Growth of magnesium diboride thin films on boron buffered Si and silicon-on-insulator substrates by hybrid physical chemical vapor deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Withanage, Wenura K.; Penmatsa, Sashank V.; Acharya, Narendra; Melbourne, Thomas; Cunnane, D.; Karasik, B. S.; Xi, X. X.

2018-07-01

We report on the growth of high quality MgB2 thin films on silicon and silicon-on-insulator substrates by hybrid physical chemical vapor deposition. A boron buffer layer was deposited on all sides of the Si substrate to prevent the reaction of Mg vapor and Si. Ar ion milling at a low angle of 1° was used to reduce the roughness of the boron buffer layer before the MgB2 growth. An Ar ion milling at low angle of 1° was also applied to the MgB2 surface to reduce its roughness. The resultant MgB2 films showed excellent superconducting properties and a smooth surface. The process produces thin MgB2 films suitable for waveguide-based superconducting hot electron bolometers and other MgB2-based electronic devices.

Improvement in interfacial characteristics of low-voltage carbon nanotube thin-film transistors with solution-processed boron nitride thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeon, Jun-Young; Ha, Tae-Jun

2017-08-01

In this article, we demonstrate the potential of solution-processed boron nitride (BN) thin films for high performance single-walled carbon nanotube thin-film transistors (SWCNT-TFTs) with low-voltage operation. The use of BN thin films between solution-processed high-k dielectric layers improved the interfacial characteristics of metal-insulator-metal devices, thereby reducing the current density by three orders of magnitude. We also investigated the origin of improved device performance in SWCNT-TFTs by employing solution-processed BN thin films as an encapsulation layer. The BN encapsulation layer improves the electrical characteristics of SWCNT-TFTs, which includes the device key metrics of linear field-effect mobility, sub-threshold swing, and threshold voltage as well as the long-term stability against the aging effect in air. Such improvements can be achieved by reduced interaction of interfacial localized states with charge carriers. We believe that this work can open up a promising route to demonstrate the potential of solution-processed BN thin films on nanoelectronics.

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

PubMed

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

2013-01-18

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

Sodium-Ion Batteries: Improving the Rate Capability of 3D Interconnected Carbon Nanofibers Thin Film by Boron, Nitrogen Dual-Doping.

PubMed

Wang, Min; Yang, Yang; Yang, Zhenzhong; Gu, Lin; Chen, Qianwang; Yu, Yan

2017-04-01

Boron, nitrogen dual-doping 3D hard carbon nanofibers thin film is synthesized using a facile process. The nanofibers exhibit high specific capacity and remarkable high-rate capability due to the synergistic effect of 3D porous structure, large surface area, and enlarged carbon layer spacing, and the B, N codoping-induced defects.

Radiation response of cubic mesoporous silicate and borosilicate thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manzini, Ayelén; Alurralde, Martín; Luca, Vittorio

2018-01-01

The radiation response has been studied of cubic mesoporous silicate and borosilicate thin films having different boron contents prepared using the block copolymer template Brij 58 and the dip coating technique. The degree of pore ordering of the films was analysed using low-angle X-ray diffraction and film thickness measured by X-ray reflectivity. For films calcined at 350 °C, the incorporation of boron resulted in a reproducible oscillatory variation in the d-spacing and intensity of the primary reflection as a function of boron content. A clear peak was observed in the d-spacing at 5-10 mol% boron incorporation. For borosilicate films of a given composition an overall suppression of d-spacing was observed as a function of aging time relative to films that did not contain boron. This was ascribed to a slow condensation process. The films were irradiated in pile with neutrons and with iodine ions at energies of 180 keV and 70 MeV. Neutron irradiation of the silicate thin films for periods up to 30 days and aged for 400 days resulted in little reduction in either d-spacing or intensity of the primary low-angle X-ray reflection indicating that the films retained their mesopore ordering. In contrast borosilicate films for which the B (n, α) reaction was expected to result in enhanced displacement damage showed much larger variations in X-ray parameters. For these films short irradiation times resulted in a reduction of the d-spacing and intensity of the primary reflections considerably beyond that observed through aging. It is concluded that prolonged neutron irradiation and internal α irradiation have only a small, although measurable, impact on mesoporous borosilicate thin films increasing the degree of condensation and increasing unit cell contraction. When these borosilicate films were irradiated with iodine ions, more profound changes occurred. The pore ordering of the films was significantly degraded when low energy ions were used. In some cases the degree of damage was such that no low-angle reflection could be observed. This degradation of pore ordering was confirmed in scanning electron microscopy images of the irradiated films.

Low pressure growth of cubic boron nitride films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ong, Tiong P. (Inventor); Shing, Yuh-Han (Inventor)

1997-01-01

A method for forming thin films of cubic boron nitride on substrates at low pressures and temperatures. A substrate is first coated with polycrystalline diamond to provide a uniform surface upon which cubic boron nitride can be deposited by chemical vapor deposition. The cubic boron nitride film is useful as a substitute for diamond coatings for a variety of applications in which diamond is not suitable. any tetragonal or hexagonal boron nitride. The cubic boron nitride produced in accordance with the preceding example is particularly well-suited for use as a coating for ultra hard tool bits and abrasives, especially those intended to use in cutting or otherwise fabricating iron.

Semiconducting boron carbide thin films: Structure, processing, and diode applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bao, Ruqiang

The high energy density and long lifetime of betavoltaic devices make them very useful to provide the power for applications ranging from implantable cardiac pacemakers to deep space satellites and remote sensors. However, when made with conventional semiconductors, betavoltaic devices tend to suffer rapid degradation as a result of radiation damage. It has been suggested that the degradation problem could potentially be alleviated by replacing conventional semiconductors with a radiation hard semiconducting material like icosahedral boron carbide. The goal of my dissertation was to better understand the fundamental properties and structure of boron carbide thin films and to explore the processes to fabricate boron carbide based devices for voltaic applications. A pulsed laser deposition system and a radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering deposition system were designed and built to achieve the goals. After comparing the experimental results obtained using these two techniques, it was concluded that RF magnetron sputtering deposition technique is a good method to make B4C boron carbide thin films to fabricate repeatable and reproducible voltaic devices. The B4C thin films deposited by RF magnetron sputtering require in situ dry pre-cleaning to make ohmic contacts for B4C thin films to fabricate the devices. By adding another RF sputtering to pre-clean the substrate and thin films, a process to fabricate B4C / n-Si heterojunctions has been established. In addition, a low energy electron accelerator (LEEA) was built to mimic beta particles emitted from Pm147 and used to characterize the betavoltaic performance of betavoltaic devices as a function of beta energy and beta flux as well as do accelerated lifetime testing for betavoltaic devices. The energy range of LEEA is 20 - 250 keV with the current from several nA to 50 muA. High efficiency Si solar cells were used to demonstrate the powerful capabilities of LEEA, i.e., the characterization of betavoltaic performance and the accelerated lifetime test of betavoltaic devices. Structural analysis by X-ray diffraction and high resolution transmission electron microscopy showed that the prepared B4C thin films are amorphous. The presence of icosahedrons, which account for the radiation hardness of icosahedral boron rich solids, in the amorphous B4C thin films was supported by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The pair distribution functions derived from selected area diffraction pattern of amorphous B 4C thin films showed that the short range order structure of amorphous B4C thin films is similar to beta-rhombohedral boron but with a shorter distance. The investigation of electrical properties of B4 C thin films showed that the resistivity of B4C thin films ranges from 695 O-cm to 9650 O-cm depending on the deposition temperature; the direct and indirect bandgaps for B4C thin films are 2.776 - 2.898 eV and 1.148 - 1.327 eV, respectively; the effective lifetime of excess charge carrier is close to 0.1 ms for B4C thin film deposited at room temperature and approximates to 1 ms for those deposited at 175 °C to 500 °C. Based on structural characterization and electrical properties of B4C thin films, a structural model of B4C thin films was proposed and supported by nanoindenter experiments, i.e., the hardness of thin films deposited at temperature in the range of 275 °C to 350 °C is lower than that of the films deposited at RT and 650 °C. Heterojunctions of B4C / n-Si (100) possessing photovoltaic response have been fabricated. The suitable deposition temperature for B 4C thin film to fabricate photovoltaic device is from 175 °C to 350 °C. When the Si substrate surface was not pre-cleaned before depositing B4C thin film, the B4C / n-Si (100) heterojunction has better photovoltaic responses, presumably because there were no sputter-produced defects on the surface of Si (100) substrate. Until now, the best achievable photovoltaic performance is B4C / n-Si (100) heterojunction with 200 nm thick B4C thin film when the Si (100) substrate surface was not pre-cleaned by RF sputtering. When this heterojunction was characterized using solar simulator with air mass 1.5 spectra, the short circuit current density is 1.484 mA/cm2, the open circuit voltage is about 0.389 V, and the power conversion efficiency is about 0.214 %. In addition, B5C thin films deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition were used to make some of the devices studied in this dissertation. It was found that the Si-doped BC / n-Si (111) heterojunctions also demonstrates their photovoltaic and betavoltaic responses. Even after irradiated by a 120 keV electron beam to a fluence of 4.38x1017 electrons/cm 2, the heterojunctions still posses betavoltaic behavior and their responses to the incident irradiance density are similar to that before irradiation.

Properties of vacuum-evaporated boron films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feakes, F.

1973-01-01

The work on the properties of thin boron films made by vacuum evaporation of elemental boron using an electron beam as the energy source is reported. The program aimed at characterizing the properties of vacuum evaporated films. The work was directed toward those variables considered to be important in affecting the tensile strength of the boron films. In general, the thickness of the films was less than 0.002 in. The temperature of the substrate on which the boron was condensed was found to be most important. Three distinctly different forms of boron deposit were produced. Although the transition temperature was not sharply defined, at substrate temperatures of less than approximately 600 deg C the boron deposits were amorphous to X-ray. If the substrate were highly polished, the deposits were black and mirror-like. For substrates with coefficients of thermal expansion close to that of boron, the deposits were then continuous and uncracked. The studies suggest that the potential continues to exist for film-type composites to have both high strength and high modulus.

In situ TEM study of electron-beam radiation induced boron diffusion and effects on phase and microstructure evolution in nanostructured CoFeB/SiO2 thin film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, B. H.; Teo, H. W.; Mo, Z. H.; Mai, Z. H.; Lam, J.; Xue, J. M.; Zhao, Y. Z.; Tan, P. K.

2017-01-01

Using in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM), we studied boron diffusion and segregation in CoFeB/SiO2 nanostructured thin film stacks. We also investigated how these phenomena affected the phase and microstructure of CoFeB thin films under electron beam irradiation at 300 kV. A unique phase transformation was observed in CoFeB thin films under high-dose electron irradiation, from a polycrystalline Co3Fe to a unilateral amorphous phase of Co3Fe and nanocrystalline FexCo23-xB6. The unilateral amorphization of the Co3Fe film showed an electron-dose-rate sensitivity with a threshold dose rate. Detailed in situ TEM studies revealed that the unilateral amorphization of the Co3Fe film arose from boron segregation at the bottom of the Co3Fe thin film induced by radiation-enhanced diffusion of boron atoms that were displaced by electron knock-on effects. The radiation-induced nanocrystallization of FexCo23-xB6 was also found to be dose-rate sensitive with a higher electron beam current leading to earlier nucleation and more rapid grain growth. The nanocrystallization of FexCo23-xB6 occurred preferentially at the CoFeB/SiO2 interface. Kinetic studies by in situ TEM revealed the surface crystallization and diffusion-controlled nucleation and grain growth mechanisms. The radiation-enhanced atomic diffusivity and high-concentration of radiation-induced point defects at the Co3Fe/SiO2 interface enhanced the local short-range ordering of Fe, Co, and B atoms, favoring nucleation and grain growth of FexCo23-xB6 at the interface.

Large-area homogeneous periodic surface structures generated on the surface of sputtered boron carbide thin films by femtosecond laser processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serra, R.; Oliveira, V.; Oliveira, J. C.; Kubart, T.; Vilar, R.; Cavaleiro, A.

2015-03-01

Amorphous and crystalline sputtered boron carbide thin films have a very high hardness even surpassing that of bulk crystalline boron carbide (≈41 GPa). However, magnetron sputtered B-C films have high friction coefficients (C.o.F) which limit their industrial application. Nanopatterning of materials surfaces has been proposed as a solution to decrease the C.o.F. The contact area of the nanopatterned surfaces is decreased due to the nanometre size of the asperities which results in a significant reduction of adhesion and friction. In the present work, the surface of amorphous and polycrystalline B-C thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering was nanopatterned using infrared femtosecond laser radiation. Successive parallel laser tracks 10 μm apart were overlapped in order to obtain a processed area of about 3 mm2. Sinusoidal-like undulations with the same spatial period as the laser tracks were formed on the surface of the amorphous boron carbide films after laser processing. The undulations amplitude increases with increasing laser fluence. The formation of undulations with a 10 μm period was also observed on the surface of the crystalline boron carbide film processed with a pulse energy of 72 μJ. The amplitude of the undulations is about 10 times higher than in the amorphous films processed at the same pulse energy due to the higher roughness of the films and consequent increase in laser radiation absorption. LIPSS formation on the surface of the films was achieved for the three B-C films under study. However, LIPSS are formed under different circumstances. Processing of the amorphous films at low fluence (72 μJ) results in LIPSS formation only on localized spots on the film surface. LIPSS formation was also observed on the top of the undulations formed after laser processing with 78 μJ of the amorphous film deposited at 800 °C. Finally, large-area homogeneous LIPSS coverage of the boron carbide crystalline films surface was achieved within a large range of laser fluences although holes are also formed at higher laser fluences.

Identification of B-K near edge x-ray absorption fine structure peaks of boron nitride thin films prepared by sputtering deposition

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

Niibe, Masahito; Miyamoto, Kazuyoshi; Mitamura, Tohru

2010-09-15

Four {pi}{sup *} resonance peaks were observed in the B-K near edge x-ray absorption fine structure spectra of boron nitride thin films prepared by magnetron sputtering. In the past, these peaks have been explained as the K-absorption of boron atoms, which are present in environment containing nitrogen vacancies, the number of which is 1-3 corresponding to the three peaks at higher photon energy. However, the authors found that there was a strong correlation between the intensities of these three peaks and that of O-K absorption after wide range scanning and simultaneous measurement of nitrogen and oxygen K-absorptions of the BNmore » films. Therefore, the authors conclude that these three peaks at the higher energy side correspond to boron atoms bound to one-to-three oxygen atoms instead of three nitrogen atoms surrounding the boron atom in the h-BN structure. The result of the first-principles calculation with a simple cluster model supported the validity of this explanation.« less

Morphological Transition in Diamond Thin-Films Induced by Boron in a Microwave Plasma Deposition Process.

PubMed

Baker, Paul A; Goodloe, David R; Vohra, Yogesh K

2017-11-14

The purpose of this study is to understand the basic mechanisms responsible for the synthesis of nanostructured diamond films in a microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD) process and to identify plasma chemistry suitable for controlling the morphology and electrical properties of deposited films. The nanostructured diamond films were synthesized by MPCVD on Ti-6Al-4V alloy substrates using H₂/CH₄/N₂ precursor gases and the plasma chemistry was monitored by the optical emission spectroscopy (OES). The synthesized thin-films were characterized by x -ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The addition of B₂H₆ to the feedgas during MPCVD of diamond thin-films changes the crystal grain size from nanometer to micron scale. Nanostructured diamond films grown with H₂/CH₄/N₂ gases demonstrate a broad (111) Bragg x -ray diffraction peak (Full-Width at Half-Maximum (FWHM) = 0.93° 2θ), indicating a small grain size, whereas scans show a definite sharpening of the diamond (111) peak (FWHM = 0.30° 2θ) with the addition of boron. OES showed a decrease in CN (carbon-nitrogen) radical in the plasma with B₂H₆ addition to the gas mixture. Our study indicates that CN radical plays a critical role in the synthesis of nanostructured diamond films and suppression of CN radical by boron-addition in the plasma causes a morphological transition to microcrystalline diamond.

Electrical applications of CVD diamond films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fujimori, Naoji

Electronics applications of CVD diamond films are reported. The properties of epitaxial diamond films are affected by the orientation of the substrate and the deposition conditions. Boron-doped epitaxial films are found to have the same characteristics as natural IIb diamonds. An LED and an FET were successfully fabricated using boron-doped epitaxial films and Schottky junctions. However, these devices did not exhibit satisfactory properties. Other applications of CVD diamond films include speaker diaphragms (as both a thin-film coating and a free-standing film), and as an ideal packaging material (due to its high thermal conductivity and low dielectric constant).

Raman spectra boron doped amorphous carbon thin film deposited by bias assisted-CVD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishak, A.; Fadzilah, A. N.; Dayana, K.; Saurdi, I.; Malek, M. F.; Nurbaya, Z.; Shafura, A. K.; Rusop, M.

2018-05-01

Boron doped amorphous carbon thin film carbon was deposited at 200°C-350°C by bias assisted-CVD using palm oil as a precursor material. The structural boron doped amorphous carbon films were discussed by Raman analysis through the evolution of D and G bands. The spectral evolution observed showed the increase of upward shift of D and G peaks as substrate deposition temperatures increased. These structural changes were further correlated with optical gap and the results obtained are discussed and compared. The estimated optical band gap is found to be 1.9 to 2.05 eV and conductivity is to be in the range of 10-5 Scm-1 to 10-4 Scm-1. The decrease of optical band gap is associated to conductivity increased which change the characteristic parameters of Raman spectra including the position of G peak, full width at half maximum of G peak, and ID/IG.

Influence of a Boron Precursor on the Growth and Optoelectronic Properties of Electrodeposited Zinc Oxide Thin Film.

PubMed

Tsin, Fabien; Thomere, Angélica; Bris, Arthur Le; Collin, Stéphane; Lincot, Daniel; Rousset, Jean

2016-05-18

Highly transparent and conductive materials are required for many industrial applications. One of the interesting features of ZnO is the possibility to dope it using different elements, hence improving its conductivity. Results concerning the zinc oxide thin films electrodeposited in a zinc perchlorate medium containing a boron precursor are presented in this study. The addition of boron to the electrolyte leads to significant effects on the morphology and crystalline structure as well as an evolution of the optical properties of the material. Varying the concentration of boric acid from 0 to 15 mM strongly improves the compactness of the deposit and increases the band gap from 3.33 to 3.45 eV. Investigations were also conducted to estimate and determine the influence of boric acid on the electrical properties of the ZnO layers. As a result, no doping effect effect by boron was demonstrated. However, the role of boric acid on the material quality has also been proven and discussed. Boric acid strongly contributes to the growth of high quality electrodeposited zinc oxide. The high doping level of the film can be attributed to the perchlorate ions introduced in the bath. Finally, a ZnO layer electrodeposited in a boron rich electrolyte was tested as front contact of a Cu(In, Ga)(S, Se)2 based solar cell. An efficiency of 12.5% was measured with a quite high fill factor (>70%) which confirms the high conductivity of the ZnO thin film.

Measuring the stopping power of α particles in compact bone for BNCT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Provenzano, L.; Rodríguez, L. M.; Fregenal, D.; Bernardi, G.; Olivares, C.; Altieri, S.; Bortolussi, S.; González, S. J.

2015-01-01

The stopping power of α particles in thin films of decalcified sheep femur, in the range of 1.5 to 5.0 MeV incident energy, was measured by transmission of a backscattered beam from a heavy target. Additionally, the film elemental composition was determined by Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS). These data will be used to measure boron concentration in thin films of bone using a spectrometry technique developed by the University of Pavia, since the concentration ratio between healthy tissue and tumor is of fundamental importance in Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT). The present experimental data are compared with numerical simulation results and with tabulated stopping power data of non-decalcified human bone.

Feasibility studies of the growth of 3-5 compounds of boron by MOCVD

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Manasevit, H. M.

1988-01-01

Boron-arsenic and boron-phosphorus films have been grown on Si sapphire and silicon-on-sapphire (SOS) by pyrolyzing Group 3 alkyls of boron, i.e., trimethylborane (TMB) and triethylborane (TEB), in the presence of AsH3 and PH3, respectively, in an H2 atmosphere. No evidence for reaction between the alkyls and the hydrides on mixing at room temperature was found. However, the films were predominantly amorphous. The film growth rate was found to depend on the concentration of alkyl boron compound and was essentially constant when TEB and AsH3 were pyrolyzed over the temperature range 550 C to 900 C. The films were found to contain mainly carbon impurities (the amount varying with growth temperature), some oxygen, and were highly stressed and bowed on Si substrates, with some crazing evident in thin (2 micron) B-P and thick (5 micron) B-As films. The carbon level was generally higher in films grown using TEB as the boron source. Films grown from PH3 and TMB showed a higher carbon content than those grown from AsH3 and TMB. Based on their B/As and B/P ratios, films with nominal compositions B sub12-16 As2 and B sub1.1-1.3 P were grown using TMB as the boron source.

Chemical vapor deposition of W-Si-N and W-B-N

DOEpatents

Fleming, James G.; Roherty-Osmun, Elizabeth Lynn; Smith, Paul M.; Custer, Jonathan S.; Jones, Ronald V.; Nicolet, Marc-A.; Madar, Roland; Bernard, Claude

1999-01-01

A method of depositing a ternary, refractory based thin film on a substrate by chemical vapor deposition employing precursor sources of tungsten comprising WF.sub.6, either silicon or boron, and nitrogen. The result is a W--Si--N or W--B--N thin film useful for diffusion barrier and micromachining applications.

Room-Temperature Fabricated Thin-Film Transistors Based on Compounds with Lanthanum and Main Family Element Boron.

PubMed

Xiao, Peng; Huang, Junhua; Dong, Ting; Xie, Jianing; Yuan, Jian; Luo, Dongxiang; Liu, Baiquan

2018-06-06

For the first time, compounds with lanthanum from the main family element Boron (LaB x ) were investigated as an active layer for thin-film transistors (TFTs). Detailed studies showed that the room-temperature fabricated LaB x thin film was in the crystalline state with a relatively narrow optical band gap of 2.28 eV. The atom ration of La/B was related to the working pressure during the sputtering process and the atom ration of La/B increased with the increase of the working pressure, which will result in the freer electrons in the LaB x thin film. LaB x -TFT without any intentionally annealing steps exhibited a saturation mobility of 0.44 cm²·V −1 ·s −1 , which is a subthreshold swing ( SS ) of 0.26 V/decade and a I on / I off ratio larger than 10⁴. The room-temperature process is attractive for its compatibility with almost all kinds of flexible substrates and the LaB x semiconductor may be a new choice for the channel materials in TFTs.

Bias in bonding behavior among boron, carbon, and nitrogen atoms in ion implanted a-BN, a-BC, and diamond like carbon films

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

Genisel, Mustafa Fatih; Uddin, Md. Nizam; Say, Zafer

2011-10-01

In this study, we implanted N{sup +} and N{sub 2}{sup +} ions into sputter deposited amorphous boron carbide (a-BC) and diamond like carbon (DLC) thin films in an effort to understand the chemical bonding involved and investigate possible phase separation routes in boron carbon nitride (BCN) films. In addition, we investigated the effect of implanted C{sup +} ions in sputter deposited amorphous boron nitride (a-BN) films. Implanted ion energies for all ion species were set at 40 KeV. Implanted films were then analyzed using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The changes in the chemical composition and bonding chemistry due to ion-implantationmore » were examined at different depths of the films using sequential ion-beam etching and high resolution XPS analysis cycles. A comparative analysis has been made with the results from sputter deposited BCN films suggesting that implanted nitrogen and carbon atoms behaved very similar to nitrogen and carbon atoms in sputter deposited BCN films. We found that implanted nitrogen atoms would prefer bonding to carbon atoms in the films only if there is no boron atom in the vicinity or after all available boron atoms have been saturated with nitrogen. Implanted carbon atoms also preferred to either bond with available boron atoms or, more likely bonded with other implanted carbon atoms. These results were also supported by ab-initio density functional theory calculations which indicated that carbon-carbon bonds were energetically preferable to carbon-boron and carbon-nitrogen bonds.« less

Toward deep blue nano hope diamonds: heavily boron-doped diamond nanoparticles.

PubMed

Heyer, Steffen; Janssen, Wiebke; Turner, Stuart; Lu, Ying-Gang; Yeap, Weng Siang; Verbeeck, Jo; Haenen, Ken; Krueger, Anke

2014-06-24

The production of boron-doped diamond nanoparticles enables the application of this material for a broad range of fields, such as electrochemistry, thermal management, and fundamental superconductivity research. Here we present the production of highly boron-doped diamond nanoparticles using boron-doped CVD diamond films as a starting material. In a multistep milling process followed by purification and surface oxidation we obtained diamond nanoparticles of 10-60 nm with a boron content of approximately 2.3 × 10(21) cm(-3). Aberration-corrected HRTEM reveals the presence of defects within individual diamond grains, as well as a very thin nondiamond carbon layer at the particle surface. The boron K-edge electron energy-loss near-edge fine structure demonstrates that the B atoms are tetrahedrally embedded into the diamond lattice. The boron-doped diamond nanoparticles have been used to nucleate growth of a boron-doped diamond film by CVD that does not contain an insulating seeding layer.

Broadband X-ray edge-enhancement imaging of a boron fibre on lithium fluoride thin film detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nichelatti, E.; Bonfigli, F.; Vincenti, M. A.; Cecilia, A.; Vagovič, P.; Baumbach, T.; Montereali, R. M.

2016-10-01

The white beam (∼6-80 keV) available at the TopoTomo X-ray beamline of the ANKA synchrotron facility (KIT, Karlsruhe, Germany) was used to perform edge-enhancement imaging tests on lithium fluoride radiation detectors. The diffracted X-ray image of a microscopic boron fibre, consisting of tungsten wire wrapped by boron cladding, was projected onto lithium fluoride thin films placed at several distances, from contact to 1 m . X-ray photons cause the local formation of primary and aggregate colour centres in lithium fluoride; these latter, once illuminated under blue light, luminesce forming visible-light patterns-acquired by a confocal laser scanning microscope-that reproduce the intensity of the X-ray diffracted images. The tests demonstrated the excellent performances of lithium fluoride films as radiation detectors at the investigated photon energies. The experimental results are here discussed and compared with those calculated with a model that takes into account all the processes that concern image formation, storing and readout.

Chemical vapor deposition of W-Si-N and W-B-N

DOEpatents

Fleming, J.G.; Roherty-Osmun, E.L.; Smith, P.M.; Custer, J.S.; Jones, R.V.; Nicolet, M.; Madar, R.; Bernard, C.

1999-06-29

A method of depositing a ternary, refractory based thin film on a substrate by chemical vapor deposition employing precursor sources of tungsten comprising WF[sub 6], either silicon or boron, and nitrogen. The result is a W-Si-N or W-B-N thin film useful for diffusion barrier and micromachining applications. 10 figs.

Controlled in situ boron doping of diamond thin films using solution phase

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roy, M.; Dua, A. K.; Nuwad, J.; Girija, K. G.; Tyagi, A. K.; Kulshreshtha, S. K.

2006-12-01

Controlled boron doping of diamond film using nontoxic reagents is a challenge in itself. During the present study, attempts have been made to dope diamond films in situ with boron from a solution of boric acid (H3BO3) in methanol (CH3OH) using a specially designed bubbler that ensured continuous and controlled flow of vapors of boron precursors during deposition. The samples are thoroughly characterized using a host of techniques comprising of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman, x-ray diffraction, and current-voltage measurements (I-V). Cross-sectional micro-Raman spectroscopy has been used to obtain depth profile of boron in diamond films. Boron concentration ([B]) in the films is found to vary linearly on a semilog scale with molarity (M) of H3BO3 in CH3OH. Lattice constant of our samples is smaller than the reported American society for testing and materials (ASTM) values due to oxygen incorporation and it increases with [B] in the diamond samples. Heavily boron doped samples exhibit Fano deformation of the Raman line shape and negative and/zero activation barrier in temperature dependent I-V measurements that indicate the formation of metallic phase in the samples. The present study illustrates the feasibility of safe and controlled boron doping of diamond films using a solution of H3BO3 in CH3OH over a significant range of [B] from semiconductor to metallic regime but with a little adverse effect due to unintentional but unavoidable incorporation of oxygen.

Evolution of anisotropy in bcc Fe distorted by interstitial boron

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gölden, Dominik; Zhang, Hongbin; Radulov, Iliya; Dirba, Imants; Komissinskiy, Philipp; Hildebrandt, Erwin; Alff, Lambert

2018-01-01

The evolution of magnetic anisotropy in bcc Fe as a function of interstitial boron atoms was investigated in thin films grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The thermodynamic nonequilibrium conditions during film growth allowed one to stabilize an interstitial boron content of about 14 at .% accompanied by lattice tetragonalization. The c /a ratio scaled linearly with the boron content up to a maximum value of 1.05 at 300 °C substrate growth temperature, with a room-temperature magnetization of. In contrast to nitrogen interstitials, the magnetic easy axis remained in-plane with an anisotropy of approximately -5.1 ×106erg /cm3 . Density functional theory calculations using the measured lattice parameters confirm this value and show that boron local ordering indeed favors in-plane magnetization. Given the increased temperature stability of boron interstitials as compared to nitrogen interstitials, this study will help to find possible ways to manipulate boron interstitials into a more favorable local order.

Study on High Speed Lithium Jet For Neutron Source of Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takahashi, Minoru; Kobayashi, Tooru; Zhang, Mingguang; Mák, Michael; Štefanica, Jirí; Dostál, Václav; Zhao, Wei

The feasibility study of a liquid lithium type proton beam target was performed for the neutron source of the boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). As the candidates of the liquid lithium target, a thin sheet jet and a thin film flow on a concave wall were chosen, and a lithium flow experiment was conducted to investigate the hydrodynamic stability of the targets. The surfaces of the jets and film flows with a thickness of 0.5 mm and a width of 50 mm were observed by means of photography. It has been found that a stable sheet jet and a stable film flow on a concave wall can be formed up to certain velocities by using a straight nozzle and a curved nozzle with the concave wall, respectively.

Boron Doped Nanocrystalline Film with Improved Work Function as a Buffer Layer in Thin Film Silicon Solar Cells.

PubMed

Park, Jinjoo; Shin, Chonghoon; Park, Hyeongsik; Jung, Junhee; Lee, Youn-Jung; Bong, Sungjae; Dao, Vinh Ai; Balaji, Nagarajan; Yi, Junsin

2015-03-01

We investigated thin film silicon solar cells with boron doped hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon/ hydrogenated amorphous silicon oxide [p-type nc-Si:H/a-SiOx:H] layer. First, we researched the bandgap engineering of diborane (B2H6) doped wide bandgap hydrogenated nanocryslline silicon (p-type nc-Si:H) films, which have excellent electrical properties of high dark conductivity, and low activation energy. The films prepared with lower doping ratio and higher hydrogen dilution ratio had higher optical gap (Eg), with higher dark conductivity (σ(d)), and lower activation energy (Ea). We controlled Eg from 2.10 eV to 1.75 eV, with σ(d) from 1.1 S/cm to 7.59 x 10(-3) S/cm, and Ea from 0.040 eV to 0.128 eV. Next, we focused on the fabrication of thin film silicon solar cells. By inserting p-type nc-Si:H film into the thin film silicon solar cells, we achieved a remarkable increase in the built-in potential from 0.803 eV to 0.901 eV. By forming p-type nc-Si:H film between SnO2:F/ZnO:Al (30 nm) and p-type a-SiOx:H layer, the solar cell properties of open circuit voltage (Voc), short circuit current density (Jsc), and efficiency (η) were improved by 3.7%, 9.2%, and 9.8%, respectively.

Super-hard cubic BN layer formation by nitrogen ion implantation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Komarov, F. F.; Pilko, V. V.; Yakushev, V. A.; Tishkov, V. S.

1994-11-01

Microcrystalline and amorphous boron thin films were implanted with nitrogen ions at energies from 25 to 125 keV and with doses from 2 × 10 17 to 1 × 10 18 at.cm 2 at temperatures below 200°C. The structure of boron nitride phases after ion implantation, formation of phases and phase transformations were investigated by TEM and TED methods. The cubic boron nitride phase is revealed. The microhardness of the formed films was satisfactorily explained in terms of chemical compound formation by polyenergetic ion implantation. The influence of the copper impurity on the formation of the cubic boron nitride phase is demonstrated. It has also been shown that low concentrations of copper promote cubic BN boundary formation.

Temporally and spatially resolved plasma spectroscopy in pulsed laser deposition of ultra-thin boron nitride films

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

Glavin, Nicholas R., E-mail: nicholas.glavin.1@us.af.mil, E-mail: andrey.voevodin@us.af.mil; School of Mechanical Engineering and Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907; Muratore, Christopher

2015-04-28

Physical vapor deposition (PVD) has recently been investigated as a viable, alternative growth technique for two-dimensional materials with multiple benefits over other vapor deposition synthesis methods. The high kinetic energies and chemical reactivities of the condensing species formed from PVD processes can facilitate growth over large areas and at reduced substrate temperatures. In this study, chemistry, kinetic energies, time of flight data, and spatial distributions within a PVD plasma plume ablated from a boron nitride (BN) target by a KrF laser at different pressures of nitrogen gas were investigated. Time resolved spectroscopy and wavelength specific imaging were used to identifymore » and track atomic neutral and ionized species including B{sup +}, B*, N{sup +}, N*, and molecular species including N{sub 2}*, N{sub 2}{sup +}, and BN. Formation and decay of these species formed both from ablation of the target and from interactions with the background gas were investigated and provided insights into fundamental growth mechanisms of continuous, amorphous boron nitride thin films. The correlation of the plasma diagnostic results with film chemical composition and thickness uniformity studies helped to identify that a predominant mechanism for BN film formation is condensation surface recombination of boron ions and neutral atomic nitrogen species. These species arrive nearly simultaneously to the substrate location, and BN formation occurs microseconds before arrival of majority of N{sup +} ions generated by plume collisions with background molecular nitrogen. The energetic nature and extended dwelling time of incident N{sup +} ions at the substrate location was found to negatively impact resulting BN film stoichiometry and thickness. Growth of stoichiometric films was optimized at enriched concentrations of ionized boron and neutral atomic nitrogen in plasma near the condensation surface, providing few nanometer thick films with 1:1 BN stoichiometry and good thicknesses uniformity over macroscopic areas.« less

The use of metalorganics in the preparation of semiconductor materials

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

Manasevit, H.M.; Hewitt, W.B.; Nelson, A.J.

1989-10-01

The authors describe boron-arsenic and boron-phosphorus films grown on Si, sapphire, and silicon-on-sapphire (SOS) by pyrolyzing Group III alkyls of boron, i.e., trimethylborane (TMB) and triethylborane (TEB) in the presence of AsH/sub 3/ and PH/sub 3/, respectively, in a H/sub 2/ atmosphere. No evidence for reaction between the alkyls and the hydrides on mixing at room temperature was found. The films were predominantly amorphous. The film growth rate was found to depend on the concentration of alkyl boron compound and was essentially constant when TEB and AsH/sub 3/ were pyrolyzed over the temperature range of 550{sup 0}-900{sup 0}C. The filmsmore » were found to contain mainly carbon impurities (the amount varying with growth temperature), some oxygen, and were highly stressed and bowed on Si substrates, with some crazing evident in thin (2 {mu}m) B-P and thick (5 {mu}m) B-As films. The carbon level was generally higher in films grown using TEB as the boron source. Films grown from PH/sub 3/ and TMB showed a higher carbon content than those grown from AsH/sub 3/ and TMB. Based on their B/As and B/P ratios, films with nominal compositions B/sub 12-16/As/sub 2/P and B/sub 1.1-1.3/P were grown using TMB as the boron source.« less

Thermal conductivity of ultra-thin chemical vapor deposited hexagonal boron nitride films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alam, M. T.; Bresnehan, M. S.; Robinson, J. A.; Haque, M. A.

2014-01-01

Thermal conductivity of freestanding 10 nm and 20 nm thick chemical vapor deposited hexagonal boron nitride films was measured using both steady state and transient techniques. The measured value for both thicknesses, about 100 ± 10 W m-1 K-1, is lower than the bulk basal plane value (390 W m-1 K-1) due to the imperfections in the specimen microstructure. Impressively, this value is still 100 times higher than conventional dielectrics. Considering scalability and ease of integration, hexagonal boron nitride grown over large area is an excellent candidate for thermal management in two dimensional materials-based nanoelectronics.

High Dielectric Performance of Solution-Processed Aluminum Oxide-Boron Nitride Composite Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Byoung-Soo; Ha, Tae-Jun

2018-04-01

The material compositions of oxide films have been extensively investigated in an effort to improve the electrical characteristics of dielectrics which have been utilized in various electronic devices such as field-effect transistors, and storage capacitors. Significantly, solution-based compositions have attracted considerable attention as a highly effective and practical technique to replace vacuum-based process in large-area. Here, we demonstrate solution-processed composite films consisting of aluminum oxide (Al2O3) and boron nitride (BN), which exhibit remarkable dielectric properties through the optimization process. The leakage current of the optimized Al2O3-BN thin films was decreased by a factor of 100 at 3V, compared to pristine Al2O3 thin film without a loss of the dielectric constant or degradation of the morphological roughness. The characterization by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements revealed that the incorporation of BN with an optimized concentration into the Al2O3 dielectric film reduced the density of oxygen vacancies which act as defect states, thereby improving the dielectric characteristics.

APCVD hexagonal boron nitride thin films for passive near-junction thermal management of electronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

KC, Pratik; Rai, Amit; Ashton, Taylor S.; Moore, Arden L.

2017-12-01

The ability of graphene to serve as an ultrathin heat spreader has been previously demonstrated with impressive results. However, graphene is electrically conductive, making its use in contact with electronic devices problematic from a reliability and integration perspective. As an alternative, hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is a similarly structured material with large in-plane thermal conductivity but which possesses a wide band gap, thereby giving it potential to be utilized for directing contact, near-junction thermal management of electronics without shorting or the need for an insulating intermediate layer. In this work, the viability of using large area, continuous h-BN thin films as direct contact, near-junction heat spreaders for electronic devices is experimentally evaluated. Thin films of h-BN several square millimeters in size were synthesized via an atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD) method that is both simple and scalable. These were subsequently transferred onto a microfabricated test device that simulated a multigate transistor while also allowing for measurements of the device temperature at various locations via precision resistance thermometry. Results showed that these large-area h-BN films with thicknesses of 77-125 nm are indeed capable of significantly lowering microdevice temperatures, with the best sample showing the presence of the h-BN thin film reduced the effective thermal resistance by 15.9% ± 4.6% compared to a bare microdevice at the same power density. Finally, finite element simulations of these experiments were utilized to estimate the thermal conductivity of the h-BN thin films and identify means by which further heat spreading performance gains could be attained.

Effects of ultraviolet light on B-doped CdS thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis method using perfume atomizer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novruzov, V. D.; Keskenler, E. F.; Tomakin, M.; Kahraman, S.; Gorur, O.

2013-09-01

Boron doped CdS thin films were deposited by spray pyrolysis method using perfume atomizer. The effects of ultraviolet light on the structural, optical and electrical properties of B-doped CdS thin films were investigated as a function of dopant concentration (B/Cd). X-ray diffraction studies showed that all samples were polycrystalline nature with hexagonal structure. It was determined that the preferred orientation of non-illuminated samples changes from (1 0 1) to (0 0 2) with B concentration. The c lattice constant of films decreases from 6.810 Å to 6.661 Å with boron doping. The XRD peak intensity increased with the illumination for almost all the samples. The lattice parameters of B-doped samples remained nearly constant after illumination. It was found that the optical transmittance, photoluminescence spectra, resistivity and carrier concentration of the B-doped samples are stable after the illumination with UV light. Also the effects of UV light on B-doped CdS/Cu2S solar cell were investigated and it was determined that photoelectrical parameters of B-doped solar cell were more durable against the UV light.

New Icosahedral Boron Carbide Semiconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Echeverria Mora, Elena Maria

Novel semiconductor boron carbide films and boron carbide films doped with aromatic compounds have been investigated and characterized. Most of these semiconductors were formed by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The aromatic compound additives used, in this thesis, were pyridine (Py), aniline, and diaminobenzene (DAB). As one of the key parameters for semiconducting device functionality is the metal contact and, therefore, the chemical interactions or band bending that may occur at the metal/semiconductor interface, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy has been used to investigate the interaction of gold (Au) with these novel boron carbide-based semiconductors. Both n- and p-type films have been tested and pure boron carbide devices are compared to those containing aromatic compounds. The results show that boron carbide seems to behave differently from other semiconductors, opening a way for new analysis and approaches in device's functionality. By studying the electrical and optical properties of these films, it has been found that samples containing the aromatic compound exhibit an improvement in the electron-hole separation and charge extraction, as well as a decrease in the band gap. The hole carrier lifetimes for each sample were extracted from the capacitance-voltage, C(V), and current-voltage, I(V), curves. Additionally, devices, with boron carbide with the addition of pyridine, exhibited better collection of neutron capture generated pulses at ZERO applied bias, compared to the pure boron carbide samples. This is consistent with the longer carrier lifetimes estimated for these films. The I-V curves, as a function of external magnetic field, of the pure boron carbide films and films containing DAB demonstrate that significant room temperature negative magneto-resistance (> 100% for pure samples, and > 50% for samples containing DAB) is possible in the resulting dielectric thin films. Inclusion of DAB is not essential for significant negative magneto-resistance, however, these results suggest practical device applications, especially as such effects are manifested in nanoscale films with facile fabrication. Overall, the greater negative magneto-resistance, when undoped with an aromatic, suggests a material with more defects and is consistent with a shorter carrier lifetime.

