solution. Although the NOL had a loose structure with defects that are detrimental for surface passivation, it acted as a barrier to restrain the epitaxial growth of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) during the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). The microstructure change of the NOL during the PECVD deposition of a-Si:H layers with different conditions and under different H2 plasma treatments were systemically investigated in detail. When a brief H2 plasma was applied to treat the a-Si:H layer after the PECVD deposition, interstitial oxygen and small-size SiO2 precipitates were transformed to hydrogenated amorphous silicon suboxide alloy (a-SiO(x):H, x ∼ 1.5). In the meantime, the interface defect density was reduced by about 50%, and the parameters of the SHJ solar cell were improved due to the post H2 plasma treatment.

Lift-off process with bi-layer photoresist patterns for conformal-coated superhydrophilic pulsed plasma chemical vapor deposition-SiOx on SiCx for lab-on-a-chip applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konishi, Satoshi; Nakagami, Chise; Kobayashi, Taizo; Tonomura, Wataru; Kaizuma, Yoshihiro

2015-04-01

In this work, a lift-off process with bi-layer photoresist patterns was applied to the formation of hydrophobic/hydrophilic micropatterns on practical polymer substrates used in healthcare diagnostic commercial products. The bi-layer photoresist patterns with undercut structures made it possible to peel the conformal-coated silicon oxide (SiOx) films from substrates. SiOx and silicon carbide (SiCx) layers were deposited by pulsed plasma chemical vapor deposition (PPCVD) method which can form roughened surfaces to enhance hydrophilicity of SiOx and hydrophobicity of SiCx. Microfluidic applications using hydrophobic/hydrophilic patterns were also demonstrated on low-cost substrates such as poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and paper films.

Laser surface treatment of porous ceramic substrate for application in solid oxide fuel cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahmod, D. S. A.; Khan, A. A.; Munot, M. A.; Glandut, N.; Labbe, J. C.

2016-08-01

Laser has offered a large number of benefits for surface treatment of ceramics due to possibility of localized heating, very high heating/cooling rates and possibility of growth of structural configurations only produced under non-equilibrium high temperature conditions. The present work investigates oxidation of porous ZrB2-SiC sintered ceramic substrates through treatment by a 1072 ± 10 nm ytterbium fiber laser. A multi-layer structure is hence produced showing successively oxygen rich distinct layers. The porous bulk beneath these layers remained unaffected as this laser-formed oxide scale and protected the substrate from oxidation. A glassy SiO2 structure thus obtained on the surface of the substrate becomes subject of interest for further research, specifically for its utilization as solid protonic conductor in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs).

Corrosion Characteristics of Ni-Based Hardfacing Alloy Deposited on Stainless Steel Substrate by Laser Cladding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Awasthi, Reena; Abraham, Geogy; Kumar, Santosh; Bhattacharyya, Kaustava; Keskar, Nachiket; Kushwaha, R. P.; Rao, Ramana; Tewari, R.; Srivastava, D.; Dey, G. K.

2017-06-01

In this study, corrosion characteristics of a nickel-based Ni-Mo-Cr-Si hardfacing alloy having 32Mo, 15Cr, and 3Si (wt pct) as alloying elements, deposited on stainless steel SS316L substrate by laser cladding, have been presented. Corrosion behavior of the laser clad layer was evaluated in reducing (0.1 M HCl) and oxidizing (0.5 M HNO3) environments, in comparison with the reference substrate SS316L, using electrochemical potentiodynamic technique at room temperature. The corrosion mechanisms have been evaluated on the basis of microstructural and microchemical analysis using scanning electron microscopy attached with energy-dispersive spectrometry. Passivity behavior of the laser clad layer was studied in 0.5 M H2SO4, using the potentiostatic technique and analyzing the passive layer by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Laser clad layer of Ni-Mo-Cr-Si exhibited higher pitting corrosion resistance in chloride (reducing) environment, indicated by much higher breakdown potential ( 0.8 VSCE) and the absence of pitting as compared to substrate SS316L ( 0.3 VSCE). However, in oxidizing (0.5 M HNO3) environment, both the laser clad layer and substrate SS316L showed excellent and similar corrosion resistance exhibiting high breakdown potential ( 0.85 VSCE) and wide passivation range ( 0.8 VSCE) with low passive current density ( 4 to 7 × 10-6 A/cm2). The stable passive layer formed on laser clad layer of Ni-Mo-Cr-Si after exposure in 0.5 M H2SO4 solution at constant potential 0.6 VSCE (within the passive range), consisted oxides of Mo as Mo+4 (MoO2) and Mo+6 (MoO4)-2, Cr as Cr3+ (mixture of both Cr2O3 and Cr (OH)3), and Si as Si4+(SiO2), which have contributed to passivation and repassivation and therefore excellent corrosion behavior.

Impacts of oxidants in atomic layer deposition method on Al2O3/GaN interface properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taoka, Noriyuki; Kubo, Toshiharu; Yamada, Toshikazu; Egawa, Takashi; Shimizu, Mitsuaki

2018-01-01

The electrical interface properties of GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitors with an Al2O3 gate insulator formed by atomic layer deposition method using three kinds of oxidants were investigated by the capacitance-voltage technique, Terman method, and conductance method. We found that O3 and the alternate supply of H2O and O3 (AS-HO) are effective for reducing the interface trap density (D it) at the energy range of 0.15 to 0.30 eV taking from the conduction band minimum. On the other hand, we found that surface potential fluctuation (σs) induced by interface charges for the AS-HO oxidant is much larger than that for a Si MOS capacitor with a SiO2 layer formed by chemical vapor deposition despite the small D it values for the AS-HO oxidant compared with the Si MOS capacitor. This means that the total charged center density including the fixed charge density, charged slow trap density, and charged interface trap density for the GaN MOS capacitor is higher than that for the Si MOS capacitor. Therefore, σs has to be reduced to improve the performances and reliability of GaN devices with the Al2O3/GaN interfaces.

A high-performance nanoporous Si/Al2O3 foam lithium-ion battery anode fabricated by selective chemical etching of the Al-Si alloy and subsequent thermal oxidation.

PubMed

Hwang, Gaeun; Park, Hyungmin; Bok, Taesoo; Choi, Sinho; Lee, Sungjun; Hwang, Inchan; Choi, Nam-Soon; Seo, Kwanyong; Park, Soojin

2015-03-14

Nanostructured micrometer-sized Al-Si particles are synthesized via a facile selective etching process of Al-Si alloy powder. Subsequent thin Al2O3 layers are introduced on the Si foam surface via a selective thermal wet oxidation process of etched Al-Si particles. The resulting Si/Al2O3 foam anodes exhibit outstanding cycling stability (a capacity retention of 78% after 300 cycles at the C/5 rate) and excellent rate capability.

Oxidation of ZrB2 SiC TaSi2 Materials at Ultra High Temperatures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Opila, E.; Smith, J.; Levine, S.; Lorincz, J.; Reigel, M.

2008-01-01

ZrB2 - 20v% SiC - 20v% TaSi2 was oxidized in stagnant air for ten minute cycles for times up to 100 minutes at 1627 C and 1927 C. The sample oxidized at 1627 C showed oxidation resistance better than that of the standard ZrB2 - 20v% SiC. The sample oxidized at 1927 C, however, showed evidence of liquid phase formation and complex oxidation products. The sample exposed at 1927 C was analyzed in detail by scanning electron microprobe and wavelength dispersive spectroscopy to understand the complex oxidation and melting reactions occurring during exposure. The as hot-pressed material shows the formation of a Zr(Ta)B2 phase in addition to the three phases in the nominal composition already noted. After oxidation, the TaSi2 in the matrix was completely reacted to form Ta(Zr)C. The layered oxidation products included SiO2, ZrO2, Ta2O5, and a complex oxide containing both Zr and Ta. Likely reactions are proposed based on thermodynamic phase stability and phase morphology.

Plasma Spray and Pack Cementation Process Optimization and Oxidation Behaviour of Novel Multilayered Coatings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Feng

The hot section components in gas turbines are subjected to a harsh environment with the temperature being increased continuously. The higher temperature has directly resulted in severe oxidation of these components. Monolithic coatings such as MCrAIY and aluminide have been traditionally used to protect the components from oxidation; however, increased operating temperature quickly deteriorates the coatings due to accelerated diffusion of aluminum in the coatings. To improve the oxidation resistance a group of multilayered coatings are developed in this study. The multilayered coatings consist of a Cr-Si co-deposited layer as the diffusion barrier, a plasma sprayed NiCrA1Y coating as the middle layer and an aluminized top layer. The Cr-Si and aluminized layers are fabricated using pack cementation processes and the NiCrA1Y coatings are produced using the Mettech Axial III(TM) System. All of the coating processes are optimized using the methodology of Design of Experiments (DOE) and the results are analyzed using statistical method. The optimal processes are adopted to fabricate the multilayered coatings for oxidation tests. The coatings are exposed in air at 1050°C and 1150°C for 1000 hr. The results indicate that a Cr layer and a silicon-rich barrier layer have formed on the interface between the Cr-Si coating and the NiCrA1Y coating. This barrier layer not only prevents aluminum and chromium from diffusing into the substrate, but also impedes the diffusion of other elements from the substrate into the coating. The results also reveal that, for optimal oxidation resistance at 1050°C, the top layer in a multilayered coating should have at least Al/Ni ratio of one; whereas the multilayered coating with the All Ni ratio of two in the top layer exhibits the best oxidation resistance at 1150°C. The DOE methodology provides an excellent means for process optimization and the selection of oxidation test matrix, and also offers a more thorough understanding of the effects of process parameters on the coating microstructure, and the effects of layers and their interactions on the oxidation behavior of the multilayered coatings.

Nano-scale zirconia and hafnia dielectrics grown by atomic layer deposition: Crystallinity, interface structures and electrical properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Hyoungsub

With the continued scaling of transistors, leakage current densities across the SiO2 gate dielectric have increased enormously through direct tunneling. Presently, metal oxides having higher dielectric constants than SiO2 are being investigated to reduce the leakage current by increasing the physical thickness of the dielectric. Many possible techniques exist for depositing high-kappa gate dielectrics. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) has drawn attention as a method for preparing ultrathin metal oxide layers with excellent electrical characteristics and near-perfect film conformality due to the layer-by-layer nature of the deposition mechanism. For this research, an ALD system using ZrCl4/HfCl4 and H2O was built and optimized. The microstructural and electrical properties of ALD-ZrO2 and HfO2 grown on SiO2/Si substrates were investigated and compared using various characterization tools. In particular, the crystallization kinetics of amorphous ALD-HfO2 films were studied using in-situ annealing experiments in a TEM. The effect of crystallization on the electrical properties of ALD-HfO 2 was also investigated using various in-situ and ex-situ post-deposition anneals. Our results revealed that crystallization had little effect on the magnitude of the gate leakage current or on the conduction mechanisms. Building upon the results for each metal oxide separately, more advanced investigations were made. Several nanolaminate structures using ZrO2 and HfO2 with different sequences and layer thicknesses were characterized. The effects of the starting microstructure on the microstructural evolution of nanolaminate stacks were studied. Additionally, a promising new approach for engineering the thickness of the SiO2-based interface layer between the metal oxide and silicon substrate after deposition of the metal oxide layer was suggested. Through experimental measurements and thermodynamic analysis, it is shown that a Ti overlayer, which exhibits a high oxygen solubility, can effectively getter oxygen from the interface layer, thus decomposing SiO2 and reducing the interface layer thickness in a controllable fashion. As one of several possible applications, ALD-ZrO2 and HfO 2 gate dielectric films were deposited on Ge (001) substrates with different surface passivations. After extensive characterization using various microstructural, electrical, and chemical analyses, excellent MOS electrical properties of high-kappa gate dielectrics on Ge were successfully demonstrated with optimized surface nitridation of the Ge substrates.

Measurement and Control of In-plane Surface Chemistry at the Silicon/Silicon Dioxide Interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gokce, Bilal

In-plane directional control of surface chemistry during interface formation can lead to new opportunities regarding device structures and applications. Control of this type requires techniques that can probe and hence provide feedback on the chemical reactivity of bonds not only in specific directions but also in real time. In this thesis work, I demonstrate both control and measurement of the oxidation of H-terminated Si(111). The nonlinear optical tool of Second-Harmonic-Generation (SHG) is used to show that Si oxidation in air is a two-stage process where the H of the "up" bonds of the outermost Si layer is replaced by OH, followed by O insertion into the "back" bonds. Detailed information about both stages is revealed by investigating the effect of uniaxial strain and carrier concentration on this chemical reaction. It is shown that even small amounts of strain manipulate the reaction kinetics of surface bonds significantly, with tensile strain enhancing oxidation and compressive strain retarding it. This dramatic change suggests a strain-driven charge transfer mechanism between Si--H up bonds and Si--Si back bonds in the outer layer of Si atoms. Data on differently doped samples reveal that high concentrations of electrons increase the chemical reactivity of the outer-layer Si--Si back bonds relative to the Si--H up bonds while high concentrations of holes cause a greater increase in the reactivity of the Si--H up bonds than that of the Si--Si back bonds. However, the thicknesses of the natural oxides of all samples follow the same path and stabilize near 1 nm at room temperature, regardless of the chemical kinetics of the different bonds, as determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry. Real-time measurement during SHG experiments is achieved by analyzing SHG anisotropy data with the anisotropic bond-charge model of nonlinear optics where peaks in the SHG spectrum are correlated with the near alignment of bonds to the direction of the excitation field.

Preparation of Hollow CuO@SiO2 Spheres and Its Catalytic Performances for the NO + CO and CO Oxidation

PubMed Central

Niu, Xiaoyu; Zhao, Tieying; Yuan, Fulong; Zhu, Yujun

2015-01-01

The hollow CuO@SiO2 spheres with a mean diameter of 240 nm and a thin shell layer of about 30 nm in thickness was synthesized using an inorganic SiO2 shell coating on the surface of Cu@C composite that was prepared by a two-step hydrothermal method. The obtained hollow CuO@SiO2 spheres were characterized by ICP-AES, nitrogen adsorption-desorption, SEM, TEM, XRD, H2-TPR, CO-TPR, CO-TPD and NO-TPD. The results revealed that the hollow CuO@SiO2 spheres consist of CuO uniformly inserted into SiO2 layer. The CuO@SiO2 sample exhibits particular catalytic activities for CO oxidation and NO + CO reactions compared with CuO supported on SiO2 (CuO/SiO2). The higher catalytic activity is attributed to the special hollow shell structure that possesses much more highly dispersed CuO nanocluster that can be easy toward the CO and NO adsorption and the oxidation of CO on its surface. PMID:25777579

Surface-interface exploration of Mg deposited on Si(100) and oxidation effect on interfacial layer

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

Sarpi, B.; Daineche, R.; Girardeaux, C.

Using scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, and low energy electron diffraction, we have studied the growth of Mg deposited on Si(100)-(2 × 1). Coverage from 0.05 monolayer (ML) to 3 ML was investigated at room temperature. The growth mode of the magnesium is a two steps process. At very low coverage, there is formation of an amorphous ultrathin silicide layer with a band gap of 0.74 eV, followed by a layer-by-layer growth of Mg on top of this silicide layer. Topographic images reveal that each metallic Mg layer is formed by 2D islands coalescence process on top of the silicidemore » interfacial layer. During oxidation of the Mg monolayer, the interfacial silicide layer acts as diffusion barrier for the oxygen atoms with a decomposition of the silicide film to a magnesium oxide as function of O{sub 2} exposure.« less

RECONDITIONING FUEL ELEMENTS

DOEpatents

Brandt, H.L.

1962-02-20

A process is given for decanning fuel elements that consist of a uranium core, an intermediate section either of bronze, silicon, Al-Si, and uranium silicide layers or of lead, Al-Si, and uranium silicide layers around said core, and an aluminum can bonded to said intermediate section. The aluminum can is dissolved in a solution of sodium hydroxide (9 to 20 wt%) and sodium nitrate (35 to 12 wt %), and the layers of the intermediate section are dissolved in a boiling sodium hydroxide solution of a minimum concentration of 50 wt%. (AEC) A method of selectively reducing plutonium oxides and the rare earth oxides but not uranium oxides is described which comprises placing the oxides in a molten solvent of zinc or cadmium and then adding metallic uranium as a reducing agent. (AEC)

Microstructure investigations of U3Si2 implanted by high-energy Xe ions at 600 °C

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miao, Yinbin; Harp, Jason; Mo, Kun; Kim, Yeon Soo; Zhu, Shaofei; Yacout, Abdellatif M.

2018-05-01

The microstructure investigations on a high-energy Xe-implanted U3Si2 pellet were performed. The promising accident tolerant fuel (ATF) candidate, U3Si2, was irradiated by 84 MeV Xe ions at 600 °C at Argonne Tandem Linac Accelerator System (ATLAS). The characterizations of the Xe implanted sample were conducted using advanced transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. An oxidation layer was observed on the sample surface after irradiation under the ∼10-5 Pa vacuum. The study on the oxidation layer not only unveils the readily oxidation behavior of U3Si2 under high-temperature irradiation conditions, but also develops an understanding of its oxidation mechanism. Intragranular Xe bubbles with bimodal size distribution were observed within the Xe deposition region of the sample induced by 84 MeV Xe ion implantation. At the irradiation temperature of 600 °C, the gaseous swelling strain contributed by intragranular bubbles was found to be insignificant, indicating an acceptable fission gas behavior of U3Si2 as a light water reactor (LWR) fuel operating at such a temperature.

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.

Effect of dual-dielectric hydrogen-diffusion barrier layers on the performance of low-temperature processed transparent InGaZnO thin-film transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tari, Alireza; Wong, William S.

2018-02-01

Dual-dielectric SiOx/SiNx thin-film layers were used as back-channel and gate-dielectric barrier layers for bottom-gate InGaZnO (IGZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs). The concentration profiles of hydrogen, indium, gallium, and zinc oxide were analyzed using secondary-ion mass spectroscopy characterization. By implementing an effective H-diffusion barrier, the hydrogen concentration and the creation of H-induced oxygen deficiency (H-Vo complex) defects during the processing of passivated flexible IGZO TFTs were minimized. A bilayer back-channel passivation layer, consisting of electron-beam deposited SiOx on plasma-enhanced chemical vapor-deposition (PECVD) SiNx films, effectively protected the TFT active region from plasma damage and minimized changes in the chemical composition of the semiconductor layer. A dual-dielectric PECVD SiOx/PECVD SiNx gate-dielectric, using SiOx as a barrier layer, also effectively prevented out-diffusion of hydrogen atoms from the PECVD SiNx-gate dielectric to the IGZO channel layer during the device fabrication.

Magnetic and electrical properties of FeSi/FeSi-ZrO 2 multilayers prepared by EB-PVD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bi, Xiaofang; Lan, Weihua; Ou, Shengquan; Gong, Shengkai; Xu, Huibin

2003-04-01

FeSi/FeSi-ZrO 2 and FeSi/ZrO 2 multilayer materials were prepared by electron beam physical vapor deposition with the FeSi-ZrO 2 layer thickness about 0.6 μm, and their magnetic and electrical properties were studied as a function of FeSi layer thickness. With increasing FeSi layer thickness from 0.3 to 3 μm, the coercivity decreased from 0.92 to 0.31 kA/m and the saturation magnetization changed from 164 to 186 emu/g. The effect of the layer number on the magnetic properties was discussed in terms of interfacial mixing and oxidation. It was also discovered that the magnetic properties of the multilayer materials were affected by the spacer material, exhibiting higher saturation magnetization and lower coercivity for the FeSi/FeSi-ZrO 2 than those for the FeSi/ZrO 2 with the same individual layer thicknesses. This behavior could be explained by the weaker magnetic interaction between FeSi layers separated by the non-magnetic ZrO 2 layer. Furthermore, the electrical resistivity changed from 1850 to 1250 μΩ cm for the multilayer materials for the FeSi thickness increasing from 0.30 to 3 μm.

Teflon/SiO2 Bilayer Passivation for Improving the Electrical Reliability of Oxide TFTs Fabricated Using a New Two-Photomask Self-Alignment Process

PubMed Central

Fan, Ching-Lin; Shang, Ming-Chi; Li, Bo-Jyun; Lin, Yu-Zuo; Wang, Shea-Jue; Lee, Win-Der; Hung, Bohr-Ran

2015-01-01

This study proposes a two-photomask process for fabricating amorphous indium–gallium–zinc oxide (a-IGZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs) that exhibit a self-aligned structure. The fabricated TFTs, which lack etching-stop (ES) layers, have undamaged a-IGZO active layers that facilitate superior performance. In addition, we demonstrate a bilayer passivation method that uses a polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon) and SiO2 combination layer for improving the electrical reliability of the fabricated TFTs. Teflon was deposited as a buffer layer through thermal evaporation. The Teflon layer exhibited favorable compatibility with the underlying IGZO channel layer and effectively protected the a-IGZO TFTs from plasma damage during SiO2 deposition, resulting in a negligible initial performance drop in the a-IGZO TFTs. Compared with passivation-free a-IGZO TFTs, passivated TFTs exhibited superior stability even after 168 h of aging under ambient air at 95% relative humidity. PMID:28788026

Reliability Characterization of Digital Microcircuits - Investigation of an In-Process Oxide Reliability Screening Method

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-04-01

CLASSIFICATION 18. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION 19. SECURIlY CLASSIFICATION 20. UMITATION OF ABSTRACT OF REPORT OF THIS PAGE OF ABSTRACT UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED...with the silicon underneath, growing a thin nitride layer. This layer of Si 3 N 4 , if not completely removed, will retard oxidation in the area...C. Shatas, K. C. Saraswat and J. D. Meindl, "Interfacial and Breakdown Characteristics of MOS Devices with Rapidly Grown Ultrathin SiO Gate

Composite Nanoshells for Enhanced Solar-to-Fuel Photocatalytic Conversion

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-20

nanoparticles can be used as seeds to further deposit other metal oxide layer, e.g. ZnO in this study. Experiment 1. Preparation of...localized surface plasmon resonance, typically with addition of Ag@Au NPs ( nanoparticles ) was evaluated. Layered structure composed of nanoshell/SiO2/ ZnO was...films were measured. Secondly, we reported the novel synthesis of metal oxide (SiO2 and SnO2)-coated metal-metal nanoshells. These unique IR-absorption

SiO2-Ag-SiO2 core/shell structure with a high density of Ag nanoparticles for CO oxidation catalysis.

PubMed

Feng, Xiaoqian; Li, Hongmo; Zhang, Qing; Zhang, Peng; Song, Xuefeng; Liu, Jing; Zhao, Liping; Gao, Lian

2016-11-11

SiO 2 -Ag-SiO 2 , a sandwiched core/shell structure with a layer of Ag nanoparticles (∼4 nm) encapsulated between a shallow SiO 2 surface layer and a SiO 2 submicrosphere substrate (∼200 nm), has been synthesized from [Formula: see text] and SiO 2 spheres by a facile one-pot hydrothermal method. The composite is proposed to result from the dynamic balance between the [Formula: see text] reduction and the dissolution-redeposition of SiO 2 in mild basic media. The synthetic mechanism and the roles of the reaction time, temperature, and the amount of ammonia in the formation of this unique structure are investigated and discussed. The composite structure shows superior catalytic performance in CO oxidation to the control Ag/SiO 2 structure prepared by impregnation. Pre-treatment by O 2 at 600 °C significantly improves the catalytic performance of the composite structure and preserves the nanocomposite structure well.

Ultra-low-energy ion-beam synthesis of nanometer-separated Si nanoparticles and Ag nanocrystals 2D layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carrada, M.; Haj Salem, A.; Pecassou, B.; Paillard, V.; Ben Assayag, G.

2018-03-01

2D networks of Si and Ag nanocrystals have been fabricated in the same SiO2 matrix by Ultra-Low-Energy Ion-Beam-Synthesis. Our synthesis scheme differs from a simple sequential ion implantation and its key point is the control of the matrix integrity through an appropriate intermediate thermal annealing. Si nanocrystal layer is synthesised first due to high thermal budget required for nucleation, while the second Ag nanocrystal plane is formed during a subsequent implantation due to the high diffusivity of Ag in silica. The aim of this work is to show how it is possible to overcome the limitation related to ion mixing and implantation damage to obtain double layers of Si-NCs and Ag-NCs with controlled characteristics. For this, we take advantage of annealing under slight oxidizing ambient to control the oxidation of Si-NCs and the Si excess in the matrix. The nanocrystal characteristics and in particular their position and size can be adjusted thanks to a compromise between the implantation energy, the implanted dose for both Si and Ag ions and the intermediate annealing conditions (atmosphere, temperature and duration).

Ellipsometric study of Si(0.5)Ge(0.5)/Si strained-layer superlattices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sieg, R. M.; Alterovitz, S. A.; Croke, E. T.; Harrell, M. J.

1993-01-01

An ellipsometric study of two Si(0.5)Ge(0.5)/Si strained-layer super lattices grown by MBE at low temperature (500 C) is presented, and results are compared with x ray diffraction (XRD) estimates. Excellent agreement is obtained between target values, XRD, and ellipsometry when one of two available Si(x)Ge(1-x) databases is used. It is shown that ellipsometry can be used to nondestructively determine the number of superlattice periods, layer thicknesses, Si(x)Ge(1-x) composition, and oxide thickness without resorting to additional sources of information. It was also noted that we do not observe any strain effect on the E(sub 1) critical point.

Thermomechanical Performance of C and SiC Multilayer, Fiber-Reinforced, CVI SiC Matrix Composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morscher, Gregory N.; Singh, Mrityunjay

2004-01-01

Hybrid fiber approaches have been attempted in the past to alloy desirable properties of different fiber-types for mechanical properties, thermal stress management, and oxidation resistance. Such an approach has potential for the CrSiC and SiCrSiC composite systems. SiC matrix composites with different stacking sequences of woven C fiber (T300) layers and woven Sic fiber (Hi-NicalonTM) layers were fabricated using the standard CVI process. Delamination occurred to some extent due to thermal mismatch for all of the composites. However, for the composites with a more uniform stacking sequence, minimal delamination occurred, enabling tensile properties to be determined at room temperature and elevated temperatures (stress-rupture in air). Composites were seal-coated with a CVI SiC layer as well as a proprietary C-B-Si (CBS) layer. Definite improvement in rupture behavior was observed in air for composites with increasing SiC fiber content and a CBS layer. The results will be compared to standard C fiber reinforced CVI SiC matrix and Hi-Nicalon reinforced CVI SiC matrix composites.

Si photoanode protected by a metal modified ITO layer with ultrathin NiO(x) for solar water oxidation.

PubMed

Sun, Ke; Shen, Shaohua; Cheung, Justin S; Pang, Xiaolu; Park, Namseok; Zhou, Jigang; Hu, Yongfeng; Sun, Zhelin; Noh, Sun Young; Riley, Conor T; Yu, Paul K L; Jin, Sungho; Wang, Deli

2014-03-14

We report an ultrathin NiOx catalyzed Si np(+) junction photoanode for a stable and efficient solar driven oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in water. A stable semi-transparent ITO/Au/ITO hole conducting oxide layer, sandwiched between the OER catalyst and the Si photoanode, is used to protect the Si from corrosion in an alkaline working environment, enhance the hole transportation, and provide a pre-activation contact to the NiOx catalyst. The NiOx catalyzed Si photoanode generates a photocurrent of 1.98 mA cm(-2) at the equilibrium water oxidation potential (EOER = 0.415 V vs. NHE in 1 M NaOH solution). A thermodynamic solar-to-oxygen conversion efficiency (SOCE) of 0.07% under 0.51-sun illumination is observed. The successful development of a low cost, highly efficient, and stable photoelectrochemical electrode based on earth abundant elements is essential for the realization of a large-scale practical solar fuel conversion.

Influence of Gas Atmosphere Dew Point on the Selective Oxidation and the Reactive Wetting During Hot Dip Galvanizing of CMnSi TRIP Steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cho, Lawrence; Lee, Seok Jae; Kim, Myung Soo; Kim, Young Ha; De Cooman, Bruno C.

2013-01-01

The selective oxidation and reactive wetting of intercritically annealed Si-bearing CMnSi transformation-induced plasticity steels were investigated by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. In a N2 + 10 pct H2 gas atmosphere with a dew point (DP) ranging from 213 K to 278 K (-60 °C to 5 °C), a continuous layer of selective oxides was formed on the surface. Annealing in a higher DP gas atmosphere resulted in a thinner layer of external oxidation and a greater depth of internal oxidation. The hot dipping was carried out in a Zn bath containing 0.22 mass pct Al, and the bath temperature was 733 K (460 °C). Coarse and discontinuous Fe2Al5- x Zn x grains and Fe-Zn intermetallics (ζ and δ) were observed at the steel/coating interface after the hot dip galvanizing (HDG) of panels were annealed in a low DP atmosphere 213 K (-60 °C). The Fe-Zn intermetallics were formed both in areas where the Fe2Al5- x Zn x inhibition layer had not been formed and on top of non-stoichiometric Fe-Al-Zn crystals. Poor wetting was observed on panels annealed in a low DP atmosphere because of the formation of thick film-type oxides on the surface. After annealing in higher DP gas atmospheres, i.e., 263 K and 278 K (-10 °C and 5 °C), a continuous and fine-grained Fe2Al5- x Zn x layer was formed. No Fe-Zn intermetallics were formed. The small grain size of the inhibition layer was attributed to the nucleation of the Fe2Al5- x Zn x grains on small ferrite sub-surface grains and the presence of granular surface oxides. A high DP atmosphere can therefore significantly contribute to the decrease of Zn-coating defects on CMnSi TRIP steels processed in HDG lines.

Experimental demonstration of single electron transistors featuring SiO{sub 2} plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition in Ni-SiO{sub 2}-Ni tunnel junctions

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

Karbasian, Golnaz, E-mail: Golnaz.Karbasian.1@nd.edu; McConnell, Michael S.; Orlov, Alexei O.

The authors report the use of plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) to fabricate single-electron transistors (SETs) featuring ultrathin (≈1 nm) tunnel-transparent SiO{sub 2} in Ni-SiO{sub 2}-Ni tunnel junctions. They show that, as a result of the O{sub 2} plasma steps in PEALD of SiO{sub 2}, the top surface of the underlying Ni electrode is oxidized. Additionally, the bottom surface of the upper Ni layer is also oxidized where it is in contact with the deposited SiO{sub 2}, most likely as a result of oxygen-containing species on the surface of the SiO{sub 2}. Due to the presence of these surface parasitic layersmore » of NiO, which exhibit features typical of thermally activated transport, the resistance of Ni-SiO{sub 2}-Ni tunnel junctions is drastically increased. Moreover, the transport mechanism is changed from quantum tunneling through the dielectric barrier to one consistent with thermally activated resistors in series with tunnel junctions. The reduction of NiO to Ni is therefore required to restore the metal-insulator-metal (MIM) structure of the junctions. Rapid thermal annealing in a forming gas ambient at elevated temperatures is presented as a technique to reduce both parasitic oxide layers. This method is of great interest for devices that rely on MIM tunnel junctions with ultrathin barriers. Using this technique, the authors successfully fabricated MIM SETs with minimal trace of parasitic NiO component. They demonstrate that the properties of the tunnel barrier in nanoscale tunnel junctions (with <10{sup −15} m{sup 2} in area) can be evaluated by electrical characterization of SETs.« less

Comparison and characterization of different tunnel layers, suitable for passivated contact formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ling, Zhi Peng; Xin, Zheng; Ke, Cangming; Jammaal Buatis, Kitz; Duttagupta, Shubham; Lee, Jae Sung; Lai, Archon; Hsu, Adam; Rostan, Johannes; Stangl, Rolf

2017-08-01

Passivated contacts for solar cells can be realized using a variety of differently formed ultra-thin tunnel oxide layers. Assessing their interface properties is important for optimization purposes. In this work, we demonstrate the ability to measure the interface defect density distribution D it(E) and the fixed interface charge density Q f for ultra-thin passivation layers operating within the tunnel regime (<2 nm). Various promising tunnel layer candidates [i.e., wet chemically formed SiO x , UV photo-oxidized SiO x , and atomic layer deposited (ALD) AlO x ] are investigated for their potential application forming electron or hole selective tunnel layer passivated contacts. In particular, ALD AlO x is identified as a promising tunnel layer candidate for hole-extracting passivated contact formation, stemming from its high (negative) fixed interface charge density in the order of -6 × 1012 cm-2. This is an order of magnitude higher compared to wet chemically or UV photo-oxidized formed silicon oxide tunnel layers, while keeping the density of interface defect states D it at a similar level (in the order of ˜2 × 1012 cm-2 eV-1). This leads to additional field effect passivation and therefore to significantly higher measured effective carrier lifetimes (˜2 orders of magnitude). A surface recombination velocity of ˜40 cm/s has been achieved for a 1.5 nm thin ALD AlO x tunnel layer prior to capping by an additional hole transport material, like p-doped poly-Si or PEDOT:PSS.

Physical and electrical characteristics of Si/SiC quantum dot superlattice solar cells with passivation layer of aluminum oxide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsai, Yi-Chia; Li, Yiming; Samukawa, Seiji

2017-12-01

In this work, we numerically simulate the silicon (Si)/silicon carbide (SiC) quantum dot superlattice solar cell (SiC-QDSL) with aluminum oxide (Al2O3-QDSL) passivation. By exploiting the passivation layer of Al2O3, the high photocurrent and the conversion efficiency can be achieved without losing the effective bandgap. Based on the two-photon transition mechanism in an AM1.5 and a one sun illumination, the simulated short-circuit current (J sc) of 4.77 mA cm-2 is very close to the experimentally measured 4.75 mA cm-2, which is higher than those of conventional SiC-QDSLs. Moreover, the efficiency fluctuation caused by the structural variation is less sensitive by using the passivation layer. A high conversion efficiency of 17.4% is thus estimated by adopting the QD’s geometry used in the experiment; and, it can be further boosted by applying a hexagonal QD formation with an inter-dot spacing of 0.3 nm.

Physical and electrical characteristics of Si/SiC quantum dot superlattice solar cells with passivation layer of aluminum oxide.

PubMed

Tsai, Yi-Chia; Li, Yiming; Samukawa, Seiji

2017-12-01

In this work, we numerically simulate the silicon (Si)/silicon carbide (SiC) quantum dot superlattice solar cell (SiC-QDSL) with aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3 -QDSL) passivation. By exploiting the passivation layer of Al 2 O 3 , the high photocurrent and the conversion efficiency can be achieved without losing the effective bandgap. Based on the two-photon transition mechanism in an AM1.5 and a one sun illumination, the simulated short-circuit current (J sc ) of 4.77 mA cm -2 is very close to the experimentally measured 4.75 mA cm -2 , which is higher than those of conventional SiC-QDSLs. Moreover, the efficiency fluctuation caused by the structural variation is less sensitive by using the passivation layer. A high conversion efficiency of 17.4% is thus estimated by adopting the QD's geometry used in the experiment; and, it can be further boosted by applying a hexagonal QD formation with an inter-dot spacing of 0.3 nm.

Synthesis and analysis of Mo-Si-B based coatings for high temperature oxidation protection of ceramic materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ritt, Patrick J.

The use of Ni-based superalloys in turbine engines has all but been exhausted, with operating temperatures nearing the melting point of these materials. The use of ceramics in turbine engines, particularly ceramic matrix composites such as SiC/C and SiC/SiC, is of interest due to their low density and attractive mechanical properties at elevated temperatures. The same materials are also in consideration for leading edges on hypersonic vehicles. However, SiC-based composites degrade in high temperature environments with low partial pressures of oxygen due to active oxidation, as well as high temperature environments containing water or sand. The need for a protective external coating for SiC-based composites in service is obvious. To date, no coating investigated for SiC/C or SiC/SiC has been proven to be resistant to oxidation and corrosion at intermediate and high temperatures, as well as in environments deficient in oxygen. The Mo-Si-B coating shows great promise in this area, having been proven resistant to attack from oxidation at extreme temperatures, from water vapor and from calcia-magnesia-aluminosilicate (CMAS). The adaptation of the Mo-Si-B coating for ceramic materials is presented in detail here. Evaluation of the coating under a range of oxidation conditions as well as simulated re-entry conditions confirms the efficacy of the Mo-Si-B based coating as protection from catastrophic failure. The key to the oxidation and corrosion resistance is a robust external aluminoborosilica glass layer that forms and flows quickly to cover the substrate, even under the extreme simulated re-entry conditions. Suppression of active oxidation of SiC, which may occur during atmospheric re-entry and hypersonic flight trajectories, has also been examined. In order to adapt the Mo-Si-B based coating to low partial pressures of oxygen and elevated temperatures, controlled amounts of Al were added to the Mo-Si-B based coating. The resulting coating decreased the inward diffusion of oxygen with an external Al2O3 layer and effectively reduced the activity of Si in the underlying glass. Thus, the Mo-Si-B based coating is established as a viable protective coating for oxidation and corrosion protection for next-generation aerospace and aeronautical materials.

Effect of Ti3SiC2 on Tribological Properties of M50 Matrix Self-Lubricating Composites from 25 to 450 °C

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Xiaobin; Shi, Xiaoliang; Liu, Xiyao; Huang, Yuchun; Yan, Zhao; Yang, Kang; Wang, Yufu

2017-09-01

The tribological performance is a key factor for M50 steel that is widely used in aero-engine main-shaft bearings. In this study, the tribological properties of M50 matrix self-lubricating composites with different contents of Ti3SiC2 against Si3N4 ceramic counterpart are investigated at 15 N-0.2 m/s from 25 to 450 °C. The results showed that M50 with 10 wt.% Ti3SiC2 (MT10) exhibits the lower friction coefficients (0.21-0.78) and less wear rates (1.78-3.14 × 10-6 mm3 N-1 m-1) at 25-450 °C. Especially at 350 °C, MT10 shows the lowest friction coefficient and wear rate owing to the formation of smooth lubricating layer containing Ti3SiC2 and oxides. Ti3SiC2 and compacted Ti-Si-oxides are uniformly distributed in the lubricating layer, which can well improve the anti-friction and anti-wear performance of MT10. The mechanically mixed layer containing massive Ti3SiC2 can sustain the lubricating layer, resulting in the increase of anti-wear performance of MT10. MT10 could be applied under the practical conditions of friction and wear for its outstanding anti-friction and anti-wear performance.

Technique for producing highly planar Si/SiO0.64Ge0.36/Si metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor channels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grasby, T. J.; Parry, C. P.; Phillips, P. J.; McGregor, B. M.; Morris, , R. J. H.; Braithwaite, G.; Whall, T. E.; Parker, E. H. C.; Hammond, R.; Knights, A. P.; Coleman, P. G.

1999-03-01

Si/Si0.64Ge0.36/Si heterostructures have been grown at low temperature (450 °C) to avoid the strain-induced roughening observed for growth temperatures of 550 °C and above. The electrical properties of these structures are poor, and thought to be associated with grown-in point defects as indicated in positron annihilation spectroscopy. However, after an in situ annealing procedure (800 °C for 30 min) the electrical properties dramatically improve, giving an optimum 4 K mobility of 2500 cm2 V-1 s-1 for a sheet density of 6.2×1011 cm-2. The low temperature growth yields highly planar interfaces, which are maintained after anneal as evidenced from transmission electron microscopy. This and secondary ion mass spectroscopy measurements demonstrate that the metastably strained alloy layer can endure the in situ anneal procedure necessary for enhanced electrical properties. Further studies have shown that the layers can also withstand a 120 min thermal oxidation at 800 °C, commensurate with metal-oxide-semiconductor device fabrication.

Surface Selective Oxidation of Sn-Added CMnSi TRIP Steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cho, Lawrence; Seo, Eun Jung; Jung, Geun Su; Suh, Dong Woo; De Cooman, Bruno C.

2016-04-01

The influence of the addition of Sn on the selective oxidation and the reactive wetting of CMnSi transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) steels was studied by means of galvanizing simulator tests. A reference TRIP steel and TRIP steels containing Sn in the range of 0.05 to 1 wt pct were intercritically annealed at 1093 K (820 °C) in an N2+ 5 pct H2 gas atmosphere with a dew point of -60 °C. The thin-film oxides formed on the surface of the Sn-added CMnSi TRIP steel were investigated using transmission electron microscopy and 3-dimensional atom probe tomography. The addition of Sn (≥0.05 wt pct) changed the morphology of the xMnO·SiO2 surface oxides from a continuous film morphology to a lens-shaped island morphology. It also suppressed the formation of the Mn-rich oxides of MnO and 2MnO·SiO2. The changes in the morphology and chemistry of the surface oxides were clearly related to the surface segregation of Sn, which appeared to result in a decrease of the oxygen permeability at the surface. The formation of lens-shaped oxides improved the wettability of the CMnSi TRIP steel surface by the molten Zn. The improved wetting effect was attributed to an increased area fraction of the surface where the oxide layer was thinner. This enabled a direct, unhindered reaction between Fe and the Al in the liquid Zn and the formation of the inhibition layer in the initial stages of the hot dipping. The addition of a small amount of Sn was also found to decrease significantly the density of Zn-coating defects on CMnSi TRIP steel.

Fabricating metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors on a polyethylene terephthalate substrate by applying low-temperature layer transfer of a single-crystalline silicon layer by meniscus force

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

Sakaike, Kohei; Akazawa, Muneki; Nakamura, Shogo

2013-12-02

A low-temperature local-layer technique for transferring a single-crystalline silicon (c-Si) film by using a meniscus force was proposed, and an n-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) was fabricated on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate. It was demonstrated that it is possible to transfer and form c-Si films in the required shape at the required position on PET substrates at extremely low temperatures by utilizing a meniscus force. The proposed technique for layer transfer was applied for fabricating high-performance c-Si MOSFETs on a PET substrate. The fabricated MOSFET showed a high on/off ratio of more than 10{sup 8} and a high field-effect mobilitymore » of 609 cm{sup 2} V{sup −1} s{sup −1}.« less

Graphene-graphite oxide field-effect transistors.

PubMed

Standley, Brian; Mendez, Anthony; Schmidgall, Emma; Bockrath, Marc

2012-03-14

Graphene's high mobility and two-dimensional nature make it an attractive material for field-effect transistors. Previous efforts in this area have used bulk gate dielectric materials such as SiO(2) or HfO(2). In contrast, we have studied the use of an ultrathin layered material, graphene's insulating analogue, graphite oxide. We have fabricated transistors comprising single or bilayer graphene channels, graphite oxide gate insulators, and metal top-gates. The graphite oxide layers show relatively minimal leakage at room temperature. The breakdown electric field of graphite oxide was found to be comparable to SiO(2), typically ~1-3 × 10(8) V/m, while its dielectric constant is slightly higher, κ ≈ 4.3. © 2012 American Chemical Society

Effect of interfacial oxide layers on the current-voltage characteristics of Al-Si contacts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Porter, W. A.; Parker, D. L.

1976-01-01

Aluminum-silicon contacts with very thin interfacial oxide layers and various surface impurity concentrations are studied for both n and p-type silicon. To determine the surface impurity concentrations on p(+)-p and n(+)-n structures, a modified C-V technique was utilized. Effects of interfacial oxide layers and surface impurity concentrations on current-voltage characteristics are discussed based on the energy band diagrams from the conductance-voltage plots. The interfacial oxide and aluminum layer causes image contrasts on X-ray topographs.

Environmental Effects in Niobium Base Alloys and Other Selected Intermetallic Compounds

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-04-30

formation of this surface layer requires that the oxide be more stable than the lowest oxide of the base metal. Figure 2 indicates the free energies of...such requirements for temperatures beyond 10500C are aluminum and silicon. Both of these elements form oxides with large, negative free energies of...Nb-Si, and Ta-Si systems. In attempting to develop alloys in which aluminum or silicon is selectively oxidized, the standard free energies of oxides

Complete suppression of boron transient-enhanced diffusion and oxidation-enhanced diffusion in silicon using localized substitutional carbon incorporation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carroll, M. S.; Chang, C.-L.; Sturm, J. C.; Büyüklimanli, T.

1998-12-01

In this letter, we show the ability, through introduction of a thin Si1-x-yGexCy layer, to eliminate the enhancement of enhanced boron diffusion in silicon due to an oxidizing surface or ion implant damage. This reduction of diffusion is accomplished through a low-temperature-grown thin epitaxial Si1-x-yGexCy layer which completely filters out excess interstitials introduced by oxidation or ion implant damage. We also quantify the oxidation-enhanced diffusion (OED) and transient-enhanced diffusion (TED) dependence on substitutional carbon level, and further report both the observation of carbon TED and OED, and its dependence on carbon levels.

Method and apparatus for detecting the presence and thickness of carbon and oxide layers on EUV reflective surfaces

DOEpatents

Malinowski, Michael E.

2005-01-25

The characteristics of radiation that is reflected from carbon deposits and oxidation formations on highly reflective surfaces such as Mo/Si mirrors can be quantified and employed to detect and measure the presence of such impurities on optics. Specifically, it has been shown that carbon deposits on a Mo/Si multilayer mirror decreases the intensity of reflected HeNe laser (632.8 nm) light. In contrast, oxide layers formed on the mirror should cause an increase in HeNe power reflection. Both static measurements and real-time monitoring of carbon and oxide surface impurities on optical elements in lithography tools should be achievable.

Characterization of Thermal Oxides on 4H-SiC Epitaxial Substrates Using Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy.

PubMed

Seki, Hirofumi; Yoshikawa, Masanobu; Kobayashi, Takuma; Kimoto, Tsunenobu; Ozaki, Yukihiro

2017-05-01

Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra were measured for thermal oxides with different electrical properties grown on 4H-SiC substrates. The peak frequency of the transverse optical (TO) phonon mode was blue-shifted by 5 cm -1 as the oxide-layer thickness decreased to 3 nm. The blue shift of the TO mode indicates interfacial compressive stress in the oxide. Comparison of data for the oxide on a SiC substrate with that for similar oxides on a Si substrate implies that the peak shift of the TO mode at the SiO 2 /SiC interface is larger than that of SiO 2 /Si, which suggests that the interfacial stress for the oxide on the SiC substrate is larger than that on the Si substrate. For the SiO 2 /SiC interfacial region (<3 nm oxide thickness), despite the fact that the blue shift of the TO modes becomes larger while approaching the oxide/SiC interface, the peak frequency of the TO modes red-shifts at the oxide/SiC interface. The peak-frequency shift of the TO mode for the sample without post-oxidation annealing was larger than that for the samples post-annealed in a nitric oxide atmosphere. The channel mobilities are correlated with the degree of shift of the TO mode when the oxide thickness is <3 nm. It appears that the compressive stress at the SiO 2 /SiC interface generates silicon suboxide components and weakens the Si-O bonds. As the result, the TO mode was red-shifted and the oxygen deficiency increased to relax the compressive stress in the oxide with <3 nm thickness. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy measurements provide unique and useful information about stress and inhomogeneity at the oxide/SiC interface.

Effect of humidity and water intercalation on the tribological behavior of graphene and graphene oxide.

PubMed

Arif, Taib; Colas, Guillaume; Filleter, Tobin

2018-06-12

In this work, the effect of humidity and water intercalation on the friction and wear behavior of few-layers of graphene and graphene oxide (GO) was studied using friction force microscopy. Thickness measurements demonstrated significant water intercalation within GO affecting its surface topography (roughness and protrusions), whereas negligible water intercalation of graphene was observed. It was found that water intercalation in GO contributed to wearing of layers at a relative humidity as low as ~30%. The influence of surface wettability and water adsorption was also studied by comparing the sliding behavior of SiO2/GO, SiO2/Graphene, and SiO2/SiO2 interfaces. Friction for the SiO2/GO interface increased with relative humidity due to water intercalation and condensation of water. In contrast, it was observed that adsorption of water molecules lubricated the SiO2/SiO2 interface due to easy shearing of water on the hydrophobic surface, particularly once the adsorbed water layers had transitioned from "ice-like water" to "liquid-like water" structures. Lastly, an opposite friction trend was observed for the graphene/SiO2 interface with water molecules failing to lubricate the interface as compared to the dry graphene/SiO2 contact.

Influence of Gas Atmosphere Dew Point on the Galvannealing of CMnSi TRIP Steel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cho, Lawrence; Kim, Myung Soo; Kim, Young Ha; De Cooman, Bruno C.

2013-11-01

The Fe-Zn reaction occurring during the galvannealing of a Si-bearing transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) steel was investigated by field-emission electron probe microanalysis and field-emission transmission electron microscopy. The galvannealing was simulated after hot dipping in a Zn bath containing 0.13 mass pct Al at 733 K (460 °C). The galvannealing temperature was in the range of 813 K to 843 K (540 °C to 570 °C). The kinetics and mechanism of the galvannealing reaction were strongly influenced by the gas atmosphere dew point (DP). After the galvannealing of a panel annealed in a N2+10 pct H2 gas atmosphere with low DPs [213 K and 243 K (-60 °C and -30 °C)], the coating layer consisted of δ (FeZn10) and η (Zn) phase crystals. The Mn-Si compound oxides formed during intercritical annealing were present mostly at the steel/coating interface after the galvannealing. Galvannealing of a panel annealed in higher DP [263 K and 273 K, and 278 K (-10 °C, 0 °C, and +5 °C)] gas atmospheres resulted in a coating layer consisting of δ and Г (Fe3Zn10) phase crystals, and a thin layer of Г 1 (Fe11Zn40) phase crystals at the steel/coating interface. The Mn-Si oxides were distributed homogeneously throughout the galvannealed (GA) coating layer. When the surface oxide layer thickness on panels annealed in a high DP gas atmosphere was reduced, the Fe content at the GA coating surface increased. Annealing in a higher DP gas atmosphere improved the coating quality of the GA panels because a thinner layer of oxides was formed. A high DP atmosphere can therefore significantly contribute to the suppression of Zn-alloy coating defects on CMnSi TRIP steel processed in hot dip galvanizing lines.

Nitrogen doped silicon-carbon multilayer protective coatings on carbon obtained by thermionic vacuum arc (TVA) method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ciupinǎ, Victor; Vasile, Eugeniu; Porosnicu, Corneliu; Vladoiu, Rodica; Mandes, Aurelia; Dinca, Virginia; Nicolescu, Virginia; Manu, Radu; Dinca, Paul; Zaharia, Agripina

2018-02-01

To obtain protective nitrogen doped Si-C multilayer coatings on carbon, used to improve the oxidation resistance of carbon, was used TVA method. The initial carbon layer has been deposed on a silicon substrate in the absence of nitrogen, and then a 3nm Si thin film to cover carbon layer was deposed. Further, seven Si and C layers were alternatively deposed in the presence of nitrogen ions. In order to form silicon carbide at the interface between silicon and carbon layers, all carbon, silicon and nitrogen ions energy has increased up to 150eV. The characterization of microstructure and electrical properties of as-prepared N-Si-C multilayer structures were done using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM, STEM) techniques, Thermal Desorption Spectroscopy (TDS) and electrical measurements. The retention of oxygen in the protective layer of N-Si-C is due to the following phenomena: (a) The reaction between oxygen and silicon carbide resulting in silicon oxide and carbon dioxide; (b) The reaction involving oxygen, nitrogen and silicon resulting silicon oxinitride with a variable composition; (c) Nitrogen acts as a trapping barrier for oxygen. To perform electrical measurements, ohmic contacts were attached on the N-Si-C samples. Electrical conductivity was measured in constant current mode. To explain the temperature behavior of electrical conductivity we assumed a thermally activated electric transport mechanism.

Homogeneous double-layer amorphous Si-doped indium oxide thin-film transistors for control of turn-on voltage

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

Kizu, Takio, E-mail: KIZU.Takio@nims.go.jp, E-mail: TSUKAGOSHI.Kazuhito@nims.go.jp; Tsukagoshi, Kazuhito, E-mail: KIZU.Takio@nims.go.jp, E-mail: TSUKAGOSHI.Kazuhito@nims.go.jp; Aikawa, Shinya

We fabricated homogeneous double-layer amorphous Si-doped indium oxide (ISO) thin-film transistors (TFTs) with an insulating ISO cap layer on top of a semiconducting ISO bottom channel layer. The homogeneously stacked ISO TFT exhibited high mobility (19.6 cm{sup 2}/V s) and normally-off characteristics after annealing in air. It exhibited normally-off characteristics because the ISO insulator suppressed oxygen desorption, which suppressed the formation of oxygen vacancies (V{sub O}) in the semiconducting ISO. Furthermore, we investigated the recovery of the double-layer ISO TFT, after a large negative shift in turn-on voltage caused by hydrogen annealing, by treating it with annealing in ozone. The recoverymore » in turn-on voltage indicates that the dense V{sub O} in the semiconducting ISO can be partially filled through the insulator ISO. Controlling molecule penetration in the homogeneous double layer is useful for adjusting the properties of TFTs in advanced oxide electronics.« less

Resistance change effect in SrTiO3/Si (001) isotype heterojunction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Xiushi; Gao, Zhaomeng; Li, Pei; Wang, Longfei; Liu, Xiansheng; Zhang, Weifeng; Guo, Haizhong

2018-02-01

Resistance switching has been observed in double and multi-layer structures of ferroelectric films. The higher switching ratio opens up a vast path for emerging ferroelectric semiconductor devices. An n-n+ isotype heterojunction has been fabricated by depositing an oxide SrTiO3 layer on a conventional n-type Si (001) substrate (SrTiO3/Si) by pulsed laser disposition. Rectification and resistive switching behaviors in the n-n+ SrTiO3/Si heterojunction were observed by a conductive atomic force microscopy, and the n-n+ SrTiO3/Si heterojunction exhibits excellent endurance and retention characteristics. The possible mechanism was proposed based on the band structure of the n-n+ SrTiO3/Si heterojunction, and the observed electrical behaviors could be attributed to the modulation effect of the electric field reversal on the width of accumulation and the depletion region, as well as the height of potential of the n-n+ junction formed at the STO/Si interface. Moreover, oxygen vacancies are also indicated to play a crucial role in causing insulator to semiconductor transition. These results open the way to potential application in future microelectronic devices based on perovskite oxide layers on conventional semiconductors.

Mechanical Flexibility of Zinc Oxide Thin-Film Transistors Prepared by Transfer Printing Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eun, K. T.; Hwang, W. J.; Sharma, B. K.; Ahn, J. H.; Lee, Y. K.; Choa, S. H.

In the present study, we demonstrate the performance of Zinc oxide thin film transistors (ZnO TFTs) array subjected to the strain under high bending test and the reliability of TFTs was confirmed for the bending fatigue test of 2000 cycles. Initially, ZnO TFTs were fabricated on Si substrate and subsequently transferred on flexible PET substrate using transfer printing process. It was observed that when the bending radius reached ≥ 11 mm then cracks start to initiate first at SiO2 bridges, acting as interconnecting layers among individual TFT. Whatever the strain is applied to the devices, it is almost equivalently adopted by the SiO2 bridges, as they are relatively weak compared to rest of the part. The initial cracking of destructed SiO2 bridge leads to the secondary cracks to the ITO electrodes upon further increment of bending radius. Numerical simulation suggested that the strain of SiO2 layer reached to fracture level of 0.55% which was concentrated at the edge of SiO2 bridge layer. It also suggests that the round shape of SiO2 bridge can be more fruitful to compensate the stress concentration and to prevent failure of device.

Novel Dry-Type Glucose Sensor Based on a Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Capacitor Structure with Horseradish Peroxidase + Glucose Oxidase Catalyzing Layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Jing-Jenn; Wu, You-Lin; Hsu, Po-Yen

2007-10-01

In this paper, we present a novel dry-type glucose sensor based on a metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitor (MOSC) structure using SiO2 as a gate dielectric in conjunction with a horseradish peroxidase (HRP) + glucose oxidase (GOD) catalyzing layer. The tested glucose solution was dropped directly onto the window opened on the SiO2 layer, with a coating of HRP + GOD catalyzing layer on top of the gate dielectric. From the capacitance-voltage (C-V) characteristics of the sensor, we found that the glucose solution can induce an inversion layer on the silicon surface causing a gate leakage current flowing along the SiO2 surface. The gate current changes Δ I before and after the drop of glucose solution exhibits a near-linear relationship with increasing glucose concentration. The Δ I sensitivity is about 1.76 nA cm-2 M-1, and the current is quite stable 20 min after the drop of the glucose solution is tested.

Oxidation kinetics of Si and SiGe by dry rapid thermal oxidation, in-situ steam generation oxidation and dry furnace oxidation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rozé, Fabien; Gourhant, Olivier; Blanquet, Elisabeth; Bertin, François; Juhel, Marc; Abbate, Francesco; Pribat, Clément; Duru, Romain

2017-06-01

The fabrication of ultrathin compressively strained SiGe-On-Insulator layers by the condensation technique is likely a key milestone towards low-power and high performances FD-SOI logic devices. However, the SiGe condensation technique still requires challenges to be solved for an optimized use in an industrial environment. SiGe oxidation kinetics, upon which the condensation technique is founded, has still not reached a consensus in spite of various studies which gave insights into the matter. This paper aims to bridge the gaps between these studies by covering various oxidation processes relevant to today's technological needs with a new and quantitative analysis methodology. We thus address oxidation kinetics of SiGe with three Ge concentrations (0%, 10%, and 30%) by means of dry rapid thermal oxidation, in-situ steam generation oxidation, and dry furnace oxidation. Oxide thicknesses in the 50 Å to 150 Å range grown with oxidation temperatures between 850 and 1100 °C were targeted. The present work shows first that for all investigated processes, oxidation follows a parabolic regime even for thin oxides, which indicates a diffusion-limited oxidation regime. We also observe that, for all investigated processes, the SiGe oxidation rate is systematically higher than that of Si. The amplitude of the variation of oxidation kinetics of SiGe with respect to Si is found to be strongly dependent on the process type. Second, a new quantitative analysis methodology of oxidation kinetics is introduced. This methodology allows us to highlight the dependence of oxidation kinetics on the Ge concentration at the oxidation interface, which is modulated by the pile-up mechanism. Our results show that the oxidation rate increases with the Ge concentration at the oxidation interface.

Integration of graphene onto silicon through electrochemical reduction of graphene oxide layers in non-aqueous medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marrani, Andrea Giacomo; Coico, Anna Chiara; Giacco, Daniela; Zanoni, Robertino; Scaramuzzo, Francesca Anna; Schrebler, Ricardo; Dini, Danilo; Bonomo, Matteo; Dalchiele, Enrique A.

2018-07-01

Wafer-scale integration of reduced graphene oxide with H-terminated Si(1 1 1) surfaces has been accomplished by electrochemical reduction of a thin film of graphene oxide deposited onto Si by drop casting. Two reduction methods have been assayed and carried out in an acetonitrile solution. The initial deposit was subjected either to potential cycling in a 0.1 M TBAPF6/CH3CN solution at scan rates values of 20 mV s-1 and 50 mV s-1, or to a potentiostatic polarization at Eλ,c = -3 V for 450 s. The resulting interface has been characterized in its surface composition, morphology and electrochemical behavior by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and electrochemical measurements. The results evidence that few-layer graphene deposits on H-Si(1 1 1) were obtained after reduction, and use of organic instead of aqueous medium led to a very limited surface oxidation of the Si substrate and a very low oxygen-to-carbon ratio. The described approach is fast, simple, economic, scalable and straightforward, as one reduction cycle is already effective in promoting the establishment of a graphene-Si interface. It avoids thermal treatments at high temperatures, use of aggressive chemicals and the presence of metal contaminants, and enables preservation of Si(1 1 1) surface from oxidation.

Towards lightweight and flexible high performance nanocrystalline silicon solar cells through light trapping and transport layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gray, Zachary R.

This thesis investigates ways to enhance the efficiency of thin film solar cells through the application of both novel nano-element array light trapping architectures and nickel oxide hole transport/electron blocking layers. Experimental results independently demonstrate a 22% enhancement in short circuit current density (JSC) resulting from a nano-element array light trapping architecture and a ˜23% enhancement in fill factor (FF) and ˜16% enhancement in open circuit voltage (VOC) resulting from a nickel oxide transport layer. In each case, the overall efficiency of the device employing the light trapping or transport layer was superior to that of the corresponding control device. Since the efficiency of a solar cell scales with the product of JSC, FF, and VOC, it follows that the results of this thesis suggest high performance thin film solar cells can be realized in the event light trapping architectures and transport layers can be simultaneously optimized. The realizations of these performance enhancements stem from extensive process optimization for numerous light trapping and transport layer fabrication approaches. These approaches were guided by numerical modeling techniques which will also be discussed. Key developments in this thesis include (1) the fabrication of nano-element topographies conducive to light trapping using various fabrication approaches, (2) the deposition of defect free nc-Si:H onto structured topographies by switching from SiH4 to SiF 4 PECVD gas chemistry, and (3) the development of the atomic layer deposition (ALD) growth conditions for NiO. Keywords: light trapping, nano-element array, hole transport layer, electron blocking layer, nickel oxide, nanocrystalline silicon, aluminum doped zinc oxide, atomic layer deposition, plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, electron beam lithography, ANSYS HFSS.

Passivated p-type silicon: Hole injection tunable anode material for organic light emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, W. Q.; Ran, G. Z.; Xu, W. J.; Qin, G. G.

2008-02-01

We find that hole injection can be enhanced simply by selecting a lower-resistivity p-Si anode to match an electron injection enhancement for organic light emitting diodes with ultrathin-SiO2-layer-passivated p-Si anode (Si-OLED). For a Si-OLED with ordinary AlQ electron transport layer, the optimized resistivity of the p-Si anode is 40Ωcm; for that with n-doped Bphen electron transport layer, it decreases to 5Ωcm. Correspondingly, the maximum power efficiency increases from 0.3to1.9lm /W, even higher than that of an indium tin oxide control device (1.4lm/W). This passivated p-type silicon is a hole injection tunable anode material for OLED.

Surface Chemistry and Interface Evolution during the Atomic Layer Deposition of High-k Metal Oxides on InAs(100) and GaAs(100) Surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henegar, Alex J.

Device scaling has been key for creating faster and more powerful electronic devices. Integral circuit components like the metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) now rely on material deposition techniques, like atomic layer deposition (ALD), that possess atomic-scale thickness precision. At the heart of the archetypal MOSFET is a SiO2/Si interface which can be formed to near perfection. However when the thickness of the SiO 2 layer is shrunk down to a few nanometers several complications arise like unacceptably high leakage current and power consumption. Replacing Si with III-V semiconductors and SiO2 with high-k dielectric materials is appealing but comes with its own set of challenges. While SiO2 is practically defect-free, the native oxides of III-Vs are poor dielectrics. In this dissertation, the surface chemistry and interface evolution during the ALD of high-k metal oxides on Si(100), GaAs(100) and InAs(100) was studied. In particular, the surface chemistry and crystallization of TiO2 films grown on Si(100) was investigated using transmission Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Large, stable, and highly reactive anatase TiO2 grains were found to form during a post-deposition heat treatment after the ALD at 100 °C. The remainder of this work was focused on the evolution of the interfacial oxides during the deposition of TiO2 and Al2O3 on InAs(100) and GaAs(100) and during the deposition of Ta2O 5 on InAs(100). In summary the ALD precursor type, deposited film, and substrate had an influence in the evolution of the native oxides. Alkyl amine precursors fared better at removing the native oxides but the deposited films (TiO2 and Ta2O5) were susceptible to significant native oxide diffusion. The alkyl precursor used for the growth of Al 2O3 was relatively ineffective at removing the oxides but was a good diffusion barrier. In all cases the native oxides were more stable on GaAs compared to InAs. This project utilized a new methodology for the detection of arsenic oxide diffusion using transmission FTIR, and expanded the knowledge of the complexities of the high-k/III-V interface.

Real-time photoelectron spectroscopy study of the oxidation reaction kinetics on p-type and n-type Si (001) surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Zhou

Silicon oxides thermally grown on Si surface are the core gate materials of metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET). This thin oxide layer insulates the gate terminals and the transistors substrate which make MOSFET has certain advantages over those conventional junctions, such as field-effect transistor (FET) and junction field effect transistor (JFET). With an oxide insulating layer, MOSFET is able to sustain higher input impedance and the corresponding gate leakage current can be minimized. Today, though the oxidation process on Si substrate is popular in industry, there are still some uncertainties about its oxidation kinetics. On a path to clarify and modeling the oxidation kinetics, a study of initial oxidation kinetics on Si (001) surface has attracted attentions due to having a relatively low surface electron density and few adsorption channels compared with other Si surface direction. Based on previous studies, there are two oxidation models of Si (001) that extensively accepted, which are dual oxide species mode and autocatalytic reaction model. These models suggest the oxidation kinetics on Si (001) mainly relies on the metastable oxygen atom on the surface and the kinetic is temperature dependent. Professor Yuji Takakuwa's group, Surface Physics laboratory, Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University, observed surface strain existed during the oxidation kinetics on Si (001) and this is the first time that strain was discovered during Si oxidation. Therefore, it is necessary to explain where the strain comes from since none of previous model research included the surface strain (defects generation) into considerations. Moreover, recent developing of complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) requires a simultaneous oxidation process on p- and n-type Si substrate. However, none of those previous models included the dopant factor into the oxidation kinetic modeling. All of these points that further work is necessary to update and modify the traditional Si (001) oxidation models that had been accepted for several decades. To update and complement the Si (001) oxidation kinetics, an understanding of the temperature and dopant factor during initial oxidation kinetics on Si (001) is our first step. In this study, real-time photoelectron spectroscopy is applied to characterize the oxidized (001) surface and surface information was collected by ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy technique. By analyzing parameters such as O 2p spectra uptake, change of work function and the surface state in respect of p- and n- type Si (001) substrate under different temperature, the oxygen adsorption structure and the dopant factor can be determined. In this study, experiments with temperature gradients on p-type Si (001) were conducted and this aims to clarify the temperature dependent characteristic of Si (001) surface oxidation. A comparison of the O 2p uptake, change of work function and surface state between p-and n-type Si (001) is made under a normal temperature and these provides with the data to explain how the dopant factor impacts the oxygen adsorption structure on the surface. In the future, the study of the oxygen adsorption structure will lead to an explanation of the surface strain that discovered; therefore, fundamental of the initial oxidation on Si (001) would be updated and complemented, which would contribute to the future gate technology in MOSFET and CMOS.

Multilayered Si nanoparticle/reduced graphene oxide hybrid as a high-performance lithium-ion battery anode.

PubMed

Chang, Jingbo; Huang, Xingkang; Zhou, Guihua; Cui, Shumao; Hallac, Peter B; Jiang, Junwei; Hurley, Patrick T; Chen, Junhong

2014-02-01

Multilayered Si/RGO anode nanostructures, featuring alternating Si nanoparticle (NP) and RGO layers, good mechanical stability, and high electrical conductivity, allow Si NPs to easily expand between RGO layers, thereby leading to high reversible capacity up to 2300 mAh g(-1) at 0.05 C (120 mA g(-1) ) and 87% capacity retention (up to 630 mAh g(-1) ) at 10 C after 152 cycles. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Passivation mechanism in silicon heterojunction solar cells with intrinsic hydrogenated amorphous silicon oxide layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deligiannis, Dimitrios; van Vliet, Jeroen; Vasudevan, Ravi; van Swaaij, René A. C. M. M.; Zeman, Miro

2017-02-01

In this work, we use intrinsic hydrogenated amorphous silicon oxide layers (a-SiOx:H) with varying oxygen content (cO) but similar hydrogen content to passivate the crystalline silicon wafers. Using our deposition conditions, we obtain an effective lifetime (τeff) above 5 ms for cO ≤ 6 at. % for passivation layers with a thickness of 36 ± 2 nm. We subsequently reduce the thickness of the layers using an accurate wet etching method to ˜7 nm and deposit p- and n-type doped layers fabricating a device structure. After the deposition of the doped layers, τeff appears to be predominantly determined by the doped layers themselves and is less dependent on the cO of the a-SiOx:H layers. The results suggest that τeff is determined by the field-effect rather than by chemical passivation.

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

Masuda, Takuya; PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency; Yoshikawa, Hideki

In situ electrochemical X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) apparatus, which allows XPS at solid/liquid interfaces under potential control, was constructed utilizing a microcell with an ultra-thin Si membrane, which separates vacuum and a solution. Hard X-rays from a synchrotron source penetrate into the Si membrane surface exposed to the solution. Electrons emitted at the Si/solution interface can pass through the membrane and be analyzed by an analyzer placed in vacuum. Its operation was demonstrated for potential-induced Si oxide growth in water. Effect of potential and time on the thickness of Si and Si oxide layers was quantitatively determined at sub-nanometer resolution.

Influence of silicon oxide on the performance of TiN bottom electrode in phase change memory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Dan; Liu, Bo; Xu, Zhen; Wang, Heng; Xia, Yangyang; Wang, Lei; Zhu, Nanfei; Li, Ying; Zhan, Yipeng; Song, Zhitang; Feng, Songlin

2016-10-01

The stability of TiN which is the preferred bottom electrode contact (BEC) of phase change memory (PCM) due to its low thermal conductivity and suitable electrical conductivity, is very essential to the reliability of PCM devices. In this work, in order to investigate the effect of high aspect ratio process (HARP) SiO2 on the performance of TiN, both TiN/SiO2, TiN/SiN thin films and TiN BEC device structures are analyzed. By combining transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), we found that the TiN would be oxidized after the deposition of HARP SiO2 and there exist a thin ( 4 nm) oxidation interfacial layer between TiN and SiO2. Electrical measurements were performed on the 1R PCM test-key die with 7 nm and 10 nm BEC-only cells. The statistical initial resistances of BEC have wide distribution and it is confirmed that the non-uniform oxidation of TiN BEC affects the astringency of the resistance of TiN BEC. The experimental results help to optimize the process of TiN BEC, and SiN is recommended as a better choice as the linear layer.

Durability of Environmental Barrier Coatings in a Water Vapor/Oxygen Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Holchin, John E.

2004-01-01

Silicon carbide (Sic) and silicon nitride (Si3N4) show potential for application in the hot sections of advanced jet engines. The oxidation behavior of these materials has been studied in great detail. In a pure oxygen environment, a silica (SiO2) layer forms on the surface and provides protection from further oxidation. Initial oxidation is rapid, but slows as silica layer grows; this is known as parabolic oxidation. When exposed to model fuel-lean combustion applications (standard in jet engines), wherein the partial pressure of water vapor is approximately 0.5 atm., these materials exhibit different characteristics. In such an environment, the primary oxidant to form silica is water vapor. At the same time, water vapor reacts with the surface oxide to form gaseous silicon hydroxide (Si(OH)4). The simultaneous formation of both silica and Si(OH)4 -the latter which is lost to the atmosphere- the material continues to recede. Recession rates for uncoated Sic and Si3N4 are unacceptably high, for use in jet engines, - on the order of 1mm/4000h. External coatings have been developed that protect Si-based materials from water vapor attack. One such coating consists of a Ba(0.75)Sr(0.25)Al2Si2O8 (BSAS) topcoat, a mullite/BSAS intermediate layer and a Si bond coat. The key function of the topcoat is to protect the Si-base material from water vapor; therefore it must be fairly stable in water vapor (recession rate of about 1mm/40,000h) and remain crack free. Although BSAS is much more resistant to water vapor attack than pure silica, it exhibits a linear weight loss in 50% H2O - 50% O2 at 1500 C. The objective of my research is to determine the oxidation behavior of a number of alternate hot-pressed monolithic top coat candidates. Potential coatings were exposed at 1500 C to a 50% H2O - 50% O2 gas mixture flowing at 4.4 cm/s . These included rare- earth silicates, barium-strontium aluminosilicates. When weight changes were measured with a continuously recording microbalance, linear weight loss was observed. BSAS materials have a fairly high volatility at this temperature, but rare-earth mono-silicate compounds were significantly more stable.

Fabrication of Coaxial Si1−xGex Heterostructure Nanowires by O2 Flow-Induced Bifurcate Reactions

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

We report on bifurcate reactions on the surface of well-aligned Si1−xGex nanowires that enable fabrication of two different coaxial heterostructure nanowires. The Si1−xGex nanowires were grown in a chemical vapor transport process using SiCl4 gas and Ge powder as a source. After the growth of nanowires, SiCl4 flow was terminated while O2 gas flow was introduced under vacuum. On the surface of nanowires was deposited Ge by the vapor from the Ge powder or oxidized into SiO2 by the O2 gas. The transition from deposition to oxidation occurred abruptly at 2 torr of O2 pressure without any intermediate region and enables selectively fabricated Ge/Si1−xGex or SiO2/Si1−xGex coaxial heterostructure nanowires. The rate of deposition and oxidation was dominated by interfacial reaction and diffusion of oxygen through the oxide layer, respectively. PMID:21076699

Fabrication of Coaxial Si1- x Ge x Heterostructure Nanowires by O2 Flow-Induced Bifurcate Reactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Ilsoo; Lee, Ki-Young; Kim, Ungkil; Park, Yong-Hee; Park, Tae-Eon; Choi, Heon-Jin

2010-10-01

We report on bifurcate reactions on the surface of well-aligned Si1- x Ge x nanowires that enable fabrication of two different coaxial heterostructure nanowires. The Si1- x Ge x nanowires were grown in a chemical vapor transport process using SiCl4 gas and Ge powder as a source. After the growth of nanowires, SiCl4 flow was terminated while O2 gas flow was introduced under vacuum. On the surface of nanowires was deposited Ge by the vapor from the Ge powder or oxidized into SiO2 by the O2 gas. The transition from deposition to oxidation occurred abruptly at 2 torr of O2 pressure without any intermediate region and enables selectively fabricated Ge/Si1- x Ge x or SiO2/Si1- x Ge x coaxial heterostructure nanowires. The rate of deposition and oxidation was dominated by interfacial reaction and diffusion of oxygen through the oxide layer, respectively.

Fabrication of Coaxial Si(1-x)Ge(x) Heterostructure Nanowires by O(2) Flow-Induced Bifurcate Reactions.

PubMed

Kim, Ilsoo; Lee, Ki-Young; Kim, Ungkil; Park, Yong-Hee; Park, Tae-Eon; Choi, Heon-Jin

2010-06-17

We report on bifurcate reactions on the surface of well-aligned Si(1-x)Ge(x) nanowires that enable fabrication of two different coaxial heterostructure nanowires. The Si(1-x)Ge(x) nanowires were grown in a chemical vapor transport process using SiCl(4) gas and Ge powder as a source. After the growth of nanowires, SiCl(4) flow was terminated while O(2) gas flow was introduced under vacuum. On the surface of nanowires was deposited Ge by the vapor from the Ge powder or oxidized into SiO(2) by the O(2) gas. The transition from deposition to oxidation occurred abruptly at 2 torr of O(2) pressure without any intermediate region and enables selectively fabricated Ge/Si(1-x)Ge(x) or SiO(2)/Si(1-x)Ge(x) coaxial heterostructure nanowires. The rate of deposition and oxidation was dominated by interfacial reaction and diffusion of oxygen through the oxide layer, respectively.

Improved performance of silicon nitride-based high temperature ceramics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ashbrook, R. L.

1977-01-01

Recent progress in the production of Si3N4 based ceramics is reviewed: (1) high temperature strength and toughness of hot pressed Si3N4 were improved by using high purity powder and a stabilized ZrO2 additive, (2) impact resistance of hot pressed Si3N4 was increased by the use of a crushable energy absorbing layer, (3) the oxidation resistance and strength of reaction sintered Si3N4 were increased by impregnating reaction sintered silicon nitride with solutions that oxidize to Al2O3 or ZrO2, (4) beta prime SiA1ON compositions and sintering aids were developed for improved oxidation resistance or improved high temperature strength.

Transparent Oxide TFTs Fabricated by Atomic Layer Deposition

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-04-17

Transparent Oxide TFTs Fabricated by Atomic Layer Deposition(FA2386-11-1-114052) Yukiharu Uraoka, Nara Institute of Science and Technology Term...2011.5.1-2012.4.30 Purpose and Background: In recent years, the application of zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films as an active channel layer in TFTs has...or other flexible substrates. Higher field-effect mobility of ZnO TFTs than a-Si:H TFTs has been recently demonstrated. However, reliability for

High density nonmagnetic cobalt in thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banu, Nasrin; Singh, Surendra; Basu, Saibal; Roy, Anupam; Movva, Hema C. P.; Lauter, V.; Satpati, B.; Dev, B. N.

2018-05-01

Recently high density (HD) nonmagnetic cobalt has been discovered in a nanoscale cobalt thin film, grown on Si(111) single crystal. This form of cobalt is not only nonmagnetic but also superconducting. These promising results have encouraged further investigations of the growth of the nonmagnetic (NM) phase of cobalt. In the original investigation, the cobalt film had a natural cobalt oxide at the top. We have investigated whether the growth of HD NM cobalt layers in the thin film depends on (i) a capping layer on the cobalt film, (ii) the thickness of the cobalt film and (iii) the nature of the substrate on which the cobalt film is grown. The results of such investigations indicate that for cobalt films capped with a thin gold layer, and for various film thicknesses, HD NM cobalt layers are formed. However, instead of a Si substrate, when the cobalt films are grown on oxide substrates, such as silicon oxide or cobalt oxide, HD NM cobalt layers are not formed. The difference is attributed to the nature—crystalline or amorphous—of the substrate.

Selective-area catalyst-free MBE growth of GaN nanowires using a patterned oxide layer.

PubMed

Schumann, T; Gotschke, T; Limbach, F; Stoica, T; Calarco, R

2011-03-04

GaN nanowires (NWs) were grown selectively in holes of a patterned silicon oxide mask, by rf-plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PAMBE), without any metal catalyst. The oxide was deposited on a thin AlN buffer layer previously grown on a Si(111) substrate. Regular arrays of holes in the oxide layer were obtained using standard e-beam lithography. The selectivity of growth has been studied varying the substrate temperature, gallium beam equivalent pressure and patterning layout. Adjusting the growth parameters, GaN NWs can be selectively grown in the holes of the patterned oxide with complete suppression of the parasitic growth in between the holes. The occupation probability of a hole with a single or multiple NWs depends strongly on its diameter. The selectively grown GaN NWs have one common crystallographic orientation with respect to the Si(111) substrate via the AlN buffer layer, as proven by x-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements. Based on the experimental data, we present a schematic model of the GaN NW formation in which a GaN pedestal is initially grown in the hole.

Highly Oriented Growth of Piezoelectric Thin Films on Silicon Using Two-Dimensional Nanosheets as Growth Template Layer.

PubMed

Nguyen, Minh D; Yuan, Huiyu; Houwman, Evert P; Dekkers, Matthijn; Koster, Gertjan; Ten Elshof, Johan E; Rijnders, Guus

2016-11-16

Ca 2 Nb 3 O 10 (CNOns) and Ti 0.87 O 2 (TiOns) metal oxide nanosheets (ns) are used as a buffer layer for epitaxial growth of piezoelectric capacitor stacks on Si and Pt/Ti/SiO 2 /Si (Pt/Si) substrates. Highly (001)- and (110)-oriented Pb(Zr 0.52 Ti 0.48 )O 3 (PZT) films are achieved by utilizing CNOns and TiOns, respectively. The piezoelectric capacitors are characterized by polarization and piezoelectric hysteresis loops and by fatigue measurements. The devices fabricated with SrRuO 3 top and bottom electrodes directly on nanosheets/Si have ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties well comparable with devices that use more conventional oxide buffer layers (stacks) such as YSZ, CeO 2 /YSZ, or SrTiO 3 on Si. The devices grown on nanosheets/Pt/Si with Pt top electrodes show significantly improved polarization fatigue properties over those of similar devices grown directly on Pt/Si. The differences in properties are ascribed to differences in the crystalline structures and the density of the films. These results show a route toward the fabrication of single crystal piezoelectric thin films and devices with high quality, long-lifetime piezoelectric capacitor structures on nonperovskite and even noncrystalline substrates such as glass or polished metal surfaces.

Three-dimensional imaging for precise structural control of Si quantum dot networks for all-Si solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kourkoutis, Lena F.; Hao, Xiaojing; Huang, Shujuan; Puthen-Veettil, Binesh; Conibeer, Gavin; Green, Martin A.; Perez-Wurfl, Ivan

2013-07-01

All-Si tandem solar cells based on Si quantum dots (QDs) are a promising approach to future high-performance, thin film solar cells using abundant, stable and non-toxic materials. An important prerequisite to achieve a high conversion efficiency in such cells is the ability to control the geometry of the Si QD network. This includes the ability to control both, the size and arrangement of Si QDs embedded in a higher bandgap matrix. Using plasmon tomography we show the size, shape and density of Si QDs, that form in Si rich oxide (SRO)/SiO2 multilayers upon annealing, can be controlled by varying the SRO stoichiometry. Smaller, more spherical QDs of higher densities are obtained at lower Si concentrations. In richer SRO layers ellipsoidal QDs tend to form. Using electronic structure calculations within the effective mass approximation we show that ellipsoidal QDs give rise to reduced inter-QD coupling in the layer. Efficient carrier transport via mini-bands is in this case more likely across the multilayers provided the SiO2 spacer layer is thin enough to allow coupling in the vertical direction.All-Si tandem solar cells based on Si quantum dots (QDs) are a promising approach to future high-performance, thin film solar cells using abundant, stable and non-toxic materials. An important prerequisite to achieve a high conversion efficiency in such cells is the ability to control the geometry of the Si QD network. This includes the ability to control both, the size and arrangement of Si QDs embedded in a higher bandgap matrix. Using plasmon tomography we show the size, shape and density of Si QDs, that form in Si rich oxide (SRO)/SiO2 multilayers upon annealing, can be controlled by varying the SRO stoichiometry. Smaller, more spherical QDs of higher densities are obtained at lower Si concentrations. In richer SRO layers ellipsoidal QDs tend to form. Using electronic structure calculations within the effective mass approximation we show that ellipsoidal QDs give rise to reduced inter-QD coupling in the layer. Efficient carrier transport via mini-bands is in this case more likely across the multilayers provided the SiO2 spacer layer is thin enough to allow coupling in the vertical direction. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Electron tomography reconstruction movies. See DOI: 10.1039/c3nr01998e

Fabrication mechanism of friction-induced selective etching on Si(100) surface

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

As a maskless nanofabrication technique, friction-induced selective etching can easily produce nanopatterns on a Si(100) surface. Experimental results indicated that the height of the nanopatterns increased with the KOH etching time, while their width increased with the scratching load. It has also found that a contact pressure of 6.3 GPa is enough to fabricate a mask layer on the Si(100) surface. To understand the mechanism involved, the cross-sectional microstructure of a scratched area was examined, and the mask ability of the tip-disturbed silicon layer was studied. Transmission electron microscope observation and scanning Auger nanoprobe analysis suggested that the scratched area was covered by a thin superficial oxidation layer followed by a thick distorted (amorphous and deformed) layer in the subsurface. After the surface oxidation layer was removed by HF etching, the residual amorphous and deformed silicon layer on the scratched area can still serve as an etching mask in KOH solution. The results may help to develop a low-destructive, low-cost, and flexible nanofabrication technique suitable for machining of micro-mold and prototype fabrication in micro-systems. PMID:22356699

Fabrication mechanism of friction-induced selective etching on Si(100) surface.

PubMed

Guo, Jian; Song, Chenfei; Li, Xiaoying; Yu, Bingjun; Dong, Hanshan; Qian, Linmao; Zhou, Zhongrong

2012-02-23

As a maskless nanofabrication technique, friction-induced selective etching can easily produce nanopatterns on a Si(100) surface. Experimental results indicated that the height of the nanopatterns increased with the KOH etching time, while their width increased with the scratching load. It has also found that a contact pressure of 6.3 GPa is enough to fabricate a mask layer on the Si(100) surface. To understand the mechanism involved, the cross-sectional microstructure of a scratched area was examined, and the mask ability of the tip-disturbed silicon layer was studied. Transmission electron microscope observation and scanning Auger nanoprobe analysis suggested that the scratched area was covered by a thin superficial oxidation layer followed by a thick distorted (amorphous and deformed) layer in the subsurface. After the surface oxidation layer was removed by HF etching, the residual amorphous and deformed silicon layer on the scratched area can still serve as an etching mask in KOH solution. The results may help to develop a low-destructive, low-cost, and flexible nanofabrication technique suitable for machining of micro-mold and prototype fabrication in micro-systems.

Production of LEU Fully Ceramic Microencapsulated Fuel for Irradiation Testing

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

Terrani, Kurt A; Kiggans Jr, James O; McMurray, Jake W

2016-01-01

Fully Ceramic Microencapsulated (FCM) fuel consists of tristructural isotropic (TRISO) fuel particles embedded inside a SiC matrix. This fuel inherently possesses multiple barriers to fission product release, namely the various coating layers in the TRISO fuel particle as well as the dense SiC matrix that hosts these particles. This coupled with the excellent oxidation resistance of the SiC matrix and the SiC coating layer in the TRISO particle designate this concept as an accident tolerant fuel (ATF). The FCM fuel takes advantage of uranium nitride kernels instead of oxide or oxide-carbide kernels used in high temperature gas reactors to enhancemore » heavy metal loading in the highly moderated LWRs. Production of these kernels with appropriate density, coating layer development to produce UN TRISO particles, and consolidation of these particles inside a SiC matrix have been codified thanks to significant R&D supported by US DOE Fuel Cycle R&D program. Also, surrogate FCM pellets (pellets with zirconia instead of uranium-bearing kernels) have been neutron irradiated and the stability of the matrix and coating layer under LWR irradiation conditions have been established. Currently the focus is on production of LEU (7.3% U-235 enrichment) FCM pellets to be utilized for irradiation testing. The irradiation is planned at INL s Advanced Test Reactor (ATR). This is a critical step in development of this fuel concept to establish the ability of this fuel to retain fission products under prototypical irradiation conditions.« less

A long-term ultrahigh temperature application of layered silicide coated Nb alloy in air

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Jia; Fu, Qian-Gang; Li, Tao; Wang, Chen; Huo, Cai-Xia; Zhou, Hong; Yang, Guan-Jun; Sun, Le

2018-05-01

Nb-based alloy possessed limited application service life at ultrahigh temperature (>1400 °C) in air even taking the effective protective coating strategy into consideration for last decades. In this work a long duration of above 128 h at 1500 °C in air was successfully achieved on Nb-based alloy thanked to multi-layered silicide coating. Through optimizing interfaces, the MoSi2/NbSi2 silicide coating with Al2O3-adsorbed-particles layer exhibited three-times higher of oxidation resistance capacity than the one without it. In MoSi2-Al2O3-NbSi2 multilayer coating, the Al2O3-adsorbed-particles layer playing as an element-diffusion barrier role, as well as the formed porous Nb5Si3 layer as a stress transition zone, contributed to the significant improvement.

Material parameters from frequency dispersion simulation of floating gate memory with Ge nanocrystals in HfO2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palade, C.; Lepadatu, A. M.; Slav, A.; Lazanu, S.; Teodorescu, V. S.; Stoica, T.; Ciurea, M. L.

2018-01-01

Trilayer memory capacitors with Ge nanocrystals (NCs) floating gate in HfO2 were obtained by magnetron sputtering deposition on p-type Si substrate followed by rapid thermal annealing at relatively low temperature of 600 °C. The frequency dispersion of capacitance and resistance was measured in accumulation regime of Al/HfO2 gate oxide/Ge NCs in HfO2 floating gate/HfO2 tunnel oxide/SiOx/p-Si/Al memory capacitors. For simulation of the frequency dispersion a complex circuit model was used considering an equivalent parallel RC circuit for each layer of the trilayer structure. A series resistance due to metallic contacts and Si substrate was necessary to be included in the model. A very good fit to the experimental data was obtained and the parameters of each layer in the memory capacitor, i.e. capacitances and resistances were determined and in turn the intrinsic material parameters, i.e. dielectric constants and resistivities of layers were evaluated. The results are very important for the study and optimization of the hysteresis behaviour of floating gate memories based on NCs embedded in oxide.

Effective Passivation and Tunneling Hybrid a-SiOx(In) Layer in ITO/n-Si Heterojunction Photovoltaic Device.

PubMed

Gao, Ming; Wan, Yazhou; Li, Yong; Han, Baichao; Song, Wenlei; Xu, Fei; Zhao, Lei; Ma, Zhongquan

2017-05-24

In this article, using controllable magnetron sputtering of indium tin oxide (ITO) materials on single crystal silicon at 100 °C, the optoelectronic heterojunction frame of ITO/a-SiO x (In)/n-Si is simply fabricated for the purpose of realizing passivation contact and hole tunneling. It is found that the gradation profile of indium (In) element together with silicon oxide (SiO x /In) within the ultrathin boundary zone between ITO and n-Si occurs and is characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy with the ion milling technique. The atomistic morphology and physical phase of the interfacial layer has been observed with a high-resolution transmission electron microscope. X-ray diffraction, Hall effect measurement, and optical transmittance with Tauc plot have been applied to the microstructure and property analyses of ITO thin films, respectively. The polycrystalline and amorphous phases have been verified for ITO films and SiO x (In) hybrid layer, respectively. For the quantum transport, both direct and defect-assisted tunneling of photogenerated holes through the a-SiO x (In) layer is confirmed. Besides, there is a gap state correlative to the indium composition and located at E v + 4.60 eV in the ternary hybrid a-SiO x (In) layer that is predicted by density functional theory of first-principles calculation, which acts as an "extended delocalized state" for direct tunneling of the photogenerated holes. The reasonable built-in potential (V bi = 0.66 V) and optimally controlled ternary hybrid a-SiO x (In) layer (about 1.4 nm) result in that the device exhibits excellent PV performance, with an open-circuit voltage of 0.540 V, a short-circuit current density of 30.5 mA/cm 2 , a high fill factor of 74.2%, and a conversion efficiency of 12.2%, under the AM 1.5 illumination. The work function difference between ITO (5.06 eV) and n-Si (4.31 eV) is determined by ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy and ascribed to the essence of the built-in-field of the PV device. In addition, the strong inversion layer in the surface of the n-Si substrate is tentatively correlated to the a-SiO x (In) interface layer as well.

Attachment of 3-(Aminopropyl)triethoxysilane on silicon oxide surfaces: dependence on solution temperature.

PubMed

Pasternack, Robert M; Rivillon Amy, Sandrine; Chabal, Yves J

2008-11-18

Parameters important to the self-assembly of 3-(aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) on chemically grown silicon oxide (SiO 2) to form an aminopropyl silane (APS) film have been investigated using in situ infrared (IR) absorption spectroscopy. Preannealing to approximately 70 degrees C produces significant improvements in the quality of the film: the APS film is denser, and the Si-O-Si bonds between the molecules and the SiO 2 surface are more structured and ordered with only a limited number of remaining unreacted ethoxy groups. In contrast, post-annealing the functionalized SiO 2 samples after room temperature reaction with APTES (i.e., ex situ annealing) does not lead to any spectral change, suggesting that post-annealing has no strong effect on the horizontal polymerization as suggested earlier. Both IR and ellipsometry data show that the higher the solution temperature, the denser and thinner the APS layer is for a given immersion time. Finally, the APS layer obtained by preannealing the solution at 70 degrees C exhibits a better stability in deionized water than the APS layer prepared at room temperature.

Investigation of short-circuit failure mechanisms of SiC MOSFETs by varying DC bus voltage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Namai, Masaki; An, Junjie; Yano, Hiroshi; Iwamuro, Noriyuki

2018-07-01

In this study, the experimental evaluation and numerical analysis of short-circuit mechanisms of 1200 V SiC planar and trench MOSFETs were conducted at various DC bus voltages from 400 to 800 V. Investigation of the impact of DC bus voltage on short-circuit capability yielded results that are extremely useful for many existing power electronics applications. Three failure mechanisms were identified in this study: thermal runaway, MOS channel current following device turn-off, and rupture of the gate oxide layer (gate oxide layer damage). The SiC MOSFETs experienced lattice temperatures exceeding 1000 K during the short-circuit transient; as Si insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) are not typically subject to such temperatures, the MOSFETs experienced distinct failure modes, and the mode experienced was significantly influenced by the DC bus voltage. In conclusion, suggestions regarding the SiC MOSFET design and operation methods that would enhance device robustness are proposed.

Passivation of InSb surface for manufacturing infrared devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simchi, H.; Sareminia, Gh.; Shafiekhani, A.; Valizadeh, Gh.

2008-01-01

We studied the reduction of active surface states at the InSb/insulator interface by the reduction of hysteresis in C- V plots and by the performance of InSb diodes operated in photovoltaic mode. The InSb wafers were cleaned with CP4A etchant (HNO 3:CH 3COOH:HF:H 2O at 2:1:1:10). Then layers of 0.4 μm SiO 2, 0.4 μm Si 3N 4 and 0.5 μm Si 3N 4/SiO 2 were deposited on the cleaned surfaced by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). After measuring the surface morphology by atomic force microscopy (AFM) the atomic percentage of each element in each compound (e.g. Si and O 2 in SiO 2 layer) was studied by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). By using photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), we showed that the SiO 2, Si 3N 4 and Si 3N 4/SiO 2 layers include Sb and/or SbO x and the Sb In antisite during deposition occurred and for this reason their etch rates differ from pure SiO 2, Si 3N 4 and Si 3N 4/SiO 2 layers. Then the gold metal was deposited on the samples and capacitance voltage measurement was made on the MIS samples. The results showed hysteresis free curves if the surface has been cleaned correctly. Finally by depositing the 0.4 μm SiO 2, 0.4 μm Si 3N 4 and 0.5 μm Si 3N 4/SiO 2 on diode structure of InSb, the performance of diode in this case was compared with the anodic oxidation method. The results showed the performance of device is better than for the anodic oxidation method.

Formation of Cr-modified silicide coatings on a Ti-Nb-Si based ultrahigh-temperature alloy by pack cementation process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiao, Yanqiang; Guo, Xiping

2010-10-01

Cr-modified silicide coatings were prepared on a Ti-Nb-Si based ultrahigh temperature alloy by Si-Cr co-deposition at 1250 °C, 1350 °C and 1400 °C for 5-20 h respectively. It was found that both coating structure and phase constituents changed significantly with increase in the co-deposition temperature and holding time. The outer layers in all coatings prepared at 1250 °C for 5-20 h consisted of (Ti,X) 5Si 3 (X represents Nb, Cr and Hf elements). (Ti,X) 5Si 4 was found as the only phase constituent in the intermediate layers in both coatings prepared at 1250 °C for 5 and 10 h, but the intermediate layers in the coatings prepared at 1250 °C for 15 and 20 h were mainly composed of (Ti,X) 5Si 3 phase that was derived from the decomposition of (Ti,X) 5Si 4 phase. In the coating prepared at 1350 °C for 5 h, single (Ti,X) 5Si 3 phase was found in its outmost layer, the same as that in the outer layers in the coatings prepared at 1250 °C; but in the coatings prepared at 1350 °C for 10-20 h, (Nb 1.95Cr 1.05)Cr 2Si 3 ternary phase was found in the outmost layers besides (Ti,X) 5Si 3 phase. In the coatings prepared at 1400 °C for 5-20 h, (Nb 1.95Cr 1.05)Cr 2Si 3 ternary phase was the single phase constituent in their outmost layers. The phase transformation (Ti,X) 5Si 4 → (Ti,X) 5Si 3 + Si occurred in the intermediate layers of the coatings prepared at 1350 and 1400 °C with prolonging co-deposition time, similar to the situation in the coatings prepared at 1250 °C for 15 and 20 h, but this transformation has been speeded up by increase in the co-deposition temperature. The transitional layers were mainly composed of (Ti,X) 5Si 3 phase in all coatings. The influence of co-deposition temperature on the diffusion ability of Cr atoms was greater than that of Si atoms in the Si-Cr co-deposition processes investigated. The growth of coatings obeyed inverse logarithmic laws at all three co-deposition temperatures. The Si-Cr co-deposition coating prepared at 1350 °C for 10 h showed a good oxidation resistance due to the formation of SiO 2 and Nb, Cr-doped TiO 2 scale after oxidation at 1250 °C for 10 h.

Triangular lattice atomic layer of Sn(1 × 1) at graphene/SiC(0001) interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayashi, Shingo; Visikovskiy, Anton; Kajiwara, Takashi; Iimori, Takushi; Shirasawa, Tetsuroh; Nakastuji, Kan; Miyamachi, Toshio; Nakashima, Shuhei; Yaji, Koichiro; Mase, Kazuhiko; Komori, Fumio; Tanaka, Satoru

2018-01-01

Sn atomic layers attract considerable interest owing to their spin-related physical properties caused by their strong spin-orbit interactions. We performed Sn intercalation into the graphene/SiC(0001) interface and found a new type of Sn atomic layer. Sn atoms occupy on-top sites of Si-terminated SiC(0001) with in-plane Sn-Sn bondings, resulting in a triangular lattice. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy revealed characteristic dispersions at \\bar{\\text{K}} and \\bar{\\text{M}} points, which agreed well with density functional theory calculations. The Sn triangular lattice atomic layer at the interface showed no oxidation upon exposure to air, which is useful for characterization and device fabrication ex situ.

Comparative study of GeO 2/Ge and SiO 2/Si structures on anomalous charging of oxide films upon water adsorption revealed by ambient-pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

DOE PAGES

Mori, Daichi; Oka, Hiroshi; Hosoi, Takuji; ...

2016-09-02

The energy difference between the oxide and bulk peaks in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra was investigated in this paper for both GeO 2/Ge and SiO 2/Si structures with thickness-controlled water films. This was achieved by obtaining XPS spectra at various values of relative humidity (RH) of up to ~15%. The increase in the energy shift is more significant for thermal GeO 2 on Ge than for thermal SiO 2 on Si above ~10 -4% RH, which is due to the larger amount of water molecules that infiltrate into the GeO 2 film to form hydroxyls. Analyzing the origins ofmore » this energy shift, we propose that the positive charging of a partially hydroxylated GeO 2 film, which is unrelated to X-ray irradiation, causes the larger energy shift for GeO 2/Ge than for SiO 2/Si. A possible microscopic mechanism of this intrinsic positive charging is the emission of electrons from adsorbed water species in the suboxide layer of the GeO 2 film to the Ge bulk, leaving immobile cations or positively charged states in the oxide. Finally, this may be related to the reported negative shift of flat band voltages in metal-oxide-semiconductor diodes with an air-exposed GeO 2 layer.« less

Inorganic Substrates and Encapsulation Layers for Transient Electronics

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-07-01

surface oxidation of the nitrides, the measurements were conducted shortly after oxide removal in buffered oxide etchant (BOE) 6:1 (Transene Company Inc...values for the time-dependent dissolution of thermally grown SiO2 (dry oxidation) in buffer solutions (black, pH 7.4; red, pH 8; blue, pH 10...22 5.1.3 Contractor will Identify and Measure Key Performance Characteristics of Candidate Metal Conductive Layers for

Epitaxial ferromagnetic oxide thin films on silicon with atomically sharp interfaces

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

Coux, P. de; CEMES-CNRS, 29 rue Jeanne Marvig, BP 94347, Toulouse Cedex 4; Bachelet, R.

A bottleneck in the integration of functional oxides with silicon, either directly grown or using a buffer, is the usual formation of an amorphous interfacial layer. Here, we demonstrate that ferromagnetic CoFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} films can be grown epitaxially on Si(111) using a Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} buffer layer, and remarkably the Y{sub 2}O{sub 3}/Si(111) interface is stable and remains atomically sharp. CoFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} films present high crystal quality and high saturation magnetization.

Enhancement of emission efficiency of colloidal CdSe quantum dots on silicon substrate via an ultra-thin layer of aluminum oxide.

PubMed

Patty, K; Sadeghi, S M; Nejat, A; Mao, C-B

2014-04-18

We demonstrate that an ultra-thin layer of aluminum oxide can significantly enhance the emission efficiency of colloidal quantum dots on a Si substrate. For an ensemble of single quantum dots, our results show that this super brightening process can increase the fluorescence of CdSe quantum dots, forming well-resolved spectra, while in the absence of this layer the emission remains mostly at the noise level. We demonstrate that this process can be further enhanced with irradiation of the quantum dots, suggesting a significant photo-induced fluorescence enhancement via considerable suppression of non-radiative decay channels of the quantum dots. We study the impact of the Al oxide thickness on Si and interdot interactions, and discuss the results in terms of photo-induced catalytic properties of the Al oxide and the effects of such an oxide on the Coulomb blockade responsible for suppression of photo-ionization of the quantum dots.

Interface Engineering to Create a Strong Spin Filter Contact to Silicon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caspers, C.; Gloskovskii, A.; Gorgoi, M.; Besson, C.; Luysberg, M.; Rushchanskii, K. Z.; Ležaić, M.; Fadley, C. S.; Drube, W.; Müller, M.

2016-03-01

Integrating epitaxial and ferromagnetic Europium Oxide (EuO) directly on silicon is a perfect route to enrich silicon nanotechnology with spin filter functionality. To date, the inherent chemical reactivity between EuO and Si has prevented a heteroepitaxial integration without significant contaminations of the interface with Eu silicides and Si oxides. We present a solution to this long-standing problem by applying two complementary passivation techniques for the reactive EuO/Si interface: (i) an in situ hydrogen-Si (001) passivation and (ii) the application of oxygen-protective Eu monolayers-without using any additional buffer layers. By careful chemical depth profiling of the oxide-semiconductor interface via hard x-ray photoemission spectroscopy, we show how to systematically minimize both Eu silicide and Si oxide formation to the sub-monolayer regime-and how to ultimately interface-engineer chemically clean, heteroepitaxial and ferromagnetic EuO/Si (001) in order to create a strong spin filter contact to silicon.

Interface properties of SiOxNy layer on Si prepared by atmospheric-pressure plasma oxidation-nitridation

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

SiOxNy films with a low nitrogen concentration (< 4%) have been prepared on Si substrates at 400°C by atmospheric-pressure plasma oxidation-nitridation process using O2 and N2 as gaseous precursors diluted in He. Interface properties of SiOxNy films have been investigated by analyzing high-frequency and quasistatic capacitance-voltage characteristics of metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors. It is found that addition of N into the oxide increases both interface state density (Dit) and positive fixed charge density (Qf). After forming gas anneal, Dit decreases largely with decreasing N2/O2 flow ratio from 1 to 0.01 while the change of Qf is insignificant. These results suggest that low N2/O2 flow ratio is a key parameter to achieve a low Dit and relatively high Qf, which is effective for field effect passivation of n-type Si surfaces. PMID:23634872

High performance GaN-based LEDs on patterned sapphire substrate with patterned composite SiO2/Al2O3 passivation layers and TiO2/Al2O3 DBR backside reflector.

PubMed

Guo, Hao; Zhang, Xiong; Chen, Hongjun; Zhang, Peiyuan; Liu, Honggang; Chang, Hudong; Zhao, Wei; Liao, Qinghua; Cui, Yiping

2013-09-09

GaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on patterned sapphire substrate (PSS) with patterned composite SiO(2)/Al(2)O(3) passivation layers and TiO(2)/Al(2)O(3) distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) backside reflector have been proposed and fabricated. Highly passivated Al(2)O(3) layer deposited on indium tin oxide (ITO) layer with excellent uniformity and quality has been achieved with atomic layer deposition (ALD) technology. With a 60 mA current injection, an enhancement of 21.6%, 59.7%, and 63.4% in the light output power (LOP) at 460 nm wavelength was realized for the LED with the patterned composite SiO(2)/Al(2)O(3) passivation layers, the LED with the patterned composite SiO(2)/Al(2)O(3) passivation layers and Ag mirror + 3-pair TiO(2)/SiO(2) DBR backside reflector, and the LED with the patterned composite SiO(2)/Al(2)O(3) passivation layer and Ag mirror + 3-pair ALD-grown TiO(2)/Al(2)O(3) DBR backside reflector as compared with the conventional LED only with a single SiO(2) passivation layer, respectively.

Sliding Speed-Dependent Tribochemical Wear of Oxide-Free Silicon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Lei; Qi, Yaqiong; Yu, Bingjun; Qian, Linmao

2017-06-01

Fundamental understanding of tribochemical wear mechanism of oxide-free single crystalline silicon (without native oxide layer) is essential to optimize the process of ultra-precision surface manufacturing. Here, we report sliding speed-dependent nanowear of oxide-free silicon against SiO2 microspheres in air and in deionized water. When contact pressure is too low to induce Si yield, tribochemical wear occurs with the existence of water molecules and wear volume decreases logarithmically to constant as sliding speed increased. TEM and Raman observations indicate that the dynamics of rupture and reformation of interfacial bonding bridges result in the variation of tribochemical wear of the oxide-free Si with the increase of sliding speed.

Electrical dependence on the chemical composition of the gate dielectric in indium gallium zinc oxide thin-film transistors

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

Tari, Alireza, E-mail: atari@uwaterloo.ca; Lee, Czang-Ho; Wong, William S.

Bottom-gate thin-film transistors were fabricated by depositing a 50 nm InGaZnO (IGZO) channel layer at 150 °C on three separate gate dielectric films: (1) thermal SiO{sub 2}, (2) plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor deposition (PECVD) SiN{sub x}, and (3) a PECVD SiO{sub x}/SiN{sub x} dual-dielectric. X-ray photoelectron and photoluminescence spectroscopy showed the V{sub o} concentration was dependent on the hydrogen concentration of the underlying dielectric film. IGZO films on SiN{sub x} (high V{sub o}) and SiO{sub 2} (low V{sub o}) had the highest and lowest conductivity, respectively. A PECVD SiO{sub x}/SiN{sub x} dual-dielectric layer was effective in suppressing hydrogen diffusion from the nitride layer intomore » the IGZO and resulted in higher resistivity films.« less

Nitrogen doped silicon-carbon multilayer protective coatings on carbon obtained by TVA method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ciupina, Victor; Vasile, Eugeniu; Porosnicu, Corneliu; Lungu, Cristian P.; Vladoiu, Rodica; Jepu, Ionut; Mandes, Aurelia; Dinca, Virginia; Caraiane, Aureliana; Nicolescu, Virginia; Cupsa, Ovidiu; Dinca, Paul; Zaharia, Agripina

2017-08-01

Protective nitrogen doped Si-C multilayer coatings on carbon, used to improve the oxidation resistance of carbon, were obtained by Thermionic Vacuum Arc (TVA) method. The initial carbon layer having a thickness of 100nm has been deposed on a silicon substrate in the absence of nitrogen, and then a 3nm Si thin film to cover carbon layer was deposed. Further, seven Si and C layers were alternatively deposed in the presence of nitrogen ions, each having a thickness of 40nm. In order to form silicon carbide at the interface between silicon and carbon layers, all carbon, silicon and nitrogen ions energy has increased up to 150eV . The characterization of microstructure and electrical properties of as-prepared N-Si-C multilayer structures were done using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM, STEM) techniques, Thermal Desorption Spectroscopy (TDS) and electrical measurements. Oxidation protection of carbon is based on the reaction between oxygen and silicon carbide, resulting in SiO2, SiO and CO2, and also by reaction involving N, O and Si, resulting in silicon oxynitride (SiNxOy) with a continuously variable composition, and on the other hand, since nitrogen acts as a trapping barrier for oxygen. To perform electrical measurements, 80% silver filled two-component epoxy-based glue ohmic contacts were attached on the N-Si-C samples. Electrical conductivity was measured in constant current mode. The experimental data show the increase of conductivity with the increase of the nitrogen content. To explain the temperature behavior of electrical conductivity we assumed a thermally activated electric transport mechanism.

A concise way to estimate the average density of interface states in an ITO-SiOx/n-Si heterojunction solar cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Y.; Han, B. C.; Gao, M.; Wan, Y. Z.; Yang, J.; Du, H. W.; Ma, Z. Q.

2017-09-01

On the basis of a photon-assisted high frequency capacitance-voltage (C-V) method (1 MHz C-V), an effective approach is developed to evaluate the average interface state density (Dit) of an ITO-SiOx/n-Si heterojunction structure. Tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) films with different thicknesses were directly deposited on (100) n-type crystalline silicon by magnetron sputtering to fabricate semiconductor-insulator-semiconductor (SIS) hetero-interface regions where an ultra-thin SiOx passivation layer was naturally created. The morphology of the SiOx layer was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy depth profiling and transmission electron microscope analysis. The thinness of this SiOx layer was the main reason for the SIS interface state density being more difficult to detect than that of a typical metal-oxide-semiconductor structure. A light was used for photon injection while measuring the C-V of the device, thus enabling the photon-assisted C-V measurement of the Dit. By quantifying decreases of the light-induced-voltage as a variation of the capacitance caused by parasitic charge at interface states the passivation quality within the interface of ITO-SiOx/n-Si could be reasonably evaluated. The average interface state density of these SIS devices was measured as 1.2-1.7 × 1011 eV-1 cm-2 and declined as the passivation layer was made thicker. The lifetime of the minority carriers, dark leakage current, and the other photovoltaic parameters of the devices were also used to determine the passivation.

Structural and dielectric properties of thin ZrO2 films on silicon grown by atomic layer deposition from cyclopentadienyl precursor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niinistö, J.; Putkonen, M.; Niinistö, L.; Kukli, K.; Ritala, M.; Leskelä, M.

2004-01-01

ZrO2 thin films with thicknesses below 20 nm were deposited by the atomic layer deposition process on Si(100) substrates at 350 °C. An organometallic precursor, Cp2Zr(CH3)2 (Cp=cyclopentadienyl, C5H5) was used as the zirconium source and water or ozone as oxygen source. The influence of oxygen source and substrate pretreatment on the dielectric properties of ZrO2 films was investigated. Structural characterization with high-resolution transmission electron microscopy was performed to films grown onto HF-etched or native oxide covered silicon. Strong inhibition of ZrO2 film growth was observed with the water process on HF-etched Si. Ozone process on HF-etched Si resulted in interfacial SiO2 formation between the dense and uniform film and the substrate while water process produced interfacial layer with intermixing of SiO2 and ZrO2. The effective permittivity of ZrO2 in Al/ZrO2/Si/Al capacitor structures was dependent on the ZrO2 layer thickness and oxygen source used. The interfacial layer formation increased the capacitance equivalent oxide thickness (CET). CET of 2.0 nm was achieved with 5.9 nm ZrO2 film deposited with the H2O process on HF-stripped Si. The ozone-processed films showed good dielectric properties such as low hysteresis and nearly ideal flatband voltage. The leakage current density was lower and breakdown field higher for the ozone-processed ZrO2 films.

TEM-EELS Investigation of Boron and Phosphorus Passivated 4H-SiC/SiO2 Interface Structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klingshirn, Christopher; Taillon, Joshua; Liu, Gang; Dhar, Sarit; Feldman, Leonard; Zheleva, Tsvetanka; Lelis, Aivars; Salamanca-Riba, Lourdes

A high density of electronic defects at the SiC/SiO2 interface adversely affects SiC-based metal oxide semiconductor devices. Various treatments are known to improve device performance. Annealing in a nitric oxide (NO) environment, for example, passivates electronic defects at the interface and raises the carrier mobility in the active region to 35-40 cm2/Vs, but the effect saturates after about 60 minutes of annealing. Passivation with phosphorus or boron improves upon NO by a factor of 2, increasing the mobility to over 90 cm2/Vs.2 We investigate the chemical and structural effects of these treatments on the SiC/SiO2 transition layer using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and high angle annular dark field (HAADF). Electron energy loss spectroscopy Spectrum Imaging (EELS SI) collected across the transition region allow identification of the width, composition and types of bonding at the transition layer. Advanced machine learning techniques applied to the EELS data reveal intermediate bonding states within this region. Supported by ARL under Grant No. W911NF1420110.

Lanthanide-based oxides and silicates for high-kappa gate dielectric applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jur, Jesse Stephen

The ability to improve performance of the high-end metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) is highly reliant on the dimensional scaling of such a device. In scaling, a decrease in dielectric thickness results in high current leakage between the electrode and the substrate by way of direct tunneling through the gate dielectric. Observation of a high leakage current when the standard gate dielectric, SiO2, is decreased below a thickness of 1.5 nm requires engineering of a replacement dielectric that is much more scalable. This high-kappa dielectric allows for a physically thicker oxide, reducing leakage current. Integration of select lanthanide-based oxides and silicates, in particular lanthanum oxide and silicate, into MOS gate stack devices is examined. The quality of the high-kappa dielectrics is monitored electrically to determine properties such as equivalent oxide thickness, leakage current density and defect densities. In addition, analytical characterization of the dielectric and the gate stack is provided to examine the materialistic significance to the change of the electrical properties of the devices. In this work, lanthanum oxide films have been deposited by thermal evaporation on to a pre-grown chemical oxide layer on silicon. It is observed that the SiO2 interfacial layer can be consumed by a low-temperature reaction with lanthanum oxide to produce a high-quality silicate. This is opposed to depositing lanthanum oxide directly on silicon, which can possibly favor silicide formation. The importance of oxygen regulation in the surrounding environment of the La2O3-SiO2 reaction-anneal is observed. By controlling the oxygen available during the reaction, SiO2 growth can be limited to achieve high stoichiometric ratios of La2O 3 to SiO2. As a result, MOS devices with an equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) of 5 A and a leakage current density of 5.0 A/cm 2 are attained. This data equals the best value achieved in this field and is a substantial improvement over SiO(N) dielectrics, allowing for increased device scaling. High-temperature processing, consistent with the source/drain activation anneal in MOSFET processing, is performed on lanthanum-silicate based MOS devices with Ta or TaN gate electrodes and a W metal capping layer. The thermal limit of Ta is observed to be less than 800°C, resulting in a phase transformation that can result in uncontrolled shifting of the MOS device flat-band voltage. TaN is observed to be more thermally stable (up to 1000°C) and results in an increase in the capacitance density suggesting that it impedes oxygen reaction with silicon to produce SiO2. It is later observed that a W metal capping layer can serve as a high-oxygen source, which results in an increased interfacial SiO2 formation. By limiting the oxygen content in the W capping layer and by utilizing a thermally stable TaN gate electrode, control over the electrical properties of the MOS device is acquired. To determine the stability of amorphous lanthanum-silicate in contact with investigated by means of back-side secondary ion mass spectroscopy profiling. The results are the first reported data showing that the lanthanum incorporated in the silica matrix doe not diffuse into the silicon substrate after high temperature processing. The decrease in the device effective work function (φM,eff ) observed in these samples is examined in detail. First, as a La 2O3 capping layer on HfSiO(N), the shift yields ideal-φ M,eff values for nMOSFET deices (4.0 eV) that were previously inaccessible. Other lanthanide oxides (Dy, Ho and Yb) used as capping layers show similar effects. It is also shown that tuning of φM,eff can be realized by controlling the extent of lanthanide-silicate formation. This research, conducted in conjunction with SEMATECH and the SRC, represents a significant technological advancement in realizing 45 and sub-45 nm MOSFET device nodes.

Potential energy landscape of an interstitial O2 molecule in a SiO2 film near the SiO2/Si(001) interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohta, Hiromichi; Watanabe, Takanobu; Ohdomari, Iwao

2008-10-01

Potential energy distribution of interstitial O2 molecule in the vicinity of SiO2/Si(001) interface is investigated by means of classical molecular simulation. A 4-nm-thick SiO2 film model is built by oxidizing a Si(001) substrate, and the potential energy of an O2 molecule is calculated at Cartesian grid points with an interval of 0.05 nm in the SiO2 film region. The result shows that the potential energy of the interstitial site gradually rises with approaching the interface. The potential gradient is localized in the region within about 1 nm from the interface, which coincides with the experimental thickness of the interfacial strained layer. The potential energy is increased by about 0.62 eV at the SiO2/Si interface. The result agrees with a recently proposed kinetic model for dry oxidation of silicon [Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 196102 (2006)], which argues that the oxidation rate is fully limited by the oxidant diffusion.

Zirconium oxide surface passivation of crystalline silicon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wan, Yimao; Bullock, James; Hettick, Mark; Xu, Zhaoran; Yan, Di; Peng, Jun; Javey, Ali; Cuevas, Andres

2018-05-01

This letter reports effective passivation of crystalline silicon (c-Si) surfaces by thermal atomic layer deposited zirconium oxide (ZrOx). The optimum layer thickness and activation annealing conditions are determined to be 20 nm and 300 °C for 20 min. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy imaging shows an approximately 1.6 nm thick SiOx interfacial layer underneath an 18 nm ZrOx layer, consistent with ellipsometry measurements (˜20 nm). Capacitance-voltage measurements show that the annealed ZrOx film features a low interface defect density of 1.0 × 1011 cm-2 eV-1 and a low negative film charge density of -6 × 1010 cm-2. Effective lifetimes of 673 μs and 1.1 ms are achieved on p-type and n-type 1 Ω cm undiffused c-Si wafers, respectively, corresponding to an implied open circuit voltage above 720 mV in both cases. The results demonstrate that surface passivation quality provided by ALD ZrOx is consistent with the requirements of high efficiency silicon solar cells.