Annealing induced structural changes in amorphous Co{sub 23}Fe{sub 60}B{sub 17} film on Mo buffer layer

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

Dwivedi, Jagrati, E-mail: jdwivedi.phy@gmail.com; Mishra, Ashutosh; Gupta, Ranjeeta

2016-05-23

Structural changes occurring in a thin amorphous Co{sub 23}Fe{sub 60}B{sub 17} film sandwiched between two Mo layers, as a function of thermal annealing has been studied. Thermal stability of the Co{sub 23}Fe{sub 60}B{sub 17} film is found to be significantly lower than the bulk ribbons. SIMS measurements show that during crystallization, boron which is expelled out of the crystallites, has a tendency to move towards the surface. No significant diffusion of boron in Mo buffer layer is observed. This result is in contrast with some earlier studies where it was proposed that the role of buffer layer of refractory metalmore » is to absorb boron which is expelled out of the bcc FeCo phase during crystallization.« less

Investigation of hexagonal boron nitride as an atomically thin corrosion passivation coating in aqueous solution.

PubMed

Zhang, Jing; Yang, Yingchao; Lou, Jun

2016-09-09

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) atomic layers were utilized as a passivation coating in this study. A large-area continuous h-BN thin film was grown on nickel foil using a chemical vapor deposition method and then transferred onto sputtered copper as a corrosion passivation coating. The corrosion passivation performance in a Na2SO4 solution of bare and coated copper was investigated by electrochemical methods including cyclic voltammetry (CV), Tafel polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). CV and Tafel analysis indicate that the h-BN coating could effectively suppress the anodic dissolution of copper. The EIS fitting result suggests that defects are the dominant leakage source on h-BN films, and improved anti-corrosion performances could be achieved by further passivating these defects.

Low-temperature sequential pulsed chemical vapor deposition of ternary B{sub x}Ga{sub 1-x}N and B{sub x}In{sub 1-x}N thin film alloys

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

Haider, Ali, E-mail: ali.haider@bilkent.edu.tr, E-mail: biyikli@unam.bilkent.edu.tr; Kizir, Seda; Ozgit-Akgun, Cagla

In this work, the authors have performed sequential pulsed chemical vapor deposition of ternary B{sub x}Ga{sub 1-x}N and B{sub x}In{sub 1-x}N alloys at a growth temperature of 450 °C. Triethylboron, triethylgallium, trimethylindium, and N{sub 2} or N{sub 2}/H{sub 2} plasma have been utilized as boron, gallium, indium, and nitrogen precursors, respectively. The authors have studied the compositional dependence of structural, optical, and morphological properties of B{sub x}Ga{sub 1-x}N and B{sub x}In{sub 1-x}N ternary thin film alloys. Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction measurements showed that boron incorporation in wurtzite lattice of GaN and InN diminishes the crystallinity of B{sub x}Ga{sub 1-x}N and B{submore » x}In{sub 1-x}N sample. Refractive index decreased from 2.24 to 1.65 as the B concentration of B{sub x}Ga{sub 1-x}N increased from 35% to 88%. Similarly, refractive index of B{sub x}In{sub 1-x}N changed from 1.98 to 1.74 for increase in B concentration value from 32% to 87%, respectively. Optical transmission band edge values of the B{sub x}Ga{sub 1-x}N and B{sub x}In{sub 1-x}N films shifted to lower wavelengths with increasing boron content, indicating the tunability of energy band gap with alloy composition. Atomic force microscopy measurements revealed an increase in surface roughness with boron concentration of B{sub x}Ga{sub 1-x}N, while an opposite trend was observed for B{sub x}In{sub 1-x}N thin films.« less

Deposition and characterization of aluminum magnesium boride thin film coatings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, Yun

Boron-rich borides are a special group of materials possessing complex structures typically comprised of B12 icosahedra. All of the boron-rich borides sharing this common structural unit exhibit a variety of exceptional physical and electrical properties. In this work, a new ternary boride compound AlMgB14, which has been extensively studied in bulk form due to its novel mechanical properties, was fabricated into thin film coatings by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technology. The effect of processing conditions (laser operating modes, vacuum level, substrate temperature, and postannealing, etc.) on the composition, microstructure evolution, chemical bonding, and surface morphology of AlMgB14 thin film coatings has been investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry; the mechanical, electrical, and optical properties of AlMgB14 thin films have been characterized by nanoindentation, four-point probe, van der Pauw Hall measurement, activation energy measurement, and UV-VIS-NIR spectrophotometer. Experimental results show that AlMgB14 films deposited in the temperature range of 300 K - 873 K are amorphous. Depositions under a low vacuum level (5 x 10-5 Torr) can introduce a significant amount of C and O impurities into AlMgB14 films and lead to a complex oxide glass structure. Orthorhombic AlMgB14 phase cannot be obtained by subsequent high temperature annealing. By contrast, the orthorhombic AlMgB 14 crystal structure can be attained via high temperature-annealing of AlMgB14 films deposited under a high vacuum level (< 3 x 10-6 Torr), accompanied by strong texture formation. Low vacuum level-as deposited AlMgB14 films have low hardness (10 GPa), but high vacuum level-as deposited AlMgB14 films exhibit an extremely high hardness (45 GPa - 51 GPa), and the higher deposition temperature results in still higher hardness. Furthermore, a very low friction coefficient (0.04 - 0.05) has been observed for high vacuum level-as deposited AlMgB14 films, which could be ascribed to the in situ formation of a surface self-lubricating layer. Unlike most boron-rich boride films, high vacuum level-as deposited AlMgB14 films also possess a low n-type electrical resistivity, which is a consequence of high carrier concentration and moderate carrier mobility. The operative electrical transport mechanism and doping behavior for high vacuum level-as deposited AlMgB14 films are discussed in detail in this thesis.

Ultrathin, wafer-scale hexagonal boron nitride on dielectric surfaces by diffusion and segregation mechanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sonde, Sushant; Dolocan, Andrei; Lu, Ning; Corbet, Chris; Kim, Moon J.; Tutuc, Emanuel; Banerjee, Sanjay K.; Colombo, Luigi

2017-06-01

Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of two-dimensional (2D) hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is at the center of numerous studies for its applications in novel electronic devices. However, a clear understanding of the growth mechanism is lacking for its wider industrial adoption on technologically relevant substrates such as SiO2. Here, we demonstrate a controllable growth method of thin, wafer scale h-BN films on arbitrary substrates. We also clarify the growth mechanism to be diffusion and surface segregation (D-SS) of boron (B) and nitrogen (N) in Ni and Co thin films on SiO2/Si substrates after exposure to diborane and ammonia precursors at high temperature. The segregation was found to be independent of the cooling rates employed in this report, and to our knowledge has not been found nor reported for 2D h-BN growth so far, and thus provides an important direction for controlled growth of h-BN. This unique segregation behavior is a result of a combined effect of high diffusivity, small film thickness and the inability to achieve extremely high cooling rates in CVD systems. The resulting D-SS h-BN films exhibit excellent electrical insulating behavior with an optical bandgap of about 5.8 eV. Moreover, graphene-on-h-BN field effect transistors using the as-grown D-SS h-BN films show a mobility of about 6000 cm2 V-1 s-1 at room temperature.

Synthesis and characterization of MoB{sub 2−x} thin films grown by nonreactive DC magnetron sputtering

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

Malinovskis, Paulius, E-mail: paulius.malinovskis@kemi.uu.se; Lewin, Erik; Jansson, Ulf

2016-05-15

DC magnetron sputtering was used to deposit molybdenum boride thin films for potential low-friction applications. The films exhibit a nanocomposite structure with ∼10 nm large MoB{sub 2−x} (x > 0.4) grains surrounded by a boron-rich tissue phase. The preferred formation of the metastable and substoichiometric hP3-MoB{sub 2} structure (AlB{sub 2}-type) is explained with kinetic constraints to form the thermodynamically stable hR18-MoB{sub 2} phase with a very complex crystal structure. Nanoindentation revealed a relatively high hardness of (29 ± 2) GPa, which is higher than bulk samples. The high hardness can be explained by a hardening effect associated with the nanocomposite microstructure where the surrounding tissuemore » phase restricts dislocation movement. A tribological study confirmed a significant formation of a tribofilm consisting of molybdenum oxide and boron oxide, however, without any lubricating effects at room temperature.« less

Method of making an icosahedral boride structure

DOEpatents

Hersee, Stephen D.; Wang, Ronghua; Zubia, David; Aselage, Terrance L.; Emin, David

2005-01-11

A method for fabricating thin films of an icosahedral boride on a silicon carbide (SiC) substrate is provided. Preferably the icosahedral boride layer is comprised of either boron phosphide (B.sub.12 P.sub.2) or boron arsenide (B.sub.12 As.sub.2). The provided method achieves improved film crystallinity and lowered impurity concentrations. In one aspect, an epitaxially grown layer of B.sub.12 P.sub.2 with a base layer or substrate of SiC is provided. In another aspect, an epitaxially grown layer of B.sub.12 As.sub.2 with a base layer or substrate of SiC is provided. In yet another aspect, thin films of B.sub.12 P.sub.2 or B.sub.12 As.sub.2 are formed on SiC using CVD or other vapor deposition means. If CVD techniques are employed, preferably the deposition temperature is above 1050.degree. C., more preferably in the range of 1100.degree. C. to 1400.degree. C., and still more preferably approximately 1150.degree. C.

Direct growth of nanocrystalline hexagonal boron nitride films on dielectric substrates

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

Tay, Roland Yingjie; Temasek Laboratories@NTU, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, Singapore 639798; Tsang, Siu Hon

Atomically thin hexagonal-boron nitride (h-BN) films are primarily synthesized through chemical vapor deposition (CVD) on various catalytic transition metal substrates. In this work, a single-step metal-catalyst-free approach to obtain few- to multi-layer nanocrystalline h-BN (NCBN) directly on amorphous SiO{sub 2}/Si and quartz substrates is demonstrated. The as-grown thin films are continuous and smooth with no observable pinholes or wrinkles across the entire deposited substrate as inspected using optical and atomic force microscopy. The starting layers of NCBN orient itself parallel to the substrate, initiating the growth of the textured thin film. Formation of NCBN is due to the random andmore » uncontrolled nucleation of h-BN on the dielectric substrate surface with no epitaxial relation, unlike on metal surfaces. The crystallite size is ∼25 nm as determined by Raman spectroscopy. Transmission electron microscopy shows that the NCBN formed sheets of multi-stacked layers with controllable thickness from ∼2 to 25 nm. The absence of transfer process in this technique avoids any additional degradation, such as wrinkles, tears or folding and residues on the film which are detrimental to device performance. This work provides a wider perspective of CVD-grown h-BN and presents a viable route towards large-scale manufacturing of h-BN substrates and for coating applications.« less

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

PubMed

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

2018-03-01

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

Superconducting magnesium diboride films with Tc≈24 K grown by pulsed laser deposition with in situ anneal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christen, H. M.; Zhai, H. Y.; Cantoni, C.; Paranthaman, M.; Sales, B. C.; Rouleau, C.; Norton, D. P.; Christen, D. K.; Lowndes, D. H.

2001-05-01

Thin superconducting films of magnesium diboride (MgB 2) with T c≈24 K were prepared on various oxide substrates by pulsed laser deposition followed by an in situ anneal. A systematic study of the influence of various in situ annealing parameters shows an optimum temperature of about 600°C in a background of 0.7 atm of Ar/4%H 2 for layers consisting of a mixture of magnesium and boron. Contrary to ex situ approaches (e.g. reacting boron films with magnesium vapor at ≈900°C), these films are processed at a temperature at which MgB 2 does not decompose rapidly even in vacuum. This may prove enabling in the formation of multilayers, junctions, and epitaxial films in future work. Issues related to the improvement of these films and to the possible in situ growth of MgB 2 at elevated temperature are discussed.

Synthesis of atomically thin hexagonal boron nitride films on nickel foils by molecular beam epitaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakhaie, S.; Wofford, J. M.; Schumann, T.; Jahn, U.; Ramsteiner, M.; Hanke, M.; Lopes, J. M. J.; Riechert, H.

2015-05-01

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is a layered two-dimensional material with properties that make it promising as a dielectric in various applications. We report the growth of h-BN films on Ni foils from elemental B and N using molecular beam epitaxy. The presence of crystalline h-BN over the entire substrate is confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. Atomic force microscopy is used to examine the morphology and continuity of the synthesized films. A scanning electron microscopy study of films obtained using shorter depositions offers insight into the nucleation and growth behavior of h-BN on the Ni substrate. The morphology of h-BN was found to evolve from dendritic, star-shaped islands to larger, smooth triangular ones with increasing growth temperature.

Tribo-mechanical properties of thin boron coatings deposited on polished cobalt alloy surfaces for orthopedic applications

PubMed Central

Klepper, C. C.; Williams, J. M.; Truhan, J.J.; Qu, J.; Riester, L.; Hazelton, R. C.; Moschella, J.J.; Blau, P.J.; Anderson, J.P.; Popoola, O.O.; Keitz, M.D.

2008-01-01

This paper presents experimental evidence that thin (<∼200 nm) boron coatings, deposited with a (vacuum) cathodic arc technique on pre-polished Co-Cr-Mo surfaces, could potentially extend the life of metal-on-polymer orthopedic devices using cast Co-Cr-Mo alloy for the metal component. The primary tribological test used a linear, reciprocating pin-on-disc arrangement, with pins made of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene. The disks were cast Co-Cr-Mo samples that were metallographically polished and then coated with boron at a substrate bias of 500 V and at about 100 °C. The wear tests were carried out in a saline solution to simulate the biological environment. The improvements were manifested by the absence of a detectable wear track scar on the coated metal component, while significant polymer transfer film was detected on the uncoated (control) samples tested under the same conditions. The polymer transfer track was characterized with both profilometry and Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy. Mechanical characterization of the thin films included nano-indentation, as well as additional pin-on-disk tests with a steel ball to demonstrate adhesion, using ultra-high frequency acoustic microscopy to probe for any void occurrence at the coating-substrate interface. PMID:19340285

On the origin of the changes in the opto-electrical properties of boron-doped zinc oxide films after plasma surface treatment for thin-film silicon solar cell applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le, Anh Huy Tuan; Kim, Youngkuk; Lee, Youn-Jung; Hussain, Shahzada Qamar; Nguyen, Cam Phu Thi; Lee, Jaehyung; Yi, Junsin

2018-03-01

The modification of the steep and sharp valleys on the surface of the boron-doped zinc oxide (BZO) front electrodes by plasma surface treatment is a critical process for avoiding a significant reduction in the electrical performance of thin-film silicon solar cells. In this work, we report the origin of the changes in the electrical and optical properties of the BZO films that occur after this process. On the basis of an analysis of the chemical states, we found an improvement of the carrier concentration along with the treatment time that was mainly due to an increase of the oxygen vacancy. This indicated a deficiency of the oxygen in the BZO films under argon-ion bombardment. The red-shift of the A1 longitudinal optical mode frequency in the Raman spectra that was attributed to the existence of vacancy point defects within the films also strengthened this argument. The significant reduction of the haze ratio as well as the appearance of interference peaks on the transmittance spectra as the treatment time was increased were mainly due to the smoothing of the film surface, which indicated a degradation of the light-scattering capability of the BZO films. We also observed a gain of the visible-region transmittance that was attributed to the decrease of the thickness of the BZO films after the plasma surface treatment, instead of the crystallinity improvement. On the basis of our findings, we have proposed a further design rule of the BZO front electrodes for thin-film silicon solar cell applications.

Fabrication and Characterization of N-Type Zinc Oxide/P-Type Boron Doped Diamond Heterojunction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marton, Marián; Mikolášek, Miroslav; Bruncko, Jaroslav; Novotný, Ivan; Ižák, Tibor; Vojs, Marian; Kozak, Halyna; Varga, Marián; Artemenko, Anna; Kromka, Alexander

2015-09-01

Diamond and ZnO are very promising wide-bandgap materials for electronic, photovoltaic and sensor applications because of their excellent electrical, optical, physical and electrochemical properties and biocompatibility. In this contribution we show that the combination of these two materials opens up the potential for fabrication of bipolar heterojunctions. Semiconducting boron doped diamond (BDD) thin films were grown on Si and UV grade silica glass substrates by HFCVD method with various boron concentration in the gas mixture. Doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Al, ZnO:Ge) thin layers were deposited by diode sputtering and pulsed lased deposition as the second semiconducting layer on the diamond films. The amount of dopants within the films was varied to obtain optimal semiconducting properties to form a bipolar p-n junction. Finally, different ZnO/BDD heterostructures were prepared and analyzed. Raman spectroscopy, SEM, Hall constant and I-V measurements were used to investigate the quality, structural and electrical properties of deposited heterostructures, respectively. I-V measurements of ZnO/BDD diodes show a rectifying ratio of 55 at ±4 V. We found that only very low dopant concentrations for both semiconducting materials enabled us to fabricate a functional p-n junction. Obtained results are promising for fabrication of optically transparent ZnO/BDD bipolar heterojunction.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2016-03-01

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

Localized plasmon resonance in boron-doped multiwalled carbon nanotubes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shuba, M. V.; Yuko, D. I.; Kuzhir, P. P.; Maksimenko, S. A.; Chigir, G. G.; Pyatlitski, A. N.; Sedelnikova, O. V.; Okotrub, A. V.; Lambin, Ph.

2018-05-01

Substitutionally boron-doped multiwalled carbon nanotubes (B-CNTs) with lengths mainly less than 0.5 μ m and diameters 10-30 nm have been obtained by arc-discharge evaporation of the graphite anode containing boron material. The broad peak has been observed in the midinfrared conductivity spectra of the thin film comprising B-CNTs. The peak was suggested to be associated with a phenomenon known as localized plasmon resonance. Theoretical analysis has been done to confirm the possibility of this phenomenon to occur in the B-CNTs.

Novel semiconducting boron carbide/pyridine polymers for neutron detection at zero bias

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Echeverría, Elena; James, Robinson; Chiluwal, Umesh; Pasquale, Frank L.; Colón Santana, Juan A.; Gapfizi, Richard; Tae, Jae-Do; Driver, M. Sky; Enders, A.; Kelber, Jeffry A.; Dowben, P. A.

2015-01-01

Thin films containing aromatic pyridine moieties bonded to boron, in the partially dehydrogenated boron-rich icosahedra (B10C2HX), prove to be an effective material for neutron detection applications when deposited on n-doped (100) silicon substrates. The characteristic I-V curves for the heterojunction diodes exhibit strong rectification and largely unperturbed normalized reverse bias leakage currents with increasing pyridine content. The neutron capture generated pulses from these heterojunction diodes were obtained at zero bias voltage although without the signatures of complete electron-hole collection. These results suggest that modifications to boron carbide may result in better neutron voltaic materials.

Atomically Thin Hexagonal Boron Nitride Nanofilm for Cu Protection: The Importance of Film Perfection.

PubMed

Khan, Majharul Haque; Jamali, Sina S; Lyalin, Andrey; Molino, Paul J; Jiang, Lei; Liu, Hua Kun; Taketsugu, Tetsuya; Huang, Zhenguo

2017-01-01

Outstanding protection of Cu by high-quality boron nitride nanofilm (BNNF) 1-2 atomic layers thick in salt water is observed, while defective BNNF accelerates the reaction of Cu toward water. The chemical stability, insulating nature, and impermeability of ions through the BN hexagons render BNNF a great choice for atomic-scale protection. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Nucleation Control for Large, Single Crystalline Domains of Monolayer Hexagonal Boron Nitride via Si-Doped Fe Catalysts

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

The scalable chemical vapor deposition of monolayer hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) single crystals, with lateral dimensions of ∼0.3 mm, and of continuous h-BN monolayer films with large domain sizes (>25 μm) is demonstrated via an admixture of Si to Fe catalyst films. A simple thin-film Fe/SiO2/Si catalyst system is used to show that controlled Si diffusion into the Fe catalyst allows exclusive nucleation of monolayer h-BN with very low nucleation densities upon exposure to undiluted borazine. Our systematic in situ and ex situ characterization of this catalyst system establishes a basis for further rational catalyst design for compound 2D materials. PMID:25664483

Preparation of high-content hexagonal boron nitride composite film and characterization of atomic oxygen erosion resistance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yu; Li, Min; Gu, Yizhuo; Wang, Shaokai; Zhang, Zuoguang

2017-04-01

Space aircrafts circling in low earth orbit are suffered from highly reactive atomic oxygen (AO). To shield AO, a flexible thin film with 80 wt.% hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and h-BN/epoxy film were fabricated through vacuum filtration and adding nanofibrillated cellulose fibers. H-BN nanosheets were hydroxylated for enhancing interaction in the films. Mass loss and erosion yield at accumulated AO fluence about 3.04 × 1020 atoms/cm2 were adopted to evaluate the AO resistance properties of the films. A carpet-like rough surface, chemical oxidations and change in crystal structure of h-BN were found after AO treatment, and the degrading mechanism was proposed. The mass loss and erosion yield under AO attack were compared between h-BN film and h-BN/epoxy film, and the comparison was also done for various types of shielding AO materials. Excellent AO resistance property of h-BN film is shown, and the reasons are analyzed.

Electrical conductivity enhancement by boron-doping in diamond using first principle calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ullah, Mahtab; Ahmed, Ejaz; Hussain, Fayyaz; Rana, Anwar Manzoor; Raza, Rizwan

2015-04-01

Boron doping in diamond plays a vital role in enhancing electrical conductivity of diamond by making it a semiconductor, a conductor or even a superconductor. To elucidate this fact, partial and total density of states has been determined as a function of B-content in diamond. Moreover, the orbital charge distributions, B-C bond lengths and their population have been studied for B-doping in pristine diamond thin films by applying density functional theory (DFT). These parameters have been found to be influenced by the addition of different percentages of boron atoms in diamond. The electronic density of states, B-C bond situations as well as variations in electrical conductivities of diamond films with different boron content and determination of some relationship between these parameters were the basic tasks of this study. Diamond with high boron concentration (∼5.88% B-atoms) showed maximum splitting of energy bands (caused by acceptor impurity states) at the Fermi level which resulted in the enhancement of electron/ion conductivities. Because B atoms either substitute carbon atoms and/or assemble at grain boundaries (interstitial sites) inducing impurity levels close to the top of the valence band. At very high B-concentration, impurity states combine to form an impurity band which accesses the top of the valence band yielding metal like conductivity. Moreover, bond length and charge distributions are found to decrease with increase in boron percentage in diamond. It is noted that charge distribution decreased from +1.89 to -1.90 eV whereas bond length reduced by 0.04 Å with increasing boron content in diamond films. These theoretical results support our earlier experimental findings on B-doped diamond polycrystalline films which depict that the addition of boron atoms to diamond films gives a sudden fall in resistivity even up to 105 Ω cm making it a good semiconductor for its applications in electrical devices.

Effects of boron addition on a-Si(90)Ge(10):H films obtained by low frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition.

PubMed

Pérez, Arllene M; Renero, Francisco J; Zúñiga, Carlos; Torres, Alfonso; Santiago, César

2005-06-29

Optical, structural and electric properties of (a-(Si(90)Ge(10))(1-y)B(y):H) thin film alloys, deposited by low frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition, are presented. The chemical bonding structure has been studied by IR spectroscopy, while the composition was investigated by Raman spectroscopy. A discussion about boron doping effects, in the composition and bonding of samples, is presented. Transport of carriers has been studied by measurement of the conductivity dependence on temperature, which increases from 10(-3) to 10(1) Ω(-1) cm(-1) when the boron content varies from 0 to 50%. Similarly, the activation energy is between 0.62 and 0.19 eV when the doping increases from 0 to 83%. The optical properties have been determined from the film's optical transmission, using Swanepoel's method. It is shown that the optical gap varies from 1.3 to 0.99 eV.

Formation mechanisms of boron oxide films fabricated by large-area electron beam-induced deposition of trimethyl borate

PubMed Central

Depond, Philip J

2018-01-01

Boron-containing materials are increasingly drawing interest for the use in electronics, optics, laser targets, neutron absorbers, and high-temperature and chemically resistant ceramics. In this article, the first investigation into the deposition of boron-based material via electron beam-induced deposition (EBID) is reported. Thin films were deposited using a novel, large-area EBID system that is shown to deposit material at rates comparable to conventional techniques such as laser-induced chemical vapor deposition. The deposition rate and stoichiometry of boron oxide fabricated by EBID using trimethyl borate (TMB) as precursor is found to be critically dependent on the substrate temperature. By comparing the deposition mechanisms of TMB to the conventional, alkoxide-based precursor tetraethyl orthosilicate it is revealed that ligand chemistry does not precisely predict the pathways leading to deposition of material via EBID. The results demonstrate the first boron-containing material deposited by the EBID process and the potential for EBID as a scalable fabrication technique that could have a transformative effect on the athermal deposition of materials. PMID:29765806

Formation mechanisms of boron oxide films fabricated by large-area electron beam-induced deposition of trimethyl borate.

PubMed

Martin, Aiden A; Depond, Philip J

2018-01-01

Boron-containing materials are increasingly drawing interest for the use in electronics, optics, laser targets, neutron absorbers, and high-temperature and chemically resistant ceramics. In this article, the first investigation into the deposition of boron-based material via electron beam-induced deposition (EBID) is reported. Thin films were deposited using a novel, large-area EBID system that is shown to deposit material at rates comparable to conventional techniques such as laser-induced chemical vapor deposition. The deposition rate and stoichiometry of boron oxide fabricated by EBID using trimethyl borate (TMB) as precursor is found to be critically dependent on the substrate temperature. By comparing the deposition mechanisms of TMB to the conventional, alkoxide-based precursor tetraethyl orthosilicate it is revealed that ligand chemistry does not precisely predict the pathways leading to deposition of material via EBID. The results demonstrate the first boron-containing material deposited by the EBID process and the potential for EBID as a scalable fabrication technique that could have a transformative effect on the athermal deposition of materials.

Formation mechanisms of boron oxide films fabricated by large-area electron beam-induced deposition of trimethyl borate [Formation Mechanisms of Boron Oxide Fillms Fabricated by Large Area Electron Beam-Induced Deposition of Trimethyl Borate

DOE PAGES

Martin, Aiden A.; Depond, Philip J.

2018-04-24

Boron-containing materials are increasingly drawing interest for the use in electronics, optics, laser targets, neutron absorbers, and high-temperature and chemically resistant ceramics. In this article, the first investigation into the deposition of boron-based material via electron beam-induced deposition (EBID) is reported. Thin films were deposited using a novel, large-area EBID system that is shown to deposit material at rates comparable to conventional techniques such as laser-induced chemical vapor deposition. The deposition rate and stoichiometry of boron oxide fabricated by EBID using trimethyl borate (TMB) as precursor is found to be critically dependent on the substrate temperature. By comparing the depositionmore » mechanisms of TMB to the conventional, alkoxide-based precursor tetraethyl orthosilicate it is revealed that ligand chemistry does not precisely predict the pathways leading to deposition of material via EBID. Lastly, the results demonstrate the first boron-containing material deposited by the EBID process and the potential for EBID as a scalable fabrication technique that could have a transformative effect on the athermal deposition of materials.« less

Formation mechanisms of boron oxide films fabricated by large-area electron beam-induced deposition of trimethyl borate [Formation Mechanisms of Boron Oxide Fillms Fabricated by Large Area Electron Beam-Induced Deposition of Trimethyl Borate

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

Martin, Aiden A.; Depond, Philip J.

Boron-containing materials are increasingly drawing interest for the use in electronics, optics, laser targets, neutron absorbers, and high-temperature and chemically resistant ceramics. In this article, the first investigation into the deposition of boron-based material via electron beam-induced deposition (EBID) is reported. Thin films were deposited using a novel, large-area EBID system that is shown to deposit material at rates comparable to conventional techniques such as laser-induced chemical vapor deposition. The deposition rate and stoichiometry of boron oxide fabricated by EBID using trimethyl borate (TMB) as precursor is found to be critically dependent on the substrate temperature. By comparing the depositionmore » mechanisms of TMB to the conventional, alkoxide-based precursor tetraethyl orthosilicate it is revealed that ligand chemistry does not precisely predict the pathways leading to deposition of material via EBID. Lastly, the results demonstrate the first boron-containing material deposited by the EBID process and the potential for EBID as a scalable fabrication technique that could have a transformative effect on the athermal deposition of materials.« less

X-ray beamsplitter

DOEpatents

Ceglio, N.M.; Stearns, D.G.; Hawryluk, A.M.; Barbee, T.W. Jr.

1987-08-07

An x-ray beamsplitter which splits an x-ray beam into two coherent parts by reflecting and transmitting some fraction of an incident beam has applications for x-ray interferometry, x-ray holography, x-ray beam manipulation, and x-ray laser cavity output couplers. The beamsplitter is formed of a wavelength selective multilayer thin film supported by a very thin x-ray transparent membrane. The beamsplitter resonantly transmits and reflects x-rays through thin film interference effects. A thin film is formed of 5--50 pairs of alternate Mo/Si layers with a period of 20--250 A. The support membrane is 10--200 nm of silicon nitride or boron nitride. The multilayer/support membrane structure is formed across a window in a substrate by first forming the structure on a solid substrate and then forming a window in the substrate to leave a free-standing structure over the window. 6 figs.

X-ray beamsplitter

DOEpatents

Ceglio, Natale M.; Stearns, Daniel S.; Hawryluk, Andrew M.; Barbee, Jr., Troy W.

1989-01-01

An x-ray beamsplitter which splits an x-ray beam into two coherent parts by reflecting and transmitting some fraction of an incident beam has applications for x-ray interferometry, x-ray holography, x-ray beam manipulation, and x-ray laser cavity output couplers. The beamsplitter is formed of a wavelength selective multilayer thin film supported by a very thin x-ray transparent membrane. The beamsplitter resonantly transmits and reflects x-rays through thin film interference effects. A thin film is formed of 5-50 pairs of alternate Mo/Si layers with a period of 20-250 A. The support membrane is 10-200 nm of silicon nitride or boron nitride. The multilayer/support membrane structure is formed across a window in a substrate by first forming the structure on a solid substrate and then forming a window in the substrate to leave a free-standing structure over the window.

Tribological properties of boron nitride synthesized by ion beam deposition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miyoshi, K.; Buckley, D. H.; Spalvins, T.

1985-01-01

The adhesion and friction behavior of boron nitride films on 440 C bearing stainless steel substrates was examined. The thin films containing the boron nitride were synthesized using an ion beam extracted from a borazine plasma. Sliding friction experiments were conducted with BN in sliding contact with itself and various transition metals. It is indicated that the surfaces of atomically cleaned BN coating film contain a small amount of oxides and carbides, in addition to boron nitride. The coefficients of friction for the BN in contact with metals are related to the relative chemical activity of the metals. The more active the metal, the higher is the coefficient of friction. The adsorption of oxygen on clean metal and BN increases the shear strength of the metal - BN contact and increases the friction. The friction for BN-BN contact is a function of the shear strength of the elastic contacts. Clean BN surfaces exhibit relatively strong interfacial adhesion and high friction. The presence of adsorbates such as adventitious carbon contaminants on the BN surfaces reduces the shear strength of the contact area. In contrast, chemically adsorbed oxygen enhances the shear strength of the BN-BN contact and increases the friction.

Three-dimensional boron particle loaded thermal neutron detector

DOEpatents

Nikolic, Rebecca J.; Conway, Adam M.; Graff, Robert T.; Kuntz, Joshua D.; Reinhardt, Catherine; Voss, Lars F.; Cheung, Chin Li; Heineck, Daniel

2014-09-09

Three-dimensional boron particle loaded thermal neutron detectors utilize neutron sensitive conversion materials in the form of nano-powders and micro-sized particles, as opposed to thin films, suspensions, paraffin, etc. More specifically, methods to infiltrate, intersperse and embed the neutron nano-powders to form two-dimensional and/or three-dimensional charge sensitive platforms are specified. The use of nano-powders enables conformal contact with the entire charge-collecting structure regardless of its shape or configuration.

Alternative Process for Manufacturing of Thin Layers of Boron for Neutron Measurement

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

Auge, Gregoire; Partyka, Stanislas; Guerard, Bruno

Due to the worldwide shortage of helium 3, Boron-lined proportional counters are developed intensively by several groups. Up to now, thin boron containing layers for neutron detectors are essentially produced by sputtering of boron carbide (B{sub 4}C). This technology provides high quality films but it is slow and expensive. Our paper describes a novel and inexpensive technology for producing boron layers. This technology is based on chemical synthesis of boron 10 nanoparticles, and on electrophoretic deposition of these particles on metallic plates, or on metallic pieces with more complex shapes. The chemical synthesis consists in: - Heating boron 10 withmore » lithium up to 700 deg. C under inert atmosphere: an intermetallic compound, LiB, is produced; - Hydrolysing this intermetallic compound: LiB + H{sub 2}O → B + Li{sup +} + OH{sup -} + 1/2H{sub 2}, where B is under the form of nanoparticles; - Purifying the suspension of boron nanoparticles in water, from lithium hydroxide, by successive membrane filtrations; - Evaporating the purified suspension, in order to get a powder of nanoparticles. The obtained nanoparticles have size around 300 nm, with a high porosity, of about 50%. This particle size is equivalent to about 150 nm massive particles. The nanoparticles are then put into suspension in a specific solvent, in order to perform deposition on metallic surfaces, by electrophoretic method. The solvent is chosen so that it is not electrolysed even under voltages of several tens of volts. An acid is dissolved into the solvent, so that the nanoparticles are positively charged. Deposition is performed on the cathode within about 10 min. The cathode could be an aluminium plate, or a nickel coated aluminium plate. Homogeneous deposition may also be performed on complex shapes, like grids in a Multigrid detector. A large volume of pieces, can be coated with a Boron-10 film in a few hours. The thickness of the layer can be adjusted according to the required neutron detection characteristics, between 0,5 to 5 μm (equivalent to 0,25 to 2.5 massive layer). The thickness is homogenous within a ±20% range. The layer is an almost pure {sup 10}B layer (90%). The ratio of the amount of deposed boron 10 to the amount of raw boron 10 used is more than 80%. Hence, another advantage of this technique is that Boron 10 will be deposited on the cathodes only, without loss of this expensive material. 2 grids of a Multi-Grid detector have been coated with pure Boron by using this technique. The film structure has been analysed with a microscope and the detector has been tested on a monochromatic neutron beam line. Preliminary results will be shown. (authors)« less

Thin Refractory Films on Fused Silica Crucibles

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-07-01

9 4.1.4 Iridium 11 4.1.5 Boron Nitride (BN) 11 4.2 Adherence Testing 13 4.3 Metallography 13 5.0 Conclusions and Recommendations 16 Accession For...Chamber 4 2. Schematic of Crucible Coating Apparatus (SiC, NbN, and TiB 2) 6 3. Schematic of CVD Apparatus for Iridium 7 4. Schematic of Apparatus for...ultrahigh-purity coatings of silicon carbide (SiC), niobium nitride (NbN), titanium diboride (TiB2), iridium , and boron nitride (BN) onto the interior

Rhenium Alloys as Ductile Substrates for Diamond Thin-Film Electrodes.

PubMed

Halpern, Jeffrey M; Martin, Heidi B

2014-02-01

Molybdenum-rhenium (Mo/Re) and tungsten-rhenium (W/Re) alloys were investigated as substrates for thin-film, polycrystalline boron-doped diamond electrodes. Traditional, carbide-forming metal substrates adhere strongly to diamond but lose their ductility during exposure to the high-temperature (1000°C) diamond, chemical vapor deposition environment. Boron-doped semi-metallic diamond was selectively deposited for up to 20 hours on one end of Mo/Re (47.5/52.5 wt.%) and W/Re (75/25 wt.%) alloy wires. Conformal diamond films on the alloys displayed grain sizes and Raman signatures similar to films grown on tungsten; in all cases, the morphology and Raman spectra were consistent with well-faceted, microcrystalline diamond with minimal sp 2 carbon content. Cyclic voltammograms of dopamine in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) showed the wide window and low baseline current of high-quality diamond electrodes. In addition, the films showed consistently well-defined, dopamine electrochemical redox activity. The Mo/Re substrate regions that were uncoated but still exposed to the diamond-growth environment remained substantially more flexible than tungsten in a bend-to-fracture rotation test, bending to the test maximum of 90° and not fracturing. The W/Re substrates fractured after a 27° bend, and the tungsten fractured after a 21° bend. Brittle, transgranular cleavage fracture surfaces were observed for tungsten and W/Re. A tension-induced fracture of the Mo/Re after the prior bend test showed a dimple fracture with a visible ductile core. Overall, the Mo/Re and W/Re alloys were suitable substrates for diamond growth. The Mo/Re alloy remained significantly more ductile than traditional tungsten substrates after diamond growth, and thus may be an attractive metal substrate for more ductile, thin-film diamond electrodes.

Rhenium Alloys as Ductile Substrates for Diamond Thin-Film Electrodes

PubMed Central

Halpern, Jeffrey M.; Martin, Heidi B.

2014-01-01

Molybdenum-rhenium (Mo/Re) and tungsten-rhenium (W/Re) alloys were investigated as substrates for thin-film, polycrystalline boron-doped diamond electrodes. Traditional, carbide-forming metal substrates adhere strongly to diamond but lose their ductility during exposure to the high-temperature (1000°C) diamond, chemical vapor deposition environment. Boron-doped semi-metallic diamond was selectively deposited for up to 20 hours on one end of Mo/Re (47.5/52.5 wt.%) and W/Re (75/25 wt.%) alloy wires. Conformal diamond films on the alloys displayed grain sizes and Raman signatures similar to films grown on tungsten; in all cases, the morphology and Raman spectra were consistent with well-faceted, microcrystalline diamond with minimal sp2 carbon content. Cyclic voltammograms of dopamine in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) showed the wide window and low baseline current of high-quality diamond electrodes. In addition, the films showed consistently well-defined, dopamine electrochemical redox activity. The Mo/Re substrate regions that were uncoated but still exposed to the diamond-growth environment remained substantially more flexible than tungsten in a bend-to-fracture rotation test, bending to the test maximum of 90° and not fracturing. The W/Re substrates fractured after a 27° bend, and the tungsten fractured after a 21° bend. Brittle, transgranular cleavage fracture surfaces were observed for tungsten and W/Re. A tension-induced fracture of the Mo/Re after the prior bend test showed a dimple fracture with a visible ductile core. Overall, the Mo/Re and W/Re alloys were suitable substrates for diamond growth. The Mo/Re alloy remained significantly more ductile than traditional tungsten substrates after diamond growth, and thus may be an attractive metal substrate for more ductile, thin-film diamond electrodes. PMID:25404788

Crystal structure and composition of BAlN thin films: Effect of boron concentration in the gas flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Shuo; Li, Xiaohang; Fischer, Alec M.; Detchprohm, Theeradetch; Dupuis, Russell D.; Ponce, Fernando A.

2017-10-01

We have investigated the microstructure of BxAl1-xN films grown by flow-modulated epitaxy at 1010 °C, with B/(B + Al) gas-flow ratios ranging from 0.06 to 0.18. The boron content obtained from X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns ranges from x = 0.02 to 0.09. On the other hand, boron content deduced from the aluminum signal in the Rutherford backscattering spectra (RBS) ranges from x = 0.06 to 0.16, closely following the gas-flow ratios. Transmission electron microscopy indicates the sole presence of a wurtzite crystal structure in the BAlN films, and a tendency towards columnar growth for B/(B + Al) gas-flow ratios below 0.12. For higher ratios, the BAlN films exhibit a tendency towards twin formation and finer microstructure. Electron energy loss spectroscopy has been used to profile spatial variations in the composition of the films. The RBS data suggest that the incorporation of B is highly efficient for our growth method, while the XRD data indicate that the epitaxial growth may be limited by a solubility limit in the crystal phase at about 9%, for the range of B/(B + Al) gas-flow ratios that we have studied, which is significantly higher than previously thought.

Novel passivation dielectrics-The boron- or phosphorus-doped hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide films

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

Chang, C.Y.; Fang, Y.K.; Huang, C.F.

1985-02-01

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC:H) thin films were prepared and studied in a radiofrequency glowdischarge system, using a gas mixture of SiH/sub 4/ and one of the following carbon sources: methane (CH/sub 4/), benzene (C/sub 6/H/sub 6/), toluene (C/sub 7/H/sub 8/), sigma-xylene (C/sub 8/H/sub 10/), trichloroethane (C/sub 2/H/sub 3/Cl/sub 3/), trichloroethylene (C/sub 2/HCl/sub 3/), or carbon tetrachloride (CCl/sub 4/). The effect of doping phosphorus and boron into those a-SiC:H films on chemical etching rate, electrica dc resistivity, breakdown strength, and optical refractive index have been systematically investigated. Their chemical etching properties were examined by immersing in 49% HF, buffered HF,more » 180/sup 0/C H/sub 3/PO/sub 4/ solutions, or in CF/sub 4/ + O/sub 2/ plasma. It was found that the boron-doped a-SiC:H film possesses five times slower etching rate than the undoped one, while phosphorus-doped a-SiC:H film shows about three times slower. Among those a-SiC:H films, the one obtained from a mixture of SiH/sub 4/ and benzene shows the best etch-resistant property, while the ones obtained from a mixture of SiH/sub 4/ and chlorine containing carbon sources (e.g., trichloroethylene, trichloroethane, or carbon tetrachloride) shows that they are poor in etching resistance (i.e., the etching rate is higher). By measuring dc resistivity, dielectric breakdown strength, and effective refractive index, it was found that boron- or phosphorus-doped a-SiC:H films exhibit much higher dielectric strength and resistivity, but lower etching rate, presumably because of higher density.« less

All 2D, high mobility, flexible, transparent thin film transistor

DOEpatents

Das, Saptarshi; Sumant, Anirudha V.; Roelofs, Andreas

2017-01-17

A two-dimensional thin film transistor and a method for manufacturing a two-dimensional thin film transistor includes layering a semiconducting channel material on a substrate, providing a first electrode material on top of the semiconducting channel material, patterning a source metal electrode and a drain metal electrode at opposite ends of the semiconducting channel material from the first electrode material, opening a window between the source metal electrode and the drain metal electrode, removing the first electrode material from the window located above the semiconducting channel material providing a gate dielectric above the semiconducting channel material, and providing a top gate above the gate dielectric, the top gate formed from a second electrode material. The semiconducting channel material is made of tungsten diselenide, the first electrode material and the second electrode material are made of graphene, and the gate dielectric is made of hexagonal boron nitride.