Solid State Research.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-11-22

48 Fabricated in Zone-Melting-Recrystallized Si Films on Si0 2-Coated Si Substrates V 4. MICROELECTRONICS 55 4.1 Charge-Coupled Devices: Time...OMCVD to the CLEFT (cleavage of lateral epitaxial films for transfer) process, a continuous epitaxial GaAs layer 3 Ym thick has been grown over a...complete-island-etch or local-oxidation-of-Si isolation, that were fabricated in zone-melting-recrystallized Si films on Si02-coated Si substrates. As

Direct synthesis of ultrathin SOI structure by extremely low-energy oxygen implantation

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

Hoshino, Yasushi, E-mail: yhoshino@kanagawa-u.ac.jp; Yachida, Gosuke; Inoue, Kodai

2016-06-15

We performed extremely low-energy {sup 16}O{sup +} implantation at 10 keV (R{sub p} ∼ 25 nm) followed by annealing aiming at directly synthesizing an ultrathin Si layer separated by a buried SiO{sub 2} layer in Si(001) substrates, and then investigated feasible condition of recrystallization and stabilization of the superficial Si and the buried oxide layer by significantly low temperature annealing. The elemental compositions were analyzed by Rutherford backscattering (RBS) and secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS). The crystallinity of the superficial Si layer was quantitatively confirmed by ananlyzing RBS-channeling spectra. Cross-sectional morphologies and atomic configurations were observed by transmission electron microscopemore » (TEM). As a result, we succeeded in directly synthesizing an ultrathin single-crystalline silicon layer with ≤20 nm thick separated by a thin buried stoichiometric SiO{sub 2} layer with ≤20 nm thick formed by extremely low-energy {sup 16}O{sup +} implantation followed by surprisingly low temperature annealing at 1050{sup ∘} C.« less

Passivation of Si(111) surfaces with electrochemically grafted thin organic films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roodenko, K.; Yang, F.; Hunger, R.; Esser, N.; Hinrichs, K.; Rappich, J.

2010-09-01

Ultra thin organic films (about 5 nm thick) of nitrobenzene and 4-methoxydiphenylamine were deposited electrochemically on p-Si(111) surfaces from benzene diazonium compounds. Studies based on atomic force microscopy, infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that upon exposure to atmospheric conditions the oxidation of the silicon interface proceed slower on organically modified surfaces than on unmodified hydrogen passivated p-Si(111) surfaces. Effects of HF treatment on the oxidized organic/Si interface and on the organic layer itself are discussed.

In-situ observation of equilibrium transitions in Ni films; agglomeration and impurity effects.

PubMed

Thron, Andrew M; Greene, Peter; Liu, Kai; van Benthem, Klaus

2014-02-01

Dewetting of ultra-thin Ni films deposited on SiO2 layers was observed, in cross-section, by in situ scanning transmission electron microscopy. Holes were observed to nucleate by voids which formed at the Ni/SiO2 interface rather than at triple junctions at the free surface of the Ni film. Ni islands were observed to retract, in attempt to reach equilibrium on the SiO2 layer. SiO2 layers with 120 nm thickness were found to limit in situ heating experiments due to poor thermal conductivity of SiO2. The formation of graphite was observed during the agglomeration of ultra-thin Ni films. Graphite was observed to wet both the free surface and the Ni/SiO2 interface of the Ni islands. Cr forms surface oxide layers on the free surface of the SiO2 layer and the Ni islands. Cr does not prevent the dewetting of Ni, however it will likely alter the equilibrium shape of the Ni islands. © 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Orthogonally superimposed laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) upon nanosecond laser pulse irradiation of SiO2/Si layered systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nürnberger, Philipp; Reinhardt, Hendrik M.; Kim, Hee-Cheol; Pfeifer, Erik; Kroll, Moritz; Müller, Sandra; Yang, Fang; Hampp, Norbert A.

2017-12-01

In this study we examined the formation of laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) on silicon (Si) in dependence on the thickness of silicon-dioxide (SiO2) on top. LIPSS were generated in air by linearly polarized ≈8 nanosecond laser pulses with a fluence per pulse of 2.41 J cm-2 at a repetition rate of 100 kHz. For SiO2 layers <80 nm, LIPSS oriented perpendicular to the laser polarization were obtained, but for SiO2 layers >120 nm parallel oriented LIPSS were observed. In both cases the periodicity was about 80-90% of the applied laser wavelength (λ0 = 532 nm). By variation of the SiO2 layer thickness in the range between 80 nm-120 nm, the dominating orientation changes. Even orthogonally superimposed LIPSS with a periodicity of only 60% of the laser wavelength were found. We show that the transition of the orientation direction of LIPSS is related to the penetration depth of surface plasmon polariton (SPP) fields into the oxide layer.

Encapsulation of Au Nanoparticles on a Silicon Wafer During Thermal Oxidation

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

We report the behavior of Au nanoparticles anchored onto a Si(111) substrate and the evolution of the combined structure with annealing and oxidation. Au nanoparticles, formed by annealing a Au film, appear to “float” upon a growing layer of SiO2 during oxidation at high temperature, yet they also tend to become partially encapsulated by the growing silica layers. It is proposed that this occurs largely because of the differential growth rates of the silica layer on the silicon substrate between the particles and below the particles due to limited access of oxygen to the latter. This in turn is due to a combination of blockage of oxygen adsorption by the Au and limited oxygen diffusion under the gold. We think that such behavior is likely to be seen for other metal–semiconductor systems. PMID:24163715

Fabrication of Total-Dose-Radiation-Hardened (TDRH) SOI wafer with embedded silicon nanoclusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Aimin; Wang, Xi; Wei, Xing; Chen, Jing; Chen, Ming; Zhang, Zhengxuan

2009-05-01

Si ion-implantation and post annealing of silicon wafers prior to wafer bonding were used to radiation-harden the thermal oxide layer of Silicon on Insulator structures. After grinding and polishing, Total-Dose-Radiation-Hardened SOI (TDRH-SOI) wafers with several-micron-thick device layers were prepared. Electrical characterization before and after X-ray irradiation showed that the flatband voltage shift induced by irradiation was reduced by this preprocessing. Photoluminescence Spectroscopy (PL), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results indicated that the improvement of the total dose response of the TDRH-SOI wafer was associated with formation of Si nanoclusters in the implanted oxide layer, suggesting that these were the likely candidates for electron and proton trapping centers that reduce the positive charge buildup effect in the buried oxide.

Materials science, integration, and performance characterization of high-dielectric constant thin film based devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Wei

To overcome the oxidation and diffusion problems encountered during Copper integration with oxide thin film-based devices, TiAl/Cu/Ta heterostructure has been first developed in this study. Investigation on the oxidation and diffusion resistance of the laminate structure showed high electrical conductance and excellent thermal stability in oxygen environment. Two amorphous oxide layers that were formed on both sides of the TiAl barrier after heating in oxygen have been revealed as the structure that effectively prevents oxygen penetration and protects the integrity of underlying Cu layer. Polycrystalline (BaxSr1-x)TiO3 (BST) thin films were subsequently deposited on the Cu-based bottom electrode by RF magnetron sputtering to investigate the interaction between the oxide and Cu layers. The thickness of the interfacial layer and interface roughness play critical roles in the optimization of the electrical performance of the BST capacitors using Cu-based electrode. It was determined that BST deposition at moderate temperature followed by rapid thermal annealing in pure oxygen yields BST/Cu capacitors with good electrical properties for application to high frequency devices. The knowledge obtained on the study of barrier properties of TiAl inspired a continuous research on the materials science issues related to the application of the hybrid TiAlOx, as high-k gate dielectric in MOSFET devices. Novel fabrication process such as deposition of ultra-thin TiAl alloy layer followed by oxidation with atomic oxygen has been established in this study. Stoichiometric amorphous TiAlOx layers, exhibiting only Ti4+ and Al3+ states, were produced with a large variation of oxidation temperature (700°C to room temperature). The interfacial SiOx formation between TiAlOx and Si was substantially inhibited by the use of the low temperature oxidation process. Electrical characterization revealed a large permittivity of 30 and an improved band structure for the produced TiAlOx layers, compared with pure TiO2. A modified 3-element model was adopted to extract the true C-V behavior of the TiAlOx-based MOS capacitor. Extremely small equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) less than 0.5 nm with dielectric leakage 4˜5 magnitude lower than that for SiO2 has been achieved on TiAlOx layer as a result of its excellent dielectric properties.

Annealing induced low coercivity, nanocrystalline Co-Fe-Si thin films exhibiting inverse cosine angular variation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hysen, T.; Al-Harthi, Salim; Al-Omari, I. A.; Geetha, P.; Lisha, R.; Ramanujan, R. V.; Sakthikumar, D.; Anantharaman, M. R.

2013-09-01

Co-Fe-Si based films exhibit high magnetic moments and are highly sought after for applications like soft under layers in perpendicular recording media to magneto-electro-mechanical sensor applications. In this work the effect of annealing on structural, morphological and magnetic properties of Co-Fe-Si thin films was investigated. Compositional analysis using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and secondary ion mass spectroscopy revealed a native oxide surface layer consisting of oxides of Co, Fe and Si on the surface. The morphology of the as deposited films shows mound like structures conforming to the Volmer-Weber growth model. Nanocrystallisation of amorphous films upon annealing was observed by glancing angle X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The evolution of magnetic properties with annealing is explained using the Herzer model. Vibrating sample magnetometry measurements carried out at various angles from 0° to 90° to the applied magnetic field were employed to study the angular variation of coercivity. The angular variation fits the modified Kondorsky model. Interestingly, the coercivity evolution with annealing deduced from magneto-optical Kerr effect studies indicates a reverse trend compared to magetisation observed in the bulk. This can be attributed to a domain wall pinning at native oxide layer on the surface of thin films. The evolution of surface magnetic properties is correlated with morphology evolution probed using atomic force microscopy. The morphology as well as the presence of the native oxide layer dictates the surface magnetic properties and this is corroborated by the apparent difference in the bulk and surface magnetic properties.

In2Ga2ZnO7 oxide semiconductor based charge trap device for NAND flash memory.

PubMed

Hwang, Eun Suk; Kim, Jun Shik; Jeon, Seok Min; Lee, Seung Jun; Jang, Younjin; Cho, Deok-Yong; Hwang, Cheol Seong

2018-04-01

The programming characteristics of charge trap flash memory device adopting amorphous In 2 Ga 2 ZnO 7 (a-IGZO) oxide semiconductors as channel layer were evaluated. Metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) and RF-sputtering processes were used to grow a 45 nm thick a-IGZO layer on a 20 nm thick SiO 2 (blocking oxide)/p ++ -Si (control gate) substrate, where 3 nm thick atomic layer deposited Al 2 O 3 (tunneling oxide) and 5 nm thick low-pressure CVD Si 3 N 4 (charge trap) layers were intervened between the a-IGZO and substrate. Despite the identical stoichiometry and other physicochemical properties of the MOCVD and sputtered a-IGZO, a much faster programming speed of MOCVD a-IGZO was observed. A comparable amount of oxygen vacancies was found in both MOCVD and sputtered a-IGZO, confirmed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and bias-illumination-instability test measurements. Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy analysis revealed a higher Fermi level (E F ) of the MOCVD a-IGZO (∼0.3 eV) film than that of the sputtered a-IGZO, which could be ascribed to the higher hydrogen concentration in the MOCVD a-IGZO film. Since the programming in a flash memory device is governed by the tunneling of electrons from the channel to charge trapping layer, the faster programming performance could be the result of a higher E F of MOCVD a-IGZO.

In2Ga2ZnO7 oxide semiconductor based charge trap device for NAND flash memory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hwang, Eun Suk; Kim, Jun Shik; Jeon, Seok Min; Lee, Seung Jun; Jang, Younjin; Cho, Deok-Yong; Hwang, Cheol Seong

2018-04-01

The programming characteristics of charge trap flash memory device adopting amorphous In2Ga2ZnO7 (a-IGZO) oxide semiconductors as channel layer were evaluated. Metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) and RF-sputtering processes were used to grow a 45 nm thick a-IGZO layer on a 20 nm thick SiO2 (blocking oxide)/p++-Si (control gate) substrate, where 3 nm thick atomic layer deposited Al2O3 (tunneling oxide) and 5 nm thick low-pressure CVD Si3N4 (charge trap) layers were intervened between the a-IGZO and substrate. Despite the identical stoichiometry and other physicochemical properties of the MOCVD and sputtered a-IGZO, a much faster programming speed of MOCVD a-IGZO was observed. A comparable amount of oxygen vacancies was found in both MOCVD and sputtered a-IGZO, confirmed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and bias-illumination-instability test measurements. Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy analysis revealed a higher Fermi level (E F) of the MOCVD a-IGZO (∼0.3 eV) film than that of the sputtered a-IGZO, which could be ascribed to the higher hydrogen concentration in the MOCVD a-IGZO film. Since the programming in a flash memory device is governed by the tunneling of electrons from the channel to charge trapping layer, the faster programming performance could be the result of a higher E F of MOCVD a-IGZO.

Molten salt corrosion of SiC: Pitting mechanism

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jacobson, N. S.; Smialek, J. L.

1985-01-01

Thin films of Na2SO4 and Na2CO3 at 1000 C lead to severe pitting of sintered alpha-SiC. These pits are important as they cause a strength reduction in this material. The growth of product layers is related to pit formation for the Na2CO3 case. The early reaction stages involve repeated oxidation and dissolution to form sodium silicate. This results in severe grain boundary attack. After this a porous silica layer forms between the sodium silicate melt and the SiC. The pores in this layer appear to act as paths for the melt to reach the SiC and create larger pits.

Transmission electron microscopy characterization of the interfacial structure of a galvanized dual-phase steel

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

Aslam, I., E-mail: ia31@msstate.edu

2016-10-15

Site-specific studies were carried out to characterize the interface of a galvanized dual-phase (DP) steel. Focused ion beam (FIB) was used to prepare specimens in the interface region (~ 100 nm thick) between the coating and the substrate. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning TEM (STEM), and high resolution TEM (HRTEM) were performed to resolve the phases and the structures at the interface between the zinc (Zn) coating and the steel substrate. The STEM and TEM results showed that a continuous manganese oxide (MnO) film with a thickness of ~ 20 nm was present on the surface of the substrate whilemore » no silicon (Si) oxides were resolved. Internal oxide particles were observed as well in the sub-surface region. Despite the presence of the continuous oxide film, a well-developed inhibition layer was observed right on top of the oxide film. The inhibition layer has a thickness of ~ 100 nm. Possible mechanisms for the growth of the inhibition layer were discussed. - Highlights: •Site-specific examinations were performed on the Zn/steel interface. •Continuous external MnO oxides (20 nm) were observed at the interface. •No Si oxides were observed at the interface. •Internal oxide particles were distributed in the subsurface. •A continuous inhibition layer grew on top of the external oxides.« less

Reduction in interface defect density in p-BaSi2/n-Si heterojunction solar cells by a modified pretreatment of the Si substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamashita, Yudai; Yachi, Suguru; Takabe, Ryota; Sato, Takuma; Emha Bayu, Miftahullatif; Toko, Kaoru; Suemasu, Takashi

2018-02-01

We have investigated defects that occurred at the interface of p-BaSi2/n-Si heterojunction solar cells that were fabricated by molecular beam epitaxy. X-ray diffraction measurements indicated that BaSi2 (a-axis-oriented) was subjected to in-plane compressive strain, which relaxed when the thickness of the p-BaSi2 layer exceeded 50 nm. Additionally, transmission electron microscopy revealed defects in the Si layer near steps that were present on the Si(111) substrate. Deep level transient spectroscopy revealed two different electron traps in the n-Si layer that were located at 0.33 eV (E1) and 0.19 eV (E2) below the conduction band edge. The densities of E1 and E2 levels in the region close to the heterointerface were approximately 1014 cm-3. The density of these electron traps decreased below the limits of detection following Si pretreatment to remove the oxide layers from the n-Si substrate, which involved heating the substrate to 800 °C for 30 min under ultrahigh vacuum while depositing a layer of Si (1 nm). The remaining traps in the n-Si layer were hole traps located at 0.65 eV (H1) and 0.38 eV (H2) above the valence band edge. Their densities were as low as 1010 cm-3. Following pretreatment, the current versus voltage characteristics of the p-BaSi2/n-Si solar cells under AM1.5 illumination were reproducible with conversion efficiencies beyond 5% when using a p-BaSi2 layer thickness of 100 nm. The origin of the H2 level is discussed.

Large area ultraviolet photodetector on surface modified Si:GaN layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anitha, R.; R., Ramesh; Loganathan, R.; Vavilapalli, Durga Sankar; Baskar, K.; Singh, Shubra

2018-03-01

Unique features of semiconductor based heterostructured photoelectric devices have drawn considerable attention in the recent past. In the present work, large area UV photodetector has been fabricated utilizing interesting Zinc oxide microstructures on etched Si:GaN layers. The surface of Si:GaN layer grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition method on sapphire has been modified by chemical etching to control the microstructure. The photodetector exhibits response to Ultraviolet light only. Optimum etching of Si:GaN was required to exhibit higher responsivity (0.96 A/W) and detectivity (∼4.87 × 109 Jones), the two important parameters for a photodetector. Present method offers a tunable functionality of photodetector through modification of top layer microstructure. A comparison with state of art materials has also been presented.

Thermally Stable Silver Nanowires-Embedding Metal Oxide for Schottky Junction Solar Cells.

PubMed

Kim, Hong-Sik; Patel, Malkeshkumar; Park, Hyeong-Ho; Ray, Abhijit; Jeong, Chaehwan; Kim, Joondong

2016-04-06

Thermally stable silver nanowires (AgNWs)-embedding metal oxide was applied for Schottky junction solar cells without an intentional doping process in Si. A large scale (100 mm(2)) Schottky solar cell showed a power conversion efficiency of 6.1% under standard illumination, and 8.3% under diffused illumination conditions which is the highest efficiency for AgNWs-involved Schottky junction Si solar cells. Indium-tin-oxide (ITO)-capped AgNWs showed excellent thermal stability with no deformation at 500 °C. The top ITO layer grew in a cylindrical shape along the AgNWs, forming a teardrop shape. The design of ITO/AgNWs/ITO layers is optically beneficial because the AgNWs generate plasmonic photons, due to the AgNWs. Electrical investigations were performed by Mott-Schottky and impedance spectroscopy to reveal the formation of a single space charge region at the interface between Si and AgNWs-embedding ITO layer. We propose a route to design the thermally stable AgNWs for photoelectric device applications with investigation of the optical and electrical aspects.

Nondestructive depth profile of the chemical state of ultrathin Al2O3/Si interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Jong Cheol; Oh, S.-J.

2004-05-01

We investigated a depth profile of the chemical states of an Al2O3/Si interface using nondestructive photon energy-dependent high-resolution x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HRXPS). The Si 2p binding energy, attributed to the oxide interfacial layer (OIL), was found to shift from 102.1 eV to 102.9 eV as the OIL region closer to Al2O3 layer was sampled, while the Al 2p binding energy remains the same. This fact strongly suggests that the chemical state of the interfacial layer is not Al silicate as previously believed. We instead propose from the HRXPS of Al 2p and Si 2p depth-profile studies that the chemical states of the Al2O3/Si interface mainly consist of SiO2 and Si2O3.

Mullite fiber reinforced reaction bonded Si3N4 composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saleh, T.; Sayir, A.; Lightfoot, A.; Haggerty, J.

1996-01-01

Fracture toughnesses of brittle ceramic materials have been improved by introducing reinforcements and carefully tailored interface layers. Silicon carbide and Si3N4 have been emphasized as matrices of structural composites intended for high temperature service because they combine excellent mechanical, chemical, thermal and physical properties. Both matrices have been successfully toughened with SiC fibers, whiskers and particles for ceramic matrix composite (CMC) parts made by sintering, hot pressing or reaction forming processes. These SiC reinforced CMCs have exhibited significantly improved toughnesses at low and intermediate temperature levels, as well as retention of properties at high temperatures for selected exposures; however, they are vulnerable to attack from elevated temperature dry and wet oxidizing atmospheres after the matrix has cracked. Property degradation results from oxidation of interface layers and/or reinforcements. The problem is particularly acute for small diameter (-20 tim) polymer derived SiC fibers used for weavable toes. This research explored opportunities for reinforcing Si3N4 matrices with fibers having improved environmental stability; the findings should also be applicable to SiC matrix CMCs.

Comparative study of GeO{sub 2}/Ge and SiO{sub 2}/Si structures on anomalous charging of oxide films upon water adsorption revealed by ambient-pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

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

Mori, Daichi; Kawai, Kentaro; Morita, Mizuho

2016-09-07

The energy difference between the oxide and bulk peaks in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra was investigated for both GeO{sub 2}/Ge and SiO{sub 2}/Si structures with thickness-controlled water films. This was achieved by obtaining XPS spectra at various values of relative humidity (RH) of up to ∼15%. The increase in the energy shift is more significant for thermal GeO{sub 2} on Ge than for thermal SiO{sub 2} on Si above ∼10{sup −4}% RH, which is due to the larger amount of water molecules that infiltrate into the GeO{sub 2} film to form hydroxyls. Analyzing the origins of this energy shift,more » we propose that the positive charging of a partially hydroxylated GeO{sub 2} film, which is unrelated to X-ray irradiation, causes the larger energy shift for GeO{sub 2}/Ge than for SiO{sub 2}/Si. A possible microscopic mechanism of this intrinsic positive charging is the emission of electrons from adsorbed water species in the suboxide layer of the GeO{sub 2} film to the Ge bulk, leaving immobile cations or positively charged states in the oxide. This may be related to the reported negative shift of flat band voltages in metal-oxide-semiconductor diodes with an air-exposed GeO{sub 2} layer.« less

Polarized photoluminescence of nc-Si–SiO{sub x} nanostructures

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

Michailovska, E. V.; Indutnyi, I. Z.; Shepeliavyi, P. E.

2016-01-15

The effect of photoluminescence polarization memory in nc-Si–SiO{sub x} light-emitting structures containing Si nanoparticles (nc-Si) in an oxide matrix is for the first time studied. The polarization properties of continuous and porous nanostructures passivated in HF vapors (or solutions) are studied. It is established that the polarization memory effect is manifested only after treatment of the structures in HF. The effect is also accompanied by a shift of the photoluminescence peak to shorter wavelengths and by a substantial increase in the photoluminescence intensity. It is found that, in anisotropic nc-Si–SiO{sub x} samples produced by oblique deposition in vacuum, the degreemore » of linear photoluminescence polarization in the sample plane exhibits a noticeable orientation dependence and correlates with the orientation of SiO{sub x} nanocolumns forming the structure of the porous layer. These effects are attributed to the transformation of symmetrically shaped Si nanoparticles into asymmetric elongated nc-Si particles upon etching in HF. In continuous layers, nc-Si particles are oriented randomly, whereas in porous structures, their preferential orientation coincides with the orientation of oxide nanocolumns.« less

Low power loss and field-insensitive permeability of Fe-6.5%Si powder cores with manganese oxide-coated particles

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

Li, Junnan, E-mail: junnanli1991@163.com, E-mail: rzhgong@hust.edu.cn; Wang, Xian; Xu, Xiaojun

Fe-6.5%Si alloy powders coated with manganese oxides using an innovative in situ process were investigated. The in-situ coating of the insulating oxides was realized with a KMnO{sub 4} solution by a chemical process. The insulating manganese oxides with mixed valance state were verified by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. The thickness of the insulating layer on alloy particles was determined to be in a range of 20–210 nm, depending upon the KMnO{sub 4} concentration. The powder core loss and the change in permeability under a DC-bias field were measured at frequencies ranging from 50 to 100 kHz. The experiments indicated that themore » Fe-6.5%Si powder cores with a 210 nm-thick manganese oxide layer not only showed a low core loss of 459 mW/cm{sup 3} at 100 kHz but also showed a small reduction in permeability (μ(H)/μ(0) = 85% for μ = 42) at a DC-bias field of 80 Oe. This work has defined a novel pathway to realizing low core loss and field-insensitive permeability for Fe-Si powder cores.« less

Recrystallization in Si upon ion irradiation at room temperature in Co/Si(111) thin film systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banu, Nasrin; Satpati, B.; Dev, B. N.

2018-04-01

After several decades of research it was concluded that for a constant flux recrystallization in Si upon ion irradiation is possible only at high temperature. At low temperature or at room temperature only amorphization can take place. However we have observed recrystallization in Si upon ion irradiation at room temperature in a Co/Si thin film system. The Co/Si sample was prepared by deposition of 25 nm Co on clean Si(111) substrate. An oxide layer (˜ 2nm) of cobalt at the top of the film due to air exposure. The ion irradiation was done at room temperature under high vacuum with 1MeV Si+ ion with low beam current < 400 nA. Earlier we have shown similar ion induced recrystallization in Si(100) substrate which had a sandwich Si/Ni/Si structure. This system had an epitaxial buffer Si layer on Si substrate. This study also shows that the phenomenon is independent of substrate orientation and buffer layer. We have used transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to study the recrystallization behavior.

Synthesis of Novel Double-Layer Nanostructures of SiC–WOxby a Two Step Thermal Evaporation Process

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

A novel double-layer nanostructure of silicon carbide and tungsten oxide is synthesized by a two-step thermal evaporation process using NiO as the catalyst. First, SiC nanowires are grown on Si substrate and then high density W18O49nanorods are grown on these SiC nanowires to form a double-layer nanostructure. XRD and TEM analysis revealed that the synthesized nanostructures are well crystalline. The growth of W18O49nanorods on SiC nanowires is explained on the basis of vapor–solid (VS) mechanism. The reasonably better turn-on field (5.4 V/μm) measured from the field emission measurements suggest that the synthesized nanostructures could be used as potential field emitters. PMID:20596292

Process-Induced Carbon and Sub-Layer in SiC/BN/SiC Composites: Characterization and Consequences

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ogbuji, L. U. J. T; Wheeler, D. R.; McCue, T. R.

2001-01-01

Following our detection of films of elemental carbon in the Hi-Nicalon TM/BN/SiC composite and its deleterious effect on oxidative durability, we have examined other SiC/BN/SiC systems. The problem is pervasive, and significant residues of free carbon are confirmed in Sylramic /BN/SiC materials. Effective techniques for routine detection and characterization of adventitious carbon in SiC/BN/SiC composites are discussed.

Self-limiting and complete oxidation of silicon nanostructures produced by laser ablation in water

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

Vaccaro, L.; Messina, F.; Camarda, P.

2016-07-14

Oxidized Silicon nanomaterials produced by 1064 nm pulsed laser ablation in deionized water are investigated. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy allows to characterize the structural and chemical properties at a sub-nanometric scale. This analysis clarifies that laser ablation induces both self-limiting and complete oxidation processes which produce polycrystalline Si surrounded by a layer of SiO{sub 2} and amorphous fully oxidized SiO{sub 2}, respectively. These nanostructures exhibit a composite luminescence spectrum which is investigated by time-resolved spectroscopy with a tunable laser excitation. The origin of the observed luminescence bands agrees with the two structural typologies: Si nanocrystalsmore » emit a μs-decaying red band; defects of SiO{sub 2} give rise to a ns-decaying UV band and two overlapping blue bands with lifetime in the ns and ms timescale.« less

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

Characterization of Si (sub X)Ge (sub 1-x)/Si Heterostructures for Device Applications Using Spectroscopic Ellipsometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sieg, R. M.; Alterovitz, S. A.; Croke, E. T.; Harrell, M. J.; Tanner, M.; Wang, K. L.; Mena, R. A.; Young, P. G.

1993-01-01

Spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) characterization of several complex Si (sub X)Ge (sub 1-x)/Si heterostructures prepared for device fabrication, including structures for heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBT), p-type and n-type heterostructure modulation doped field effect transistors, has been performed. We have shown that SE can simultaneously determine all active layer thicknesses, Si (sub X)Ge (sub 1-x) compositions, and the oxide overlayer thickness, with only a general knowledge of the structure topology needed a priori. The characterization of HBT material included the SE analysis of a Si (sub X)Ge (sub 1-x) layer deeply buried (600 nanometers) under the silicon emitter and cap layers. In the SE analysis of n-type heterostructures, we examined for the first time a silicon layer under tensile strain. We found that an excellent fit can be obtained using optical constants of unstrained silicon to represent the strained silicon conduction layer. We also used SE to measure lateral sample homogeneity, providing quantitative identification of the inhomogeneous layer. Surface overlayers resulting from prior sample processing were also detected and measured quantitatively. These results should allow SE to be used extensively as a non-destructive means of characterizing Si (sub X)Ge (sub 1-x)/Si heterostructures prior to device fabrication and testing.

Processing of a Mullite Matrix, Molybdenum Disilicide Reinforced Composite

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-01-01

at high temperatures (best of the silicides and almost as good as SiC) is due to the formation of protective SiO2 layers on the surface of the MoSi 2...of the precipitation preparation process) consisted largely of sodium . Previous work 52 showed that the particle size was 160 A (TEM analysis) not...M.K. Brun, L.E. Szala, "Kinetics of Oxidation of Carbide and Silicide Dispersed Phases in Oxide Matrices," Adv. Ceram. Mat., 3 [5] 491-497 (1988). 5

Improvement in the electrical performance and bias-stress stability of dual-active-layered silicon zinc oxide/zinc oxide thin-film transistor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yu-Rong; Zhao, Gao-Wei; Lai, Pai-To; Yao, Ruo-He

2016-08-01

Si-doped zinc oxide (SZO) thin films are deposited by using a co-sputtering method, and used as the channel active layers of ZnO-based TFTs with single and dual active layer structures. The effects of silicon content on the optical transmittance of the SZO thin film and electrical properties of the SZO TFT are investigated. Moreover, the electrical performances and bias-stress stabilities of the single- and dual-active-layer TFTs are investigated and compared to reveal the effects of the Si doping and dual-active-layer structure. The average transmittances of all the SZO films are about 90% in the visible light region of 400 nm-800 nm, and the optical band gap of the SZO film gradually increases with increasing Si content. The Si-doping can effectively suppress the grain growth of ZnO, revealed by atomic force microscope analysis. Compared with that of the undoped ZnO TFT, the off-state current of the SZO TFT is reduced by more than two orders of magnitude and it is 1.5 × 10-12 A, and thus the on/off current ratio is increased by more than two orders of magnitude. In summary, the SZO/ZnO TFT with dual-active-layer structure exhibits a high on/off current ratio of 4.0 × 106 and superior stability under gate-bias and drain-bias stress. Projected supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 61076113 and 61274085), the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (Grant No. 2016A030313474), and the University Development Fund (Nanotechnology Research Institute, Grant No. 00600009) of the University of Hong Kong, China.

High-Quality Solution-Processed Silicon Oxide Gate Dielectric Applied on Indium Oxide Based Thin-Film Transistors.

PubMed

Jaehnike, Felix; Pham, Duy Vu; Anselmann, Ralf; Bock, Claudia; Kunze, Ulrich

2015-07-01

A silicon oxide gate dielectric was synthesized by a facile sol-gel reaction and applied to solution-processed indium oxide based thin-film transistors (TFTs). The SiOx sol-gel was spin-coated on highly doped silicon substrates and converted to a dense dielectric film with a smooth surface at a maximum processing temperature of T = 350 °C. The synthesis was systematically improved, so that the solution-processed silicon oxide finally achieved comparable break downfield strength (7 MV/cm) and leakage current densities (<10 nA/cm(2) at 1 MV/cm) to thermally grown silicon dioxide (SiO2). The good quality of the dielectric layer was successfully proven in bottom-gate, bottom-contact metal oxide TFTs and compared to reference TFTs with thermally grown SiO2. Both transistor types have field-effect mobility values as high as 28 cm(2)/(Vs) with an on/off current ratio of 10(8), subthreshold swings of 0.30 and 0.37 V/dec, respectively, and a threshold voltage close to zero. The good device performance could be attributed to the smooth dielectric/semiconductor interface and low interface trap density. Thus, the sol-gel-derived SiO2 is a promising candidate for a high-quality dielectric layer on many substrates and high-performance large-area applications.

Integration of strained and relaxed silicon thin films on silicon wafers via engineered oxide heterostructures: Experiment and theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seifarth, O.; Dietrich, B.; Zaumseil, P.; Giussani, A.; Storck, P.; Schroeder, T.

2010-10-01

Strained and relaxed single crystalline Si on insulator systems is an important materials science approach for future Si-based nanoelectronics. Layer transfer techniques are the dominating global integration approach over the whole wafer system but are difficult to scale down for local integration purposes limited to the area of the future device. In this respect, the heteroepitaxy approach by two simple subsequent epitaxial deposition steps of the oxide and the Si thin film is a promising way. We introduce tailored (Pr2O3)1-x(Y2O3)x oxide heterostructures on Si(111) as flexible heteroepitaxy concept for the integration of either strained or fully relaxed single crystalline Si thin films. Two different buffer concepts are explored by a combined experimental and theoretical study. First, the growth of fully relaxed single crystalline Si films is achieved by the growth of mixed PrYO3 insulators on Si(111) whose lattice constant is matched to Si. Second, isomorphic oxide-on-oxide epitaxy is exploited to grow strained Si films on lattice mismatched Y2O3/Pr2O3/Si(111) support systems. A thickness dependent multilayer model, based on Matthew's approach for strain relaxation by misfit dislocations, is presented to describe the experimental data.

Interfacial micropore defect formation in PEDOT:PSS-Si hybrid solar cells probed by TOF-SIMS 3D chemical imaging.

PubMed

Thomas, Joseph P; Zhao, Liyan; Abd-Ellah, Marwa; Heinig, Nina F; Leung, K T

2013-07-16

Conducting p-type polymer layers on n-type Si have been widely studied for the fabrication of cost-effective hybrid solar cells. In this work, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) is used to provide three-dimensional chemical imaging of the interface between poly(3,4-ethylene-dioxythiophene):polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) and SiOx/Si in a hybrid solar cell. To minimize structural damage to the polymer layer, an Ar cluster sputtering source is used for depth profiling. The present result shows the formation of micropore defects in the interface region of the PEDOT:PSS layer on the SiOx/Si substrate. This interfacial micropore defect formation becomes more prominent with increasing thickness of the native oxide layer, which is a key device parameter that greatly affects the hybrid solar cell performance. Three-dimensional chemical imaging coupled with Ar cluster ion sputtering has therefore been demonstrated as an emerging technique for probing the interface of this and other polymer-inorganic systems.

Initial stage oxidation on nano-trenched Si(1 0 0) surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Yu; Liu, Yi-Lun; Izumi, Satoshi; Chen, Xue-Feng; Zhai, Zhi; Tian, Shao-Hua

2018-01-01

As the size of an electronic element shrinks to nanoscale, trench design of Si strongly influences the performance of related semiconductor devices. By reactive force field molecular dynamics (ReaxFF MD) simulation, the initial stage oxidation on nano-trenched Si(1 0 0) angled 60°, 90°, 120°, 150° under temperatures from 300 K to 1200 K has been studied. Inhomogeneous oxidation at the convex-concave corners of the Si surface was observed. In general, the initial oxidation process on the Si surface was that, firstly, the O atoms ballistically transported into surface, then a high O concentration induced compressive stress at the surface layers, which prevented further oxidation. Compared to the concave corner, the convex one contacted a larger volume of oxygen at the very beginning stage, leading an anisotropic absorption of O atoms. Afterwards, a critical compression was produced at both the convex and concave corners to limit the oxidation. As a result, an inhomogeneous oxide film grew on nano-trenched Si. Meanwhile, due to enhanced O transport and compression relaxation by increasing temperature, the inhomogeneous oxidation was more obvious under 1200 K. These present results explained the observed experimental phenomena on the oxidation of non-planar Si and provided an aspect on the design of nano-trenched electronic components in the semiconductor field.

Effect of NO annealing on charge traps in oxide insulator and transition layer for 4H-SiC metal-oxide-semiconductor devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Yifan; Lv, Hongliang; Niu, Yingxi; Li, Ling; Song, Qingwen; Tang, Xiaoyan; Li, Chengzhan; Zhao, Yanli; Xiao, Li; Wang, Liangyong; Tang, Guangming; Zhang, Yimen; Zhang, Yuming

2016-09-01

The effect of nitric oxide (NO) annealing on charge traps in the oxide insulator and transition layer in n-type 4H-SiC metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices has been investigated using the time-dependent bias stress (TDBS), capacitance-voltage (C-V), and secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS). It is revealed that two main categories of charge traps, near interface oxide traps (Nniot) and oxide traps (Not), have different responses to the TDBS and C-V characteristics in NO-annealed and Ar-annealed samples. The Nniot are mainly responsible for the hysteresis occurring in the bidirectional C-V characteristics, which are very close to the semiconductor interface and can readily exchange charges with the inner semiconductor. However, Not is mainly responsible for the TDBS induced C-V shifts. Electrons tunneling into the Not are hardly released quickly when suffering TDBS, resulting in the problem of the threshold voltage stability. Compared with the Ar-annealed sample, Nniot can be significantly suppressed by the NO annealing, but there is little improvement of Not. SIMS results demonstrate that the Nniot are distributed within the transition layer, which correlated with the existence of the excess silicon. During the NO annealing process, the excess Si atoms incorporate into nitrogen in the transition layer, allowing better relaxation of the interface strain and effectively reducing the width of the transition layer and the density of Nniot. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 61404098 and 61274079), the Doctoral Fund of Ministry of Education of China (Grant No. 20130203120017), the National Key Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2015CB759600), the National Grid Science & Technology Project, China (Grant No. SGRI-WD-71-14-018), and the Key Specific Project in the National Science & Technology Program, China (Grant Nos. 2013ZX02305002-002 and 2015CB759600).

Electron irradiation induced amorphous SiO2 formation at metal oxide/Si interface at room temperature; electron beam writing on interfaces.

PubMed

Gurbán, S; Petrik, P; Serényi, M; Sulyok, A; Menyhárd, M; Baradács, E; Parditka, B; Cserháti, C; Langer, G A; Erdélyi, Z

2018-02-01

Al 2 O 3 (5 nm)/Si (bulk) sample was subjected to irradiation of 5 keV electrons at room temperature, in a vacuum chamber (pressure 1 × 10 -9 mbar) and formation of amorphous SiO 2 around the interface was observed. The oxygen for the silicon dioxide growth was provided by the electron bombardment induced bond breaking in Al 2 O 3 and the subsequent production of neutral and/or charged oxygen. The amorphous SiO 2 rich layer has grown into the Al 2 O 3 layer showing that oxygen as well as silicon transport occurred during irradiation at room temperature. We propose that both transports are mediated by local electric field and charged and/or uncharged defects created by the electron irradiation. The direct modification of metal oxide/silicon interface by electron-beam irradiation is a promising method of accomplishing direct write electron-beam lithography at buried interfaces.

Interface Engineering to Create a Strong Spin Filter Contact to Silicon

PubMed Central

Caspers, C.; Gloskovskii, A.; Gorgoi, M.; Besson, C.; Luysberg, M.; Rushchanskii, K. Z.; Ležaić, M.; Fadley, C. S.; Drube, W.; Müller, M.

2016-01-01

Integrating epitaxial and ferromagnetic Europium Oxide (EuO) directly on silicon is a perfect route to enrich silicon nanotechnology with spin filter functionality. To date, the inherent chemical reactivity between EuO and Si has prevented a heteroepitaxial integration without significant contaminations of the interface with Eu silicides and Si oxides. We present a solution to this long-standing problem by applying two complementary passivation techniques for the reactive EuO/Si interface: (i) an in situ hydrogen-Si (001) passivation and (ii) the application of oxygen-protective Eu monolayers–without using any additional buffer layers. By careful chemical depth profiling of the oxide-semiconductor interface via hard x-ray photoemission spectroscopy, we show how to systematically minimize both Eu silicide and Si oxide formation to the sub-monolayer regime–and how to ultimately interface-engineer chemically clean, heteroepitaxial and ferromagnetic EuO/Si (001) in order to create a strong spin filter contact to silicon. PMID:26975515

Light-emitting Si nanostructures formed by swift heavy ions in a-Si:H/SiO2 multilayer heterostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cherkova, S. G.; Volodin, V. A.; Cherkov, A. G.; Antonenko, A. Kh; Kamaev, G. N.; Skuratov, V. A.

2017-08-01

Light-emitting nanoclusters were formed in Si/SiO2 multilayer structures irradiated with 167 MeV Xe ions to the doses of 1011-3  ×  1014 cm-2 and annealed in the forming-gas at 500 °C and in nitrogen at 800-1100 °C, 30 min. The thicknesses were ~4 nm or ~7-8 for the Si, and ~10 nm for the SiO2 layers. The structures were studied using photoluminescence (PL), Raman spectroscopy, and the cross-sectional high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). As-irradiated samples showed the PL, correlating with the growth of the ion doses. HRTEM found the layers to be partly disintegrated. The thickness of the amorphous Si layer was crucial. For 4 nm thick Si layers the PL was peaking at ~490 nm, and quenched by the annealing. It was ascribed to the structural imperfections. For the thicker Si layers the PL was peaking at ~600 nm and was attributed to the Si-rich nanoclusters in silicon oxide. The annealing increases the PL intensity and shifts the band to ~790 nm, typical of Si nanocrystals. Its intensity was proportional to the dose. Raman spectra confirmed the nanocrystals formation. All the results obtained evidence the material melting in the tracks for 10-11-10-10 s providing thereby fast diffusivities of the atoms. The thicker Si layers provide more excess Si to create the nanoclusters via a molten state diffusion.

Semiconductor quantum dot super-emitters: spontaneous emission enhancement combined with suppression of defect environment using metal-oxide plasmonic metafilms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sadeghi, Seyed M.; Wing, Waylin J.; Gutha, Rithvik R.; Sharp, Christina

2018-01-01

We demonstrate that a metal-oxide plasmonic metafilm consisting of a Si/Al oxide junction in the vicinity of a thin gold layer can quarantine excitons in colloidal semiconductor quantum dots against their defect environments. This process happens while the plasmon fields of the gold layer enhance spontaneous emission decay rates of the quantum dots. We study the emission dynamics of such quantum dots when the distance between the Si/Al oxide junction and the gold thin layer is varied. The results show that for distances less than a critical value the lifetime of the quantum dots can be elongated while they experience intense plasmon fields. This suggests that the metal-oxide metafilm can keep photo-excited electrons in the cores of the quantum dots, suppressing their migration to the surface defect sites. This leads to suppression of Auger recombination, offering quantum dot super-emitters with emission that is enhanced not only by the plasmon fields (Purcell effect), but also by strong suppression of the non-radiative decay caused by the defect sites.

Electrical characterization of 4H-SiC metal-oxide-semiconductor structure with Al2O3 stacking layers as dielectric

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, P. K.; Hwu, J. G.

2018-02-01

Interface defects and oxide bulk traps conventionally play important roles in the electrical performance of SiC MOS device. Introducing the Al2O3 stack grown by repeated anodization of Al films can notably lower the leakage current in comparison to the SiO2 structure, and enhance the minority carrier response at low frequency when the number of Al2O3 layers increase. In addition, the interface quality is not deteriorated by the stacking of Al2O3 layers because the stacked Al2O3 structure grown by anodization possesses good uniformity. In this work, the capacitance equivalent thickness (CET) of stacking Al2O3 will be up to 19.5 nm and the oxidation process can be carried out at room temperature. For the Al2O3 gate stack with CET 19.5 nm on n-SiC substrate, the leakage current at 2 V is 2.76 × 10-10 A/cm2, the interface trap density at the flatband voltage is 3.01 × 1011 eV-1 cm-2, and the effective breakdown field is 11.8 MV/cm. Frequency dispersion and breakdown characteristics may thus be improved as a result of the reduction in trap density. The Al2O3 stacking layers are capable of maintaining the leakage current as low as possible even after constant voltage stress test, which will further ameliorate reliability characteristics.

High Temperature Corrosion of Silicon Carbide and Silicon Nitride in Water Vapor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Opila, E. J.; Robinson, Raymond C.; Cuy, Michael D.; Gray, Hugh R. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Silicon carbide (SiC) and silicon nitride (Si3N4) are proposed for applications in high temperature combustion environments containing water vapor. Both SiC and Si3N4 react with water vapor to form a silica (SiO2) scale. It is therefore important to understand the durability of SiC, Si3N4 and SiO2 in water vapor. Thermogravimetric analyses, furnace exposures and burner rig results were obtained for these materials in water vapor at temperatures between 1100 and 1450 C and water vapor partial pressures ranging from 0.1 to 3.1 atm. First, the oxidation of SiC and Si3N4 in water vapor is considered. The parabolic kinetic rate law, rate dependence on water vapor partial pressure, and oxidation mechanism are discussed. Second, the volatilization of silica to form Si(OH)4(g) is examined. Mass spectrometric results, the linear kinetic rate law and a volatilization model based on diffusion through a gas boundary layer are discussed. Finally, the combined oxidation and volatilization reactions, which occur when SiC or Si3N4 are exposed in a water vapor-containing environment, are presented. Both experimental evidence and a model for the paralinear kinetic rate law are shown for these simultaneous oxidation and volatilization reactions.

Microwave absorbing performance enhancement of Fe75Si15Al10 composites by selective surface oxidation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Nan; Wang, Xin; Liu, Tao; Xie, Jianliang; Deng, Longjiang

2017-09-01

An excessively large dielectric constant is a challenge to improve the performances of the Fe-based absorbing material. Here, we propose a selective surface oxidation method to reduce the permittivity without sacrificing the permeability, by annealing under 5%H2—95%N2 (H2/N2). It is found that a thin layer of aluminum and silicon oxides formed on the surface of Fe75Si15Al10 particles during annealing in the range of 500-780 °C under H2/N2, thereby leading to an obvious decrease of permittivity of the Fe75Si15Al10 composite. According to Gibbs free energy, aluminum and silicon oxides are formed and iron oxides are reduced during annealing under H2/N2 at above 500 °C. Interestingly, the XPS result shows that the atomic ratio of Fe decreases significantly on the particle surface, which infers that the reduced Fe atoms diffuse to the interior of the particles. The surface oxide layer can protect the inner part of the alloy from further oxidation, which contributes to a high permeability. Meanwhile, the XRD result shows the formation of DO3-type ordering, which leads to the promotion of permeability. The two reasons lead to the improvement of permeability of the Fe75Si15Al10 composite after annealing. The composite is confirmed to have high permeability and low permittivity, exhibiting better electromagnetic wave absorption properties.

Ultra-thin distributed Bragg reflectors via stacked single-crystal silicon nanomembranes

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

Cho, Minkyu; Seo, Jung-Hun; Lee, Jaeseong

2015-05-04

In this paper, we report ultra-thin distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) via stacked single-crystal silicon (Si) nanomembranes (NMs). Mesh hole-free single-crystal Si NMs were released from a Si-on-insulator substrate and transferred to quartz and Si substrates. Thermal oxidation was applied to the transferred Si NM to form high-quality SiO{sub 2} and thus a Si/SiO{sub 2} pair with uniform and precisely controlled thicknesses. The Si/SiO{sub 2} layers, as smooth as epitaxial grown layers, minimize scattering loss at the interface and in between the layers. As a result, a reflection of 99.8% at the wavelength range from 1350 nm to 1650 nm can be measuredmore » from a 2.5-pair DBR on a quartz substrate and 3-pair DBR on a Si substrate with thickness of 0.87 μm and 1.14 μm, respectively. The high reflection, ultra-thin DBRs developed here, which can be applied to almost any devices and materials, holds potential for application in high performance optoelectronic devices and photonics applications.« less

Leakage current and capacitance characteristics of Si/SiO2/Si single-barrier varactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mamor, M.; Fu, Y.; Nur, O.; Willander, M.; Bengtsson, S.

We investigate, both experimentally and theoretically, current and capacitance (I-V/C-V) characteristics and the device performance of Si/SiO2/Si single-barrier varactor diodes (SBVs). Two diodes were fabricated with different SiO2 layer thicknesses using the state-of-the-art wafer bonding technique. The devices have very low leakage currents (about 5×10-2 and 1.8×10-2 mA/mm2) and intrinsic capacitance levels of typically 1.5 and 50 nF/mm2 for diodes with 5-nm and 20-nm oxide layers, respectively. With the present device physical parameters (25-mm2 device area, 760-μm modulation layer thickness and 1015-cm-3 doping level), the estimated cut-off frequency is about 5×107 Hz. With the physical parameters of the present existing III-V triplers, the cut-off frequency of our Si-based SBV can be as high as 0.5 THz.

Knowledge of Pest Resistance in SiC/BN/SiC Composites Improved

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas-Ogbuji, Linus U.

2002-01-01

Ceramic-matrix composites (CMC's) consisting of a silicon carbide matrix reinforced with boron-nitride- (BN-) coated silicon carbide (SiC) fibers are strong contenders for commercial and aerospace applications (in particular, the hot sections of high-performance turbine engines in advanced aircraft and generators). They have very good mechanical properties below approximately 600 C and above approximately 1000 C. Between those temperatures, however, the BN coating oxidizes easily, and the oxidation of the SiC matrix is too sluggish to seal off the composite with a protective layer of silica. In that temperature interval, the preferential oxidation of the BN weakens and embrittles the composite. That phenomenon, referred to as "pest" degradation, is the focus of this work, which aims to identify the causes of and remedies for pesting. Previous work established that pesting in Hi-Nicalon (Nippon Carbon Co., Ltd., Japan)/SiC composites was caused by a layer of free carbon that undermined the oxidation resistance of the BN. New work suggests that composites containing a source of carbon are prone to severe pesting and that those that are free of elemental carbon are resistant pesting. Pest resistance was assessed by exposing machined samples for 100 to 150 hr in an atmospheric burner rig at 600 to 1100 C, followed by a tensile fracture test to measure residual mechanical properties and by characterization of the interphase microstructure. Whether the elemental carbon came from intrinsic or extrinsic sources, its presence induced the tensile strength to drop by over 50 percent in the burner rig, with an even more severe loss of fracture strain. A likely mechanism by which burnoff of the carbon layer exposes the BN to accelerated flank attack by ambient oxidants is shown. The BN is replaced with borosilicates that attack the fiber, and ultimately with silica that embrittles the composites by rigidly bonding components. Thus, the study has shown that pesting can be prevented in SiC/BN/SiC, or at least reduced, by simply excluding free carbon. These studies continue, and plans for future work include investigating the role that carbon may play elsewhere in the interphase region.

Ceramic Composite Thin Films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dikin, Dmitriy A. (Inventor); Nguyen, SonBinh T. (Inventor); Ruoff, Rodney S. (Inventor); Stankovich, Sasha (Inventor)

2013-01-01

A ceramic composite thin film or layer includes individual graphene oxide and/or electrically conductive graphene sheets dispersed in a ceramic (e.g. silica) matrix. The thin film or layer can be electrically conductive film or layer depending the amount of graphene sheets present. The composite films or layers are transparent, chemically inert and compatible with both glass and hydrophilic SiOx/silicon substrates. The composite film or layer can be produced by making a suspension of graphene oxide sheet fragments, introducing a silica-precursor or silica to the suspension to form a sol, depositing the sol on a substrate as thin film or layer, at least partially reducing the graphene oxide sheets to conductive graphene sheets, and thermally consolidating the thin film or layer to form a silica matrix in which the graphene oxide and/or graphene sheets are dispersed.

Polycrystalline silicon thin-film transistors fabricated by Joule-heating-induced crystallization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, Won-Eui; Ro, Jae-Sang

2015-01-01

Joule-heating-induced crystallization (JIC) of amorphous silicon (a-Si) films is carried out by applying an electric pulse to a conductive layer located beneath or above the films. Crystallization occurs across the whole substrate surface within few tens of microseconds. Arc instability, however, is observed during crystallization, and is attributed to dielectric breakdown in the conductor/insulator/transformed polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) sandwich structures at high temperatures during electrical pulsing for crystallization. In this study, we devised a method for the crystallization of a-Si films while preventing arc generation; this method consisted of pre-patterning an a-Si active layer into islands and then depositing a gate oxide and gate electrode. Electric pulsing was then applied to the gate electrode formed using a Mo layer. The Mo layer was used as a Joule-heat source for the crystallization of pre-patterned active islands of a-Si films. JIC-processed poly-Si thin-film transistors (TFTs) were fabricated successfully, and the proposed method was found to be compatible with the standard processing of coplanar top-gate poly-Si TFTs.

Molten-salt corrosion of silicon nitride. I - Sodium carbonate. II - Sodium sulfate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fox, Dennis S.; Jacobson, Nathan S.

1988-01-01

An experimental study of the corrosion of Si3N4 under thin films of Na2CO3 at 1000 C has been conducted using both pure Si3N4 and Si3N4 with various additives. The reaction mechanism is shown to consist of: (1) the decomposition of Na2CO3 and the formation of Na2SiO3; (2) rapid oxidation; and (3) the formation of a protective silica layer below the silicate. In the second part, the corrosion mechanism of Si3N4 + Na2SO4/O2 at 1000 C was studied for both pure and additive-containing Si3N4. The reaction of Si3N4 + Na2SO4 was found to involve an initial period of slow weight loss (due to Na2SO4 vaporization and oxidation-dissolution) followed by further oxidation or the near termination of the reaction, depending on the Si3N4 additive.

Direct current performance and current collapse in AlGaN/GaN insulated gate high-electron mobility transistors on Si (1 1 1) substrate with very thin SiO2 gate dielectric

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lachab, M.; Sultana, M.; Fatima, H.; Adivarahan, V.; Fareed, Q.; Khan, M. A.

2012-12-01

This work reports on the dc performance of AlGaN/GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor high electron mobility transistors (MOSHEMTs) grown on Si (1 1 1) substrate and the study of current dispersion in these devices using various widely adopted methods. The MOSHEMTs were fabricated using a very thin (4.2 nm) SiO2 film as the gate insulator and were subsequently passivated with about 30 nm thick Si3N4 layer. For devices with 2.5 µm long gates and a 4 µm drain-to-source spacing, the maximum saturation drain current density was 822 mA mm-1 at + 4 V gate bias and the peak external transconductance was ˜100 mS mm-1. Furthermore, the oxide layer successfully suppressed the drain and gate leakage currents with the subthreshold current and the gate diode current levels exceeding by more than three orders of magnitude the levels found in their Schottky gate counterparts. Capacitance-voltage and dynamic current-voltage measurements were carried out to assess the oxide quality as well as the devices’ surface properties after passivation. The efficacy of each of these characterization techniques to probe the presence of interface traps and oxide charge in the nitride-based transistors is also discussed.

MoSi 2 Oxidation in 670-1498 K Water Vapor

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

Sooby Wood, Elizabeth; Parker, Stephen S.; Nelson, Andrew T.

Molybdenum disilicide (MoSi 2) has well documented oxidation resistance at high temperature (T > 1273 K) in dry O 2 containing atmospheres due to the formation of a passive SiO 2 surface layer. But, its behavior under atmospheres where water vapor is the dominant species has received far less attention. Oxidation testing of MoSi 2 was performed at temperatures ranging from 670–1498 K in both 75% water vapor and synthetic air (Ar-O2, 80%–20%) containing atmospheres. Here the thermogravimetric and microscopy data describing these phenomena are presented. Over the temperature range investigated, MoSi 2 displays more mass gain in water vapormore » than in air. The oxidation kinetics observed in water vapor differ from that of the air samples. Two volatile oxides, MoO 2(OH) 2 and Si(OH) 4, are thought to be the species responsible for the varied kinetics, at 670–877 K and at 1498 K, respectively. Finally, we observed an increase in oxidation (140–300 mg/cm 2) from 980–1084 K in water vapor, where passivation is observed in air.« less

MoSi 2 Oxidation in 670-1498 K Water Vapor

DOE PAGES

Sooby Wood, Elizabeth; Parker, Stephen S.; Nelson, Andrew T.; ...

2016-03-08

Molybdenum disilicide (MoSi 2) has well documented oxidation resistance at high temperature (T > 1273 K) in dry O 2 containing atmospheres due to the formation of a passive SiO 2 surface layer. But, its behavior under atmospheres where water vapor is the dominant species has received far less attention. Oxidation testing of MoSi 2 was performed at temperatures ranging from 670–1498 K in both 75% water vapor and synthetic air (Ar-O2, 80%–20%) containing atmospheres. Here the thermogravimetric and microscopy data describing these phenomena are presented. Over the temperature range investigated, MoSi 2 displays more mass gain in water vapormore » than in air. The oxidation kinetics observed in water vapor differ from that of the air samples. Two volatile oxides, MoO 2(OH) 2 and Si(OH) 4, are thought to be the species responsible for the varied kinetics, at 670–877 K and at 1498 K, respectively. Finally, we observed an increase in oxidation (140–300 mg/cm 2) from 980–1084 K in water vapor, where passivation is observed in air.« less

Perpendicularly magnetized (001)-textured D0{sub 22} MnGa films grown on an (Mg{sub 0.2}Ti{sub 0.8})O buffer with thermally oxidized Si substrates

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

Lee, Hwachol; Sukegawa, Hiroaki, E-mail: sukegawa.hiroaki@nims.go.jp; Liu, Jun

2015-10-28

We report the growth of (001)-textured polycrystalline D0{sub 22} MnGa films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) on thermally oxidized Si substrates using an (Mg{sub 0.2}Ti{sub 0.8})O (MTO) buffer layer. The ordered D0{sub 22} MnGa film grown at the optimum substrate temperature of 530 °C on the MTO buffer layer shows PMA with magnetization of 80 kA/m, PMA energy density of 0.28 MJ/m{sup 3}, and coercivity of 2.3 T. The scanning transmission electron microscope analysis confirms the formation of a highly (001)-textured structure and the elementally sharp interfaces between the MTO layer and the MnGa layer. The achieved D0{sub 22} MnGa PMA films on anmore » amorphous substrate will provide the possible pathway of integration of a Mn-based PMA film into Si-based substrates.« less

Laser-induced reaction alumina coating on ceramic composite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Chenghe

Silicon carbide ceramics are susceptible to corrosion by certain industrial furnace environments. It is also true for a new class of silicon carbide-particulate reinforced alumina-matrix composite (SiCsb(P)Alsb2Osb3) since it contains more than 55% of SiC particulate within the composite. This behavior would limit the use of SiCsb(P)Alsb2Osb3 composites in ceramic heat exchangers. Because oxide ceramics corrode substantially less in the same environments, a laser-induced reaction alumina coating technique has been developed for improving corrosion resistance of the SiCsb(P)Alsb2Osb3 composite. Specimens with and without the laser-induced reaction alumina coating were subjected to corrosion testing at 1200sp°C in an air atmosphere containing Nasb2COsb3 for 50 ˜ 200 hours. Corroded specimens were characterized via x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS). The uncoated SiCsbP/Alsb2Osb3 composite samples experienced an initial increase in weight during the exposure to Nasb2COsb3 at 1200sp°C due to the oxidation of residual aluminum metal in the composite. There was no significant weight change difference experienced during exposure times between 50 and 200 hours. The oxidation layer formed on the as-received composite surface consisted of Si and Alsb2Osb3 (after washing with a HF solution). The oxidation layer grew outward and inward from the original surface of the composite. The growth rate in the outward direction was faster than in the inward direction. The formation of the Si/Alsb2Osb3 oxidation layer on the as-received composite was nonuniform, and localized corrosion was observed. The coated samples experienced very little mass increase. The laser-induced reaction alumina coating effectively provided protection for the SiCsbP/Alsb2Osb3 composite by keeping the corrodents from contacting the composite and by the formation of some refractory compounds such as Nasb2OAlsb2Osb3SiOsb2 and Nasb2Alsb{22}Osb{34}. After exposure to 1200sp°C for 200 hours, the bonding between the laser-induced reaction alumina coating and the composite appeared to be unattacked. For both the coated and uncoated samples, porosity within the composite increased after exposure due to the reaction: 3SiOsb2(s) + 4Al(l) -> 2Alsb2Osb3(s) + Si(s).

Optimized capping layers for EUV multilayers

DOEpatents

Bajt, Sasa [Livermore, CA; Folta, James A [Livermore, CA; Spiller, Eberhard A [Livermore, CA

2004-08-24

A new capping multilayer structure for EUV-reflective Mo/Si multilayers consists of two layers: A top layer that protects the multilayer structure from the environment and a bottom layer that acts as a diffusion barrier between the top layer and the structure beneath. One embodiment combines a first layer of Ru with a second layer of B.sub.4 C. Another embodiment combines a first layer of Ru with a second layer of Mo. These embodiments have the additional advantage that the reflectivity is also enhanced. Ru has the best oxidation resistance of all materials investigated so far. B.sub.4 C is an excellent barrier against silicide formation while the silicide layer formed at the Si boundary is well controlled.

Oxidation precursor dependence of atomic layer deposited Al2O3 films in a-Si:H(i)/Al2O3 surface passivation stacks.

PubMed

Xiang, Yuren; Zhou, Chunlan; Jia, Endong; Wang, Wenjing

2015-01-01

In order to obtain a good passivation of a silicon surface, more and more stack passivation schemes have been used in high-efficiency silicon solar cell fabrication. In this work, we prepared a-Si:H(i)/Al2O3 stacks on KOH solution-polished n-type solar grade mono-silicon(100) wafers. For the Al2O3 film deposition, both thermal atomic layer deposition (T-ALD) and plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PE-ALD) were used. Interface trap density spectra were obtained for Si passivation with a-Si films and a-Si:H(i)/Al2O3 stacks by a non-contact corona C-V technique. After the fabrication of a-Si:H(i)/Al2O3 stacks, the minimum interface trap density was reduced from original 3 × 10(12) to 1 × 10(12) cm(-2) eV(-1), the surface total charge density increased by nearly one order of magnitude for PE-ALD samples and about 0.4 × 10(12) cm(-2) for a T-ALD sample, and the carrier lifetimes increased by a factor of three (from about 10 μs to about 30 μs). Combining these results with an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis, we discussed the influence of an oxidation precursor for ALD Al2O3 deposition on Al2O3 single layers and a-Si:H(i)/Al2O3 stack surface passivation from field-effect passivation and chemical passivation perspectives. In addition, the influence of the stack fabrication process on the a-Si film structure was also discussed in this study.

Development of MoSi2 coating with Al doping by using high energy milling method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simanjuntak, C. M. S.; Hastuty, S.; Izzuddin, H.; Sundawa, R.; Sudiro, T.; Sukarto, A.; Thosin, K. A. Z.

2018-03-01

MoSi2 is well known as a material for high temperature application because it has high oxidation and corrosion resistance. The aim of this research is to develop MoSi2 coating with Al doping on Stainless Steel 316 (SS316) substrate using High-Energy Milling method. Aluminium is added to the coating as a dopant to increase formation of MoSi2 coating layer on the substrate. The variations used here based on the concentrations of doping Al (at.%) and duration of milling. Results show that the MoSi2 coatings with variations of 30 and 50 at.% of Al doping and 3 and 6 hours of milling times were successfully coated on the surface of SS 316 using the high-energy milling method. The most optimum coating result after oxidation test at 1100 °C for 100 hours is shown by MoSi2-30%Al with 3 hours of milling times. From the oxidation results, the Al doping into MoSi2 coating was able to increase the oxidation resistance of the SS 316 substrate.

Energy band structure and electrical properties of Ga-oxide/GaN interface formed by remote oxygen plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, Taishi; Taoka, Noriyuki; Ohta, Akio; Truyen, Nguyen Xuan; Yamada, Hisashi; Takahashi, Tokio; Ikeda, Mitsuhisa; Makihara, Katsunori; Nakatsuka, Osamu; Shimizu, Mitsuaki; Miyazaki, Seiichi

2018-06-01

The energy band structure of a Ga-oxide/GaN structure formed by remote oxygen plasma exposure and the electrical interface properties of the GaN metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) capacitors with the SiO2/Ga-oxide/GaN structures with postdeposition annealing (PDA) at various temperatures have been investigated. Reflection high-energy electron diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy clarified that the formed Ga-oxide layer is neither a single nor polycrystalline phase with high crystallinity. We found that the energy band offsets at the conduction band minimum and at the valence band maximum between the Ga-oxide layer and the GaN surface were 0.4 and 1.2 ± 0.2 eV, respectively. Furthermore, capacitance–voltage (C–V) characteristics revealed that the interface trap density (D it) is lower than the evaluation limit of Terman method without depending on the PDA temperatures, and that the SiO2/Ga-oxide stack can work as a protection layer to maintain the low D it, avoiding the significant decomposition of GaN at the high PDA temperature of 800 °C.

On the annealing-induced enhancement of the interface properties of NiO:Cu/wet-SiOx/n-Si tunnelling junction solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Xueliang; Liu, Wei; Chen, Jingwei; Sun, Yun

2018-04-01

Using metal oxides to form a carrier-selective interface on crystalline silicon (c-Si) has recently generated considerable interest for use with c-Si photovoltaics because of the potential to reduce cost. n-type oxides, such as MoO3, V2O5, and WO3, have been widely studied. In this work, a p-type oxide, Cu-doped NiO (NiO:Cu), is explored as a transparent hole-selective contact to n-Si. An ultrathin SiOx layer, fabricated by a wet-chemical method (wet-SiOx), is introduced at the NiO:Cu/n-Si interface to achieve a tunnelling junction solar cell. Interestingly, it was observed that the interface quality of the NiO:Cu/wet-SiOx/n-Si heterojunction was dramatically enhanced by post-deposition annealing (PDA) at a temperature of 200 °C. Our device exhibits an improved power conversion efficiency of 10.8%, which is the highest efficiency among NiO/Si heterojunction photo-electric devices to date. It is demonstrated that the 200 °C PDA treatment enhances the built-in field by a reduction in the interface density of states (Dit) but does not influence the work function of the NiO:Cu thin layer. This stable work function after the PDA treatment is in conflict with the changed built-in field according to the Schottky model. Thus, the Bardeen model is introduced for this physical insight: the enhancement of the built-in field originates from the unpinning of the Fermi levels of NiO:Cu and n-Si by the interface state reduction.

Steam assisted oxide growth on aluminium alloys using oxidative chemistries: Part I Microstructural investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Din, Rameez Ud; Piotrowska, Kamila; Gudla, Visweswara Chakravarthy; Jellesen, Morten Stendahl; Ambat, Rajan

2015-11-01

The surface treatment of aluminium alloys under steam containing KMnO4 and HNO3 resulted in the formation of an oxide layer having a thickness of up to 825 nm. The use of KMnO4 and HNO3 in the steam resulted in incorporation of the respective chemical species into the oxide layer. Steam treatment with solution containing HNO3 caused dissolution of Cu and Si from the intermetallic particles in the aluminium substrate. The growth rate of oxide layer was observed to be a function of MnO4- and NO3- ions present in the aqueous solution. The NO3- ions exhibit higher affinity towards the intermetallic particles resulting in poor coverage by the steam generated oxide layer compared to the coating formed using MnO4- ions. Further, increase in the concentration of NO3- ions in the solution retards precipitation of the steam generated aluminium hydroxide layer.

Electrical characteristics of SiO2/ZrO2 hybrid tunnel barrier for charge trap flash memory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Jaeho; Bae, Juhyun; Ahn, Jaeyoung; Hwang, Kihyun; Chung, Ilsub

2017-08-01

In this paper, we investigate the electrical characteristics of SiO2/ZrO2 hybrid tunnel oxide in metal-Al2O3-SiO2-Si3N4-SiO2-silicon (MAONOS) structure in an effort to improve program and erase speed as well as retention characteristics. Inserting ZrO2 into the conventional MAONOS structure increased the programmed V th variation to 6.8 V, and increased the erased V th variation to -3.7 V at 17 MV/cm. The results can be understood in terms of reducing the Fowler-Nordheim (F/N) tunneling barrier due to high-k ZrO2 in the tunneling oxide. In addition, Zr diffusion in SiO2 caused the formation of Zr x Si1- x O2 at the interface region, which reduced the energy band gap of SiO2. The retention property of the hybrid tunnel oxide varied depending on the thickness of SiO2. For thin SiO2 less than 30 Å, the retention properties of the tunneling oxides were poor compared with those of the SiO2 only tunneling oxides. However, the hybrid tunneling oxides with SiO2 thickness thicker than 40 Å yielded improved retention behavior compared with those of the SiO2-only tunneling oxides. The detailed analysis in charge density of ZrO2 was carried out by ISPP test. The obtained charge density was quite small compared to that of the total charge density, which indicates that the inserted ZrO2 layer serves as a tunneling material rather than charge storage dielectric.

Low temperature thermal ALD of a SiNx interfacial diffusion barrier and interface passivation layer on SixGe1- x(001) and SixGe1- x(110)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edmonds, Mary; Sardashti, Kasra; Wolf, Steven; Chagarov, Evgueni; Clemons, Max; Kent, Tyler; Park, Jun Hong; Tang, Kechao; McIntyre, Paul C.; Yoshida, Naomi; Dong, Lin; Holmes, Russell; Alvarez, Daniel; Kummel, Andrew C.

2017-02-01

Atomic layer deposition of a silicon rich SiNx layer on Si0.7Ge0.3(001), Si0.5Ge0.5(001), and Si0.5Ge0.5(110) surfaces has been achieved by sequential pulsing of Si2Cl6 and N2H4 precursors at a substrate temperature of 285 °C. XPS spectra show a higher binding energy shoulder peak on Si 2p indicative of SiOxNyClz bonding while Ge 2p and Ge 3d peaks show only a small amount of higher binding energy components consistent with only interfacial bonds, indicating the growth of SiOxNy on the SiGe surface with negligible subsurface reactions. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy measurements confirm that the SiNx interfacial layer forms an electrically passive surface on p-type Si0.70Ge0.30(001), Si0.50Ge0.50(110), and Si0.50Ge0.50(001) substrates as the surface Fermi level is unpinned and the electronic structure is free of states in the band gap. DFT calculations show that a Si rich a-SiO0.4N0,4 interlayer can produce lower interfacial defect density than stoichiometric a-SiO0.8N0.8, substoichiometric a-Si3N2, or stoichiometric a-Si3N4 interlayers by minimizing strain and bond breaking in the SiGe by the interlayer. Metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors devices were fabricated on p-type Si0.7Ge0.3(001) and Si0.5Ge0.5(001) substrates with and without the insertion of an ALD SiOxNy interfacial layer, and the SiOxNy layer resulted in a decrease in interface state density near midgap with a comparable Cmax value.

Tailoring the nickel nanoparticles anchored on the surface of Fe3O4@SiO2 spheres for nanocatalysis.

PubMed

Ding, Lei; Zhang, Min; Zhang, Yanwei; Yang, Jinbo; Zheng, Jing; Hayat, Tasawar; Alharbi, Njud S; Xu, Jingli

2017-08-25

Herein, we report an efficient and universal strategy for synthesizing a unique triple-shell structured Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 @C-Ni hybrid composite. Firstly, the Fe 3 O 4 cores were synthesized by hydrothermal reaction, and sequentially coated with SiO 2 and a thin layer of nickel-ion-doped resin-formaldehyde (RF-Ni 2+ ) using an extended Stöber method. This was followed by carbonization to produce the Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 @C-Ni nanocomposites with metallic nickel nanoparticles embedded in an RF-derived thin graphic carbon layer. Interestingly, the thin SiO 2 spacer layer between RF-Ni 2+ and Fe 3 O 4 plays a critical role on adjusting the size and density of the nickel nanoparticles on the surface of Fe 3 O 4 @SiO 2 nanospheres. The detailed tailoring mechanism is explicitly discussed, and it is shown that the iron oxide core can react with the nickel nanoparticles without the SiO 2 spacer layer, and the size and density of the nickel nanoparticles can be effectively controlled when the SiO 2 layer exits. The multifunctional composites exhibit a significantly enhanced catalytic performance in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP).

Evolution of insoluble eutectic Si particles in anodic oxidation films during adipic-sulfuric acid anodizing processes of ZL114A aluminum alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hua, Lei; Liu, Jian-hua; Li, Song-mei; Yu, Mei; Wang, Lei; Cui, Yong-xin

2015-03-01

The effects of insoluble eutectic Si particles on the growth of anodic oxide films on ZL114A aluminum alloy substrates were investigated by optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The anodic oxidation was performed at 25°C and a constant voltage of 15 V in a solution containing 50 g/L sulfuric acid and 10 g/L adipic acid. The thickness of the formed anodic oxidation film was approximately 7.13 μm. The interpore distance and the diameters of the major pores in the porous layer of the film were within the approximate ranges of 10-20 nm and 5-10 nm, respectively. Insoluble eutectic Si particles strongly influenced the morphology of the anodic oxidation films. The anodic oxidation films exhibited minimal defects and a uniform thickness on the ZL114A substrates; in contrast, when the front of the oxide oxidation films encountered eutectic Si particles, defects such as pits and non-uniform thickness were observed, and pits were observed in the films.

Decarburizing Annealing of Technical Alloy Fe - 3% Si

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lobanov, M. L.; Gomzikov, A. I.; Akulov, S. V.; Pyatygin, A. I.

2005-09-01

Results of a study illustrating the effect of temperature and moisture content in the atmosphere (5% H2 + 95% N2) on the removal of carbon and oxidation of the surface layer of technical alloy Fe - 3% Si (electrical anisotropic steel of the nitride-copper production variant) are presented. Variation of the concentration of silicon over the thickness of the surface layer is studied. The types of phases forming on the surface and their influence on the occurrence of the processes are determined. Annealing parameters (temperature and moisture content of the atmosphere) at which the processes of decarburization and oxidation are decelerated and even stopped are established.

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.

Investigation of atomic-layer-deposited TiO x as selective electron and hole contacts to crystalline silicon

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

Matsui, Takuya; Bivour, Martin; Ndione, Paul F.

Here, the applicability of atomic-layer-deposited titanium oxide (TiO x) thin films for the formation of carrier selective contacts to crystalline silicon (c-Si) is investigated. While relatively good electron selectivity was presented recently by other groups, we show that carrier selectivity can be engineered from electron to hole selective depending on the deposition conditions, post deposition annealing and the contact material covering the TiOx layer. For both the electron and hole contacts, an open-circuit voltage (Voc) of ~ >650 mV is obtained. The fact that the Voc is correlated with the (asymmetric) induced c-Si band bending suggests that carrier selectivity ismore » mainly governed by the effective work function and/or the fixed charge rather than by the asymmetric band offsets at the Si/TiOx interface, which provides important insight into the basic function of metal-oxide-based contact systems.« less

Investigation of atomic-layer-deposited TiO x as selective electron and hole contacts to crystalline silicon

DOE PAGES

Matsui, Takuya; Bivour, Martin; Ndione, Paul F.; ...

2017-09-21

Here, the applicability of atomic-layer-deposited titanium oxide (TiO x) thin films for the formation of carrier selective contacts to crystalline silicon (c-Si) is investigated. While relatively good electron selectivity was presented recently by other groups, we show that carrier selectivity can be engineered from electron to hole selective depending on the deposition conditions, post deposition annealing and the contact material covering the TiOx layer. For both the electron and hole contacts, an open-circuit voltage (Voc) of ~ >650 mV is obtained. The fact that the Voc is correlated with the (asymmetric) induced c-Si band bending suggests that carrier selectivity ismore » mainly governed by the effective work function and/or the fixed charge rather than by the asymmetric band offsets at the Si/TiOx interface, which provides important insight into the basic function of metal-oxide-based contact systems.« less

Enhancing the oxidation resistance of graphite by applying an SiC coat with crack healing at an elevated temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Jae-Won; Kim, Eung-Seon; Kim, Jae-Un; Kim, Yootaek; Windes, William E.

2016-08-01

The potential of reducing the oxidation of the supporting graphite components during normal and/or accident conditions in the Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) design has been studied. In this work efforts have been made to slow the oxidation process of the graphite with a thin SiC coating (∼ 10 μm). Upon heating at ≥ 1173 K in air, the spallations and cracks were formed in the dense columnar structured SiC coating layer grown on the graphite with a functionally gradient electron beam physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD. In accordance with the formations of these defects, the sample was vigorously oxidized, leaving only the SiC coating layer. Then, efforts were made to heal the surface defects using additional EB-PVD with ion beam bombardment and chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The EB-PVD did not effectively heal the cracks. But, the CVD was more appropriate for crack healing, likely due to its excellent crack line filling capability with a high density and high aspect ratio. It took ∼ 34 min for the 20% weight loss of the CVD crack healed sample in the oxidation test with annealing at 1173 K, while it took ∼ 8 min for the EB-PVD coated sample, which means it took ∼4 times longer at 1173 K for the same weight reduction in this experimental set-up.

Tantalum oxide/silicon nitride: A negatively charged surface passivation stack for silicon solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wan, Yimao; Bullock, James; Cuevas, Andres

2015-05-01

This letter reports effective passivation of crystalline silicon (c-Si) surfaces by thermal atomic layer deposited tantalum oxide (Ta2O5) underneath plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposited silicon nitride (SiNx). Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy imaging shows an approximately 2 nm thick interfacial layer between Ta2O5 and c-Si. Surface recombination velocities as low as 5.0 cm/s and 3.2 cm/s are attained on p-type 0.8 Ω.cm and n-type 1.0 Ω.cm c-Si wafers, respectively. Recombination current densities of 25 fA/cm2 and 68 fA/cm2 are measured on 150 Ω/sq boron-diffused p+ and 120 Ω/sq phosphorus-diffused n+ c-Si, respectively. Capacitance-voltage measurements reveal a negative fixed insulator charge density of -1.8 × 1012 cm-2 for the Ta2O5 film and -1.0 × 1012 cm-2 for the Ta2O5/SiNx stack. The Ta2O5/SiNx stack is demonstrated to be an excellent candidate for surface passivation of high efficiency silicon solar cells.

Structural and crystal orientation analysis of Al-Si coating on Ni-based superalloy by means of EBSD technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muslimin, A. N.; Sugiarti, E.; Aritonang, T.; Purawiardi, R. I.; Desiati, R. D.

2018-03-01

Ni-based superalloy is widely used for high performance components in power generation turbine due to its excellent mechanical properties. However, Ni-based superalloy has low oxidation resistantance. Therefore, surface coating is required to improve oxidation resistance at high temperatures. Al-Si as a coting material was successfully co-deposited on Ni-based substrate by pack cementation method at 900 °C for about 4 hours. The oxidation test was carried out at high temperature of 1000 °C for 100 hours. Micro structural characterization and analysis on crystal orientation were perfomed by using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FE-SEM) and Electron Back Scatter Diffraction (EBSD) technique, respectively. The results showed that the coating layer with a homogenous layer and had a thickness of 53 μm consisting of β-NiAl with cubic structure and Ni2Al3 with hexagonal structure. TGO layer was developed after oxidation and had a thickness of about 5 μm consisting of α-Al2O3 and spinel NiCr2O4. The phase composition map and crystal orientation acquired by EBSD technique was also discussed both in TGO and coating layers.

Fabricating with crystalline Si to improve superconducting detector performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beyer, A. D.; Hollister, M. I.; Sayers, J.; Frez, C. F.; Day, P. K.; Golwala, S. R.

2017-05-01

We built and measured radio-frequency (RF) loss tangent, tan δ, evaluation structures using float-zone quality silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers with 5 μm thick device layers. Superconducting Nb components were fabricated on both sides of the SOI Si device layer. Our main goals were to develop a robust fabrication for using crystalline Si (c-Si) dielectric layers with superconducting Nb components in a wafer bonding process and to confirm that tan δ with c-Si dielectric layers was reduced at RF frequencies compared to devices fabricated with amorphous dielectrics, such as SiO2 and SixNy, where tan δ ∼ 10-3. Our primary test structure used a Nb coplanar waveguide (CPW) readout structure capacitively coupled to LC resonators, where the capacitors were defined as parallel-plate capacitors on both sides of a c-Si device layer using a wafer bonding process with benzocyclobutene (BCB) wafer bonding adhesive. Our control experiment, to determine the intrinsic tan δ in the SOI device layer without wafer bonding, also used Nb CPW readout coupled to LC resonators; however, the parallel-plate capacitors were fabricated on both sides of the Si device layer using a deep reactive ion etch (DRIE) to access the c-Si underside through the buried oxide and handle Si layers in the SOI wafers. We found that our wafer bonded devices demonstrated F· δ = (8 ± 2) × 10-5, where F is the filling fraction of two-level states (TLS). For the control experiment, F· δ = (2.0 ± 0.6) × 10-5, and we discuss what may be degrading the performance in the wafer bonded devices as compared to the control devices.

Multilayer Article Characterized by Low Coefficient of Thermal Expansion Outer Layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Kang N. (Inventor)

2004-01-01

A multilayer article comprises a substrate comprising a ceramic or a silicon-containing metal alloy. The ceramic is a Si-containing ceramic or an oxide ceramic with or without silicon. An outer layer overlies the substrate and at least one intermediate layer is located between the outer layer and thc substrate. An optional bond layer is disposed between thc 1 least one intermediate layer and thc substrate. The at least one intermediate layer may comprise an optional chemical barrier layer adjacent the outer layer, a mullite-containing layer and an optional chemical barrier layer adjacent to the bond layer or substrate. The outer layer comprises a compound having a low coefficient of thermal expansion selected from one of the following systems: rare earth (RE) silicates; at least one of hafnia and hafnia-containing composite oxides; zirconia-containing composite oxides and combinations thereof.

Grafting cavitands on the Si(100) surface.

PubMed

Condorelli, Guglielmo G; Motta, Alessandro; Favazza, Maria; Fragalà, Ignazio L; Busi, Marco; Menozzi, Edoardo; Dalcanale, Enrico; Cristofolini, Luigi

2006-12-19

Cavitand molecules having double bond terminated alkyl chains and different bridging groups at the upper rim have been grafted on H-terminated Si(100) surface via photochemical hydrosilylation of the double bonds. Pure and mixed monolayers have been obtained from mesitylene solutions of either pure cavitand or cavitand/1-octene mixtures. Angle resolved high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy has been used as the main tool for the monolayer characterization. The cavitand decorated surface consists of Si-C bonded layers with the upper rim at the top of the layer. Grafting of pure cavitands leads to not-well-packed layers, which are not able to efficiently passivate the Si(100) surface. By contrast, monolayers obtained from cavitand/1-octene mixtures consist of well-packed layers since they prevent silicon oxidation after aging. AFM measurements showed that these monolayers have a structured topography, with objects protruding from the Si(100) surface with average heights compatible with the expected ones for cavitand molecules.

Multilayer ultra-high-temperature ceramic coatings

DOEpatents

Loehman, Ronald E [Albuquerque, NM; Corral, Erica L [Tucson, AZ

2012-03-20

A coated carbon-carbon composite material with multiple ceramic layers to provide oxidation protection from ultra-high-temperatures, where if the carbon-carbon composite material is uninhibited with B.sub.4C particles, then the first layer on the composite material is selected from ZrB.sub.2 and HfB.sub.2, onto which is coated a layer of SiC coated and if the carbon-carbon composite material is inhibited with B.sub.4C particles, then protection can be achieved with a layer of SiC and a layer of either ZrB.sub.2 and HfB.sub.2 in any order.

Methods for passivating silicon devices at low temperature to achieve low interface state density and low recombination velocity while preserving carrier lifetime

DOEpatents

Chen, Zhizhang; Rohatgi, Ajeet

1995-01-01

A new process has been developed to achieve a very low SiO.sub.x /Si interface state density D.sub.it, low recombination velocity S (<2 cm/s), and high effective carrier lifetime T.sub.eff (>5 ms) for oxides deposited on silicon substrates at low temperature. The technique involves direct plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), with appropriate growth conditions, followed by a photo-assisted rapid thermal annealing (RTA) process. Approximately 500-A-thick SiO.sub.x layers are deposited on Si by PECVD at 250.degree. C. with 0.02 W/cm.sup.-2 rf power, then covered with SiN or an evaporated thin aluminum layer, and subjected to a photo-assisted anneal in forming gas ambient at 350.degree. C., resulting in an interface state density D.sub.it in the range of about 1-4.times.10.sup.10 cm.sup.-2 eV.sup.-1, which sets a record for the lowest interface state density D.sub.it for PECVD oxides fabricated to date. Detailed analysis shows that the PECVD deposition conditions, photo-assisted anneal, forming gas ambient, and the presence of an aluminum layer on top of the oxides during the anneal, all contributed to this low value of interface state density D.sub.it. Detailed metal-oxide semiconductor analysis and model calculations show that such a low recombination velocity S is the result of moderately high positive oxide charge (5.times.10.sup.11 -1.times.10.sup.12 cm.sup.-2) and relatively low midgap interface state density (1.times.10.sup.10 -4.times.10.sup.10 cm.sup.-2 eV.sup.-1). Photo-assisted anneal was found to be superior to furnace annealing, and a forming gas ambient was better than a nitrogen ambient for achieving a very low surface recombination velocity S.

Advanced detectors and signal processing for bubble memories

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kryder, M. H.; Rasky, P. H. L.; Greve, D. W.

1985-01-01

The feasibility of combining silicon and magnetic bubble technologies is demonstrated. Results of bubble film annealing indicate that a low temperature silicon on garnet technology is the most likely one to succeed commercially. Annealing ambients are also shown to have a major effect on the magnetic properties of bubble films. Functional MOSFETs were fabricated on bubble films coated with thick (approximately 1 micron) SiO2 layers. The two main problems with these silicon on garnet MOSFETs are low electron mobilities and large gate leakage currents. Results indicate that the laser recrystallized silicon and gate oxide (SiO2) layers are contaminated. The data suggest that part of the contaminating ions originate in the sputtered oxide spacer layer and part originates in the bubble film itself. A diffusion barrier, such as silicon nitride, placed between the bubble film and the silicon layer should eliminate the contamination induced problem.

Two-Dimensional Porous Sandwich-Like C/Si-Graphene-Si/C Nanosheets for Superior Lithium Storage.

PubMed

Yao, Weiqi; Chen, Jie; Zhan, Liang; Wang, Yanli; Yang, Shubin

2017-11-15

A novel two-dimensional porous sandwich-like Si/carbon nanosheet is designed and successfully fabricated as an anode for superior lithium storage, where a porous Si nanofilm grows on the two sides of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and is then coated with a carbon layer (denoted as C/Si-rGO-Si/C). The coexistence of micropores and mesopores in C/Si-rGO-Si/C nanosheets offers a rapid Li + diffusion rate, and the porous Si provides a short pathway for electric transportation. Meanwhile, the coated carbon layer not only can promote to form a stable SEI layer, but also can improve the electric conductivity of nanoscale Si coupled with rGO. Thus, the unique nanostructures offer the resultant C/Si-rGO-Si/C electrode with high reversible capacity (1187 mA h g -1 after 200 cycles at 0.2 A g -1 ), excellent cycle stability (894 mA h g -1 after 1000 cycles at 1 A g -1 ), and high rate capability (694 mA h g -1 at 5 A g -1 , 447 mA h g -1 at 10 A g -1 ).

Transport properties of Sb doped Si nanowires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nukala, Prathyusha; Sapkota, Gopal; Gali, Pradeep; Usha, Philipose

2011-10-01

n-type Si nanowires were synthesized at ambient pressure using SiCl4 as Si source and Sb source as the dopant. Sb doping of 3-4 wt % was achieved through a post growth diffusion technique. The nanowires were found to have an amorphous oxide shell that developed post-growth; the thickness of the shell is estimated to be about 3-4 nm. The composition of the amorphous shell covering the crystalline Si core was determined by Raman spectroscopy, with evidence that the shell was an amorphous oxide layer. Optical characterization of the as-grown nanowires showed green emission, attributed to the presence of the oxide shell covering the Si nanowire core. Etching of the oxide shell was found to decrease the intensity of this green emission. A single undoped Si nanowire contacted in an FET type configuration was found to be p-type with channel mobility of 20 cm^2V-1S-1. Sb doped Si nanowires exhibited n-type behavior, compensating for the holes in the undoped nanowire. The doped nanowires had carrier mobility and concentration of 160 cm^2V-1S-1 and 9.6 x 10^18cm-3 respectively.

Study of nickel silicide formation by physical vapor deposition techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pancharatnam, Shanti

Metal silicides are used as contacts to the highly n-doped emitter in photovoltaic devices. Thin films of nickel silicide (NiSi) are of particular interest for Si-based solar cells, as they form at lower temperature and consume less silicon. However, interfacial oxide limits the reduction in sheet resistance. Hence, different diffusion barriers were investigated with regard to optimizing the conductivity and thermal stability. The formation of NiSi, and if it can be doped to have good contact with the n-side of a p-n junction were studied. Reduction of the interfacial oxide by the interfacial Ti layer to allow the formation of NiSi was observed. Silicon was treated in dilute hydrofluoric acid for removing the surface oxide layer. Ni and a Ti diffusion barrier were deposited on Si by physical vapor deposition (PVD) methods - electron beam evaporation and sputtering. The annealing temperature and time were varied to observe the stability of the deposited film. The films were then etched to observe the retention of the silicide. Characterization was done using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and Rutherford back scattering (RBS). Sheet resistance was measured using the four-point probe technique. Annealing temperatures from 300°C showed films began to agglomerate indicating some diffusion between Ni and Si in the Ti layer, also supported by the compositional analysis in the Auger spectra. Films obtained by evaporation and sputtering were of high quality in terms of coverage over substrate area and uniformity. Thicknesses of Ni and Ti were optimized to 20 nm and 10 nm respectively. Resistivity was low at these thicknesses, and reduced by about half post annealing at 300°C for 8 hours. Thus a low resistivity contact was obtained at optimized thicknesses of the metal layers. It was also shown that some silicide formation occurs at temperatures starting from 300°C and can thus be used to make good silicide contacts.

Control of Ga-oxide interlayer growth and Ga diffusion in SiO2/GaN stacks for high-quality GaN-based metal-oxide-semiconductor devices with improved gate dielectric reliability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamada, Takahiro; Watanabe, Kenta; Nozaki, Mikito; Yamada, Hisashi; Takahashi, Tokio; Shimizu, Mitsuaki; Yoshigoe, Akitaka; Hosoi, Takuji; Shimura, Takayoshi; Watanabe, Heiji

2018-01-01

A simple and feasible method for fabricating high-quality and highly reliable GaN-based metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices was developed. The direct chemical vapor deposition of SiO2 films on GaN substrates forming Ga-oxide interlayers was carried out to fabricate SiO2/GaO x /GaN stacked structures. Although well-behaved hysteresis-free GaN-MOS capacitors with extremely low interface state densities below 1010 cm-2 eV-1 were obtained by postdeposition annealing, Ga diffusion into overlying SiO2 layers severely degraded the dielectric breakdown characteristics. However, this problem was found to be solved by rapid thermal processing, leading to the superior performance of the GaN-MOS devices in terms of interface quality, insulating property, and gate dielectric reliability.

Functionalization of SiO2 Surfaces for Si Monolayer Doping with Minimal Carbon Contamination.

PubMed

van Druenen, Maart; Collins, Gillian; Glynn, Colm; O'Dwyer, Colm; Holmes, Justin D

2018-01-17

Monolayer doping (MLD) involves the functionalization of semiconductor surfaces followed by an annealing step to diffuse the dopant into the substrate. We report an alternative doping method, oxide-MLD, where ultrathin SiO 2 overlayers are functionalized with phosphonic acids for doping Si. Similar peak carrier concentrations were achieved when compared with hydrosilylated surfaces (∼2 × 10 20 atoms/cm 3 ). Oxide-MLD offers several advantages over conventional MLD, such as ease of sample processing, superior ambient stability, and minimal carbon contamination. The incorporation of an oxide layer minimizes carbon contamination by facilitating attachment of carbon-free precursors or by impeding carbon diffusion. The oxide-MLD strategy allows selection of many inexpensive precursors and therefore allows application to both p- and n-doping. The phosphonic acid-functionalized SiO 2 surfaces were investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, whereas doping was assessed using electrochemical capacitance voltage and Hall measurements.

Oxidation of atomically thin MoS2 on SiO2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, Mahito; Cullen, William; Einstein, Theodore; Fuhrer, Michael

2013-03-01

Surface oxidation of MoS2 markedly affects its electronic, optical, and tribological properties. However, oxidative reactivity of atomically thin MoS2 has yet to be addressed. Here, we investigate oxidation of atomic layers of MoS2 using atomic force microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. MoS2 is mechanically exfoliated onto SiO2 and oxidized in Ar/O2 or Ar/O3 (ozone) at 100-450 °C. MoS2 is much more reactive to O2 than an analogous atomic membrane of graphene and monolayer MoS2 is completely etched very rapidly upon O2 treatment above 300 °C. Thicker MoS2 (> 15 nm) transforms into MoO3 after oxidation at 400 °C, which is confirmed by a Raman peak at 820 cm-1. However, few-layer MoS2 oxidized below 400 °C exhibits no MoO3 Raman mode but etch pits are formed, similar to graphene. We find atomic layers of MoS2 shows larger reactivity to O3 than to O2 and monolayer MoS2 transforms chemically upon O3 treatment even below 100 °C. Work supported by the U. of Maryland NSF-MRSEC under Grant No. DMR 05-20741.

p-Type Transparent Conducting Oxide/n-Type Semiconductor Heterojunctions for Efficient and Stable Solar Water Oxidation.

PubMed

Chen, Le; Yang, Jinhui; Klaus, Shannon; Lee, Lyman J; Woods-Robinson, Rachel; Ma, Jie; Lum, Yanwei; Cooper, Jason K; Toma, Francesca M; Wang, Lin-Wang; Sharp, Ian D; Bell, Alexis T; Ager, Joel W

2015-08-05

Achieving stable operation of photoanodes used as components of solar water splitting devices is critical to realizing the promise of this renewable energy technology. It is shown that p-type transparent conducting oxides (p-TCOs) can function both as a selective hole contact and corrosion protection layer for photoanodes used in light-driven water oxidation. Using NiCo2O4 as the p-TCO and n-type Si as a prototypical light absorber, a rectifying heterojunction capable of light driven water oxidation was created. By placing the charge separating junction in the Si using a np(+) structure and by incorporating a highly active heterogeneous Ni-Fe oxygen evolution catalyst, efficient light-driven water oxidation can be achieved. In this structure, oxygen evolution under AM1.5G illumination occurs at 0.95 V vs RHE, and the current density at the reversible potential for water oxidation (1.23 V vs RHE) is >25 mA cm(-2). Stable operation was confirmed by observing a constant current density over 72 h and by sensitive measurements of corrosion products in the electrolyte. In situ Raman spectroscopy was employed to investigate structural transformation of NiCo2O4 during electrochemical oxidation. The interface between the light absorber and p-TCO is crucial to produce selective hole conduction to the surface under illumination. For example, annealing to produce more crystalline NiCo2O4 produces only small changes in its hole conductivity, while a thicker SiOx layer is formed at the n-Si/p-NiCo2O4 interface, greatly reducing the PEC performance. The generality of the p-TCO protection approach is demonstrated by multihour, stable, water oxidation with n-InP/p-NiCo2O4 heterojunction photoanodes.

Investigation of structural and electrical properties on substrate material for high frequency metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, M.; Yang, Sung-Hyun; Janardhan Reddy, K.; JagadeeshChandra, S. V.

2017-04-01

Hafnium oxide (HfO2) thin films were grown on cleaned P-type <1 0 0> Ge and Si substrates by using atomic layer deposition technique (ALD) with thickness of 8 nm. The composition analysis of as-deposited and annealed HfO2 films was characterized by XPS, further electrical measurements; we fabricated the metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices with Pt electrode. Post deposition annealing in O2 ambient at 500 °C for 30 min was carried out on both Ge and Si devices. Capacitance-voltage (C-V) and conductance-voltage (G-V) curves measured at 1 MHz. The Ge MOS devices showed improved interfacial and electrical properties, high dielectric constant (~19), smaller EOT value (0.7 nm), and smaller D it value as Si MOS devices. The C-V curves shown significantly high accumulation capacitance values from Ge devices, relatively when compare with the Si MOS devices before and after annealing. It could be due to the presence of very thin interfacial layer at HfO2/Ge stacks than HfO2/Si stacks conformed by the HRTEM images. Besides, from current-voltage (I-V) curves of the Ge devices exhibited similar leakage current as Si devices. Therefore, Ge might be a reliable substrate material for structural, electrical and high frequency applications.

Interface traps contribution on transport mechanisms under illumination in metal-oxide-semiconductor structures based on silicon nanocrystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chatbouri, S.; Troudi, M.; Kalboussi, A.; Souifi, A.

2018-02-01

The transport phenomena in metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) structures having silicon nanocrystals (Si-NCs) inside the dielectric layer have been investigated, in dark condition and under visible illumination. At first, using deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS), we find the presence of series electron traps having very close energy levels (comprised between 0.28 and 0.45 eV) for ours devices (with/without Si-NCs). And a single peak appears at low temperature only for MOS with Si-NCs related to Si-NCs DLTS response. In dark condition, the conduction mechanism is dominated by the thermionic fast emission/capture of charge carriers from the highly doped polysilicon layer to Si-substrate through interface trap states for MOS without Si-NCs. The tunneling of charge carriers from highly poly-Si to Si substrate trough the trapping/detrapping mechanism in the Si-NCs, at low temperature, contributed to the conduction mechanism for MOS with Si-NCs. The light effect on transport mechanisms has been investigated using current-voltage ( I- V), and high frequency capacitance-voltage ( C- V) methods. We have been marked the photoactive trap effect in inversion zone at room temperature in I- V characteristics, which confirm the contribution of photo-generated charge on the transport mechanisms from highly poly-Si to Si substrate trough the photo-trapping/detrapping mechanism in the Si-NCs and interfaces traps levels. These results have been confirmed by an increasing about 10 pF in capacity's values for the C- V characteristics of MOS with Si-NCs, in the inversion region for inverse high voltage applied under photoexcitation at low temperature. These results are helpful to understand the principle of charge transport in dark condition and under illumination, of MOS structures having Si-NCs in the SiO x = 1.5 oxide matrix.

Large Reduction of Hot Spot Temperature in Graphene Electronic Devices with Heat-Spreading Hexagonal Boron Nitride.

PubMed

Choi, David; Poudel, Nirakar; Park, Saungeun; Akinwande, Deji; Cronin, Stephen B; Watanabe, Kenji; Taniguchi, Takashi; Yao, Zhen; Shi, Li

2018-04-04

Scanning thermal microscopy measurements reveal a significant thermal benefit of including a high thermal conductivity hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) heat-spreading layer between graphene and either a SiO 2 /Si substrate or a 100 μm thick Corning flexible Willow glass (WG) substrate. At the same power density, an 80 nm thick h-BN layer on the silicon substrate can yield a factor of 2.2 reduction of the hot spot temperature, whereas a 35 nm thick h-BN layer on the WG substrate is sufficient to obtain a factor of 4.1 reduction. The larger effect of the h-BN heat spreader on WG than on SiO 2 /Si is attributed to a smaller effective heat transfer coefficient per unit area for three-dimensional heat conduction into the thick, low-thermal conductivity WG substrate than for one-dimensional heat conduction through the thin oxide layer on silicon. Consequently, the h-BN lateral heat-spreading length is much larger on WG than on SiO 2 /Si, resulting in a larger degree of temperature reduction.

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

Ok, Kyung-Chul; Park, Jin-Seong, E-mail: hkim-2@naver.com, E-mail: jsparklime@hanyang.ac.kr; Ko Park, Sang-Hee

We demonstrated the fabrication of flexible amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide thin-film transistors (TFTs) on high-temperature polyimide (PI) substrates, which were debonded from the carrier glass after TFT fabrication. The application of appropriate buffer layers on the PI substrates affected the TFT performance and stability. The adoption of the SiN{sub x}/AlO{sub x} buffer layers as water and hydrogen diffusion barriers significantly improved the device performance and stability against the thermal annealing and negative bias stress, compared to single SiN{sub x} or SiO{sub x} buffer layers. The substrates could be bent down to a radius of curvature of 15 mm and themore » devices remained normally functional.« less

Dislocation-free strained silicon-on-silicon by in-place bonding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cohen, G. M.; Mooney, P. M.; Paruchuri, V. K.; Hovel, H. J.

2005-06-01

In-place bonding is a technique where silicon-on-insulator (SOI) slabs are bonded by hydrophobic attraction to the underlying silicon substrate when the buried oxide is undercut in dilute HF. The bonding between the exposed surfaces of the SOI slab and the substrate propagates simultaneously with the buried oxide etching. As a result, the slabs maintain their registration and are referred to as "bonded in-place". We report the fabrication of dislocation-free strained silicon slabs from pseudomorphic trilayer Si/SiGe/SOI by in-place bonding. Removal of the buried oxide allows the compressively strained SiGe film to relax elastically and induce tensile strain in the top and bottom silicon films. The slabs remain bonded to the substrate by van der Waals forces when the wafer is dried. Subsequent annealing forms a covalent bond such that when the upper Si and the SiGe layer are removed, the bonded silicon slab remains strained.

Low temperature wafer-level bonding for hermetic packaging of 3D microsystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, C. S.; Fan, J.; Lim, D. F.; Chong, G. Y.; Li, K. H.

2011-07-01

Metallic copper-copper (Cu-Cu) thermo-compression bonding, oxide-oxide (SiO2-SiO2) fusion bonding and silicon-silicon (Si-Si) direct bonding are investigated for potential application as hermetic seal in 3D microsystem packaging. Cavities are etched to a volume of 1.4 × 10-3 cm3 in accordance with the MIL-STD-883E standard prescribed for microelectronics packaging. In the case of metal bonding, a clean Cu layer with a thickness of 300 nm and a Ti barrier layer with an underlying thickness of 50 nm are used. The wafer pair is bonded at 300 °C under the application of a bonding force of 5500 N for 1 h. On the other hand, Si-Si bonding and SiO2-SiO2 bonding are initiated at room ambient after surface activation, followed by annealing in inert ambient at 300 °C for 1 h. The bonded cavities are stored in a helium bomb chamber and the leak rate is measured with a mass spectrometer. An excellent helium leak rate below 5 × 10-9 atm cm3 s-1 is detected for all cases and this is at least ten times better than the reject limit.

Three-dimensional imaging for precise structural control of Si quantum dot networks for all-Si solar cells.

PubMed

Kourkoutis, Lena F; Hao, Xiaojing; Huang, Shujuan; Puthen-Veettil, Binesh; Conibeer, Gavin; Green, Martin A; Perez-Wurfl, Ivan

2013-08-21

All-Si tandem solar cells based on Si quantum dots (QDs) are a promising approach to future high-performance, thin film solar cells using abundant, stable and non-toxic materials. An important prerequisite to achieve a high conversion efficiency in such cells is the ability to control the geometry of the Si QD network. This includes the ability to control both, the size and arrangement of Si QDs embedded in a higher bandgap matrix. Using plasmon tomography we show the size, shape and density of Si QDs, that form in Si rich oxide (SRO)/SiO2 multilayers upon annealing, can be controlled by varying the SRO stoichiometry. Smaller, more spherical QDs of higher densities are obtained at lower Si concentrations. In richer SRO layers ellipsoidal QDs tend to form. Using electronic structure calculations within the effective mass approximation we show that ellipsoidal QDs give rise to reduced inter-QD coupling in the layer. Efficient carrier transport via mini-bands is in this case more likely across the multilayers provided the SiO2 spacer layer is thin enough to allow coupling in the vertical direction.

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

Dumpala, Ravikumar; Nano Functional Materials Technology Centre, Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036; Kumar, N.

Tribo-layer formation and frictional characteristics of the SiC ball were studied with the sliding test against nanocrystalline diamond coating under atmospheric test conditions. Unsteady friction coefficients in the range of 0.04 to 0.1 were observed during the tribo-test. Friction and wear characteristics were found to be influenced by the formation of cohesive tribo-layer (thickness ∼ 1.3 μm) in the wear track of nanocrystalline diamond coating. Hardness of the tribo-layer was measured using nanoindentation technique and low hardness of ∼ 1.2 GPa was observed. The presence of silicon and oxygen in the tribo-layer was noticed by the energy dispersive spectroscopy mappingmore » and the chemical states of the silicon were analyzed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Large amount of oxygen content in the tribo-layer indicated tribo-oxidation wear mechanism. - Highlights: • Sliding wear and friction characteristics of SiC were studied against NCD coating. • Silicon oxide tribo-layer formation was observed in the NCD coating wear track. • Low hardness 1.2 GPa of tribo-layer was measured using nanoindentation technique. • Chemical states of silicon were analyzed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.« less

Buried oxide and defects in oxygen implanted Si monitored by positron annihilation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kruseman, A. C.; van Veen, A.; Schut, H.; Mijnarends, P. E.; Fujinami, M.

2001-08-01

One- and two-detector Doppler broadening measurements performed on low (˜1014 to 1015O+/cm2) and high dose (˜1017 to 1018O+/cm2) oxygen-irradiated Si using variable-energy slow positrons are analyzed in terms of S and W parameters. After annealing the low-dose samples at 800 °C, large VxOy complexes are formed at depths around 400 nm. These complexes produce a clear-cut signature when the ratio of S to that of defect-free bulk Si is plotted. Similar behavior is found for samples irradiated with 2 and 4×1017O+/cm2 and annealed at 1000 °C. After irradiation with 1.7×1018O+/cm2 and anneal at 1350 °C a 170 nm thick almost-bulk-quality Si surface layer is formed on top of a 430 nm thick buried oxide layer. This method of preparation is called separation by implantation of oxygen. S-W measurements show that the surface layer contains electrically inactive VxOy complexes not seen by electron microscopy. A method is presented to decompose the Doppler broadening line shape into contributions of the bulk, surface, and defect.

Oxidation resistance, thermal conductivity, and spectral emittance of fully dense zirconium diboride with silicon carbide and tantalum diboride additives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Laningham, Gregg Thomas

Zirconium diboride (ZrB2) is a ceramic material possessing ultra-high melting temperatures. As such, this compound could be useful in the construction of thermal protection systems for aerospace applications. This work addresses a primary shortcoming of this material, namely its propensity to destructively oxidize at high temperatures, as well as secondary issues concerning its heat transport properties. To characterize and improve oxidation properties, thermogravimetric studies were performed using a specially constructed experimental setup. ZrB 2-SiC two-phase ceramic composites were isothermally oxidized for ~90 min in flowing air in the range 1500-1900°C. Specimens with 30 mol% SiC formed distinctive reaction product layers which were highly protective; 28 mol% SiC - 6 mol% TaB2 performed similarly. At higher temperatures, specimens containing lower amounts of SiC were shown to be non-protective, whereas specimens containing greater amounts of SiC produced unstable oxide layers due to gas evolution. Oxide coating thicknesses calculated from weight loss data were consistent with those measured from SEM micrographs. In order to characterize one aspect of the materials' heat transport properties, the thermal diffusivities of ZrB2-SiC composites were measured using the laser flash technique. These were converted to thermal conductivities using temperature dependent specific heat and density data; thermal conductivity decreased with increasing temperature over the range 25-2000°C. The composition with the highest SiC content showed the highest thermal conductivity at room temperature, but the lowest at temperatures in excess of ~400°C, because of the greater temperature sensitivity of the thermal conductivity of the SiC phase, as compared to more electrically-conductive ZrB2. Subsequent finite difference calculations were good predictors of multi-phase thermal conductvities for the compositions examined. The thermal conductivities of pure ZrB2 as a function of temperature were back-calculated from the experimental results for the multi-phase materials, and literature thermal conductivities of the other two phases. This established a relatively constant thermal conductivity of 88-104 W·K over the evaluated temperature range. Further heat transport characterization was performed using pre-oxidized, directly resistively heated ZrB2-30 mol% SiC ribbon specimens under the observation of a spectral radiometer. The ribbons were heated and held at specific temperatures over the range 1100-1330°C in flowing Ar, and normal spectral emittance values were recorded over the 1-6 μm range with a resolution of 10 nm. The normal spectral emittance was shown to decrease with loss of the borosilicate layer over the course of the data collection time periods. This change was measured and compensated for to produce traces showing the emittance of the oxidized composition rising from ~0.7 to ~0.9 over the range of wavelengths measured (1-6 μm).

Ellipsometric study of Al2O3/Ag/Si and SiO2/Ag/quartz ashed in an oxygen plasma. [protective coatings to prevent degradation of materials in low earth orbits

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

De, Bhola N.; Woollam, John A.

1989-01-01

The growth of silver oxide (proposed as a potentially useful protective coating for space environment) on a silver mirror coated with an Al2O3 or a SiO2 protective layer was investigated using the monolayer-sensitive variable angle of incidence spectroscopic ellipsometry technique. The samples were exposed to a pure oxygen plasma in a plasma asher, and the silver oxide growth was monitored as a function of the exposure time. It was found that atomic oxygen in the asher penetrated through the SiO2 or Al2O3 coatings to convert the silver underneath to silver oxide, and that the quantity of the silver oxide formed was proportional to the ashing time. The band gap of silver oxide was determined to be 1.3 eV. A schematic diagram of the variable angle of incidence spectroscopic ellipsometer is included.

Copper oxide/N-silicon heterojunction photovoltaic device

DOEpatents

Feng, Tom; Ghosh, Amal K.

1982-01-01

A photovoltaic device having characteristics of a high efficiency solar cell comprising a Cu.sub.x O/n-Si heterojunction. The Cu.sub.x O layer is formed by heating a deposited copper layer in an oxygen containing ambient.

Influence of Passivation Layers for Metal Grating-Based Quantum Well Infrared Photodetectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Dong; Fu, Yong-Qi; Yang, Le-Chen; Zhang, Bao-Shun; Li, Hai-Jun; Fu, Kai; Xiong, Min

2012-06-01

To improve absorption of quantum well infrared photodetectors (QWIPs), a coupling layer with metallic grating is designed and fabricated above the quantum well. The metal grating is composed of 100 nm Au film on top, and a 20-nm Ti thin layer between the Au film and the sapphire substrate is coated as an adhesion/buffer layer. To protect the photodetector from oxidation and to decrease leakage, a SiO2 film is deposited by means of plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. A value of about 800 nm is an optimized thickness for the SiO2 applied in the metallic grating-based mid-infrared QWIP. In addition, a QWIP passivation layer is studied experimentally. The results demonstrate that the contribution from the layer is positive for metal grating coupling with the quantum well. The closer the permittivity of the two dielectric layers (SiO2 and the passivation layers), and the closer the two transmission peaks, the greater the QWIP enhancement will be.

Multi-layer MOS capacitor based polarization insensitive electro-optic intensity modulator.

PubMed

Qiu, Xiaoming; Ruan, Xiaoke; Li, Yanping; Zhang, Fan

2018-05-28

In this study, a multi-layer metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitor (MLMOSC) polarization insensitive modulator is proposed. The design is validated by numerical simulation with commercial software LUMERICAL SOLUTION. Based on the epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) effect of indium tin oxide (ITO), the device manages to uniformly modulate both the transverse electric (TE) and the transverse magnetic (TM) modes. With a 20μm-long double-layer metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitor (DLMOSC) polarization insensitive modulator, in which two metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) structures are formed by the n-doped Si/HfO 2 /ITO/HfO 2 / n-doped Si stack, the extinction ratios (ERs) of both the TE and the TM modes can be over 20dB. The polarization dependent losses of the device can be as low as 0.05dB for the "OFF" state and 0.004dB for the "ON" state. Within 1dB polarization dependent loss, the device can operate with over 20dB ERs at the S, C, and L bands. The polarization insensitive modulator offers various merits including ultra-compact size, broadband spectrum, and complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) compatibility.

Electrical and Optical Characterization of Sputtered Silicon Dioxide, Indium Tin Oxide, and Silicon Dioxide/Indium Tin Oxide Antireflection Coating on Single-Junction GaAs Solar Cells

PubMed Central

Ho, Wen-Jeng; Lin, Jian-Cheng; Liu, Jheng-Jie; Bai, Wen-Bin; Shiao, Hung-Pin

2017-01-01

This study characterized the electrical and optical properties of single-junction GaAs solar cells coated with antireflective layers of silicon dioxide (SiO2), indium tin oxide (ITO), and a hybrid layer of SiO2/ITO applied using Radio frequency (RF) sputtering. The conductivity and transparency of the ITO film were characterized prior to application on GaAs cells. Reverse saturation-current and ideality factor were used to evaluate the passivation performance of the various coatings on GaAs solar cells. Optical reflectance and external quantum efficiency response were used to evaluate the antireflective performance of the coatings. Photovoltaic current-voltage measurements were used to confirm the efficiency enhancement obtained by the presence of the anti-reflective coatings. The conversion efficiency of the GaAs cells with an ITO antireflective coating (23.52%) exceeded that of cells with a SiO2 antireflective coating (21.92%). Due to lower series resistance and higher short-circuit current-density, the carrier collection of the GaAs cell with ITO coating exceeded that of the cell with a SiO2/ITO coating. PMID:28773063

Revealing the semiconductor–catalyst interface in buried platinum black silicon photocathodes

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

Aguiar, Jeffery A.; Anderson, Nicholas C.; Neale, Nathan R.

2016-01-01

Nanoporous 'black' silicon semiconductors interfaced with buried platinum nanoparticle catalysts have exhibited stable activity for photoelectrochemical hydrogen evolution even after months of exposure to ambient conditions. The mechanism behind this stability has not been explained in detail, but is thought to involve a Pt/Si interface free from SiOx layer that would adversely affect interfacial charge transfer kinetics. In this paper, we resolve the chemical composition and structure of buried Pt/Si interfaces in black silicon photocathodes from a micron to sub-nanometer level using aberration corrected analytical scanning transmission electron microscopy. Through a controlled electrodeposition of copper on samples aged for onemore » month in ambient conditions, we demonstrate that the main active catalytic sites are the buried Pt nanoparticles located below the 400-800 nm thick nanoporous SiOx layer. Though hydrogen production performance degrades over 100 h under photoelectrochemical operating conditions, this burying strategy preserves an atomically clean catalyst/Si interface free of oxide or other phases under air exposure and provides an example of a potential method for stabilizing silicon photoelectrodes from oxidative degradation in photoelectrochemical applications.« less

He + and Ar + bombardment induced chemical changes in CrOSi layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bertóti, I.; Tóth, A.; Mohai, M.; Kelly, R.; Marletta, G.

1996-08-01

The effects of 2 keV He + and Ar + bombardment on the surface composition and on the short range chemical structure of sputter deposited amorphous CrOSi layers (with approx. 1 : 1 : 1 atomic ratio) have been studied by XPS. It was found that Ar + bombardment causes an essentially complete reduction of chromium to metallic state (Cr 0) whereas it was partly oxidized in the as-received sample. At the same time about 30% of the oxidized silicon is converted to Si 0 which is stabilized by forming SiCr bonds. He + bombardment, on the contrary, leads to the disruption of SiCr bonds formed by the preceding Ar + bombardment, converting Cr 0 and Si 0 essentially to Cr 3+O, Cr 4+O and Si 4+O, and, at the same time raises the surface oxygen concentration up to three times of the nominal bulk value. The observed transformations are discussed, in connection with the great differences in energy deposition, in terms of direct energy transfer and of ion induced diffusion, together with a significant contribution from thermodynamic driving forces.

Silicon oxidation in fluoride solutions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sancier, K. M.; Kapur, V.

1980-01-01

Silicon is produced in a NaF, Na2SiF6, and Na matrix when SiF4 is reduced by metallic sodium. Hydrogen is evolved during acid leaching to separate the silicon from the accompanying reaction products, NaF and Na2SiF6. The hydrogen evolution reaction was studied under conditions simulating leaching conditions by making suspensions of the dry silicon powder in aqueous fluoride solutions. The mechanism for the hydrogen evolution is discussed in terms of spontaneous oxidation of silicon resulting from the cooperative effects of (1) elemental sodium in the silicon that reacts with water to remove a protective silica layer, leaving clean reactive silicon, and (2) fluoride in solution that complexes with the oxidized silicon in solution and retards formation of a protective hydrous oxide gel.

Oxidation behaviour and electrical properties of cobalt/cerium oxide composite coatings for solid oxide fuel cell interconnects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harthøj, Anders; Holt, Tobias; Møller, Per

2015-05-01

This work evaluates the performance of cobalt/cerium oxide (Co/CeO2) composite coatings and pure Co coatings to be used for solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) interconnects. The coatings are electroplated on the ferritic stainless steels Crofer 22 APU and Crofer 22H. Coated and uncoated samples are exposed in air at 800 °C for 3000 h and oxidation rates are measured and oxide scale microstructures are investigated. Area-specific resistances (ASR) in air at 850 °C of coated and uncoated samples are also measured. A dual layered oxide scale formed on all coated samples. The outer layer consisted of Co, Mn, Fe and Cr oxide and the inner layer consisted of Cr oxide. The CeO2 was present as discrete particles in the outer oxide layer after exposure. The Cr oxide layer thicknesses and oxidations rates were significantly reduced for Co/CeO2 coated samples compared to for Co coated and uncoated samples. The ASR of all Crofer 22H samples increased significantly faster than of Crofer 22 APU samples which was likely due to the presence of SiO2 in the oxide/metal interface of Crofer 22H.

Heat- and electron-beam-induced transport of gold particles into silicon oxide and silicon studied by in situ high-resolution transmission electron microscopy.

PubMed

Biskupek, Johannes; Kaiser, Ute; Falk, Fritz

2008-06-01

In this study, we describe the transport of gold (Au) nanoparticles from the surface into crystalline silicon (Si) covered by silicon oxide (SiO(2)) as revealed by in situ high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Complete crystalline Au nanoparticles sink through the SiO(2) layer into the Si substrate when high-dose electron irradiation is applied and temperature is raised above 150 degrees C. Above temperatures of 250 degrees C, the Au nanoparticles finally dissolve into fragments accompanied by crystallization of the amorphized Si substrate around these fragments. The transport process is explained by a wetting process followed by Stokes motion. Modelling this process yields boundaries for the interface energies involved.