Application of thin dielectric films in low coherence fiber-optic Fabry-Pérot sensing interferometers: comparative study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirsch, Marzena; Wierzba, Paweł; Jedrzejewska-Szczerska, Małgorzata

2016-11-01

We examine the application of selected thin dielectric films, deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD), in a low coherence fiber-optic Fabry-Pérot interferometer designed for sensing applications. Such films can be deposited on the end-face of a single mode optical fiber (SMF-28) in order to modify the reflectivity of the Fabry-Pérot cavity, to provide protection of the fibers from aggressive environments or to create a multi-cavity interferometric sensor. Spectral reflectance of films made from zinc oxide (ZnO), titanium dioxide (TiO2), aluminum oxide (Al2O3) and boron nitride (BN) was calculated for various thickness of the films and compared. The results show that the most promising materials for use in fiber-optic Fabry-Pérot interferometer are TiO2 and ZnO, although Al2O3 is also suitable for this application.

Two-dimensional flexible nanoelectronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akinwande, Deji; Petrone, Nicholas; Hone, James

2014-12-01

2014/2015 represents the tenth anniversary of modern graphene research. Over this decade, graphene has proven to be attractive for thin-film transistors owing to its remarkable electronic, optical, mechanical and thermal properties. Even its major drawback--zero bandgap--has resulted in something positive: a resurgence of interest in two-dimensional semiconductors, such as dichalcogenides and buckled nanomaterials with sizeable bandgaps. With the discovery of hexagonal boron nitride as an ideal dielectric, the materials are now in place to advance integrated flexible nanoelectronics, which uniquely take advantage of the unmatched portfolio of properties of two-dimensional crystals, beyond the capability of conventional thin films for ubiquitous flexible systems.

Two-dimensional flexible nanoelectronics.

PubMed

Akinwande, Deji; Petrone, Nicholas; Hone, James

2014-12-17

2014/2015 represents the tenth anniversary of modern graphene research. Over this decade, graphene has proven to be attractive for thin-film transistors owing to its remarkable electronic, optical, mechanical and thermal properties. Even its major drawback--zero bandgap--has resulted in something positive: a resurgence of interest in two-dimensional semiconductors, such as dichalcogenides and buckled nanomaterials with sizeable bandgaps. With the discovery of hexagonal boron nitride as an ideal dielectric, the materials are now in place to advance integrated flexible nanoelectronics, which uniquely take advantage of the unmatched portfolio of properties of two-dimensional crystals, beyond the capability of conventional thin films for ubiquitous flexible systems.

Magneto-Resistance in thin film boron carbides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Echeverria, Elena; Luo, Guangfu; Liu, J.; Mei, Wai-Ning; Pasquale, F. L.; Colon Santanta, J.; Dowben, P. A.; Zhang, Le; Kelber, J. A.

2013-03-01

Chromium doped semiconducting boron carbide devices were fabricated based on a carborane icosahedra (B10C2H12) precursor via plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, and the transition metal atoms found to dope pairwise on adjacent icosahedra site locations. Models spin-polarized electronic structure calculations of the doped semiconducting boron carbides indicate that some transition metal (such as Cr) doped semiconducting boron carbides may act as excellent spin filters when used as the dielectric barrier in a magnetic tunnel junction structure. In the case of chromium doping, there may be considerable enhancements in the magneto-resistance of the heterostructure. To this end, current to voltage curves and magneto-transport measurements were performed in various semiconducting boron carbide both in and out plane. The I-V curves as a function of external magnetic field exhibit strong magnetoresistive effects which are enhanced at liquid Nitrogen temperatures. The mechanism for these effects will be discussed in the context of theoretical calculations.

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

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

Chubarov, Mikhail; Pedersen, Henrik; Högberg, Hans

2015-11-15

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

Characterization of Doped Amorphous Silicon Thin Films through the Investigation of Dopant Elements by Glow Discharge Spectrometry. A Correlation of Conductivity and Bandgap Energy Measurements

PubMed Central

Sánchez, Pascal; Lorenzo, Olaya; Menéndez, Armando; Menéndez, Jose Luis; Gomez, David; Pereiro, Rosario; Fernández, Beatriz

2011-01-01

The determination of optical parameters, such as absorption and extinction coefficients, refractive index and the bandgap energy, is crucial to understand the behavior and final efficiency of thin film solar cells based on hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H). The influence of small variations of the gas flow rates used for the preparation of the p-a-SiC:H layer on the bandgap energy, as well as on the dopant elements concentration, thickness and conductivity of the p-layer, is investigated in this work using several complementary techniques. UV-NIR spectrophotometry and ellipsometry were used for the determination of bandgap energies of four p-a-SiC:H thin films, prepared by using different B2H6 and SiH4 fluxes (B2H6 from 12 sccm to 20 sccm and SiH4 from 6 sccm to 10 sccm). Moreover, radiofrequency glow discharge optical emission spectrometry technique was used for depth profiling characterization of p-a-SiC:H thin films and valuable information about dopant elements concentration and distribution throughout the coating was found. Finally, a direct relationship between the conductivity of p-a-SiC:H thin films and the dopant elements concentration, particularly boron and carbon, was observed for the four selected samples. PMID:21731436

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

Skariah, Benoy, E-mail: skariahbenoy@yahoo.co.in, E-mail: dr.boben1@gmail.com; Thomas, Boben, E-mail: skariahbenoy@yahoo.co.in, E-mail: dr.boben1@gmail.com

For LPG sensing, boron doped (0.2 to 0.8 wt. %) polycrystalline tin oxide thin films are deposited by spray pyrolysis in the temperature range 325 - 430 °C. Sensor response of 56 % is achieved for 1000 ppm of LPG, at an operating temperature of 350 °C. The effects of ageing under ambient conditions on the sensor response are investigated for a storage period of six years. Ageing increases the film resistance but the gas response is lowered. XRD, SEM, FESEM, FTIR and XPS are utilized for structural, morphological and compositional charaterisations.

Method for forming silicon on a glass substrate

DOEpatents

McCarthy, Anthony M.

1995-01-01

A method by which single-crystal silicon microelectronics may be fabricated on glass substrates at unconventionally low temperatures. This is achieved by fabricating a thin film of silicon on glass and subsequently forming the doped components by a short wavelength (excimer) laser doping procedure and conventional patterning techniques. This method may include introducing a heavily boron doped etch stop layer on a silicon wafer using an excimer laser, which permits good control of the etch stop layer removal process. This method additionally includes dramatically reducing the remaining surface roughness of the silicon thin films after etching in the fabrication of silicon on insulator wafers by scanning an excimer laser across the surface of the silicon thin film causing surface melting, whereby the surface tension of the melt causes smoothing of the surface during recrystallization. Applications for this method include those requiring a transparent or insulating substrate, such as display manufacturing. Other applications include sensors, actuators, optoelectronics, radiation hard and high temperature electronics.

Method for forming silicon on a glass substrate

DOEpatents

McCarthy, A.M.

1995-03-07

A method by which single-crystal silicon microelectronics may be fabricated on glass substrates at unconventionally low temperatures. This is achieved by fabricating a thin film of silicon on glass and subsequently forming the doped components by a short wavelength (excimer) laser doping procedure and conventional patterning techniques. This method may include introducing a heavily boron doped etch stop layer on a silicon wafer using an excimer laser, which permits good control of the etch stop layer removal process. This method additionally includes dramatically reducing the remaining surface roughness of the silicon thin films after etching in the fabrication of silicon on insulator wafers by scanning an excimer laser across the surface of the silicon thin film causing surface melting, whereby the surface tension of the melt causes smoothing of the surface during recrystallization. Applications for this method include those requiring a transparent or insulating substrate, such as display manufacturing. Other applications include sensors, actuators, optoelectronics, radiation hard and high temperature electronics. 15 figs.

Low-temperature, solution-processed ZrO2:B thin film: a bifunctional inorganic/organic interfacial glue for flexible thin-film transistors.

PubMed

Park, Jee Ho; Oh, Jin Young; Han, Sun Woong; Lee, Tae Il; Baik, Hong Koo

2015-03-04

A solution-processed boron-doped peroxo-zirconium oxide (ZrO2:B) thin film has been found to have multifunctional characteristics, providing both hydrophobic surface modification and a chemical glue layer. Specifically, a ZrO2:B thin film deposited on a hydrophobic layer becomes superhydrophilic following ultraviolet-ozone (UVO) treatment, whereas the same treatment has no effect on the hydrophobicity of the hydrophobic layer alone. Investigation of the ZrO2:B/hydrophobic interface layer using angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (AR XPS) confirmed it to be chemically bonded like glue. Using the multifunctional nature of the ZrO2:B thin film, flexible amorphous indium oxide (In2O3) thin-film transistors (TFTs) were subsequently fabricated on a polyimide substrate along with a ZrO2:B/poly-4-vinylphenol (PVP) dielectric. An aqueous In2O3 solution was successfully coated onto the ZrO2:B/PVP dielectric, and the surface and chemical properties of the PVP and ZrO2:B thin films were analyzed by contact angle measurement, atomic force microscopy (AFM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The surface-engineered PVP dielectric was found to have a lower leakage current density (Jleak) of 4.38 × 10(-8) A/cm(2) at 1 MV/cm, with no breakdown behavior observed up to a bending radius of 5 mm. In contrast, the electrical characteristics of the flexible amorphous In2O3 TFT such as on/off current ratio (Ion/off) and electron mobility remained similar up to 10 mm of bending without degradation, with the device being nonactivated at a bending radius of 5 mm. These results suggest that ZrO2:B thin films could be used for low-temperature, solution-processed surface-modified flexible devices.

Parameter variation of the one-diode model of a-Si and a- Si/μc-Si solar cells for modeling light-induced degradation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weicht, J. A.; Hamelmann, F. U.; Behrens, G.

2014-11-01

For analyzing the long-term behavior of thin film a-Si/μc-Si photovoltaic modules, it is important to observe the light-induced degradation (LID) in dependence of the temperature for the parameters of the one-diode model for solar cells. According to the IEC 61646 standard, the impact of LID on module parameters of these thin film cells is determined at a constant temperature of 50°C with an irradiation of 1000 W/m2 at open circuit conditions. Previous papers examined the LID of thin film a-Si cells with different temperatures and some others are about a-Si/μc-Si. In these previous papers not all parameters of the one-diode model are examined. We observed the serial resistance (Rs), parallel resistance (Rp), short circuit current (Isc), open circuit voltage (Uoc), the maximum power point (MPP: Umpp, Impp and Pmpp) and the diode factor (n). Since the main reason for the LID of silicon-based thin films is the Staebler Wronski effect in the a-Si part of the cell, the temperature dependence of the healing of defects for all parameters of the one-diode model is also taken into account. We are also measuring modules with different kind of transparent conductive oxides: In a-Si thin film solar cells fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) is used and for thin film solar cells of a-Si/μc-Si boron- doped zinc oxide is used. In our work we describe an approach for transferring the parameters of a one-diode model for tandem thin film solar cells into the one-diode model for each part of the solar cell. The measurement of degradation and regeneration at higher temperatures is the necessary base for optimization of the different silicon-based thin films in warm hot climate.

Method for production of free-standing polycrystalline boron phosphide film

DOEpatents

Baughman, Richard J.; Ginley, David S.

1985-01-01

A process for producing a free-standing polycrystalline boron phosphide film comprises growing a film of boron phosphide in a vertical growth apparatus on a metal substrate. The metal substrate has a coefficient of thermal expansion sufficiently different from that of boron phosphide that the film separates cleanly from the substrate upon cooling thereof, and the substrate is preferably titanium. The invention also comprises a free-standing polycrystalline boron phosphide film for use in electronic device fabrication.

Free-standing polycrystalline boron phosphide film and method for production thereof

DOEpatents

Baughman, R.J.; Ginley, D.S.

1982-09-09

A process for producing a free-standing polycrystalline boron phosphide film comprises growing a film of boron phosphide in a vertical growth apparatus on a metal substrate. The metal substrate has a coefficient of thermal expansion sufficiently different from that of boron phosphide that the film separates cleanly from the substrate upon cooling thereof, and the substrate is preferably titanium. The invention also comprises a free-standing polycrystalline boron phosphide film for use in electronic device fabrication.

Dependence of lattice strain relaxation, absorbance, and sheet resistance on thickness in textured ZnO@B transparent conductive oxide for thin-film solar cell applications.

PubMed

Kou, Kuang-Yang; Huang, Yu-En; Chen, Chien-Hsun; Feng, Shih-Wei

2016-01-01

The interplay of surface texture, strain relaxation, absorbance, grain size, and sheet resistance in textured, boron-doped ZnO (ZnO@B), transparent conductive oxide (TCO) materials of different thicknesses used for thin film, solar cell applications is investigated. The residual strain induced by the lattice mismatch and the difference in the thermal expansion coefficient for thicker ZnO@B is relaxed, leading to an increased surface texture, stronger absorbance, larger grain size, and lower sheet resistance. These experimental results reveal the optical and material characteristics of the TCO layer, which could be useful for enhancing the performance of solar cells through an optimized TCO layer.

Analysis of Ag(I) Biocide in Water Samples Using Anodic Stripping Voltammetry with a Boron-Doped Diamond Disk Electrode.

PubMed

Maldonado, Vanessa Y; Espinoza-Montero, Patricio J; Rusinek, Cory A; Swain, Greg M

2018-06-05

The electroanalytical performance of a new commercial boron-doped diamond disk and a traditional nanocrystalline thin-film electrode were compared for the anodic stripping voltammetric determination of Ag(I). The diamond disk electrode is more flexible than the planar film as the former is compatible with most electrochemical cell designs including those incorporating magnetic stirring. Additionally, mechanical polishing and surface cleaning are simpler to execute. Differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV) was used to detect Ag(I) in standard solutions after optimization of the deposition potential, deposition time and scan rate. The optimized conditions were used to determine the concentration of Ag(I) in a NASA simulated potable water sample and a NIST standard reference solution. The electrochemical results were validated by ICP-OES measurements of the same solutions. The detection figures of merit for the disk electrode were as good or superior to those for the thin-film electrode. Detection limits were ≤5 μg L -1 (S/N = 3) for a 120 s deposition period, and response variabilities were <5% RSD. The polished disk electrode presented a more limited linear dynamic range presumably because of the reduced surface area available for metal phase formation. The concentrations of Ag(I) in the two water samples, as determined by DPASV, were in good agreement with the concentrations determined by ICP-OES.

Packing C60 in Boron Nitride Nanotubes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mickelson, W.; Aloni, S.; Han, Wei-Qiang; Cumings, John; Zettl, A.

2003-04-01

We have created insulated C60 nanowire by packing C60 molecules into the interior of insulating boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs). For small-diameter BNNTs, the wire consists of a linear chain of C60 molecules. With increasing BNNT inner diameter, unusual C60 stacking configurations are obtained (including helical, hollow core, and incommensurate) that are unknown for bulk or thin-film forms of C60. C60 in BNNTs thus presents a model system for studying the properties of dimensionally constrained ``silo'' crystal structures. For the linear-chain case, we have fused the C60 molecules to form a single-walled carbon nanotube inside the insulating BNNT.

Multilayer films with sharp, stable interfaces for use in EUV and soft X-ray application

DOEpatents

Barbee, Jr., Troy W.; Bajt, Sasa

2002-01-01

The reflectivity and thermal stability of Mo/Si (molybdenum/silicon) multilayer films, used in soft x-ray and extreme ultraviolet region, is enhanced by deposition of a thin layer of boron carbide (e.g., B.sub.4 C) between alternating layers of Mo and Si. The invention is useful for reflective coatings for soft X-ray and extreme ultraviolet optics, multilayer for masks, coatings for other wavelengths and multilayers for masks that are more thermally stable than pure Mo/Si multilayers

Plasma CVD of hydrogenated boron-carbon thin films from triethylboron

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Imam, Mewlude; Höglund, Carina; Schmidt, Susann; Hall-Wilton, Richard; Birch, Jens; Pedersen, Henrik

2018-01-01

Low-temperature chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of B—C thin films is of importance for neutron voltaics and semiconductor technology. The highly reactive trialkylboranes, with alkyl groups of 1-4 carbon atoms, are a class of precursors that have been less explored for low-temperature CVD of B—C films. Herein, we demonstrate plasma CVD of B—C thin films using triethylboron (TEB) as a single source precursor in an Ar plasma. We show that the film density and B/C ratio increases with increasing plasma power, reaching a density of 2.20 g/cm3 and B/C = 1.7. This is attributed to a more intense energetic bombardment during deposition and more complete dissociation of the TEB molecule in the plasma at higher plasma power. The hydrogen content in the films ranges between 14 and 20 at. %. Optical emission spectroscopy of the plasma shows that BH, CH, C2, and H are the optically active plasma species from TEB. We suggest a plasma chemical model based on β-hydrogen elimination of C2H4 to form BH3, in which BH3 and C2H4 are then dehydrogenated to form BH and C2H2. Furthermore, C2H2 decomposes in the plasma to produce C2 and CH, which together with BH and possibly BH3-x(C2H5)x are the film forming species.

Complementary use of ion beam elastic backscattering and recoil detection analysis for the precise determination of the composition of thin films made of light elements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Climent-Font, A.; Cervera, M.; Hernández, M. J.; Muñoz-Martín, A.; Piqueras, J.

2008-04-01

Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) is a well known powerful technique to obtain depth profiles of the constituent elements in a thin film deposited on a substrate made of lighter elements. In its standard use the probing beam is typically 2 MeV He. Its capabilities to obtain precise composition profiles are severely diminished when the overlaying film is made of elements lighter than the substrate. In this situation the analysis of the energy of the recoiled element from the sample in the elastic scattering event, the ERDA technique may be advantageous. For the detection of light elements it is also possible to use beams at specific energies producing elastic resonances with these light elements to be analyzed, with a much higher scattering cross sections than the Rutherford values. This technique may be called non-RBS. In this work we report on the complementary use of ERDA with a 30 MeV Cl beam and non-RBS with 1756 keV H ions to characterize thin films made of boron, carbon and nitrogen (BCN) deposited on Si substrates.

Extraction of Boron Nitride Nanotubes and Fabrication of Macroscopic Articles Using Chlorosulfonic Acid.

PubMed

Adnan, Mohammed; Marincel, Daniel M; Kleinerman, Olga; Chu, Sang-Hyon; Park, Cheol; Hocker, Samuel J A; Fay, Catharine; Arepalli, Sivaram; Talmon, Yeshayahu; Pasquali, Matteo

2018-03-14

Due to recent advances in high-throughput synthesis, research on boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) is moving toward applications. One future goal is the assembly of macroscopic articles of high-aspect-ratio, pristine BNNTs. However, these articles are presently unattainable because of insufficient purification and fabrication methods. We introduce a solution process for extracting BNNTs from synthesis impurities without sonication or the use of surfactants and proceed to convert the extracted BNNTs into thin films. The solution process can also be used to convert as-synthesized material-which contains significant amounts of hexagonal boron nitride ( h-BN)-into mats and aerogels with controllable structure and dimension. The solution extraction method, combined with further advances in synthesis and purification, contributes to the development of all-BNNT macroscopic articles, such as fibers and 3-D structures.

Sensing Molecular Adsorption Through Interfacial Electron Scattering in Atom-Scale Junctions

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-10-15

Tulock, MA Shannon, JV Sweedler, PW Bohn: "Gateable nanofluidic interconnects for multilayered microfluidic separation systems" Anal. Chem. 75 (2003...1861-1867. (66) TC Kuo, DM Cannon, MA Shannon, PW Bohn, JV Sweedler: "Hybrid three- dimensional nanofluidic /microfluidic devices using molecular...boron doped ). The thin film electrodes were easily designed with lithographic techniques and allowed sealing of a PDMS microfluidic channel (Figure

Characteristic Study of Boron Doped Carbon Nanowalls Films Deposited by Microwave Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition.

PubMed

Lu, Chunyuan; Dong, Qi; Tulugan, Kelimu; Park, Yeong Min; More, Mahendra A; Kim, Jaeho; Kim, Tae Gyu

2016-02-01

In this research, catalyst-free vertically aligned boron doped carbon nanowalls films were fabricated on silicon (100) substrates by MPECVD using feeding gases CH4, H2 and B2H6 (diluted with H2 to 5% vol) as precursors. The substrates were pre-seeded with nanodiamond colloid. The fabricated CNWs films were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Raman Spectroscopy. The data obtained from SEM confirms that the CNWs films have different density and wall thickness. From Raman spectrum, a G peak around 1588 cm(-1) and a D band peak at 1362 cm(-1) were observed, which indicates a successful fabrication of CNWs films. The EDX spectrum of boron doped CNWs film shows the existence of boron and carbon. Furthermore, field emission properties of boron doped carbon nanowalls films were measured and field enhancement factor was calculated using Fowler-Nordheim plot. The result indicates that boron doped CNWs films could be potential electron emitting materials.

Characterization and manipulation of individual defects in insulating hexagonal boron nitride using scanning tunnelling microscopy.

PubMed

Wong, Dillon; Velasco, Jairo; Ju, Long; Lee, Juwon; Kahn, Salman; Tsai, Hsin-Zon; Germany, Chad; Taniguchi, Takashi; Watanabe, Kenji; Zettl, Alex; Wang, Feng; Crommie, Michael F

2015-11-01

Defects play a key role in determining the properties and technological applications of nanoscale materials and, because they tend to be highly localized, characterizing them at the single-defect level is of particular importance. Scanning tunnelling microscopy has long been used to image the electronic structure of individual point defects in conductors, semiconductors and ultrathin films, but such single-defect electronic characterization remains an elusive goal for intrinsic bulk insulators. Here, we show that individual native defects in an intrinsic bulk hexagonal boron nitride insulator can be characterized and manipulated using a scanning tunnelling microscope. This would typically be impossible due to the lack of a conducting drain path for electrical current. We overcome this problem by using a graphene/boron nitride heterostructure, which exploits the atomically thin nature of graphene to allow the visualization of defect phenomena in the underlying bulk boron nitride. We observe three different defect structures that we attribute to defects within the bulk insulating boron nitride. Using scanning tunnelling spectroscopy we obtain charge and energy-level information for these boron nitride defect structures. We also show that it is possible to manipulate the defects through voltage pulses applied to the scanning tunnelling microscope tip.

pH- and sugar-sensitive multilayer films composed of phenylboronic acid (PBA)-modified poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PBA-PAH) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA): A significant effect of PBA content on the film stability.

PubMed

Seno, Masaru; Yoshida, Kentaro; Sato, Katsuhiko; Anzai, Jun-ichi

2016-05-01

Multilayer thin films composed of phenylboronic acid (PBA)-modified poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH), PBA-PAH, with different PBA contents were prepared to study the effect of PBA content on the stability of the films. An alternate deposition of PBA-PAH and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) on the surface of a quartz slide afforded multilayer films through forming boronate ester bonds between PBA-PAH and PVA. The 10-layered (PBA-PAH/PVA)10 films constructed using PBA-PAHs containing 16% and 26% PBA residues were stable in aqueous solutions over the range of pH 4.0-10.0, whereas the multilayer films composed of PBA-PAHs with 5.9% and 8.3% PBA decomposed at pH 8.0 or lower. The pH-sensitive decomposition of the films was rationalized based on the destabilization of the boronate ester bonds in neutral and acidic solutions. In addition, the (PBA-PAH/PVA)10 films decomposed in glucose and fructose solutions as a result of competitive binding of sugars to PBA-PAH in the films. The sugar response of the films depended on the PBA content in PBA-PAH. The (PBA-PAH/PVA)10 films consisting of 16% and 26% PBA-substituted PBA-PAHs are sensitive to physiological relevant level of glucose at pH7.4 while stable in glucose-free solution, suggesting a potential use of the films in constructing glucose-induced delivery systems. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Structure, Electronic Properties, and Electrochemical Behavior of a Boron-Doped Diamond/Quartz Optically Transparent Electrode.

PubMed

Wächter, Naihara; Munson, Catherine; Jarošová, Romana; Berkun, Isil; Hogan, Timothy; Rocha-Filho, Romeu C; Swain, Greg M

2016-10-26

The morphology, microstructure, chemistry, electronic properties, and electrochemical behavior of a boron-doped nanocrystalline diamond (BDD) thin film grown on quartz were evaluated. Diamond optically transparent electrodes (OTEs) are useful for transmission spectroelectrochemical measurements, offering excellent stability during anodic and cathodic polarization and exposure to a variety of chemical environments. We report on the characterization of a BDD OTE by atomic force microscopy, optical spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopic mapping, alternating-current Hall effect measurements, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and electrochemical methods. The results reported herein provide the first comprehensive study of the relationship between the physical and chemical structure and electronic properties of a diamond OTE and the electrode's electrochemical activity.

Improvements in the Formation of Boron-Doped Diamond Coatings on Platinum Wires Using the Novel Nucleation Process (NNP)

PubMed Central

Fhaner, Mathew; Zhao, Hong; Bian, Xiaochun; Galligan, James J.; Swain, Greg M.

2010-01-01

In order to increase the initial nucleation density for the growth of boron-doped diamond on platinum wires, we employed the novel nucleation process (NNP) originally developed by Rotter et al. and discussed by others [1–3]. This pretreatment method involves (i) the initial formation of a thin carbon layer over the substrate followed by (ii) ultrasonic seeding of this “soft” carbon layer with nanoscale particles of diamond. This two-step pretreatment is followed by the deposition of boron-doped diamond by microwave plasma-assisted CVD. Both the diamond seed particles and sites on the carbon layer itself function as the initial nucleation zones for diamond growth from an H2-rich source gas mixture. We report herein on the characterization of the pre-growth carbon layer formed on Pt as well as boron-doped films grown for 2, 4 and 6 h post NNP pretreatment. Results from scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy and electrochemical studies are reported. The NNP method increases the initial nucleation density on Pt and leads to the formation of a continuous diamond film in a shorter deposition time than is typical for wires pretreated by conventional ultrasonic seeding. The results indicate that the pregrowth layer itself consists of nanoscopic domains of diamond and functions well to enhance the initial nucleation of diamond without any diamond powder seeding. PMID:21617759

Deposition Of Cubic BN On Diamond Interlayers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ong, Tiong P.; Shing, Yuh-Han

1994-01-01

Thin films of polycrystalline, pure, cubic boron nitride (c-BN) formed on various substrates, according to proposal, by chemical vapor deposition onto interlayers of polycrystalline diamond. Substrate materials include metals, semiconductors, and insulators. Typical substrates include metal-cutting tools: polycrystalline c-BN coats advantageous for cutting ferrous materials and for use in highly oxidizing environments-applications in which diamond coats tend to dissolve in iron or be oxidized, respectively.

The influence of boron doping level on quality and stability of diamond film on Ti substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, J. J.; Li, Ch. M.; Gao, X. H.; Hei, L. F.; Lvun, F. X.

2012-07-01

In this study, we investigate the influence of boron doping level on film quality and stability of boron doped diamond (BDD) film deposited on titanium substrate (Ti/BDD) using microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition system. The results demonstrate that high boron concentration will improve the film conductivity, whereas the diamond film quality and adhesion are deteriorated obviously. The increase of total internal stress in the film and the variation of components within the interlayer will weaken the coating adhesion. According to the analysis of electrode inactivation mechanism, high boron doping level will be harmful to the electrode stability in the view of diamond quality and adhesion deterioration. In this study, 5000 ppm B/C ratio in the reaction gas is optimized for Ti/BDD electrode preparation.

Boron nitride - Composition, optical properties, and mechanical behavior

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pouch, John J.; Alterovitz, Samuel A.; Miyoshi, Kazuhisa; Warner, Joseph D.

1987-01-01

A low energy ion beam deposition technique was used to grow boron nitride films on quartz, germanium, silicon, gallium arsenide, and indium phosphate. The film structure was amorphous with evidence of a hexagonal phase. The peak boron concentration was 82 at. percent. The carbon and oxygen impurities were in the 5 to 8 at. percent range. Boron-nitrogen and boron-boron bonds were revealed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The index of refraction varied from 1.65 to 1.67 for films deposited on III-V compound semiconductors. The coefficient of friction for boron nitride in sliding contact with diamond was less than 0.1. The substrate was silicon.

Boron nitride: Composition, optical properties and mechanical behavior

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pouch, John J.; Alterovitz, Samuel A.; Miyoshi, Kazuhisa; Warner, Joseph D.

1987-01-01

A low energy ion beam deposition technique was used to grow boron nitride films on quartz, germanium, silicon, gallium arsenide, and indium phosphate. The film structure was amorphous with evidence of a hexagonal phase. The peak boron concentration was 82 at %. The carbon and oxygen impurities were in the 5 to 8 at % range. Boron-nitrogen and boron-boron bonds were revealed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The index of refraction varied from 1.65 to 1.67 for films deposited on III-V compound semiconductors. The coefficient of friction for boron nitride in sliding contact with diamond was less than 0.1. The substrate was silicon.

Boron-Doped Nanocrystalline Diamond Electrodes for Neural Interfaces: In vivo Biocompatibility Evaluation

PubMed Central

Alcaide, María; Taylor, Andrew; Fjorback, Morten; Zachar, Vladimir; Pennisi, Cristian P.

2016-01-01

Boron-doped nanocrystalline diamond (BDD) electrodes have recently attracted attention as materials for neural electrodes due to their superior physical and electrochemical properties, however their biocompatibility remains largely unexplored. In this work, we aim to investigate the in vivo biocompatibility of BDD electrodes in relation to conventional titanium nitride (TiN) electrodes using a rat subcutaneous implantation model. High quality BDD films were synthesized on electrodes intended for use as an implantable neurostimulation device. After implantation for 2 and 4 weeks, tissue sections adjacent to the electrodes were obtained for histological analysis. Both types of implants were contained in a thin fibrous encapsulation layer, the thickness of which decreased with time. Although the level of neovascularization around the implants was similar, BDD electrodes elicited significantly thinner fibrous capsules and a milder inflammatory reaction at both time points. These results suggest that BDD films may constitute an appropriate material to support stable performance of implantable neural electrodes over time. PMID:27013949

A study on the formation of solid state nanoscale materials using polyhedral borane compounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romero, Jennifer V.

The formation of boron containing materials using a variety of methods was explored. The pyrolysis of a metal boride precursor solution can be accomplished using a one-source method by combining TiCl4, B10H 14 and CH3CN in one reaction vessel and pyrolyzing it at temperatures above 900 °C. Amorphous dark blue colored films were obtained after the pyrolysis reactions. Well-defined spherical shaped grains or particles were observed by SEM. The amorphous films generated contained titanium, however, the determination of the boron content of the films was inconclusive. This one pot method making metal boride thin films has the advantage of being able to dictate the stoichiometry of the reactants. Another part of this work represents the first report of both the use of metal boride materials and the use of a titanium-based compound for the formation of nanotubes. This method provides a facile method for generating well-formed boron-containing carbon nanotubes in a "one-pot" process through an efficient aerosol process. The formation of metal boride corrosion resistant layers was also explored. It was shown that metallic substrates can be effectively boronized using paste mixtures containing boron carbide and borax. The formation of a Fe4B 2 iron boride phase was achieved, however, this iron boride phase does not give enough corrosion protection. The formation of a corrosion resistant metal boride coating with strong adhesion was accomplished by boronization of a thermal sprayed nickel layer on the surface of steel. Surfactants were explored as possible nanoreactors in which metal boride nanoparticles could be formed to use as nanotube growth catalyst via room temperature reaction. Different surfactants were used, but none of them successfully generated very well dispersed metal boride nanoparticles. Nanoparticles with varying shapes and sizes were generated which were highly amorphous. The carboxylic acid derivative of closo-C2B 10 cages was explored as a ligand in the hydrothermal preparation of coordination polymers with zinc salts. It was found that the stability of the cage is apparently insufficient under these conditions and cage degradation was observed. Consequently, a preliminary investigation of the preparation of dipyridyl derivatives of both the closo-C2B 10 and the closo-B12 cages was performed.

Preparation of TiO2/boron-doped diamond/Ta multilayer films and use as electrode materials for supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Chao; Li, Hongji; Li, Cuiping; Li, Mingji; Qu, Changqing; Yang, Baohe

2015-12-01

We report nanostructured TiO2/boron-doped diamond (BDD)/Ta multilayer films and their electrochemical performances as supercapacitor electrodes. The BDD films were grown on Ta substrates using electron-assisted hot filament chemical vapor deposition. Ti metal layers were deposited on the BDD surfaces by radio frequency magnetron sputtering, and nanostructured TiO2/BDD/Ta thin films were prepared by electrochemical etching and thermal annealing. The successful formation of TiO2 and Ta layered nanostructures was demonstrated using scanning electron and transmission electron microscopies. The electrochemical responses of these electrodes were evaluated by examining their use as electrical double-layer capacitors, using cyclic voltammetry, and galvanostatic charge/discharge and impedance measurements. When the TiO2/BDD/Ta film was used as the working electrode with 0.1 M Na2SO4 as the electrolyte, the capacitor had a specific capacitance of 5.23 mF cm-2 at a scan rate of 5 mV s-1 for a B/C ratio of 0.1% w/w. Furthermore, the TiO2/BDD/Ta film had improved electrochemical stability, with a retention of 89.3% after 500 cycles. This electrochemical behavior is attributed to the quality of the BDD, the surface roughness and electrocatalytic activities of the TiO2 layer and Ta nanoporous structures, and the synergies between them. These results show that TiO2/BDD/Ta films are promising as capacitor electrodes for special applications.

Global modeling of wall material migration following boronization in NSTX-U

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nichols, J. H.; Jaworski, M. A.; Skinner, C. H.; Bedoya, F.; Scotti, F.; Soukhanovskii, V. A.; Schmid, K.

2017-10-01

NSTX-U operated in 2016 with graphite plasma facing components, periodically conditioned with boron to improve plasma performance. Following each boronization, spectroscopic diagnostics generally observed a decrease in oxygen influx from the walls, and an in-vacuo material probe (MAPP) observed a corresponding decrease in surface oxygen concentration at the lower divertor. However, oxygen levels tended to return to a pre-boronization state following repeated plasma exposure. This behavior is interpretively modeled using the WallDYN mixed-material migration code, which couples local erosion and deposition processes with plasma impurity transport in a non-iterative, self-consistent manner that maintains overall material balance. A spatially inhomogenous model of the thin films produced by the boronization process is presented. Plasma backgrounds representative of NSTX-U conditions are reconstructed from a combination of NSTX-U and NSTX datasets. Low-power NSTX-U fiducial discharges, which led to less apparent surface degradation than normal operations, are also modeled with WallDYN. Likely mechanisms driving the observed evolution of surface oxygen are examined, as well as remaining discrepancies between model and experiment and potential improvements to the model. Work supported by US DOE contract DE-AC02-09CH11466.

2-(2-Hydroxyphenyl)benzimidazole-based four-coordinate boron-containing materials with highly efficient deep-blue photoluminescence and electroluminescence.

PubMed

Zhang, Zhenyu; Zhang, Houyu; Jiao, Chuanjun; Ye, Kaiqi; Zhang, Hongyu; Zhang, Jingying; Wang, Yue

2015-03-16

Two novel four-coordinate boron-containing emitters 1 and 2 with deep-blue emissions were synthesized by refluxing a 2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)benzimidazole ligand with triphenylborane or bromodibenzoborole. The boron chelation produced a new π-conjugated skeleton, which rendered the synthesized boron materials with intense fluorescence, good thermal stability, and high carrier mobility. Both compounds displayed deep-blue emissions in solutions with very high fluorescence quantum yields (over 0.70). More importantly, the samples showed identical fluorescence in the solution and solid states, and the efficiency was maintained at a high level (approximately 0.50) because of the bulky substituents between the boron atom and the benzimidazole unit, which can effectively separate the flat luminescent units. In addition, neat thin films composed of 1 or 2 exhibited high electron and hole mobility in the same order of magnitude 10(-4), as determined by time-of-flight. The fabricated electroluminescent devices that employed 1 or 2 as emitting materials showed high-performance deep-blue emissions with Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage (CIE) coordinates of (X = 0.15, Y = 0.09) and (X = 0.16, Y = 0.08), respectively. Thus, the synthesized boron-containing materials are ideal candidates for fabricating high-performance deep-blue organic light-emitting diodes.

Method of chemical vapor deposition of boron nitride using polymeric cyanoborane

DOEpatents

Maya, Leon

1994-01-01

Polymeric cyanoborane is volatilized, decomposed by thermal or microwave plasma energy, and deposited on a substrate as an amorphous film containing boron, nitrogen and carbon. Residual carbon present in the film is removed by ammonia treatment at an increased temperature, producing an adherent, essentially stoichiometric boron nitride film.

Effect of nitrogen on the growth of boron doped single crystal diamond

DOE PAGES

Karna, Sunil; Vohra, Yogesh

2013-11-18

Boron-doped single crystal diamond films were grown homoepitaxially on synthetic (100) Type Ib diamond substrates using microwave plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition. A modification in surface morphology of the film with increasing boron concentration in the plasma has been observed using atomic force microscopy. Use of nitrogen during boron doping has been found to improve the surface morphology and the growth rate of films but it lowers the electrical conductivity of the film. The Raman spectra indicated a zone center optical phonon mode along with a few additional bands at the lower wavenumber regions. The change in the peak profilemore » of the zone center optical phonon mode and its downshift were observed with the increasing boron content in the film. Furthermore, sharpening and upshift of Raman line was observed in the film that was grown in presence of nitrogen along with diborane in process gas.« less

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

Velázquez, Daniel; Seibert, Rachel; Spentzouris, Linda

We report on the growth of 1–10 ML films of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), also known as white graphene, on fiber-oriented Ag buffer films on SrTiO{sub 3}(001) by pulsed laser deposition. The Ag buffer films of 40 nm thickness were used as substitutes for expensive single crystal metallic substrates. In-situ, reflection high-energy electron diffraction was used to monitor the surface structure of the Ag films and to observe the formation of the characteristic h-BN diffraction pattern. Further evidence of the growth of h-BN was provided by attenuated total reflectance spectroscopy, which showed the characteristic h-BN peaks at ∼780 cm{sup −1} and 1367.4 cm{supmore » −1}. Ex-situ photoelectron spectroscopy showed that the surface of the h-BN films is stoichiometric. The physical structure of the films was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. The h-BN films grew as large, sub-millimeter sheets with nano- and micro-sheets scattered on the surface. The h-BN sheets can be exfoliated by the micromechanical adhesive tape method. Spectral analysis was performed by energy dispersive spectroscopy in order to identify the h-BN sheets after exfoliation. The use of thin film Ag allows for reduced use of Ag and makes it possible to adjust the surface morphology of the thin film prior to h-BN growth.« less

Dielectric studies of boron sub phthalocyanine chloride thin films by admittance spectroscopic techniques

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

Kalia, Sameer; Neerja; Mahajan, Aman, E-mail: dramanmahajan@yahoo.co.in

The dielectric properties of Boron Sub Phthalocyanine Chloride (Cl-SubPc) thermally deposited on ITO substrate have been studied using admittance spectroscopic techniques. The I-V and capacitance –frequency (C-F) studies at various bias voltages reveal that the mobility of charge carriers decrease with bias voltage, however the conduction phenomenon still remain hopping in nature. From the differential susceptance curve, the contribution of the Schottky barrier contact in the charge carrier concentration was found to be absent. The mobility of charge carriers have been determined using differential susceptance variation and from the phase of admittance curve. The values obtained in two cases havemore » been found to be in agreement with each other.« less

Method of chemical vapor deposition of boron nitride using polymeric cyanoborane

DOEpatents

Maya, L.

1994-06-14

Polymeric cyanoborane is volatilized, decomposed by thermal or microwave plasma energy, and deposited on a substrate as an amorphous film containing boron, nitrogen and carbon. Residual carbon present in the film is removed by ammonia treatment at an increased temperature, producing an adherent, essentially stoichiometric boron nitride film. 11 figs.

Optimal design of high temperature metalized thin-film polymer capacitors: A combined numerical and experimental method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhuo; Li, Qi; Trinh, Wei; Lu, Qianli; Cho, Heejin; Wang, Qing; Chen, Lei

2017-07-01

The objective of this paper is to design and optimize the high temperature metalized thin-film polymer capacitor by a combined computational and experimental method. A finite-element based thermal model is developed to incorporate Joule heating and anisotropic heat conduction arising from anisotropic geometric structures of the capacitor. The anisotropic thermal conductivity and temperature dependent electrical conductivity required by the thermal model are measured from the experiments. The polymer represented by thermally crosslinking benzocyclobutene (BCB) in the presence of boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs) is selected for high temperature capacitor design based on the results of highest internal temperature (HIT) and the time to achieve thermal equilibrium. The c-BCB/BNNS-based capacitor aiming at the operating temperature of 250 °C is geometrically optimized with respect to its shape and volume. "Safe line" plot is also presented to reveal the influence of the cooling strength on capacitor geometry design.