High Efficiency Organic/Silicon-Nanowire Hybrid Solar Cells: Significance of Strong Inversion Layer

PubMed Central

Yu, Xuegong; Shen, Xinlei; Mu, Xinhui; Zhang, Jie; Sun, Baoquan; Zeng, Lingsheng; Yang, Lifei; Wu, Yichao; He, Hang; Yang, Deren

2015-01-01

Organic/silicon nanowires (SiNWs) hybrid solar cells have recently been recognized as one of potentially low-cost candidates for photovoltaic application. Here, we have controllably prepared a series of uniform silicon nanowires (SiNWs) with various diameters on silicon substrate by metal-assisted chemical etching followed by thermal oxidization, and then fabricated the organic/SiNWs hybrid solar cells with poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS). It is found that the reflective index of SiNWs layer for sunlight depends on the filling ratio of SiNWs. Compared to the SiNWs with the lowest reflectivity (LR-SiNWs), the solar cell based on the SiNWs with low filling ratio (LF-SiNWs) has a higher open-circuit voltage and fill factor. The capacitance-voltage measurements have clarified that the built-in potential barrier at the LF-SiNWs/PEDOT:PSS interface is much larger than that at the LR-SiNWs/PEDOT one, which yields a strong inversion layer generating near the silicon surface. The formation of inversion layer can effectively suppress the carrier recombination, reducing the leakage current of solar cell, and meanwhile transfer the LF-SiNWs/PEDOT:PSS device into a p-n junction. As a result, a highest efficiency of 13.11% is achieved for the LF-SiNWs/PEDOT:PSS solar cell. These results pave a way to the fabrication of high efficiency organic/SiNWs hybrid solar cells. PMID:26610848

High Efficiency Organic/Silicon-Nanowire Hybrid Solar Cells: Significance of Strong Inversion Layer.

PubMed

Yu, Xuegong; Shen, Xinlei; Mu, Xinhui; Zhang, Jie; Sun, Baoquan; Zeng, Lingsheng; Yang, Lifei; Wu, Yichao; He, Hang; Yang, Deren

2015-11-27

Organic/silicon nanowires (SiNWs) hybrid solar cells have recently been recognized as one of potentially low-cost candidates for photovoltaic application. Here, we have controllably prepared a series of uniform silicon nanowires (SiNWs) with various diameters on silicon substrate by metal-assisted chemical etching followed by thermal oxidization, and then fabricated the organic/SiNWs hybrid solar cells with poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrenesulfonate) ( PSS). It is found that the reflective index of SiNWs layer for sunlight depends on the filling ratio of SiNWs. Compared to the SiNWs with the lowest reflectivity (LR-SiNWs), the solar cell based on the SiNWs with low filling ratio (LF-SiNWs) has a higher open-circuit voltage and fill factor. The capacitance-voltage measurements have clarified that the built-in potential barrier at the LF-SiNWs/ PSS interface is much larger than that at the LR-SiNWs/PEDOT one, which yields a strong inversion layer generating near the silicon surface. The formation of inversion layer can effectively suppress the carrier recombination, reducing the leakage current of solar cell, and meanwhile transfer the LF-SiNWs/ PSS device into a p-n junction. As a result, a highest efficiency of 13.11% is achieved for the LF-SiNWs/ PSS solar cell. These results pave a way to the fabrication of high efficiency organic/SiNWs hybrid solar cells.

Ultrathin silicon oxynitride layer on GaN for dangling-bond-free GaN/insulator interface.

PubMed

Nishio, Kengo; Yayama, Tomoe; Miyazaki, Takehide; Taoka, Noriyuki; Shimizu, Mitsuaki

2018-01-23

Despite the scientific and technological importance of removing interface dangling bonds, even an ideal model of a dangling-bond-free interface between GaN and an insulator has not been known. The formation of an atomically thin ordered buffer layer between crystalline GaN and amorphous SiO 2 would be a key to synthesize a dangling-bond-free GaN/SiO 2 interface. Here, we predict that a silicon oxynitride (Si 4 O 5 N 3 ) layer can epitaxially grow on a GaN(0001) surface without creating dangling bonds at the interface. Our ab initio calculations show that the GaN/Si 4 O 5 N 3 structure is more stable than silicon-oxide-terminated GaN(0001) surfaces. The electronic properties of the GaN/Si 4 O 5 N 3 structure can be tuned by modifying the chemical components near the interface. We also propose a possible approach to experimentally synthesize the GaN/Si 4 O 5 N 3 structure.

Hot Corrosion Behavior of Stainless Steel with Al-Si/Al-Si-Cr Coating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Guangyan; Wu, Yongzhao; Liu, Qun; Li, Rongguang; Su, Yong

2017-03-01

The 1Cr18Ni9Ti stainless steel with Al-Si/Al-Si-Cr coatings is prepared by slurry process and vacuum diffusion, and the hot corrosion behavior of the stainless steel with/without the coatings is studied under the condition of Na2SO4 film at 950 °C in air. Results show that the corrosion kinetics of stainless steel, the stainless steel with Al-Si coating and the stainless steel with Al-Si-Cr coating follow parabolic laws in several segments. After 24 h corrosion, the sequence of the mass gain for the three alloys is the stainless steel with Al-Si-Cr coating < the stainless steel with Al-Si coating < the stainless steel without any coating. The corrosion products of the three alloys are layered. Thereinto, the corrosion products of stainless steel without coating are divided into two layers, where the outside layer contains a composite of Fe2O3 and FeO, and the inner layer is Cr2O3. The corrosion products of the stainless steel with Al-Si coating are also divided into two layers, of which the outside layer mainly consists of Cr2O3, and the inner layer is mainly SiO2. The corrosion film of the stainless steel with Al-Si-Cr coating is thin and dense, which combines well with substrate. Thereinto, the outside layer is mainly Cr2O3, and the inside layer is Al2O3. In the matrix of all of the three alloys, there exist small amount of sulfides. Continuous and protective films of Cr2O3, SiO2 and Al2O3 form on the surface of the stainless steel with Al-Si and Al-Si-Cr coatings, which prevent further oxidation or sulfide corrosion of matrix metals, and this is the main reason for the much smaller mass gain of the two alloys than that of the stainless steel without any coatings in the 24 h hot corrosion process.

Fabrication and characterization of iron oxide dextran composite layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iconaru, S. L.; Predoi, S. A.; Beuran, M.; Ciobanu, C. S.; Trusca, R.; Ghita, R.; Negoi, I.; Teleanu, G.; Turculet, S. C.; Matei, M.; Badea, Monica; Prodan, A. M.

2018-02-01

Super paramagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles such as maghemite have been shown to exhibit antimicrobial properties [1-5]. Moreover, the iron oxide nanoparticles have been proposed as a potential magnetically controllable antimicrobial agent which could be directed to a specific infection [3-5]. The present research has focused on studies of the surface and structure of iron oxide dextran (D-IO) composite layers surface and structure. These composite layers were deposited on Si substrates. The structure of iron oxide dextran composite layers was investigated by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) while the surface morphology was evaluated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The structural characterizations of the iron oxide dextran composite layers revealed the basic constituents of both iron and dextran structure. Furthermore, the in vitro evaluation of the antifungal effect of the complex layers, which have been shown revealed to be active against C. albicans cells at distinct intervals of time, is exhibited. Our research came to confirm the fungicidal effect of iron oxide dextran composite layers. Also, our results suggest that iron oxide dextran surface may be used for medical treatment of biofilm associated Candida infections.

Influence of Minor Alloying Elements on Selective Oxidation and Reactive Wetting of CMnSi TRIP Steel during Hot Dip Galvanizing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cho, Lawrence; Kim, Myung Soo; Kim, Young Ha; De Cooman, Bruno C.

2014-09-01

The influence of the addition of minor alloying elements on the selective oxidation and the reactive wetting of CMnSi transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) steels was studied by means of galvanizing simulator tests. Five TRIP steels containing small alloying additions of Cr, Ni, Ti, Cu, and Sn were investigated. After intercritical annealing (IA) at 1093 K (820 °C) in a N2 + 5 pct H2 gas atmosphere with a dew point of 213 K (-60 °C), two types of oxides were formed on the strip surface: Mn-rich xMnO·SiO2 ( x > 1.5) and Si-rich xMnO·SiO2 ( x < 0.3) oxides. The addition of the minor alloying elements changed the morphology of the Si-rich oxides from a continuous film to discrete islands and this improved the wettability by molten Zn. The improved wetting effect of the minor alloying elements was attributed to an increased area fraction of the surface where the oxides were thinner, enabling a direct unhindered reaction between Fe and the Al in the liquid Zn and the formation of the inhibition layer during the hot dip galvanizing. The addition of a small amount of Sn is shown to significantly decrease the density of Zn-coating defects on CMnSi TRIP steels.

Characterization of Interface State in Silicon Carbide Metal Oxide Semiconductor Capacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kao, Wei-Chieh

Silicon carbide (SiC) has always been considered as an excellent material for high temperature and high power devices. Since SiC is the only compound semiconductor whose native oxide is silicon dioxide (SiO2), it puts SiC in a unique position. Although SiC metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) technology has made significant progress in recent years, there are still a number of issues to be overcome before more commercial SiC devices can enter the market. The prevailing issues surrounding SiC MOSFET devices are the low channel mobility, the low quality of the oxide layer and the high interface state density at the SiC/SiO2 interface. Consequently, there is a need for research to be performed in order to have a better understanding of the factors causing the poor SiC/SiO2 interface properties. In this work, we investigated the generation lifetime in SiC materials by using the pulsed metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) capacitor method and measured the interface state density distribution at the SiC/SiO2 interface by using the conductance measurement and the high-low frequency capacitance technique. These measurement techniques have been performed on n-type and p-type SiC MOS capacitors. In the course of our investigation, we observed fast interface states at semiconductor-dielectric interfaces in SiC MOS capacitors that underwent three different interface passivation processes, such states were detected in the nitrided samples but not observed in PSG-passivated samples. This result indicate that the lack of fast states at PSG-passivated interface is one of the main reasons for higher channel mobility in PSG MOSFETs. In addition, the effect of mobile ions in the oxide on the response time of interface states has been investigated. In the last chapter we propose additional methods of investigation that can help elucidate the origin of the particular interface states, enabling a more complete understanding of the SiC/SiO2 material system.

GeO{sub 2}/Ge structure submitted to annealing in deuterium: Incorporation pathways and associated oxide modifications

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

Bom, N. M., E-mail: nicolau.bom@ufrgs.br; Soares, G. V.; Hartmann, S.

2014-10-06

Deuterium (D) incorporation in GeO{sub 2}/Ge structures following D{sub 2} annealing was investigated. Higher D concentrations were obtained for GeO{sub 2}/Ge samples in comparison to their SiO{sub 2}/Si counterparts annealed in the same conditions. Oxygen vacancies produced during the annealing step in D{sub 2} constitute defect sites for D incorporation, analogous to defects at the SiO{sub 2}/Si interfacial region. Besides D incorporation, volatilization of the oxide layer is also observed as a consequence of D{sub 2} annealing, especially in the high temperature regime of the present study (>450 °C). In parallel to this volatilization, the stoichiometry and chemical structure of remnantmore » oxide are modified as well. These results evidence the broader impact of forming gas annealing in dielectric/Ge structures with respect to SiO{sub 2}/Si counterparts.« less

Strain relaxation in single crystal SrTiO3 grown on Si (001) by molecular beam epitaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Miri; Posadas, Agham; Dargis, Rytis; Shih, Chih-Kang; Demkov, Alexander A.; Triyoso, Dina H.; David Theodore, N.; Dubourdieu, Catherine; Bruley, John; Jordan-Sweet, Jean

2012-03-01

An epitaxial layer of SrTiO3 grown directly on Si may be used as a pseudo-substrate for the integration of perovskite oxides onto silicon. When SrTiO3 is initially grown on Si (001), it is nominally compressively strained. However, by subsequent annealing in oxygen at elevated temperature, an SiOx interlayer can be formed which alters the strain state of SrTiO3. We report a study of strain relaxation in SrTiO3 films grown on Si by molecular beam epitaxy as a function of annealing time and oxygen partial pressure. Using a combination of x-ray diffraction, reflection high energy electron diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy, we describe the process of interfacial oxidation and strain relaxation of SrTiO3 on Si (001). Understanding the process of strain relaxation of SrTiO3 on silicon will be useful for controlling the SrTiO3 lattice constant for lattice matching with functional oxide overlayers.

Structural enhancement of ZnO on SiO2 for photonic applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruth, Marcel; Meier, Cedrik

2013-07-01

Multi-layer thin films are often the basis of photonic devices. Zinc oxide (ZnO) with its excellent optoelectronic properties can serve as a high quality emitter in structures like microdisks or photonic crystals. Here, we present a detailed study on the enhancement of the structural properties of low-temperature MBE grown ZnO on silica (SiO2). By thermal annealing a grain coalescence of the initially polycrystalline layer leads to an enhancement of the electronic structure, indicated by a blue shift of the photoluminescence (PL) signal maximum. Oxygen atmosphere during the annealing process prevents the creation of intrinsic defects by out-diffusion. Pre-annealing deposited SiO2 capping layers instead obstruct the recrystallization and lead to less intense emission. While thin capping layers partially detach from the ZnO film at high temperatures and cause higher surface roughness and the weakest emission, thicker layers remain smoother and exhibit a significantly stronger photoluminescence.

A simplified biomolecule attachment strategy for biosensing using a porous Si oxide interferometer

PubMed Central

Perelman, Loren A.; Schwartz, Michael P.; Wohlrab, Aaron M.; VanNieuwenhze, Michael S.; Sailor, Michael J.

2008-01-01

A simple strategy for linking biomolecules to porous Si surfaces and detecting peptide/drug binding is described. Porous Si is prepared using an electrochemical etch and then thermally oxidized by heating in ambient atmosphere. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) is then non-covalently adsorbed to the inner pore walls of the porous Si oxide (PSiO2) matrix. The BSA layer is used as a linker for covalent attachment of the peptide Ac-L-Lysine-D-Alanine-D-Alanine (KAA) using published bioconjugation chemistry. BSA-coated surfaces functionalized with KAA display specificity for the glycopeptide vancomycin while resisting adsorption of non-specific reagents. While the biomolecule attachment strategy reported here is used to bind peptides, the scheme can be generalized to the linking of any primary amine-containing molecule to PSiO2 surfaces. PMID:18458749

The electroluminescence mechanism of Er³⁺ in different silicon oxide and silicon nitride environments

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

Rebohle, L., E-mail: l.rebohle@hzdr.de; Wutzler, R.; Braun, M.

Rare earth doped metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) structures are of great interest for Si-based light emission. However, several physical limitations make it difficult to achieve the performance of light emitters based on compound semiconductors. To address this point, in this work the electroluminescence (EL) excitation and quenching mechanism of Er-implanted MOS structures with different designs of the dielectric stack are investigated. The devices usually consist of an injection layer made of SiO₂ and an Er-implanted layer made of SiO₂, Si-rich SiO₂, silicon nitride, or Si-rich silicon nitride. All structures implanted with Er show intense EL around 1540 nm with EL power efficienciesmore » in the order of 2 × 10⁻³ (for SiO₂:Er) or 2 × 10⁻⁴(all other matrices) for lower current densities. The EL is excited by the impact of hot electrons with an excitation cross section in the range of 0.5–1.5 × 10⁻¹⁵cm⁻². Whereas the fraction of potentially excitable Er ions in SiO₂ can reach values up to 50%, five times lower values were observed for other matrices. The decrease of the EL decay time for devices with Si-rich SiO₂ or Si nitride compared to SiO₂ as host matrix implies an increase of the number of defects adding additional non-radiative de-excitation paths for Er³⁺. For all investigated devices, EL quenching cross sections in the 10⁻²⁰ cm² range and charge-to-breakdown values in the range of 1–10 C cm⁻² were measured. For the present design with a SiO₂ acceleration layer, thickness reduction and the use of different host matrices did not improve the EL power efficiency or the operation lifetime, but strongly lowered the operation voltage needed to achieve intense EL.« less

Improved conversion efficiency of amorphous Si solar cells using a mesoporous ZnO pattern

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

To provide a front transparent electrode for use in highly efficient hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) thin-film solar cells, porous flat layer and micro-patterns of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticle (NP) layers were prepared through ultraviolet nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL) and deposited on Al-doped ZnO (AZO) layers. Through this, it was found that a porous micro-pattern of ZnO NPs dispersed in resin can optimize the light-trapping pattern, with the efficiency of solar cells based on patterned or flat mesoporous ZnO layers increased by 27% and 12%, respectively. PMID:25276101

Experimental investigations of quantum confined silicon nanoparticle light emitting devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ligman, Rebekah Kristine

2007-12-01

As the demands on our world's energy resources continue to grow, alternative high efficiency materials such as quantum confined silicon nanoparticles (Si nps) are desirable for their potential low cost application in white light illumination, in optical displays, and in on-chip optical interconnects. Many fabrication and passivation techniques exist that produce Si nps with high photogenerated quantum yield. However, high electrically generated Si np quantum efficiency has eluded our society. Predominantly due to the lack of a stable surface passivation and a device fabrication technique that preserves the Si np optical properties. To amend these deficiencies, the passivation of nonthermal plasma fabricated Si nps with a surface oxide grown under UV exposure was first investigated. Control over the surface oxidized Si np (Si/SiO2) passivation growth was demonstrated and the optical stability of Si/SiO2 nps was suitable for demonstrating Si np electroluminescence (EL). Two approaches for constructing hybrid organic light emitting diode (OLED) devices around nonthermal plasma fabricated Si nps were then investigated. Multilayer devices, composed of a nonthermal plasma fabricated Si np layer embedded within an OLED, were first studied. However, no EL from Si nps was obtained using the multilayer device architecture due to poor control over the Si np film thickness. Single layer polymer(Si/SiO2) hybrid devices, composed of nps randomly dispersed within an extrinsic conductive polymer, were then studied and EL from Si/SiO2 nps was obtained. The hybrid device optical and electrical response was enhanced over the control devices, possibly due to morphology changes induced by the Si/SiO2 nps. The energy transfer (ET) processes in single layer polymer(Si/SiO 2) hybrid devices were then investigated by imposing known spatial separations between the intrinsic conductive polymers and Si/SiO2 nps. No measurable Si/SiO2 np emission was observed from the intrinsic hybrid devices independent of the spatial separation, implying no ET occurs between the intrinsic polymers and Si/SiO2 nps. These results suggest the observed Si/SiO 2 np emission from extrinsic polymer(Si/SiO2) hybrid devices may be produced by direct carrier injection, Forster or Dexter ET mechanisms.

Fabrication of oxide layer on zirconium by micro-arc oxidation: Structural and antimicrobial characteristics.

PubMed

Fidan, S; Muhaffel, F; Riool, M; Cempura, G; de Boer, L; Zaat, S A J; Filemonowicz, A Czyrska-; Cimenoglu, H

2017-02-01

The aim of this study was to cover the surfaces of zirconium (Zr) with an antimicrobial layer for biomedical applications. For this purpose, the micro-arc oxidation (MAO) process was employed in a sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide containing base electrolyte with and without addition of silver acetate (AgC 2 H 3 O 2 ). In general, synthesized MAO layers were composed of zirconium oxide (ZrO 2 ) and zircon (ZrSiO 4 ). Addition of AgC 2 H 3 O 2 into the base electrolyte caused homogenous precipitation of silver-containing particles in the MAO layer, which exhibited excellent antibacterial efficiency against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) as compared to the untreated and MAO-treated Zr. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Graphene-based Nanoelectronics

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-02-01

deposition rate of 1 Å/s, 13 followed by atomic layer deposition (ALD) of aluminum oxide (Al2O3) (15 nm). The SiO2 also serves as a nucleation layer...alternating pulses of trimethylaluminum (TMA) and H2O in a Cambridge Nanotech Fiji ALD system, enabled by nucleation on the SiO2. The thicknesses of...Y.; Liu, H.-K.; Dou, S.-X. Electrodeposition of MnO2 Nanowires on Carbon Nanotube Paper as Free-standing, Flexible Electrode for Supercapacitors

High-temperature deformation and microstructural analysis for silicon nitride-scandium(III) oxide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cheong, Deock-Soo; Sanders, William A.

1992-01-01

It was indicated that Si3N4 doped with Sc2O3 may exhibit high temperature mechanical properties superior to Si3N4 systems with various other oxide sintered additives. High temperature deformation of samples was studied by characterizing the microstructures before and after deformation. It was found that elements of the additive, such as Sc and O, exist in small amounts at very thin grain boundary layers and most of them stay in secondary phases at tripple and multiple grain boundary junctions. These secondary phases are devitrified as crystalline Sc2Si2O7. Deformation of the samples was dominated by cavitational processes rather than movements of dislocations. Thus the excellent deformation resistance of the samples at high temperature can be attributed to the very small thickness of the grain boundary layers and the crystalline secondary phase.

Negative charge trapping effects in Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} films grown by atomic layer deposition onto thermally oxidized 4H-SiC

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

Schilirò, Emanuela, E-mail: emanuela.schiliro@imm.cnr.it; Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Università degli Studi di Catania, and INSTM udr Catania, viale Andrea Doria 6, 95125, Catania; Lo Nigro, Raffaella

This letter reports on the negative charge trapping in Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} thin films grown by atomic layer deposition onto oxidized silicon carbide (4H-SiC). The films exhibited a permittivity of 8.4, a breakdown field of 9.2 MV/cm and small hysteresis under moderate bias cycles. However, severe electron trapping inside the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} film (1 × 10{sup 12} cm{sup −2}) occurs upon high positive bias stress (>10 V). Capacitance-voltage measurements at different temperatures and stress conditions have been used to determine an activation energy of 0.1 eV. The results provide indications on the possible nature of the trapping defects and,more » hence, on the strategies to improve this technology for 4H-SiC devices.« less

Design and development of wafer-level near-infrared micro-camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeller, John W.; Rouse, Caitlin; Efstathiadis, Harry; Haldar, Pradeep; Dhar, Nibir K.; Lewis, Jay S.; Wijewarnasuriya, Priyalal; Puri, Yash R.; Sood, Ashok K.

2015-08-01

SiGe offers a low-cost alternative to conventional infrared sensor material systems such as InGaAs, InSb, and HgCdTe for developing near-infrared (NIR) photodetector devices that do not require cooling and can offer high bandwidths and responsivities. As a result of the significant difference in thermal expansion coefficients between germanium and silicon, tensile strain incorporated into Ge epitaxial layers deposited on Si utilizing specialized growth processes can extend the operational range of detection to 1600 nm and longer wavelengths. We have fabricated SiGe based PIN detector devices on 300 mm diameter Si wafers in order to take advantage of high throughput, large-area complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology. This device fabrication process involves low temperature epitaxial deposition of Ge to form a thin p+ seed/buffer layer, followed by higher temperature deposition of a thicker Ge intrinsic layer. An n+-Ge layer formed by ion implantation of phosphorus, passivating oxide cap, and then top copper contacts complete the PIN photodetector design. Various techniques including transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) have been employed to characterize the material and structural properties of the epitaxial growth and fabricated detector devices. In addition, electrical characterization was performed to compare the I-V dark current vs. photocurrent response as well as the time and wavelength varying photoresponse properties of the fabricated devices, results of which are likewise presented.

Water Vapor Effects on Silica-Forming Ceramics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Opila, E. J.; Greenbauer-Seng, L. (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

Silica-forming ceramics such as SiC and Si3N4 are proposed for applications in combustion environments. These environments contain water vapor as a product of combustion. Oxidation of silica-formers is more rapid in water vapor than in oxygen. Parabolic oxidation rates increase with the water vapor partial pressure with a power law exponent value close to one. Molecular water vapor is therefore the mobile species in silica. Rapid oxidation rates and large amounts of gases generated during the oxidation reaction in high water vapor pressures may result in bubble formation in the silica and nonprotective scale formation. It is also shown that silica reacts with water vapor to form Si(OH)4(g). Silica volatility has been modeled using a laminar flow boundary layer controlled reaction equation. Silica volatility depends on the partial pressure of water vapor, the total pressure, and the gas velocity. Simultaneous oxidation and volatilization reactions have been modeled with paralinear kinetics.

Formation of silicon carbide by laser ablation in graphene oxide-N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone suspension on silicon surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaleh, Babak; Ghasemi, Samaneh; Torkamany, Mohammad Javad; Salehzadeh, Sadegh; Maleki, Farahnaz

2018-01-01

Laser ablation of a silicon wafer in graphene oxide-N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (GO-NMP) suspension was carried out with a pulsed Nd:YAG laser (pulse duration = 250 ns, wavelength = 1064 nm). The surface of silicon wafer before and after laser ablation was studied using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). The results showed that the ablation of silicon surface in liquid by pulsed laser was done by the process of melt expulsion under the influence of the confined plasma-induced pressure or shock wave trapped between the silicon wafer and the liquid. The X-ray diffraction‌ (XRD) pattern of Si wafer after laser ablation showed that 4H-SiC layer is formed on its surface. The formation of the above layer was also confirmed by Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy‌ (XPS), as well as EDX was utilized. The reflectance of samples decreased with increasing pulse energy. Therefore, the morphological alteration and the formation of SiC layer at high energy increase absorption intensity in the UV‌-vis regions. Theoretical calculations confirm that the formation of silicon carbide from graphene oxide and silicon wafer is considerably endothermic. Development of new methods for increasing the reflectance without causing harmful effects is still an important issue for crystalline Si solar cells. By using the method described in this paper, the optical properties of solar cells can be improved.

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

Takabe, Ryota; Du, Weijie; Takeuchi, Hiroki

Undoped n-type BaSi{sub 2} films were grown on Si(111) by molecular beam epitaxy, and the valence band (VB) offset at the interface between the BaSi{sub 2} and its native oxide was measured by hard x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES) at room temperature. HAXPES enabled us to investigate the electronic states of the buried BaSi{sub 2} layer non-destructively thanks to its large analysis depth. We performed the depth-analysis by varying the take-off angle (TOA) of photoelectrons as 15°, 30°, and 90° with respect to the sample surface and succeeded to obtain the VB spectra of the BaSi{sub 2} and the native oxidemore » separately. The VB maximum was located at −1.0 eV from the Fermi energy for the BaSi{sub 2} and −4.9 eV for the native oxide. We found that the band bending did not occur near the native oxide/BaSi{sub 2} interface. This result was clarified by the fact that the core-level emission peaks did not shift regardless of TOA (i.e., analysis depth). Thus, the barrier height of the native oxide for the minority-carriers in the undoped n-BaSi{sub 2} (holes) was determined to be 3.9 eV. No band bending in the BaSi{sub 2} close to the interface also suggests that the large minority-carrier lifetime in undoped n-BaSi{sub 2} films capped with native oxide is attributed not to the band bending in the BaSi{sub 2}, which pushes away photogenerated minority carriers from the defective surface region, but to the decrease of defective states by the native oxide.« less

The effects of different types of investments on the alpha-case layer of titanium castings.

PubMed

Guilin, Yu; Nan, Li; Yousheng, Li; Yining, Wang

2007-03-01

Different types of investments affect the formation of the alpha-case (alpha-case) layer on titanium castings. This alpha-case layer may possibly alter the mechanical properties of cast titanium, which may influence the fabrication of removable and fixed prostheses. The formation mechanism for the alpha-case layer is not clear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of 3 types of investments on the microstructure, composition, and microhardness of the alpha-case layer on titanium castings. Fifteen wax columns with a diameter of 5 mm and a length of 40 mm were divided into 3 groups of 5 patterns each. Patterns were invested using 3 types of investment materials, respectively, and were cast in pure titanium. The 3 types of materials tested were SiO(2)-, Al(2)O(3)-, and MgO-based investments. All specimens were sectioned and prepared for metallographic observation. The microstructure and composition of the surface reaction layer of titanium castings were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). The surface microhardness (VHN) for all specimens was measured using a hardness testing machine, and a mean value for each group was calculated. The alpha-case layer on titanium castings invested with SiO(2)-, Al(2)O(3)-, and MgO-based investments consisted of 3 layers-namely, the oxide layer, alloy layer, and hardening layer. In this study, the oxide layer and alloy layer were called the reaction layer. The thickness of the reaction layer for titanium castings using SiO(2)-, Al(2)O(3)-, and MgO-based investments was approximately 80 microm, 50 microm, and 14 microm, respectively. The surface microhardness of titanium castings made with SiO(2)-based investments was the highest, and that with MgO-based investments was the lowest. The type of investment affects the microstructure and microhardness of the alpha-case layer of titanium castings. Based on the thickness of the surface reaction layer and the surface microhardness of titanium castings, MgO-based investment materials may be the best choice for casting these materials.

Photoconductivity of Macroporous and Nonporous Silicon with Ultrathin Oxide Layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konin, K. P.; Goltvyansky, Yu. V.; Karachevtseva, L. A.; Karas, M. I.; Morozovs'ka, D. V.

2018-06-01

The photoconductivity of macroporous silicon with ultrathin oxide layers of 2.7-30 nm in thickness at short-wave optical excitation was studied. The following feature was revealed: a nonmonotonic change in the photoconductivity as a function of the oxide thickness. At a minimum thickness, the photoconductivity is negative; in the interval 6.8-15 nm, it is very much suppressed; at 15-30 nm, it is positive. Suppression of photoconductivity over a wide thickness range indicates an abnormally high concentration of traps and capture centers for charge carriers of both signs. Such a change in the photoconductivity corresponds to the known results on the continuous morphological rearrangement of the oxide in the thickness range from 6-7 nm to 12-15 nm from the coesite-like (4-membered SiO4 tetrahedra rings) to the tridymite-like (6-membered SiO4 tetrahedra rings). The suppression of photoconductivity in the intermediate range probably demonstrates the collective, antisynergetic action of these coexisting oxide forms on the nonequilibrium charge carriers. These coexisting oxide forms manifest themselves as an unusual collective defect.

Effect of charged impurities and morphology on oxidation reactivity of graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, Mahito; Cullen, William; Einstein, Theodore; Fuhrer, Michael

2012-02-01

Chemical reactivity of single layer graphene supported on a substrate is observed to be enhanced over thicker graphene. Possible mechanisms for the enhancement are Fermi level fluctuations due to ionized impurities on the substrate, and structural deformation of graphene induced by coupling to the substrate geometry. Here, we study the substrate-dependent oxidation reactivity of graphene, employing various substrates such as SiO2, mica, SiO2 nanoparticle thin film, and hexagonal boron nitride, which exhibit different charged impurity concentrations and surface roughness. Graphene is prepared on each substrate via mechanical exfoliation and oxidized in Ar/O2 mixture at temperatures from 400-600 ^oC. After oxidation, the Raman spectrum of graphene is measured, and the Raman D to G peak ratio is used to quantify the density of point defects introduced by oxidation. We will discuss the correlations among the defect density in oxidized graphene, substrate charge inhomogeneity, substrate corrugations, and graphene layer thickness. This work has been supported by the University of Maryland NSF-MRSEC under Grant No. DMR 05-20471 with supplemental funding from NRI, and NSF-DMR 08-04976.

Structural and elastoplastic properties of β -Ga2O3 films grown on hybrid SiC/Si substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osipov, A. V.; Grashchenko, A. S.; Kukushkin, S. A.; Nikolaev, V. I.; Osipova, E. V.; Pechnikov, A. I.; Soshnikov, I. P.

2018-04-01

Structural and mechanical properties of gallium oxide films grown on (001), (011) and (111) silicon substrates with a buffer layer of silicon carbide are studied. The buffer layer was fabricated by the atom substitution method, i.e., one silicon atom per unit cell in the substrate was substituted by a carbon atom by chemical reaction with carbon monoxide. The surface and bulk structure properties of gallium oxide films have been studied by atomic-force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The nanoindentation method was used to investigate the elastoplastic characteristics of gallium oxide, and also to determine the elastic recovery parameter of the films under study. The ultimate tensile strength, hardness, elastic stiffness constants, elastic compliance constants, Young's modulus, linear compressibility, shear modulus, Poisson's ratio and other characteristics of gallium oxide have been calculated by quantum chemistry methods based on the PBESOL functional. It is shown that all these properties of gallium oxide are essentially anisotropic. The calculated values are compared with experimental data. We conclude that a change in the silicon orientation leads to a significant reorientation of gallium oxide.

Al2O3/SiON stack layers for effective surface passivation and anti-reflection of high efficiency n-type c-Si solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thi Thanh Nguyen, Huong; Balaji, Nagarajan; Park, Cheolmin; Triet, Nguyen Minh; Le, Anh Huy Tuan; Lee, Seunghwan; Jeon, Minhan; Oh, Donhyun; Dao, Vinh Ai; Yi, Junsin

2017-02-01

Excellent surface passivation and anti-reflection properties of double-stack layers is a prerequisite for high efficiency of n-type c-Si solar cells. The high positive fixed charge (Q f) density of N-rich hydrogenated amorphous silicon nitride (a-SiNx:H) films plays a poor role in boron emitter passivation. The more the refractive index ( n ) of a-SiNx:H is decreased, the more the positive Q f of a-SiNx:H is increased. Hydrogenated amorphous silicon oxynitride (SiON) films possess the properties of amorphous silicon oxide (a-SiOx) and a-SiNx:H with variable n and less positive Q f compared with a-SiNx:H. In this study, we investigated the passivation and anti-reflection properties of Al2O3/SiON stacks. Initially, a SiON layer was deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition with variable n and its chemical composition was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Then, the SiON layer was deposited as a capping layer on a 10 nm thick Al2O3 layer, and the electrical and optical properties were analyzed. The SiON capping layer with n = 1.47 and a thickness of 70 nm resulted in an interface trap density of 4.74 = 1010 cm-2 eV-1 and Q f of -2.59 = 1012 cm-2 with a substantial improvement in lifetime of 1.52 ms after industrial firing. The incorporation of an Al2O3/SiON stack on the front side of the n-type solar cells results in an energy conversion efficiency of 18.34% compared to the one with Al2O3/a-SiNx:H showing 17.55% efficiency. The short circuit current density and open circuit voltage increase by up to 0.83 mA cm-2 and 12 mV, respectively, compared to the Al2O3/a-SiNx:H stack on the front side of the n-type solar cells due to the good anti-reflection and front side surface passivation.

Growth of BaSi2 continuous films on Ge(111) by molecular beam epitaxy and fabrication of p-BaSi2/n-Ge heterojunction solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takabe, Ryota; Yachi, Suguru; Tsukahara, Daichi; Toko, Kaoru; Suemasu, Takashi

2017-05-01

We grew BaSi2 films on Ge(111) substrates by various growth methods based on molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). First, we attempted to form BaSi2 films directly on Ge(111) by MBE without templates. We next formed BaSi2 films using BaGe2 templates as commonly used for MBE growth of BaSi2 on Si substrates. Contrary to our prediction, the lateral growth of BaSi2 was not promoted by these two methods; BaSi2 formed not into a continuous film but into islands. Although streaky patterns of reflection high-energy electron diffraction were observed inside the growth chamber, no X-ray diffraction lines of BaSi2 were observed in samples taken out from the growth chamber. Such BaSi2 islands were easily to get oxidized. We finally attempted to form a continuous BaSi2 template layer on Ge(111) by solid phase epitaxy, that is, the deposition of amorphous Ba-Si layers onto MBE-grown BaSi2 epitaxial islands, followed by post annealing. We achieved the formation of an approximately 5-nm-thick BaSi2 continuous layer by this method. Using this BaSi2 layer as a template, we succeeded in forming a-axis-oriented 520-nm-thick BaSi2 epitaxial films on Ge substrates, although (111)-oriented Si grains were included in the grown layer. We next formed a B-doped p-BaSi2(20 nm)/n-Ge(111) heterojunction solar cell. A wide-spectrum response from 400 to 2000 nm was achieved. At an external bias voltage of 1 V, the external quantum efficiency reached as high as 60%, demonstrating the great potential of BaSi2/Ge combination. However, the efficiency of a solar cell under AM1.5 illumination was quite low (0.1%). The origin of such a low efficiency was examined.

Fabrication and properties of ZnO/GaN heterostructure nanocolumnar thin film on Si (111) substrate

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Zinc oxide thin films have been obtained on bare and GaN buffer layer decorated Si (111) substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD), respectively. GaN buffer layer was achieved by a two-step method. The structure, surface morphology, composition, and optical properties of these thin films were investigated by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, infrared absorption spectra, and photoluminiscence (PL) spectra, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy images indicate that the flower-like grains were presented on the surface of ZnO thin films grown on GaN/Si (111) substrate, while the ZnO thin films grown on Si (111) substrate show the morphology of inclination column. PL spectrum reveals that the ultraviolet emission efficiency of ZnO thin film on GaN buffer layer is high, and the defect emission of ZnO thin film derived from Zni and Vo is low. The results demonstrate that the existence of GaN buffer layer can greatly improve the ZnO thin film on the Si (111) substrate by PLD techniques. PMID:23448090

Fabrication and properties of ZnO/GaN heterostructure nanocolumnar thin film on Si (111) substrate.

PubMed

Wei, Xianqi; Zhao, Ranran; Shao, Minghui; Xu, Xijin; Huang, Jinzhao

2013-02-28

Zinc oxide thin films have been obtained on bare and GaN buffer layer decorated Si (111) substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD), respectively. GaN buffer layer was achieved by a two-step method. The structure, surface morphology, composition, and optical properties of these thin films were investigated by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, infrared absorption spectra, and photoluminiscence (PL) spectra, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy images indicate that the flower-like grains were presented on the surface of ZnO thin films grown on GaN/Si (111) substrate, while the ZnO thin films grown on Si (111) substrate show the morphology of inclination column. PL spectrum reveals that the ultraviolet emission efficiency of ZnO thin film on GaN buffer layer is high, and the defect emission of ZnO thin film derived from Zni and Vo is low. The results demonstrate that the existence of GaN buffer layer can greatly improve the ZnO thin film on the Si (111) substrate by PLD techniques.

Synthesis, integration, and characterization of metal oxide films as alternative gate dielectric materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, You-Sheng

ZrO2 and HfO2 were investigated in this study to replace SiO2 as the potential gate dielectric materials in metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors. ZrO2 and HfO2 films were deposited on p-type Si (100) wafers by an atomic layer chemical vapor deposition (ALCVD) process using zirconium (IV) t-butoxide and hafnium (IV) t-butoxide as the metal precursors, respectively. Oxygen was used alternatively with these metal alkoxide precursors into the reactor with purging and evacuation in between. The as-deposited ZrO2 and HfO2 films were stoichiometric and uniform based on X-ray photoemission spectroscopy and ellipsometry measurements. X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that the deposited films were amorphous, however, the high-resolution transmission electron microscopy showed an interfacial layer formation on the silicon substrate. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry and medium energy ion scattering analysis showed significant intermixing between metal oxides and Si, indicating the formation of metal silicates, which were confirmed by their chemical etching resistance in HF solutions. The thermal stability of ZrO2 and HfO2 thin films on silicon was examined by monitoring their decomposition temperatures in ultra-high vacuum, using in-situ synchrotron radiation ultra-violet photoemission spectroscopy. The as-deposited ZrO2 and HfO2 thin films were thermally stable up to 880°C and 950°C in vacuum, respectively. The highest achieveable dielectric constants of as-deposited ZrO 2 and HfO2 were 21 and 24, respectively, which were slightly lower than the reported dielectric constants of bulk ZrO2 and HfO 2. These slight reductions in dielectric constants were attributed to the formation of the interfacial metal silicate layers. Very small hysteresis and interface state density were observed for both metal oxide films. Their leakage currents were a few orders of magnitude lower than that of SiO 2 at the same equivalent oxide thickness. NMOSFETs were also fabricated with the as-deposited metal oxide films, and reasonable ID-V D and IG-VG results were obtained. The electron mobilities were high from devices built using a plasma etching process to pattern the metal oxide films. However, they can be degraded if an HF wet etching process was used due to the large contact resistences. Upon oxygen annealing, the formation of SiOx at the interface improved the thermal stability of the as-deposited metal oxide films, however, lower overall dielectric constant and higher leakage current were observed. Upon ammonia annealing, the formation of SiOxNy improved not only the thermal stability but also reduced the leakage current. However, the overall dielectric constant of the film was still reduced due to the formation of the additional interfacial layer.

Heterojunction photodetector based on graphene oxide sandwiched between ITO and p-Si

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmad, H.; Tajdidzadeh, M.; Thandavan, T. M. K.

2018-02-01

The drop casting method is utilized on indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass in order to prepare a sandwiched ITO/graphene oxide (ITO/GO) with silicon dioxide/p-type silicon (SiO2/p-Si) heterojunction photodetector. The partially sandwiched GO layer with SiO2/p-Si substrate exhibits dual characteristics as it showed good sensitivity towards the illumination of infrared (IR) laser at wavelength of 974 nm. Excellent photoconduction is also observed for current-voltage (I-V) characteristics at various laser powers. An external quantum efficiency greater than 1 for a direct current bias voltage of 0 and 3 V reveals significant photoresponsivity of the photodetector at various laser frequency modulation at 1, 5 and 9 Hz. The rise times are found to be 75, 72 and 70 μs for 1, 5 and 9 Hz while high fall times 455, 448 and 426 are measured for the respective frequency modulation. The fabricated ITO/GO-SiO2/p-Si sandwiched heterojunction photodetector can be considered as a good candidate for applications in the IR regions that do not require a high-speed response.

Electronic excitation induced defect dynamics in HfO2 based MOS devices investigated by in-situ electrical measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manikanthababu, N.; Vajandar, S.; Arun, N.; Pathak, A. P.; Asokan, K.; Osipowicz, T.; Basu, T.; Nageswara Rao, S. V. S.

2018-03-01

In-situ I-V and C-V characterization studies were carried out to determine the device quality of atomic layer deposited HfO2 (2.7 nm)/SiO2 (0.6 nm)/Si-based metal oxide semiconductor devices during 120 MeV Ag ion irradiation. The influence of various tunneling mechanisms has been investigated by analyzing the I-V characteristics as a function of ion fluence. The nature of the defects created is tentatively identified by the determination of the significant tunneling processes. While the ion induced annealing of defects is observed at lower fluences, ion induced intermixing and radiation damage is found to be significant at higher fluences. The C-V characteristics also reveal significant changes at the interface and oxide trap densities: an increase in the oxide layer thickness occurs through the formation of an HfSiO interlayer. The interlayer is due to the swift heavy ion induced intermixing, which has been confirmed by X-TEM and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements.

Effect of rapid oxidation on optical and electrical properties of silicon nanowires obtained by chemical etching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karyaoui, M.; Bardaoui, A.; Ben Rabha, M.; Harmand, J. C.; Amlouk, M.

2012-05-01

In the present work, we report the investigation of passivated silicon nanowires (SiNWs) having an average radius of 3.7 μm, obtained by chemical etching of p-type silicon (p-Si). The surface passivation of the SiNWs was performed through a rapid oxidation conducted under a controlled atmosphere at different temperatures and durations. The morphology of the SiNWs was examined using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) that revealed a wave-like structure of dense and vertically aligned one-dimensional silicon nanostructures. On the other hand, optical and electrical characterizations of the SiNWs were studied using a UV-Vis-NIR spectrometer, the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and I-V measurements. The reflectance of SiNWs has been dropped to approximately 2% in comparison to that of bare p-Si. This low reflectance slightly increased after carrying out the rapid thermal annealing. The observed behavior was attributed to the formation of a SiO2 layer, as confirmed by FTIR measurements. Finally, the electrical measurements have shown that the rapid oxidation, at certain conditions, contributes to the improvement of the electrical responses of the SiNWs, which can be of great interest for photovoltaic applications.

Silicon Photoelectrode Thermodynamics and Hydrogen Evolution Kinetics Measured by Intensity-Modulated High-Frequency Resistivity Impedance Spectroscopy

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

Anderson, Nicholas C.; Carroll, Gerard M.; Pekarek, Ryan T.

Here, we present an impedance technique based on light intensity-modulated high-frequency resistivity (IMHFR) that provides a new way to elucidate both the thermodynamics and kinetics in complex semiconductor photoelectrodes. We apply IMHFR to probe electrode interfacial energetics on oxide-modified semiconductor surfaces frequently used to improve the stability and efficiency of photoelectrochemical water splitting systems. Combined with current density-voltage measurements, the technique quantifies the overpotential for proton reduction relative to its thermodynamic potential in Si photocathodes coated with three oxides (SiO x, TiO 2, and Al 2O 3) and a Pt catalyst. In pH 7 electrolyte, the flatband potentials of TiOmore » 2- and Al 2O 3-coated Si electrodes are negative relative to samples with native SiO x, indicating that SiO x is a better protective layer against oxidative electrochemical corrosion than ALD-deposited crystalline TiO 2 or Al 2O 3. Adding a Pt catalyst to SiO x/Si minimizes proton reduction overpotential losses but at the expense of a reduction in available energy characterized by a more negative flatband potential relative to catalyst-free SiO x/Si.« less

Silicon Photoelectrode Thermodynamics and Hydrogen Evolution Kinetics Measured by Intensity-Modulated High-Frequency Resistivity Impedance Spectroscopy

DOE PAGES

Anderson, Nicholas C.; Carroll, Gerard M.; Pekarek, Ryan T.; ...

2017-10-05

Here, we present an impedance technique based on light intensity-modulated high-frequency resistivity (IMHFR) that provides a new way to elucidate both the thermodynamics and kinetics in complex semiconductor photoelectrodes. We apply IMHFR to probe electrode interfacial energetics on oxide-modified semiconductor surfaces frequently used to improve the stability and efficiency of photoelectrochemical water splitting systems. Combined with current density-voltage measurements, the technique quantifies the overpotential for proton reduction relative to its thermodynamic potential in Si photocathodes coated with three oxides (SiO x, TiO 2, and Al 2O 3) and a Pt catalyst. In pH 7 electrolyte, the flatband potentials of TiOmore » 2- and Al 2O 3-coated Si electrodes are negative relative to samples with native SiO x, indicating that SiO x is a better protective layer against oxidative electrochemical corrosion than ALD-deposited crystalline TiO 2 or Al 2O 3. Adding a Pt catalyst to SiO x/Si minimizes proton reduction overpotential losses but at the expense of a reduction in available energy characterized by a more negative flatband potential relative to catalyst-free SiO x/Si.« less

ZrO2 film interfaces with Si and SiO2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopez, C. M.; Suvorova, N. A.; Irene, E. A.; Suvorova, A. A.; Saunders, M.

2005-08-01

The interface formed by the thermal oxidation of sputter-deposited Zr metal onto Si(100)- and SiO2-coated Si(100) wafers was studied in situ and in real time using spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) in the 1.5-4.5 photon energy range and mass spectrometry of recoiled ions (MSRI). SE yielded optical properties for the film and interface and MSRI yielded film and interface composition. An optical model was developed and verified using transmission electron microscopy. Interfacial reaction of the ZrO2 was observed for both substrates, with more interaction for Si substrates. Equivalent oxide thicknesses and interface trap levels were determined on capacitors with lower trap levels found on samples with a thicker SiO2 underlayer. In addition to the optical properties for the intermixed interface layer, the optical properties for Zr metal and unreacted ZrO2 are also reported.

Structure and magnetic properties of Co2FeSi film deposited on Si/SiO2 substrate with Cr buffer layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chatterjee, Payel; Basumatary, Himalay; Raja, M. Manivel

2018-05-01

Co2FeSi thin films of 25 nm thickness with 50 nm thick Cr buffer layer was deposited on thermally oxidized Si substrates. Structural and magnetic properties of the films were studied as a function of annealing temperature and substrate temperatures. While the coercivity increases with increase in annealing temperature, it is found to decrease with increase in substrate temperature. A minimum coercivity of 18 Oe has been obtained for the film deposited at 550°C substrate temperature. This was attributed to the formation of L12 phase as observed from the GIXRD studies. The films with a good combination of soft magnetic properties and L21 crystal structure are suitable for spintronic applications.

Silicon homo-heterojunction solar cells: A promising candidate to realize high performance more stably

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Miao; Zhong, Sihua; Wang, Wenjie; Shen, Wenzhong

2017-08-01

We have investigated the influences of diverse physical parameters on the performances of a silicon homo-heterojunction (H-H) solar cell, which encompasses both homojunction and heterojunction, together with their underlying mechanisms by the aid of AFORS-HET simulation. It is found that the performances of H-H solar cell are less sensitive to (i) the work function of the transparent conductive oxide layer, (ii) the interfacial density of states at the front hydrogenated amorphous silicon/crystalline silicon (a-Si:H/c-Si) interface, (iii) the peak dangling bond defect densities within the p-type a-Si:H (p-a-Si:H) layer, and (iv) the doping concentration of the p-a-Si:H layer, when compared to that of the conventional heterojunction with intrinsic thin layer (HIT) counterparts. These advantages are due to the fact that the interfacial recombination and the recombination within the a-Si:H region are less affected by all the above parameters, which fundamentally benefit from the field-effect passivation of the homojunction. Therefore, the design of H-H structure can provide an opportunity to produce high-efficiency solar cells more stably.

Antioxidant migration resistance of SiOx layer in SiOx/PLA coated film.

PubMed

Huang, Chongxing; Zhao, Yuan; Su, Hongxia; Bei, Ronghua

2018-02-01

As novel materials for food contact packaging, inorganic silicon oxide (SiO x ) films are high barrier property materials that have been developed rapidly and have attracted the attention of many manufacturers. For the safe use of SiO x films for food packaging it is vital to study the interaction between SiO x layers and food contaminants, as well as the function of a SiO x barrier layer in antioxidant migration resistance. In this study, we deposited a SiO x layer on polylactic acid (PLA)-based films to prepare SiO x /PLA coated films by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition. Additionally, we compared PLA-based films and SiO x /PLA coated films in terms of the migration of different antioxidants (e.g. t-butylhydroquinone [TBHQ], butylated hydroxyanisole [BHA], and butylated hydroxytoluene [BHT]) via specific migration experiments and then investigated the effects of a SiO x layer on antioxidant migration under different conditions. The results indicate that antioxidant migration from SiO x /PLA coated films is similar to that for PLA-based films: with increase of temperature, decrease of food simulant polarity, and increase of single-sided contact time, the antioxidant migration rate and amount in SiO x /PLA coated films increase. The SiO x barrier layer significantly reduced the amount of migration of antioxidants with small and similar molecular weights and similar physical and chemical properties, while the degree of migration blocking was not significantly different among the studied antioxidants. However, the migration was affected by temperature and food simulant. Depending on the food simulants considered, the migration amount in SiO x /PLA coated films was reduced compared with that in PLA-based films by 42-46%, 44-47%, and 44-46% for TBHQ, BHA, and BHT, respectively.

Silicon/HfO{sub 2} interface: Effects of gamma irradiation

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

Maurya, Savita

2016-05-23

Quality of MOS devices is a strong function of substrate and oxide interface. In this work we have studied how gamma photon irradiation affects the interface of a 13 nm thick, atomic layer deposited hafnium dioxide deposited on silicon wafer. CV and GV measurements have been done for pristine and irradiated samples to quantify the effect of gamma photon irradiation. Gamma photon irradiation not only introduces positive charge in the oxide and at the interface of Si/HfO{sub 2} interface but also induce phase change of oxide layer. Maximum oxide capacitances are affected by gamma photon irradiation.

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

Wood, Elizabeth Sooby; Parker, Stephen Scott; Nelson, Andrew Thomas

The Fuel Cycle Research and Development program’s Advanced Fuels Campaign is currently supporting a range of experimental efforts aimed at the development and qualification of ‘accident tolerant’ nuclear fuel forms. One route to enhance the accident tolerance of nuclear fuel is to replace the zirconium alloy cladding, which is prone to rapid oxidation in steam at elevated temperatures, with a more oxidation-resistant cladding. Several cladding replacement solutions have been envisaged. The cladding can be completely replaced with a more oxidation resistant alloy, a layered approach can be used to optimize the strength, creep resistance, and oxidation tolerance of various materials,more » or the existing zirconium alloy cladding can be coated with a more oxidation-resistant material. Molybdenum is one candidate cladding material favored due to its high temperature creep resistance. However, it performs poorly under autoclave testing and suffers degradation under high temperature steam oxidation exposure. Development of composite cladding architectures consisting of a molybdenum core shielded by a molybdenum disilicide (MoSi 2) coating is hypothesized to improve the performance of a Mo-based cladding system. MoSi 2 was identified based on its high temperature oxidation resistance in O 2 atmospheres (e.g. air and “wet air”). However, its behavior in H 2O is less known. This report presents thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and x-ray diffraction (XRD) results for MoSi 2 exposed to 670-1498 K water vapor. Synthetic air (80-20%, Ar-O 2) exposures were also performed, and those results are presented here for a comparative analysis. It was determined that MoSi 2 displays drastically different oxidation behavior in water vapor than in dry air. In the 670-1498 K temperature range, four distinct behaviors are observed. Parabolic oxidation is exhibited in only 670-773 K water vapor, a temperature range in which the material pests in dry O 2 environments. From 877-1084 K in water vapor, MoSi 2 undergoes rapid mass gain resulting in oxidation throughout the bulk of the sample at 980 K and 1084 K. The resulting material displays swelling and warping after the 980-1084 K exposures. A pre-passivation heat treatment performed at 1395 K was found capable of producing a coarse SiO 2 layer that limited pesting at lower temperatures in water vapor over the time periods investigated.« less

Ni nanoparticles decorated onto graphene oxide with SiO2 as interlayer for high performance on histidine-rich protein separation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Xiaodan; Zhang, Min; Zheng, Jing; Li, Weizhen; Gan, Wenjun; Xu, Jingli; Hayat, Tasawar; Alharbi, Njud S.; Yang, Fan

2018-05-01

Sandwich-like structure of graphene oxide (GO) @SiO2@C-Ni nanosheets were prepared by combining an extended stöber method with subsequent carbonization treatment, in which polydopamine was used as reducing agent and carbon source. Firstly, the GO nanosheets were covered with SiO2 interlayer and finally coated with a outer shell of nickel ion doped polydopamine (PDA-Ni2+) with an extended stöber method. Followed by a carbonization to produce the GO@SiO2@C-Ni sheets with metallic nickel nanoparticles embedded in PDA-derived thin graphic carbon layer. Notably, silica interlayer played a vital role in the formation of such GO@SiO2@C-Ni sheets. Without the protection of SiO2, the hydrophobic graphene@C-Ni composites were obtained instead. While with silica layer as the spacer, the obtained hydrophilic GO@SiO2@C-Ni composites were not only well dispersed in the solution, but also can be adjusted in terms of the size and density of Ni nanoparticles (NPs) on surface by changing the calcination temperature or the molar ratio between dopamine and nickel salt. Furthermore, nickel nanoparticles decorated on GO@SiO2 sheets were employed to enrich His-rich proteins (BHb and BSA) via specific metal affinity force between polyhistidine groups and nickel nanoparticles.

The possibility of multi-layer nanofabrication via atomic force microscope-based pulse electrochemical nanopatterning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Uk Su; Morita, Noboru; Lee, Deug Woo; Jun, Martin; Park, Jeong Woo

2017-05-01

Pulse electrochemical nanopatterning, a non-contact scanning probe lithography process using ultrashort voltage pulses, is based primarily on an electrochemical machining process using localized electrochemical oxidation between a sharp tool tip and the sample surface. In this study, nanoscale oxide patterns were formed on silicon Si (100) wafer surfaces via electrochemical surface nanopatterning, by supplying external pulsed currents through non-contact atomic force microscopy. Nanoscale oxide width and height were controlled by modulating the applied pulse duration. Additionally, protruding nanoscale oxides were removed completely by simple chemical etching, showing a depressed pattern on the sample substrate surface. Nanoscale two-dimensional oxides, prepared by a localized electrochemical reaction, can be defined easily by controlling physical and electrical variables, before proceeding further to a layer-by-layer nanofabrication process.

New X-ray insight into oxygen intercalation in epitaxial graphene grown on 4H-SiC(0001)

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

Kowalski, G., E-mail: kowal@fuw.edu.pl; Tokarczyk, M.; Dąbrowski, P.

Efficient control of intercalation of epitaxial graphene by specific elements is a way to change properties of the graphene. Results of several experimental techniques, such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, micro-Raman mapping, reflectivity, attenuated total reflection, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray reflectometry, gave a new insight into the intercalation of oxygen in the epitaxial graphene grown on 4H-SiC(0001). These results confirmed that oxygen intercalation decouples the graphene buffer layer from the 4H-SiC surface and converts it into the graphene layer. However, in contrast to the hydrogen intercalation, oxygen does not intercalate between carbon planes (in the case of few layer graphene) andmore » the interlayer spacing stays constant at the level of 3.35–3.32 Å. Moreover, X-ray reflectometry showed the presence of an oxide layer having the thickness of about 0.8 Å underneath the graphene layers. Apart from the formation of the nonuniform thin oxide layer, generation of defects in graphene caused by oxygen was also evidenced. Last but not least, water islands underneath defected graphene regions in both intercalated and non-intercalated samples were most probably revealed. These water islands are formed in the case of all the samples stored under ambient laboratory conditions. Water islands can be removed from underneath the few layer graphene stacks by relevant thermal treatment or by UV illumination.« less

Miniaturized Metal (Metal Alloy)/PdO(x)/SiC Hydrogen and Hydrocarbon Gas Sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunter, Gary W. (Inventor); Xu, Jennifer C. (Inventor); Lukco, Dorothy (Inventor)

2008-01-01

A miniaturized Schottky diode hydrogen and hydrocarbon sensor and the method of making same is disclosed and claimed. The sensor comprises a catalytic metal layer, such as palladium, a silicon carbide substrate layer and a thin barrier layer in between the catalytic and substrate layers made of palladium oxide (PdO(x)). This highly stable device provides sensitive gas detection at temperatures ranging from at least 450 to 600 C. The barrier layer prevents reactions between the catalytic metal layer and the substrate layer. Conventional semiconductor fabrication techniques are used to fabricate the small-sided sensors. The use of a thicker palladium oxide barrier layer for other semiconductor structures such as a capacitor and transistor structures is also disclosed.

Lateral solid phase epitaxy of silicon and application to the fabrication of metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greene, Brian Joseph

Thin film silicon on insulator fabrication is an increasingly important technology requirement for improving performance in future generation devices and circuits. One process for SOI fabrication that has recently been generating renewed interest is Lateral Solid Phase Epitaxy (LSPE) of silicon over oxide. This process involves annealing amorphous silicon that has been deposited on oxide patterned Si wafers. The (001) Si substrate forms the crystalline seed for epitaxial growth, permitting the generation of Si films that are both single crystal, and oriented to the substrate. This method is particularly attractive to fabrication that requires low temperature processing, because the Si films are deposited in the amorphous phase at temperatures near 525°C, and crystallized at temperatures near 570°C. It is also attractive for applications requiring three dimensional stacking of active silicon device layers, due to the relatively low temperatures involved. For sub-50 nm gate length MOSFET fabrication, an SOI thickness on the order of 10 nm will be required. One limitation of the LSPE process has been the need for thick films (0.5--2 mum) and/or heavy P doping (10 19--1020 cm-3) to increase the maximum achievable lateral growth distance, and therefore minimize the area on the substrate occupied by seed holes. This dissertation discusses the characterization and optimization of process conditions for large area LSPE silicon film growth, as well as efforts to adapt the traditional LSPE process to achieve ultra-thin SOI layers (Tsilicon ≤ 25 nm) while avoiding the use of heavy active doping layers. MOSFETs fabricated in these films that exhibit electron mobility comparable to the Universal Si MOS Mobility are described.

Large area tunnel oxide passivated rear contact n -type Si solar cells with 21.2% efficiency: Large area tunnel oxide passivated rear contact n -type Si solar cells

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

Tao, Yuguo; Upadhyaya, Vijaykumar; Chen, Chia-Wei

This paper reports on the implementation of carrier-selective tunnel oxide passivated rear contact for high-efficiency screen-printed large area n-type front junction crystalline Si solar cells. It is shown that the tunnel oxide grown in nitric acid at room temperature (25°C) and capped with n+ polysilicon layer provides excellent rear contact passivation with implied open-circuit voltage iVoc of 714mV and saturation current density J0b of 10.3 fA/cm2 for the back surface field region. The durability of this passivation scheme is also investigated for a back-end high temperature process. In combination with an ion-implanted Al2O3-passivated boron emitter and screen-printed front metal grids,more » this passivated rear contact enabled 21.2% efficient front junction Si solar cells on 239 cm2 commercial grade n-type Czochralski wafers.« less

Compositional depth profile of a native oxide LPCVD MNOS structure using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and chemical etching

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wurzbach, J. A.; Grunthaner, F. J.

1983-01-01

It is pointed out that there is no report of an unambiguous analysis of the composition and interfacial structure of MNOS (metal-nitride oxide semiconductor) systems, despite the technological importance of these systems. The present investigation is concerned with a study of an MNOS structure on the basis of a technique involving the use of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) with a controlled stopped-flow chemical-etching procedure. XPS is sensitive to the structure of surface layers, while stopped-flow etching permits the controlled removal of overlying material on a scale of atomic layers, to expose new surface layers as a function of thickness. Therefore, with careful analysis of observed intensities at measured depths, this combination of techniques provides depth resolution between 5 and 10 A. According to the obtained data there is intact SiO2 at the substrate interface. There appears to be a thin layer containing excess bonds to silicon on top of the SiO2.

Isotropic plasma etching of Ge Si and SiN x films

DOE PAGES

Henry, Michael David; Douglas, Erica Ann

2016-08-31

This study reports on selective isotropic dry etching of chemically vapor deposited (CVD) Ge thin film, release layers using a Shibaura chemical downstream etcher (CDE) with NF 3 and Ar based plasma chemistry. Relative etch rates between Ge, Si and SiN x are described with etch rate reductions achieved by adjusting plasma chemistry with O 2. Formation of oxides reducing etch rates were measured for both Ge and Si, but nitrides or oxy-nitrides created using direct injection of NO into the process chamber were measured to increase Si and SiN x etch rates while retarding Ge etching.

Preparation and Layer-by-Layer Solution Deposition of Cu(In,Ga)O2 Nanoparticles with Conversion to Cu(In,Ga)S2 Films

PubMed Central

Dressick, Walter J.; Soto, Carissa M.; Fontana, Jake; Baker, Colin C.; Myers, Jason D.; Frantz, Jesse A.; Kim, Woohong

2014-01-01

We present a method of Cu(In,Ga)S2 (CIGS) thin film formation via conversion of layer-by-layer (LbL) assembled Cu-In-Ga oxide (CIGO) nanoparticles and polyelectrolytes. CIGO nanoparticles were created via a novel flame-spray pyrolysis method using metal nitrate precursors, subsequently coated with polyallylamine (PAH), and dispersed in aqueous solution. Multilayer films were assembled by alternately dipping quartz, Si, and/or Mo substrates into a solution of either polydopamine (PDA) or polystyrenesulfonate (PSS) and then in the CIGO-PAH dispersion to fabricate films as thick as 1–2 microns. PSS/CIGO-PAH films were found to be inadequate due to weak adhesion to the Si and Mo substrates, excessive particle diffusion during sulfurization, and mechanical softness ill-suited to further processing. PDA/CIGO-PAH films, in contrast, were more mechanically robust and more tolerant of high temperature processing. After LbL deposition, films were oxidized to remove polymer and sulfurized at high temperature under flowing hydrogen sulfide to convert CIGO to CIGS. Complete film conversion from the oxide to the sulfide is confirmed by X-ray diffraction characterization. PMID:24941104

Water Sorption in Electron-Beam Evaporated SiO2 on QCM Crystals and Its Influence on Polymer Thin Film Hydration Measurements.

PubMed

Kushner, Douglas I; Hickner, Michael A

2017-05-30

Spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) and quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) measurements are two critical characterization techniques routinely employed for hydration studies of polymer thin films. Water uptake by thin polymer films is an important area of study to investigate antifouling surfaces, to probe the swelling of thin water-containing ionomer films, and to conduct fundamental studies of polymer brush hydration and swelling. SiO 2 -coated QCM crystals, employed as substrates in many of these hydration studies, show porosity in the thin electron-beam (e-beam) evaporated SiO 2 layer. The water sorption into this porous SiO 2 layer requires correction of the optical and mass characterization of the hydrated polymer due to changes in the SiO 2 layer as it sorbs water. This correction is especially important when experiments on SiO 2 -coated QCM crystals are compared to measurements on Si wafers with dense native SiO 2 layers. Water adsorption filling void space during hydration in ∼200-260 nm thick SiO 2 layers deposited on a QCM crystal resulted in increased refractive index of the layer during water uptake experiments. The increased refractive index led to artificially higher polymer swelling in the optical modeling of the hydration experiments. The SiO 2 -coated QCM crystals showed between 6 and 8% void as measured by QCM and SE, accounting for 60%-85% of the measured polymer swelling in the low humidity regime (<20% RH) and 25%-40% of the polymer swelling in the high humidity regime (>70% RH) from optical modeling for 105 and 47 nm thick sulfonated polymer films. Correcting the refractive index of the SiO 2 layer for its water content resulted in polymer swelling that successfully resembled swelling measured on a silicon wafer with nonporous native oxide.

Reduction of bonding resistance of two-terminal III-V/Si tandem solar cells fabricated using smart-stack technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baba, Masaaki; Makita, Kikuo; Mizuno, Hidenori; Takato, Hidetaka; Sugaya, Takeyoshi; Yamada, Noboru

2017-12-01

This paper describes a method that remarkably reduces the bonding resistance of mechanically stacked two-terminal GaAs/Si and InGaP/Si tandem solar cells, where the top and bottom cells are bonded using a Pd nanoparticle array. A transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layer, which partially covers the surface of the Si bottom cell below the electrodes of the III-V top cell, significantly enhances the fill factor (FF) and cell conversion efficiency. The partial TCO layer reduces the bonding resistance and thus, increases the FF and efficiency of InGaP/Si by factors of 1.20 and 1.11, respectively. Eventually, the efficiency exceeds 15%. Minimizing the optical losses at the bonding interfaces of the TCO layer is important in the fabrication of high-efficiency solar cells. To help facilitate this, the optical losses in the tandem solar cells are thoroughly characterized through optical simulations and experimental verifications.

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study of radiofrequency-sputtered refractory compound steel interfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wheeler, D. R.; Brainard, W. A.

1978-01-01

Radiofrequency sputtering was used to deposit Mo2C, Mo2B5, and MoSi2 coatings on 440C steel substrates. Both sputter etched and preoxidized substrates were used, and the films were deposited with and without a substrate bias of -300 V. The composition of the coatings was measured as a function of depth by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy combined with argon ion etching. In the interfacial region there was evidence that bias produced a graded interface in Mo2B5 but not in Mo2C. Oxides of iron and of all film constituents except carbon were presented in all cases but the iron oxide concentration was higher and the layer thicker on the preoxidized substrates. The film and iron oxides were mixed in the MoSi2 and Mo2C films but layered in the Mo2B5 film. The presence of mixed oxides correlates with enhanced film adhesion.

PEO of pre-anodized Al-Si alloys: Corrosion properties and influence of sealings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohedano, M.; Matykina, E.; Arrabal, R.; Mingo, B.; Pardo, A.

2015-08-01

Voltage-controlled PEO coatings were developed on A356 aluminum alloys (gravity-cast and rheocast) with a pre-anodized layer. The influence of the alloy manufacturing process and the effect of Si-rich phase on the structure and composition of the oxide layers were evaluated using SEM, EDS and XRD. The pre-anodized oxide layer preserves the microstructure of the substrate due to the presence of secondary phases that have a different behavior relative to the matrix during anodizing. PEO coatings consisted of a mixture of α-Al2O3, γ-Al2O3 and mullite. The corrosion behavior and the effectiveness of different sealing techniques based on salts of nickel, cobalt, cerium and phosphonic acid were also studied. Post-treatments improved the hydrophobic properties of the coatings and showed a beneficial effect, significantly increasing the coating impedance and thereby reducing the susceptibility to corrosion.

Adhesion layer for etching of tracks in nuclear trackable materials

DOEpatents

Morse, Jeffrey D.; Contolini, Robert J.

2001-01-01

A method for forming nuclear tracks having a width on the order of 100-200 nm in nuclear trackable materials, such as polycarbonate (LEXAN) without causing delamination of the LEXAN. The method utilizes an adhesion film having a inert oxide which allows the track to be sufficiently widened to >200 nm without delamination of the nuclear trackable materials. The adhesion film may be composed of a metal such as Cr, Ni, Au, Pt, or Ti, or composed of a dielectric having a stable surface, such as silicon dioxide (SiO.sub.2), silicon nitride (SiN.sub.x), and aluminum oxide (AlO). The adhesion film can either be deposited on top of the gate metal layer, or if the properties of the adhesion film are adequate, it can be used as the gate layer. Deposition of the adhesion film is achieved by standard techniques, such as sputtering or evaporation.

Two-dimensional X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy study on the effect of magnetron sputtering atmosphere on GaN/SiC interface and gallium nitride thin film crystal structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Huaxiang; Zhu, Guo-Zhen; Botton, Gianluigi A.; Kitai, Adrian

2015-03-01

The growth mechanisms of high quality GaN thin films on 6H-SiC by sputtering were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). The XRD θ-2θ scans show that high quality ( 0002 ) oriented GaN was deposited on 6H-SiC by reactive magnetron sputtering. Pole figures obtained by 2D-XRD clarify that GaN thin films are dominated by ( 0002 ) oriented wurtzite GaN and { 111 } oriented zinc-blende GaN. A thin amorphous silicon oxide layer on SiC surfaces observed by STEM plays a critical role in terms of the orientation information transfer from the substrate to the GaN epilayer. The addition of H2 into Ar and/or N2 during sputtering can reduce the thickness of the amorphous layer. Moreover, adding 5% H2 into Ar can facilitate a phase transformation from amorphous to crystalline in the silicon oxide layer and eliminate the unwanted { 3 3 ¯ 02 } orientation in the GaN thin film. Fiber texture GaN thin films can be grown by adding 10% H2 into N2 due to the complex reaction between H2 and N2.

Electroluminescent Yb2O3:Er and Yb2Si2O7:Er nanolaminate films fabricated by atomic layer deposition on silicon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ouyang, Zhongtao; Yang, Yang; Sun, Jiaming

2018-06-01

Atomic layer doped Yb2O3:Er and Yb2Si2O7:Er nanolaminate films are fabricated on silicon by atomic layer deposition, and ∼1530 nm electroluminescence (EL) is obtained from the metal-oxide-semiconductor light-emitting devices (MOSLEDs) based on these films. The Yb2O3 films transfer to Yb2Si2O7 phase after annealing above 1000 °C. Intense photoluminescence from Yb2Si2O7 film confirms high efficiency and energy transfer under optical excitation, but the limited electron conduction restricts the EL performance. EL from the Yb2O3:Er MOSLED outperforms, presenting an external quantum efficiency up to 8.5% and the power efficiency of 1 × 10-3. The EL is derived to result from the impact excitation of Er3+ ions by hot electrons, which stem from Fowler-Nordheim tunneling mechanism under sufficient bias voltage. The critical distance for the cross relaxation of doped Er3+ ions in nanolaminate Yb2O3 matrix is experimentally determined to be ∼3 nm. Such devices manifest the technological potential of Er-doped Yb-oxides for applications in silicon-based optoelectronics.

Passivation of InGaAs(001)-(2 × 4) by Self-Limiting Chemical Vapor Deposition of a Silicon Hydride Control Layer.

PubMed

Edmonds, Mary; Kent, Tyler; Chagarov, Evgueni; Sardashti, Kasra; Droopad, Ravi; Chang, Mei; Kachian, Jessica; Park, Jun Hong; Kummel, Andrew

2015-07-08

A saturated Si-Hx seed layer for gate oxide or contact conductor ALD has been deposited via two separate self-limiting and saturating CVD processes on InGaAs(001)-(2 × 4) at substrate temperatures of 250 and 350 °C. For the first self-limiting process, a single silicon precursor, Si3H8, was dosed at a substrate temperature of 250 °C, and XPS results show the deposited silicon hydride layer saturated at about 4 monolayers of silicon coverage with hydrogen termination. STS results show the surface Fermi level remains unpinned following the deposition of the saturated silicon hydride layer, indicating the InGaAs surface dangling bonds are electrically passivated by Si-Hx. For the second self-limiting process, Si2Cl6 was dosed at a substrate temperature of 350 °C, and XPS results show the deposited silicon chloride layer saturated at about 2.5 monolayers of silicon coverage with chlorine termination. Atomic hydrogen produced by a thermal gas cracker was subsequently dosed at 350 °C to remove the Si-Cl termination by replacing with Si-H termination as confirmed by XPS, and STS results confirm the saturated Si-Hx bilayer leaves the InGaAs(001)-(2 × 4) surface Fermi level unpinned. Density function theory modeling of silicon hydride surface passivation shows an Si-Hx monolayer can remove all the dangling bonds and leave a charge balanced surface on InGaAs.

Integration of perovskite oxide dielectrics into complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitor structures using amorphous TaSiN as oxygen diffusion barrier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mešić, Biljana; Schroeder, Herbert

2011-09-01

The high permittivity perovskite oxides have been intensively investigated for their possible application as dielectric materials for stacked capacitors in dynamic random access memory circuits. For the integration of such oxide materials into the CMOS world, a conductive diffusion barrier is indispensable. An optimized stack p++-Si/Pt/Ta21Si57N21/Ir was developed and used as the bottom electrode for the oxide dielectric. The amorphous TaSiN film as oxygen diffusion barrier showed excellent conductive properties and a good thermal stability up to 700 °C in oxygen ambient. The additional protective iridium layer improved the surface roughness after annealing. A 100-nm-thick (Ba,Sr)TiO3 film was deposited using pulsed laser deposition at 550 °C, showing very promising properties for application; the maximum relative dielectric constant at zero field is κ ≈ 470, and the leakage current density is below 10-6 A/cm2 for fields lower then ± 200 kV/cm, corresponding to an applied voltage of ± 2 V.

570 mV photovoltage, stabilized n-Si/CoO x heterojunction photoanodes fabricated using atomic layer deposition

DOE PAGES

Zhou, Xinghao; Liu, Rui; Sun, Ke; ...

2016-01-08

Heterojunction photoanodes, consisting of n-type crystalline Si(100) substrates coated with a thin ~50 nm film of cobalt oxide fabricated using atomic-layer deposition (ALD), exhibited photocurrent-onset potentials of -205 ± 20 mV relative to the formal potential for the oxygen-evolution reaction (OER), ideal regenerative solar-to-O 2(g) conversion efficiencies of 1.42 ± 0.20%, and operated continuously for over 100 days (~2500 h) in 1.0 M KOH(aq) under simulated solar illumination. The ALD CoO x thin film: (i) formed a heterojunction with the n-Si(100) that provided a photovoltage of 575 mV under 1 Sun of simulated solar illumination; (ii) stabilized Si photoanodes thatmore » are otherwise unstable when operated in aqueous alkaline electrolytes; and, (iii) catalyzed the oxidation of water, thereby reducing the kinetic overpotential required for the reaction and increasing the overall efficiency relative to electrodes that do not have an inherently electrocatalytic coating. The process provides a simple, effective method for enabling the use of planar n-Si(100) substrates as efficient and durable photoanodes in fully integrated, photovoltaic-biased solar fuels generators.« less

Controlled growth of periodically aligned copper-silicide nanocrystal arrays on silicon directed by laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nürnberger, Philipp; Reinhardt, Hendrik M.; Rhinow, Daniel; Riedel, René; Werner, Simon; Hampp, Norbert A.

2017-10-01

In this paper we introduce a versatile tool for the controlled growth and alignment of copper-silicide nanocrystals. The method takes advantage of a unique self-organization phenomenon denoted as laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS). Copper films (3 ± 0.2 nm) are sputter-deposited onto single crystal silicon (100) substrates with a thin oxide layer (4 ± 0.2 nm), and subsequently exposed to linearly polarized nanosecond laser pulses (τ ≈ 6 ns) at a central wavelength of 532 nm. The irradiation triggers dewetting of the Cu film and simultaneous formation of periodic Cu nanowires (LIPSS), which partially penetrate the oxide layer to the Si substrate. These LIPSS act as nucleation centers for the growth of Cu-Si crystals during thermal processing at 500 °C under forming gas 95/5 atmosphere. Exemplified by our model system Cu/SiO2/Si, LIPSS are demonstrated to facilitate the diffusion reaction between Cu and underlying Si. Moreover, adjustment of the laser polarization allows us to precisely control the nanocrystal alignment with respect to the LIPSS orientation. Potential applications and conceivable alternatives of this process are discussed.

Interface properties of the amorphous silicon/crystalline silicon heterojunction photovoltaic cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halliop, Basia

Amorphous-crystalline silicon (a-Si:H/c-Si) heterojunctions have the potential of being a very high efficiency silicon photovoltaic platform technology with accompanying cost and energy budget reductions. In this research a heterojunction cell structure based on a-Si:H deposited using a DC saddle field plasma enhanced vapour deposition (DCSF PECVD) technique is studied, and the a-Si:H/c-Si and indium tin oxide/a-Si:H interfaces are examined using several characterization methods. Photocarrier radiometry (PCR) is used for the first time to probe the a-Si:H/c-Si junction. PCR is demonstrated as a carrier lifetime measurement technique -- specifically, confirming carrier lifetimes above 1 ms for 1-5 Ocm phosphorous-doped c-Si wafers passivated on both sides with 30 nm of i-a-Si:H. PCR is also used to determine surface recombination velocity and mobility, and to probe recombination at the a-Si:H/c-Si interface, distinguishing interface recombination from recombination within the a-Si:H layer or at the a-Si:H surface. A complementary technique, lateral conductivity is applied over a temperature range of 140 K to 430 K to construct energy band diagrams of a-Si:H/c-Si junctions. Boron doped a-Si:H films on glass are shown to have activation energies of 0.3 to 0.35 eV, tuneable by adjusting the diborane to silane gas ratio during deposition. Heterojunction samples show evidence of a strong hole inversion layer and a valence band offset of approximately 0.4 eV; carrier concentration in the inversion layer is reduced in p-a-Si:H/i-a-Si:H/ c-Si structures as intrinsic layer thickness increases, while carrier lifetime is increased. The indium tin oxide/amorphous silicon interface is also examined. Optimal ITO films were prepared with a sheet resistance of 17.3 O/[special character omitted] and AM1.5 averaged transmittance of 92.1%., for a film thickness of approximately 85 nm, using temperatures below 200°C. Two different heat treatments are found to cause crystallization of ITO and to change the properties of the underlying a-Si:H film. Finally, an open circuit voltage of 699 mV was achieved using DCSF PECVD in the tetrode configuration to fabricate a metal/ITO/p-a-Si:H/ i-a-Si:H/n-c-Si/i-a-Si:H/ n+-a-Si:H/metal photovoltaic cell on a texturized wafer. The 4 cm2 cell had an efficiency of 16.5%, a short circuit current of 36.4 mA/cm2 and a fill factor of 64.7%.

Interfacial varactor characteristics of ferroelectric thin films on high-resistivity Si substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lan, Wen-An; Wang, Tsan-Chun; Huang, Ling-Hui; Wu, Tai-Bor

2006-07-01

Ferroelectric Ba(Zr0.25Ti0.75)O3 (BZT) thin films were deposited on high-resistivity Si substrate without or with inserting a high-k buffer layer of Ta2O5. The varactor characteristics of the BZT capacitors in metal-oxide-semiconductor structure were studied. At low frequency (1MHz ), the capacitors exhibit a negatively tunable characteristic, i.e., [C(V)-C(0)]/C(0)<0, against dc bias V, but opposite tunable characteristics were found at microwave frequencies (>1GHz). The change of voltage-dependent characteristic is attributed to the effect of low-resistivity interface induced by charged defects formed from interfacial oxidation of Si in screening the microwave from penetrating into the bulk of Si.

Silicon oxide: a non-innocent surface for molecular electronics and nanoelectronics studies.

PubMed

Yao, Jun; Zhong, Lin; Natelson, Douglas; Tour, James M

2011-02-02

Silicon oxide (SiO(x)) has been widely used in many electronic systems as a supportive and insulating medium. Here, we demonstrate various electrical phenomena such as resistive switching and related nonlinear conduction, current hysteresis, and negative differential resistance intrinsic to a thin layer of SiO(x). These behaviors can largely mimic numerous electrical phenomena observed in molecules and other nanomaterials, suggesting that substantial caution should be paid when studying conduction in electronic systems with SiO(x) as a component. The actual electrical phenomena can be the result of conduction from SiO(x) at a post soft-breakdown state and not the presumed molecular or nanomaterial component. These electrical properties and the underlying mechanisms are discussed in detail.

Large-area, continuous and high electrical performances of bilayer to few layers MoS2 fabricated by RF sputtering via post-deposition annealing method

PubMed Central

Hussain, Sajjad; Singh, Jai; Vikraman, Dhanasekaran; Singh, Arun Kumar; Iqbal, Muhammad Zahir; Khan, Muhammad Farooq; Kumar, Pushpendra; Choi, Dong-Chul; Song, Wooseok; An, Ki-Seok; Eom, Jonghwa; Lee, Wan-Gyu; Jung, Jongwan

2016-01-01

We report a simple and mass-scalable approach for thin MoS2 films via RF sputtering combined with the post-deposition annealing process. We have prepared as-sputtered film using a MoS2 target in the sputtering system. The as-sputtered film was subjected to post-deposition annealing to improve crystalline quality at 700 °C in a sulfur and argon environment. The analysis confirmed the growth of continuous bilayer to few-layer MoS2 film. The mobility value of ~29 cm2/Vs and current on/off ratio on the order of ~104 were obtained for bilayer MoS2. The mobility increased up to ~173–181 cm2/Vs, respectively, for few-layer MoS2. The mobility of our bilayer MoS2 FETs is larger than any previously reported values of single to bilayer MoS2 grown on SiO2/Si substrate with a SiO2 gate oxide. Moreover, our few-layer MoS2 FETs exhibited the highest mobility value ever reported for any MoS2 FETs with a SiO2 gate oxide. It is presumed that the high mobility behavior of our film could be attributed to low charged impurities of our film and dielectric screening effect by an interfacial MoOxSiy layer. The combined preparation route of RF sputtering and post-deposition annealing process opens up the novel possibility of mass and batch production of MoS2 film. PMID:27492282

Synthesis and detection the oxidization of Co cores of Co@SiO2 core-shell nanoparticles by in situ XRD and EXAFS.

PubMed

Zhang, Kunhao; Zhao, Ziyan; Wu, Zhonghua; Zhou, Ying

2015-01-01

In this paper, the Co@SiO2 core-shell nanoparticles were prepared by the sol-gel method. The oxidization of Co core nanoparticles was studied by the synchrotron radiation-based techniques including in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) up to 800°C in air and N2 protection conditions, respectively. It was found that the oxidization of Co cores is undergoing three steps regardless of being in air or in N2 protection condition. In the first step ranging from room temperature to 200°C, the Co cores were dominated by Co(0) state as well as small amount of Co(2+) ions. When temperature was above 300°C, the interface between Co cores and SiO2 shells was gradually oxidized into Co(2+), and the CoO layer was observed. As the temperature increasing to 800°C, the Co cores were oxidized to Co3O4 or Co3O4/CoO. Nevertheless, the oxidization kinetics of Co cores is different for the Co@SiO2 in air and N2 gas conditions. Generally, the O2 in the air could get through the SiO2 shells easily onto the Co core surface and induce the oxidization of the Co cores due to the mesoporous nature of the SiO2 shells. However, in N2 gas condition, the O atoms can only be from the SiO2 shells, so the diffusion effect of O atoms in the interface between Co core and SiO2 shell plays a key role.

Spin transport and spin accumulation signals in Si studied in tunnel junctions with a Fe/Mg ferromagnetic multilayer and an amorphous SiOxNy tunnel barrier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakane, Ryosho; Hada, Takato; Sato, Shoichi; Tanaka, Masaaki

2018-04-01

We studied the spin accumulation signals in phosphorus-doped n+-Si (8 × 1019 cm-3) by measuring the spin transport in three-terminal vertical devices with Fe(3 nm)/Mg(0 and 1 nm)/SiOxNy(1 nm)/n+-Si(001) tunnel junctions, where the amorphous SiOxNy layer was formed by oxnitridation of the Si substrate with radio frequency plasma. Obvious spin accumulation signals were observed at 4-300 K in the spin extraction geometry when the thickness of the Mg insertion layer was 1 nm. We found that by inserting a thin (1 nm) Mg layer, intermixing of Fe and SiOxNy is suppressed, leading to the appearance of the spin accumulation signals, and this result is consistent with the dead layer model recently proposed by our group [S. Sato et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 107, 032407 (2015)]. We obtained relatively high spin polarization (PS) of electrons tunneling through the junction and long spin lifetime (τS): PS = 16% and τS = 5.6 ns at 4 K and PS = 7.5% and τS = 2.7 ns at 300 K. Tunnel junctions with an amorphous SiOxNy tunnel barrier are very promising for Si-based spintronic devices, since they can be formed by the method compatible with the silicon complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor technology.

Thickness and composition of ultrathin SiO2 layers on Si

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Marel, C.; Verheijen, M. A.; Tamminga, Y.; Pijnenburg, R. H. W.; Tombros, N.; Cubaynes, F.

2004-07-01

Ultrathin SiO2 layers are of importance for the semiconductor industry. One of the techniques that can be used to determine the chemical composition and thickness of this type of layers is x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). As shown by Seah and Spencer [Surf. Interface Anal. 33, 640 (2002)], it is not trivial to characterize this type of layer by means of XPS in a reliable way. We have investigated a series of ultrathin layers of SiO2 on Si (in the range from 0.3 to 3 nm) using XPS. The samples were also analyzed by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Rutherford backscattering (RBS), and ellipsometry. The thickness of the SiO2 layers (d) was determined from the XPS results using three different approaches: the ``standard'' equation (Seah and Spencer) for d, an overlayer-substrate model calculation, and the QUASES-Tougaard [Surf. Interface Anal. 26, 249 (1998), QUASES-Tougaard: Software package for Quantitative Analysis of Surfaces by Electron Spectroscopy, version 4.4 (2000); http://www.quases.com] method. Good agreement was obtained between the results of XPS analyses using the ``standard'' equation, the overlayer-substrate model calculation, and RBS results. The QUASES-Tougaard results were approximately 62% above the other XPS results. The optical values for the thickness were always slightly higher than the thickness according to XPS or RBS. Using the model calculation, these (relatively small) deviations from the optical results could be explained as being a consequence of surface contaminations with hydrocarbons. For a thickness above 2.5 nm, the TEM results were in good agreement with the results obtained from the other techniques (apart from QUASES-Tougaard). Below 2.5 nm, significant deviations were found between RBS, XPS, and optical data on the one hand and TEM results on the other hand; the deviations became larger as the thickness of the SiO2 decreased. This effect may be related to interface states of oxygen, which have been investigated [D. A. Muller, T. Sorsch, S. Moccio, F. H. Baumann, K. Evans-Lutterodt, and G. Timp, Nature (London) 399, 758 (1999); D. A. Muller and J. B. Neaton, Structure and Energetics of the Interface Between Si and Amorphous SiO2 in Fundamental Aspects of Silicon Oxidation, edited by Y. J. Chabal (Springer, Berlin, 2001), pp. 219-246.] by means of high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy measurements of the O K edge in ultrathin gate oxides of SiO2. .

Thermal conductivity measurement of amorphous dielectric multilayers for phase-change memory power reduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fong, S. W.; Sood, A.; Chen, L.; Kumari, N.; Asheghi, M.; Goodson, K. E.; Gibson, G. A.; Wong, H.-S. P.

2016-07-01

In this work, we investigate the temperature-dependent thermal conductivities of few nanometer thick alternating stacks of amorphous dielectrics, specifically SiO2/Al2O3 and SiO2/Si3N4. Experiments using steady-state Joule-heating and electrical thermometry, while using a micro-miniature refrigerator over a wide temperature range (100-500 K), show that amorphous thin-film multilayer SiO2/Si3N4 and SiO2/Al2O3 exhibit through-plane room temperature effective thermal conductivities of about 1.14 and 0.48 W/(m × K), respectively. In the case of SiO2/Al2O3, the reduced conductivity is attributed to lowered film density (7.03 → 5.44 × 1028 m-3 for SiO2 and 10.2 → 8.27 × 1028 m-3 for Al2O3) caused by atomic layer deposition of thin-films as well as a small, finite, and repeating thermal boundary resistance (TBR) of 1.5 m2 K/GW between dielectric layers. Molecular dynamics simulations reveal that vibrational mismatch between amorphous oxide layers is small, and that the TBR between layers is largely due to imperfect interfaces. Finally, the impact of using this multilayer dielectric in a dash-type phase-change memory device is studied using finite-element simulations.

Electrical and morphological characterization of transfer-printed Au/Ti/TiO{sub x}/p{sup +}-Si nano- and microstructures with plasma-grown titanium oxide layers

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

Weiler, Benedikt, E-mail: benedikt.weiler@nano.ei.tum.de; Nagel, Robin; Albes, Tim

2016-04-14

Highly-ordered, sub-70 nm-MOS-junctions of Au/Ti/TiO{sub x}/p{sup +}-Si were efficiently and reliably fabricated by nanotransfer-printing (nTP) over large areas and their functionality was investigated with respect to their application as MOS-devices. First, we used a temperature-enhanced nTP process and integrated the plasma-oxidation of a nm-thin titanium film being e-beam evaporated directly on the stamp before the printing step without affecting the p{sup +}-Si substrate. Second, morphological investigations (scanning electron microscopy) of the nanostructures confirm the reliable transfer of Au/Ti/TiO{sub x}-pillars of 50 nm, 75 nm, and 100 nm size of superior quality on p{sup +}-Si by our transfer protocol. Third, the fabricated nanodevices are alsomore » characterized electrically by conductive AFM. Fourth, the results are compared to probe station measurements on identically processed, i.e., transfer-printed μm-MOS-structures including a systematic investigation of the oxide formation. The jV-characteristics of these MOS-junctions demonstrate the electrical functionality as plasma-grown tunneling oxides and the effectivity of the transfer-printing process for their large-scale fabrication. Next, our findings are supported by fits to the jV-curves of the plasma-grown titanium oxide by kinetic-Monte-Carlo simulations. These fits allowed us to determine the dominant conduction mechanisms, the material parameters of the oxides and, in particular, a calibration of the thickness depending on applied plasma time and power. Finally, also a relative dielectric permittivity of 12 was found for such plasma-grown TiO{sub x}-layers.« less

Thermal oxidation of single-crystal silicon carbide - Kinetic, electrical, and chemical studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Petit, J. B.; Neudeck, P. G.; Matus, L. G.; Powell, J. A.

1992-01-01

This paper presents kinetic data from oxidation studies of the polar faces for 3C and 6H SiC in wet and dry oxidizing ambients. Values for the linear and parabolic rate constants were obtained, as well as preliminary results for the activation energies of the rate constants. Examples are presented describing how thermal oxidation can be used to map polytypes and characterize defects in epitaxial layers grown on low tilt angle 6H SiC substrates. Interface widths were measured using Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) with Ar ion beam depth profiling and variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry (VASE) with effective medium approximation (EMA) models. Preliminary electrical measurements of MOS capacitors are also presented.

Sintering behavior of ultrafine silicon carbide powders obtained by vapor phase reaction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Okabe, Y.; Miyachi, K.; Hojo, J.; Kato, A.

1984-01-01

The sintering behavior of ultrafine SiC powder with average particle size of about 0.01-0.06 microns produced by a vapor phase reaction of the Me4Si-H2 system was studied at the temperature range of 1400-2050 deg. It was found that the homogeneous dispersion of C on SiC particles is important to remove the surface oxide layer effectively. B and C and inhibitive effect on SiC grain growth.

Chemical and structural order in silicon oxynitrides by methods of surface physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finster, J.; Heeg, J.; Klinkenberg, E.-D.

A large number of thin amorphous layers of SiO xN y and several (crystalline) reference compounds (SiO 2, Si 3N 4, Si 2N 2O) are studied. Although XANES and SEXAFS are well sulted to derive structural and chemical order, for these compounds many problems remain to be solved. We show how core level spectra (XPS, AES) can be used to gain such information (e.g. random bonding structure, N coordination, oxidation behaviour).

Periodically structured Si pillars for high-performing heterojunction photodetectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melvin David Kumar, M.; Yun, Ju-Hyung; Kim, Joondong

2015-03-01

A periodical array of silicon (Si) micro pillar structures was fabricated on Si substrates using PR etching process. Indium tin oxide (ITO) layer of 80 nm thickness was deposited over patterned Si substrates so as to make ITO/n-Si heterojunction devices. The influences of width and period of pillars on the optical and electrical properties of prepared devices were investigated. The surface morphology of the Si substrates revealed the uniform array of pillar structures. The 5/10 (width/period) Si pillar pattern reduced the optical reflectance to 6.5% from 17% which is of 5/7 pillar pattern. The current rectifying ratio was found higher for the device in which the pillars are situated in optimum periods. At both visible (600 nm) and near infrared (900 nm) range of wavelengths, the 5/7 and 5/10 pillar patterned device exhibited the better photoresponses which are suitable for making advanced photodetectors. This highly transmittance and photoresponsive pillar patterned Si substrates with an ITO layer would be a promising device for various photoelectric applications.

Impedance spectroscopy of heterojunction solar cell a-SiC/c-Si with ITO antireflection film investigated at different temperatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Šály, V.; Perný, M.; Janíček, F.; Huran, J.; Mikolášek, M.; Packa, J.

2017-04-01

Progressive smart photovoltaic technologies including heterostructures a-SiC/c-Si with ITO antireflection film are one of the prospective replacements of conventional photovoltaic silicon technology. Our paper is focused on the investigation of heterostructures a-SiC/c-Si provided with a layer of ITO (indium oxide/tin oxide 90/10 wt.%) which acts as a passivating and antireflection coating. Prepared photovoltaic cell structure was investigated at various temperatures and the influence of temperature on its operation was searched. The investigation of the dynamic properties of heterojunction PV cells was carried out using impedance spectroscopy. The equivalent AC circuit which approximates the measured impedance data was proposed. Assessment of the influence of the temperature on the operation of prepared heterostructure was carried out by analysis of the temperature dependence of AC equivalent circuit elements.

Formation and possible growth mechanism of bismuth nanowires on various substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Volkov, V. T.; Kasumov, A. Yu.; Kasumov, Yu. A.; Khodos, I. I.

2017-08-01

In this work, we report results of a study of bismuth nanowires growth on various substrates, including Fe, Ni, Co, W, Pt, Au thin films on oxidized Si, Si (111), oxidized Si (100), and fused quartz. The nanowires (NW) were prepared by RF diode sputtering of Bi onto a substrate heated to about 200 °C. The structure of the wires was studied by a scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The NWs are monocrystalline up to a length of several micrometers and possess a very thin (less than 2 nm) oxide layer. A major influence of the substrate type on the quantity and the length of the obtained nanowires is observed. Based on the above studies, we propose a possible mechanism of a bismuth nanowire growth.

About complex refractive index of black Si

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinčík, Emil; Brunner, Robert; Kobayashi, Hikaru; Mikula, Milan

2017-12-01

The paper deals with the complex refractive index in the IR light region of two types of samples (i) as prepared black silicon, and (ii) thermally oxidized black silicon (BSi) nano-crystalline specimens produced both by the surface structure chemical transfer method using catalytic Ag evaporated spots (as prepared sample) and by the catalytic Pt catalytic mesh (thermally oxidized sample). We present, compare, and discuss the values of the IR complex refractive index obtained by calculation using the Kramers-Krönig transformation. Results indicate that small differences between optical properties of as prepared black Si and thermally oxidized BSi are given by: (i) - oxidation procedure, (ii) - thickness of the formed black Si layer, mainly, not by utilization of different catalytic metals, and by iii) the different thickness. Contamination of the surface by different catalytic metals contributes almost equally to the calculated values of the corresponding complex refractive index.

Fabrication of current confinement aperture structure by transforming a conductive GaN:Si epitaxial layer into an insulating GaOx layer.

PubMed

Lin, Chia-Feng; Lee, Wen-Che; Shieh, Bing-Cheng; Chen, Danti; Wang, Dili; Han, Jung

2014-12-24

We report here a simple and robust process to convert embedded conductive GaN epilayers into insulating GaOx and demonstrate its efficacy in vertical current blocking and lateral current steering in a working LED device. The fabrication processes consist of laser scribing, electrochemical (EC) wet-etching, photoelectrochemical (PEC) oxidation, and thermal oxidization of a sacrificial n(+)-GaN:Si layer. The conversion of GaN is made possible through an intermediate stage of porosification where the standard n-type GaN epilayers can be laterally and selectively anodized into a nanoporous (NP) texture while keeping the rest of the layers intact. The fibrous texture of NP GaN with an average wall thickness of less than 100 nm dramatically increases the surface-to-volume ratio and facilitates a rapid oxidation process of GaN into GaOX. The GaOX aperture was formed on the n-side of the LED between the active region and the n-type GaN layer. The wavelength blueshift phenomena of electroluminescence spectra is observed in the treated aperture-emission LED structure (441.5 nm) when compared to nontreated LED structure (443.7 nm) at 0.1 mA. The observation of aperture-confined electroluminescence from an InGaN LED structure suggests that the NP GaN based oxidation will play an enabling role in the design and fabrication of III-nitride photonic devices.

Simulation of a high-efficiency silicon-based heterojunction solar cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jian, Liu; Shihua, Huang; Lü, He

2015-04-01

The basic parameters of a-Si:H/c-Si heterojunction solar cells, such as layer thickness, doping concentration, a-Si:H/c-Si interface defect density, and the work functions of the transparent conducting oxide (TCO) and back surface field (BSF) layer, are crucial factors that influence the carrier transport properties and the efficiency of the solar cells. The correlations between the carrier transport properties and these parameters and the performance of a-Si:H/c-Si heterojunction solar cells were investigated using the AFORS-HET program. Through the analysis and optimization of a TCO/n-a-Si:H/i-a-Si:H/p-c-Si/p+-a-Si:H/Ag solar cell, a photoelectric conversion efficiency of 27.07% (VOC) 749 mV, JSC: 42.86 mA/cm2, FF: 84.33%) was obtained through simulation. An in-depth understanding of the transport properties can help to improve the efficiency of a-Si:H/c-Si heterojunction solar cells, and provide useful guidance for actual heterojunction with intrinsic thin layer (HIT) solar cell manufacturing. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 61076055), the Open Project Program of Surface Physics Laboratory (National Key Laboratory) of Fudan University (No. FDS-KL2011-04), the Zhejiang Provincial Science and Technology Key Innovation Team (No. 2011R50012), and the Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory (No. 2013E10022).

Growth behavior and properties of atomic layer deposited tin oxide on silicon from novel tin(II)acetylacetonate precursor and ozone

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

Kannan Selvaraj, Sathees; Feinerman, Alan; Takoudis, Christos G., E-mail: takoudis@uic.edu

In this work, a novel liquid tin(II) precursor, tin(II)acetylacetonate [Sn(acac){sub 2}], was used to deposit tin oxide films on Si(100) substrate, using a custom-built hot wall atomic layer deposition (ALD) reactor. Three different oxidizers, water, oxygen, and ozone, were tried. Resulting growth rates were studied as a function of precursor dosage, oxidizer dosage, reactor temperature, and number of ALD cycles. The film growth rate was found to be 0.1 ± 0.01 nm/cycle within the wide ALD temperature window of 175–300 °C using ozone; no film growth was observed with water or oxygen. Characterization methods were used to study the composition, interface quality, crystallinity, microstructure,more » refractive index, surface morphology, and resistivity of the resulting films. X-ray photoelectron spectra showed the formation of a clean SnO{sub x}–Si interface. The resistivity of the SnO{sub x} films was calculated to be 0.3 Ω cm. Results of this work demonstrate the possibility of introducing Sn(acac){sub 2} as tin precursor to deposit conducting ALD SnO{sub x} thin films on a silicon surface, with clean interface and no formation of undesired SiO{sub 2} or other interfacial reaction products, for transparent conducting oxide applications.« less

Processing of SiO2 protective layer using HMDS precursor by combustion CVD.

PubMed

Park, Kyoung-Soo; Kim, Youngman

2011-08-01

Hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS, [(CH3)3Si]2NH) was used as a precursor to form SiO2 protective coatings on IN738LC alloys by combustion chemical vapor deposition (CCVD). SEM and XPS showed that the processed coatings were composed mainly of SiO2. The amount of HMDS had the largest effect on the size of the SiO2 agglomerates and the thickness of the deposited coatings. The specimens coated with SiO2 using the 0.05 mol/l HMDS solution showed a significantly higher temperature oxidation resistance than those deposited under other conditions.

Interdiffusion behavior of U3Si2 with FeCrAl via diffusion couple studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoggan, Rita E.; He, Lingfeng; Harp, Jason M.

2018-04-01

Uranium silicide (U3Si2) is a candidate to replace uranium oxide (UO2) as light water reactor (LWR) fuel because of its higher thermal conductivity and higher fissile density relative to the current standard, UO2. A class of Fe, Cr, Al alloys collectively known as FeCrAl alloys that have superior mechanical and oxidation resistance are being considered as an alternative to the standard Zirconium based LWR cladding. The interdiffusion behavior between FeCrAl and U3Si2 is investigated in this study. Commercially available FeCrAl, along with U3Si2 pellets were placed in diffusion couples. Individual tests were ran at temperatures ranging from 500 °C to 1000 °C for 30 h and 100 h. The interdiffusion was analyzed with an optical microscope, scanning electron microscope, and transmission electron microscope. Uniform and planar interdiffusion layers along the material interface were illustrated with backscatter electron micrographs and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Electron diffraction was used to validate phases present in the system, including distinct U2Fe3Si/UFe2 and UFeSi layers at the material interface. U and Fe diffused far into the FeCrAl and U3Si2 matrix, respectively, in the higher temperature tests. No interaction was observed at 500 °C for 30 h.

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

Mechanistic analysis of temperature-dependent current conduction through thin tunnel oxide in n+-polySi/SiO2/n+-Si structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samanta, Piyas

2017-09-01

We present a detailed investigation on temperature-dependent current conduction through thin tunnel oxides grown on degenerately doped n-type silicon (n+-Si) under positive bias ( VG ) on heavily doped n-type polycrystalline silicon (n+-polySi) gate in metal-oxide-semiconductor devices. The leakage current measured between 298 and 573 K and at oxide fields ranging from 6 to 10 MV/cm is primarily attributed to Poole-Frenkel (PF) emission of trapped electrons from the neutral electron traps located in the silicon dioxide (SiO2) band gap in addition to Fowler-Nordheim (FN) tunneling of electrons from n+-Si acting as the drain node in FLOating gate Tunnel OXide Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory devices. Process-induced neutral electron traps are located at 0.18 eV and 0.9 eV below the SiO2 conduction band. Throughout the temperature range studied here, PF emission current IPF dominates FN electron tunneling current IFN at oxide electric fields Eox between 6 and 10 MV/cm. A physics based new analytical formula has been developed for FN tunneling of electrons from the accumulation layer of degenerate semiconductors at a wide range of temperatures incorporating the image force barrier rounding effect. FN tunneling has been formulated in the framework of Wentzel-Kramers-Brilloiun taking into account the correction factor due to abrupt variation of the energy barrier at the cathode/oxide interface. The effect of interfacial and near-interfacial trapped-oxide charges on FN tunneling has also been investigated in detail at positive VG . The mechanism of leakage current conduction through SiO2 films plays a crucial role in simulation of time-dependent dielectric breakdown of the memory devices and to precisely predict the normal operating field or applied floating gate (FG) voltage for lifetime projection of the devices. In addition, we present theoretical results showing the effect of drain doping concentration on the FG leakage current.

Excellent c-Si surface passivation by low-temperature atomic layer deposited titanium oxide

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

Liao, Baochen, E-mail: liaobaochen@nus.edu.sg; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore, 4 Engineering Drive 3, Singapore 117576; A*STAR Institute of Materials Research and Engineering

2014-06-23

In this work, we demonstrate that thermal atomic layer deposited (ALD) titanium oxide (TiO{sub x}) films are able to provide a—up to now unprecedented—level of surface passivation on undiffused low-resistivity crystalline silicon (c-Si). The surface passivation provided by the ALD TiO{sub x} films is activated by a post-deposition anneal and subsequent light soaking treatment. Ultralow effective surface recombination velocities down to 2.8 cm/s and 8.3 cm/s, respectively, are achieved on n-type and p-type float-zone c-Si wafers. Detailed analysis confirms that the TiO{sub x} films are nearly stoichiometric, have no significant level of contaminants, and are of amorphous nature. The passivation is foundmore » to be stable after storage in the dark for eight months. These results demonstrate that TiO{sub x} films are also capable of providing excellent passivation of undiffused c-Si surfaces on a comparable level to thermal silicon oxide, silicon nitride, and aluminum oxide. In addition, it is well known that TiO{sub x} has an optimal refractive index of 2.4 in the visible range for glass encapsulated solar cells, as well as a low extinction coefficient. Thus, the results presented in this work could facilitate the re-emergence of TiO{sub x} in the field of high-efficiency silicon wafer solar cells.« less

Wet cleaning and surface characterization of Si 1- xGe x virtual substrates after a CMP step

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbadie, A.; Hartmann, J. M.; Besson, P.; Rouchon, D.; Martinez, E.; Holliger, P.; Di Nardo, C.; Campidelli, Y.; Billon, T.

2008-08-01

New reactants such as ozone dissolved in ultra-pure water have been widely used the last few years instead of the original Radio Corporation of America (RCA) cleaning (which is a combination of the Standard Cleaning 1 (SC1) and the Standard Cleaning 2 (SC2)). In a first part of the study (Microelectron. Eng. 83 (2006) 1986), we had quantified the efficiency of a new cleaning sequence (that calls upon HF and H 2O/O 3 solutions) on polished Si 1- xGe x virtual substrates ( x = 0.2-0.5). We are discussing here the surface morphology and wetability together with the oxide thickness and structure typically obtained after this so-called "DDC-SiGe" wet cleaning. Flat surface morphologies are found after cleaning whatever the Ge content (from 20 to 50%). Typical root mean square roughness is around 0.4 nm. We have used X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy to determine the characteristics of the surface termination after this "DDC-SiGe" cleaning. An oxide mainly composed of SiO 2 is formed, with a low fraction of Ge sub-oxide and GeO 2. The distribution of chemical species is not that different from the one obtained after the use of a SC1 cleaning. However, the chemical oxide formed is slightly thicker. Such a HF/O 3 cleaning leads, when used on thick Ge layers grown on Si, to the formation of a really thin Ge sub-oxide. Our oxidation model assumes a competition in O 3 solutions between the oxidation rates of Si and Ge atoms (faster for Si) and the dissolution of the Ge oxide formed in solution. This mechanism, which implies the formation of a slightly porous oxide, is different from the one seeming to occur in SC1-based solutions. Indeed, the addition of surfactant in a SC1 solution modifies the oxidation rate compared to standard SC1 or O 3-based solutions, suggesting a diffusion of reactants towards the interface between the SiGe and the oxide in formation, assisted by the reactions of species within the cleaning solutions.

Understanding the Mechanism of SiC Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) and Developing Routes toward SiC Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) with Density Functional Theory.

PubMed

Filatova, Ekaterina A; Hausmann, Dennis; Elliott, Simon D

2018-05-02

Understanding the mechanism of SiC chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is an important step in investigating the routes toward future atomic layer deposition (ALD) of SiC. The energetics of various silicon and carbon precursors reacting with bare and H-terminated 3C-SiC (011) are analyzed using ab initio density functional theory (DFT). Bare SiC is found to be reactive to silicon and carbon precursors, while H-terminated SiC is found to be not reactive with these precursors at 0 K. Furthermore, the reaction pathways of silane plasma fragments SiH 3 and SiH 2 are calculated along with the energetics for the methane plasma fragments CH 3 and CH 2 . SiH 3 and SiH 2 fragments follow different mechanisms toward Si growth, of which the SiH 3 mechanism is found to be more thermodynamically favorable. Moreover, both of the fragments were found to show selectivity toward the Si-H bond and not C-H bond of the surface. On the basis of this, a selective Si deposition process is suggested for silicon versus carbon-doped silicon oxide surfaces.

Effect of ring-shaped SiO2 current blocking layer thickness on the external quantum efficiency of high power light-emitting diodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Shengjun; Liu, Mengling; Hu, Hongpo; Gao, Yilin; Liu, Xingtong

2017-12-01

A ring-shaped SiO2 CBL underneath the p-electrode was employed to enhance current spreading of GaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Effects of ring-shaped SiO2 current blocking layer (CBL) thickness on optical and electrical characteristics of high power LEDs were investigated. A 190-nm-thick ring-shaped SiO2 CBL with inclined sidewalls was obtained using a combination of a thermally reflowed photoresist technique and an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching process, allowing for the deposition of conformal indium tin oxide (ITO) transparent conductive layer on sidewalls of ring-shaped SiO2 CBL. It was indicated that the external quantum efficiency (EQE) of high power LEDs increased with increasing thickness of ring-shaped SiO2 CBL. The EQE of high power LED with 190-nm-thick ring-shaped SiO2 CBL was 12.7% higher than that of high power LED without SiO2 CBL. Simulations performed with commercial SimuLED software package showed that the ring-shaped SiO2 CBL could significantly alleviate current crowding around p-electrode, resulting in enhanced current spreading over the entire high power LED structure.

Use of silane-functionalized graphene oxide in organic photovoltaic cells and organic light-emitting diodes.

PubMed

Lee, Chang Yeong; Le, Quyet Van; Kim, Cheolmin; Kim, Soo Young

2015-04-14

Graphene oxide (GO) and silane-functionalized GO (sGO) sheets obtained through a simple sonication exfoliation method are employed as hole transport layers to improve the efficiency of organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells and organic light-emitting diodes (OLED). GO was functionalized using (3-glycidyl oxypropyl)trimethoxysilane (GPTMS) and triethoxymethylsilane (MTES). The appearance of new peaks in the Fourier-transform infrared spectra of the sGOs indicates the formation of Si-O-C, Si-O-Si, Si-H, and Si-O-C moieties, which provide evidence of the addition of silane to the GO surface. Furthermore, the appearance of Si-O-Si bonds in the synchrotron radiation photoelectron spectra (SRPES) of the MTES-sGO and GPTMS-sGO samples suggests that silane groups were effectively functionalized onto the GO sheets. An OPV cell with GO layers showed a lower performance with a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 2.06%; in contrast, OPV cells based on GPTMS-sGO and MTES-sGO have PCE values of 3.00 and 3.08%, respectively. The OLED devices based on GPTMS-sGO and MTES-sGO showed a higher maximum luminance efficiency of 13.91 and 12.77 cd A(-1), respectively, than PEDOT:PSS-based devices (12.34 cd A(-1)). The SRPES results revealed that the work functions of GO, GPTMS-sGO, and MTES-sGO were 4.8, 4.9, and 5.0 eV, respectively. Therefore, the increase in the PCE value is attributed to improved band-gap alignment. It is thought that sGO could be used as an interfacial layer in OPV and OLED devices.

Miniaturized metal (metal alloy)/ PdO.sub.x/SiC hydrogen and hydrocarbon gas sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunter, Gary W. (Inventor); Xu, Jennifer C. (Inventor); Lukco, Dorothy (Inventor)

2011-01-01

A miniaturized Schottky diode hydrogen and hydrocarbon sensor and the method of making same is disclosed and claimed. The sensor comprises a catalytic metal layer, such as palladium, a silicon carbide substrate layer and a thin barrier layer in between the catalytic and substrate layers made of palladium oxide (PdO.sub.x ). This highly stable device provides sensitive gas detection at temperatures ranging from at least 450 to 600.degree. C. The barrier layer prevents reactions between the catalytic metal layer and the substrate layer. Conventional semiconductor fabrication techniques are used to fabricate the small-sized sensors. The use of a thicker palladium oxide barrier layer for other semiconductor structures such as a capacitor and transistor structures is also disclosed.

Miniaturized metal (metal alloy)/ PdO.sub.x/SiC hydrogen and hydrocarbon gas sensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Xu, Jennifer C. (Inventor); Hunter, Gary W. (Inventor); Lukco, Dorothy (Inventor)

2008-01-01

A miniaturized Schottky diode hydrogen and hydrocarbon sensor and the method of making same is disclosed and claimed. The sensor comprises a catalytic metal layer, such as palladium, a silicon carbide substrate layer and a thin barrier layer in between the catalytic and substrate layers made of palladium oxide (PdO.sub.x). This highly stable device provides sensitive gas detection at temperatures ranging from at least 450 to 600.degree. C. The barrier layer prevents reactions between the catalytic metal layer and the substrate layer. Conventional semiconductor fabrication techniques are used to fabricate the small-sized sensors. The use of a thicker palladium oxide barrier layer for other semiconductor structures such as a capacitor and transistor structures is also disclosed.

Enhanced light extraction of GaN-based light-emitting diodes with periodic textured SiO2 on Al-doped ZnO transparent conductive layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Zhao; Bingfeng, Fan; Yiting, Chen; Yi, Zhuo; Zhoujun, Pang; Zhen, Liu; Gang, Wang

2016-07-01

We report an effective enhancement in light extraction of GaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with an Al-doped ZnO (AZO) transparent conductive layer by incorporating a top regular textured SiO2 layer. The 2 inch transparent through-pore anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane was fabricated and used as the etching mask. The periodic pore with a pitch of about 410 nm was successfully transferred to the surface of the SiO2 layer without any etching damages to the AZO layer and the electrodes. The light output power was enhanced by 19% at 20 mA and 56% at 100 mA compared to that of the planar LEDs without a patterned surface. This approach offers a technique to fabricate a low-cost and large-area regular pattern on the LED chip for achieving enhanced light extraction without an obvious increase of the forward voltage. ).

Tunnel oxide passivated contacts formed by ion implantation for applications in silicon solar cells

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

Reichel, Christian, E-mail: christian.reichel@ise.fraunhofer.de; National Renewable Energy Laboratory; Feldmann, Frank

Passivated contacts (poly-Si/SiO{sub x}/c-Si) doped by shallow ion implantation are an appealing technology for high efficiency silicon solar cells, especially for interdigitated back contact (IBC) solar cells where a masked ion implantation facilitates their fabrication. This paper presents a study on tunnel oxide passivated contacts formed by low-energy ion implantation into amorphous silicon (a-Si) layers and examines the influence of the ion species (P, B, or BF{sub 2}), the ion implantation dose (5 × 10{sup 14 }cm{sup −2} to 1 × 10{sup 16 }cm{sup −2}), and the subsequent high-temperature anneal (800 °C or 900 °C) on the passivation quality and junction characteristics using double-sided contacted silicon solar cells.more » Excellent passivation quality is achieved for n-type passivated contacts by P implantations into either intrinsic (undoped) or in-situ B-doped a-Si layers with implied open-circuit voltages (iV{sub oc}) of 725 and 720 mV, respectively. For p-type passivated contacts, BF{sub 2} implantations into intrinsic a-Si yield well passivated contacts and allow for iV{sub oc} of 690 mV, whereas implanted B gives poor passivation with iV{sub oc} of only 640 mV. While solar cells featuring in-situ B-doped selective hole contacts and selective electron contacts with P implanted into intrinsic a-Si layers achieved V{sub oc} of 690 mV and fill factor (FF) of 79.1%, selective hole contacts realized by BF{sub 2} implantation into intrinsic a-Si suffer from drastically reduced FF which is caused by a non-Ohmic Schottky contact. Finally, implanting P into in-situ B-doped a-Si layers for the purpose of overcompensation (counterdoping) allowed for solar cells with V{sub oc} of 680 mV and FF of 80.4%, providing a simplified and promising fabrication process for IBC solar cells featuring passivated contacts.« less

Giant Dirac point shift of graphene phototransistors by doped silicon substrate current

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

Shimatani, Masaaki; Ogawa, Shinpei, E-mail: Ogawa.Shimpei@eb.MitsubishiElectric.co.jp; Fujisawa, Daisuke

2016-03-15

Graphene is a promising new material for photodetectors due to its excellent optical properties and high-speed response. However, graphene-based phototransistors have low responsivity due to the weak light absorption of graphene. We have observed a giant Dirac point shift upon white light illumination in graphene-based phototransistors with n-doped Si substrates, but not those with p-doped substrates. The source-drain current and substrate current were investigated with and without illumination for both p-type and n-type Si substrates. The decay time of the drain-source current indicates that the Si substrate, SiO{sub 2} layer, and metal electrode comprise a metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitor due tomore » the presence of defects at the interface between the Si substrate and SiO{sub 2} layer. The difference in the diffusion time of the intrinsic major carriers (electrons) and the photogenerated electron-hole pairs to the depletion layer delays the application of the gate voltage to the graphene channel. Therefore, the giant Dirac point shift is attributed to the n-type Si substrate current. This phenomenon can be exploited to realize high-performance graphene-based phototransistors.« less

Restricted-Access Al-Mediated Material Transport in Al Contacting of PureGaB Ge-on-Si p + n Diodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sammak, Amir; Qi, Lin; Nanver, Lis K.