STIR: Novel Electronic States by Gating Strongly Correlated Materials

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-03-01

plan built on my group’s recent demonstration of electrolyte gating in Strontium Titanate, using an atomically thin hexagonal Boron Nitride barrier to...demonstration of electrolyte gating in Strontium Titanate, using an atomically thin hexagonal Boron Nitride barrier to prevent disorder and chemical...techniques and learned to apply thin hexagonal Boron Nitride to single crystals of materials expected to show some of the most exciting correlated

Deposition of boron doped DLC films on TiNb and characterization of their mechanical properties and blood compatibility

PubMed Central

Liza, Shahira; Hieda, Junko; Akasaka, Hiroki; Ohtake, Naoto; Tsutsumi, Yusuke; Nagai, Akiko; Hanawa, Takao

2017-01-01

Abstract Diamond-like carbon (DLC) material is used in blood contacting devices as the surface coating material because of the antithrombogenicity behavior which helps to inhibit platelet adhesion and activation. In this study, DLC films were doped with boron during pulsed plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD) to improve the blood compatibility. The ratio of boron to carbon (B/C) was varied from 0 to 0.4 in the film by adjusting the flow rate of trimethylboron and acetylene. Tribological tests indicated that boron doping with a low B/C ratio of 0.03 is beneficial for reducing friction (μ = 0.1), lowering hardness and slightly increasing wear rate compared to undoped DLC films. The B/C ratio in the film of 0.03 and 0.4 exhibited highly hydrophilic surface owing to their high wettability and high surface energy. An in vitro platelet adhesion experiment was conducted to compare the blood compatibility of TiNb substrates before and after coating with undoped and boron doped DLC. Films with highly hydrophilic surface enhanced the blood compatibility of TiNb, and the best results were obtained for DLC with the B/C ratio of 0.03. Boron doped DLC films are promising surface coatings for blood contacting devices. PMID:28179961

Surface Chemistry, Microstructure, and Tribological Properties of Cubic Boron Nitride Films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Watanabe, Shuichi; Wheeler, Donald R.; Abel, Phillip B.; Street, Kenneth W.; Miyoshi, Kazuhisa; Murakawa, Masao; Miyake, Shojiro

1998-01-01

This report deals with the surface chemistry, microstructure, bonding state, morphology, and friction and wear properties of cubic boron nitride (c-BN) films that were synthesized by magnetically enhanced plasma ion plating. Several analytical techniques - x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and electron diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and surface profilometry - were used to characterize the films. Sliding friction experiments using a ball-on-disk configuration were conducted for the c-BN films in sliding contact with 440C stainless-steel balls at room temperature in ultrahigh vacuum (pressure, 10(exp -6), in ambient air, and under water lubrication. Results indicate that the boron-to-nitrogen ratio on the surface of the as-deposited c-BN film is greater than 1 and that not all the boron is present as boron nitride but a small percentage is present as an oxide. Both in air and under water lubrication, the c-BN film in sliding contact with steel showed a low wear rate, whereas a high wear rate was observed in vacuum. In air and under water lubrication, c-BN exhibited wear resistance superior to that of amorphous boron nitride, titanium nitride, and titanium carbide.

Boron-doped few-walled carbon nanotubes: novel synthesis and properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Preston, Colin; Song, Da; Taillon, Josh; Cumings, John; Hu, Liangbing

2016-11-01

Few-walled carbon nanotubes offer a unique marriage of graphitic quality and robustness to ink-processing; however, doping procedures that may alter the band structure of these few-walled nanotubes are still lacking. This report introduces a novel solution-injected chemical vapor deposition growth process to fabricate the first boron-doped few-walled carbon nanotubes (B-FWNTs) reported in literature, which may have extensive applications in battery devices. A comprehensive characterization of the as-grown B-FWNTs confirms successful boron substitution in the graphitic lattice, and reveals varying growth parameters impact the structural properties of B-FWNT yield. An investigation into the optimal growth purification parameters and ink-making procedures was also conducted. This study introduces the first process technique to successfully grow intrinsically p-doped FWNTs, and provides the first investigation into the impact factors of the growth parameters, purification steps, and ink-making processes on the structural properties of the B-FWNTs and the electrical properties of the resulting spray-coated thin-film electrodes.

Superhigh moduli and tension-induced phase transition of monolayer gamma-boron at finite temperatures.

PubMed

Zhao, Junhua; Yang, Zhaoyao; Wei, Ning; Kou, Liangzhi

2016-03-16

Two dimensional (2D) gamma-boron (γ-B28) thin films have been firstly reported by the experiments of the chemical vapor deposition in the latest study. However, their mechanical properties are still not clear. Here we predict the superhigh moduli (785 ± 42 GPa at 300 K) and the tension-induced phase transition of monolayer γ-B28 along a zigzag direction for large deformations at finite temperatures using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The new phase can be kept stable after unloading process at these temperatures. The predicted mechanical properties are reasonable when compared with our results from density functional theory. This study provides physical insights into the origins of the new phase transition of monolayer γ-B28 at finite temperatures.

Growth of boron doped hydrogenated nanocrystalline cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC) films by Hot Wire-CVD

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

Pawbake, Amit; Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Colaba, Mumbai 400 005; Mayabadi, Azam

Highlights: • Boron doped nc-3C-SiC films prepared by HW-CVD using SiH{sub 4}/CH{sub 4}/B{sub 2}H{sub 6}. • 3C-Si-C films have preferred orientation in (1 1 1) direction. • Introduction of boron into SiC matrix retard the crystallanity in the film structure. • Film large number of SiC nanocrystallites embedded in the a-Si matrix. • Band gap values, E{sub Tauc} and E{sub 04} (E{sub 04} > E{sub Tauc}) decreases with increase in B{sub 2}H{sub 6} flow rate. - Abstract: Boron doped nanocrystalline cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC) films have been prepared by HW-CVD using silane (SiH{sub 4})/methane (CH{sub 4})/diborane (B{sub 2}H{sub 6}) gasmore » mixture. The influence of boron doping on structural, optical, morphological and electrical properties have been investigated. The formation of 3C-SiC films have been confirmed by low angle XRD, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy and high resolution-transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) analysis whereas effective boron doping in nc-3C-SiC have been confirmed by conductivity, charge carrier activation energy, and Hall measurements. Raman spectroscopy and HR-TEM analysis revealed that introduction of boron into the SiC matrix retards the crystallanity in the film structure. The field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and non contact atomic force microscopy (NC-AFM) results signify that 3C-SiC film contain well resolved, large number of silicon carbide (SiC) nanocrystallites embedded in the a-Si matrix having rms surface roughness ∼1.64 nm. Hydrogen content in doped films are found smaller than that of un-doped films. Optical band gap values, E{sub Tauc} and E{sub 04} decreases with increase in B{sub 2}H{sub 6} flow rate.« less

The Effects of Boron Doping on Residual Stress of Hfcvd Diamond Film for Mems Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Tianqi; Wang, Xinchang; Sun, Fanghong

In this study, the residual stress of boron-doped diamond (BDD) films is investigated as a function of boron doping level using X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Boron doping level is controlled from 1000ppm to 9000ppm by dissolving trimethyl borate into acetone. BDD films are deposited on silicon wafers using a bias-enhanced hot filament chemical vapor deposition (BE-HFCVD) system. Residual stress calculated by sin2 ψ method varies linearly from -2.4GPa to -1.1GPa with increasing boron doping level. On the BDD film of -1.75GPa, free standing BDD cantilevers are fabricated by photolithography and ICP-RIE processes, then tested by laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV). A cantilever with resonant frequency of 183KHz and Q factor of 261 in the air is fabricated.

Novel Crystal Structure C60 Nanowire

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mickelson, William; Aloni, Shaul; Han, Weiqiang; Cumings, John; Zettl, Alex

2003-03-01

We have created insulated C60 nanowire by packing C60 molecules into the interior of insulating boron nitride (BN) nanotubes. For small-diameter BN tubes, the wire consists of a linear chain of C60's. With increasing BN tube inner diameter, novel C60 stacking configurations are obtained (including helical, hollow core, and incommensurate) which are unknown for bulk or thin film forms of C60. C60 in BN nanotubes presents a model system for studying the properties of new dimensionally-constrained "silo" crystal structures.

Stable Graphene-Two-Dimensional Multiphase Perovskite Heterostructure Phototransistors with High Gain.

PubMed

Shao, Yuchuan; Liu, Ye; Chen, Xiaolong; Chen, Chen; Sarpkaya, Ibrahim; Chen, Zhaolai; Fang, Yanjun; Kong, Jaemin; Watanabe, Kenji; Taniguchi, Takashi; Taylor, André; Huang, Jinsong; Xia, Fengnian

2017-12-13

Recently, two-dimensional (2D) organic-inorganic perovskites emerged as an alternative material for their three-dimensional (3D) counterparts in photovoltaic applications with improved moisture resistance. Here, we report a stable, high-gain phototransistor consisting of a monolayer graphene on hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) covered by a 2D multiphase perovskite heterostructure, which was realized using a newly developed two-step ligand exchange method. In this phototransistor, the multiple phases with varying bandgap in 2D perovskite thin films are aligned for the efficient electron-hole pair separation, leading to a high responsivity of ∼10 5 A W -1 at 532 nm. Moreover, the designed phase alignment method aggregates more hydrophobic butylammonium cations close to the upper surface of the 2D perovskite thin film, preventing the permeation of moisture and enhancing the device stability dramatically. In addition, faster photoresponse and smaller 1/f noise observed in the 2D perovskite phototransistors indicate a smaller density of deep hole traps in the 2D perovskite thin film compared with their 3D counterparts. These desirable properties not only improve the performance of the phototransistor, but also provide a new direction for the future enhancement of the efficiency of 2D perovskite photovoltaics.

The preparation and application of white graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Chenghong

2014-12-01

In this article, another thin film named white graphene is introduced, containing its properties, preparation and potential applications. White graphene, which has the same structure with graphene but quite different electrical properties, can be exfoliated from its layered crystal, hexagonal boron nitride. Here two preparation methods of white graphene including supersonic cleavage and supercritical cleavage are presented. Inspired by the cleavage of graphene oxide, supersonic is applied to BN and few-layered films are obtained. Compared with supersonic cleavage, supercritical cleavage proves to be more successful. As supercritical fluid can diffuse into interlayer space of the layered hexagonal boron nitride easily, once reduce the pressure of the supercritical system fast, supercritical fluid among layers expands and escapes form interlayer, consequently exfoliating the hexagonal boron nitride into few layered structure. A series of characterization demonstrate that the monolayer white graphene prepared in the process matches its theoretical thickness 0.333nm and has lateral sizes at the order of 10μm. Supercritical cleavage proves to be successful and shows many advantages, such as good production quality and fast production cycle. Furthermore, the band energy of white graphene, which shows quite different from graphene, is simulated via tight-bonding in theory. The excellent properties will lead to extensive applications of white graphene. As white graphene has not received enough concern and exploration, it's potential to play a significant role in the fields of industry and science.

Boron Nitride Nanoporous Membranes with High Surface Charge by Atomic Layer Deposition.

PubMed

Weber, Matthieu; Koonkaew, Boonprakrong; Balme, Sebastien; Utke, Ivo; Picaud, Fabien; Iatsunskyi, Igor; Coy, Emerson; Miele, Philippe; Bechelany, Mikhael

2017-05-17

In this work, we report the design and the fine-tuning of boron nitride single nanopore and nanoporous membranes by atomic layer deposition (ALD). First, we developed an ALD process based on the use of BBr 3 and NH 3 as precursors in order to synthesize BN thin films. The deposited films were characterized in terms of thickness, composition, and microstructure. Next, we used the newly developed process to grow BN films on anodic aluminum oxide nanoporous templates, demonstrating the conformality benefit of BN prepared by ALD, and its scalability for the manufacturing of membranes. For the first time, the ALD process was then used to tune the diameter of fabricated single transmembrane nanopores by adjusting the BN thickness and to enable studies of the fundamental aspects of ionic transport on a single nanopore. At pH = 7, we estimated a surface charge density of 0.16 C·m -2 without slip and 0.07 C·m -2 considering a reasonable slip length of 3 nm. Molecular dynamics simulations performed with experimental conditions confirmed the conductivities and the sign of surface charges measured. The high ion transport results obtained and the ability to fine-tune nanoporous membranes by such a scalable method pave the way toward applications such as ionic separation, energy harvesting, and ultrafiltration devices.

Effects of boron implantation on silicon dioxide passivated HgCdTe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bowman, R. C., Jr.; Marks, J.; Knudsen, J. F.; Downing, R. G.; To, G. A.

The influence of boron ion implants on the optical and physical properties of photochemically deposited SiO2 films on Hg(O.7)Cd(O.3)Te and silicon has been investigated. The distributions of the boron atoms between the SiO2 film and substrate have been determined by a non-destructive neutron depth profiling method. The implants produce an apparent densification of the SiO2 films, which is accompanied by an increase in refractive index and changes in the infrared vibrational spectra for these films.

Design of Inorganic Water Repellent Coatings for Thermal Protection Insulation on an Aerospace Vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fuerstenau, D. W.; Ravikumar, R.

1997-01-01

In this report, thin film deposition of one of the model candidate materials for use as water repellent coating on the thermal protection systems (TPS) of an aerospace vehicle was investigated. The material tested was boron nitride (BN), the water-repellent properties of which was detailed in our other investigation. Two different methods, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and pulsed laser deposition (PLD), were used to prepare the BN films on a fused quartz substrate (one of the components of thermal protection systems on aerospace vehicles). The deposited films were characterized by a variety of techniques including X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The BN films were observed to be amorphous in nature, and a CVD-deposited film yielded a contact angle of 60 degrees with water, similar to the pellet BN samples investigated previously. This demonstrates that it is possible to use the bulk sample wetting properties as a guideline to determine the candidate waterproofing material for the TPS.

Study of a new type anode of OLED by MIC poly-Si

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yang; Meng, Zhiguo; Wu, Chunya; Man, Wong; Hoi, Kwok Sing; Xiong, Shaozhen

2007-11-01

In this paper, a boron-doped poly-Si crystallized by solution-based metal induced (S-MIC) as the anode of organic light emitting diode (OLED) was studied. The semi-transparent and semi-reflective anode of OLED systemized with the high reflectivity of Al cathode could form a micro-cavity structure with a low Q to improve the efficiency. The maximum luminance efficiency of red OLED made by Alq3: DCJTB (1.5wt %)( 30nm) with the poly-Si anode is 2.66cd/A, higher than that of the OLED with the ITO anodes by 30%. In order to improve the device performance, some key to optimize the character of MIC poly-Si thin film are analyzed theoretically. A new kind of TFT/OLED coupling structure in AMOLED was proposed, in which the pixel electrode of OLED was made by the same poly-Si thin film with its driver TFT's drain electrode. So that this coupling structure will simplify the AMOLED processes flow.

Probing nonlocal effects in metals with graphene plasmons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dias, Eduardo J. C.; Iranzo, David Alcaraz; Gonçalves, P. A. D.; Hajati, Yaser; Bludov, Yuliy V.; Jauho, Antti-Pekka; Mortensen, N. Asger; Koppens, Frank H. L.; Peres, N. M. R.

2018-06-01

In this paper, we analyze the effects of nonlocality on the optical properties of a system consisting of a thin metallic film separated from a graphene sheet by a hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) layer. We show that nonlocal effects in the metal have a strong impact on the spectrum of the surface plasmon-polaritons on graphene. If the graphene sheet is nanostructured into a periodic grating, we show that the resulting extinction curves can be used to shed light on the importance of nonlocal effects in metals. Therefore graphene surface plasmons emerge as a tool for probing nonlocal effects in metallic nanostructures, including thin metallic films. As a byproduct of our study, we show that nonlocal effects may lead to smaller losses for the graphene plasmons than what is predicted by a local calculation. Finally, we demonstrate that such nonlocal effects can be very well mimicked using a local theory with an effective spacer thickness larger than its actual value.

Long-term culture of pluripotent stem-cell-derived human neurons on diamond--A substrate for neurodegeneration research and therapy.

PubMed

Nistor, Paul A; May, Paul W; Tamagnini, Francesco; Randall, Andrew D; Caldwell, Maeve A

2015-08-01

Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI) currently represent a field of intense research aimed both at understanding neural circuit physiology and at providing functional therapy for traumatic or degenerative neurological conditions. Due to its chemical inertness, biocompatibility and stability, diamond is currently being actively investigated as a potential substrate material for culturing cells and for use as the electrically active component of a neural sensor. Here we provide a protocol for the differentiation of mature, electrically active neurons on microcrystalline synthetic thin-film diamond substrates starting from undifferentiated pluripotent stem cells. Furthermore, we investigate the optimal characteristics of the diamond microstructure for long-term neuronal sustainability. We also analyze the effect of boron as a dopant for such a culture. We found that the diamond crystalline structure has a significant influence on the neuronal culture unlike the boron doping. Specifically, small diamond microcrystals promote higher neurite density formation. We find that boron incorporated into the diamond does not influence the neurite density and has no deleterious effect on cell survival. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Preventing light-induced degradation in multicrystalline silicon

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

Lindroos, J., E-mail: jeanette.lindroos@aalto.fi; Boulfrad, Y.; Yli-Koski, M.

2014-04-21

Multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) is currently dominating the silicon solar cell market due to low ingot costs, but its efficiency is limited by transition metals, extended defects, and light-induced degradation (LID). LID is traditionally associated with a boron-oxygen complex, but the origin of the degradation in the top of the commercial mc-Si brick is revealed to be interstitial copper. We demonstrate that both a large negative corona charge and an aluminum oxide thin film with a built-in negative charge decrease the interstitial copper concentration in the bulk, preventing LID in mc-Si.

Preventing light-induced degradation in multicrystalline silicon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindroos, J.; Boulfrad, Y.; Yli-Koski, M.; Savin, H.

2014-04-01

Multicrystalline silicon (mc-Si) is currently dominating the silicon solar cell market due to low ingot costs, but its efficiency is limited by transition metals, extended defects, and light-induced degradation (LID). LID is traditionally associated with a boron-oxygen complex, but the origin of the degradation in the top of the commercial mc-Si brick is revealed to be interstitial copper. We demonstrate that both a large negative corona charge and an aluminum oxide thin film with a built-in negative charge decrease the interstitial copper concentration in the bulk, preventing LID in mc-Si.

Influence of high energy electron irradiation on the characteristics of polysilicon thin film transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aleksandrova, P. V.; Gueorguiev, V. K.; Ivanov, Tz. E.; Kaschieva, S.

2006-08-01

The influence of high energy electron (23 MeV) irradiation on the electrical characteristics of p-channel polysilicon thin film transistors (PSTFTs) was studied. The channel 220 nm thick LPCVD (low pressure chemical vapor deposition) deposited polysilicon layer was phosphorus doped by ion implantation. A 45 nm thick, thermally grown, SiO2 layer served as gate dielectric. A self-alignment technology for boron doping of the source and drain regions was used. 200 nm thick polysilicon film was deposited as a gate electrode. The obtained p-channel PSTFTs were irradiated with different high energy electron doses. Leakage currents through the gate oxide and transfer characteristics of the transistors were measured. A software model describing the field enhancement and the non-uniform current distribution at textured polysilicon/oxide interface was developed. In order to assess the irradiation-stimulated changes of gate oxide parameters the gate oxide tunneling conduction and transistor characteristics were studied. At MeV dose of 6×1013 el/cm2, a negligible degradation of the transistor properties was found. A significant deterioration of the electrical properties of PSTFTs at MeV irradiation dose of 3×1014 el/cm2 was observed.

High quality boron carbon nitride/ZnO-nanorods p-n heterojunctions based on magnetron sputtered boron carbon nitride films

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

Qian, J. C.; Department of Engineering Physics, Polytechnique Montréal, Montreal, Quebec H3A 3A7; Jha, S. K., E-mail: skylec@gmail.com, E-mail: apwjzh@cityu.edu.hk

2014-11-10

Boron carbon nitride (BCN) films were synthesized on Si (100) and fused silica substrates by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering from a B{sub 4}C target in an Ar/N{sub 2} gas mixture. The BCN films were amorphous, and they exhibited an optical band gap of ∼1.0 eV and p-type conductivity. The BCN films were over-coated with ZnO nanorod arrays using hydrothermal synthesis to form BCN/ZnO-nanorods p-n heterojunctions, exhibiting a rectification ratio of 1500 at bias voltages of ±5 V.

Boron doped Si rich oxide/SiO{sub 2} and silicon rich nitride/SiN{sub x} bilayers on molybdenum-fused silica substrates for vertically structured Si quantum dot solar cells

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

Lin, Ziyun, E-mail: z.lin@unsw.edu.au; Wu, Lingfeng; Jia, Xuguang

2015-07-28

Vertically structured Si quantum dots (QDs) solar cells with molybdenum (Mo) interlayer on quartz substrates would overcome current crowding effects found in mesa-structured cells. This study investigates the compatibility between boron (B) doped Si QDs bilayers and Mo-fused silica substrate. Both Si/SiO{sub 2} and Si/SiN{sub x} based QDs bilayers were studied. The material compatibility under high temperature treatment was assessed by examining Si crystallinity, microstress, thin film adhesion, and Mo oxidation. It was observed that the presence of Mo interlayer enhanced the Si QDs size confinement, crystalline fraction, and QDs size uniformity. The use of B doping was preferred comparedmore » to phosphine (PH{sub 3}) doping studied previously in terms of better surface and interface properties by reducing oxidized spots on the film. Though crack formation due to thermal mismatch after annealing remained, methods to overcome this problem were proposed in this paper. Schematic diagram to fabricate full vertical structured Si QDs solar cells was also suggested.« less

Characterization of boron coated vitreous carbon foam for neutron detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lavelle, C. M.; Deacon, Ryan M.; Hussey, Daniel S.; Coplan, Michael; Clark, Charles W.

2013-11-01

Reticulated vitreous carbon (RVC) foams coated with 3-11 μm thick layers of boron carbide (B4C) are experimentally characterized for use as an active material for neutron detection. The potential advantage of this material over thin films is that it can be fabricated in any shape and its porous structure may enhance the emission surface area for ionizing charged particles following thermal neutron capture. A coated foam is also advantageous because the neutron-absorbing material is only on the surface, which is more efficient for α particle emission on a per captured neutron basis. Measurements of the B4C layer thickness of an RVC coated foam, and determination of its elemental composition, are performed using scanning electron microscopy. Neutron transmission measurements using neutron radiography are presented and α particle emission from the coated foam in response to a moderated 252Cf thermal neutron source is demonstrated.

Aqueously Dispersed Silver Nanoparticle-Decorated Boron Nitride Nanosheets for Reusable, Thermal Oxidation-Resistant Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) Devices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lin, Yi; Bunker, Christopher E.; Fernandos, K. A. Shiral; Connell, John W.

2012-01-01

The impurity-free aqueous dispersions of boron nitride nanosheets (BNNS) allowed the facile preparation of silver (Ag) nanoparticle-decorated BNNS by chemical reduction of an Ag salt with hydrazine in the presence of BNNS. The resultant Ag-BNNS nanohybrids remained dispersed in water, allowing convenient subsequent solution processing. By using substrate transfer techniques, Ag-BNNS nanohybrid thin film coatings on quartz substrates were prepared and evaluated as reusable surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) sensors that were robust against repeated solvent washing. In addition, because of the unique thermal oxidation-resistant properties of the BNNS, the sensor devices may be readily recycled by short-duration high temperature air oxidation to remove residual analyte molecules in repeated runs. The limiting factor associated with the thermal oxidation recycling process was the Ostwald ripening effect of Ag nanostructures.

Formation of polycrystalline MgB2 synthesized by powder in sealed tube method with different initial boron phase

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yudanto, Sigit Dwi; Imaduddin, Agung; Kurniawan, Budhy; Manaf, Azwar

2018-04-01

Magnesium diboride, MgB2 is a new high critical temperature superconductor that discovered in the beginning of the 21st century. The MgB2 has a simple crystal structure and a high critical temperature, which can be manufactured in several forms like thin films, tapes, wires including bulk in the large scale. For that reason, the MgB2 has good prospects for various applications in the field of electronic devices. In the current work, we have explored the synthesis of MgB2 polycrystalline using powder in a sealed tube method. Different initial boron phase for the synthesized of MgB2 polycrystalline were used. These were, in addition to magnesium powders, crystalline boron, amorphous boron and combination both of them were respectively fitted in the synthesis. The raw materials were mixed in a stoichiometric ratio of Mg: B=1:2, ground using agate mortar, packed into stainless steel SS304. The pack was then sintered at temperature of 800°C for 2 hours in air atmosphere. Phase formation of MgB2 polycrystalline in difference of initial boron phase was characterized using XRD and SEM. Referring to the diffraction pattern and microstructure observation, MgB2 polycrystalline was formed, and the formation was effective when using the crystalline Mg and fully amorphous B as the raw materials. The critical temperature of the specimen was evaluated by the cryogenic magnet. The transition temperature of the MgB2 specimen synthesized using crystalline magnesium and full amorphous boron is 42.678 K (ΔTc = 0.877 K).

Design of improved ceramic/polymeric composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seghi, Steven Monte

This thesis describes an optimized approach for fabrication of boron nitride matrix composites reinforced with carbon fibers. The boron nitride was introduced via liquid infiltration of borazine oligomer to obtain high density (rho ˜ 1.75g/cc) composites and d002 spacings of 3.35A, which afforded excellent hydrolytic stability. The friction and wear properties were explored using an inertial dynamometer for potential replacement of current C/C in aircraft brakes. One set of tested composites provided outstanding wear resistance, incurring nearly zero wear across the entire range tested. In contrast to C/C, the coefficient of friction (COF) was relatively stable with respect to energy level, varying only 0.2 to 0.3. The wear surface morphologies were examined and it was found that low volume BN composites wore by a mechanism similar to C/C. The wear rates were controlled by the formation of a friction film from the wear debris. In the case of BN composites, this film incurred wear via an abrasive and brittle fracture mechanism while C/C exhibited only abrasive wear. As the BN content increased, a film still formed from the debris but large particles of BN emerged that limited direct contact of the surfaces thus effectively eliminating abrasive wear so the underlying film wore via brittle fracture. The removed wear debris was easily reincorporated into the film, with the suspected aid of boron oxide, thus keeping the wear rates low. The last chapter deals with the design, fabrication, and evaluation of a new coupling agent for glass fiber/epoxy matrix composites. This interface consisted of a thin coating of activated carbon (ACI) with high surface area to take advantage of mechanical interlocking. Furthermore, the surface chemistry was modified to provide varying degrees of bonding to the resin. These ACI provided equivalent moduli when compared to similar composites using commercial coupling agents. Hygrothermal aging showed the basic surface chemistry ACI to be extremely resistant to mechanical property degradation. The ACI systems displayed two distinct failure modes, fiber/matrix fracture and fiber debonding, controlled by the interface strength and thus the surface chemistry. These different failure modes led to a damage evolution study via thermoelastic stress analysis.

Enhanced growth and osteogenic differentiation of human osteoblast-like cells on boron-doped nanocrystalline diamond thin films.

PubMed

Grausova, Lubica; Kromka, Alexander; Burdikova, Zuzana; Eckhardt, Adam; Rezek, Bohuslav; Vacik, Jiri; Haenen, Ken; Lisa, Vera; Bacakova, Lucie

2011-01-01

Intrinsic nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) films have been proven to be promising substrates for the adhesion, growth and osteogenic differentiation of bone-derived cells. To understand the role of various degrees of doping (semiconducting to metallic-like), the NCD films were deposited on silicon substrates by a microwave plasma-enhanced CVD process and their boron doping was achieved by adding trimethylboron to the CH(4):H(2) gas mixture, the B∶C ratio was 133, 1000 and 6700 ppm. The room temperature electrical resistivity of the films decreased from >10 MΩ (undoped films) to 55 kΩ, 0.6 kΩ, and 0.3 kΩ (doped films with 133, 1000 and 6700 ppm of B, respectively). The increase in the number of human osteoblast-like MG 63 cells in 7-day-old cultures on NCD films was most apparent on the NCD films doped with 133 and 1000 ppm of B (153,000 ± 14,000 and 152,000 ± 10,000 cells/cm(2), respectively, compared to 113,000 ± 10,000 cells/cm(2) on undoped NCD films). As measured by ELISA per mg of total protein, the cells on NCD with 133 and 1000 ppm of B also contained the highest concentrations of collagen I and alkaline phosphatase, respectively. On the NCD films with 6700 ppm of B, the cells contained the highest concentration of focal adhesion protein vinculin, and the highest amount of collagen I was adsorbed. The concentration of osteocalcin also increased with increasing level of B doping. The cell viability on all tested NCD films was almost 100%. Measurements of the concentration of ICAM-1, i.e. an immunoglobuline adhesion molecule binding inflammatory cells, suggested that the cells on the NCD films did not undergo significant immune activation. Thus, the potential of NCD films for bone tissue regeneration can be further enhanced and tailored by B doping and that B doping up to metallic-like levels is not detrimental for cells.

Enhanced Growth and Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Osteoblast-Like Cells on Boron-Doped Nanocrystalline Diamond Thin Films

PubMed Central

Grausova, Lubica; Kromka, Alexander; Burdikova, Zuzana; Eckhardt, Adam; Rezek, Bohuslav; Vacik, Jiri; Haenen, Ken; Lisa, Vera; Bacakova, Lucie

2011-01-01

Intrinsic nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) films have been proven to be promising substrates for the adhesion, growth and osteogenic differentiation of bone-derived cells. To understand the role of various degrees of doping (semiconducting to metallic-like), the NCD films were deposited on silicon substrates by a microwave plasma-enhanced CVD process and their boron doping was achieved by adding trimethylboron to the CH4:H2 gas mixture, the B∶C ratio was 133, 1000 and 6700 ppm. The room temperature electrical resistivity of the films decreased from >10 MΩ (undoped films) to 55 kΩ, 0.6 kΩ, and 0.3 kΩ (doped films with 133, 1000 and 6700 ppm of B, respectively). The increase in the number of human osteoblast-like MG 63 cells in 7-day-old cultures on NCD films was most apparent on the NCD films doped with 133 and 1000 ppm of B (153,000±14,000 and 152,000±10,000 cells/cm2, respectively, compared to 113,000±10,000 cells/cm2 on undoped NCD films). As measured by ELISA per mg of total protein, the cells on NCD with 133 and 1000 ppm of B also contained the highest concentrations of collagen I and alkaline phosphatase, respectively. On the NCD films with 6700 ppm of B, the cells contained the highest concentration of focal adhesion protein vinculin, and the highest amount of collagen I was adsorbed. The concentration of osteocalcin also increased with increasing level of B doping. The cell viability on all tested NCD films was almost 100%. Measurements of the concentration of ICAM-1, i.e. an immunoglobuline adhesion molecule binding inflammatory cells, suggested that the cells on the NCD films did not undergo significant immune activation. Thus, the potential of NCD films for bone tissue regeneration can be further enhanced and tailored by B doping and that B doping up to metallic-like levels is not detrimental for cells. PMID:21695172

BODIPY star-shaped molecules as solid state colour converters for visible light communications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vithanage, D. A.; Manousiadis, P. P.; Sajjad, M. T.; Rajbhandari, S.; Chun, H.; Orofino, C.; Cortizo-Lacalle, D.; Kanibolotsky, A. L.; Faulkner, G.; Findlay, N. J.; O'Brien, D. C.; Skabara, P. J.; Samuel, I. D. W.; Turnbull, G. A.

2016-07-01

In this paper, we study a family of solid-state, organic semiconductors for visible light communications. The star-shaped molecules have a boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) core with a range of side arm lengths which control the photophysical properties. The molecules emit red light with photoluminescence quantum yields ranging from 22% to 56%. Thin films of the most promising BODIPY molecules were used as a red colour converter for visible light communications. The film enabled colour conversion with a modulation bandwidth of 73 MHz, which is 16 times higher than that of a typical phosphor used in LED lighting systems. A data rate of 370 Mbit/s was demonstrated using On-Off keying modulation in a free space link with a distance of ˜15 cm.

The Mechanical Properties of Energetically Deposited Non-Crystalline Carbon Thin Films

DOE PAGES

Kracica, M.; Kocer, C.; Lau, D.; ...

2015-11-05

The mechanical behaviour of carbon films prepared with a variety of densities and microstructures was investigated using nanoindentation. Deposition energies between 25 and 600 eV and temperatures in the range 25-600 °C were used. Films prepared at low temperatures and moderate energy were amorphous with a high density. Finite element methods were used to model the stress fields, reproduce the indentation behaviour and evaluate elastic properties. Young s moduli up to 670 GPa and a low Poisson s ratio of ~ 0.17 were found, comparable to polycrystalline cubic boron nitride, one of the hardest materials known. Films with the samemore » density did not always show the same behaviour, emphasising the role of microstructure in determining mechanical response. Extended graphite- like regions within the films grown at high energy and high temperature observed in transmission electron microscopy caused plastic deformation and failure to recover after a complete indentation cycle. At low deposition energies, the graphite-like regions were smaller in size causing plastic deformation but with complete recovery after indentation.« less

Investigation of thermally evaporated high resistive B-doped amorphous selenium alloy films and metal contact studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oner, Cihan; Nguyen, Khai V.; Pak, Rahmi O.; Mannan, Mohammad A.; Mandal, Krishna C.

2015-08-01

Amorphous selenium (a-Se) alloy materials with arsenic, chlorine, boron, and lithium doping were synthesized for room temperature nuclear radiation detector applications using an optimized alloy composition for enhanced charge transport properties. A multi-step synthetic process has been implemented to first synthesize Se-As and Se-Cl master alloys from zone-refined Se (~ 7N), and then synthesized the final alloys for thermally evaporated large-area thin-film deposition on oxidized aluminum (Al/Al2O3) and indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass substrates. Material purity, morphology, and compositional characteristics of the alloy materials and films were examined using glow discharge mass spectroscopy (GDMS), inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive analysis by x-rays (EDAX). Current-Voltage (I-V) measurements were carried out to confirm very high resistivity of the alloy thin-films. We have further investigated the junction properties of the alloy films with a wide variety of metals with different work functions (Au, Ni, W, Pd, Cu, Mo, In, and Sn). The aim was to investigate whether the choice of metal can improve the performance of fabricated detectors by minimizing the dark leakage current. For various metal contacts, we have found significant dependencies of metal work functions on current transients by applying voltages from -800 V to +1000 V.

Trade-offs of the opto-electrical properties of a-Si:H solar cells based on MOCVD BZO films.

PubMed

Chen, Ze; Zhang, Xiao-dan; Liang, Jun-hui; Fang, Jia; Liang, Xue-jiao; Sun, Jian; Zhang, De-kun; Chen, Xin-liang; Huang, Qian; Zhao, Ying

2015-01-07

Boron-doped zinc oxide (BZO) films, deposited by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), have been widely used as front electrodes in thin-film solar cells due to their native pyramidal surface structure, which results in efficient light trapping. This light trapping effect can enhance the short-circuit current density (Jsc) of solar cells. However, nanocracks or voids in the silicon active layer may form when the surface morphology of the BZO is too sharp; this usually leads to degraded electrical properties of the cells, such as open-circuit voltage (Voc) and the fill factor (FF), which in turn decreases efficiency (Eff) [Bailat et al., Photovoltaic Energy Conversion, Conference Record of the 2006 IEEE 4th World Conference on. IEEE, 2006, vol. 2, pp. 1533-1536]. In this paper, an etching and coating method was proposed to modify the sharp "pyramids" on the surface of the BZO films. As a result, an evident enhancement was achieved for these modified, BZO-based cells' Voc, FF, and Eff, although the Jsc exhibited a small decrease. In order to increase the Jsc and maintain the improved electrical properties (Voc, FF) of the cell, a thin BZO coating, deposited by MOCVD, was introduced to coat the sputtering-treated BZO film. Finally, we optimized the trade-off among the Voc, FF, and Jsc, that is, we identified a regime with an increase of the Jsc as well as a further improvement of the other electrical properties.

Characterizing the Sensitivity, Selectivity, and Reversibility of the Metal-Doped Phthalocyanine Thin-Films Used with the Interdigitated Gate Electrode Field-Effect Transistor (IGEFET) to Detect Organophosphorous Compounds and Nitrogen Dioxide

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-12-01

Susan, and my children , Abigail and Benjamin. Their love, patience, and support made the sacrifices bearable. ii Table of Contents Acknowledgements...63 e -72 -81 10 100 1000 10000 100000 1000000 Frequency (log scale) *Purge 01 a Challenge 02 (105 Porn Boron Trifluoride) ePurge #2 Figure C-85. Phase... porn Ammonia) * Purge #2 Figure D-85.Gatin versus Frequency Response of IGEFET Microsensor for it Series of Room Air Purges and Challenge Gas Exposures

Elucidating the resistance to failure under tribological tests of various boron-based films by XPS and ToF-SIMS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spadaro, F.; Rossi, A.; Lainé, E.; Woodward, P.; Spencer, N. D.

2017-12-01

Tribotests performed on boron-based thermal films have revealed higher mechanical durability and lower wear coefficients compared to results from tests performed on boron-free thermal films. In the current study, in order to follow and identify the tribochemical reactions taking place in the contact regions, post-characterization has been carried out on the steel ball and on the steel disc. The techniques adopted to achieve this goal were small-area X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and time-of-flight secondary-ion mass spectroscopy (ToF-SIMS). The contact areas have been investigated before and after failure of the thermal films, revealing thermal-film removal inside the wear track on the disc and the presence of a transfer film in the contact area on the steel ball following tribotesting. Furthermore, borate contributions in the deeper layers within the tribo-stressed area on the disc were revealed at the end of the tribotest. These procedures shed light on the tribomechanical and tribochemical reactions taking place in the contact region, on the ability of boron species to sustain tribological stress and provide mechanical stability, and on the mechanical-mixing processes occurring within the sliding contacts. The mass spectra collected before tribotesting on all thermal films suggest the presence of phosphate- and borate-containing structures.

Structure, Mechanics and Synthesis of Nanoscale Carbon and Boron Nitride

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rinaldo, Steven G.

This thesis is divided into two parts. In Part I, we examine the properties of thin sheets of carbon and boron nitride. We begin with an introduction to the theory of elastic sheets, where the stretching and bending modes are considered in detail. The coupling between stretching and bending modes is thought to play a crucial role in the thermodynamic stability of atomically-thin 2D sheets such as graphene. In Chapter 2, we begin by looking at the fabrication of suspended, atomically thin sheets of graphene. We then study their mechanical resonances which are read via an optical transduction technique. The frequency of the resonators was found to depend on their temperature, as was their quality factor. We conclude by offering some interpretations of the data in terms of the stretching and bending modes of graphene. In Chapter 3, we look briefly at the fabrication of thin sheets of carbon and boron nitride nanotubes. We examine the structure of the sheets using transmission and scanning electron microscopy (TEM and SEM, respectively). We then show a technique by which one can make sheets suspended over a trench with adjustable supports. Finally, DC measurements of the resistivity of the sheets in the temperature range 600 -- 1400 C are presented. In Chapter 4, we study the folding of few-layer graphene oxide, graphene and boron nitride into 3D aerogel monoliths. The properties of graphene oxide are first considered, after which the structure of graphene and boron nitride aerogels is examined using TEM and SEM. Some models for their structure are proposed. In Part II, we look at synthesis techniques for boron nitride (BN). In Chapter 5, we study the conversion of carbon structures of boron nitride via the application of carbothermal reduction of boron oxide followed by nitridation. We apply the conversion to a wide variety of morphologies, including aerogels, carbon fibers and nanotubes, and highly oriented pyrolytic graphite. In the latter chapters, we look at the formation of boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs). In Chapter 6, we look at various methods of producing BNNTs from boron droplets, and introduce a new method involving injection of boron powder into an induction furnace. In Chapter 7 we consider another useful process, where ammonia is reacted with boron vapor generated in situ, either through the reaction of boron with metal oxides or through the decomposition of metal borides.

Tuning Magnetic Properties of Soft Ferromagnetic Thin Films for High Frequency Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rementer, Colin Richard

This work focuses on the design, synthesis, characterization and integration of soft ferromagnetic multilayer structures for their applications in high frequency applications. Presently, the form factor of current telecommunication devices, i.e., antenna, is fundamentally limited by the wavelength it is designed to transmit or receive. In order to adapt to new technologies, a method for subverting this paradigm has been developed by use of magnetoelectric, strain-coupled multiferroic systems, which requires optimized ferroic materials, especially ferromagnetic thin films. Two approaches were considered to achieve this goal, doping (boron) and multilayer (NiFe) heterostructures, where FeGa was selected as the reference phase for both approaches. Doping magnetic materials with boron has been shown to enhance the magnetic softness while maintaining magnetostriction. Multilayer heterostructures offer the possibility of tuning magnetic responses by taking advantage of materials with complementary magnetic properties. Iron-gallium-boron (FeGaB) was synthesized via co-sputtering of Fe 75Ga25 and boron. The addition of boron to Fe75Ga 25 reduced the magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy, enhancing the high frequency properties. Magnetometry studies showed that the coercivity was reduced by 70% with 15% boron (at. %) while maintaining 90% of the magnetization of FeGa. Fixed frequency FMR studies showed that the addition of boron reduced the linewidth by up to 70% to a value of 210 Oe. Electrically poled hysteresis measurements showed that the film has a saturation magnetostriction of 50 microepsilon. FeGaB's properties were shown to be tunable and can be optimized by controlling the boron concentration within 11-15% but this approach did not yield the desired FMR linewidth. Multilayers of sputtered Fe85Ga15/Ni81Fe 19, or FeGa/NiFe, were examined to tailor their magnetic softness, loss at microwave frequencies, permeability, and magnetoelasticity, leveraging the magnetic softness and low loss of NiFe, and the high saturation magnetostriction (lambdas) and magnetization (MS) of FeGa. A systematic change was observed as the number of bilayers or interfaces increases: a seven-bilayer structure results in an 88% reduction in coercivity and a 55% reduction in FMR linewidth at X-band compared to a single phase FeGa film, while maintaining a high relative permeability of 700. The magnetostriction was slightly reduced by the addition of NiFe but still maintained up to 70% that of single phase FeGa. Analyses of the domain size revealed that this effect is a function of the layer thicknesses: thinner layers have larger in-plane domains, leading to lower coercivity. The depth-dependent composition and magnetization of these heterostructures as a function of magnetic and electric fields were assessed via polarized neutron reflectometry and the rotation of magnetization of the individual layers with applied strain was found to be deterministic. The tunability of these magnetic heterostructures makes them suitable candidates for RF magnetic applications requiring strong magnetoelastic coupling and low loss. Device functionality was assessed by integrating multilayer samples into two different antenna architectures. A surface acoustic wave (SAW) structure was used to determine the magnitude of absorption of acoustic wave energy from piezoelectric LiNbO3. Samples with the optimized 5 BL structure, 5 BL(SAW1) (50 nm) and 5 BL(SAW2) (100 nm), were fabricated and evaluated and absorbed 17 % of the acoustic energy from the strain wave. A bulk acoustic wave (BAW) structure was used to study how the material could convert the energy from an electromagnetic wave into an acoustic wave. A thick 12 BL(BAW) sample was integrated into a device and showed a low FMR linewidth and high permeability. This work provided the proof of concept that both doping and interfacial engineering are viabl approaches for tuning the magnetic properties of FeGa, and could be extended to other magnetoelastic systems. Multilayer magnetic materials are a promising alternative to single phase ferromagnetic materials as well as doped material systems for resonator or sensor applications. The low coercivity, high permeability, and high strain sensitivity of these samples make them promising candidates for high frequency, strain-coupled multiferroic systems.