2015-12-01

The effectiveness of using nanometer-thin boron (PureB) layers as interdiffusion barrier to aluminum (Al) is studied for a contacting scheme specifically developed for fabricating germanium-on-silicon (Ge-on-Si) p + n photodiodes with an oxide-covered light entrance window. Contacting is achieved at the perimeter of the Ge-island anode directly to an Al interconnect metallization. The Ge is grown in oxide windows to the Si wafer and covered by a B and gallium (Ga) layer stack (PureGaB) composed of about a nanometer of Ga for forming the p + Ge region and 10 nm of B as an interdiffusion barrier to the Al. To form contact windows, the side-wall oxide is etched away, exposing a small tip of the Ge perimeter to Al that from this point travels about 5 μm into the bulk Ge crystal. In this process, Ge and Si materials are displaced, forming Ge-filled V-grooves at the Si surface. The Al coalesces in grains. This process is studied here by high-resolution cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy that confirm the purities of the Ge and Al grains. Diodes are fabricated with different geometries and statistical current-voltage characterization reveals a spread that can be related to across-the-wafer variations in the contact processing. The I- V behavior is characterized by low dark current, low contact resistance, and breakdown voltages that are suitable for operation in avalanching modes. The restricted access to the Ge of the Al inducing the Ge and Si material transport does not destroy the very good electrical characteristics typical of PureGaB Ge-on-Si diodes.

Remote catalyzation for direct formation of graphene layers on oxides.

PubMed

Teng, Po-Yuan; Lu, Chun-Chieh; Akiyama-Hasegawa, Kotone; Lin, Yung-Chang; Yeh, Chao-Hui; Suenaga, Kazu; Chiu, Po-Wen

2012-03-14

Direct deposition of high-quality graphene layers on insulating substrates such as SiO(2) paves the way toward the development of graphene-based high-speed electronics. Here, we describe a novel growth technique that enables the direct deposition of graphene layers on SiO(2) with crystalline quality potentially comparable to graphene grown on Cu foils using chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Rather than using Cu foils as substrates, our approach uses them to provide subliming Cu atoms in the CVD process. The prime feature of the proposed technique is remote catalyzation using floating Cu and H atoms for the decomposition of hydrocarbons. This allows for the direct graphitization of carbon radicals on oxide surfaces, forming isolated low-defect graphene layers without the need for postgrowth etching or evaporation of the metal catalyst. The defect density of the resulting graphene layers can be significantly reduced by tuning growth parameters such as the gas ratios, Cu surface areas, and substrate-to-Cu distance. Under optimized conditions, graphene layers with nondiscernible Raman D peaks can be obtained when predeposited graphite flakes are used as seeds for extended growth. © 2012 American Chemical Society

Rapid, conformal gas-phase formation of silica (SiO2) nanotubes from water condensates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bae, Changdeuck; Kim, Hyunchul; Yang, Yunjeong; Yoo, Hyunjun; Montero Moreno, Josep M.; Bachmann, Julien; Nielsch, Kornelius; Shin, Hyunjung

2013-06-01

An innovative atomic layer deposition (ALD) concept, with which nanostructures of water condensates with high aspect ratio at equilibrium in cylindrical nanopores can be transformed uniformly into silica (SiO2) at near room temperature and ambient pressure, has been demonstrated for the first time. As a challenging model system, we first prove the conversion of cylindrical water condensates in porous alumina membranes to silica nanotubes (NTs) by introducing SiCl4 as a metal reactant without involving any catalytic reaction. Surprisingly, the water NTs reproducibly transformed into silica NTs, where the wall thickness of the silica NTs deposited per cycle was found to be limited by the amount of condensed water, and it was on the orders of ten nanometers per cycle (i.e., over 50 times faster than that of conventional ALD). More remarkably, the reactions only took place for 10-20 minutes or less without vacuum-related equipment. The thickness of initially adsorbed water layers in cylindrical nanopores was indirectly estimated from the thickness of formed SiO2 layers. With systematic experimental designs, we tackle the classical Kelvin equation in the nanosized pores, and the role of van der Waals forces in the nanoscale wetting phenomena, which is a long-standing issue lacking experimental insight. Moreover, we show that the present strategy is likely generalized to other oxide systems such as TiO2. Our approach opens up a new avenue for ultra-simple preparation of porous oxides and allows for the room temperature formation of dielectric layers toward organic electronic and photovoltaic applications.An innovative atomic layer deposition (ALD) concept, with which nanostructures of water condensates with high aspect ratio at equilibrium in cylindrical nanopores can be transformed uniformly into silica (SiO2) at near room temperature and ambient pressure, has been demonstrated for the first time. As a challenging model system, we first prove the conversion of cylindrical water condensates in porous alumina membranes to silica nanotubes (NTs) by introducing SiCl4 as a metal reactant without involving any catalytic reaction. Surprisingly, the water NTs reproducibly transformed into silica NTs, where the wall thickness of the silica NTs deposited per cycle was found to be limited by the amount of condensed water, and it was on the orders of ten nanometers per cycle (i.e., over 50 times faster than that of conventional ALD). More remarkably, the reactions only took place for 10-20 minutes or less without vacuum-related equipment. The thickness of initially adsorbed water layers in cylindrical nanopores was indirectly estimated from the thickness of formed SiO2 layers. With systematic experimental designs, we tackle the classical Kelvin equation in the nanosized pores, and the role of van der Waals forces in the nanoscale wetting phenomena, which is a long-standing issue lacking experimental insight. Moreover, we show that the present strategy is likely generalized to other oxide systems such as TiO2. Our approach opens up a new avenue for ultra-simple preparation of porous oxides and allows for the room temperature formation of dielectric layers toward organic electronic and photovoltaic applications. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: TEM gallery of silica NTs under different experimental conditions, detailed calculation of estimating the thickness of condensed water and Hamaker constants, and a comparison of processing times. See DOI: 10.1039/c3nr00906h

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.

High-Efficiency Silicon/Organic Heterojunction Solar Cells with Improved Junction Quality and Interface Passivation.

PubMed

He, Jian; Gao, Pingqi; Ling, Zhaoheng; Ding, Li; Yang, Zhenhai; Ye, Jichun; Cui, Yi

2016-12-27

Silicon/organic heterojunction solar cells (HSCs) based on conjugated polymers, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), and n-type silicon (n-Si) have attracted wide attention due to their potential advantages of high efficiency and low cost. However, the state-of-the-art efficiencies are still far from satisfactory due to the inferior junction quality. Here, facile treatments were applied by pretreating the n-Si wafer in tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) solution and using a capping copper iodide (CuI) layer on the PEDOT:PSS layer to achieve a high-quality Schottky junction. Detailed photoelectric characteristics indicated that the surface recombination was greatly suppressed after TMAH pretreatment, which increased the thickness of the interfacial oxide layer. Furthermore, the CuI capping layer induced a strong inversion layer near the n-Si surface, resulting in an excellent field effect passivation. With the collaborative improvements in the interface chemical and electrical passivation, a competitive open-circuit voltage of 0.656 V and a high fill factor of 78.1% were achieved, leading to a stable efficiency of over 14.3% for the planar n-Si/PEDOT:PSS HSCs. Our findings suggest promising strategies to further exploit the full voltage as well as efficiency potentials for Si/organic solar cells.

Effective passivation of silicon surfaces by ultrathin atomic-layer deposited niobium oxide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Macco, B.; Bivour, M.; Deijkers, J. H.; Basuvalingam, S. B.; Black, L. E.; Melskens, J.; van de Loo, B. W. H.; Berghuis, W. J. H.; Hermle, M.; Kessels, W. M. M. Erwin

2018-06-01

This letter reports on effective surface passivation of n-type crystalline silicon by ultrathin niobium oxide (Nb2O5) films prepared by atomic layer deposition (ALD) and subjected to a forming gas anneal at 300 °C. A champion recombination parameter J0 of 20 fA/cm2 and a surface recombination velocity Seff of 4.8 cm/s have been achieved for ultrathin films of 1 nm. The surface pretreatment was found to have a strong impact on the passivation. Good passivation can be achieved on both HF-treated c-Si surfaces and c-Si surfaces with a wet-chemically grown interfacial silicon oxide layer. On HF-treated surfaces, a minimum film thickness of 3 nm is required to achieve a high level of surface passivation, whereas the use of a wet chemically-grown interfacial oxide enables excellent passivation even for Nb2O5 films of only 1 nm. This discrepancy in passivation between both surface types is attributed to differences in the formation and stoichiometry of interfacial silicon oxide, resulting in different levels of chemical passivation. On both surface types, the high level of passivation of ALD Nb2O5 is aided by field-effect passivation originating from a high fixed negative charge density of 1-2 × 1012 cm-3. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the passivation level provided by 1 nm of Nb2O5 can be further enhanced through light-soaking. Finally, initial explorations show that a low contact resistivity can be obtained using Nb2O5-based contacts. Together, these properties make ALD Nb2O5 a highly interesting building block for high-efficiency c-Si solar cells.

Characterization of a SiC MIS Schottky diode as RBS particle detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaufmann, I. R.; Pick, A. C.; Pereira, M. B.; Boudinov, H. I.

2018-02-01

A 4H-SiC Schottky diode was investigated as a particle detector for Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy (RBS) experiment. The device was fabricated on a commercial 4H-SiC epitaxial n-type layer grown onto a 4H-SiC n+ type substrate wafer doped with nitrogen. Hafnium oxide with thickness of 1 nm was deposited by Atomic Layer Deposition and 10 nm of Ni were deposited by sputtering to form the Ni/HfO2/4H-SiC MIS Schottky structure. Current-Voltage curves with variable temperature were measured to extract the real Schottky Barrier Height (0.32 V) and ideality factor values (1.15). Reverse current and Capacitance-Voltage measurements were performed on the 4H-SiC detector and compared to a commercial Si barrier detector acquired from ORTEC. RBS data for four alpha energies (1, 1.5, 2 and 2.5 MeV) were collected from an Au/Si sample using the fabricated SiC and the commercial Si detectors simultaneously. The energy resolution for the fabricated detector was estimated to be between 75 and 80 keV.

Analysis of buried interfaces in multilayer mirrors using grazing incidence extreme ultraviolet reflectometry near resonance edges.

PubMed

Sertsu, M G; Nardello, M; Giglia, A; Corso, A J; Maurizio, C; Juschkin, L; Nicolosi, P

2015-12-10

Accurate measurements of optical properties of multilayer (ML) mirrors and chemical compositions of interdiffusion layers are particularly challenging to date. In this work, an innovative and nondestructive experimental characterization method for multilayers is discussed. The method is based on extreme ultraviolet (EUV) reflectivity measurements performed on a wide grazing incidence angular range at an energy near the absorption resonance edge of low-Z elements in the ML components. This experimental method combined with the underlying physical phenomenon of abrupt changes of optical constants near EUV resonance edges enables us to characterize optical and structural properties of multilayers with high sensitivity. A major advantage of the method is to perform detailed quantitative analysis of buried interfaces of multilayer structures in a nondestructive and nonimaging setup. Coatings of Si/Mo multilayers on a Si substrate with period d=16.4  nm, number of bilayers N=25, and different capping structures are investigated. Stoichiometric compositions of Si-on-Mo and Mo-on-Si interface diffusion layers are derived. Effects of surface oxidation reactions and carbon contaminations on the optical constants of capping layers and the impact of neighboring atoms' interactions on optical responses of Si and Mo layers are discussed.

Innovative Ge Quantum Dot Functional Sensing and Metrology Devices

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-08-21

information latency and power consumption . In contrast, optical interconnects have shown tremendous promise for replacing electrical wires thanks to...single oxidation step of Si0.85Ge0.15 nano-pillars patterned over a buffer layer of Si3N4 on top of the n-Si substrate. During the high- temperature ...exquisitely-controlled dynamic balance between the fluxes of oxygen and silicon interstitials. Results and Discussion: 1. Self-organized, gate

Effects of oxygen-inserted layers on diffusion of boron, phosphorus, and arsenic in silicon for ultra-shallow junction formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, X.; Connelly, D.; Takeuchi, H.; Hytha, M.; Mears, R. J.; Rubin, L. M.; Liu, T.-J. K.

2018-03-01

The effects of oxygen-inserted (OI) layers on the diffusion of boron (B), phosphorus (P), and arsenic (As) in silicon (Si) are investigated, for ultra-shallow junction formation by high-dose ion implantation followed by rapid thermal annealing. The projected range (Rp) of the implanted dopants is shallower than the depth of the OI layers. Secondary ion mass spectrometry is used to compare the dopant profiles in silicon samples that have OI layers against the dopant profiles in control samples that do not have OI layers. Diffusion is found to be substantially retarded by the OI layers for B and P, and less for As, providing shallower junction depth. The experimental results suggest that the OI layers serve to block the diffusion of Si self-interstitials and thereby effectively reduce interstitial-aided diffusion beyond the depth of the OI layers. The OI layers also help to retain more dopants within the Si, which technology computer-aided design simulations indicate to be beneficial for achieving shallower junctions with lower sheet resistance to enable further miniaturization of planar metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors for improved integrated-circuit performance and cost per function.

Processing, Structure and High Temperature Oxidation Properties of Polymer-Derived and Hafnium Oxide Based Ceramic Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terauds, Kalvis

Demands for hypersonic aircraft are driving the development of ultra-high temperature structural materials. These aircraft, envisioned to sustain Mach 5+, are expected to experience continuous temperatures of 1200--1800°C on the aircraft surface and temperatures as high as 2800°C in combustion zones. Breakthroughs in the development of fiber based ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) are opening the door to a new class of high-tech UHT structures for aerospace applications. One limitation with current carbon fiber or silicon carbide fiber based CMC technology is the inherent problem of material oxidation, requiring new approaches for protective environmental barrier coatings (EBC) in extreme environments. This thesis focuses on the development and characterization of SiCN-HfO2 based ceramic composite EBC systems to be used as a protective layer for silicon carbide fiber based CMCs. The presented work covers three main architectures for protection (i) multilayer films, (ii) polymer-derived HfSiCNO, and (iii) composite SiCN-HfO 2 infiltration. The scope of this thesis covers processing development, material characterization, and high temperature oxidation behavior of these three SiCN-HfO2 based systems. This work shows that the SiCN-HfO 2 composite materials react upon oxidation to form HfSiO4, offering a stable EBC in streaming air and water vapor at 1600°C.

Silicon Carbide Gas Sensors for Propulsion Emissions and Safety Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunter, G. W.; Xu, J.; Neudeck, P. G.; Lukco, D.; Trunek, A.; Spry, D.; Lampard, P.; Androjna, D.; Makel, D.; Ward, B.

2007-01-01

Silicon carbide (SiC) based gas sensors have the ability to meet the needs of a range of aerospace propulsion applications including emissions monitoring, leak detection, and hydrazine monitoring. These applications often require sensitive gas detection in a range of environments. An effective sensing approach to meet the needs of these applications is a Schottky diode based on a SiC semiconductor. The primary advantage of using SiC as a semiconductor is its inherent stability and capability to operate at a wide range of temperatures. The complete SiC Schottky diode gas sensing structure includes both the SiC semiconductor and gas sensitive thin film metal layers; reliable operation of the SiC-based gas sensing structure requires good control of the interface between these gas sensitive layers and the SiC. This paper reports on the development of SiC gas sensors. The focus is on two efforts to better control the SiC gas sensitive Schottky diode interface. First, the use of palladium oxide (PdOx) as a barrier layer between the metal and SiC is discussed. Second, the use of atomically flat SiC to provide an improved SiC semiconductor surface for gas sensor element deposition is explored. The use of SiC gas sensors in a multi-parameter detection system is briefly discussed. It is concluded that SiC gas sensors have potential in a range of propulsion system applications, but tailoring of the sensor for each application is necessary.

Ultrathin body GaSb-on-insulator p-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors on Si fabricated by direct wafer bonding

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

Yokoyama, Masafumi, E-mail: yokoyama@mosfet.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp; Takenaka, Mitsuru; Takagi, Shinichi

2015-02-16

We have realized ultrathin body GaSb-on-insulator (GaSb-OI) on Si wafers by direct wafer bonding technology using atomic-layer deposition (ALD) Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} and have demonstrated GaSb-OI p-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (p-MOSFETs) on Si. A 23-nm-thick GaSb-OI p-MOSFET exhibits the peak effective mobility of ∼76 cm{sup 2}/V s. We have found that the effective hole mobility of the thin-body GaSb-OI p-MOSFETs decreases with a decrease in the GaSb-OI thickness or with an increase in Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} ALD temperature. The InAs passivation of GaSb-OI MOS interfaces can enhance the peak effective mobility up to 159 cm{sup 2}/V s for GaSb-OI p-MOSFETs with themore » 20-nm-thick GaSb layer.« less

Graphene wrapping as a protective clamping layer anchored to carbon nanofibers encapsulating Si nanoparticles for a Li-ion battery anode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shin, Jungwoo; Park, Kyusung; Ryu, Won-Hee; Jung, Ji-Won; Kim, Il-Doo

2014-10-01

Carbon nanofibers encapsulating Si nanoparticles (CNFs/SiNPs) were prepared via an electrospinning method and chemically functionalized with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APS) to be grafted onto graphene oxide (GO). As a result, the thin and flexible GO, which exhibits a negative charge in aqueous solution, fully wrapped around the APS-functionalized CNFs with a positive surface charge via electrostatic self-assembly. After the formation of chemical bonds between the epoxy groups on GO and the amine groups in APS via an epoxy ring opening reaction, the GO was chemically reduced to a reduced graphene oxide (rGO). Electrochemical and morphological characterizations showed that capacity loss by structural degradation and electrolyte decomposition on Si surface were significantly suppressed in the rGO-wrapped CNFs/SiNPs (CNFs/SiNPs@rGO). Superior capacities were consequently maintained for up to 200 cycles at a high current density (1048 mA h g-1 at 890 mA g-1) compared to CNFs/SiNPs without the rGO wrapping (304 mA h g-1 at 890 mA g-1). Moreover, the resistance of the SEI layer and charge transfer resistance were also considerably reduced by 24% and 88%, respectively. The described graphene wrapping offers a versatile way to enhance the mechanical integrity and electrochemical stability of Si composite anode materials.Carbon nanofibers encapsulating Si nanoparticles (CNFs/SiNPs) were prepared via an electrospinning method and chemically functionalized with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APS) to be grafted onto graphene oxide (GO). As a result, the thin and flexible GO, which exhibits a negative charge in aqueous solution, fully wrapped around the APS-functionalized CNFs with a positive surface charge via electrostatic self-assembly. After the formation of chemical bonds between the epoxy groups on GO and the amine groups in APS via an epoxy ring opening reaction, the GO was chemically reduced to a reduced graphene oxide (rGO). Electrochemical and morphological characterizations showed that capacity loss by structural degradation and electrolyte decomposition on Si surface were significantly suppressed in the rGO-wrapped CNFs/SiNPs (CNFs/SiNPs@rGO). Superior capacities were consequently maintained for up to 200 cycles at a high current density (1048 mA h g-1 at 890 mA g-1) compared to CNFs/SiNPs without the rGO wrapping (304 mA h g-1 at 890 mA g-1). Moreover, the resistance of the SEI layer and charge transfer resistance were also considerably reduced by 24% and 88%, respectively. The described graphene wrapping offers a versatile way to enhance the mechanical integrity and electrochemical stability of Si composite anode materials. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: SEM images and XRD pattern of CNFs/SiNPs; photographs of CNFs/SiNPs@rGO solutions; SEM images of CNFs/SiNPs@rGO at different graphene concentrations; SEM images of CNFs@SiNPs@rGO without APS functionalization; Electrochemical cell performance of CNFs@SiNPs@rGO with different wrapping concentrations; and electrochemical impendence spectroscopy data for CNFs@SiNPs and CNFs@SiNPs@rGO after the first discharge. See DOI: 10.1039/c4nr03173c

Contact Selectivity Engineering in a 2 μm Thick Ultrathin c-Si Solar Cell Using Transition-Metal Oxides Achieving an Efficiency of 10.8.

PubMed

Xue, Muyu; Islam, Raisul; Meng, Andrew C; Lyu, Zheng; Lu, Ching-Ying; Tae, Christian; Braun, Michael R; Zang, Kai; McIntyre, Paul C; Kamins, Theodore I; Saraswat, Krishna C; Harris, James S

2017-12-06

In this paper, the integration of metal oxides as carrier-selective contacts for ultrathin crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells is demonstrated which results in an ∼13% relative improvement in efficiency. The improvement in efficiency originates from the suppression of the contact recombination current due to the band offset asymmetry of these oxides with Si. First, an ultrathin c-Si solar cell having a total thickness of 2 μm is shown to have >10% efficiency without any light-trapping scheme. This is achieved by the integration of nickel oxide (NiO x ) as a hole-selective contact interlayer material, which has a low valence band offset and high conduction band offset with Si. Second, we show a champion cell efficiency of 10.8% with the additional integration of titanium oxide (TiO x ), a well-known material for an electron-selective contact interlayer. Key parameters including V oc and J sc also show different degrees of enhancement if single (NiO x only) or double (both NiO x and TiO x ) carrier-selective contacts are integrated. The fabrication process for TiO x and NiO x layer integration is scalable and shows good compatibility with the device.

High Temperature Corrosion and Heat Transfer Studies of Zirconium-Silicide Coatings for Light Water Reactor Cladding Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yeom, Hwasung

Experimental results investigating the feasibility of zirconium-silicide coating for accident tolerance of LWR fuel cladding coating was presented. The oxidation resistance of ZrSi2 appeared to be superior to bare Zircaloy-4 in high temperature air. It was shown that micro- and nanostructures consisting of alternating SiO2 and ZrO2 evolved during transient oxidation of ZrSi2, which was explained by spinodal phase decomposition of Zr-Si-O oxide. Coating optimization regarding oxidation resistance was performed mainly using magnetron sputter deposition method. ZrSi 2 coatings ( 3.9 microm) showed improvement of almost two orders of magnitude when compared to bare Zircaloy-4 after air-oxidation at 700 °C for 20-hours. Pre-oxidation of ZrSi2 coating at 700 °C for 5 h significantly mitigated oxygen diffusion in air-oxidation tests at 1000 °C for 1-hour and 1200 °C for 10-minutes. The ZrSi2 coating with the pre-oxidation was found to be the best condition to prevent oxide formation in Zircaloy-4 substrate in the steam condition even if the top surface of the coating was degraded by formation of zirconium-rich oxide layer. Only the ZrSiO4 phase, formed by exposing the ZrSi2 coating at 1400 °C in air, allowed for immobilization of silicon species in the oxide scale in the aqueous environments. A quench test facility was designed and built to study transient boiling heat transfer of modified Zircaloy-4 surfaces (e.g., roughened surfaces, oxidized surfaces, ZrSi2 coated surfaces) at various system conditions (e.g., elevated pressures and water subcooling). The minimum film boiling temperature increased with increasing system pressure and water subcooling, consistent with past literature. Quenching behavior was affected by the types of surface modification regardless of the environmental conditions. Quenching heat transfer was improved by the ZrSi 2 coating, a degree of surface oxidation (deltaox = 3 to 50 microm), and surface roughening (Ra 20 microm). A plausible hypothesis based on transient heat conduction models for liquid-solid contact in quenching process was proposed to explain the enhanced quenching performance. The theoretical model incorporated localized temperature behavior on superheated surface and elucidated bubble dynamics qualitatively, and predicts minimum film boiling temperature of oxidized Zirc-4 surfaces, which were in good agreement with experimental data.

Control of the Pore Texture in Nanoporous Silicon via Chemical Dissolution.

PubMed

Secret, Emilie; Wu, Chia-Chen; Chaix, Arnaud; Galarneau, Anne; Gonzalez, Philippe; Cot, Didier; Sailor, Michael J; Jestin, Jacques; Zanotti, Jean-Marc; Cunin, Frédérique; Coasne, Benoit

2015-07-28

The surface and textural properties of porous silicon (pSi) control many of its physical properties essential to its performance in key applications such as optoelectronics, energy storage, luminescence, sensing, and drug delivery. Here, we combine experimental and theoretical tools to demonstrate that the surface roughness at the nanometer scale of pSi can be tuned in a controlled fashion using partial thermal oxidation followed by removal of the resulting silicon oxide layer with hydrofluoric acid (HF) solution. Such a process is shown to smooth the pSi surface by means of nitrogen adsorption, electron microscopy, and small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering. Statistical mechanics Monte Carlo simulations, which are consistent with the experimental data, support the interpretation that the pore surface is initially rough and that the oxidation/oxide removal procedure diminishes the surface roughness while increasing the pore diameter. As a specific example considered in this work, the initial roughness ξ ∼ 3.2 nm of pSi pores having a diameter of 7.6 nm can be decreased to 1.0 nm following the simple procedure above. This study allows envisioning the design of pSi samples with optimal surface properties toward a specific process.

Recycling of iron and silicon from drinking water treatment sludge for synthesis of magnetic iron oxide@SiO₂ composites.

PubMed

Meng, Lingyou; Chan, Yingzi; Wang, Han; Dai, Ying; Wang, Xue; Zou, Jinlong

2016-03-01

More attention has been paid to the deterioration of water bodies polluted by drinking water treatment sludge (DWTS) in recent years. It is important to develop methods to effectively treat DWTS by avoiding secondary pollution. We report herein a novel investigation for recovery of Si and Fe from DWTS, which are used for the synthesis of two iron oxide@SiO2 composites for adsorption of reactive red X-3B (RRX-3B) and NaNO2. The results show that Fe(3+) (acid-leaching) and Si(4+) (basic-leaching) can be successfully recovered from roasted DWTS. Whether to dissolve Fe(OH)3 precipitation is the key point for obtaining Fe3O4 or γ-Fe2O3 particles using the solvothermal method. The magnetic characteristics of Fe3O4@SiO2 (390.0 m(2) g(-1)) or Fe2O3@SiO2 (220.9 m(2) g(-1)) are slightly influenced by the coated porous SiO2 layer. Peaks of Fe-O stretching vibration (580 cm(-1)) and asymmetric Si-O-Si stretching vibrations (1080 cm(-1)) of Fe3O4@SiO2 indicate the successful coating of a thin silica layer (20-150 nm). The adsorption capacity of RRX-3B and NaNO2 by Fe3O4@SiO2 is better than that of Fe2O3@SiO2, and both composites can be recycled through an external magnetic field. This method is an efficient and environmentally friendly method for recycling DWTS.

Facet-Selective Epitaxy of Compound Semiconductors on Faceted Silicon Nanowires.

PubMed

Mankin, Max N; Day, Robert W; Gao, Ruixuan; No, You-Shin; Kim, Sun-Kyung; McClelland, Arthur A; Bell, David C; Park, Hong-Gyu; Lieber, Charles M

2015-07-08

Integration of compound semiconductors with silicon (Si) has been a long-standing goal for the semiconductor industry, as direct band gap compound semiconductors offer, for example, attractive photonic properties not possible with Si devices. However, mismatches in lattice constant, thermal expansion coefficient, and polarity between Si and compound semiconductors render growth of epitaxial heterostructures challenging. Nanowires (NWs) are a promising platform for the integration of Si and compound semiconductors since their limited surface area can alleviate such material mismatch issues. Here, we demonstrate facet-selective growth of cadmium sulfide (CdS) on Si NWs. Aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy analysis shows that crystalline CdS is grown epitaxially on the {111} and {110} surface facets of the Si NWs but that the Si{113} facets remain bare. Further analysis of CdS on Si NWs grown at higher deposition rates to yield a conformal shell reveals a thin oxide layer on the Si{113} facet. This observation and control experiments suggest that facet-selective growth is enabled by the formation of an oxide, which prevents subsequent shell growth on the Si{113} NW facets. Further studies of facet-selective epitaxial growth of CdS shells on micro-to-mesoscale wires, which allows tuning of the lateral width of the compound semiconductor layer without lithographic patterning, and InP shell growth on Si NWs demonstrate the generality of our growth technique. In addition, photoluminescence imaging and spectroscopy show that the epitaxial shells display strong and clean band edge emission, confirming their high photonic quality, and thus suggesting that facet-selective epitaxy on NW substrates represents a promising route to integration of compound semiconductors on Si.

Method of produce ultra-low friction carbon films

DOEpatents

Erdemir, Ali; Fenske, George R.; Eryilmaz, Osman Levent; Lee, Richard H.

2003-04-15

A method and article of manufacture of amorphous diamond-like carbon. The method involves providing a substrate in a chamber, providing a mixture of a carbon containing gas and hydrogen gas with the mixture adjusted such that the atomic molar ratio of carbon to hydrogen is less than 0.3, including all carbon atoms and all hydrogen atoms in the mixture. A plasma is formed of the mixture and the amorphous diamond-like carbon film is deposited on the substrate. To achieve optimum bonding an intervening bonding layer, such as Si or SiO.sub.2, can be formed from SiH.sub.4 with or without oxidation of the layer formed.

Fabrication of 4H-SiC lateral double implanted MOSFET on an on-axis semi-insulating substrate without using epi-layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Hyoung Woo; Seok, Ogyun; Moon, Jeong Hyun; Bahng, Wook; Jo, Jungyol

2017-12-01

4H-SiC lateral double implanted metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors (LDIMOSFET) were fabricated on on-axis semi-insulating SiC substrates without using an epi-layer. The LDIMOSFET adopted a current path layer (CPL), which was formed by ion-implantation. The CPL works as a drift region between gate and drain. By using on-axis semi-insulating substrate and optimized CPL parameters, breakdown voltage (BV) of 1093 V and specific on-resistance (R on,sp) of 89.8 mΩ·cm2 were obtained in devices with 20 µm long CPL. Experimentally extracted field-effect channel mobility was 21.7 cm2·V-1·s-1 and the figure-of-merit (BV2/R on,sp) was 13.3 MW/cm2.

Low temperature growth and electrical characterization of insulators for GaAs MISFETS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Borrego, J. M.; Ghandhi, S. K.

1981-01-01

Progress in the low temperature growth of oxides and layers on GaAs and the detailed electrical characterization of these oxides is reported. A plasma anodization system was designed, assembled, and put into operation. A measurement system was assembled for determining capacitance and conductance as a function of gate voltage for frequencies in the range from 1 Hz to 1 MHz. Initial measurements were carried out in Si-SiO2 capacitors in order to test the system and in GaAs MIS capacitors abricated using liquid anodization.

Microcrystalline silicon oxides for silicon-based solar cells: impact of the O/Si ratio on the electronic structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bär, M.; Starr, D. E.; Lambertz, A.; Holländer, B.; Alsmeier, J.-H.; Weinhardt, L.; Blum, M.; Gorgoi, M.; Yang, W.; Wilks, R. G.; Heske, C.

2014-10-01

Hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon oxide (μc-SiOx:H) layers are one alternative approach to ensure sufficient interlayer charge transport while maintaining high transparency and good passivation in Si-based solar cells. We have used a combination of complementary x-ray and electron spectroscopies to study the chemical and electronic structure of the (μc-SiOx:H) material system. With these techniques, we monitor the transition from a purely Si-based crystalline bonding network to a silicon oxide dominated environment, coinciding with a significant decrease of the material's conductivity. Most Si-based solar cell structures contain emitter/contact/passivation layers. Ideally, these layers fulfill their desired task (i.e., induce a sufficiently high internal electric field, ensure a good electric contact, and passivate the interfaces of the absorber) without absorbing light. Usually this leads to a trade-off in which a higher transparency can only be realized at the expense of the layer's ability to properly fulfill its task. One alternative approach is to use hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon oxide (μc-SiOx:H), a mixture of microcrystalline silicon and amorphous silicon (sub)oxide. The crystalline Si regions allow charge transport, while the oxide matrix maintains a high transparency. To date, it is still unclear how in detail the oxygen content influences the electronic structure of the μc-SiOx:H mixed phase material. To address this question, we have studied the chemical and electronic structure of the μc-SiOx:H (0 <= x = O/Si <=1) system with a combination of complementary x-ray and electron spectroscopies. The different surface sensitivities of the employed techniques help to reduce the impact of surface oxides on the spectral interpretation. For all samples, we find the valence band maximum to be located at a similar energy with respect to the Fermi energy. However, for x > 0.5, we observe a pronounced decrease of Si 3s - Si 3p hybridization in favor of Si 3p - O 2p hybridization in the upper valence band. This coincides with a significant increase of the material's resistivity, possibly indicating the breakdown of the conducting crystalline Si network. Silicon oxide layers with a thickness of several hundred nanometres were deposited in a PECVD (plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition) multi chamber system using an excitation frequency of 13.56 MHz with a plasma power density of 0.3 W/cm2. Glass (Corning type Eagle) and mono-crystalline silicon wafer substrates were coated in the same run at a substrate temperature of 185°C. The deposition pressure was 4 mbar and the substrate-electrode distance 20 mm. Mixtures of silane (SiH4), 1% TMB (B(CH3)3) diluted in helium, hydrogen (H2), and carbon dioxide (CO2) gases were used at flow rates of 1.25 - 0.18/0.32/500/0 - 1.07) sccm (standard cubic centimeters per minute) for the deposition of μc-SiOx:H(B) layers. By changing the CO2/SiH4 gas flow rate ratio from 0 to 6, μc-SiOx:H(B) layers with a composition of 0 <= x = O/Si <= 1 were prepared using a constant sum of SiH4 and CO2. The TMB flow and the H2 flow were kept constant within the series. For more details see Ref. [1]. The oxygen content in the films was determined using Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy (RBS). With RBS, the area-related atomic density of oxygen and silicon can be determined (+/- 2% [2]), and thus x can be calculated. This quantity considers only the number of silicon / oxygen atoms and not the number of atoms of other elements, such as hydrogen, which is also incorporated to a considerable extent: up to 20% in μc-SiOx:H (measured using the hydrogen effusion method). To avoid charging effects, the measurements were performed on films deposited on a substrate of mono-crystalline silicon wafers. The electrical conductivity was measured in the planar direction of the film in a vacuum cryostat, using voltages from - 100 V to + 100 V. For that two co-planar Ag contacts were evaporated on the film with a gap of 0.5 mm - 5 mm. In the present study, the optical band E04 is arbitrarily used as a measure for the optical band gap. E04 is defined by the photon energy E for which an optical absorption coefficient of α of 104cm-1 is obtained. The absorption coefficient α(λ) versus the wavelength λ of the films was determined by measuring the transmittance T(λ) and reflectance R(λ), using the Beer-Lambert law, as suggested by Ref. [3]. The film thickness d was measured using the step profiler close to the measurement spot of the spectrophotometer. It is important to measure the transmittance T(λ) and the reflectance R(λ) at the same spot on the sample, to avoid inaccuracies in the calculated absorption spectra that arise from non-uniformity of the film thickness and different positions of the reflectance and transmittance minima and maxima in the spectrum [4]. Hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES) experiments were conducted at the HiKE end-station [5] on the KMC-1 beamline [6] of the BESSY-II electron storage ring. This end-station is equipped with a Scienta R4000 electron energy analyzer capable of measuring photoelectron kinetic energies up to 10 keV. A pass energy of 200 eV was used for all measurements. Spectra were recorded with a photon energy of 2003 eV using the first and fourth order supplied by a Si(111) double crystal monochromator. The combined analyzer plus beamline resolution is approx. 0.25 eV for spectra taken at both photon energies. The top surface of the sample was electrically grounded for all measurements. The binding energy was calibrated by measuring the 4f spectrum of a grounded Au foil and setting the Au 4f7/2 binding energy equal to 84.00 eV. In SiO2, the inelastic mean free path of electrons was estimated to be approx. 5 and 13-16 nm for the core levels and valence band measurements performed with 2003 and 8012 eV [7].

Influence of LaSiOx passivation interlayer on band alignment between PEALD-Al2O3 and 4H-SiC determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Qian; Cheng, Xinhong; Zheng, Li; Shen, Lingyan; Zhang, Dongliang; Gu, Ziyue; Qian, Ru; Cao, Duo; Yu, Yuehui

2018-01-01

The influence of lanthanum silicate (LaSiOx) passivation interlayer on the band alignment between plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD)-Al2O3 films and 4H-SiC was investigated by high resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). An ultrathin in situ LaSiOx interfacial passivation layer (IPL) was introduced between the Al2O3 gate dielectric and the 4H-SiC substrate to enhance the interfacial characteristics. The valence band offset (VBO) and corresponding conduction band offset (CBO) for the Al2O3/4H-SiC interface without any passivation were extracted to be 2.16 eV and 1.49 eV, respectively. With a LaSiOx IPL, a VBO of 1.79 eV and a CBO of 1.86 eV could be obtained across the Al2O3/4H-SiC interface. The difference in the band alignments was dominated by the band bending or band shift in the 4H-SiC substrate as a result of different interfacial layers (ILs) formed at the interface. This understanding of the physical details of the band alignment could be a good foundation for Al2O3/LaSiOx/4H-SiC heterojunctions applied in the 4H-SiC metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs).

Electrofluidic gating of a chemically reactive surface.

PubMed

Jiang, Zhijun; Stein, Derek

2010-06-01

We consider the influence of an electric field applied normal to the electric double layer at a chemically reactive surface. Our goal is to elucidate how surface chemistry affects the potential for field-effect control over micro- and nanofluidic systems, which we call electrofluidic gating. The charging of a metal-oxide-electrolyte (MOE) capacitor is first modeled analytically. We apply the Poisson-Boltzmann description of the double layer and impose chemical equilibrium between the ionizable surface groups and the solution at the solid-liquid interface. The chemically reactive surface is predicted to behave as a buffer, regulating the charge in the double layer by either protonating or deprotonating in response to the applied field. We present the dependence of the charge density and the electrochemical potential of the double layer on the applied field, the density, and the dissociation constants of ionizable surface groups and the ionic strength and the pH of the electrolyte. We simulate the responses of SiO(2) and Al(2)O(3), two widely used oxide insulators with different surface chemistries. We also consider the limits to electrofluidic gating imposed by the nonlinear behavior of the double layer and the dielectric strength of oxide materials, which were measured for SiO(2) and Al(2)O(3) films in MOE configurations. Our results clarify the response of chemically reactive surfaces to applied fields, which is crucial to understanding electrofluidic effects in real devices.

Direct exchange between silicon nanocrystals and tunnel oxide traps under illumination on single electron photodetector

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

Chatbouri, S., E-mail: Samir.chatbouri@yahoo.com; Troudi, M.; Sghaier, N.

2016-09-15

In this paper we present the trapping of photogenerated charge carriers for 300 s resulted by their direct exchange under illumination between a few silicon nanocrystals (ncs-Si) embedded in an oxide tunnel layer (SiO{sub x} = 1.5) and the tunnel oxide traps levels for a single electron photodetector (photo-SET or nanopixel). At first place, the presence of a photocurrent limited in the inversion zone under illumination in the I–V curves confirms the creation of a pair electron/hole (e–h) at high energy. This photogenerated charge carriers can be trapped in the oxide. Using the capacitance-voltage under illumination (the photo-CV measurements) wemore » show a hysteresis chargement limited in the inversion area, indicating that the photo-generated charge carriers are stored at traps levels at the interface and within ncs-Si. The direct exchange of the photogenerated charge carriers between the interface traps levels and the ncs-Si contributed on the photomemory effect for 300 s for our nanopixel at room temperature.« less

X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Ultrahigh Vacuum Contactless Capacitance-Voltage Characterization of Novel Oxide-Free InP Passivation Process Using a Silicon Surface Quantum Well

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takahashi, Hiroshi; Hashizume, Tamotsu; Hasegawa, Hideki

1999-02-01

In order to understand and optimize a novel oxide-free InP passivation process using a silicon surface quantum well, a detailed in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) contactless capacitance-voltage (C-V) study of the interface was carried out. Calculation of quantum levels in the silicon quantum well was performed on the basis of the band lineup of the strained Si3N4/Si/InP interface and the result indicated that the interface should become free of gap states when the silicon layer thickness is below 5 Å. Experimentally, such a delicate Si3N4/Si/InP structure was realized by partial nitridation of a molecular beam epitaxially (MBE) grown pseudomorphic silicon layer using an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) N2 plasma. The progress of nitridation was investigated in detail by angle-resolved XPS. A newly developed UHV contactless C-V method realized in situ characterization of surface electronic properties of InP at each processing step for passivation. It was found that the interface state density decreased substantially into the 1010 cm-2 eV-1 range by optimizing the nitridation process of the silicon layer. It was concluded that both the surface bond termination and state removal by quantum confinement are responsible for the NSS reduction.

Structural and magnetic properties of nanocomposite iron-containing SiCxNy films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pushkarev, R. V.; Fainer, N. I.; Maurya, K. K.

2017-02-01

New ferromagnetic films with composition SiCxNyFez were synthesized using chemical vapor deposition technique. Films were deposited using ferrocene, 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) and hydrogen gaseous mixture. Chemical and phase composition of the films were studied by FTIR, Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction with grazing incidence (GI-XRD). FTIR spectra analysis confirmed the existence of Si-C and Si-N bonds. Graphite inclusions and amorphous carbon were determined by Raman spectra analysis. The surface of the SiCxNyFez films studied by SEM is covered by nanocrystallites of iron oxide Fe3O4 phase. The main purpose of GI-XRD analysis is to describe the layered structure of the films in detail. It was shown by GI-XRD study, that phase composition of the SiCxNyFez films varies from iron oxide Fe3O4 to iron silicide Fe3Si and silicon carbide SiC with the deposition temperature growing. It was established, that SiCxNyFez films are perspective for application in the spintronic field.

High Detectivity Graphene-Silicon Heterojunction Photodetector.

PubMed

Li, Xinming; Zhu, Miao; Du, Mingde; Lv, Zheng; Zhang, Li; Li, Yuanchang; Yang, Yao; Yang, Tingting; Li, Xiao; Wang, Kunlin; Zhu, Hongwei; Fang, Ying

2016-02-03

A graphene/n-type silicon (n-Si) heterojunction has been demonstrated to exhibit strong rectifying behavior and high photoresponsivity, which can be utilized for the development of high-performance photodetectors. However, graphene/n-Si heterojunction photodetectors reported previously suffer from relatively low specific detectivity due to large dark current. Here, by introducing a thin interfacial oxide layer, the dark current of graphene/n-Si heterojunction has been reduced by two orders of magnitude at zero bias. At room temperature, the graphene/n-Si photodetector with interfacial oxide exhibits a specific detectivity up to 5.77 × 10(13) cm Hz(1/2) W(-1) at the peak wavelength of 890 nm in vacuum, which is highest reported detectivity at room temperature for planar graphene/Si heterojunction photodetectors. In addition, the improved graphene/n-Si heterojunction photodetectors possess high responsivity of 0.73 A W(-1) and high photo-to-dark current ratio of ≈10(7) . The current noise spectral density of the graphene/n-Si photodetector has been characterized under ambient and vacuum conditions, which shows that the dark current can be further suppressed in vacuum. These results demonstrate that graphene/Si heterojunction with interfacial oxide is promising for the development of high detectivity photodetectors. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Locally measuring the adhesion of InP directly bonded on sub-100 nm patterned Si.

PubMed

Pantzas, K; Le Bourhis, E; Patriarche, G; Troadec, D; Beaudoin, G; Itawi, A; Sagnes, I; Talneau, A

2016-03-18

A nano-scale analogue to the double cantilever experiment that combines instrumented nano-indentation and atomic force microscopy is used to precisely and locally measure the adhesion of InP bonded on sub-100 nm patterned Si using oxide-free or oxide-mediated bonding. Surface-bonding energies of 0.548 and 0.628 J m(-2), respectively, are reported. These energies correspond in turn to 51% and 57% of the surface bonding energy measured in unpatterned regions on the same samples, i.e. the proportion of unetched Si surface in the patterned areas. The results show that bonding on patterned surfaces can be as robust as on unpatterned surfaces, provided care is taken with the post-patterning surface preparation process and, therefore, open the path towards innovative designs that include patterns embedded in the Si guiding layer of hybrid III-V/Si photonic integrated circuits.

Structural and photoluminescence studies on catalytic growth of silicon/zinc oxide heterostructure nanowires

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Silicon/zinc oxide (Si/ZnO) core-shell nanowires (NWs) were prepared on a p-type Si(111) substrate using a two-step growth process. First, indium seed-coated Si NWs (In/Si NWs) were synthesized using a plasma-assisted hot-wire chemical vapor deposition technique. This was then followed by the growth of a ZnO nanostructure shell layer using a vapor transport and condensation method. By varying the ZnO growth time from 0.5 to 2 h, different morphologies of ZnO nanostructures, such as ZnO nanoparticles, ZnO shell layer, and ZnO nanorods were grown on the In/Si NWs. The In seeds were believed to act as centers to attract the ZnO molecule vapors, further inducing the lateral growth of ZnO nanorods from the Si/ZnO core-shell NWs via a vapor-liquid-solid mechanism. The ZnO nanorods had a tendency to grow in the direction of [0001] as indicated by X-ray diffraction and high resolution transmission electron microscopy analyses. We showed that the Si/ZnO core-shell NWs exhibit a broad visible emission ranging from 400 to 750 nm due to the combination of emissions from oxygen vacancies in ZnO and In2O3 structures and nanocrystallite Si on the Si NWs. The hierarchical growth of straight ZnO nanorods on the core-shell NWs eventually reduced the defect (green) emission and enhanced the near band edge (ultraviolet) emission of the ZnO. PMID:23590803

Composition of low-strength solder joints in solar-concentrator-cell arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chamberlain, M. B.; Nordstrom, T. V.

Bond strengths of Cu strips soldered to the backside metallization of solar concentrator cells were found to be unacceptably low. To determine whether contaminants in the cell metallization caused these low strengths, unsoldered cells and soldered cells were characterized by scanning Auger microscopy. The backside metallization consisted of a 5 micrometers Ag conductor layer, a 150 nm Pd diffusion barrier and a 150 nm Ti adhesion layer next to an Al ohmic contact layer on the Si cell. The analysis showed that the Ti layer are partially oxidized during soldering, that Pb from the Pb-5 wt % Sn - 2.5 wt % Ag solder segregated during soldering to the Pd-oxidized Ti interface, and that low strength fractures occurred in this Pb layer at the Pd-oxidized Ti interface. The problem was solved by changing the ambient gas used during soldering from N2 to forming gas (80% N2 + 20% H2).

Comparison of carrier transport mechanism under UV/Vis illumination in an AZO photodetector and an AZO/p-Si heterojunction photodiode produced by spray pyrolysis

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

Shasti, M.; Mortezaali, A., E-mail: mortezaali@alzahra.ac.ir; Dariani, R. S.

2015-01-14

In this study, Aluminum doped Zinc Oxide (AZO) layer is deposited on p-type silicon (p-Si) by spray pyrolysis method to fabricate ultraviolet-visible (UV/Vis) photodetector as Al doping process can have positive effect on the photodetector performance. Morphology, crystalline structure, and Al concentration of AZO layer are investigated by SEM, XRD, and EDX. The goal of this study is to analyze the mechanism of carrier transport by means of current-voltage characteristics under UV/Vis illumination in two cases: (a) electrodes connected to the surface of AZO layer and (b) electrodes connected to cross section of heterojunction (AZO/p-Si). Measurements indicate that the AZO/p-Simore » photodiode exhibits a higher photocurrent and lower photoresponse time under visible illumination with respect to AZO photodetector; while under UV illumination, the above result is inversed. Besides, the internal junction field of AZO/p-Si heterojunction plays an important role on this mechanism.« less

Surface Passivation of Silicon Using HfO2 Thin Films Deposited by Remote Plasma Atomic Layer Deposition System.

PubMed

Zhang, Xiao-Ying; Hsu, Chia-Hsun; Lien, Shui-Yang; Chen, Song-Yan; Huang, Wei; Yang, Chih-Hsiang; Kung, Chung-Yuan; Zhu, Wen-Zhang; Xiong, Fei-Bing; Meng, Xian-Guo

2017-12-01

Hafnium oxide (HfO 2 ) thin films have attracted much attention owing to their usefulness in equivalent oxide thickness scaling in microelectronics, which arises from their high dielectric constant and thermodynamic stability with silicon. However, the surface passivation properties of such films, particularly on crystalline silicon (c-Si), have rarely been reported upon. In this study, the HfO 2 thin films were deposited on c-Si substrates with and without oxygen plasma pretreatments, using a remote plasma atomic layer deposition system. Post-annealing was performed using a rapid thermal processing system at different temperatures in N 2 ambient for 10 min. The effects of oxygen plasma pretreatment and post-annealing on the properties of the HfO 2 thin films were investigated. They indicate that the in situ remote plasma pretreatment of Si substrate can result in the formation of better SiO 2 , resulting in a better chemical passivation. The deposited HfO 2 thin films with oxygen plasma pretreatment and post-annealing at 500 °C for 10 min were effective in improving the lifetime of c-Si (original lifetime of 1 μs) to up to 67 μs.

High performance low voltage organic field effect transistors on plastic substrate for amplifier circuits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Houin, G.; Duez, F.; Garcia, L.; Cantatore, E.; Torricelli, F.; Hirsch, L.; Belot, D.; Pellet, C.; Abbas, M.

2016-09-01

The high performance air stable organic semiconductor small molecule dinaphtho[2,3-b:2',3'-f]thieno[3,2-b]thiophene (DNTT) was chosen as active layer for field effect transistors built to realize flexible amplifier circuits. Initial device on rigid Si/SiO2 substrate showed appreciable performance with hysteresis-free characteristics. A number of approaches were applied to simplify the process, improve device performance and decrease the operating voltage: they include an oxide interfacial layer to decrease contact resistance; a polymer passivation layer to optimize semiconductor/dielectric interface and an anodized high-k oxide as dielectric layer for low voltage operation. The devices fabricated on plastic substrate yielded excellent electrical characteristics, showing mobility of 1.6 cm2/Vs, lack of hysteresis, operation below 5 V and on/off current ratio above 105. An OFET model based on variable ranging hopping theory was used to extract the relevant parameters from the transfer and output characteristics, which enabled us to simulate our devices achieving reasonable agreement with the measurements

Thermal-mechanical coupling effect on initial stage oxidation of Si(100) surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Yu; Liu, Yilun; Chen, Xuefeng; Zhai, Zhi; Izumi, Satoshi

2018-04-01

The initial stage oxidation of biaxially strained Si(100) at temperatures ranging from 300 K to 1200 K has been investigated by Reactive Force Field Molecular Dynamics simulations. We reported that the oxidation process involving the reaction rate and the amount of absorbed O atoms could be enhanced by the coupling effect of higher temperatures and larger external tension. By fitting the simulation results, the relationship between absorbed oxygen and the coupling of temperature and strain was obtained. In probing the mechanism, we observed that there was a ballistic transport of O atoms, displaying an enhancement of inward penetration by external tension. Since such an inward transport was favored by thermal actuation, more O atoms penetrated into deeper layers when the 9% strained Si oxidized at 1200 K. Moreover, the evolution of stress in the surface region during the oxidation process was discussed, as well as the related oxide structure and the film quality. These present results may provide a way to understand the thermally-mechanically coupled chemical reactions and propose an effective approach to optimize microscale component processing in the electronic field.

XPS-XRF hybrid metrology enabling FDSOI process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hossain, Mainul; Subramanian, Ganesh; Triyoso, Dina; Wahl, Jeremy; Mcardle, Timothy; Vaid, Alok; Bello, A. F.; Lee, Wei Ti; Klare, Mark; Kwan, Michael; Pois, Heath; Wang, Ying; Larson, Tom

2016-03-01

Planar fully-depleted silicon-on-insulator (FDSOI) technology potentially offers comparable transistor performance as FinFETs. pFET FDOSI devices are based on a silicon germanium (cSiGe) layer on top of a buried oxide (BOX). Ndoped interfacial layer (IL), high-k (HfO2) layer and the metal gate stacks are then successively built on top of the SiGe layer. In-line metrology is critical in precisely monitoring the thickness and composition of the gate stack and associated underlying layers in order to achieve desired process control. However, any single in-line metrology technique is insufficient to obtain the thickness of IL, high-k, cSiGe layers in addition to Ge% and N-dose in one single measurement. A hybrid approach is therefore needed that combines the capabilities of more than one measurement technique to extract multiple parameters in a given film stack. This paper will discuss the approaches, challenges, and results associated with the first-in-industry implementation of XPS-XRF hybrid metrology for simultaneous detection of high-k thickness, IL thickness, N-dose, cSiGe thickness and %Ge, all in one signal measurement on a FDSOI substrate in a manufacturing fab. Strong correlation to electrical data for one or more of these measured parameters will also be presented, establishing the reliability of this technique.

Optimization of exchange bias in Co/CoO magnetic nanocaps by tuning deposition parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, A.; Tripathi, J.; Ugochukwu, K. C.; Tripathi, S.

2017-03-01

In the present work, we report exchange bias tuning by varying thin film deposition parameters such as synthesis method and underlying layer patterning. The patterned substrates for this study were prepared by self-assembly of polystyrene (PS) latex spheres ( 530 nm) on Si (100) substrate. The desired magnetic nanocaps composed of CoO/Co bilayer film on these patterned substrates were prepared by molecular beam epitaxy technique under ultra-high vacuum conditions. For this, a Co layer of 10 nm thickness was deposited on the substrates and then oxidized in-situ to form CoO/Co/PS in-situ oxidized film or ex-situ in ambiance which also gives CoO/Co/PS naturally oxidized film. Simultaneously, reference thin films of Co ( 10 nm) were also prepared on plane Si substrate and similar oxidation treatments were performed on them respectively. The magnetic properties studied using SQUID technique revealed higher exchange bias ( 1736 Oe) in the in-situ oxidized Co/PS film as compared to that in naturally oxidized Co/PS film ( 1544 Oe) and also compared to the reference film. The observed variations in the magnetic properties are explained in terms of surface patterning induced structural changes of the deposited films and different oxidation methods.

Switchable Super-Hydrophilic/Hydrophobic Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) Film Surfaces on Reactive Ion Etching (RIE) Textured Si Wafer.

PubMed

Kim, Hwa-Min; Litao, Yao; Kim, Bonghwan

2015-11-01

We have developed a surface texturing process for pyramidal surface features along with an indium tin oxide (ITO) coating process to fabricate super-hydrophilic conductive surfaces. The contact angle of a water droplet was less than 5 degrees, which means that an extremely high wettability is achievable on super-hydrophilic surfaces. We have also fabricated a super-hydrophobic conductive surface using an additional coating of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) on the ITO layer coated on the textured Si surface; the ITO and PTFE films were deposited by using a conventional sputtering method. We found that a super-hydrophilic conductive surface is produced by ITO coated on the pyramidal Si surface (ITO/Si), with contact angles of approximately 0 degrees and a resistivity of 3 x 10(-4) Ω x cm. These values are highly dependent on the substrate temperature during the sputtering process. We also found that the super-hydrophobic conductive surface produced by the additional coating of PTFE on the pyramidal Si surface with an ITO layer (PTFE/ITO/Si) has a contact angle of almost 160 degrees and a resistivity of 3 x 10(-4) Ω x cm, with a reflectance lower than 9%. Therefore, these processes can be used to fabricate multifunctional features of ITO films for switchable super-hydrophilic and super-hydrophobic surfaces.

Impact of metal gates on remote phonon scattering in titanium nitride/hafnium dioxide n-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors-low temperature electron mobility study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maitra, Kingsuk; Frank, Martin M.; Narayanan, Vijay; Misra, Veena; Cartier, Eduard A.

2007-12-01

We report low temperature (40-300 K) electron mobility measurements on aggressively scaled [equivalent oxide thickness (EOT)=1 nm] n-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors (nMOSFETs) with HfO2 gate dielectrics and metal gate electrodes (TiN). A comparison is made with conventional nMOSFETs containing HfO2 with polycrystalline Si (poly-Si) gate electrodes. No substantial change in the temperature acceleration factor is observed when poly-Si is replaced with a metal gate, showing that soft optical phonons are not significantly screened by metal gates. A qualitative argument based on an analogy between remote phonon scattering and high-resolution electron energy-loss spectroscopy (HREELS) is provided to explain the underlying physics of the observed phenomenon. It is also shown that soft optical phonon scattering is strongly damped by thin SiO2 interface layers, such that room temperature electron mobility values at EOT=1 nm become competitive with values measured in nMOSFETs with SiON gate dielectrics used in current high performance processors.

Preparation & characterization of SiO2 interface layer by dip coating technique on carbon fibre for Cf/SiC composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Kundan; Jariwala, C.; Pillai, R.; Chauhan, N.; Raole, P. M.

2015-08-01

Carbon fibres (Cf) are one of the most important reinforced materials for ceramic matrix composites such as Cf - SiC composites and they are generally sought for high temperature applications in as space application, nuclear reactor and automobile industries. But the major problem arise when Cf reinforced composites exposed to high temperature in an oxidizing environment, Cf react with oxygen and burnt away. In present work, we have studied the effect of silica (SiO2) coating as a protective coating on Cf for the Cf / SiC composites. The silica solution prepared by the sol-gel process and coating on Cf is done by dip coating technique with varying the withdrawing speed i.e. 2, 5, 8 mm/s with fixed dipping cycle (3 Nos.). The uniform silica coating on the Cf is shown by the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis. The tensile test shows the increase in tensile strength with respect to increase in withdrawing speed. The isothermal oxidation analysis confirmed enhancement of oxidation resistance of silica coated Cf as compared tothe uncoated Cf.

Complex oxide thin films for microelectronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suvorova, Natalya

The rapid scaling of the device dimensions, namely in metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET), is reaching its fundamental limit which includes the increase in allowable leakage current due to direct tunneling with decrease of physical thickness of SiO2 gate dielectric. The significantly higher relative dielectric constant (in the range 9--25) of the gate dielectric beyond the 3.9 value of silicon dioxide will allow increasing the physical thickness. Among the choices for the high dielectric constant (K) materials for future generation MOSFET application, barium strontium titanate (BST) and strontium titanate (STO) possess one of the highest attainable K values making them the promising candidates for alternative gate oxide. However, the gate stack engineering does not imply the simple replacement of the SiO2 with the new dielectric. Several requirements should be met for successful integration of a new material. The major one is a production of high level of interface states (Dit) compared to that of SiO 2 on Si. An insertion of a thin SiO2 layer prior the growth of high-K thin film is a simple solution that helps to limit reaction with Si substrate and attains a high quality interface. However, the combination of two thin films reduces the overall K of the dielectric stack. An optimization of the SiO2 underlayer in order to maintain the interface quality yet minimize the effect on K is the focus of this work. The results from our study are presented with emphasis on the key process parameters that improve the dielectric film stack. For in-situ growth characterization of BST and STO films sputter deposited on thermally oxidized Si substrates spectroscopic ellipsometry in combination with time of flight ion scattering and recoil spectrometry have been employed. Studies of material properties have been complemented with analytical electron microscopy. To evaluate the interface quality the electrical characterization has been employed using capacitance-voltage and conductance-voltage measurements. Special attention was given to the extraction of static dielectric constant of BST and STO from the multiple film stack. The K value was found to be sensitive to the input parameters such as dielectric constant and thickness of interface layers.