Diamond nanoparticles as a support for Pt and PtRu catalysts for direct methanol fuel cells.

PubMed

La-Torre-Riveros, Lyda; Guzman-Blas, Rolando; Méndez-Torres, Adrián E; Prelas, Mark; Tryk, Donald A; Cabrera, Carlos R

2012-02-01

Diamond in nanoparticle form is a promising material that can be used as a robust and chemically stable catalyst support in fuel cells. It has been studied and characterized physically and electrochemically, in its thin film and powder forms, as reported in the literature. In the present work, the electrochemical properties of undoped and boron-doped diamond nanoparticle electrodes, fabricated using the ink-paste method, were investigated. Methanol oxidation experiments were carried out in both half-cell and full fuel cell modes. Platinum and ruthenium nanoparticles were chemically deposited on undoped and boron doped diamond nanoparticles through the use of NaBH(4) as reducing agent and sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) as a surfactant. Before and after the reduction process, samples were characterized by electron microscopy and spectroscopic techniques. The ink-paste method was also used to prepare the membrane electrode assembly with Pt and Pt-Ru modified undoped and boron-doped diamond nanoparticle catalytic systems, to perform the electrochemical experiments in a direct methanol fuel cell system. The results obtained demonstrate that diamond supported catalyst nanomaterials are promising for methanol fuel cells.

Resistance to protein adsorption and adhesion of fibroblasts on nanocrystalline diamond films: the role of topography and boron doping.

PubMed

Alcaide, María; Papaioannou, Stavros; Taylor, Andrew; Fekete, Ladislav; Gurevich, Leonid; Zachar, Vladimir; Pennisi, Cristian Pablo

2016-05-01

Boron-doped nanocrystalline diamond (BNCD) films exhibit outstanding electrochemical properties that make them very attractive for the fabrication of electrodes for novel neural interfaces and prosthetics. In these devices, the physicochemical properties of the electrode materials are critical to ensure an efficient long-term performance. The aim of this study was to investigate the relative contribution of topography and doping to the biological performance of BNCD films. For this purpose, undoped and boron-doped NCD films were deposited on low roughness (LR) and high roughness (HR) substrates, which were studied in vitro by means of protein adsorption and fibroblast growth assays. Our results show that BNCD films significantly reduce the adsorption of serum proteins, mostly on the LR substrates. As compared to fibroblasts cultured on LR BNCD films, cells grown on the HR BNCD films showed significantly reduced adhesion and lower growth rates. The mean length of fibronectin fibrils deposited by the cells was significantly increased in the BNCD coated substrates, mainly in the LR surfaces. Overall, the largest influence on protein adsorption, cell adhesion, proliferation, and fibronectin deposition was due to the underlying sub-micron topography, with little or no influence of boron doping. In perspective, BNCD films displaying surface roughness in the submicron range may be used as a strategy to reduce the fibroblast growth on the surface of neural electrodes.

2-Dimensional micro-network of boron-doped diamond film: fabrication and electrochemical sensing application.

PubMed

Luo, Daibing; Wu, Liangzhuan; Zhi, Jinfang

2010-09-21

By means of delicate and conventional methods based on photolithography and hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) technology, a novel boron-doped diamond micro-network (BDDMN) film was fabricated, and this micro-structure showed excellent electrochemical sensing properties.

Ultrahigh mobility and efficient charge injection in monolayer organic thin-film transistors on boron nitride.

PubMed

He, Daowei; Qiao, Jingsi; Zhang, Linglong; Wang, Junya; Lan, Tu; Qian, Jun; Li, Yun; Shi, Yi; Chai, Yang; Lan, Wei; Ono, Luis K; Qi, Yabing; Xu, Jian-Bin; Ji, Wei; Wang, Xinran

2017-09-01

Organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) with high mobility and low contact resistance have been actively pursued as building blocks for low-cost organic electronics. In conventional solution-processed or vacuum-deposited OTFTs, due to interfacial defects and traps, the organic film has to reach a certain thickness for efficient charge transport. Using an ultimate monolayer of 2,7-dioctyl[1]benzothieno[3,2- b ][1]benzothiophene (C 8 -BTBT) molecules as an OTFT channel, we demonstrate remarkable electrical characteristics, including intrinsic hole mobility over 30 cm 2 /Vs, Ohmic contact with 100 Ω · cm resistance, and band-like transport down to 150 K. Compared to conventional OTFTs, the main advantage of a monolayer channel is the direct, nondisruptive contact between the charge transport layer and metal leads, a feature that is vital for achieving low contact resistance and current saturation voltage. On the other hand, bilayer and thicker C 8 -BTBT OTFTs exhibit strong Schottky contact and much higher contact resistance but can be improved by inserting a doped graphene buffer layer. Our results suggest that highly crystalline molecular monolayers are promising form factors to build high-performance OTFTs and investigate device physics. They also allow us to precisely model how the molecular packing changes the transport and contact properties.

Ultrahigh mobility and efficient charge injection in monolayer organic thin-film transistors on boron nitride

PubMed Central

He, Daowei; Qiao, Jingsi; Zhang, Linglong; Wang, Junya; Lan, Tu; Qian, Jun; Li, Yun; Shi, Yi; Chai, Yang; Lan, Wei; Ono, Luis K.; Qi, Yabing; Xu, Jian-Bin; Ji, Wei; Wang, Xinran

2017-01-01

Organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) with high mobility and low contact resistance have been actively pursued as building blocks for low-cost organic electronics. In conventional solution-processed or vacuum-deposited OTFTs, due to interfacial defects and traps, the organic film has to reach a certain thickness for efficient charge transport. Using an ultimate monolayer of 2,7-dioctyl[1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene (C8-BTBT) molecules as an OTFT channel, we demonstrate remarkable electrical characteristics, including intrinsic hole mobility over 30 cm2/Vs, Ohmic contact with 100 Ω · cm resistance, and band-like transport down to 150 K. Compared to conventional OTFTs, the main advantage of a monolayer channel is the direct, nondisruptive contact between the charge transport layer and metal leads, a feature that is vital for achieving low contact resistance and current saturation voltage. On the other hand, bilayer and thicker C8-BTBT OTFTs exhibit strong Schottky contact and much higher contact resistance but can be improved by inserting a doped graphene buffer layer. Our results suggest that highly crystalline molecular monolayers are promising form factors to build high-performance OTFTs and investigate device physics. They also allow us to precisely model how the molecular packing changes the transport and contact properties. PMID:28913429

The multipurpose time-of-flight neutron reflectometer “Platypus” at Australia's OPAL reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

James, M.; Nelson, A.; Holt, S. A.; Saerbeck, T.; Hamilton, W. A.; Klose, F.

2011-03-01

In this manuscript we describe the major components of the Platypus time-of-flight neutron reflectometer at the 20 MW OPAL reactor in Sydney, Australia. Platypus is a multipurpose spectrometer for the characterisation of solid thin films, materials adsorbed at the solid-liquid interface and free-liquid surfaces. It also has the capacity to study magnetic thin films using spin-polarised neutrons. Platypus utilises a white neutron beam ( λ=2-20 Å) that is pulsed using boron-coated disc chopper pairs; thus providing the capacity to tailor the wavelength resolution of the pulses to suit the system under investigation. Supermirror optical components are used to focus, deflect or spin-polarise the broad bandwidth neutron beams, and typical incident spectra are presented for each configuration. A series of neutron reflectivity datasets are presented, indicating the quality and flexibility of this spectrometer. Minimum reflectivity values of <10 -7 are observed; while maximum thickness values of 325 nm have been measured for single-component films and 483 nm for a multilayer system. Off-specular measurements have also been made to investigate in-plane features as opposed to those normal to the sample surface. Finally, the first published studies conducted using the Platypus time-of-flight neutron reflectometer are presented.

Epitaxial hexagonal boron nitride on Ir(111): A work function template

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schulz, Fabian; Drost, Robert; Hämäläinen, Sampsa K.; Demonchaux, Thomas; Seitsonen, Ari P.; Liljeroth, Peter

2014-06-01

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is a prominent member in the growing family of two-dimensional materials with potential applications ranging from being an atomically smooth support for other two-dimensional materials to templating growth of molecular layers. We have studied the structure of monolayer h-BN grown by chemical vapor deposition on Ir(111) by low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy (STS) experiments and state-of-the-art density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The lattice mismatch between the h-BN and Ir(111) surface results in the formation of a moiré superstructure with a periodicity of ˜29 Å and a corrugation of ˜0.4 Å. By measuring the field emission resonances above the h-BN layer, we find a modulation of the work function within the moiré unit cell of ˜0.5 eV. DFT simulations for a 13-on-12 h-BN/Ir(111) unit cell confirm our experimental findings and allow us to relate the change in the work function to the subtle changes in the interaction between boron and nitrogen atoms and the underlying substrate atoms within the moiré unit cell. Hexagonal boron nitride on Ir(111) combines weak topographic corrugation with a strong work function modulation over the moiré unit cell. This makes h-BN/Ir(111) a potential substrate for electronically modulated thin film and heterosandwich structures.

Growth of boron-doped few-layer graphene by molecular beam epitaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soares, G. V.; Nakhaie, S.; Heilmann, M.; Riechert, H.; Lopes, J. M. J.

2018-04-01

We investigated the growth of boron-doped few-layer graphene on α-Al2O3 (0001) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy using two different growth approaches: one where boron was provided during the entire graphene synthesis and the second where boron was provided only during the second half of the graphene growth run. Electrical measurements show a higher p-type carrier concentration for samples fabricated utilizing the second approach, with a remarkable modulation in the carrier concentration of almost two orders of magnitude in comparison to the pristine graphene film. The results concerning the influence of the boron flux at different growth stages of graphene on the electrical and physicochemical properties of the films are presented.

Atomic layer deposition of boron-containing films using B{sub 2}F{sub 4}

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

Mane, Anil U., E-mail: amane@anl.gov; Elam, Jeffrey W.; Goldberg, Alexander

2016-01-15

Ultrathin and conformal boron-containing atomic layer deposition (ALD) films could be used as a shallow dopant source for advanced transistor structures in microelectronics manufacturing. With this application in mind, diboron tetrafluoride (B{sub 2}F{sub 4}) was explored as an ALD precursor for the deposition of boron containing films. Density functional theory simulations for nucleation on silicon (100) surfaces indicated better reactivity of B{sub 2}F{sub 4} in comparison to BF{sub 3}. Quartz crystal microbalance experiments exhibited growth using either B{sub 2}F{sub 4}-H{sub 2}O for B{sub 2}O{sub 3} ALD, or B{sub 2}F{sub 4}-disilane (Si{sub 2}H{sub 6}) for B ALD, but in both cases,more » the initial growth per cycle was quite low (≤0.2 Å/cycle) and decreased to near zero growth after 8–30 ALD cycles. However, alternating between B{sub 2}F{sub 4}-H{sub 2}O and trimethyl aluminum (TMA)-H{sub 2}O ALD cycles resulted in sustained growth at ∼0.65 Å/cycle, suggesting that the dense –OH surface termination produced by the TMA-H{sub 2}O combination enhances the uptake of B{sub 2}F{sub 4} precursor. The resultant boron containing films were analyzed for composition by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and capacitance measurements indicated an insulating characteristic. Finally, diffused boron profiles less than 100 Å were obtained after rapid thermal anneal of the boron containing ALD film.« less

Characterization of boron carbide with an electron microprobe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matteudi, G.; Ruste, J.

1983-01-01

Within the framework of a study of heterogeneous materials (Matteudi et al., 1971: Matteudi and Verchery, 1972) thin deposits of boron carbide were characterized. Experiments using an electronic probe microanalyzer to analyze solid boron carbide or boron carbide in the form of thick deposits are described. Quantitative results on boron and carbon are very close to those obtained when applying the Monte Carlo-type correction calculations.

Synthesis and spectral properties of preorganized BODIPYs in solutions and Langmuir-Schaefer films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marfin, Yuriy S.; Usoltsev, Sergey D.; Kazak, Alexandr V.; Smirnova, Antonina I.; Rumyantsev, Evgeniy V.; Molchanov, Evgeniy E.; Kuznetsov, Vladimir V.; Chumakov, Alexey S.; Glukhovskoy, Evgeny G.

2017-12-01

In order to investigate the influence of molecular structure peculiarities of boron-dipyrrine dyes (BODIPYs) on their properties in solutions and supramolecular organization in Langmuir-Schaefer (LS) films, four new BODIPY dyes with various aliphatic, aromatic or mixed nature meso-subtituents were synthesized and investigated. Spectral characteristics (electronic absorption and fluorescence) of the synthesized compounds in organic solvents and LS-films were studied. Floating monolayers of the BODIPYs were formed from chloroform solutions placed onto water subphase in Langmuir-Blodgett through. Thin films were prepared using the Langmuir-Schaefer technique by the transfer of floating monolayers onto standard polished glass, ITO covered glass or pure silicon substrate. The variation of the dye structure we consider as a preorganization aiming to influence the structure of LS-films. The morphology and structure of the LS-films was examined by fluorescent microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and small angle X-ray diffraction analysis. It was found that the introduced substituents have no substantial influence on the position of the absorption and fluorescence bands in dilute solutions. In contrast, the fluorescent characteristics of the LS-films significantly depend on the substituent nature. Therefore, this strategy could be used for the direct tuning of compounds fluorescent properties in LS-films. Concerning the LS-film surface characteristics it was proved that the films are homogeneous, without disruptions and only some widely-spaced microcrystals could be observed. With respect to the LS-film structure, the change of the substituents introduced to the BODIPY molecule did not influence the average given periodicity of layers (d = 0.3-0.4 nm). This value corresponds to a single-layer arrangement of BODIPY molecules located parallel to the substrate surface. Nevertheless, the diffraction peak intensities depended on the molecular structure of BODIPYs and therefore the structurization in thin films. Moreover, the combination of the rigid phenyl moiety with long alkyl chains in one compound completely suppresses the aggregation of molecules maintaining the intense fluorescence in thin films. On the basis of used range of experimental and calculation methods the intralayer and interlayer structures were proposed. Intermolecular hydrogen bond formation and π-π staking of the BODIPY cores were found to be the structure forming forces during the films manufacturing, resulting the differences in crystallinity of the materials. While the alkyl-substituents prevent the type of interactions and suppress the association of the dyes and formation of excimers. Compounds under investigation show a manifestation of the intense solvatochromic properties which allow their application as sensors, including naked eye sensorics for solution polarity. Besides, the obtained results broaden prospective of functional materials usage based on BODIPY thin films as components of optoelectronics.

Hybridized boron-carbon nitride fibrous nanostructures on Ni substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yap, Yoke Khin; Yoshimura, Masashi; Mori, Yusuke; Sasaki, Takatomo

2002-04-01

Stoichiometric BC2N films can be deposited on Si (100) at 800 °C, however, they are phase separated as pure carbon and BN phases. Likewise, hybridized boron-carbon nitride (BCN) films can be synthesized on Ni substrates. On Ni, the carbon and BN phases are hybridized through carbon nitride and boron carbide bonds. These films appeared as fibrous nanostructures. Evidence indicates that the Ni substrate acts as a sink for the carbon and forces the carbon composites to grow on top of the B and N atoms. However, as these films are grown thicker, phase separation occurs again. These results indicate that hybridized BCN phases should now be regarded as semiconducting or superhard nanostructures. High-temperature deposition on Ni substrates might be a solution to the obstacle of preparing hybridized BCN phases.

Direct growth of hexagonal boron nitride/graphene heterostructures on cobalt foil substrates by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy

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

Xu, Zhongguang; Khanaki, Alireza; Tian, Hao

2016-07-25

Graphene/hexagonal boron nitride (G/h-BN) heterostructures have attracted a great deal of attention because of their exceptional properties and wide variety of potential applications in nanoelectronics. However, direct growth of large-area, high-quality, and stacked structures in a controllable and scalable way remains challenging. In this work, we demonstrate the synthesis of h-BN/graphene (h-BN/G) heterostructures on cobalt (Co) foil by sequential deposition of graphene and h-BN layers using plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. It is found that the coverage of h-BN layers can be readily controlled on the epitaxial graphene by growth time. Large-area, uniform-quality, and multi-layer h-BN films on thin graphite layersmore » were achieved. Based on an h-BN (5–6 nm)/G (26–27 nm) heterostructure, capacitor devices with Co(foil)/G/h-BN/Co(contact) configuration were fabricated to evaluate the dielectric properties of h-BN. The measured breakdown electric field showed a high value of ∼2.5–3.2 MV/cm. Both I-V and C-V characteristics indicate that the epitaxial h-BN film has good insulating characteristics.« less

BODIPY star-shaped molecules as solid state colour converters for visible light communications

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

Vithanage, D. A.; Manousiadis, P. P.; Sajjad, M. T.

In this paper, we study a family of solid-state, organic semiconductors for visible light communications. The star-shaped molecules have a boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) core with a range of side arm lengths which control the photophysical properties. The molecules emit red light with photoluminescence quantum yields ranging from 22% to 56%. Thin films of the most promising BODIPY molecules were used as a red colour converter for visible light communications. The film enabled colour conversion with a modulation bandwidth of 73 MHz, which is 16 times higher than that of a typical phosphor used in LED lighting systems. A data rate of 370more » Mbit/s was demonstrated using On-Off keying modulation in a free space link with a distance of ∼15 cm.« less

Boron-doped diamond semiconductor electrodes: Efficient photoelectrochemical CO2 reduction through surface modification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roy, Nitish; Hirano, Yuiri; Kuriyama, Haruo; Sudhagar, Pitchaimuthu; Suzuki, Norihiro; Katsumata, Ken-Ichi; Nakata, Kazuya; Kondo, Takeshi; Yuasa, Makoto; Serizawa, Izumi; Takayama, Tomoaki; Kudo, Akihiko; Fujishima, Akira; Terashima, Chiaki

2016-11-01

Competitive hydrogen evolution and multiple proton-coupled electron transfer reactions limit photoelectrochemical CO2 reduction in aqueous electrolyte. Here, oxygen-terminated lightly boron-doped diamond (BDDL) thin films were synthesized as a semiconductor electron source to accelerate CO2 reduction. However, BDDL alone could not stabilize the intermediates of CO2 reduction, yielding a negligible amount of reduction products. Silver nanoparticles were then deposited on BDDL because of their selective electrochemical CO2 reduction ability. Excellent selectivity (estimated CO:H2 mass ratio of 318:1) and recyclability (stable for five cycles of 3 h each) for photoelectrochemical CO2 reduction were obtained for the optimum silver nanoparticle-modified BDDL electrode at -1.1 V vs. RHE under 222-nm irradiation. The high efficiency and stability of this catalyst are ascribed to the in situ photoactivation of the BDDL surface during the photoelectrochemical reaction. The present work reveals the potential of BDDL as a high-energy electron source for use with co-catalysts in photochemical conversion.

Tricolor microcavity OLEDs based on P-nc-Si:H films as the complex anodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Li; Xingyuan, Liu; Chunya, Wu; Zhiguo, Meng; Yi, Wang; Shaozhen, Xiong

2009-06-01

A P+-nc-Si:H film (boron-doped nc-Si:H thin film) was used as a complex anode of an OLED. As an ideal candidate for the composite anode, the P+-nc-Si:H thin film has a good conductivity with a high work function (~ 5.7 eV) and outstanding optical properties of high reflectivity, transmission, and a very low absorption. As a result, the combination of the relatively high reflectivity of a P+-nc-Si:H film/ITO complex anode with the very high reflectivity of an Al cathode could form a micro-cavity structure with a certain Q to improve the efficiency of the OLED fabricated on it. An RGB pixel generated by microcavity OLEDs is beneficial for both the reduction of the light loss and the improvement of the color purity and the efficiency. The small molecule Alq would be useful for the emitting light layer (EML) of the MOLED, and the P+-nc-Si film would be used as a complex anode of the MOLED, whose configuration can be constructed as Glass/LTO/P+-nc-Si:H/ITO/MoO3/NPB/Alq/LiF/Al. By adjusting the thickness of the organic layer NPB/Alq, the optical length of the microcavity and the REB colors of the device can be obtained. The peak wavelengths of an OLED are located at 486, 550, and 608 nm, respectively. The CIE coordinates are (0.21, 0.45), (0.33, 0.63), and (0.54, 0.54), and the full widths at half maximum (FWHM) are 35, 32, and 39 nm for red, green, and blue, respectively.

Cobalt-based multilayers with ultrathin seedlayers for perpendicular magnetic recording media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Wenbin

With the rapid increase in areal density in longitudinal magnetic recording, it is widely believed that the superparamagnetic limit will soon be reached. Perpendicular magnetic recording is now being seriously considered to be a candidate for the replacement. Co/Pd and Co/Pt multilayers are promising candidates because of their high anisotropy, high coercivity, high remanent squareness, and high negative nucleation field. However, Co/Pd and Co/Pt multilayers usually require thick seed layers to promote perpendicular anisotropies, which leads to large "spacing loss". In this work, different seed layers were studied and it showed that an amorphous indium tin oxide (ITO) seed layer as thin as 2nm could promote good perpendicular anisotropy. The processing parameters for Co-based multilayers such as deposition pressure, temperature, individual layer thickness, and number of bilayers were optimized to obtain better interfaces, higher coercivity, and higher anisotropies. Boron was added as dopants into Co layers to obtain better intergranular segregation and reduce the grain growth during the thin film deposition. The substrates were heated to promote the migration of boron atoms. It was proved that the addition of boron has successfully reduced the magnetic domain sizes as well as the media noise. Spin stand test showed that the CoB/Pd multilayers with 2nm ITO seed layer and 6mum thick NiFe soft underlayers deposited at 230°C gave a D50 of 340 kfci for differentiated output signals and an areal density of 11 Gb/in2 at a bit-error-rate of 10 -7. Given narrower heads, better soft underlayer, and lower flying height, the media can reach a much higher recording density.

Tribo-mechanical and electrical properties of boron-containing coatings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qian, Jincheng

The development of new hard protective coatings with advanced performance is very important for progress in a variety of scientific and industrial fields. Application of hard protective coatings can significantly improve the performance of parts and components, extend their service life, and save energy in many industrial applications including aerospace, automotive, manufacturing, and other industries. In addition, the multifunctionality of protective coatings is also required in many other application fields such as optics, microelectronics, biomedical, magnetic storage media, etc. Therefore, protective coatings with enhanced tribo-mechanical and corrosion properties as well as other functions are in demand. The coating characteristics can be adjusted by controlling the microstructure at different scales. For example, films with nanostructures, such as superlattice, nanocolumn, and nanocomposite systems, exhibit distinctive characteristics compared to single-phase materials. They show superior tribo-mechanical properties due to the presence of strong interfaces, and different functions can be achieved due to the multi-phase characteristics. Boron-containing materials with their excellent mechanical properties and interesting electronic characteristics are good candidates for functional hard protective coatings. For instance, cubic boron nitride (c-BN), boron carbide (B1-xCx), and titanium diboride (TiB 2) are well known for their high hardness, high thermal stability, and high chemical inertness. An interesting example is the boron carbon nitride (BCN) compound that possesses many attractive properties because its structure is similar to that of carbon (graphite and diamond) and of boron nitride (BN in hexagonal and cubic phases). The main goal of this work is to further develop the family of Boron-containing films including B1-xCx, Ti-B-C, and BCN films fabricated by magnetron sputtering, and to enhance their performance by controlling their microstructure on the nanoscale. Their tribo-mechanical, corrosion, and electrical properties are studied in relation to the composition and microstructure, aiming at enhancing their performance for multi-functional protective coating applications via microstructural design. First, B1-xCx (0 < x < 1) films with tailored tribo-mechanical properties were deposited by magnetron sputtering using one graphite and two boron targets. The hardness of the B1-xC x films was found to reach 25 GPa both for boron-rich and carbon-rich films, and the friction coefficient and wear rate can be adjusted from 0.66 to 0.13 and from 6.4x10-5 mm3/Nm to 1.3x10 -7 mm3/Nm, respectively, by changing the carbon content from 19 to 76 at.%. The hardness variation is closely related to the microstructure, and the low friction and wear rate of the B0.24C0.76 film are due to the high portion of an amorphous carbon phase. Moreover, application of the B0.81C0.19 film improves the corrosion resistance of the M2 steel substrate significantly, indicated by the decrease of the corrosion current by almost four orders of magnitude. Based on the optimization of the B1-xCx films, nanostructured Ti-B-C films with different compositions were deposited by adding titanium by simultaneously sputtering a titanium diboride target. We found that the film microstructure features TiB2 nanocrystallites embedded in an amorphous boron carbide matrix. The film hardness varies from 33 to 42 GPa with different titanium contents, which is related to the changes in microstructure, namely, the size and concentration of the TiB2 nanocrystallites. The friction coefficient and wear rate are in the ranges of 0.37-0.73 and of 3.3x10-6-5.7x10-5 mm3/Nm, respectively, which are affected by the mechanical properties and the surface chemical states of the films. By applying the Ti-B-C films, the corrosion resistance of the M2 steel substrate is significantly enhanced as documented by a reduction of the corrosion current density by two orders of magnitude. BCN films were synthesized by magnetron sputtering using a single B 4C target in an N2: Ar gas mixture. The BCN films exhibit an amorphous structure and contain a mixture of B-C, B-N, and C-N bonds. The films show p-type conductivity with an optical band gap of 1.0 eV. Subsequently, ZnO nanorods were grown on the BCN films using hydrothermal synthesis to form BCN/ZnO nanorods p-n heterojunctions. The performance of the junctions is evaluated by the I-V characterization, which shows a rectification behavior with a rectification ratio of 1500 at the bias voltages of +/-5 V.

Spatial charge inhomogeneity and defect states in topological Dirac semimetal thin films of Na3Bi

PubMed Central

Edmonds, Mark T.; Collins, James L.; Hellerstedt, Jack; Yudhistira, Indra; Gomes, Lídia C.; Rodrigues, João N. B.; Adam, Shaffique; Fuhrer, Michael S.

2017-01-01

Topological Dirac semimetals (TDSs) are three-dimensional analogs of graphene, with carriers behaving like massless Dirac fermions in three dimensions. In graphene, substrate disorder drives fluctuations in Fermi energy, necessitating construction of heterostructures of graphene and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) to minimize the fluctuations. Three-dimensional TDSs obviate the substrate and should show reduced EF fluctuations due to better metallic screening and higher dielectric constants. We map the potential fluctuations in TDS Na3Bi using a scanning tunneling microscope. The rms potential fluctuations are significantly smaller than the thermal energy room temperature (ΔEF,rms = 4 to 6 meV = 40 to 70 K) and comparable to the highest-quality graphene on h-BN. Surface Na vacancies produce a novel resonance close to the Dirac point with surprisingly large spatial extent and provide a unique way to tune the surface density of states in a TDS thin-film material. Sparse defect clusters show bound states whose occupation may be changed by applying a bias to the scanning tunneling microscope tip, offering an opportunity to study a quantum dot connected to a TDS reservoir. PMID:29291249

Nonequilibrium BN-ZnO: Optical properties and excitonic effects from first principles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xiao; Schleife, André

2018-03-01

The nonequilibrium boron nitride (BN) phase of zinc oxide (ZnO) has been reported for thin films and nanostructures, however, its properties are not well understood due to a persistent controversy that prevents reconciling experimental and first-principles results for its atomic coordinates. We use first-principles theoretical spectroscopy to accurately compute electronic and optical properties, including single-quasiparticle and excitonic effects: Band structures and densities of states are computed using density functional theory, hybrid functionals, and the G W approximation. Accurate optical absorption spectra and exciton binding energies are computed by solving the Bethe-Salpeter equation for the optical polarization function. Using this data we show that the band-gap difference between BN-ZnO and wurtzite (WZ) ZnO agrees very well with experiment when the theoretical lattice geometry is used, but significantly disagrees for the experimental atomic coordinates. We also show that the optical anisotropy of BN-ZnO differs significantly from that of WZ-ZnO, allowing us to optically distinguish both polymorphs. By using the transfer-matrix method to solve Maxwell's equations for thin films composed of both polymorphs, we illustrate that this opens up a promising route for tuning optical properties.

Introducing Overlapping Grain Boundaries in Chemical Vapor Deposited Hexagonal Boron Nitride Monolayer Films

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

We demonstrate the growth of overlapping grain boundaries in continuous, polycrystalline hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) monolayer films via scalable catalytic chemical vapor deposition. Unlike the commonly reported atomically stitched grain boundaries, these overlapping grain boundaries do not consist of defect lines within the monolayer films but are composed of self-sealing bilayer regions of limited width. We characterize this overlapping h-BN grain boundary structure in detail by complementary (scanning) transmission electron microscopy techniques and propose a catalytic growth mechanism linked to the subsurface/bulk of the process catalyst and its boron and nitrogen solubilities. Our data suggest that the overlapping grain boundaries are comparatively resilient against deleterious pinhole formation associated with grain boundary defect lines and thus may reduce detrimental breakdown effects when polycrystalline h-BN monolayer films are used as ultrathin dielectrics, barrier layers, or separation membranes. PMID:28410557

Method and apparatus for coating thin foil with a boron coating

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

Lacy, Jeffrey L.

An apparatus and a process is disclosed for applying a boron coating to a thin foil. Preferably, the process is a continuous, in-line process for applying a coating to a thin foil comprising wrapping the foil around a rotating and translating mandrel, cleaning the foil with glow discharge in an etching chamber as the mandrel with the foil moves through the chamber, sputtering the foil with boron carbide in a sputtering chamber as the mandrel moves through the sputtering chamber, and unwinding the foil off the mandrel after it has been coated. The apparatus for applying a coating to amore » thin foil comprises an elongated mandrel. Foil preferably passes from a reel to the mandrel by passing through a seal near the initial portion of an etching chamber. The mandrel has a translation drive system for moving the mandrel forward and a rotational drive system for rotating mandrel as it moves forward. The etching chamber utilizes glow discharge on a surface of the foil as the mandrel moves through said etching chamber. A sputtering chamber, downstream of the etching chamber, applies a thin layer comprising boron onto the surface of the foil as said mandrel moves through said sputtering chamber. Preferably, the coated foil passes from the mandrel to a second reel by passing through a seal near the terminal portion of the sputtering chamber.« less

A platform for large-scale graphene electronics--CVD growth of single-layer graphene on CVD-grown hexagonal boron nitride.

PubMed

Wang, Min; Jang, Sung Kyu; Jang, Won-Jun; Kim, Minwoo; Park, Seong-Yong; Kim, Sang-Woo; Kahng, Se-Jong; Choi, Jae-Young; Ruoff, Rodney S; Song, Young Jae; Lee, Sungjoo

2013-05-21

Direct chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth of single-layer graphene on CVD-grown hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) film can suggest a large-scale and high-quality graphene/h-BN film hybrid structure with a defect-free interface. This sequentially grown graphene/h-BN film shows better electronic properties than that of graphene/SiO2 or graphene transferred on h-BN film, and suggests a new promising template for graphene device fabrication. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Investigation of phase separated polyimide blend films containing boron nitride using FTIR imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chae, Boknam; Hong, Deok Gi; Jung, Young Mee; Won, Jong Chan; Lee, Seung Woo

2018-04-01

Immiscible aromatic polyimide (PI) blend films and a PI blend film incorporated with thermally conductive boron nitride (BN) were prepared, and their phase separation behaviors were examined by optical microscopy and FTIR imaging. The 2,2‧-bis(trifluoromethyl)benzidine (TFMB)-containing and 4,4‧-thiodianiline (TDA)-containing aromatic PI blend films and a PI blend/BN composite film show two clearly separated regions; one region is the TFMB-rich phase, and the other region is the TDA-rich phase. The introduction of BN induces morphological changes in the immiscible aromatic PI blend film without altering the composition of either domain. In particular, the BN is selectively incorporated into the TDA-rich phase in this study.

Radiation sensitivity of graphene field effect transistors and other thin film architectures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cazalas, Edward

An important contemporary motivation for advancing radiation detection science and technology is the need for interdiction of nuclear and radiological materials, which may be used to fabricate weapons of mass destruction. The detection of such materials by nuclear techniques relies on achieving high sensitivity and selectivity to X-rays, gamma-rays, and neutrons. To be attractive in field deployable instruments, it is desirable for detectors to be lightweight, inexpensive, operate at low voltage, and consume low power. To address the relatively low particle flux in most passive measurements for nuclear security applications, detectors scalable to large areas that can meet the high absolute detection efficiency requirements are needed. Graphene-based and thin-film-based radiation detectors represent attractive technologies that could meet the need for inexpensive, low-power, size-scalable detection architectures, which are sensitive to X-rays, gamma-rays, and neutrons. The utilization of graphene to detect ionizing radiation relies on the modulation of graphene charge carrier density by changes in local electric field, i.e. the field effect in graphene. Built on the principle of a conventional field effect transistor, the graphene-based field effect transistor (GFET) utilizes graphene as a channel and a semiconducting substrate as an absorber medium with which the ionizing radiation interacts. A radiation interaction event that deposits energy within the substrate creates electron-hole pairs, which modify the electric field and modulate graphene charge carrier density. A detection event in a GFET is therefore measured as a change in graphene resistance or current. Thin (micron-scale) films can also be utilized for radiation detection of thermal neutrons provided nuclides with high neutron absorption cross section are present with appreciable density. Detection in thin-film detectors could be realized through the collection of charge carriers generated within the film by slowing-down of neutron capture reaction products. The objective of this dissertation is to develop, characterize, and optimize novel graphene-based and thin-film radiation detectors. The dissertation includes a review of relevant physics, comprehensive descriptions and discussions of the experimental campaigns that were conducted, computational simulations, and detailed analysis of certain processes occurring in graphene-based and thin-film radiation detectors that significantly affect their response characteristics. Experiments have been conducted to characterize the electrical properties of GFETs and their responsivity to radiation of different types, such as visible, ultraviolet, X-ray, and gamma-ray photons, and alpha particles. The nature of graphene hysteretic effects under operational conditions has been studied. Spatially dependent sensitivity of GFETs to irradiation has been experimentally investigated using both a focused laser beam and focused X-ray microbeam. A model has been developed that deterministically simulates the mechanisms of charge transport within the GFET substrate and explains the experimental finding that the effective area of the GFET significantly exceeds the size of graphene. Monte Carlo simulations were also carried out to examine the efficacy of thin-film radiation detectors based on 10B-enriched boron nitride and Gd2O3 for neutron detection.

Boron coating on boron nitride coated nuclear fuels by chemical vapor deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Durmazuçar, Hasan H.; Gündüz, Güngör

2000-12-01

Uranium dioxide-only and uranium dioxide-gadolinium oxide (5% and 10%) ceramic nuclear fuel pellets which were already coated with boron nitride were coated with thin boron layer by chemical vapor deposition to increase the burn-up efficiency of the fuel during reactor operation. Coating was accomplished from the reaction of boron trichloride with hydrogen at 1250 K in a tube furnace, and then sintering at 1400 and 1525 K. The deposited boron was identified by infrared spectrum. The morphology of the coating was studied by using scanning electron microscope. The plate, grainy and string (fiber)-like boron structures were observed.

Synthesis of borophenes: Anisotropic, two-dimensional boron polymorphs

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

Mannix, A. J.; Zhou, X. -F.; Kiraly, B.

At the atomic-cluster scale, pure boron is markedly similar to carbon, forming simple planar molecules and cage-like fullerenes. Theoretical studies predict that two-dimensional (2D) boron sheets will adopt an atomic configuration similar to that of boron atomic clusters. We synthesized atomically thin, crystalline 2D boron sheets (i.e., borophene) on silver surfaces under ultrahigh-vacuum conditions. Atomic-scale characterization, supported by theoretical calculations, revealed structures reminiscent of fused boron clusters with multiple scales of anisotropic, out-of-plane buckling. Unlike bulk boron allotropes, borophene shows metallic characteristics that are consistent with predictions of a highly anisotropic, 2D metal.

Surface Design and Engineering Toward Wear-Resistant, Self-Lubricating Diamond Films and Coatings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miyoshi, Kazuhisa

1999-01-01

The tribological properties of chemical-vapor-deposited (CVD) diamond films vary with the environment, possessing a Jekyll-and-Hyde character. CVD diamond has low coefficient of friction and high wear resistance in air but high coefficient of friction and low wear resistance in vacuum. Improving the tribological functionality of materials (such as achieving low friction and good wear resistance) was an aim of this investigation. Three studies on the surface design, surface engineering, and tribology of CVD diamond have shown that its friction and wear are significantly reduced in ultrahigh vacuum. The main criteria for judging whether diamond films are an effective wear-resistant, self-lubricating material were coefficient of friction and wear rate, which must be less than 0.1 and on the order of 10(exp 6) cu mm/N(dot)m, respectively. In the first study the presence of a thin film (less than 1 micron thick) of amorphous, nondiamond carbon (hydrogenated carbon, also called diamondlike carbon or DLC) on CVD diamond greatly decreased the coefficient of friction and the wear rate. Therefore, a thin DLC film on CVD diamond can be an effective wear-resistant, lubricating coating in ultrahigh vacuum. In the second study the presence of an amorphous, nondiamond carbon surface layer formed on CVD diamond by ion implantation significantly reduced the coefficient of friction and the wear rate in ultrahigh vacuum. Therefore, such surface layers are acceptable for effective self-lubricating, wear-resistant applications of CVD diamond. In the third study CVD diamond in contact with cubic boron nitride exhibited low coefficient of friction in ultra high vacuum. Therefore, this materials combination can provide an effective self-lubricating, wear-resistant couple in ultrahigh vacuum.

Initial Assessment of CSA Group Niobium Boron Based Coatings on 4340 Steel

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-07-01

Technical Report ARWSB-TR-17026 Initial Assessment of CSA Group Niobium- Boron Based Coatings on 4340 Steel C.P. Mulligan...REPORT TYPE Technical 3. DATES COVERED (From - To) 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Initial Assessment of CSA Group Niobium- Boron Based Coatings on 4340...metallographic mounts reported as (1) thin and (2) thick Niobium- Boron (Nb-B) type coatings on steel. CSA Group is interested in providing coatings for potential

Engineering electrical properties of graphene: chemical approaches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Yong-Jin; Kim, Yuna; Novoselov, Konstantin; Hong, Byung Hee

2015-12-01

To ensure the high performance of graphene-based devices, it is necessary to engineer the electrical properties of graphene with enhanced conductivity, controlled work function, opened or closed bandgaps, etc. This can be performed by various non-covalent chemical approaches, including molecular adsorption, substrate-induced doping, polymerization on graphene, deposition of metallic thin films or nanoparticles, etc. In addition, covalent approaches such as the substitution of carbon atoms with boron or nitrogen and the functionalization with hydrogen or fluorine are useful to tune the bandgaps more efficiently, with better uniformity and stability. In this review, representative examples of chemically engineered graphene and its device applications will be reviewed, and remaining challenges will be discussed.

Doping Polypyrrole Films with 4-N-Pentylphenylboronic Acid to Enhance Affinity towards Bacteria and Dopamine

PubMed Central

Padiolleau, Laurence; Chen, Xi; Jafari, Mohammad Javad; Sheikhzadeh, Elham; Turner, Anthony P. F.; Jager, Edwin W. H.; Beni, Valerio

2016-01-01

Here we demonstrate the use of a functional dopant as a fast and simple way to tune the chemical affinity and selectivity of polypyrrole films. More specifically, a boronic-functionalised dopant, 4-N-Pentylphenylboronic Acid (PBA), was used to provide to polypyrrole films with enhanced affinity towards diols. In order to prove the proposed concept, two model systems were explored: (i) the capture and the electrochemical detection of dopamine and (ii) the adhesion of bacteria onto surfaces. The chemisensor, based on overoxidised polypyrrole boronic doped film, was shown to have the ability to capture and retain dopamine, thus improving its detection; furthermore the chemisensor showed better sensitivity in comparison with overoxidised perchlorate doped films. The adhesion of bacteria, Deinococcus proteolyticus, Escherichia coli, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Klebsiella pneumoniae, onto the boric doped polypyrrole film was also tested. The presence of the boronic group in the polypyrrole film was shown to favour the adhesion of sugar-rich bacterial cells when compared with a control film (Dodecyl benzenesulfonate (DBS) doped film) with similar morphological and physical properties. The presented single step synthesis approach is simple and fast, does not require the development and synthesis of functional monomers, and can be easily expanded to the electrochemical, and possibly chemical, fabrication of novel functional surfaces and interfaces with inherent pre-defined sensing and chemical properties. PMID:27875555

Fracture resistance of dental nickel-titanium rotary instruments with novel surface treatment: Thin film metallic glass coating.

PubMed

Chi, Chih-Wen; Deng, Yu-Lun; Lee, Jyh-Wei; Lin, Chun-Pin

2017-05-01

Dental nickel-titanium (NiTi) rotary instruments are widely used in endodontic therapy because they are efficient with a higher success rate. However, an unpredictable fracture of instruments may happen due to the surface characteristics of imperfection (or irregularity). This study assessed whether a novel surface treatment could increase fatigue fracture resistance of dental NiTi rotary instruments. A 200- or 500-nm thick Ti-zirconium-boron (Ti-Zr-B) thin film metallic glass was deposited on ProTaper Universal F2 files using a physical vapor deposition process. The characteristics of coating were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffractometry. In cyclic fatigue tests, the files were performed in a simulated root canal (radius=5 mm, angulation=60°) under a rotating speed of 300rpm. The fatigue fractured cross sections of the files were analyzed with their fractographic performances through scanning electron microscopy images. The amorphous structure of the Ti-Zr-B coating was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffractometry. The surface of treated files presented smooth morphologies without grinding irregularity. For the 200- and 500-nm surface treatment groups, the coated files exhibited higher resistance of cyclic fatigue than untreated files. In fractographic analysis, treated files showed significantly larger crack-initiation zone; however, no significant differences in the areas of fatigue propagation and catastrophic fracture were found compared to untreated files. The novel surface treatment of Ti-Zr-B thin film metallic glass on dental NiTi rotary files can effectively improve the fatigue fracture resistance by offering a smooth coated surface with amorphous microstructure. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Method of manufacture of atomically thin boron nitride

DOEpatents

Zettl, Alexander K

2013-08-06

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

Fundamental tribological properties of ion-beam-deposited boron nitride films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miyoshi, Kazuhisa

1989-01-01

The adhesion, friction, and micromechanical properties of ion-beam-deposited boron nitride (BN) films are reviewed. The BN films are examined in contact with BN metals and other harder materials. For simplicity of discussion, the tribological properties of concern in the processes are separated into two parts. First, the pull-off force (adhesion) and the shear force required to break the interfacial junctions between contacting surfaces are discussed. The effects of surface films, hardness of metals, and temperature on tribological response with respect to adhesion and friction are considered. The second part deals with the abrasion of the BN films. Elastic, plastic, and fracture behavior of the BN films in solid-state contact are discussed. The scratch technique of determining the critical load needed to fracture interfacial adhesive bonds of BN films deposited on substrates is also addressed.