Processing of n+/p-/p+ strip detectors with atomic layer deposition (ALD) grown Al2O3 field insulator on magnetic Czochralski silicon (MCz-si) substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Härkönen, J.; Tuovinen, E.; Luukka, P.; Gädda, A.; Mäenpää, T.; Tuominen, E.; Arsenovich, T.; Junkes, A.; Wu, X.; Li, Z.

2016-08-01

Detectors manufactured on p-type silicon material are known to have significant advantages in very harsh radiation environment over n-type detectors, traditionally used in High Energy Physics experiments for particle tracking. In p-type (n+ segmentation on p substrate) position-sensitive strip detectors, however, the fixed oxide charge in the silicon dioxide is positive and, thus, causes electron accumulation at the Si/SiO2 interface. As a result, unless appropriate interstrip isolation is applied, the n-type strips are short-circuited. Widely adopted methods to terminate surface electron accumulation are segmented p-stop or p-spray field implantations. A different approach to overcome the near-surface electron accumulation at the interface of silicon dioxide and p-type silicon is to deposit a thin film field insulator with negative oxide charge. We have processed silicon strip detectors on p-type Magnetic Czochralski silicon (MCz-Si) substrates with aluminum oxide (Al2O3) thin film insulator, grown with Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) method. The electrical characterization by current-voltage and capacitance-voltage measurement shows reliable performance of the aluminum oxide. The final proof of concept was obtained at the test beam with 200 GeV/c muons. For the non-irradiated detector the charge collection efficiency (CCE) was nearly 100% with a signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of about 40, whereas for the 2×1015 neq/cm2 proton irradiated detector the CCE was 35%, when the sensor was biased at 500 V. These results are comparable with the results from p-type detectors with the p-spray and p-stop interstrip isolation techniques. In addition, interestingly, when the aluminum oxide was irradiated with Co-60 gamma-rays, an accumulation of negative fixed oxide charge in the oxide was observed.

C@SiNW/TiO2 Core-Shell Nanoarrays with Sandwiched Carbon Passivation Layer as High Efficiency Photoelectrode for Water Splitting

PubMed Central

Devarapalli, Rami Reddy; Debgupta, Joyashish; Pillai, Vijayamohanan K.; Shelke, Manjusha V.

2014-01-01

One-dimensional heterostructure nanoarrays are efficiently promising as high performance electrodes for photo electrochemical (PEC) water splitting applications, wherein it is highly desirable for the electrode to have a broad light absorption, efficient charge separation and redox properties as well as defect free surface with high area suitable for fast interfacial charge transfer. We present highly active and unique photoelectrode for solar H2 production, consisting of silicon nanowires (SiNWs)/TiO2 core-shell structures. SiNWs are passivated to reduce defect sites and protected against oxidation in air or water by forming very thin carbon layer sandwiched between SiNW and TiO2 surfaces. This carbon layer decreases recombination rates and also enhances the interfacial charge transfer between the silicon and TiO2. A systematic investigation of the role of SiNW length and TiO2 thickness on photocurrent reveals enhanced photocurrent density up to 5.97 mA/cm2 at 1.0 V vs.NHE by using C@SiNW/TiO2 nanoarrays with photo electrochemical efficiency of 1.17%. PMID:24810865

Thin-Film Transistors Fabricated Using Sputter Deposition of Zinc Oxide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Nan

2013-01-01

Development of thin film transistors (TFTs) with conventional channel layer materials, such as amorphous silicon (a-Si) and polysilicon (poly-Si), has been extensively investigated. A-Si TFT currently serves the large flat panel industry; however advanced display products are demanding better TFT performance because of the associated low electron mobility of a-Si. This has motivated interest in semiconducting metal oxides, such as Zinc Oxide (ZnO), for TFT backplanes. This work involves the fabrication and characterization of TFTs using ZnO deposited by sputtering. An overview of the process details and results from recently fabricated TFTs following a full-factorial designed experiment will be presented. Material characterization and analysis of electrical results will be described. The investigated process variables were the gate dielectric and ZnO sputtering process parameters including power density and oxygen partial pressure. Electrical results showed clear differences in treatment combinations, with certain I-V characteristics demonstrating superior performance to preliminary work. A study of device stability will also be discussed.

Alkali-resistant low-temperature atomic-layer-deposited oxides for optical fiber sensor overlays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kosiel, K.; Dominik, M.; Ściślewska, I.; Kalisz, M.; Guziewicz, M.; Gołaszewska, K.; Niedziółka-Jonsson, J.; Bock, W. J.; Śmietana, M.

2018-04-01

This paper presents an investigation of properties of selected metallic oxides deposited at a low temperature (100 °C) by atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique, relating to their applicability as thin overlays for optical fiber sensors resistant in alkaline environments. Hafnium oxide (Hf x O y with y/x approx. 2.70), tantalum oxide (Ta x O y with y/x approx. 2.75) and zirconium oxide (Zr x O y with y/x approx. 2.07), which deposition was based, respectively, on tetrakis(ethylmethyl)hafnium, tantalum pentachloride and tetrakis(ethylmethyl)zirconium with deionized water, were tested as thin layers on planar Si (100) and glass substrates. Growth per cycle (GPC) in the ALD processes was 0.133-0.150 nm/cycle. Run-to-run GPC reproducibility of the ALD processes was best for Hf x O y (0.145 ± 0.001 nm/cycle) and the poorest for Ta x O y (0.133 ± 0.003 nm/cycle). Refractive indices n of the layers were 2.00-2.10 (at the wavelength λ = 632 nm), with negligible k value (at λ for 240-930 nm). The oxides examined by x-ray diffractometry proved to be amorphous, with only small addition of crystalline phases for the Zr x O y . The surfaces of the oxides had grainy but smooth topographies with root-mean square roughness ˜0.5 nm (at 10 × 10 μm2 area) according to atomic force microscopy. Ellipsometric measurements, by contrast, suggest rougher surfaces for the Zr x O y layers. The surfaces were also slightly rougher on the glass-based samples than on the Si-based ones. Nanohardness and Young modules were 4.90-8.64 GPa and 83.7-104.4 GPa, respectively. The tests of scratch resistance revealed better tribological properties for the Hf x O y and the Ta x O y than for the Zr x O y . The surfaces were hydrophilic, with wetting angles of 52.5°-62.9°. The planar oxides on Si, being resistive even to concentrated alkali (pH 14), proved to be significantly more alkali-resistive than Al2O3. The Ta x O y overlay was deposited on long-period grating sensor induced in optical fiber. Thanks to such an overlay the sensor proved to be long-lasting resistant when exposed to alkaline environment with a pH 9. Thereby, it also proved that it has a potential to be repeatedly reused as a regenerable optical fiber biosensor.

BaSi2 formation mechanism in thermally evaporated films and its application to reducing oxygen impurity concentration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hara, Kosuke O.; Yamamoto, Chiaya; Yamanaka, Junji; Arimoto, Keisuke; Nakagawa, Kiyokazu; Usami, Noritaka

2018-04-01

Thermal evaporation is a simple and rapid method to fabricate semiconducting BaSi2 films. In this study, to elucidate the BaSi2 formation mechanism, the microstructure of a BaSi2 epitaxial film fabricated by thermal evaporation has been investigated by transmission electron microscopy. The BaSi2 film is found to consist of three layers with different microstructural characteristics, which is well explained by assuming two stages of film deposition. In the first stage, BaSi2 forms through the diffusion of Ba atoms from the deposited Ba-rich film to the Si substrate while in the second stage, the mutual diffusion of Ba and Si atoms in the film leads to BaSi2 formation. On the basis of the BaSi2 formation mechanism, two issues are addressed. One is the as-yet unclarified reason for epitaxial growth. It is found important to quickly form BaSi2 in the first stage for the epitaxial growth of upper layers. The other issue is the high oxygen concentration in BaSi2 films around the BaSi2-Si interface. Two routes of oxygen incorporation, i.e., oxidation of the Si substrate surface and initially deposited Ba-rich layer by the residual gas, are identified. On the basis of this knowledge, oxygen concentration is decreased by reducing the holding time of the substrate at high temperatures and by premelting of the source. In addition, X-ray diffraction results show that the decrease in oxygen concentration can lead to an increased proportion of a-axis-oriented grains.

Rapid, conformal gas-phase formation of silica (SiO2) nanotubes from water condensates.

PubMed

Bae, Changdeuck; Kim, Hyunchul; Yang, Yunjeong; Yoo, Hyunjun; Montero Moreno, Josep M; Bachmann, Julien; Nielsch, Kornelius; Shin, Hyunjung

2013-07-07

An innovative atomic layer deposition (ALD) concept, with which nanostructures of water condensates with high aspect ratio at equilibrium in cylindrical nanopores can be transformed uniformly into silica (SiO2) at near room temperature and ambient pressure, has been demonstrated for the first time. As a challenging model system, we first prove the conversion of cylindrical water condensates in porous alumina membranes to silica nanotubes (NTs) by introducing SiCl4 as a metal reactant without involving any catalytic reaction. Surprisingly, the water NTs reproducibly transformed into silica NTs, where the wall thickness of the silica NTs deposited per cycle was found to be limited by the amount of condensed water, and it was on the orders of ten nanometers per cycle (i.e., over 50 times faster than that of conventional ALD). More remarkably, the reactions only took place for 10-20 minutes or less without vacuum-related equipment. The thickness of initially adsorbed water layers in cylindrical nanopores was indirectly estimated from the thickness of formed SiO2 layers. With systematic experimental designs, we tackle the classical Kelvin equation in the nanosized pores, and the role of van der Waals forces in the nanoscale wetting phenomena, which is a long-standing issue lacking experimental insight. Moreover, we show that the present strategy is likely generalized to other oxide systems such as TiO2. Our approach opens up a new avenue for ultra-simple preparation of porous oxides and allows for the room temperature formation of dielectric layers toward organic electronic and photovoltaic applications.

Improved interface and electrical properties of atomic layer deposited Al2O3/4H-SiC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suvanam, Sethu Saveda; Usman, Muhammed; Martin, David; Yazdi, Milad. G.; Linnarsson, Margareta; Tempez, Agnès; Götelid, Mats; Hallén, Anders

2018-03-01

In this paper we demonstrate a process optimization of atomic layer deposited Al2O3 on 4H-SiC resulting in an improved interface and electrical properties. For this purpose the samples have been treated with two pre deposition surface cleaning processes, namely CP1 and CP2. The former is a typical surface cleaning procedure used in SiC processing while the latter have an additional weak RCA1 cleaning step. In addition to the cleaning and deposition, the effects of post dielectric annealing (PDA) at various temperatures in N2O ambient have been investigated. Analyses by scanning electron microscopy show the presence of structural defects on the Al2O3 surface after annealing at 500 and 800 °C. These defects disappear after annealing at 1100 °C, possibly due to densification of the Al2O3 film. Interface analyses have been performed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and time-of-flight medium energy ion scattering (ToF MEIS). Both these measurements show the formation of an interfacial SiOx (0 < x < 2) layer for both the CP1 and CP2, displaying an increased thickness for higher temperatures. Furthermore, the quality of the sub-oxide interfacial layer was found to depend on the pre deposition cleaning. In conclusion, an improved interface with better electrical properties is shown for the CP2 sample annealed at 1100 °C, resulting in lower oxide charges, strongly reduced flatband voltage and leakage current, as well as higher breakdown voltage.

Development of III-V p-MOSFETs with high-kappa gate stack for future CMOS applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagaiah, Padmaja

As the semiconductor industry approaches the limits of traditional silicon CMOS scaling, non-silicon materials and new device architectures are gradually being introduced to improve Si integrated circuit performance and continue transistor scaling. Recently, the replacement of SiO2 with a high-k material (HfO2) as gate dielectric has essentially removed one of the biggest advantages of Si as channel material. As a result, alternate high mobility materials are being considered to replace Si in the channel to achieve higher drive currents and switching speeds. III-V materials in particular have become of great interest as channel materials, owing to their superior electron transport properties. However, there are several critical challenges that need to be addressed before III-V based CMOS can replace Si CMOS technology. Some of these challenges include development of a high quality, thermally stable gate dielectric/III-V interface, and improvement in III-V p-channel hole mobility to complement the n-channel mobility, low source/drain resistance and integration onto Si substrate. In this thesis, we would be addressing the first two issues i.e. the development high performance III-V p-channels and obtaining high quality III-V/high-k interface. We start with using the device architecture of the already established InGaAs n-channels as a baseline to understand the effect of remote scattering from the high-k oxide and oxide/semiconductor interface on channel transport properties such as electron mobility and channel electron concentration. Temperature dependent Hall electron mobility measurements were performed to separate various scattering induced mobility limiting factors. Dependence of channel mobility on proximity of the channel to the oxide interface, oxide thickness, annealing conditions are discussed. The results from this work will be used in the design of the p-channel MOSFETs. Following this, InxGa1-xAs (x>0.53) is chosen as channel material for developing p-channel MOSFETs. Band engineering, strain induced valence band splitting and quantum confinement is used to improve channel hole mobility. Experimental results on the Hall hole mobility is presented for InxGa1-xAs channels with varying In content, thickness of the quantum well and temperature. Then, high mobility InxGa 1-xAs heterostructure thus obtained are integrated with in-situ deposited high-k gate oxide required for high performance p-MOSFET and discuss the challenges associated with the gated structure and draw conclusions on this material system. Antimonide based channel materials such as GaSb and InxGa 1-xSb are explored for III-V based p-MOSFETs in last two chapters. Options for Sb based strained QW channels to obtain maximum hole mobility by varying the strain, channel and barrier material, thickness of the layers etc. is discussed followed by the growth of these Sb channels on GaAs and InP substrates using molecular beam epitaxy. The physical properties of the structures such as the heterostructure quality, alloy content and surface roughness are examined via TEM, XRD and AFM. Following this, electrical measurement results on Hall hole mobility is presented. The effect of strain, alloy content, temperature and thickness on channel mobility and concentration is reported. Development of GaSb n- and p-MOS capacitor structures with in-situ deposited HfO2 gate oxide dielectric using in-situ deposited amorphous Si (a-Si) interface passivation layer (IPL) to improve the interface quality of high-k oxide and (In)GaSb surface is presented. In-situ deposited gate oxides such as Al2O3 and combination oxide of Al 2O3 and HfO2 with and without the a-Si IPL are also explored as alternate gate dielectrics. Subsequently, MOS capacitor structures using buried InGaSb QWs are demonstrated. Development of an inversion type bulk GaSb with implanted source-drain contacts and in-situ deposited gate oxide HfO2 gate oxide is discussed. The merits of biaxial compressive strain is demonstrated on strained surface and buried channel In0.36 Ga0.64Sb QW MOSFETs with thin top barrier and in-situ deposited a-Si IPL and high-k HfO2 as well as combination Al 2O3+HfO2 gate stacks and ex-situ atomic layer deposited (ALD) combination gate oxide and with thin 2 nm InAs surface passivation layer is presented. Finally, summary of the salient results from the different chapters is provided with recommendations for future research.

Nanomechanical properties of platinum thin films synthesized by atomic layer deposition

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

Mamun, M.A.; Gu, D.; Baumgart, H.

2015-03-01

The nanomechanical properties of Pt thin films grown on Si (100) using atomic layer deposition (ALD) were investigated using nanoindentation. Recently, atomic layer deposition (ALD) has successfully demonstrated the capability to deposit ultra-thin films of platinum (Pt). Using (methylcyclopentadienyl) trimethylplatinum (MeCpPtMe3) as chemical platinum precursor and oxygen (O2) as the oxidizing agent, the ALD synthesis of Pt can be achieved with high conformity and excellent film uniformity. The ALD process window for Pt films was experimentally established in the temperature range between 270 °C and 320 °C, where the sheet conductance was constant over that temperature range, indicating stable ALDmore » Pt film growth rate. ALD growth of Pt films exhibits very poor nucleation and adhesion characteristics on bare Si surfaces when the native oxide was removed by 2% HF etch. Pt adhesion improves for thermally oxidized Si wafers and for Si wafers covered with native oxide. Three ALD Pt films deposited at 800, 900, and 1000 ALD deposition cycles were tested for the structural and mechanical properties. Additionally, the sample with 900 ALD deposition cycles was further annealed in forming gas (95% N2 and 5% H2) at 450 °C for 30 min in order to passivate dangling bonds in the grain boundaries of the polycrystalline Pt film. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and scanning electron microscope (SEM) were employed to characterize the films' surface structure and morphology. Nanoindentation technique was used to evaluate the hardness and modulus of the ALD Pt films of various film thicknesses. The results indicate that the films depict comparable hardness and modulus results; however, the 800 and 1000 ALD deposition cycles films without forming gas annealing experienced significant amount of pileup, whereas the 900 ALD deposition cycles sample annealed in forming gas resulted in a smaller pileup.« less

Metal-Free CVD Graphene Synthesis on 200 mm Ge/Si(001) Substrates.

PubMed

Lukosius, M; Dabrowski, J; Kitzmann, J; Fursenko, O; Akhtar, F; Lisker, M; Lippert, G; Schulze, S; Yamamoto, Y; Schubert, M A; Krause, H M; Wolff, A; Mai, A; Schroeder, T; Lupina, G

2016-12-14

Good quality, complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology compatible, 200 mm graphene was obtained on Ge(001)/Si(001) wafers in this work. Chemical vapor depositions were carried out at the deposition temperatures of 885 °C using CH 4 as carbon source on epitaxial Ge(100) layers, which were grown on Si(100), prior to the graphene synthesis. Graphene layer with the 2D/G ratio ∼3 and low D mode (i.e., low concentration of defects) was measured over the entire 200 mm wafer by Raman spectroscopy. A typical full-width-at-half-maximum value of 39 cm -1 was extracted for the 2D mode, further indicating that graphene of good structural quality was produced. The study also revealed that the lack of interfacial oxide correlates with superior properties of graphene. In order to evaluate electrical properties of graphene, its 2 × 2 cm 2 pieces were transferred onto SiO 2 /Si substrates from Ge/Si wafers. The extracted sheet resistance and mobility values of transferred graphene layers were ∼1500 ± 100 Ω/sq and μ ≈ 400 ± 20 cm 2 /V s, respectively. The transferred graphene was free of metallic contaminations or mechanical damage. On the basis of results of DFT calculations, we attribute the high structural quality of graphene grown by CVD on Ge to hydrogen-induced reduction of nucleation probability, explain the appearance of graphene-induced facets on Ge(001) as a kinetic effect caused by surface step pinning at linear graphene nuclei, and clarify the orientation of graphene domains on Ge(001) as resulting from good lattice matching between Ge(001) and graphene nucleated on such nuclei.

Tantalum oxide/silicon nitride: A negatively charged surface passivation stack for silicon solar cells

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

Wan, Yimao, E-mail: yimao.wan@anu.edu.au; Bullock, James; Cuevas, Andres

2015-05-18

This letter reports effective passivation of crystalline silicon (c-Si) surfaces by thermal atomic layer deposited tantalum oxide (Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5}) underneath plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposited silicon nitride (SiN{sub x}). Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy imaging shows an approximately 2 nm thick interfacial layer between Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5} and c-Si. Surface recombination velocities as low as 5.0 cm/s and 3.2 cm/s are attained on p-type 0.8 Ω·cm and n-type 1.0 Ω·cm c-Si wafers, respectively. Recombination current densities of 25 fA/cm{sup 2} and 68 fA/cm{sup 2} are measured on 150 Ω/sq boron-diffused p{sup +} and 120 Ω/sq phosphorus-diffused n{sup +} c-Si, respectively. Capacitance–voltage measurements reveal a negativemore » fixed insulator charge density of −1.8 × 10{sup 12 }cm{sup −2} for the Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5} film and −1.0 × 10{sup 12 }cm{sup −2} for the Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5}/SiN{sub x} stack. The Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5}/SiN{sub x} stack is demonstrated to be an excellent candidate for surface passivation of high efficiency silicon solar cells.« less

Effect of KOH to Na2SiO3 Ratio on Microstructure and Hardness of Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation Coatings on AA 6061 Alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Ashutosh; Jang, Yong-Joo; Jung, Jae Pil

2017-10-01

In this study, plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) process has been employed to fabricate alumina coatings on AA 6061 aluminum alloy from an electrolyte containing water glass (Na2SiO3) and alkali (KOH). The effect of deposition time and the alkali to water glass (KOH: Na2SiO3) composition ratio on the coating morphology and properties are studied. The different phases of the oxide layer and microstructure are investigated by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The results indicate that initially γ-Al2O3 forms in the coating, and as the processing time is increased from 5 to 60 minutes, α-Al2O3 phase becomes prominent. Further, higher the content of Na2SiO3, higher is the hardness and coating growth rate due to the formation of stable α-Al2O3 and Al-Si-O phase. It has been reported that the optimum properties of the PEO coatings can be obtained at a ratio of KOH: Na2SiO3 ≈ 15:10 followed by 10:10.

Atomic Layer Deposited Oxide-Based Nanocomposite Structures with Embedded CoPtx Nanocrystals for Resistive Random Access Memory Applications.

PubMed

Wang, Lai-Guo; Cao, Zheng-Yi; Qian, Xu; Zhu, Lin; Cui, Da-Peng; Li, Ai-Dong; Wu, Di

2017-02-22

Al 2 O 3 - or HfO 2 -based nanocomposite structures with embedded CoPt x nanocrystals (NCs) on TiN-coated Si substrates have been prepared by combination of thermal atomic layer deposition (ALD) and plasma-enhanced ALD for resistive random access memory (RRAM) applications. The impact of CoPt x NCs and their average size/density on the resistive switching properties has been explored. Compared to the control sample without CoPt x NCs, ALD-derived Pt/oxide/100 cycle-CoPt x NCs/TiN/SiO 2 /Si exhibits a typical bipolar, reliable, and reproducible resistive switching behavior, such as sharp distribution of RRAM parameters, smaller set/reset voltages, stable resistance ratio (≥10 2 ) of OFF/ON states, better switching endurance up to 10 4 cycles, and longer data retention over 10 5 s. The possible resistive switching mechanism based on nanocomposite structures of oxide/CoPt x NCs has been proposed. The dominant conduction mechanisms in low- and high-resistance states of oxide-based device units with embedded CoPt x NCs are Ohmic behavior and space-charge-limited current, respectively. The insertion of CoPt x NCs can effectively improve the formation of conducting filaments due to the CoPt x NC-enhanced electric field intensity. Besides excellent resistive switching performances, the nanocomposite structures also simultaneously present ferromagnetic property. This work provides a flexible pathway by combining PEALD and TALD compatible with state-of-the-art Si-based technology for multifunctional electronic devices applications containing RRAM.

Hydrogen passivation of poly-Si/SiO x contacts for Si solar cells using Al 2O 3 studied with deuterium

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

Schnabel, Manuel; van de Loo, Bas W. H.; Nemeth, William

Here, the interplay between hydrogenation and passivation of poly-Si/SiO x contacts to n-type Si wafers is studied using atomic layer deposited Al 2O 3 and anneals in forming gas and nitrogen. The poly-Si/SiO x stacks are prepared by thermal oxidation followed by thermal crystallization of a-Si:H films deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Implied open-circuit voltages as high as 710 mV are achieved for p-type poly-Si/SiO x contacts to n-type Si after hydrogenation. Correlating minority carrier lifetime data and secondary ion mass spectrometry profiles reveals that the main benefit of Al 2O 3 is derived from its role as amore » hydrogen source for chemically passivating defects at SiO x; Al 2O 3 layers are found to hydrogenate poly-Si/SiO x much better than a forming gas anneal. By labelling Al 2O 3 and the subsequent anneal with different hydrogen isotopes, it is found that Al 2O 3 exchanges most of its hydrogen with the ambient upon annealing at 400 °C for 1 h even though there is no significant net change in its total hydrogen content.« less

Hydrogen passivation of poly-Si/SiOx contacts for Si solar cells using Al2O3 studied with deuterium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schnabel, Manuel; van de Loo, Bas W. H.; Nemeth, William; Macco, Bart; Stradins, Paul; Kessels, W. M. M.; Young, David L.

2018-05-01

The interplay between hydrogenation and passivation of poly-Si/SiOx contacts to n-type Si wafers is studied using atomic layer deposited Al2O3 and anneals in forming gas and nitrogen. The poly-Si/SiOx stacks are prepared by thermal oxidation followed by thermal crystallization of a-Si:H films deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Implied open-circuit voltages as high as 710 mV are achieved for p-type poly-Si/SiOx contacts to n-type Si after hydrogenation. Correlating minority carrier lifetime data and secondary ion mass spectrometry profiles reveals that the main benefit of Al2O3 is derived from its role as a hydrogen source for chemically passivating defects at SiOx; Al2O3 layers are found to hydrogenate poly-Si/SiOx much better than a forming gas anneal. By labelling Al2O3 and the subsequent anneal with different hydrogen isotopes, it is found that Al2O3 exchanges most of its hydrogen with the ambient upon annealing at 400 °C for 1 h even though there is no significant net change in its total hydrogen content.

Hydrogen passivation of poly-Si/SiO x contacts for Si solar cells using Al 2O 3 studied with deuterium

DOE PAGES

Schnabel, Manuel; van de Loo, Bas W. H.; Nemeth, William; ...

2018-05-14

Here, the interplay between hydrogenation and passivation of poly-Si/SiO x contacts to n-type Si wafers is studied using atomic layer deposited Al 2O 3 and anneals in forming gas and nitrogen. The poly-Si/SiO x stacks are prepared by thermal oxidation followed by thermal crystallization of a-Si:H films deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Implied open-circuit voltages as high as 710 mV are achieved for p-type poly-Si/SiO x contacts to n-type Si after hydrogenation. Correlating minority carrier lifetime data and secondary ion mass spectrometry profiles reveals that the main benefit of Al 2O 3 is derived from its role as amore » hydrogen source for chemically passivating defects at SiO x; Al 2O 3 layers are found to hydrogenate poly-Si/SiO x much better than a forming gas anneal. By labelling Al 2O 3 and the subsequent anneal with different hydrogen isotopes, it is found that Al 2O 3 exchanges most of its hydrogen with the ambient upon annealing at 400 °C for 1 h even though there is no significant net change in its total hydrogen content.« less

Tuning the Outward to Inward Swelling in Lithiated Silicon Nanotubes via Surface Oxide Coating

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

Wang, Jiangwei; Luo, Hao; Liu, Yang

2016-09-14

The electrochemically-induced mechanical degradation hinders the application of Si anodes in advanced lithium-ion batteries. Hollow structures and surface coatings have been often used to mitigate the degradation of Si-based anodes. However, the structural change and degradation mechanism during lithiation/delithiation of hollow Si structures with coatings remain unclear. Here, we combine in situ TEM experiment and chemomechanical modeling to study the electrochemically induced swelling of amorphous-Si (a-Si) nanotubes with different thicknesses of surface SiOx layers. Surprisingly, we find that no inward expansion occurs at the inner surface during lithiation of a-Si nanotubes with native oxides. In contrast, inward expansion can bemore » induced by increasing the thickness of SiOx on the outer surface. Moreover, both the sandwich lithiation mechanism and two-stage lithiation process in a-Si nanotubes remain unchanged with the increasing thickness of surface coatings. Our chemomechanical modeling reveals the mechanical confinement effects in lithiated a-Si nanotubes with and without SiOx coatings. This work not only provides insights into the degradation of nanotube anodes with surface coatings, but also sheds light onto the optimal design of hollow anodes for high-performance lithium-ion batteries.« less

Compositionally modulated multilayer diamond-like carbon coatings with AlTiSi multi-doping by reactive high power impulse magnetron sputtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dai, Wei; Gao, Xiang; Liu, Jingmao; Kwon, Se-Hun; Wang, Qimin

2017-12-01

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings with AlTiSi multi-doping were prepared by a reactive high power impulse magnetron sputtering with using a gas mixture of Ar and C2H2 as precursor. The composition, microstructure, compressive stress, and mechanical property of the as-deposited DLC coatings were studied systemically by using SEM, XPS, TEM, Raman spectrum, stress-tester, and nanoindentation as a function of the Ar fraction. The results show that the doping concentrations of the Al, Ti and Si atoms increased as the Ar fraction increased. The doped Ti and Si preferred to bond with C while the doped Al mainly existed in oxidation state without bonding with C. As the doping concentrations increased, TiC carbide nanocrystals were formed in the DLC matrix. The microstructure of coatings changed from an amorphous feature dominant AlTiSi-DLC to a carbide nanocomposite AlTiSi-DLC with TiC nanoparticles embedding. In addition, the coatings exhibited the compositionally modulated multilayer consisting of alternate Al-rich layer and Al-poor layer due to the rotation of the substrate holder and the diffusion behavior of the doped Al which tended to separate from C and diffuse towards the DLC matrix surface owing to its weak interactions with C. The periodic Al-rich layer can effectively release the compressive stress of the coatings. On the other hand, the hard TiC nanoparticles were conducive to the hardness of the coatings. Consequently, the DLC coatings with relatively low residual stress and high hardness could be acquired successfully through AlTiSi multi-doping. It is believed that the AlCrSi multi-doping may be a good way for improving the comprehensive properties of the DLC coatings. In addition, we believe that the DLC coatings with Al-rich multilayered structure have a high oxidation resistance, which allows the DLC coatings application in high temperature environment.

Evidence of a reduction reaction of oxidized iron/cobalt by boron atoms diffused toward naturally oxidized surface of CoFeB layer during annealing

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

Sato, Soshi, E-mail: sato.soshi@cies.tohoku.ac.jp; Honjo, Hiroaki; Niwa, Masaaki

2015-04-06

We have investigated the redox reaction on the surface of Ta/CoFeB/MgO/CoFeB magnetic tunnel junction stack samples after annealing at 300, 350, and 400 °C for 1 h using angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy for precise analysis of the chemical bonding states. At a capping tantalum layer thickness of 1 nm, both the capping tantalum layer and the surface of the underneath CoFeB layer in the as-deposited stack sample were naturally oxidized. By comparison of the Co 2p and Fe 2p spectra among the as-deposited and annealed samples, reduction of the naturally oxidized cobalt and iron atoms occurred on the surface of the CoFeB layer.more » The reduction reaction was more significant at higher annealing temperature. Oxidized cobalt and iron were reduced by boron atoms that diffused toward the surface of the top CoFeB layer. A single CoFeB layer was prepared on SiO{sub 2}, and a confirmatory evidence of the redox reaction with boron diffusion was obtained by angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis of the naturally oxidized surface of the CoFeB single layer after annealing. The redox reaction is theoretically reasonable based on the Ellingham diagram.« less

Local epitaxial growth of ZrO2 on Ge (100) substrates by atomic layer epitaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Hyoungsub; Chui, Chi On; Saraswat, Krishna C.; McIntyre, Paul C.

2003-09-01

High-k dielectric deposition processes for gate dielectric preparation on Si surfaces usually result in the unavoidable and uncontrolled formation of a thin interfacial oxide layer. Atomic layer deposition of ˜55-Å ZrO2 film on a Ge (100) substrate using ZrCl4 and H2O at 300 °C was found to produce local epitaxial growth [(001) Ge//(001) ZrO2 and [100] Ge//[100] ZrO2] without a distinct interfacial layer, unlike the situation observed when ZrO2 is deposited using the same method on Si. Relatively large lattice mismatch (˜10%) between ZrO2 and Ge produced a high areal density of interfacial misfit dislocations. Large hysteresis (>200 mV) and high frequency dispersion were observed in capacitance-voltage measurements due to the high density of interface states. However, a low leakage current density, comparable to values obtained on Si substrates, was observed with the same capacitance density regardless of the high defect density.

The optical properties of transferred graphene and the dielectrics grown on it obtained by ellipsometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kasikov, Aarne; Kahro, Tauno; Matisen, Leonard; Kodu, Margus; Tarre, Aivar; Seemen, Helina; Alles, Harry

2018-04-01

Graphene layers grown by chemical vapour deposition (CVD) method and transferred from Cu-foils to the oxidized Si-substrates were investigated by spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE), Raman and X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) methods. The optical properties of transferred CVD graphene layers do not always correspond to the ones of the exfoliated graphene due to the contamination from the chemicals used in the transfer process. However, the real thickness and the mean properties of the transferred CVD graphene layers can be found using ellipsometry if a real thickness of the SiO2 layer is taken into account. The pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and atomic layer deposition (ALD) methods were used to grow dielectric layers on the transferred graphene and the obtained structures were characterized using optical methods. The approach demonstrated in this work could be useful for the characterization of various materials grown on graphene.

A high density two-dimensional electron gas in an oxide heterostructure on Si (001)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, E. N.; Kornblum, L.; Kumah, D. P.; Zou, K.; Broadbridge, C. C.; Ngai, J. H.; Ahn, C. H.; Walker, F. J.

2014-11-01

We present the growth and characterization of layered heterostructures comprised of LaTiO3 and SrTiO3 epitaxially grown on Si (001). Magnetotransport measurements show that the sheet carrier densities of the heterostructures scale with the number of LaTiO3/SrTiO3 interfaces, consistent with the presence of an interfacial 2-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) at each interface. Sheet carrier densities of 8.9 × 1014 cm-2 per interface are observed. Integration of such high density oxide 2DEGs on silicon provides a bridge between the exceptional properties and functionalities of oxide 2DEGs and microelectronic technologies.

Improved thermal stability of Mn-Ir-based magnetic tunnel junction with nano-oxide layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoon, S. Y.; Kim, Y. I.; Lee, D. H.; Kim, Y. S.; Suh, S. J.

2004-06-01

Si/SiO2/Ta/NiFe/Mn-Ir/CoFe/NOL/CoFe/Al-O/CoFe/NiFe/Ta bottom conventional (without nano-oxide layer, NOL) and specular (with NOL) MTJs were prepared by DC magnetron sputtering methods. In the case of a conventional MTJ, the TMR ratio increased up to 300 °C but the TMR ratio of a specular MTJ increased up to 400 °C. The highest TMR ratios of two samples after annealing at each optimal temperature were 21.6% (conventional MTJ) and 22.7% (specular MTJ), respectively, This improved thermal property of the specular MTJ is due to the NOL, which could act as a diffusion barrier for Mn. The bias-voltage dependence of both samples was vastly improved after annealing at each optimal temperature.

Selective Oxidation of a 0.1C-6Mn-2Si Third Generation Advanced High-Strength Steel During Dew-Point Controlled Annealing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pourmajidian, Maedeh; McDermid, Joseph R.

2018-03-01

The present study investigates the selective oxidation of a 0.1C-6Mn-2Si medium-Mn advanced high-strength steel during austenization annealing heat treatments as a function of process atmosphere oxygen partial pressure and annealing time. It was determined that the surface oxide growth kinetics followed a parabolic rate law with the minimum rate belonging to the lowest oxygen partial pressure atmosphere at a dew point of 223 K (- 50 °C). The chemistry of the surface and subsurface oxides was studied using STEM + EELS on the sample cross sections, and it was found that the surface oxides formed under the 223 K (- 50 °C) dew-point atmosphere consisted of a layered configuration of SiO2, MnSiO3, and MnO, while in the case of the higher pO2 process atmospheres, only MnO was detected at the surface. Consistent with the Wagner calculations, it was shown that the transition to internal oxidation for Mn occurred under the 243 K (- 30 °C) and 278 K (+ 5 °C) dew-point atmospheres. However, the predictions of the external to internal oxidation for Si using the Wagner model did not correlate well with the experimental findings nor did the predictions of the Mataigne et al. model for multi-element alloys. Investigations of the internal oxide network at the grain boundaries revealed a multilayer oxide structure composed of amorphous SiO2 and crystalline MnSiO3, respectively, at the oxide core and outer shell. A mechanism for the formation of the oxide morphologies observed, based on kinetic and thermodynamic factors, was proposed. It is expected that only the fine and nodule-like MnO oxides formed on the surface of the samples annealed under the 278 K (+ 5 °C) dew-point process atmosphere for 60 and 120 seconds are sufficiently thin and of the desired dispersed morphology to promote reactive wetting by the molten galvanizing bath.

The role of high work-function metallic nanodots on the performance of a-Si:H solar cells: offering ohmic contact to light trapping.

PubMed

Kim, Jeehwan; Abou-Kandil, Ahmed; Fogel, Keith; Hovel, Harold; Sadana, Devendra K

2010-12-28

Addition of carbon into p-type "window" layers in hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) solar cells enhances short circuit currents and open circuit voltages by a great deal. However, a-Si:H solar cells with high carbon-doped "window" layers exhibit poor fill factors due to a Schottky barrier-like impedance at the interface between a-SiC:H windows and transparent conducting oxides (TCO), although they show maximized short circuit currents and open circuit voltages. The impedance is caused by an increasing mismatch between the work function of TCO and that of p-type a-SiC:H. Applying ultrathin high-work-function metals at the interface between the two materials results in an effective lowering of the work function mismatch and a consequent ohmic behavior. If the metal layer is sufficiently thin, then it forms nanodots rather than a continuous layer which provides light-scattering effect. We demonstrate 31% efficiency enhancement by using high-work-function materials for engineering the work function at the key interfaces to raise fill factors as well as photocurrents. The use of metallic interface layers in this work is a clear contrast to previous work where attempts were made to enhance the photocurrent using plasmonic metal nanodots on the solar cell surface.

Leakage current conduction and reliability assessment of passivating thin silicon dioxide films on n-4H-SiC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samanta, Piyas; Mandal, Krishna C.

2016-09-01

We have analyzed the mechanisms of leakage current conduction in passivating silicon dioxide (SiO2) films grown on (0 0 0 1) silicon (Si) face of n-type 4H-SiC (silicon carbide). It was observed that the experimentally measured gate current density in metal-oxide-silicon carbide (MOSiC) structures under positive gate bias at an oxide field Eox above 5 MV/cm is comprised of Fowler-Nordheim (FN) tunneling of electrons from the accumulated n-4H-SiC and Poole-Frenkel (PF) emission of trapped electrons from the localized neutral traps in the SiO2 gap, IFN and IPF, respectively at temperatures between 27 and 200 °C. In MOSiC structures, PF mechanism dominates FN tunneling of electrons from the accumulation layer of n-4H-SiC due to high density (up to 1013 cm-2) of carbon-related acceptor-like traps located at about 2.5 eV below the SiO2 conduction band (CB). These current conduction mechanisms were taken into account in studying hole injection/trapping into 10 nm-thick tunnel oxide on the Si face of 4H-SiC during electron injection from n-4H-SiC under high-field electrical stress with positive bias on the heavily doped n-type polysilicon (n+-polySi) gate at a wide range of temperatures between 27 and 200 °C. Holes were generated in the n+-polySi anode material by the hot-electrons during their transport through thin oxide films at oxide electric fields Eox from 5.6 to 8.0 MV/cm (prior to the intrinsic oxide breakdown field). Time-to-breakdown tBD of the gate dielectric was found to follow reciprocal field (1/E) model irrespective of stress temperatures. Despite the significant amount of process-induced interfacial electron traps contributing to a large amount of leakage current via PF emission in thermally grown SiO2 on the Si-face of n-4H-SiC, MOSiC devices having a 10 nm-thick SiO2 film can be safely used in 5 V TTL logic circuits over a period of 10 years.

Laser-assisted atom probe tomography of four paired poly-Si/SiO2 multiple-stacks with each thickness of 10 nm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwak, C.-M.; Seol, J.-B.; Kim, Y.-T.; Park, C.-G.

2017-02-01

For the past 10 years, laser-assisted atom probe tomography (APT) analysis has been performed to quantify the near-atomic scale distribution of elements and their local chemical compositions within interfaces that determine the design, processing, and properties of virtually all materials. However, the nature of the occurring laser-induced emission at the surface of needle-shaped sample is highly complex and it has been an ongoing challenge to understand the surface-related interactions between laser-sources and tips containing non-conductive oxides for a robust and reliable analysis of multiple-stacked devices. Here, we find that the APT analysis of four paired poly-Si/SiO2 (conductive/non-conductive) multiple stacks with each thickness of 10 nm is governed by experimentally monitoring three experimental conditions, such as laser-beam energies ranged from 30 to 200 nJ, analysis temperatures varying with 30-100 K, and the inclination of aligned interfaces within a given tip toward analysis direction. Varying with laser-energy and analysis temperature, a drastic compositional ratio of doubly charged Si ions to single charged Si ions within conductive poly-Si layers is modified, as compared with ones detected in the non-conductive layers. Severe distorted APT images of multiple stacks are also inevitable, especially at the conductive layers, and leading to a lowering of the successful analysis yields. This lower throughput has been overcome though changing the inclination of interfaces within a given tip to analysis direction (planar interfaces parallel to the tip axis), but significant deviations in chemical compositions of a conductive layer counted from those of tips containing planar interfaces perpendicular to the tip axis are unavoidable owing to the Si2, SiH2O, and Si2O ions detected, for the first time, within poly-Si layers.

The effect of oxide shell thickness on the structural, electronic, and optical properties of Si-SiO{sub 2} core-shell nano-crystals: A (time dependent)density functional theory study

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

Nazemi, Sanaz, E-mail: s.nazemi@ut.ac.ir, E-mail: pourfath@ut.ac.ir; Soleimani, Ebrahim Asl; Pourfath, Mahdi, E-mail: s.nazemi@ut.ac.ir, E-mail: pourfath@ut.ac.ir

2016-04-14

Due to their tunable properties, silicon nano-crystals (NC) are currently being investigated. Quantum confinement can generally be employed for size-dependent band-gap tuning at dimensions smaller than the Bohr radius (∼5 nm for silicon). At the nano-meter scale, however, increased surface-to-volume ratio makes the surface effects dominant. Specifically, in Si-SiO{sub 2} core-shell semiconductor NCs the interfacial transition layer causes peculiar electronic and optical properties, because of the co-existence of intermediate oxidation states of silicon (Si{sup n+}, n = 0–4). Due to the presence of the many factors involved, a comprehensive understanding of the optical properties of these NCs has not yet been achieved. Inmore » this work, Si-SiO{sub 2} NCs with a diameter of 1.1 nm and covered by amorphous oxide shells with thicknesses between 2.5 and 4.75 Å are comprehensively studied, employing density functional theory calculations. It is shown that with increased oxide shell thickness, the low-energy part of the optical transition spectrum of the NC is red shifted and attenuated. Moreover, the absorption coefficient is increased in the high-energy part of the spectrum which corresponds to SiO{sub 2} transitions. Structural examinations indicate a larger compressive stress on the central silicon cluster with a thicker oxide shell. Examination of the local density of states reveals the migration of frontier molecular orbitals from the oxide shell into the silicon core with the increase of silica shell thickness. The optical and electrical properties are explained through the analysis of the density of states and the spatial distribution of silicon sub-oxide species.« less

Advanced Ceramic Matrix Composites with Multifunctional and Hybrid Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, Mrityunjay; Morscher, Gregory N.

2004-01-01

Ceramic matrix composites are leading candidate materials for a number of applications in aeronautics, space, energy, and nuclear industries. Potential composite applications differ in their requirements for thickness. For example, many space applications such as "nozzle ramps" or "heat exchangers" require very thin (< 1 mm) structures whereas turbine blades would require very thick parts (> or = 1 cm). Little is known about the effect of thickness on stress-strain behavior or the elevated temperature tensile properties controlled by oxidation diffusion. In this study, composites consisting of woven Hi-Nicalon (trademark) fibers a carbon interphase and CVI SiC matrix were fabricated with different numbers of plies and thicknesses. The effect of thickness on matrix crack formation, matrix crack growth and diffusion kinetics will be discussed. In another approach, hybrid fiber-lay up concepts have been utilized to "alloy" desirable properties of different fiber types for mechanical properties, thermal stress management, and oxidation resistance. Such an approach has potential for the C(sub I)-SiC and SiC(sub f)-SiC composite systems. CVI SiC matrix composites with different stacking sequences of woven C fiber (T300) layers and woven SiC fiber (Hi-Nicalon (trademark)) layers were fabricated. The results will be compared to standard C fiber reinforced CVI SiC matrix and Hi-Nicalon reinforced CVI SiC matrix composites. In addition, shear properties of these composites at different temperatures will also be presented. Other design and implementation issues will be discussed along with advantages and benefits of using these materials for various components in high temperature applications.

Optical properties of Na2O-TiO2-SiO2 glass films prepared by the sol-gel method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barton, Ivo; Matejec, Vlastimil; Mrazek, Jan; Predoana, Luminita; Zaharescu, Maria

2017-12-01

Layers based on TiO2-SiO2 systems fabricated by sol-gel method have been investigated for the preparation of planar waveguides, antireflective coatings, Bragg mirrors, etc. However, at high titania contents such materials exhibit high viscosities and tendency to phase separation. In this paper we present optical properties of films containing TiO2 which are prepared via a novel approach sol-gel on the basis of ternary Na2O-TiO2-SiO2 glasses and which can exhibit lower viscosities. Films of Na2O-TiO2-SiO2 systems were prepared from input sols mixed of silica, titania and sodium oxide sols. The silica sol was prepared from tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), ethanol, hydrochloric acid and water, with a TEOS c= 2 mol/l and water/alkoxide ratio 1.75. The titania sol was mixed from titanium tetraisopropoxide (TiPr), propan-2-ol, nitric acid and water, c= 0.5 mol/l, RW= 0.42. The sodium oxide sols with c= 0.474 mol/l were prepared from sodium ethoxide and ethanol. Input sols were prepared by mixing the silica and titania sols first and then the sodium sol was added. The input sols were aged for one hour. Stable input sols were obtained. The input sols were deposited on glass and silica slides by dip-coating technique at a withdrawing speeds of 200 mm/min. Applied gel layers were thermally treated at temperatures of 450 and 900°C. Layers containing sodium oxide and titania in concentration ranges of 0-20 mol.% and 0-30 mol.% respectively have been fabricated. Optical properties of layers were determined by UV-VIS-NIR transmission and reflection spectrophotometry. Refractive indices of layers were determined by spectral ellipsometry and from transmission spectra. Optical properties were correlated with results of XRD spectroscopy, optical microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. Transparent homogenous films with a maximum refractive index of 1.61 at a wavelength of 600 nm have been obtained.

Electrical properties and interfacial issues of high-k/Si MIS capacitors characterized by the thickness of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} interlayer

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

Wang, Xing; Liu, Hongxia, E-mail: hxliu@mail.xidian.edu.cn; Fei, Chenxi

2016-06-15

A thin Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} interlayer deposited between La{sub 2}O{sub 3} layer and Si substrate was used to scavenge the interfacial layer (IL) by blocking the out-diffusion of substrate Si. Some advantages and disadvantages of this method were discussed in detail. Evident IL reduction corroborated by the transmission electron microscopy results suggested the feasibility of this method in IL scavenging. Significant improvements in oxygen vacancy and leakage current characteristics were achieved as the thickness of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} interlayer increase. Meanwhile, some disadvantages such as the degradations in interface trap and oxide trapped charge characteristics were also observed.

Design for Oxidation Resistance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smialek, James L.; Schaeffer, Jon C.; Barrett, Charles A.

1997-01-01

Alloys intended for use in high-temperature environment rely on the formation of a continuous, compact, slow-growing oxide layer for oxidation and hot corrosion resistance. To be protective, this oxide layer must be chemically, thermodynamically stable. Successful alloy design for oxidative environment is best achieved by developing alloys that are capable of forming adherent scales of either alumina (Al2O3), chromia (Cr2O3), or silica (SiO2). In this article, emphasis has been placed on the issue related to high-temperature oxidation of superalloys used in gas turbine engine application. Despite the complexity of these alloys, optimal performance has been associated with protective alumina scale formation. As will be described below, both compositional makeup and protective coatings play key role in providing oxidation protection. Other high-temperature materials described include nickel and titanium aluminide intermetallics, refractory metal, and ceramics.

Velcro-Inspired SiC Fuzzy Fibers for Aerospace Applications.

PubMed

Hart, Amelia H C; Koizumi, Ryota; Hamel, John; Owuor, Peter Samora; Ito, Yusuke; Ozden, Sehmus; Bhowmick, Sanjit; Syed Amanulla, Syed Asif; Tsafack, Thierry; Keyshar, Kunttal; Mital, Rahul; Hurst, Janet; Vajtai, Robert; Tiwary, Chandra Sekhar; Ajayan, Pulickel M

2017-04-19

The most recent and innovative silicon carbide (SiC) fiber ceramic matrix composites, used for lightweight high-heat engine parts in aerospace applications, are woven, layered, and then surrounded by a SiC ceramic matrix composite (CMC). To further improve both the mechanical properties and thermal and oxidative resistance abilities of this material, SiC nanotubes and nanowires (SiCNT/NWs) are grown on the surface of the SiC fiber via carbon nanotube conversion. This conversion utilizes the shape memory synthesis (SMS) method, starting with carbon nanotube (CNT) growth on the SiC fiber surface, to capitalize on the ease of dense surface morphology optimization and the ability to effectively engineer the CNT-SiC fiber interface to create a secure nanotube-fiber attachment. Then, by converting the CNTs to SiCNT/NWs, the relative morphology, advantageous mechanical properties, and secure connection of the initial CNT-SiC fiber architecture are retained, with the addition of high temperature and oxidation resistance. The resultant SiCNT/NW-SiC fiber can be used inside the SiC ceramic matrix composite for a high-heat turbo engine part with longer fatigue life and higher temperature resistance. The differing sides of the woven SiCNT/NWs act as the "hook and loop" mechanism of Velcro but in much smaller scale.

Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition of Oxide Films for Advanced Applications

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-06-01

coatings , photovoltaics, touch sensitive controls, electromagnetic shielding (as found on microwave ovens and stealth fighters), static dissipaters, and so...depositing high quality films. The methods are physical vapor deposition ( PVD ), spin/mist deposition, (CVD), and alternating layer (AL) CVD. PVD ...PZT & SBT, YBa2Cu3O, CeO, InO, TCOs, Varistors Ta2O5 , ZrO, MnO, HfO, CeO, MnO, MgO SAW/microwave Silicon/: Si, SiGe, SiGeC, �. Opto-electronics

Study of the Anisotropic Elastoplastic Properties of β-Ga2O3 Films Synthesized on SiC/Si Substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grashchenko, A. S.; Kukushkin, S. A.; Nikolaev, V. I.; Osipov, A. V.; Osipova, E. V.; Soshnikov, I. P.

2018-05-01

The structural and mechanical properties of gallium oxide films grown on silicon crystallographic planes (001), (011), and (111) with a buffer layer of silicon carbide are investigated. Nanoindentation was used to study the elastoplastic properties of gallium oxide and also to determine the elastic recovery parameter of the films under study. The tensile strength, hardness, elasticity tensor, compliance tensor, Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, and other characteristics of gallium oxide were calculated using quantum chemistry methods. It was found that the gallium oxide crystal is auxetic because, for some stretching directions, the Poisson's ratio takes on negative values. The calculated values correspond quantitatively to the experimental data. It is concluded that the elastoplastic properties of gallium oxide films approximately correspond to the properties of bulk crystals and that a change in the orientation of the silicon surface leads to a significant change in the orientation of gallium oxide.

Electrical characterization of amorphous Al2O3 dielectric films on n-type 4H-SiC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khosa, R. Y.; Thorsteinsson, E. B.; Winters, M.; Rorsman, N.; Karhu, R.; Hassan, J.; Sveinbjörnsson, E. Ö.

2018-02-01

We report on the electrical properties of Al2O3 films grown on 4H-SiC by successive thermal oxidation of thin Al layers at low temperatures (200°C - 300°C). MOS capacitors made using these films contain lower density of interface traps, are more immune to electron injection and exhibit higher breakdown field (5MV/cm) than Al2O3 films grown by atomic layer deposition (ALD) or rapid thermal processing (RTP). Furthermore, the interface state density is significantly lower than in MOS capacitors with nitrided thermal silicon dioxide, grown in N2O, serving as the gate dielectric. Deposition of an additional SiO2 film on the top of the Al2O3 layer increases the breakdown voltage of the MOS capacitors while maintaining low density of interface traps. We examine the origin of negative charges frequently encountered in Al2O3 films grown on SiC and find that these charges consist of trapped electrons which can be released from the Al2O3 layer by depletion bias stress and ultraviolet light exposure. This electron trapping needs to be reduced if Al2O3 is to be used as a gate dielectric in SiC MOS technology.

Nanostructured porous Si optical biosensors: effect of thermal oxidation on their performance and properties.

PubMed

Shtenberg, Giorgi; Massad-Ivanir, Naama; Fruk, Ljiljana; Segal, Ester

2014-09-24

The influence of thermal oxidation conditions on the performance of porous Si optical biosensors used for label-free and real-time monitoring of enzymatic activity is studied. We compare three oxidation temperatures (400, 600, and 800 °C) and their effect on the enzyme immobilization efficiency and the intrinsic stability of the resulting oxidized porous Si (PSiO2), Fabry-Pérot thin films. Importantly, we show that the thermal oxidation profoundly affects the biosensing performance in terms of greater optical sensitivity, by monitoring the catalytic activity of horseradish peroxidase and trypsin-immobilized PSiO2. Despite the significant decrease in porous volume and specific surface area (confirmed by nitrogen gas adsorption-desorption studies) with elevating the oxidation temperature, higher content and surface coverage of the immobilized enzymes is attained. This in turn leads to greater optical stability and sensitivity of PSiO2 nanostructures. Specifically, films produced at 800 °C exhibit stable optical readout in aqueous buffers combined with superior biosensing performance. Thus, by proper control of the oxide layer formation, we can eliminate the aging effect, thus achieving efficient immobilization of different biomolecules, optical signal stability, and sensitivity.

Reactions of calcium orthosilicate and barium zirconate with oxides and sulfates of various elements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zaplatynsky, I.

1979-01-01

Calcium orthosilicate and barium zirconate were evaluated as the insulation layer of thermal barrier coatings for air cooled gas turbine components. Their reactions with various oxides and sulfates were studied at 1100 C and 1300 C for times ranging up to 400 and 200 hours, respectively. These oxides and sulfates represent potential impurities or additives in gas turbine fuels and in turbine combustion air, as well as elements of potential bond coat alloys. The phase compositions of the reaction products were determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. BaZrO3 and 2CaO-SiO2 both reacted with P2O5, V2O5, Cr2O3, Al2O3, and SiO2. In addition, 2CaO-SiO2 reacted with Na2O, BaO, MgO, and CoO and BaZrO3 reacted with Fe2O3.

Mechanical Properties and Durability of Advanced Environmental Barrier Coatings in Calcium-Magnesium-Alumino-Silicate Environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miladinovich, Daniel S.; Zhu, Dongming

2011-01-01

Environmental barrier coatings are being developed and tested for use with SiC/SiC ceramic matrix composite (CMC) gas turbine engine components. Several oxide and silicate based compositons are being studied for use as top-coat and intermediate layers in a three or more layer environmental barrier coating system. Specifically, the room temperature Vickers-indentation-fracture-toughness testing and high-temperature stability reaction studies with Calcium Magnesium Alumino-Silicate (CMAS or "sand") are being conducted using advanced testing techniques such as high pressure burner rig tests as well as high heat flux laser tests.

Mechanically Activated Combustion Synthesis of MoSi 2-Based Composites

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

Shafirovich, Evgeny

2015-09-30

The thermal efficiency of gas-turbine power plants could be dramatically increased by the development of new structural materials based on molybdenum silicides and borosilicides, which can operate at temperatures higher than 1300 °C with no need for cooling. A major challenge, however, is to simultaneously achieve high oxidation resistance and acceptable mechanical properties at high temperatures. One approach is based on the fabrication of MoSi2-Mo5Si3 composites that combine high oxidation resistance of MoSi2 and good mechanical properties of Mo5Si3. Another approach involves the addition of boron to Mo-rich silicides for improving their oxidation resistance through the formation of a borosilicatemore » surface layer. In particular, materials based on Mo5SiB2 phase are promising materials that offer favorable combinations of high temperature mechanical properties and oxidation resistance. However, the synthesis of Mo-Si-B multi-phase alloys is difficult because of their extremely high melting temperatures. Mechanical alloying has been considered as a promising method, but it requires long milling times, leading to large energy consumption and contamination of the product by grinding media. In the reported work, MoSi2-Mo5Si3 composites and several materials based on Mo5SiB2 phase have been obtained by mechanically activated self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (MASHS). Short-term milling of Mo/Si mixture in a planetary mill has enabled a self-sustained propagation of the combustion front over the mixture pellet, leading to the formation of MoSi2-T1 composites. Combustion of Mo/Si/B mixtures for the formation of T2 phase becomes possible if the composition is designed for the addition of more exothermic reactions leading to the formation of MoB, TiC, or TiB2. Upon ignition, Mo/Si/B and Mo/Si/B/Ti mixtures exhibited spin combustion, but the products were porous, contained undesired secondary phases, and had low oxidation resistance. It has been shown that use of SHS compaction (quasi-isostatic pressing after combustion) significantly improves oxidation resistance of the obtained MoSi2-Mo5Si3 composites. The “chemical oven” technique has been successfully employed to fabricate low-porous Mo5SiB2–TiC, Mo5SiB2–TiB2, and Mo–Mo5SiB2–Mo3Si materials. Among them, Mo5SiB2–TiB2 material possesses good mechanical properties and simultaneously exhibits excellent oxidation resistance at temperatures up to 1500 °C.« less

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.

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.

Microstructures and Properties of the C/Zr-O-Si-C Composites Fabricated by Polymer Infiltration and Pyrolysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Yan; Chen, Zhaohui

2013-09-01

A way to improve the ablation properties of the C/SiC composites in an oxyacetylene torch environment was investigated by the precursor infiltration and pyrolysis route using three organic precursors (zirconium butoxide, polycarbosilane, and divinylbenzene). The ceramic matrix derived from the precursors at 1200 °C was mainly a mixture of SiC, ZrO2, and C. After annealing at 1600 °C for 1 h, ZrO2 partly transformed to ZrC because of the carbothermic reductions and completely transformed to ZrC at 1800 °C in 1 h. The mechanical properties of the composites decreased with increasing temperature, while the ablation resistance increased due to the increasing content of ZrC. Compared with C/SiC composites, the ablation resistance of the C/Zr-O-Si-C composites overwhelms because of the oxide films which formed on the ablation surfaces. And, the films were composed of two layers: the porous surface layer (the mixture of ZrO2 and SiO2) and the dense underlayer (SiO2).