Fundamental tribological properties of ion-beam-deposited boron nitride films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miyoshi, K.

1990-01-01

The adhesion, friction, and micromechanical properties of ion-beam-deposited boron nitride (BN) films are reviewed. The BN films are examined in contact with BN metals and other harder materials. For simplicity of discussion, the tribological properties of concern in the processes are separated into two parts. First, the pull-off force (adhesion) and the shear force required to break the interfacial junctions between contacting surfaces are discussed. The effects of surface films, hardness of metals, and temperature on tribological response with respect to adhesion and friction are considered. The second part deals with the abrasion of the BN films. Elastic, plastic, and fracture behavior of the BN films in solid-state contact are discussed. The scratch technique of determining the critical load needed to fracture interfacial adhesive bonds of BN films deposited on substrates is also addressed.

Hydrogenation effects on carrier transport in boron-doped ultrananocrystalline diamond/amorphous carbon films prepared by coaxial arc plasma deposition

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

Katamune, Yūki, E-mail: yuki-katamune@kyudai.jp; Takeichi, Satoshi; Ohmagari, Shinya

2015-11-15

Boron-doped ultrananocrystalline diamond/hydrogenated amorphous carbon composite (UNCD/a-C:H) films were deposited by coaxial arc plasma deposition with a boron-blended graphite target at a base pressure of <10{sup −3} Pa and at hydrogen pressures of ≤53.3 Pa. The hydrogenation effects on the electrical properties of the films were investigated in terms of chemical bonding. Hydrogen-scattering spectrometry showed that the maximum hydrogen content was 35 at. % for the film produced at 53.3-Pa hydrogen pressure. The Fourier-transform infrared spectra showed strong absorptions by sp{sup 3} C–H bonds, which were specific to the UNCD/a-C:H, and can be attributed to hydrogen atoms terminating the dangling bondsmore » at ultrananocrystalline diamond grain boundaries. Temperature-dependence of the electrical conductivity showed that the films changed from semimetallic to semiconducting with increasing hydrogen pressure, i.e., with enhanced hydrogenation, probably due to hydrogenation suppressing the formation of graphitic bonds, which are a source of carriers. Carrier transport in semiconducting hydrogenated films can be explained by a variable-range hopping model. The rectifying action of heterojunctions comprising the hydrogenated films and n-type Si substrates implies carrier transport in tunneling.« less

Synthesis of borophenes: Anisotropic, two-dimensional boron polymorphs.

PubMed

Mannix, Andrew J; Zhou, Xiang-Feng; Kiraly, Brian; Wood, Joshua D; Alducin, Diego; Myers, Benjamin D; Liu, Xiaolong; Fisher, Brandon L; Santiago, Ulises; Guest, Jeffrey R; Yacaman, Miguel Jose; Ponce, Arturo; Oganov, Artem R; Hersam, Mark C; Guisinger, Nathan P

2015-12-18

At the atomic-cluster scale, pure boron is markedly similar to carbon, forming simple planar molecules and cage-like fullerenes. Theoretical studies predict that two-dimensional (2D) boron sheets will adopt an atomic configuration similar to that of boron atomic clusters. We synthesized atomically thin, crystalline 2D boron sheets (i.e., borophene) on silver surfaces under ultrahigh-vacuum conditions. Atomic-scale characterization, supported by theoretical calculations, revealed structures reminiscent of fused boron clusters with multiple scales of anisotropic, out-of-plane buckling. Unlike bulk boron allotropes, borophene shows metallic characteristics that are consistent with predictions of a highly anisotropic, 2D metal. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Effect of boron doping on first-order Raman scattering in superconducting boron doped diamond films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Dinesh; Chandran, Maneesh; Ramachandra Rao, M. S.

2017-05-01

Aggregation of impurity levels into an impurity band in heavily boron doped diamond results in a background continuum and discrete zone centre phonon interference during the inelastic light scattering process. In order to understand the Raman scattering effect in granular BDD films, systematically heavily doped samples in the semiconducting and superconducting regimes have been studied using the excitation wavelengths in the UV and visible regions. A comprehensive analysis of the Fano resonance effect as a function of the impurity concentrations and the excitation frequencies is presented. Various Raman modes available in BDD including signals from the grain boundaries are discussed.

Si-Based Germanium Tin Semiconductor Lasers for Optoelectronic Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Kabi, Sattar H. Sweilim

Silicon-based materials and optoelectronic devices are of great interest as they could be monolithically integrated in the current Si complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) processes. The integration of optoelectronic components on the CMOS platform has long been limited due to the unavailability of Si-based laser sources. A Si-based monolithic laser is highly desirable for full integration of Si photonics chip. In this work, Si-based germanium-tin (GeSn) lasers have been demonstrated as direct bandgap group-IV laser sources. This opens a completely new avenue from the traditional III-V integration approach. In this work, the material and optical properties of GeSn alloys were comprehensively studied. The GeSn films were grown on Ge-buffered Si substrates in a reduced pressure chemical vapor deposition system with low-cost SnCl4 and GeH4 precursors. A systematic study was done for thin GeSn films (thickness 400 nm) with Sn composition 5 to 17.5%. The room temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectra were measured that showed a gradual shift of emission peaks towards longer wavelength as Sn composition increases. Strong PL intensity and low defect density indicated high material quality. Moreover, the PL study of n-doped samples showed bandgap narrowing compared to the unintentionally p-doped (boron) thin films with similar Sn compositions. Finally, optically pumped GeSn lasers on Si with broad wavelength coverage from 2 to 3 mum were demonstrated using high-quality GeSn films with Sn compositions up to 17.5%. The achieved maximum Sn composition of 17.5% broke the acknowledged Sn incorporation limit using similar deposition chemistry. The highest lasing temperature was measured at 180 K with an active layer thickness as thin as 270 nm. The unprecedented lasing performance is due to the achievement of high material quality and a robust fabrication process. The results reported in this work show a major advancement towards Si-based electrically pumped mid-infrared laser sources for integrated photonics.

Phase degradation in BxGa1-xN films grown at low temperature by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gunning, Brendan P.; Moseley, Michael W.; Koleske, Daniel D.; Allerman, Andrew A.; Lee, Stephen R.

2017-04-01

Using metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy, a comprehensive study of BxGa1-xN growth on GaN and AlN templates is described. BGaN growth at high-temperature and high-pressure results in rough surfaces and poor boron incorporation efficiency, while growth at low-temperature and low-pressure (750-900 °C and 20 Torr) using nitrogen carrier gas results in improved surface morphology and boron incorporation up to 7.4% as determined by nuclear reaction analysis. However, further structural analysis by transmission electron microscopy and x-ray pole figures points to severe degradation of the high boron composition films, into a twinned cubic structure with a high density of stacking faults and little or no room temperature photoluminescence emission. Films with <1% triethylboron (TEB) flow show more intense, narrower x-ray diffraction peaks, near-band-edge photoluminescence emission at 362 nm, and primarily wurtzite-phase structure in the x-ray pole figures. For films with >1% TEB flow, the crystal structure becomes dominated by the cubic phase. Only when the TEB flow is zero (pure GaN), does the cubic phase entirely disappear from the x-ray pole figure, suggesting that under these growth conditions even very low boron compositions lead to mixed crystalline phases.

Investigation of the charged particle nuclear reactions on natural boron for the purposes of the thin layer activation (TLA)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ditrói, F.; Takács, S.; Tárkányi, F.; Fenyvesi, A.; Bergman, J.; Heselius, S.-J.; Solin, O.

1995-12-01

Boron of natural composition was investigated in the form of NiBSi metallic-glass foil to determine the cross-section functions of the natB(p,x) 7Be and the natB(d,x) 7Be nuclear reactions. These reactions are very important from the point of view of Thin Layer Activation (TLA) technique to monitor the wear of boron-containing superhard materials (e.g. BN), because the 7Be with its half-life of 53 d and gamma-energy of 447 keV is very suitable for wear measurements. The possibility of recoil-implantation of the radioactive nuclei was also studied.

First-principles study of plutonium adsorption on perfect and defective graphene and hexagonal boron nitride

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Shujing; Zhou, Mei; Li, Menglei; Wang, Xiaohui; Zheng, Fawei; Zhang, Ping

2018-05-01

The adsorption of the Pu atom on perfect and defective graphene and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) sheet has been systematically investigated by using first-principles calculations. Pu atom is most likely to trap at the hollow site in pure graphene, and the energy barrier is as high as 78.3 meV. For ideal h-BN, the top site of the boron atom is the most stable adsorption site for adatom Pu, and the maximal energy barrier is only 12 meV. Comparing Pu on pure graphene and h-BN sheet, Pu atom is easy to migrate on the surface of ideal h-BN at room temperature, while it is bound to perfect graphene. Besides, Pu atom adsorbed on defective graphene and h-BN sheet, with large adsorption energies in the range of 2.66 ∼ 14.95 eV, is more stable than that on pure graphene and h-BN sheet. We have also found that all the adsorption systems are spin-polarized with the largest magnetic moments of Pu to be 7.67 μ B on graphene and 6.71 μ B on h-BN with a single vacancy of N atom. These findings suggest that graphene and h-BN two-dimensional materials can be effectively applied in the growth of high-quality plutonium single crystal thin films, as well as in nuclear waste recovery.

Modeling Changes in Measured Conductance of Thin Boron Carbide Semiconducting Films Under Irradiation

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

Peterson, George G.; Wang, Yongqiang; Ianno, N. J.

Semiconducting, p-type, amorphous partially dehydrogenated boron carbide films (a-B 10C 2+x:H y) were deposited utilizing plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) onto n-type silicon thus creating a heterojunction diode. A model was developed for the conductance of the device as a function of perturbation frequency (f) that incorporates changes of the electrical properties for both the a-B 10C 2+x:H y film and the silicon substrate when irradiated. The virgin model has 3 independent variables (R1, C1, R3), and 1 dependent variable (f). These samples were then irradiated with 200 keV He + ions, and the conductance model was matched tomore » the measured data. It was found that initial irradiation (0.1 displacements per atom (dpa) equivalent) resulted in a decrease in the parallel junction resistance parameter from 6032 Ω to 2705 Ω. Further irradiation drastically increased the parallel junction resistance parameter to 39000 Ω (0.2 dpa equivalent), 77440 Ω (0.3 dpa equivalent), and 190000 Ω (0.5 dpa equivalent). It is believed that the initial irradiation causes type inversion of the silicon substrate changing the original junction from a p-n to a p-p+ with a much lower barrier height leading to a lower junction resistance component between the a-B 10C 2+x:H y and irradiated silicon. In addition, it was found that after irradiation, a second parallel resistor and capacitor component is required for the model, introducing 2 additional independent variables (R2, C2). This is interpreted as the junction between the irradiated and virgin silicon near ion end of range.« less

Modeling Changes in Measured Conductance of Thin Boron Carbide Semiconducting Films Under Irradiation

DOE PAGES

Peterson, George G.; Wang, Yongqiang; Ianno, N. J.; ...

2016-11-09

Semiconducting, p-type, amorphous partially dehydrogenated boron carbide films (a-B 10C 2+x:H y) were deposited utilizing plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) onto n-type silicon thus creating a heterojunction diode. A model was developed for the conductance of the device as a function of perturbation frequency (f) that incorporates changes of the electrical properties for both the a-B 10C 2+x:H y film and the silicon substrate when irradiated. The virgin model has 3 independent variables (R1, C1, R3), and 1 dependent variable (f). These samples were then irradiated with 200 keV He + ions, and the conductance model was matched tomore » the measured data. It was found that initial irradiation (0.1 displacements per atom (dpa) equivalent) resulted in a decrease in the parallel junction resistance parameter from 6032 Ω to 2705 Ω. Further irradiation drastically increased the parallel junction resistance parameter to 39000 Ω (0.2 dpa equivalent), 77440 Ω (0.3 dpa equivalent), and 190000 Ω (0.5 dpa equivalent). It is believed that the initial irradiation causes type inversion of the silicon substrate changing the original junction from a p-n to a p-p+ with a much lower barrier height leading to a lower junction resistance component between the a-B 10C 2+x:H y and irradiated silicon. In addition, it was found that after irradiation, a second parallel resistor and capacitor component is required for the model, introducing 2 additional independent variables (R2, C2). This is interpreted as the junction between the irradiated and virgin silicon near ion end of range.« less

Adhesion, friction, and deformation of ion-beam-deposited boron nitride films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miyoshi, Kazuhisa; Buckley, Donald H.; Alterovitz, Samuel A.; Pouch, John J.; Liu, David C.

1987-01-01

The tribological properties and mechanical strength of boron nitride films were investigated. The BN films were predominantly amorphous and nonstoichiometric and contained small amounts of oxides and carbides. It was found that the yield pressure at full plasticity, the critical load to fracture, and the shear strength of interfacial adhesive bonds (considered as adhesion) depended on the type of metallic substrate on which the BN was deposited. The harder the substrate, the greater the critical load and the adhesion. The yield pressures of the BN film were 12 GPa for the 440C stainless steel substrate, 4.1 GPa for the 304 stainless steel substrate, and 3.3 GPa for the titanium substrate.

Adhesion, friction and deformation of ion-beam-deposited boron nitride films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miyoshi, K.; Buckley, D. H.; Alterovitz, S. A.; Pouch, J. J.; Liu, D. C.

1987-01-01

The tribological properties and mechanical strength of boron nitride films were investigated. The BN films were predominantly amorphous and nonstoichiometric and contained small amounts of oxides and carbides. It was found that the yield pressure at full plasticity, the critical load to fracture, and the shear strength of interfacial adhesive bonds (considered as adhesion) depended on the type of metallic substrate on which the BN was deposited. The harder the substrate, the greater the critical load and the adhesion. The yield pressures of the BN film were 12 GPa for the 440C stainless steel substrate, 4.1 GPa for the 304 stainless steel substrate, and 3.3 GPa for the titanium substrate.

Effects of ambient conditions on the adhesion of cubic boron nitride films on silicon substrates

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

Cardinale, G.F.; Howitt, D.G.; Mirkarimi, P.B.

1994-08-01

Effect of environmental conditions on cubic boron nitride (cBN) film adhesion to silicon substrates was studied. cBN films were deposited onto (100)-oriented silicon substrates by ion-assisted pulsed laser deposition. Irradiating ions were mixtures of nitrogen with argon, krypton, and xenon. Under room-ambient conditions, the films delaminated in the following time order: N/Xe, N/Kr, and N/Ar. cBN films deposited using N/Xe ion-assisted deposition were exposed to four environmental conditions for several weeks: a 1-mTorr vacuum, high humidity, dry oxygen, and dry nitrogen. Films exposed to the humid environment delaminated whereas those stored under vacuum or in dry gases did not. Filmsmore » stored in dry nitrogen were removed after nearly two weeks and placed in the high-humidity chamber; these films subsequently delaminated within 14 hours.« less

Deposition of a-C/B films from o-carborane and trimethyl boron precursors

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

Geddes, J.B.; Getty, W.D.

1996-12-31

Vacuum wall deposition of a-B/C films has had tremendous positive impact on the performance of tokamak fusion reactors. In this work, precursor vapor and helium carrier gas have been used to create a plasma using a novel plasma source. Either trimethyl boron (TMB) or sublimed vapor from o-carborane solid can be used as deposition precursors. The plasma operates in a pressure range of 5 to 15 mTorr and typical flow rates are 5 sccm He plus 0.5-1 sccm o-carborane or TMB vapor. The film deposition rate ranges from less than 100 {angstrom}/minute to over 1,000 {angstrom}/minute. Microwave power levels rangemore » from 300--400 W at 2.45 GHz. The temperature and bias of the substrate can be varied, and the temperature of the substrate is recorded during deposition. The films have been analyzed using XPS. The atomic composition of the films has been measured. The o-carborane films have a much higher boron concentration than those deposited from TMB. The chemical bond characteristics of the different species have also been examined for each type of film. The thickness of the films is measured by profilometry, and this is combined with measurements of the film area and weight to calculate the film density. X-ray diffraction analysis has been performed; no evidence of any crystalline structure was found. Films with a thickness of a few thousand {angstrom} are routinely obtained. Deposition rates were 350 {angstrom}/minute on average.« less

METHOD OF PREPARING POLONIUM-BORON SOURCES

DOEpatents

Birden, J.H.

1959-08-01

An improved technique is described for preparation of a polonium-boron neutron source. A selected amount of Po-210 is vaporized into a thin walled nickel container, then the desired amcunt of boron powder is added. After sealing the container, it is heated quickly by induction heating to vaporize the Po-210 and deposit it in the still cool boron powder. The unit is then quickly cooled to prevent revaporization of the Po-210 from the boron. The build-up of neutron emission may be followed by means of a neutron counter in order to terminate the heating at the optimum level of neutron yield.

Effects of deposition temperature and ammonia flow on metal-organic chemical vapor deposition of hexagonal boron nitride

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rice, Anthony; Allerman, Andrew; Crawford, Mary; Beechem, Thomas; Ohta, Taisuke; Spataru, Catalin; Figiel, Jeffrey; Smith, Michael

2018-03-01

The use of metal-organic chemical vapor deposition at high temperature is investigated as a means to produce epitaxial hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) at the wafer scale. Several categories of hBN films were found to exist based upon precursor flows and deposition temperature. Low, intermediate, and high NH3 flow regimes were found to lead to fundamentally different deposition behaviors. The low NH3 flow regimes yielded discolored films of boron sub-nitride. The intermediate NH3 flow regime yielded stoichiometric films that could be deposited as thick films. The high NH3 flow regime yielded self-limited deposition with thicknesses limited to a few mono-layers. A Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism is proposed to explain the onset of self-limited behavior for the high NH3 flow regime. Photoluminescence characterization determined that the intermediate and high NH3 flow regimes could be further divided into low and high temperature behaviors with a boundary at 1500 °C. Films deposited with both high NH3 flow and high temperature exhibited room temperature free exciton emission at 210 nm and 215.9 nm.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Zengrong; Tong, Guoquan

2015-10-01

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

Polymeric Luminescent Compositions Doped with Beta-Diketonates Boron Difluoride as Material for Luminescent Solar Concentrator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khrebtov, A. A.; Fedorenko, E. V.; Reutov, V. A.

2017-11-01

In this paper we investigated polymeric luminescent compositions based on polystyrene doped with beta diketonates boron difluoride. Transparent films with effective absorption in the ultraviolet and blue regions of the spectrum were obtained. Polymeric luminescent compositions based on the mixture of dyes allow expanding the absorption region and increase the radiation shift. A luminescent solar concentrator consisting of a glass plate coated with such film can be used for photovoltaic window application.

Phase degradation in B xGa 1–xN films grown at low temperature by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy

DOE PAGES

Gunning, Brendan P.; Moseley, Michael W.; Koleske, Daniel D.; ...

2016-11-01

Using metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy, a comprehensive study of B xGa 1-xN growth on GaN and AlN templates is described. BGaN growth at high-temperature and high-pressure results in rough surfaces and poor boron incorporation efficiency, while growth at low-temperature and low-pressure (750–900 °C and 20 Torr) using nitrogen carrier gas results in improved surface morphology and boron incorporation up to ~7.4% as determined by nuclear reaction analysis. However, further structural analysis by transmission electron microscopy and x-ray pole figures points to severe degradation of the high boron composition films, into a twinned cubic structure with a high density of stackingmore » faults and little or no room temperature photoluminescence emission. Films with <1% triethylboron (TEB) flow show more intense, narrower x-ray diffraction peaks, near-band-edge photoluminescence emission at ~362 nm, and primarily wurtzite-phase structure in the x-ray pole figures. For films with >1% TEB flow, the crystal structure becomes dominated by the cubic phase. As a result, only when the TEB flow is zero (pure GaN), does the cubic phase entirely disappear from the x-ray pole figure, suggesting that under these growth conditions even very low boron compositions lead to mixed crystalline phases.« less

Phase degradation in B xGa 1–xN films grown at low temperature by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy

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

Gunning, Brendan P.; Moseley, Michael W.; Koleske, Daniel D.

Using metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy, a comprehensive study of B xGa 1-xN growth on GaN and AlN templates is described. BGaN growth at high-temperature and high-pressure results in rough surfaces and poor boron incorporation efficiency, while growth at low-temperature and low-pressure (750–900 °C and 20 Torr) using nitrogen carrier gas results in improved surface morphology and boron incorporation up to ~7.4% as determined by nuclear reaction analysis. However, further structural analysis by transmission electron microscopy and x-ray pole figures points to severe degradation of the high boron composition films, into a twinned cubic structure with a high density of stackingmore » faults and little or no room temperature photoluminescence emission. Films with <1% triethylboron (TEB) flow show more intense, narrower x-ray diffraction peaks, near-band-edge photoluminescence emission at ~362 nm, and primarily wurtzite-phase structure in the x-ray pole figures. For films with >1% TEB flow, the crystal structure becomes dominated by the cubic phase. As a result, only when the TEB flow is zero (pure GaN), does the cubic phase entirely disappear from the x-ray pole figure, suggesting that under these growth conditions even very low boron compositions lead to mixed crystalline phases.« less

Phthalocyanine-BODIPY dye: synthesis, characterization, and utilization for pattern recognition of CYFRA 21-1 in whole blood samples.

PubMed

Stefan-van Staden, Raluca-Ioana; Comnea-Stancu, Ionela Raluca; Yanık, Hülya; Göksel, Meltem; Alexandru, Anghel; Durmuş, Mahmut

2017-10-01

Phthalocyanine-BODIPY dye (BODIPY = boron dipyrromethene) was synthesized, fully characterized, and used for molecular recognition of CYFRA 21-1, a lung cancer biomarker, from whole blood samples. Thin films of three magnesium oxides ((MgO) n , where n = 8, 9, or 10)) were deposited on a paper substrate, and they were immersed in a solution of phthalocyanine-BODIPY dye (1.17 × 10 -3  mol/L) for the design of stochastic sensors. Limits of determination of picograms per milliliter magnitude order were recorded for the proposed stochastic sensors. CYFRA 21-1 was reliably identified and determined with recoveries higher than 95% and RSD lower than 1% in whole blood samples.

Conjugated polymer sensors built on pi-extended borasiloxane cages.

PubMed

Liu, Wenjun; Pink, Maren; Lee, Dongwhan

2009-06-24

An efficient 2 + 2 cyclocondensation with dihydroxysilane converted simple arylboronic acids to bifunctional borasiloxane cage molecules, which were subsequently electropolymerized to furnish air-stable thin films. The extended [p,pi]-conjugation that defines the rigid backbone of this new conjugated polymer (CP) motif gives rise to longer-wavelength UV-vis transitions upon oxidative doping, the spectral window and intensity of which can be modified by interaction with Lewis basic reagents. Notably, this boron-containing CP undergoes a rapid and reversible color change from green to orange upon exposure to volatile amine samples under ambient conditions. This direct naked-eye detection scheme can best be explained by invoking the reversible B-N dative bond formation that profoundly influences the p-pi* orbital overlap.

Ultrasound-activated piezoelectric P(VDF-TrFE)/boron nitride nanotube composite films promote differentiation of human SaOS-2 osteoblast-like cells.

PubMed

Genchi, Giada Graziana; Sinibaldi, Edoardo; Ceseracciu, Luca; Labardi, Massimiliano; Marino, Attilio; Marras, Sergio; De Simoni, Giorgio; Mattoli, Virgilio; Ciofani, Gianni

2017-05-26

Piezoelectric films of poly(vinylidenedifluoride-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)) and of P(VDF-TrFE)/boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) were prepared by cast-annealing and used for SaOS-2 osteoblast-like cell culture. Films were characterized in terms of surface and bulk features, and composite films demonstrated enhanced piezoresponse compared to plain polymeric films (d 31 increased by ~80%). Osteogenic differentiation was evaluated in terms of calcium deposition, collagen I secretion, and transcriptional levels of marker genes (Alpl, Col1a1, Ibsp, and Sparc) in cells either exposed or not to ultrasounds (US); finally, a numerical model suggested that the induced voltage (~20-60 mV) is suitable for cell stimulation. Although preliminary, our results are extremely promising and encourage the use of piezoelectric P(VDF-TrFE)/BNNT films in bone tissue regeneration. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Multiple delta doping of single crystal cubic boron nitride films heteroepitaxially grown on (001)diamonds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, H.; Ziemann, P.

2014-06-01

Phase pure cubic boron nitride (c-BN) films have been epitaxially grown on (001) diamond substrates at 900 °C. The n-type doping of c-BN epitaxial films relies on the sequential growth of nominally undoped (p-) and Si doped (n-) layers with well-controlled thickness (down to several nanometer range) in the concept of multiple delta doping. The existence of nominally undoped c-BN overgrowth separates the Si doped layers, preventing Si dopant segregation that was observed for continuously doped epitaxial c-BN films. This strategy allows doping of c-BN films can be scaled up to multiple numbers of doped layers through atomic level control of the interface in the future electronic devices. Enhanced electronic transport properties with higher hall mobility (102 cm2/V s) have been demonstrated at room temperature as compared to the normally continuously Si doped c-BN films.

Modelling heat conduction in polycrystalline hexagonal boron-nitride films

PubMed Central

Mortazavi, Bohayra; Pereira, Luiz Felipe C.; Jiang, Jin-Wu; Rabczuk, Timon

2015-01-01

We conducted extensive molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the thermal conductivity of polycrystalline hexagonal boron-nitride (h-BN) films. To this aim, we constructed large atomistic models of polycrystalline h-BN sheets with random and uniform grain configuration. By performing equilibrium molecular dynamics (EMD) simulations, we investigated the influence of the average grain size on the thermal conductivity of polycrystalline h-BN films at various temperatures. Using the EMD results, we constructed finite element models of polycrystalline h-BN sheets to probe the thermal conductivity of samples with larger grain sizes. Our multiscale investigations not only provide a general viewpoint regarding the heat conduction in h-BN films but also propose that polycrystalline h-BN sheets present high thermal conductivity comparable to monocrystalline sheets. PMID:26286820

Optical and morphological characterizations of pyronin dye-poly (vinyl alcohol) thin films formed on glass substrates

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

Meral, Kadem, E-mail: kademm@atauni.edu.tr; Arik, Mustafa, E-mail: marik@tatauni.edu.tr; Onganer, Yavuz, E-mail: yonganer@atauni.edu.tr

Thin films of pyronin dye mixed with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) on glass substrate were prepared by using spin-coating technique. The optical and morphological properties of the thin films were studied by UV-Vis., steady-state fluorescence spectroscopies and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The thin films on glass substrate were fabricated at various [PVA]/[dye] (P/D) ratios. Hence, the monomeric and H-aggregates thin films of pyronin dye mixed with PVA were formed as a function of the dye and PVA concentration. It was determined that while the monomeric thin films showed strong fluorescence, the formation of H-aggregates in the thin film caused to decreasingmore » the fluorescence intensity. AFM studies demonstrated that the morphology of the thin film was drastically varied with changing the optical property of the thin film such as monomeric and H-aggregates thin films.« less

Deposition of BN interphase coatings from B-trichloroborazine and its effects on the mechanical properties of SiC/SiC composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Haitang; Chen, Mingwei; Wei, Xi; Ge, Min; Zhang, Weigang

2010-12-01

Boron nitride thin films were deposited on silicon carbide fibers by chemical vapor deposition at atmospheric pressure from the single source precursor B-trichloroborazine (Cl 3B 3N 3H 3, TCB). The film growth and structure, as a function of deposition temperature, hydrogen gas flow rate, and deposition time, were discussed. The deposition rate reaches a maximum at 1000 °C, then decreases with the increasing of temperature, and the apparent activation energy of the reaction is 127 kJ/mol. Above 1000 °C, gas-phase nucleation determines the deposition process. The deposited BN films were characterized by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The effect of BN interphase on the mechanical properties of the unidirectional SiC fiber-reinforced SiC matrix (SiC/SiC) composites was also investigated. The results show that the flexural strength of SiC/SiC composites with and without coating is 276 MPa and 70 MPa, respectively, which indicates that BN interphase coating deposited from B-trichloroborazine precursor can effectively adjust the fiber/matrix interface, thus causing a dramatic increase in the mechanical properties of the composites.

Low threshold field emission from high-quality cubic boron nitride films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teii, Kungen; Matsumoto, Seiichiro

2012-05-01

Field emission performance of materials with mixed sp2/sp3 phases often depends upon the phase composition at the surface. In this study, the emission performance of high-quality cubic boron nitride (cBN) films is studied in terms of phase purity. Thick cBN films consisting of micron-sized grains are prepared from boron trifluoride gas by chemical vapor deposition in a plasma jet and an inductively coupled plasma. Both the bulk and surface phase purities as well as crystallinities of cBN evaluated by visible and ultraviolet Raman spectroscopy, glancing-angle x-ray diffraction, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy are the highest when the film is deposited in a plasma jet under an optimized condition. The emission turn-on field decreases with increasing the phase purity, down to around 5 V/μm for the highest cBN purity, due to the larger field enhancement, while it is higher than 14 V/μm without cBN (sp2-bonded hexagonal BN only). The results indicate that the total field enhancement for the high phase purity film is governed by the internal field amplification related to the surface coverage of more conductive cBN, rather than the external one related to the surface topology or roughness.

Effect of gas flow ratio on the microstructure and mechanical properties of boron phosphide films prepared by reactive magnetron sputtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Z. C.; Zhu, J. Q.; Jiang, C. Z.; Shen, W. X.; Han, J. C.; Chen, R. R.

2011-10-01

Boron phosphide films were grown on silicon substrate by radio frequency reactive magnetron sputtering using boron target and hydrogen phosphine at different gas flow ratios (PH 3/Ar) at lower temperature. The chemical composition, microstructure and mechanical properties were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectrum, FTIR spectrum, surface profilometer and nano-indenter. The results indicate that the atomic ratio (P/B) rises from 1.06 up to 1.52 with the gas flow ratio increasing from 3/50 to 15/50. Simultaneously, the hardness and Young's modulus decrease from 25.4 GPa to 22.5 GPa, and 250.4 GPa to 238.4 GPa, respectively. Microstructure transforms from microcrystalline state to amorphous state along with the gas flow ratio increasing. Furthermore higher gas flow ratio leads to lower stress. The BP film prepared at the gas flow ratio of 3/50 can be contributed with the best properties.

Optimization of high quality Cu2ZnSnS4 thin film by low cost and environment friendly sol-gel technique for thin film solar cells applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chaudhari, J. J.; Joshi, U. S.

2018-05-01

In this study kesterite Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) thin films suitable for absorber layer in thin film solar cells (TFSCs) were successfully fabricated on glass substrate by sol-gel method. The effects of complexing agent on formation of CZTS thin films have been investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirms formation of polycrystalline CZTS thin films with single phase kesterite structure. XRD and Raman spectroscopy analysis of CZTS thin films with optimized concentration of complexing agent confirmed formation of kesterite phase in CZTS thin films. The direct optical band gap energy of CZTS thin films is found to decrease from 1.82 to 1.50 eV with increase of concentration of complexing agent triethanolamine. Morphological analysis of CZTS thin films shows smooth, uniform and densely packed CZTS grains and increase in the grain size with increase of concentration of complexing agent. Hall measurements revealed that concentration of charge carrier increases and resistivity decreases in CZTS thin films as amount of complexing agent increases.

Thin film cell development workshop report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Woodyard, James R.

1991-01-01

The Thin Film Development Workshop provided an opportunity for those interested in space applications of thin film cells to debate several topics. The unique characteristics of thin film cells as well as a number of other issues were covered during the discussions. The potential of thin film cells, key research and development issues, manufacturing issues, radiation damage, substrates, and space qualification of thin film cells were discussed.

Composite polymeric film and method for its use in installing a very-thin polymeric film in a device

DOEpatents

Duchane, D.V.; Barthell, B.L.

1982-04-26

A composite polymeric film and a method for its use in forming and installing a very thin (< 10 ..mu..m) polymeric film are disclosed. The composite film consists of a thin film layer and a backing layer. The backing layer is soluble in a solvent in which the thin film layer is not soluble. In accordance with the method, the composite film is installed in a device in the same position in which it is sought to finally emplace the thin film. The backing layer is then selectiely dissolved in the solvent to leave the insoluble thin film layer as an unbacked film. The method permits a very thin film to e successfully installed in devices where the fragility of the film would preclude handling and installation by conventional methods.

Composite polymeric film and method for its use in installing a very thin polymeric film in a device

DOEpatents

Duchane, David V.; Barthell, Barry L.

1984-01-01

A composite polymeric film and a method for its use in forming and installing a very thin (<10 .mu.m) polymeric film are disclosed. The composite film consists of a thin film layer and a backing layer. The backing layer is soluble in a solvent in which the thin film layer is not soluble. In accordance with the method, the composite film is installed in a device in the same position in which it is sought to finally emplace the thin film. The backing layer is then selectively dissolved in the solvent to leave the insoluble thin film layer as an unbacked film. The method permits a very thin film to be successfully installed in devices where the fragility of the film would preclude handling and installation by conventional methods.

Mechanical design of thin-film diamond crystal mounting apparatus with optimized thermal contact and crystal strain for coherence preservation x-ray optics

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

Shu, Deming; Shvydko, Yury; Stoupin, Stanislav

A method and mechanical design for a thin-film diamond crystal mounting apparatus for coherence preservation x-ray optics with optimized thermal contact and minimized crystal strain are provided. The novel thin-film diamond crystal mounting apparatus mounts a thin-film diamond crystal supported by a thick chemical vapor deposition (CVD) diamond film spacer with a thickness slightly thicker than the thin-film diamond crystal, and two groups of thin film thermal conductors, such as thin CVD diamond film thermal conductor groups separated by the thick CVD diamond spacer. The two groups of thin CVD film thermal conductors provide thermal conducting interface media with themore » thin-film diamond crystal. A piezoelectric actuator is integrated into a flexural clamping mechanism generating clamping force from zero to an optimal level.« less

Synthesis and Characterization of Hexagonal Boron Nitride as a Gate Dielectric

PubMed Central

Jang, Sung Kyu; Youn, Jiyoun; Song, Young Jae; Lee, Sungjoo

2016-01-01

Two different growth modes of large-area hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) film, a conventional chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth mode and a high-pressure CVD growth mode, were compared as a function of the precursor partial pressure. Conventional self-limited CVD growth was obtained below a critical partial pressure of the borazine precursor, whereas a thick h-BN layer (thicker than a critical thickness of 10 nm) was grown beyond a critical partial pressure. An interesting coincidence of a critical thickness of 10 nm was identified in both the CVD growth behavior and in the breakdown electric field strength and leakage current mechanism, indicating that the electrical properties of the CVD h-BN film depended significantly on the film growth mode and the resultant film quality. PMID:27458024

Atomic oxygen effects on boron nitride and silicon nitride: A comparison of ground based and space flight data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cross, J. B.; Lan, E. H.; Smith, C. A.; Whatley, W. J.

1990-01-01

The effects of atomic oxygen on boron nitride (BN) and silicon nitride (Si3N4) were evaluated in a low Earth orbit (LEO) flight experiment and in a ground based simulation facility. In both the inflight and ground based experiments, these materials were coated on thin (approx. 250A) silver films, and the electrical resistance of the silver was measured in situ to detect any penetration of atomic oxygen through the BN and Si3N4 materials. In the presence of atomic oxygen, silver oxidizes to form silver oxide, which has a much higher electrical resistance than pure silver. Permeation of atomic oxygen through BN, as indicated by an increase in the electrical resistance of the silver underneath, was observed in both the inflight and ground based experiments. In contrast, no permeation of atomic oxygen through Si3N4 was observed in either the inflight or ground based experiments. The ground based results show good qualitative correlation with the LEO flight results, indicating that ground based facilities such as the one at Los Alamos National Lab can reproduce space flight data from LEO.

A comparison of ground-based and space flight data: Atomic oxygen reactions with boron nitride and silicon nitride

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cross, J. B.; Lan, E. H.; Smith, C. A.; Whatley, W. J.; Koontz, S. L.

1990-01-01

The effects of atomic oxygen on boron nitride (BN) and silicon nitride (Si3N4) have been studied in low Earth orbit (LEO) flight experiments and in a ground-based simulation facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Both the in-flight and ground-based experiments employed the materials coated over thin (approx 250 Angstrom) silver films whose electrical resistance was measured in situ to detect penetration of atomic oxygen through the BN and Si3N4 materials. In the presence of atomic oxygen, silver oxidizes to form silver oxide, which has a much higher electrical resistance than pure silver. Permeation of atomic oxygen through BN, as indicated by an increase in the electrical resistance of the silver underneath, was observed in both the in-flight and ground-based experiments. In contrast, no permeation of atomic oxygen through Si3N4 was observed in either the in-flight or ground-based experiments. The ground-based results show good qualitative correlation with the LEO flight results, thus validating the simulation fidelity of the ground-based facility in terms of reproducing LEO flight results.

2D layered insulator hexagonal boron nitride enabled surface passivation in dye sensitized solar cells.

PubMed

Shanmugam, Mariyappan; Jacobs-Gedrim, Robin; Durcan, Chris; Yu, Bin

2013-11-21

A two-dimensional layered insulator, hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), is demonstrated as a new class of surface passivation materials in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) to reduce interfacial carrier recombination. We observe ~57% enhancement in the photo-conversion efficiency of the DSSC utilizing h-BN coated semiconductor TiO2 as compared with the device without surface passivation. The h-BN coated TiO2 is characterized by Raman spectroscopy to confirm the presence of highly crystalline, mixed monolayer/few-layer h-BN nanoflakes on the surface of TiO2. The passivation helps to minimize electron-hole recombination at the TiO2/dye/electrolyte interfaces. The DSSC with h-BN passivation exhibits significantly lower dark saturation current in the low forward bias region and higher saturation in the high forward bias region, respectively, suggesting that the interface quality is largely improved without impeding carrier transport at the material interface. The experimental results reveal that the emerging 2D layered insulator could be used for effective surface passivation in solar cell applications attributed to desirable material features such as high crystallinity and self-terminated/dangling-bond-free atomic planes as compared with high-k thin-film dielectrics.

Permanent laser conditioning of thin film optical materials

DOEpatents

Wolfe, C. Robert; Kozlowski, Mark R.; Campbell, John H.; Staggs, Michael; Rainer, Frank

1995-01-01

The invention comprises a method for producing optical thin films with a high laser damage threshold and the resulting thin films. The laser damage threshold of the thin films is permanently increased by irradiating the thin films with a fluence below an unconditioned laser damage threshold.

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

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

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

2014-09-01

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

Thin Film Photovoltaic Partnership Project | Photovoltaic Research | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Thin Film Photovoltaic Partnership Project Thin Film Photovoltaic Partnership Project NREL's Thin Film Photovoltaic (PV) Partnership Project led R&D on emerging thin-film solar technologies in the National Laboratory developed low-cost transparent encapsulation schemes for CIGS cells that reduced power

Permanent laser conditioning of thin film optical materials

DOEpatents

Wolfe, C.R.; Kozlowski, M.R.; Campbell, J.H.; Staggs, M.; Rainer, F.

1995-12-05

The invention comprises a method for producing optical thin films with a high laser damage threshold and the resulting thin films. The laser damage threshold of the thin films is permanently increased by irradiating the thin films with a fluence below an unconditioned laser damage threshold. 9 figs.

Ordered organic-organic multilayer growth

DOEpatents

Forrest, Stephen R.; Lunt, Richard R.

2016-04-05

An ordered multilayer crystalline organic thin film structure is formed by depositing at least two layers of thin film crystalline organic materials successively wherein the at least two thin film layers are selected to have their surface energies within .+-.50% of each other, and preferably within .+-.15% of each other, whereby every thin film layer within the multilayer crystalline organic thin film structure exhibit a quasi-epitaxial relationship with the adjacent crystalline organic thin film.

Ordered organic-organic multilayer growth

DOEpatents

Forrest, Stephen R; Lunt, Richard R

2015-01-13

An ordered multilayer crystalline organic thin film structure is formed by depositing at least two layers of thin film crystalline organic materials successively wherein the at least two thin film layers are selected to have their surface energies within .+-.50% of each other, and preferably within .+-.15% of each other, whereby every thin film layer within the multilayer crystalline organic thin film structure exhibit a quasi-epitaxial relationship with the adjacent crystalline organic thin film.

Low work function, stable thin films

DOEpatents

Dinh, Long N.; McLean, II, William; Balooch, Mehdi; Fehring, Jr., Edward J.; Schildbach, Marcus A.

2000-01-01

Generation of low work function, stable compound thin films by laser ablation. Compound thin films with low work function can be synthesized by simultaneously laser ablating silicon, for example, and thermal evaporating an alkali metal into an oxygen environment. For example, the compound thin film may be composed of Si/Cs/O. The work functions of the thin films can be varied by changing the silicon/alkali metal/oxygen ratio. Low work functions of the compound thin films deposited on silicon substrates were confirmed by ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS). The compound thin films are stable up to 500.degree. C. as measured by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Tests have established that for certain chemical compositions and annealing temperatures of the compound thin films, negative electron affinity (NEA) was detected. The low work function, stable compound thin films can be utilized in solar cells, field emission flat panel displays, electron guns, and cold cathode electron guns.

The study of radiation effects in emerging micro and nano electro mechanical systems (M and NEMs)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arutt, Charles N.; Alles, Michael L.; Liao, Wenjun; Gong, Huiqi; Davidson, Jim L.; Schrimpf, Ronald D.; Reed, Robert A.; Weller, Robert A.; Bolotin, Kirill; Nicholl, Ryan; Pham, Thang Toan; Zettl, Alex; Qingyang, Du; Hu, Juejun; Li, Mo; Alphenaar, Bruce W.; Lin, Ji-Tzuoh; Shurva, Pranoy Deb; McNamara, Shamus; Walsh, Kevin M.; X-L Feng, Philip; Hutin, Louis; Ernst, Thomas; Homeijer, Brian D.; Polcawich, Ronald G.; Proie, Robert M.; Jones, Jacob L.; Glaser, Evan R.; Cress, Cory D.; Bassiri-Gharb, Nazanin

2017-01-01

The potential of micro and nano electromechanical systems (M and NEMS) has expanded due to advances in materials and fabrication processes. A wide variety of materials are now being pursued and deployed for M and NEMS including silicon carbide (SiC), III-V materials, thin-film piezoelectric and ferroelectric, electro-optical and 2D atomic crystals such as graphene, hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), and molybdenum disulfide (MoS2). The miniaturization, functionality and low-power operation offered by these types of devices are attractive for many application areas including physical sciences, medical, space and military uses, where exposure to radiation is a reliability consideration. Understanding the impact of radiation on these materials and devices is necessary for applications in radiation environments.

Thermal insulation for high temperature microwave sintering operations and method thereof

DOEpatents

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

1995-01-01

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

Method of preparing thermal insulation for high temperature microwave sintering operations

DOEpatents

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

1996-01-01

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

Low stress polysilicon film and method for producing same

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heuer, Arthur H. (Inventor); Kahn, Harold (Inventor); Yang, Jie (Inventor)

2001-01-01

Multi-layer assemblies of polysilicon thin films having predetermined stress characteristics and techniques for forming such assemblies are disclosed. In particular, a multi-layer assembly of polysilicon thin film may be produced that has a stress level of zero, or substantially so. The multi-layer assemblies comprise at least one constituent thin film having a tensile stress and at least one constituent thin film having a compressive stress. The thin films forming the multi-layer assemblies may be disposed immediately adjacent to one another without the use of intermediate layers between the thin films.

Low stress polysilicon film and method for producing same

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heuer, Arthur H. (Inventor); Kahn, Harold (Inventor); Yang, Jie (Inventor)

2002-01-01

Multi-layer assemblies of polysilicon thin films having predetermined stress characteristics and techniques for forming such assemblies are disclosed. In particular, a multi-layer assembly of polysilicon thin film may be produced that has a stress level of zero, or substantially so. The multi-layer assemblies comprise at least one constituent thin film having a tensile stress and at least one constituent thin film having a compressive stress. The thin films forming the multi-layer assemblies may be disposed immediately adjacent to one another without the use of intermediate layers between the thin films.

Boron stripper foils for particle accelerators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeisler, Stefan K.; Brigham, Michael; Kaur, Ishneet; Jaggi, Vinder

2018-05-01

Micromatter Technologies Inc., now located in Surrey B.C., Canada, is a worldwide supplier of pure and boron containing diamond-like carbon (DLC) stripper foils ranging from 10 nm to 10 μm. These foils are manufactured in-house using pulsed laser deposition. Continuing our research into novel production methods and alternative materials to be used as beam strippers for heavy elements and in particular for tandem particle accelerators, pure boron foils were prepared by laser plasma ablation of a disc shaped boron sputter target. Foil thickness between 10 nm to approximately 0.7 μm were achieved. The new boron foils showed considerably less stress, higher mechanical strength and better flexibility than comparable DLC films.

Miniature hybrid microwave IC's using a novel thin-film technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eda, Kazuo; Miwa, Tetsuji; Taguchi, Yutaka; Uwano, Tomoki

1990-12-01

A novel thin-film technology for miniature hybrid microwave ICs is presented. All passive components, such as resistors and capacitors, are fully integrated on ordinary alumina ceramic substrates using the thin-film technology with very high yield. The numbers of parts and wiring processes were significantly reduced. This technology was applied to the fabrication of Ku-band solid-state power amplifiers. This thin-film technology offers the following advantages: (1) a very high yield fabrication process of thin-film capacitor having excellent electrical characteristics in the gigahertz range (Q = 230 at 12 GHz) and reliability: (2) two kinds of thin-film resistors having different temperature coefficients of resistivity and a lift-off process to integrate them with thin-film capacitors; and (3) a matching method using the thin-film capacitor.

Development of nanostructured ZnO thin film via electrohydrodynamic atomization technique and its photoconductivity characteristics.

PubMed

Duraisamy, Navaneethan; Kwon, Ki Rin; Jo, Jeongdai; Choi, Kyung-Hyun

2014-08-01

This article presents the non-vacuum technique for the preparation of nanostructured zinc oxide (ZnO) thin film on glass substrate through electrohydrodynamic atomization (EHDA) technique. The detailed process parameters for achieving homogeneous ZnO thin films are clearly discussed. The crystallinity and surface morphology of ZnO thin film are investigated by X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The result shows that the deposited ZnO thin film is oriented in the wurtzite phase with void free surface morphology. The surface roughness of deposited ZnO thin film is found to be ~17.8 nm. The optical properties of nanostructured ZnO thin films show the average transmittance is about 90% in the visible region and the energy band gap is found to be 3.17 eV. The surface chemistry and purity of deposited ZnO thin films are analyzed by fourier transform infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, conforming the presence of Zn-O in the deposited thin films without any organic moiety. The photocurrent measurement of nanostructured ZnO thin film is examined in the presence of UV light illumination with wavelength of 365 nm. These results suggest that the deposited nanostructured ZnO thin film through EHDA technique possess promising applications in the near future.

Chemical bath deposited and dip coating deposited CuS thin films - Structure, Raman spectroscopy and surface study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tailor, Jiten P.; Khimani, Ankurkumar J.; Chaki, Sunil H.

2018-05-01

The crystal structure, Raman spectroscopy and surface microtopography study on as-deposited CuS thin films were carried out. Thin films deposited by two techniques of solution growth were studied. The thin films used in the present study were deposited by chemical bath deposition (CBD) and dip coating deposition techniques. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of both the as-deposited thin films showed that both the films possess covellite phase of CuS and hexagonal unit cell structure. The determined lattice parameters of both the films are in agreement with the standard JCPDS as well as reported data. The crystallite size determined by Scherrer's equation and Hall-Williamsons relation using XRD data for both the as-deposited thin films showed that the respective values were in agreement with each other. The ambient Raman spectroscopy of both the as-deposited thin films showed major emission peaks at 474 cm-1 and a minor emmision peaks at 265 cm-1. The observed Raman peaks matched with the covellite phase of CuS. The atomic force microscopy of both the as-deposited thin films surfaces showed dip coating thin film to be less rough compared to CBD deposited thin film. All the obtained results are presented and deliberated in details.

Synthesis and characterization of cobalt doped nickel oxide thin films by spray pyrolysis method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sathisha, D.; Naik, K. Gopalakrishna

2018-05-01

Cobalt (Co) doped nickel oxide (NiO) thin films were deposited on glass substrates at a temperature of about 400 °C by spray pyrolysis method. The effect of Co doping concentration on structural, optical and compositional properties of NiO thin films was investigated. X-ray diffraction result shows that the deposited thin films are polycrystalline in nature. Surface morphologies of the deposited thin films were observed by FESEM and AFM. EDS spectra showed the incorporation of Co dopants in NiO thin films. Optical properties of the grown thin films were characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy. It was found that the optical band gap energy and transmittance of the films decrease with increasing Co doping concentration.

Insight into the epitaxial encapsulation of Pd catalysts in an oriented metalloporphyrin network thin film for tandem catalysis.

PubMed

Vohra, M Ismail; Li, De-Jing; Gu, Zhi-Gang; Zhang, Jian

2017-06-14

A palladium catalyst (Pd-Cs) encapsulated metalloporphyrin network PIZA-1 thin film with bifunctional properties has been developed through a modified epitaxial layer-by-layer encapsulation approach. Combining the oxidation activity of Pd-Cs and the acetalization activity of the Lewis acidic sites in the PIZA-1 thin film, this bifunctional catalyst of the Pd-Cs@PIZA-1 thin film exhibits a good catalytic activity in a one-pot tandem oxidation-acetalization reaction. Furthermore, the surface components can be controlled by ending the top layer with different precursors in the thin film preparation procedures. The catalytic performances of these thin films with different surface composites were studied under the same conditions, which showed different reaction conversions. The result revealed that the surface component can influence the catalytic performance of the thin films. This epitaxial encapsulation offers a good understanding of the tandem catalysis for thin film materials and provides useful guidance to develop new thin film materials with catalytic properties.

Generation of low work function, stable compound thin films by laser ablation

DOEpatents

Dinh, Long N.; McLean, II, William; Balooch, Mehdi; Fehring, Jr., Edward J.; Schildbach, Marcus A.

2001-01-01

Generation of low work function, stable compound thin films by laser ablation. Compound thin films with low work function can be synthesized by simultaneously laser ablating silicon, for example, and thermal evaporating an alkali metal into an oxygen environment. For example, the compound thin film may be composed of Si/Cs/O. The work functions of the thin films can be varied by changing the silicon/alkali metal/oxygen ratio. Low work functions of the compound thin films deposited on silicon substrates were confirmed by ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS). The compound thin films are stable up to 500.degree. C. as measured by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Tests have established that for certain chemical compositions and annealing temperatures of the compound thin films, negative electron affinity (NEA) was detected. The low work function, stable compound thin films can be utilized in solar cells, field emission flat panel displays, electron guns, and cold cathode electron guns.

Exciting transition metal doped dilute magnetic thin films: MgO:Er and ZnO:Er

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ćakıcı, T.; Sarıtaş, S.; Muǧlu, G. Merhan; Yıldırım, M.

2017-02-01

Erbium doped MgO and doped ZnO thin films have reasonably important properties applications in spintronic devices. These films were synthesized on glass substrates by Chemical Spray Pyrolysis (CSP) method. In the literature there has been almost no report on preparation of MgO:Er dilute magnetic thin films by means of CSP. Because doped thin films show different magnetic behaviors, depending upon the type of magnetic material ions, concentration of them, synthesis route and experimental conditions, synthesized MgO:Er and ZnO:Er films were compared to thin film properties. Optical analyses of the synthesized thin films were examined spectral absorption and transmittance measurements by UV-Vis double beam spectrophotometer technique. Structural analysis of the thin films was examined by using XRD, Raman Analysis, FE-SEM, EDX and AFM techniques. Also, magnetic properties of the MgO:Er and ZnO:Er films were investigated by vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) which show that diamagnetic behavior of the MgO:Er thin film and ferromagnetic (FM) behavior of the ZnO:Er film were is formed.

Thin-film optical initiator

DOEpatents

Erickson, Kenneth L.

2001-01-01

A thin-film optical initiator having an inert, transparent substrate, a reactive thin film, which can be either an explosive or a pyrotechnic, and a reflective thin film. The resultant thin-film optical initiator system also comprises a fiber-optic cable connected to a low-energy laser source, an output charge, and an initiator housing. The reactive thin film, which may contain very thin embedded layers or be a co-deposit of a light-absorbing material such as carbon, absorbs the incident laser light, is volumetrically heated, and explodes against the output charge, imparting about 5 to 20 times more energy than in the incident laser pulse.

Fabrication and etching processes of silicon-based PZT thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Hongjin; Liu, Yanxiang; Liu, Jianshe; Ren, Tian-Ling; Liu, Li-Tian; Li, Zhijian

2001-09-01

Lead-zirconate-titanate (PZT) thin films on silicon were prepared by a sol-gel method. Phase characterization and crystal orientation of the films were investigated by x-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). It was shown that the PZT thin films had a perfect perovskite structure after annealed at a low temperature of 600 degrees C. PZT thin films were chemically etched using HCl/HF solution through typical semiconductor lithographic process, and the etching condition was optimized. The scanning electron microscopy results indicated that the PZT thin film etching problem was well solved for the applications of PZT thin film devices.

Mechanical strength and tribological behavior of ion-beam deposited boron nitride films on non-metallic substrates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miyoshi, Kazuhisa; Buckley, Donald H.; Pouch, John J.; Alterovitz, Samuel A.; Sliney, Harold E.

1987-01-01

An investigation was conducted to examine the mechanical strength and tribological properties of boron nitride (BN) films ion-beam deposited on silicon (Si), fused silica (SiO2), gallium arsenide (GaAs), and indium phosphide (InP) substrates in sliding contact with a diamond pin under a load. The results of the investigation indicate that BN films on nonmetallic substrates, like metal films on metallic substrates, deform elastically and plastically in the interfacial region when in contact with a diamond pin. However, unlike metal films and substrates, BN films on nonmetallic substrates can fracture when they are critically loaded. Not only does the yield pressure (hardness) of Si and SiO2 substrates increase by a factor of 2 in the presence of a BN film, but the critical load needed to fracture increases as well. The presence of films on the brittle substrates can arrest crack formation. The BN film reduces adhesion and friction in the sliding contact. BN adheres to Si and SiO2 and forms a good quality film, while it adheres poorly to GaAs and InP. The interfacial adhesive strengths were 1 GPa for a BN film on Si and appreciably higher than 1 GPa for a BN film on SiO2.

Mechanical strength and tribological behavior of ion-beam-deposited boron nitride films on non-metallic substrates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miyoshi, Kazuhisa; Pouch, John J.; Alterovitz, Samuel A.; Sliney, Harold E.; Buckley, Donald H.

1987-01-01

An investigation was conducted to examine the mechanical strength and tribological properties of boron nitride (BN) films ion-beam deposited on silicon (Si), fused silica (SiO2), gallium arsenide (GaAs), and indium phosphide (InP) substrates in sliding contact with a diamond pin under a load. The results of the investigation indicate that BN films on nonmetallic substrates, like metal films on metallic substrates, deform elastically and plastically in the interfacial region when in contact with a diamond pin. However, unlike metal films and substrates, BN films on nonmetallic substrates can fracture when they are critically loaded. Not only does the yield pressure (hardness) of Si and SiO2 substrates increase by a factor of 2 in the presence of a BN film, but the critical load needed to fracture increases as well. The presence of films on the brittle substrates can arrest crack formation. The BN film reduces adhesion and friction in the sliding contact. BN adheres to Si and SiO2 and forms a good quality film, while it adheres poorly to GaAs and InP. The interfacial adhesive strengths were 1 GPa for a BN film on Si and appreciably higher than 1 GPa for a BN film on SiO2.

Investigations of Si Thin Films as Anode of Lithium-Ion Batteries

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

Wu, Qingliu; Shi, Bing; Bareño, Javier

Amorphous silicon thin films having various thicknesses were investigated as a negative electrode material for lithium-ion batteries. Electrochemical characterization of the 20 nm thick thin silicon film revealed a very low first cycle Coulombic efficiency, which can be attributed to the silicon oxide layer formed on both the surface of the as-deposited Si thin film and the interface between the Si and the substrate. Among the investigated films, the 100 nm Si thin film demonstrated the best performance in terms of first cycle efficiency and cycle life. Observations from scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that the generation of cracks was inevitablemore » in the cycled Si thin films, even as the thickness of the film was as little as 20 nm, which was not predicted by previous modeling work. However, the cycling performance of the 20 and 100 nm silicon thin films was not detrimentally affected by these cracks. The poor capacity retention of the 1 mu m silicon thin film was attributed to the delamination.« less

Low-Cost Detection of Thin Film Stress during Fabrication

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nabors, Sammy A.

2015-01-01

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center has developed a simple, cost-effective optical method for thin film stress measurements during growth and/or subsequent annealing processes. Stress arising in thin film fabrication presents production challenges for electronic devices, sensors, and optical coatings; it can lead to substrate distortion and deformation, impacting the performance of thin film products. NASA's technique measures in-situ stress using a simple, noncontact fiber optic probe in the thin film vacuum deposition chamber. This enables real-time monitoring of stress during the fabrication process and allows for efficient control of deposition process parameters. By modifying process parameters in real time during fabrication, thin film stress can be optimized or controlled, improving thin film product performance.

Compositional ratio effect on the surface characteristics of CuZn thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Ahrom; Park, Juyun; Kang, Yujin; Lee, Seokhee; Kang, Yong-Cheol

2018-05-01

CuZn thin films were fabricated by RF co-sputtering method on p-type Si(100) wafer with various RF powers applied on metallic Cu and Zn targets. This paper aimed to determine the morphological, chemical, and electrical properties of the deposited CuZn thin films by utilizing a surface profiler, atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), UV photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS), and a 4-point probe. The thickness of the thin films was fixed at 200 ± 8 nm and the roughness of the thin films containing Cu was smaller than pure Zn thin films. XRD studies confirmed that the preferred phase changed, and this tendency is dependent on the ratio of Cu to Zn. AES spectra indicate that the obtained thin films consisted of Cu and Zn. The high resolution XPS spectra indicate that as the content of Cu increased, the intensities of Zn2+ decreased. The work function of CuZn thin films increased from 4.87 to 5.36 eV. The conductivity of CuZn alloy thin films was higher than pure metallic thin films.

A thin film nitinol heart valve.

PubMed

Stepan, Lenka L; Levi, Daniel S; Carman, Gregory P

2005-11-01

In order to create a less thrombogenic heart valve with improved longevity, a prosthetic heart valve was developed using thin film nitinol (NiTi). A "butterfly" valve was constructed using a single, elliptical piece of thin film NiTi and a scaffold made from Teflon tubing and NiTi wire. Flow tests and pressure readings across the valve were performed in vitro in a pulsatile flow loop. Bio-corrosion experiments were conducted on untreated and passivated thin film nitinol. To determine the material's in vivo biocompatibility, thin film nitinol was implanted in pigs using stents covered with thin film NiTi. Flow rates and pressure tracings across the valve were comparable to those through a commercially available 19 mm Perimount Edwards tissue valve. No signs of corrosion were present on thin film nitinol samples after immersion in Hank's solution for one month. Finally, organ and tissue samples explanted from four pigs at 2, 3, 4, and 6 weeks after thin film NiTi implantation appeared without disease, and the thin film nitinol itself was without thrombus formation. Although long term testing is still necessary, thin film NiTi may be very well suited for use in artificial heart valves.

The effect of thin film morphology on the electrochemical performance of Cu-Sn anode for lithium rechargeable batteries.

PubMed

Polat, B D; Keleş, O

2014-05-01

We investigate the anode performance of non ordered and ordered nanostructured Cu-Sn thin films deposited via electron beam deposition technique. The ordered nanostructured Cu-Sn thin film having nano-porosities was fabricated using an oblique (co)deposition technique. Our results showed that the nano structured Cu-Sn thin film containing Cu-Sn nanorods had higher initial anodic capacity (790 mA h g(-)) than that of the non ordered thin film (330 mA h g(-)). But the capacity of the ordered nanostructured Cu-Sn thin film diminished after the first cycle and a steady state capacity value around 300 mA h g(-) is sustainable in following up to 80th cycle, which is attributed to the composition and morphology of the thin film. The presence of copper containing Sn nanorods leading to form nano-porosities as interstitial spaces among them, enhanced lithium ions movement within thin film and increased the thin film tolerance against the stress generated because of the drastic volume change occurred during lithiation-delithiation processes; hence, homogenously distributed porosities increased the cycle life of the thin film.

Specific considerations for obtaining appropriate La1-xSrxGa1-yMgyO3-δ thin films using pulsed-laser deposition and its influence on the performance of solid-oxide fuel cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hwang, Jaeyeon; Lee, Heon; Lee, Jong-Ho; Yoon, Kyung Joong; Kim, Hyoungchul; Hong, Jongsup; Son, Ji-Won

2015-01-01

To obtain La1-xSrxGa1-yMgyO3-δ (LSGM) thin films with the appropriate properties, pulsed-laser deposition (PLD) is employed, and specific considerations regarding control of the deposition parameters is investigated. It is demonstrated that with a target of stoichiometric composition, appropriate LSGM thin films cannot be produced because of the deviation of the composition from the target to the thin film. Only after adjusting the target composition an LSGM thin film with an appropriate composition and phase can be obtained. The optimized LSGM thin film possesses an electrical conductivity close to that of the bulk LSGM. In contrast, non-optimized thin films do not yield any measurable electrical conductivity. The impact of the optimization of the LSGM thin-film electrolyte on the cell performance is quite significant, in that a solid-oxide fuel cell (SOFC) with an optimized LSGM thin-film electrolyte produces a maximum power density of 1.1 W cm-2 at 600 °C, whereas an SOFC with a non-optimal LSGM thin-film electrolyte is not operable.

Preparation of nickel oxide thin films at different annealing temperature by sol-gel spin coating method

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

Abdullah, M. A. R., E-mail: ameerridhwan89@gmail.com; Mamat, M. H., E-mail: hafiz-030@yahoo.com; Ismail, A. S., E-mail: kyrin-samaxi@yahoo.com

2016-07-06

Preparation of NiO thin films at different annealing temperature by sol-gel method was conducted to synthesize the quality of the surface thin films. The effects of annealing temperature on the surface topology were systematically investigated. Our studies confirmed that the surface roughness of the thin films was increased whenever annealing temperature was increase. NiO thin films morphology structure analysis was confirmed by field emission scanning electron microscope. Surface roughness of the thin films was investigated by atomic force microscopy.

Thin-film metal coated insulation barrier in a Josephson tunnel junction. [Patent application

DOEpatents

Hawkins, G.A.; Clarke, J.

1975-10-31

A highly stable, durable, and reproducible Josephson tunnel junction consists of a thin-film electrode of a hard superconductor, a thin oxide insulation layer over the electrode constituting a Josephson tunnel junction barrier, a thin-film layer of stabilizing metal over the barrier, and a second thin-film hard superconductive electrode over the stabilizing film. The thin stabilizing metal film is made only thick enough to limit penetration of the electrode material through the insulation layer so as to prevent a superconductive short.

[Spectral emissivity of thin films].

PubMed

Zhong, D

2001-02-01

In this paper, the contribution of multiple reflections in thin film to the spectral emissivity of thin films of low absorption is discussed. The expression of emissivity of thin films derived here is related to the thin film thickness d and the optical constants n(lambda) and k(lambda). It is shown that in the special case d-->infinity the emissivity of thin films is equivalent to that of the bulk material. Realistic numerical and more precise general numerical results for the dependence of the emissivity on d, n(lambda) and k(lambda) are given.

Fabrication of Ultra-thin Color Films with Highly Absorbing Media Using Oblique Angle Deposition.

PubMed

Yoo, Young Jin; Lee, Gil Ju; Jang, Kyung-In; Song, Young Min

2017-08-29

Ultra-thin film structures have been studied extensively for use as optical coatings, but performance and fabrication challenges remain.  We present an advanced method for fabricating ultra-thin color films with improved characteristics. The proposed process addresses several fabrication issues, including large area processing. Specifically, the protocol describes a process for fabricating ultra-thin color films using an electron beam evaporator for oblique angle deposition of germanium (Ge) and gold (Au) on silicon (Si) substrates.  Film porosity produced by the oblique angle deposition induces color changes in the ultra-thin film. The degree of color change depends on factors such as deposition angle and film thickness. Fabricated samples of the ultra-thin color films showed improved color tunability and color purity. In addition, the measured reflectance of the fabricated samples was converted into chromatic values and analyzed in terms of color. Our ultra-thin film fabricating method is expected to be used for various ultra-thin film applications such as flexible color electrodes, thin film solar cells, and optical filters. Also, the process developed here for analyzing the color of the fabricated samples is broadly useful for studying various color structures.

Effect of Substrate Roughness on Adhesion and Structural Properties of Ti-Ni Shape Memory Alloy Thin Film.

PubMed

Kim, Donghwan; Lee, Hyunsuk; Bae, Joohyeon; Jeong, Hyomin; Choi, Byeongkeun; Nam, Taehyun; Noh, Jungpil

2018-09-01

Ti-Ni shape memory alloy (SMA) thin films are very attractive material for industrial and medical applications such as micro-actuator, micro-sensors, and stents for blood vessels. An important property besides shape memory effect in the application of SMA thin films is the adhesion between the film and the substrate. When using thin films as micro-actuators or micro-sensors in MEMS, the film must be strongly adhered to the substrate. On the other hand, when using SMA thin films in medical devices such as stents, the deposited alloy thin film must be easily separable from the substrate for efficient processing. In this study, we investigated the effect of substrate roughness on the adhesion of Ti-Ni SMA thin films, as well as the structural properties and phase-transformation behavior of the fabricated films. Ti-Ni SMA thin films were deposited onto etched glass substrates with magnetron sputtering. Radio frequency plasma was used for etching the substrate. The adhesion properties were investigated through progressive scratch test. Structural properties of the films were determined via Feld emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction measurements (XRD) and Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis. Phase transformation behaviors were observed with differential scanning calorimetry and low temperature-XRD. Ti-Ni SMA thin film deposited onto rough substrate provides higher adhesive strength than smooth substrate. However the roughness of the substrate has no influence on the growth and crystallization of the Ti-Ni SMA thin films.

Effects of high temperature and film thicknesses on the texture evolution in Ag thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eshaghi, F.; Zolanvari, A.

2017-04-01

In situ high-temperature X-ray diffraction techniques were used to study the effect of high temperatures (up to 600°C) on the texture evolution in silver thin films. Ag thin films with different thicknesses of 40, 80, 120 and 160nm were sputtered on the Si(100) substrates at room temperature. Then, microstructure of thin films was determined using X-ray diffraction. To investigate the influence of temperature on the texture development in the Ag thin films with different thicknesses, (111), (200) and (220) pole figures were evaluated and orientation distribution functions were calculated. Minimizing the total energy of the system which is affected by competition between surface and elastic strain energy was a key factor in the as-deposited and post annealed thin films. Since sputtering depositions was performed at room temperature and at the same thermodynamic conditions, the competition growth caused the formation of the {122} < uvw \\rangle weak fiber texture in as-deposited Ag thin films. It was significantly observed that the post annealed Ag thin films showed {111} < uvw \\rangle orientations as their preferred orientations, but their preferred fiber texture varied with the thickness of thin films. Increasing thin film thickness from 40nm to 160nm led to decreasing the intensity of the {111} < uvw \\rangle fiber texture.

Design and fabrication of a novel self-powered solid-state neutron detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LiCausi, Nicholas

There is a strong interest in intercepting special nuclear materials (SNM) at national and international borders and ports for homeland security applications. Detection of SNM such as U and Pu is often accomplished by sensing their natural or induced neutron emission. Such detector systems typically use thermal neutron detectors inside a plastic moderator. In order to achieve high detection efficiency gas filled detectors are often used; these detectors require high voltage bias for operation, which complicates the system when tens or hundreds of detectors are deployed. A better type of detector would be an inexpensive solid-state detector that can be mass-produced like any other computer chip. Research surrounding solid-state detectors has been underway since the late 1990's. A simple solid-state detector employs a planar solar-cell type p-n junction and a thin conversion material that converts incident thermal neutrons into detectable alpha-particles and 7Li ions. Existing work has typically used 6LiF or 10B as this conversion layer. Although a simple planar detector can act as a highly portable, low cost detector, it is limited to relatively low detection efficiency (˜10%). To increase the efficiency, 3D perforated p-i-n silicon devices were proposed. To get high efficiency, these detectors need to be biased, resulting in increased leakage current and hence detector noise. In this research, a new type of detector structure was proposed, designed and fabricated. Among several detector structures evaluated, a honeycomb-like silicon p-n structure was selected, which is filled with natural boron as the neutron converter. A silicon p+-n diode formed on the thin silicon wall of the honeycomb structure detects the energetic alpha-particles emitted from the boron conversion layer. The silicon detection layer is fabricated to be fully depleted with an integral step during the boron filling process. This novel feature results in a simplified fabrication process. Three key advantages of the novel devices are theoretical neutron detection efficiency of ˜48%, a self-passivating structure that reduces leakage current and detector operation with no bias resulting in extremely low device noise. Processes required to fabricate the 3D type detector were explored and developed in this thesis. The detector capacitance and processing steps have been simulated with MEDICI and TSuprem-4, respectively. Lithography masks were then designed using Cadence. The fabrication process development was conducted in line with standard CMOS grade integrated circuit processing to allow for simple integration with existing fabrication facilities. A number of new processes were developed including the low pressure chemical vapor deposition of conformal boron films using diborane on very high aspect-ratio trenches and holes. Development also included methods for "wet" chemical etching and "dry" reactive ion etching of the deposited boron films. Fabricated detectors were characterized with the transmission line method, 4-point probe, I-V measurements and C-V measurements. Finally the detector response to thermal neutrons was studied. Characterization has shown significant reduction in reverse leakage current density to ˜8x10-8 A/cm2 (nearly 4 orders of magnitude over the previously published data). Results show that the fabrication process developed is capable of producing efficient (˜22.5%) solid-state thermal neutron detectors.

The Tuning of Optical Properties of Nanoscale MOFs-Based Thin Film through Post-Modification.

PubMed

Yin, Wenchang; Tao, Cheng-An; Zou, Xiaorong; Wang, Fang; Qu, Tianlian; Wang, Jianfang

2017-08-29

Optical properties, which determine the application of optical devices in different fields, are the most significant properties of optical thin films. In recent years, Metal-organic framework (MOF)-based optical thin films have attracted increasing attention because of their novel optical properties and important potential applications in optical and photoelectric devices, especially optical thin films with tunable optical properties. This study reports the first example of tuning the optical properties of a MOF-based optical thin film via post-modification. The MOF-based optical thin film was composed of NH₂-MIL-53(Al) nanorods (NRs) (MIL: Materials from Institute Lavoisier), and was constructed via a spin-coating method. Three aldehydes with different lengths of carbon chains were chosen to modify the MOF optical thin film to tune their optical properties. After post-modification, the structural color of the NH₂-MIL-53(Al) thin film showed an obvious change from purple to bluish violet and cyan. The reflection spectrum and the reflectivity also altered in different degrees. The effective refractive index ( n eff ) of MOFs thin film can also be tuned from 1.292 to 1.424 at a wavelength of 750 nm. The success of tuning of the optical properties of MOFs thin films through post-modification will make MOFs optical thin films meet different needs of optical properties in various optical and optoelectronic devices.

The Tuning of Optical Properties of Nanoscale MOFs-Based Thin Film through Post-Modification

PubMed Central

Zou, Xiaorong; Wang, Fang; Qu, Tianlian; Wang, Jianfang

2017-01-01

Optical properties, which determine the application of optical devices in different fields, are the most significant properties of optical thin films. In recent years, Metal-organic framework (MOF)-based optical thin films have attracted increasing attention because of their novel optical properties and important potential applications in optical and photoelectric devices, especially optical thin films with tunable optical properties. This study reports the first example of tuning the optical properties of a MOF-based optical thin film via post-modification. The MOF-based optical thin film was composed of NH2-MIL-53(Al) nanorods (NRs) (MIL: Materials from Institute Lavoisier), and was constructed via a spin-coating method. Three aldehydes with different lengths of carbon chains were chosen to modify the MOF optical thin film to tune their optical properties. After post-modification, the structural color of the NH2-MIL-53(Al) thin film showed an obvious change from purple to bluish violet and cyan. The reflection spectrum and the reflectivity also altered in different degrees. The effective refractive index (neff) of MOFs thin film can also be tuned from 1.292 to 1.424 at a wavelength of 750 nm. The success of tuning of the optical properties of MOFs thin films through post-modification will make MOFs optical thin films meet different needs of optical properties in various optical and optoelectronic devices. PMID:28850057

Growth temperature modulated phase evolution and functional characteristics of high quality Pb1-x Lax (Zr0.9Ti0.1)O3 thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Anuj; Pawar, Shuvam; Singh, Kirandeep; Kaur, Davinder

2018-05-01

In this study, we have reported the influence of growth temperature on perovskite phase evolution in sputtered deposited high quality Pb1-x Lax (Zr0.9 Ti0.1)O3 (PLZT) thin films on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrate. PLZT thin films were fabricated at substrate temperature ranging from 400 to 700 °C. We have investigated the structural, dielectric, ferroelectric and leakage current characteristics of these thin films. XRD patterns reveal that 600 °C is the optimized temperature to deposit highly (110) oriented perovskite phase PLZT thin film. The further increase in temperature (700 °) causes reappearance of additional peaks corresponding to lead deficient pyrochlore phase. All PLZT thin films show decrease in dielectric constant with frequency. However, PLZT thin film fabricated at 600 °C displays dielectric constant ˜532 at 1 MHz frequency which is relatively higher than other deposited thin films. The P-E loops of these PLZT thin films exhibit strong dependence on deposition temperature. The pure perovskite PZLT thin film shows saturation polarization of ˜51.2µC/cm2 and coercive field (2Ec) ˜67.85 kV/cm. These high quality PLZT thin films finds their applications in non-volatile memory and nano-electro-mechanical systems (NEMS).

Dewetting of Thin Polymer Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dixit, P. S.; Sorensen, J. L.; Kent, M.; Jeon, H. S.

2001-03-01

DEWETTING OF THIN POLYMER FILMS P. S. Dixit,(1) J. L. Sorensen,(2) M. Kent,(2) H. S. Jeon*(1) (1) Department of Petroleum and Chemical Engineering, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, 801 Leroy Place, Socorro, NM 87801, jeon@nmt.edu (2) Department 1832, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM. Dewetting of thin polymer films is of technological importance for a variety of applications such as protective coatings, dielectric layers, and adhesives. Stable and smooth films are required for the above applications. Above the glass transition temperature (Tg) the instability of polymer thin films on a nonwettable substrate can be occurred. The dewetting mechanism and structure of polypropylene (Tg = -20 ^circC) and polystyrene (Tg = 100 ^circC) thin films is investigated as a function of film thickness (25 Åh < 250 Åand quenching temperature. Contact angle measurements are used in conjunction with optical microscope to check the surface homogeneity of the films. Uniform thin films are prepared by spin casting the polymer solutions onto silicon substrates with different contact angles. We found that the stable and unstable regions of the thin films as a function of the film thickness and quenching temperature, and then constructed a stability diagram for the dewetting of thin polymer films. We also found that the dewetting patterns of the thin films are affected substantially by the changes of film thickness and quenching temperature.

Temperature dependence of LRE-HRE-TM thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Zuoyi; Cheng, Xiaomin; Lin, Gengqi; Li, Zhen; Huang, Zhixin; Jin, Fang; Wang, Xianran; Yang, Xiaofei

2003-04-01

Temperature dependence of the properties of RE-TM thin films is very important for MO recording. In this paper, we studied the temperature dependence of the magnetic and magneto-optical properties of the amorphous LRE-HRE-TM single layer thin films and LRE-HRE-TM/HRE-TM couple-bilayered thin films. For LRE-HRE-TM single layer thin films, the temperature dependence of the magnetization was investigated by using the mean field theory. The experimental and theoretical results matched very well. With the LRE substitution in HRE-TM thin film, the compensation temperature Tcomp decreased and the curie temperature Tc remained unchanged. Kerr rotation angle became larger and the saturation magnetization Ms at room temperature increased. For LRE-HRE-TM/HRE-TM couple-bilayered thin films, comparisons of the temperature dependences of the coercivities and Kerr rotation angles were made between isolated sublayers and couple-bilayered thin film.

Surface proton transport of fully protonated poly(aspartic acid) thin films on quartz substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagao, Yuki; Kubo, Takahiro

2014-12-01

Thin film structure and the proton transport property of fully protonated poly(aspartic acid) (P-Asp100) have been investigated. An earlier study assessed partially protonated poly(aspartic acid), highly oriented thin film structure and enhancement of the internal proton transport. In this study of P-Asp100, IR p-polarized multiple-angle incidence resolution (P-MAIR) spectra were measured to investigate the thin film structure. The obtained thin films, with thicknesses of 120-670 nm, had no oriented structure. Relative humidity dependence of the resistance, proton conductivity, and normalized resistance were examined to ascertain the proton transport property of P-Asp100 thin films. The obtained data showed that the proton transport of P-Asp100 thin films might occur on the surface, not inside of the thin film. This phenomenon might be related with the proton transport of the biological system.

Thin film superconductor magnetic bearings

DOEpatents

Weinberger, Bernard R.

1995-12-26

A superconductor magnetic bearing includes a shaft (10) that is subject to a load (L) and rotatable around an axis of rotation, a magnet (12) mounted to the shaft, and a stator (14) in proximity to the shaft. The stator (14) has a superconductor thin film assembly (16) positioned to interact with the magnet (12) to produce a levitation force on the shaft (10) that supports the load (L). The thin film assembly (16) includes at least two superconductor thin films (18) and at least one substrate (20). Each thin film (18) is positioned on a substrate (20) and all the thin films are positioned such that an applied magnetic field from the magnet (12) passes through all the thin films. A similar bearing in which the thin film assembly (16) is mounted on the shaft (10) and the magnet (12) is part of the stator (14) also can be constructed.

Metal Induced Growth of Si Thin Films and NiSi Nanowires

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-02-25

Zinc Oxide Over MIG Silicon- We have been studying the formation of ZnO films by RF sputtering. Part of this study deals with...about 50 nm. 15. SUBJECT TERMS Thin film silicon, solar cells, thin film transistors , nanowires, metal induced growth 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION...to achieve, µc-Si is more desirable than a-Si due to its increased mobility. Thin film µc-Si is also a popular material for thin film transistors

NMR characterization of thin films

DOEpatents

Gerald II, Rex E.; Klingler, Robert J.; Rathke, Jerome W.; Diaz, Rocio; Vukovic, Lela

2010-06-15

A method, apparatus, and system for characterizing thin film materials. The method, apparatus, and system includes a container for receiving a starting material, applying a gravitational force, a magnetic force, and an electric force or combinations thereof to at least the starting material, forming a thin film material, sensing an NMR signal from the thin film material and analyzing the NMR signal to characterize the thin film of material.

NMR characterization of thin films

DOEpatents

Gerald, II, Rex E.; Klingler, Robert J.; Rathke, Jerome W.; Diaz, Rocio; Vukovic, Lela

2008-11-25

A method, apparatus, and system for characterizing thin film materials. The method, apparatus, and system includes a container for receiving a starting material, applying a gravitational force, a magnetic force, and an electric force or combinations thereof to at least the starting material, forming a thin film material, sensing an NMR signal from the thin film material and analyzing the NMR signal to characterize the thin film of material.

Thermoelectric properties of epitaxial β-FeSi2 thin films grown on Si(111) substrates with various film qualities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watanabe, Kentaro; Taniguchi, Tatsuhiko; Sakane, Shunya; Aoki, Shunsuke; Suzuki, Takeyuki; Fujita, Takeshi; Nakamura, Yoshiaki

2017-05-01

Si-based epitaxial β-FeSi2 thin films are attractive as materials for on-chip thermoelectric power generators. We investigated the structure, crystallinity, and thermoelectric properties of β-FeSi2 thin films epitaxially grown on Si(111) substrates by using three different techniques: conventional reactive deposition epitaxy followed by molecular beam epitaxy (RDE+MBE), solid phase epitaxy (SPE) based on codeposition of Fe and Si presented previously, and SPE followed by MBE (SPE+MBE) presented newly by this work. Their epitaxial growth temperatures were fixed at 530 °C for comparison. RDE+MBE thin films exhibited high crystalline quality, but rough surfaces and rugged β-FeSi2/Si(111) interfaces. On the other hand, SPE thin films showed flat surfaces and abrupt β-FeSi2/Si(111) interfaces but low crystallinity. We found that SPE+MBE thin films realized crystallinity higher than SPE thin films, and also had flatter surfaces and sharper interfaces than RDE+MBE thin films. In SPE+MBE thin film growth, due to the initial SPE process with low temperature codeposition, thermal interdiffusion of Fe and Si was suppressed, resulting in the surface flatness and abrupt interface. Second high temperature MBE process improved the crystallinity. We also investigated thermoelectric properties of these β-FeSi2 thin films. Structural factors affecting the thermoelectric properties of RDE+MBE, SPE, and SPE+MBE thin films were investigated.

A general strategy for hybrid thin film fabrication and transfer onto arbitrary substrates.

PubMed

Zhang, Yong; Magan, John J; Blau, Werner J

2014-04-28

The development of thin film-based structures/devices often requires thin films to be transferred onto arbitrary substrates/surfaces. Controllable and non-destructive transfer method, although highly desired, remains quite challenging. Here we report a general method for fabrication and transfer of hybrid (ultra)thin films. The proposed solution-based in-situ transfer method shows not only its robust ability for thin film transfer onto arbitrary substrates but also its highly controlled and non-destructive characteristic. With a hole structure as the support, fully-stretched free-standing thin film is prepared. The successful transfer to a curved surface demonstrates the possibility for production of thin film-coated complex optical components. Ultrathin (35 nm) hybrid film transferred onto PET (50 μm thick) shows high transparency (>90% in visible range), conductivity (1.54 × 10(4) S/m), and flexibility (radius of curvature down to mm scale). The reported transfer method would provide a powerful route towards complex thin film-based structures/devices.

A General Strategy for Hybrid Thin Film Fabrication and Transfer onto Arbitrary Substrates

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yong; Magan, John J.; Blau, Werner J.

2014-01-01

The development of thin film-based structures/devices often requires thin films to be transferred onto arbitrary substrates/surfaces. Controllable and non-destructive transfer method, although highly desired, remains quite challenging. Here we report a general method for fabrication and transfer of hybrid (ultra)thin films. The proposed solution-based in-situ transfer method shows not only its robust ability for thin film transfer onto arbitrary substrates but also its highly controlled and non-destructive characteristic. With a hole structure as the support, fully-stretched free-standing thin film is prepared. The successful transfer to a curved surface demonstrates the possibility for production of thin film-coated complex optical components. Ultrathin (35 nm) hybrid film transferred onto PET (50 μm thick) shows high transparency (>90% in visible range), conductivity (1.54 × 104 S/m), and flexibility (radius of curvature down to mm scale). The reported transfer method would provide a powerful route towards complex thin film-based structures/devices. PMID:24769689

Fabrication of VO2 thin film by rapid thermal annealing in oxygen atmosphere and its metal—insulator phase transition properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Ji-Ran; Wu, Mai-Jun; Hu, Ming; Liu, Jian; Zhu, Nai-Wei; Xia, Xiao-Xu; Chen, Hong-Da

2014-07-01

Vanadium dioxide thin films have been fabricated through sputtering vanadium thin films and rapid thermal annealing in oxygen. The microstructure and the metal—insulator transition properties of the vanadium dioxide thin films were investigated by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and a spectrometer. It is found that the preferred orientation of the vanadium dioxide changes from (1¯11) to (011) with increasing thickness of the vanadium thin film after rapid thermal annealing. The vanadium dioxide thin films exhibit an obvious metal—insulator transition with increasing temperature, and the phase transition temperature decreases as the film thickness increases. The transition shows hysteretic behaviors, and the hysteresis width decreases as the film thickness increases due to the higher concentration carriers resulted from the uncompleted lattice. The fabrication of vanadium dioxide thin films with higher concentration carriers will facilitate the nature study of the metal—insulator transition.

Synthesis, characterization, and photocatalytic properties of nanocrystalline NZO thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aryanto, D.; Hastuti, E.; Husniya, N.; Sudiro, T.; Nuryadin, B. W.

2018-03-01

Nanocrystalline Ni-doped ZnO (NZO) thin films were synthesized on glass substrate using sol-gel spin coating methods. The effect of annealing on the structural and optical properties of nanocrystalline thin film was studied using X-ray diffractometer (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), UV-VIS spectrophotometry, and photoluminescence (PL). The results showed that the annealing temperature strongly influenced the physical properties of nanocrystalline NZO thin films. The photocatalytic properties of nanocrystalline NZO thin films were evaluated using an aqueous solution of Rhodamine-B. The photocatalytic activity of nanocrystalline NZO thin films increased with the increase of annealing temperature. The results indicated that the structure, morphology, and band gap energy of nanocrystalline NZO thin films played an important role in photocatalytic activity.

Metallic Thin-Film Bonding and Alloy Generation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peotter, Brian S. (Inventor); Fryer, Jack Merrill (Inventor); Campbell, Geoff (Inventor); Droppers, Lloyd (Inventor)

2016-01-01

Diffusion bonding a stack of aluminum thin films is particularly challenging due to a stable aluminum oxide coating that rapidly forms on the aluminum thin films when they are exposed to atmosphere and the relatively low meting temperature of aluminum. By plating the individual aluminum thin films with a metal that does not rapidly form a stable oxide coating, the individual aluminum thin films may be readily diffusion bonded together using heat and pressure. The resulting diffusion bonded structure can be an alloy of choice through the use of a carefully selected base and plating metals. The aluminum thin films may also be etched with distinct patterns that form a microfluidic fluid flow path through the stack of aluminum thin films when diffusion bonded together.

Advances in Thin Film Thermocouple Durability Under High Temperature and Pressure Testing Conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martin, Lisa C.; Fralick, Gustave C.; Taylor, Keith F.

1999-01-01

Thin film thermocouples for measuring material surface temperature have been previously demonstrated on several material systems and in various hostile test environments. A well-developed thin film fabrication procedure utilizing shadow masking for patterning the sensors elements had produced thin films with sufficient durability for applications in high temperature and pressure environments that exist in air-breathing and hydrogen-fueled burner rig and engine test facilities. However, while shadow masking had been a reliable method for specimens with flat and gently curved surfaces, it had not been consistently reliable for use on test components with sharp contours. This work reports on the feasibility of utilizing photolithography processing for patterning thin film thermocouples. Because this patterning process required changes in the thin film deposition process from that developed for shadow masking, the effect of these changes on thin film adherence during burner rig testing was evaluated. In addition to the results of changing the patterning method, the effects on thin film adherence of other processes used in the thin film fabrication procedure is also presented.

Effects of air annealing on CdS quantum dots thin film grown at room temperature by CBD technique intended for photosensor applications

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

Shaikh, Shaheed U.; Desale, Dipalee J.; Siddiqui, Farha Y.

2012-11-15

Graphical abstract: The effect of different intensities (40, 60 100 and 200 W) of light on CdS quantum dots thin film annealed at 350 °C indicating enhancement in (a) photo-current and (b) photosensitivity. Highlights: ► The preparation of CdS nanodot thin film at room temperature by M-CBD technique. ► Study of air annealing on prepared CdS nanodots thin film. ► The optimized annealing temperature for CdS nanodot thin film is 350 °C. ► Modified CdS thin films can be used in photosensor application. -- Abstract: CdS quantum dots thin-films have been deposited onto the glass substrate at room temperature usingmore » modified chemical bath deposition technique. The prepared thin films were further annealed in air atmosphere at 150, 250 and 350 °C for 1 h and subsequently characterized by scanning electron microscopy, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy, electrical resistivity and I–V system. The modifications observed in morphology and opto-electrical properties of the thin films are presented.« less

Effect of annealing temperatures on the morphology and structural properties of PVDF/MgO nanocomposites thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rozana, M. D.; Arshad, A. N.; Wahid, M. H. M.; Habibah, Z.; Sarip, M. N.; Rusop, M.

2018-05-01

This study investigates the effect of annealing on the topography, morphology and crystal phases of poly(vinylideneflouride)/Magnesium Oxide (MgO) nanocomposites thin films via AFM, FESEM and ATR-FTIR. The nanocomposites thin films were annealed at temperatures ranging from 70°C to 170°C. The annealed PVDF/MgO nanocomposites thin films were then cooled at room temperature before removal from the oven. This is to restructure the crystal lattice and to reduce imperfection for the PVDF/MgO nanocomposites thin films. PVDF/MgO nanocomposites thin films with annealing temperatures of 70°C, 90°C and 110°C showed uniform distribution of MgO nanoparticles, relatively low average surface roughness and no visible of defects. High application of annealing temperature on PVDF/MgO nanocomposites thin films caused tear-like defects on the thin films surface as observed by FESEM. The PVDF/MgO nanocomposites thin films annealed at 70°C was found to be a favourable film to be utilized in this study due to its enhanced β-crystalites of PVDF as evident in ATR-FTIR spectra.

Atomic layer deposition of copper thin film and feasibility of deposition on inner walls of waveguides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuqing, XIONG; Hengjiao, GAO; Ni, REN; Zhongwei, LIU

2018-03-01

Copper thin films were deposited by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition at low temperature, using copper(I)-N,N‧-di-sec-butylacetamidinate as a precursor and hydrogen as a reductive gas. The influence of temperature, plasma power, mode of plasma, and pulse time, on the deposition rate of copper thin film, the purity of the film and the step coverage were studied. The feasibility of copper film deposition on the inner wall of a carbon fibre reinforced plastic waveguide with high aspect ratio was also studied. The morphology and composition of the thin film were studied by atomic force microscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. The square resistance of the thin film was also tested by a four-probe technique. On the basis of on-line diagnosis, a growth mechanism of copper thin film was put forward, and it was considered that surface functional group played an important role in the process of nucleation and in determining the properties of thin films. A high density of plasma and high free-radical content were helpful for the deposition of copper thin films.

Plasma-assisted interface engineering of boron nitride nanostructure films.

PubMed

Pakdel, Amir; Bando, Yoshio; Golberg, Dmitri

2014-10-28

Today many aspects of science and technology are progressing into the nanoscale realm where surfaces and interfaces are intrinsically important in determining properties and performances of materials and devices. One familiar phenomenon in which interfacial interactions play a major role is the wetting of solids. In this work we use a facile one-step plasma method to control the wettability of boron nitride (BN) nanostructure films via covalent chemical functionalization, while their surface morphology remains intact. By tailoring the concentration of grafted hydroxyl groups, superhydrophilic, hydrophilic, and hydrophobic patterns are created on the initially superhydrophobic BN nanosheet and nanotube films. Moreover, by introducing a gradient of the functional groups, directional liquid spreading toward increasing [OH] content is achieved on the films. The resulting insights are meant to illustrate great potentials of this method to tailor wettability of ceramic films, control liquid flow patterns for engineering applications such as microfluidics and biosensing, and improve the interfacial contact and adhesion in nanocomposite materials.

Nanocrystal thin film fabrication methods and apparatus

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

Kagan, Cherie R.; Kim, David K.; Choi, Ji-Hyuk

Nanocrystal thin film devices and methods for fabricating nanocrystal thin film devices are disclosed. The nanocrystal thin films are diffused with a dopant such as Indium, Potassium, Tin, etc. to reduce surface states. The thin film devices may be exposed to air during a portion of the fabrication. This enables fabrication of nanocrystal-based devices using a wider range of techniques such as photolithography and photolithographic patterning in an air environment.

Pyrolyzed thin film carbon

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harder, Theodore (Inventor); Konishi, Satoshi (Inventor); Miserendino, Scott (Inventor); Tai, Yu-Chong (Inventor); Liger, Matthieu (Inventor)

2010-01-01

A method of making carbon thin films comprises depositing a catalyst on a substrate, depositing a hydrocarbon in contact with the catalyst and pyrolyzing the hydrocarbon. A method of controlling a carbon thin film density comprises etching a cavity into a substrate, depositing a hydrocarbon into the cavity, and pyrolyzing the hydrocarbon while in the cavity to form a carbon thin film. Controlling a carbon thin film density is achieved by changing the volume of the cavity. Methods of making carbon containing patterned structures are also provided. Carbon thin films and carbon containing patterned structures can be used in NEMS, MEMS, liquid chromatography, and sensor devices.

Preparation of LiMn{sub 2}O{sub 4} cathode thin films for thin film lithium secondary batteries by a mist CVD process

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

Tadanaga, Kiyoharu, E-mail: tadanaga@chem.osakafu-u.ac.jp; Yamaguchi, Akihiro; Sakuda, Atsushi

2014-05-01

Highlights: • LiMn{sub 2}O{sub 4} thin films were prepared by using the mist CVD process. • An aqueous solution of lithium and manganese acetates is used for the precursor solution. • The cell with the LiMn{sub 2}O{sub 4} thin films exhibited a capacity of about 80 mAh/g. • The cell showed good cycling performance during 10 cycles. - Abstract: LiMn{sub 2}O{sub 4} cathode thin films for thin film lithium secondary batteries were prepared by using so-called the “mist CVD process”, employing an aqueous solution of lithium acetate and manganese acetate, as the source of Li and Mn, respectively. The aqueousmore » solution of starting materials was ultrasonically atomized to form mist particles, and mists were transferred by nitrogen gas to silica glass substrate to form thin films. FE-SEM observation revealed that thin films obtained by this process were dense and smooth, and thin films with a thickness of about 750 nm were obtained. The electrochemical cell with the thin films obtained by sintering at 700 °C exhibited a capacity of about 80 mAh/g, and the cell showed good cycling performance during 10 cycles.« less

Preface: phys. stat. sol. (a) 202/11

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bergonzo, Philippe; Nesládek, Milo

2005-09-01

The present issue of physica status solidi (a) contains a collection of 31 papers presented at the 10th International Workshop on Surface and Bulk Defects in CVD Diamond Films held in Diepenbeek-Hasselt, Belgium, 23-25 February 2005. The 10th anniversary of the meeting proved the success of the concept, which originated in 1996 with the idea of bringing together scientists who are active and innovative in the field of electronic and optical properties of thin film diamond. This year the programme contained 9 invited oral talks, 14 contributed oral talks and 34 posters. 103 Participants from 14 countries (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Slovak Republic, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, USA) took part in the meeting. The meeting was traditionally directed towards topics ranging from defects and their characterization as well as electrical transport in CVD diamond towards modern diamond thin film devices including bio-sensing applications. Also, diamond homoepitaxial and heteroepitaxial growth, doping, hydrogen induced surface conductivity and several other topics including defects in boron nitride materials were addressed. Intense and lively discussions were as usual part of this meeting to which the hospitality of the city of Hasselt contributed greatly.The workshop would have not been possible without the support of many people and institutions. We also acknowledge the financial support of the Scientific Research Community of the F.W.O.-Vlaanderen (Belgium) and the University of Hasselt. We also thank the editorial staff of physica status solidi, most notably Stefan Hildebrandt, for their excellent and patient work. Finally, we would like to thank Ken Haenen, whose skills for the successful organization are gratefully acknowledged.August 2005

Pinning in high performance MgB2 thin films and bulks: Role of Mg-B-O nano-scale inhomogeneities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prikhna, Tatiana; Shapovalov, Andrey; Eisterer, Michael; Shaternik, Vladimir; Goldacker, Wilfried; Weber, Harald W.; Moshchil, Viktor; Kozyrev, Artem; Sverdun, Vladimir; Boutko, Viktor; Grechnev, Gennadiy; Gusev, Alexandr; Kovylaev, Valeriy; Shaternik, Anton

2017-02-01

The comparison of nano-crystalline MgB2 oxygen-containing thin film (140 nm) and highly dense bulk materials showed that the critical current density, Jc, depends on the distribution of Mg-B-O nano-scale inhomogeneities. It has been shown that MgB2 bulks with high Jc in low (∼106 A/cm2 in 0-1 T at 10 K) and medium magnetic fields contain MgB0.6-0.8O0.8-0.9 nano-inclusions, where δTc or a combined δTc (dominant) / δl pinning mechanism prevails, while in bulk MgB2 with high Jc in high magnetic fields (Birr(18.5 K) = 15 T, Bc2(0 K) = 42.1 T) MgB1.2-2.7O1.8-2.5 nano-layers are present and δl pinning prevails. The structure of oxygen-containing films with high Jc in low and high magnetic fields (Jc (0 Т) = 1.8 × 107 А/сm2 and Jc (5 Т) = 2 × 106 А/сm2 at 10 К) contains very fine oxygen-enriched Mg-B-O inhomogeneities and δl pinning is realized. The results of DOS calculations in MgB2-xOx cells for x = 0, 0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 1 demonstrate that all compounds are conductors with metal-like behaviour. In the case of ordered oxygen substitution for boron the binding energy, Eb, does not increase sufficiently as compared with that for MgB2, while when oxygen atoms form zigzag chains the calculated Eb is even lower (Eb = -1.15712 Ry).

Preparation methodologies and nano/microstructural evaluation of metal/semiconductor thin films.

PubMed

Chen, Zhiwen; Jiao, Zheng; Wu, Minghong; Shek, Chan-Hung; Wu, C M Lawrence; Lai, Joseph K L

2012-01-01

Metal/semiconductor thin films are a class of unique materials that are widespread technological applications, particularly in the field of microelectronic devices. Assessment strategies of fractal and tures are of fundamental importance in the development of nano/microdevices. This review presents the preparation methodologies and nano/microstructural evaluation of metal/semiconductor thin films including Au/Ge bilayer films and Pd-Ge alloy thin films, which show in the form of fractals and nanocrystals. Firstly, the extended version of Au/Ge thin films for the fractal crystallization of amorphous Ge and the formation of nanocrystals developed with improved micro- and nanostructured features are described in Section 2. Secondly, the nano/microstructural characteristics of Pd/Ge alloy thin films during annealing have been investigated in detail and described in Section 3. Finally, we will draw the conclusions from the present work as shown in Section 4. It is expected that the preparation methodologies developed and the knowledge of nano/microstructural evolution gained in metal/semiconductor thin films, including Au/Ge bilayer films and Pd-Ge alloy thin films, will provide an important fundamental basis underpinning further interdisciplinary research in these fields such as physics, chemistry, materials science, and nanoscience and nanotechnology, leading to promising exciting opportunities for future technological applications involving these thin films.

Heavily-doped ZnO:Al thin films prepared by using magnetron Co-sputtering: Optical and electrical properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moon, Eun-A.; Jun, Young-Kil; Kim, Nam-Hoon; Lee, Woo-Sun

2016-07-01

Photovoltaic applications require transparent conducting-oxide (TCO) thin films with high optical transmittance in the visible spectral region (380 - 780 nm), low resistivity, and high thermal/chemical stability. The ZnO thin film is one of the most common alternatives to the conventional indium-tin-oxide (ITO) thin film TCO. Highly transparent and conductive ZnO thin films can be prepared by doping with group III elements. Heavily-doped ZnO:Al (AZO) thin films were prepared by using the RF magnetron co-sputtering method with ZnO and Al targets to obtain better characteristics at a low cost. The RF sputtering power to each target was varied to control the doping concentration in fixed-thickness AZO thin films. The crystal structures of the AZO thin films were analyzed by using X-ray diffraction. The morphological microstructure was observed by using scanning electron microscopy. The optical transmittance and the band gap energy of the AZO thin films were examined with an UV-visible spectrophotometer in the range of 300 - 1800 nm. The resistivity and the carrier concentration were examined by using a Hall-effect measurement system. An excellent optical transmittance > 80% with an appropriate band gap energy (3.26 - 3.27 eV) and an improved resistivity (~10 -1 Ω·cm) with high carrier concentration (1017 - 1019 cm -3) were demonstrated in 350-nm-thick AZO thin films for thin-film photovoltaic applications.

Decoding Nucleation and Growth of Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework Thin Films with Atomic Force Microscopy and Vibrational Spectroscopy.

PubMed

Öztürk, Zafer; Filez, Matthias; Weckhuysen, Bert M

2017-08-10

The synthesis of metal-organic framework (MOF) thin films has garnered significant attention during the past decade. By better understanding the parameters governing the nucleation and growth of such thin films, their properties can be rationally tuned, empowering their application as (reactive) membranes. Here, a combined AFM-vibrational spectroscopy research strategy is employed to detail the chemistries governing the nucleation and growth of zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF) thin films, in particular isostructural Co-ZIF-67 and Zn-ZIF-8. First, a single step direct synthesis approach is used to investigate the influence of different synthesis parameters -metal/linker ratio, temperature, and metal type- on the thin film nucleation and growth behaviour. While the metal/linker ratio has a pronounced effect on the thin film nucleation rate, the temperature mainly influences the growth kinetics of nuclei forming the thin film. In addition, the nucleation and growth of ZIF thin films is shown to be highly dependent on the electronegativity of the metal type. Thin-film thickness control can be achieved by using a multistep synthesis strategy, implying repetitive applications of single step deposition under identical synthesis conditions, for which a growth mechanism is proposed. This study provides insight into the influence of synthesis parameters on the ZIF thin film properties, using tools at hand to rationally tune MOF thin film properties. © 2017 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.

Effects of hypochlorous acid exposure on the rejection of salt, polyethylene glycols, boron and arsenic(V) by nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes.

PubMed

Do, Van Thanh; Tang, Chuyang Y; Reinhard, Martin; Leckie, James O

2012-10-15

The separation layer of polyamide-based (PA) thin film composite (TFC) membranes can be modified by active chlorine species. The PA-TFC membranes, NF90, BW30 and NF270, were exposed to different concentrations of sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) at pH 5 for 24 h. Elemental composition obtained from X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) showed that the chlorine content in the PA layer increased with the chlorine concentrations. Treatment of membranes with 10 ppm Cl increased the membrane hydrophilicity. By contrast, when treated with 1000 ppm Cl or more, the membranes became less hydrophilic. Water permeability values for all 3 membrane types declined with increased chlorine concentrations. Filtration of polyethylene glycols (PEGs) with molecular weights of 200, 400 and 600 Daltons (Da) was performed to investigate the influence of chlorine treatment on membrane molecular weight cut off (MWCO) and rejection by size exclusion. Treatment with 10 and 100 ppm Cl lowered the MWCO while treatment with higher concentrations increased the MWCO. All chlorinated membranes experienced higher NaCl rejection compared to virgin ones. The performance of NF90 was tested with respect to the rejection of inorganic contaminants including boron (H(3)BO(3)) and arsenic (H(2)AsO(4)(-)). The boron rejection results paralleled PEG rejection whereas those for arsenic followed NaCl rejection patterns. The changes in membrane performance due to chlorine treatment were explained in terms of competing mechanisms: membrane tightening, bond cleavage by N-chlorination and chlorination promoted polyamide hydrolysis. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Method of preparing thermal insulation for high temperature microwave sintering operations

DOEpatents

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

1996-07-16

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

Thermal insulation for high temperature microwave sintering operations and method thereof

DOEpatents

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

1995-09-12

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

Recent progress on borophene: Growth and structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kong, Longjuan; Wu, Kehui; Chen, Lan

2018-06-01

Boron is the neighbor of carbon on the periodic table and exhibits unusual physical characteristics derived from electron-deficient, highly delocalized covalent bonds. As the nearest neighbor of carbon, boron is in many ways similar to carbon, such as having a short covalent radius and the flexibility to adopt sp 2 hybridization. Hence, boron could be capable of forming monolayer structural analogues of graphene. Although many theoretical papers have reported finding two-dimensional allotropes of boron, there had been no experimental evidence for such atom-thin boron nanostructures until 2016. Recently, the successful synthesis of single-layer boron (referred to as borophene) on the Ag(111) substrate opens the era of boron nanostructures. In this brief review, we will discuss the progress that has been made on borophene in terms of synthetic techniques, characterizations and the atomic models. However, borophene is just in infancy; more efforts are expected to be made in future on the controlled synthesis of quality samples and tailoring its physical properties.

Methods for fabricating thin film III-V compound solar cell

DOEpatents

Pan, Noren; Hillier, Glen; Vu, Duy Phach; Tatavarti, Rao; Youtsey, Christopher; McCallum, David; Martin, Genevieve

2011-08-09

The present invention utilizes epitaxial lift-off in which a sacrificial layer is included in the epitaxial growth between the substrate and a thin film III-V compound solar cell. To provide support for the thin film III-V compound solar cell in absence of the substrate, a backing layer is applied to a surface of the thin film III-V compound solar cell before it is separated from the substrate. To separate the thin film III-V compound solar cell from the substrate, the sacrificial layer is removed as part of the epitaxial lift-off. Once the substrate is separated from the thin film III-V compound solar cell, the substrate may then be reused in the formation of another thin film III-V compound solar cell.

Synthesis and characterization of lithium intercalation electrodes based on iron oxide thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarradin, J.; Guessous, A.; Ribes, M.

Sputter-deposited iron oxide thin films are investigated as a possible negative electrode for rocking-chair microbatteries. Experimental conditions related to the manufacturing of amorphous thin films suitable to a large number of available intercalation sites are described. Structural and physical properties of the thin layer films are presented. The conductivities of the amorphous thin films were found to be very high compared with those of the respective crystalline forms. Regarding the electrochemical behaviour, Fe 2O 3-based thin films electrodes are able to store and reversibly exchange lithium ions. At a C/2 charge/discharge rate with 100% depth-of-discharge (DOD), the specific capacity of these amorphous thin film electrodes remains almost constant and close to 330 Ah/kg after more than 120 charge/discharge cycles.

Microstructure and thermochromic properties of VOX-WOX-VOX ceramic thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khamseh, S.; Araghi, H.; Ghahari, M.; Faghihi Sani, M. A.

2016-03-01

W-doped VO2 films have been synthesized via oxygen annealing of V-W-V (vanadium-tungsten-vanadium) multilayered films. The effects of middle layer's thickness of V-W-V multilayered film on structure and properties of VOX-WOX-VOX ceramic thin films were investigated. The as-deposited V-W-V multilayered film showed amorphous-like structure when mixed structure of VO2 (M) and VO2 (B) was formed in VOX-WOX-VOX ceramic thin films. Tungsten content of VOX-WOX-VOX ceramic thin films increased with increasing middle layer's thickness. With increasing middle layer's thickness, room temperature square resistance ( R sq) of VOX-WOX-VOX ceramic thin films increased from 65 to 86 kΩ/sq. The VOX-WOX-VOX ceramic thin film with the thinnest middle layer showed significant SMT (semiconductor-metal transition) when SMT became negligible on increasing middle layer's thickness.

Self-Limited Growth in Pentacene Thin Films

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Pentacene is one of the most studied organic semiconducting materials. While many aspects of the film formation have already been identified in very thin films, this study provides new insight into the transition from the metastable thin-film phase to bulk phase polymorphs. This study focuses on the growth behavior of pentacene within thin films as a function of film thickness ranging from 20 to 300 nm. By employing various X-ray diffraction methods, combined with supporting atomic force microscopy investigations, one crystalline orientation for the thin-film phase is observed, while three differently tilted bulk phase orientations are found. First, bulk phase crystallites grow with their 00L planes parallel to the substrate surface; second, however, crystallites tilted by 0.75° with respect to the substrate are found, which clearly dominate the former in ratio; third, a different bulk phase polymorph with crystallites tilted by 21° is found. The transition from the thin-film phase to the bulk phase is rationalized by the nucleation of the latter at crystal facets of the thin-film-phase crystallites. This leads to a self-limiting growth of the thin-film phase and explains the thickness-dependent phase behavior observed in pentacene thin films, showing that a large amount of material is present in the bulk phase much earlier during the film growth than previously thought. PMID:28287698

Self-Limited Growth in Pentacene Thin Films.

PubMed

Pachmajer, Stefan; Jones, Andrew O F; Truger, Magdalena; Röthel, Christian; Salzmann, Ingo; Werzer, Oliver; Resel, Roland

2017-04-05

Pentacene is one of the most studied organic semiconducting materials. While many aspects of the film formation have already been identified in very thin films, this study provides new insight into the transition from the metastable thin-film phase to bulk phase polymorphs. This study focuses on the growth behavior of pentacene within thin films as a function of film thickness ranging from 20 to 300 nm. By employing various X-ray diffraction methods, combined with supporting atomic force microscopy investigations, one crystalline orientation for the thin-film phase is observed, while three differently tilted bulk phase orientations are found. First, bulk phase crystallites grow with their 00L planes parallel to the substrate surface; second, however, crystallites tilted by 0.75° with respect to the substrate are found, which clearly dominate the former in ratio; third, a different bulk phase polymorph with crystallites tilted by 21° is found. The transition from the thin-film phase to the bulk phase is rationalized by the nucleation of the latter at crystal facets of the thin-film-phase crystallites. This leads to a self-limiting growth of the thin-film phase and explains the thickness-dependent phase behavior observed in pentacene thin films, showing that a large amount of material is present in the bulk phase much earlier during the film growth than previously thought.

Magneto-Optic Laser Beam Steering

DTIC Science & Technology

1975-10-01

Thin Substrates 16 1. Substrate Thinning 16 2. LPE on TMn Substrates 18 3. Statics of BRIG Crystal Films on Thin Substrates... 19 4. Results...6 Garnet Etch Rate 17 7 Thin Substrate: Film Both Sides 20 8 Thin Substrate: Film One Side 21 9 Film with Substrate Both Sides 23 10 Ratio...Robbins et al reported that iron garnet films could be grown on gallium garnet sub- strates by using a coprecipitated slurry. This technique was

Hot filament CVD of boron nitride films

DOEpatents

Rye, Robert R.

1992-01-01

Using a hot filament (.apprxeq.1400.degree. C.) to activate borazine (B.sub.3 N.sub.3 H.sub.6) molecules for subsequent reaction with a direct line-of-sight substrate, transparent boron ntiride films as thick as 25,000 angstroms are grown for a substrate temperature as low as 100.degree. C. The minimum temperature is determined by radiative heating from the adjacent hot filament. The low temperature BN films show no indication of crystallinity with X-ray diffraction (XRD). X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) show the films to have a B:N ratio of 0.97:1 with no other XPS detectable impurities above the 0.5% level. Both Raman and infrared (IR) spectroscopy are characteristic of h-BN with small amounts of hydrogen detected as N-H and B-H bands in the IR spectrum. An important feature of this method is the separation and localization of the thermal activation step at the hot filament from the surface reaction and film growth steps at the substrate surface. This allows both higher temperature thermal activation and lower temperature film growth.

Atomic layer deposition for fabrication of HfO2/Al2O3 thin films with high laser-induced damage thresholds.

PubMed

Wei, Yaowei; Pan, Feng; Zhang, Qinghua; Ma, Ping

2015-01-01

Previous research on the laser damage resistance of thin films deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) is rare. In this work, the ALD process for thin film generation was investigated using different process parameters such as various precursor types and pulse duration. The laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) was measured as a key property for thin films used as laser system components. Reasons for film damaged were also investigated. The LIDTs for thin films deposited by improved process parameters reached a higher level than previously measured. Specifically, the LIDT of the Al2O3 thin film reached 40 J/cm(2). The LIDT of the HfO2/Al2O3 anti-reflector film reached 18 J/cm(2), the highest value reported for ALD single and anti-reflect films. In addition, it was shown that the LIDT could be improved by further altering the process parameters. All results show that ALD is an effective film deposition technique for fabrication of thin film components for high-power laser systems.

Synthesis and annealing study of RF sputtered ZnO thin film

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

Singh, Shushant Kumar, E-mail: singhshushant86@gmail.com; Sharma, Himanshu; Singhal, R.

2016-05-23

In this paper, we have investigated the annealing effect on optical and structural properties of ZnO thin films, synthesized by RF magnetron sputtering. ZnO thin films were deposited on glass and silicon substrates simultaneously at a substrate temperature of 300 °C using Argon gas in sputtering chamber. Thickness of as deposited ZnO thin film was found to be ~155 nm, calculated by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS). These films were annealed at 400 °C and 500 °C temperature in the continuous flow of oxygen gas for 1 hour in tube furnace. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the formation of hexagonal wurtzite structuremore » of ZnO thin film along the c-axis (002) orientation. Transmittance of thin films was increased with increasing the annealing temperature estimated by UV-visible transmission spectroscopy. Quality and texture of the thin films were improved with annealing temperature, estimated by Raman spectroscopy.« less

Deposition and characterization of ZnSe nanocrystalline thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Temel, Sinan; Gökmen, F. Özge; Yaman, Elif; Nebi, Murat

2018-02-01

ZnSe nanocrystalline thin films were deposited at different deposition times by using the Chemical Bath Deposition (CBD) technique. Effects of deposition time on structural, morphological and optical properties of the obtained thin films were characterized. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis was used to study the structural properties of ZnSe nanocrystalline thin films. It was found that ZnSe thin films have a cubic structure with a preferentially orientation of (111). The calculated average grain size value was about 28-30 nm. The surface morphology of these films was studied by the Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM). The surfaces of the thin films were occurred from small stacks and nano-sized particles. The band gap values of the ZnSe nanocrystalline thin films were determined by UV-Visible absorption spectrum and the band gap values were found to be between 2.65-2.86 eV.

Al-/Ga-Doped ZnO Window Layers for Highly Efficient Cu₂ZnSn(S,Se)₄ Thin Film Solar Cells.

PubMed

Seo, Se Won; Seo, Jung Woo; Kim, Donghwan; Cheon, Ki-Beom; Lee, Doh-Kwon; Kim, Jin Young

2018-09-01

The successful use of Al-/Ga-doped ZnO (AGZO) thin films as a transparent conducting oxide (TCO) layer of a Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) thin film solar cell is demonstrated. The AGZO thin films were prepared by radio frequency (RF) sputtering. The structural, crystallographic, electrical, and optical properties of the AGZO thin films were systematically investigated. The photovoltaic properties of CZTSSe thin film solar cells incorporating the AGZO-based TCO layer were also reported. It has been found that the RF power and substrate temperature of the AGZO thin film are important factors determining the electrical, optical, and structural properties. The optimization process involving the RF power and the substrate temperature leads to good electrical and optical transmittance of the AGZO thin films. Finally, the CZTSSe solar cell with the AGZO TCO layer demonstrated a high conversion efficiency of 9.68%, which is higher than that of the conventional AZO counterpart by 12%.

Antimicrobial Activity of Thin Solid Films of Silver Doped Hydroxyapatite Prepared by Sol-Gel Method

PubMed Central

Iconaru, Simona Liliana; Chapon, Patrick; Le Coustumer, Philippe; Predoi, Daniela

2014-01-01

In this work, the preparation and characterization of silver doped hydroxyapatite thin films were reported and their antimicrobial activity was characterized. Silver doped hydroxyapatite (Ag:HAp) thin films coatings substrate was prepared on commercially pure Si disks by sol-gel method. The silver doped hydroxyapatite thin films were characterized by various techniques such as Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy Dispersive X-ray attachment (X-EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy (GDOES). These techniques have permitted the structural and chemical characterisation of the silver doped hydroxyapatite thin films. The antimicrobial effect of the Ag:HAp thin films on Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria was then investigated. This is the first study on the antimicrobial effect of Ag:HAp thin films obtained by sol-gel method. The results of this study have shown that the Ag:HAp thin films with x Ag = 0.5 are effective against E. coli and S. aureus after 24 h. PMID:24523630

Properties of WO3-x Electrochromic Thin Film Prepared by Reactive Sputtering with Various Post Annealing Temperatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Min Hong; Choi, Hyung Wook; Kim, Kyung Hwan

2013-11-01

The WO3-x thin films were prepared on indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass at 0.7 oxygen flow ratio [O2/(Ar+O2)] using the facing targets sputtering (FTS) system at room temperature. In order to obtain the annealing effect, as-deposited thin films were annealed at temperatures of 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 °C for 1 h in open air. The structural properties of the WO3-x thin film were measured using an X-ray diffractometer. The WO3-x thin films annealed at up to 300 °C indicated amorphous properties, while those annealed above 400 °C indicated crystalline properties. The electrochemical and optical properties of WO3-x thin films were measured using cyclic voltammetry and a UV/vis spectrometer. The maximum value of coloration efficiency obtained was 34.09 cm2/C for thin film annealed at 200 °C. The WO3-x thin film annealed at 200 °C showed superior electrochromic properties.

Antimicrobial activity of thin solid films of silver doped hydroxyapatite prepared by sol-gel method.

PubMed

Iconaru, Simona Liliana; Chapon, Patrick; Le Coustumer, Philippe; Predoi, Daniela

2014-01-01

In this work, the preparation and characterization of silver doped hydroxyapatite thin films were reported and their antimicrobial activity was characterized. Silver doped hydroxyapatite (Ag:HAp) thin films coatings substrate was prepared on commercially pure Si disks by sol-gel method. The silver doped hydroxyapatite thin films were characterized by various techniques such as Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy Dispersive X-ray attachment (X-EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy (GDOES). These techniques have permitted the structural and chemical characterisation of the silver doped hydroxyapatite thin films. The antimicrobial effect of the Ag:HAp thin films on Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria was then investigated. This is the first study on the antimicrobial effect of Ag:HAp thin films obtained by sol-gel method. The results of this study have shown that the Ag:HAp thin films with x(Ag) = 0.5 are effective against E. coli and S. aureus after 24 h.

Electrochemical detection of nitrite on poly(pyronin Y)/graphene nanocomposites modified ITO substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Şinoforoğlu, Mehmet; Dağcı, Kader; Alanyalıoğlu, Murat; Meral, Kadem

2016-06-01

The present study reports on an easy preparation of poly(pyronin Y)/graphene (poly(PyY)/graphene) nanocomposites thin films on indium tin oxide coated glass substrates (ITO). The thin films of poly(PyY)/graphene nanocomposites are prepared by a novel method consisting of three steps; (i) preparation of graphene oxide (GO) thin films on ITO by spin-coating method, (ii) self-assembly of PyY molecules from aqueous solution onto the GO thin film, (iii) surface-confined electropolymerization (SCEP) of the adsorbed PyY molecules on the GO thin film. The as-prepared poly(PyY)/graphene nanocomposites thin films are characterized by using electroanalytical and spectroscopic techniques. Afterwards, the graphene-based polymeric dye thin film on ITO is used as an electrode in an electrochemical cell. Its performance is tested for electrochemical detection of nitrite. Under optimized conditions, the electrocatalytical effect of the nanocomposites thin film through electrochemical oxidation of nitrite is better than that of GO coated ITO.

Ultrahigh-Performance Cu2ZnSnS4 Thin Film and Its Application in Microscale Thin-Film Lithium-Ion Battery: Comparison with SnO2.

PubMed

Lin, Jie; Guo, Jianlai; Liu, Chang; Guo, Hang

2016-12-21

To develop a high-performance anode for thin-film lithium-ion batteries (TFBs, with a total thickness on the scale of micrometers), a Cu 2 ZnSnS 4 (CZTS) thin film is fabricated by magnetron sputtering and exhibits an ultrahigh performance of 950 mAh g -1 even after 500 cycles, which is the highest among the reported CZTS for lithium storage so far. The characterization and electrochemical tests reveal that the thin-film structure and additional reactions both contribute to the excellent properties. Furthermore, the microscale TFBs with effective footprints of 0.52 mm 2 utilizing the CZTS thin film as anode are manufactured by microfabrication techniques, showing superior capability than the analogous TFBs with the SnO 2 thin film as anode. This work demonstrates the advantages of exploiting thin-film electrodes and novel materials into micropower sources by electronic manufacture methods.

Silk fibroin/chitosan thin film promotes osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation of rat bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells.

PubMed

Li, Da-Wei; He, Jin; He, Feng-Li; Liu, Ya-Li; Liu, Yang-Yang; Ye, Ya-Jing; Deng, Xudong; Yin, Da-Chuan

2018-04-01

As a biodegradable polymer thin film, silk fibroin/chitosan composite film overcomes the defects of pure silk fibroin and chitosan films, respectively, and shows remarkable biocompatibility, appropriate hydrophilicity and mechanical properties. Silk fibroin/chitosan thin film can be used not only as metal implant coating for bone injury repair, but also as tissue engineering scaffold for skin, cornea, adipose, and other soft tissue injury repair. However, the biocompatibility of silk fibroin/chitosan thin film for mesenchymal stem cells, a kind of important seed cell of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, is rarely reported. In this study, silk fibroin/chitosan film was prepared by solvent casting method, and the rat bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells were cultured on the silk fibroin/chitosan thin film. Osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation of rat bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells were induced, respectively. The proliferation ability, osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation abilities of rat bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells were systematically compared between silk fibroin/chitosan thin film and polystyrene tissue culture plates. The results showed that silk fibroin/chitosan thin film not only provided a comparable environment for the growth and proliferation of rat bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells but also promoted their osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation. This work provided information of rat bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells behavior on silk fibroin/chitosan thin film and extended the application of silk fibroin/chitosan thin film. Based on the results, we suggested that the silk fibroin/chitosan thin film could be a promising material for tissue engineering of bone, cartilage, adipose, and skin.

All-printed thin-film transistors from networks of liquid-exfoliated nanosheets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kelly, Adam G.; Hallam, Toby; Backes, Claudia; Harvey, Andrew; Esmaeily, Amir Sajad; Godwin, Ian; Coelho, João; Nicolosi, Valeria; Lauth, Jannika; Kulkarni, Aditya; Kinge, Sachin; Siebbeles, Laurens D. A.; Duesberg, Georg S.; Coleman, Jonathan N.

2017-04-01

All-printed transistors consisting of interconnected networks of various types of two-dimensional nanosheets are an important goal in nanoscience. Using electrolytic gating, we demonstrate all-printed, vertically stacked transistors with graphene source, drain, and gate electrodes, a transition metal dichalcogenide channel, and a boron nitride (BN) separator, all formed from nanosheet networks. The BN network contains an ionic liquid within its porous interior that allows electrolytic gating in a solid-like structure. Nanosheet network channels display on:off ratios of up to 600, transconductances exceeding 5 millisiemens, and mobilities of >0.1 square centimeters per volt per second. Unusually, the on-currents scaled with network thickness and volumetric capacitance. In contrast to other devices with comparable mobility, large capacitances, while hindering switching speeds, allow these devices to carry higher currents at relatively low drive voltages.

Cobalt and iron segregation and nitride formation from nitrogen plasma treatment of CoFeB surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mattson, E. C.; Michalak, D. J.; Veyan, J. F.; Chabal, Y. J.

2017-02-01

Cobalt-iron-boron (CoFeB) thin films are the industry standard for ferromagnetic layers in magnetic tunnel junction devices and are closely related to the relevant surfaces of CoFe-based catalysts. Identifying and understanding the composition of their surfaces under relevant processing conditions is therefore critical. Here we report fundamental studies on the interaction of nitrogen plasma with CoFeB surfaces using infrared spectroscopy, x-ray photoemission spectroscopy, and low energy ion scattering. We find that, upon exposure to nitrogen plasma, clean CoFeB surfaces spontaneously reorganize to form an overlayer comprised of Fe2N3 and BN, with the Co atoms moved well below the surface through a chemically driven process. Subsequent annealing to 400 °C removes nitrogen, resulting in a Fe-rich termination of the surface region.

Demonstration of neutron detection utilizing open cell foam and noble gas scintillation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lavelle, C. M.; Coplan, M.; Miller, E. C.; Thompson, Alan K.; Kowler, A. L.; Vest, Robert E.; Yue, A. T.; Koeth, T.; Al-Sheikhly, M.; Clark, Charles W.

2015-03-01

We present results demonstrating neutron detection via a closely spaced converter structure coupled to low pressure noble gas scintillation instrumented by a single photo-multiplier tube (PMT). The converter is dispersed throughout the gas volume using a reticulated vitreous carbon foam coated with boron carbide (B4C). A calibrated cold neutron beam is used to measure the neutron detection properties, using a thin film of enriched 10B as a reference standard. Monte Carlo computations of the ion energy deposition are discussed, including treatment of the foam random network. Results from this study indicate that the foam shadows a significant portion of the scintillation light from the PMT. The high scintillation yield of Xe appears to overcome the light loss, facilitating neutron detection and presenting interesting opportunities for neutron detector design.

Demonstration of neutron detection utilizing open cell foam and noble gas scintillation

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

Lavelle, C. M., E-mail: christopher.lavelle@jhuapl.edu; Miller, E. C.; Coplan, M.

2015-03-02

We present results demonstrating neutron detection via a closely spaced converter structure coupled to low pressure noble gas scintillation instrumented by a single photo-multiplier tube (PMT). The converter is dispersed throughout the gas volume using a reticulated vitreous carbon foam coated with boron carbide (B{sub 4}C). A calibrated cold neutron beam is used to measure the neutron detection properties, using a thin film of enriched {sup 10}B as a reference standard. Monte Carlo computations of the ion energy deposition are discussed, including treatment of the foam random network. Results from this study indicate that the foam shadows a significant portionmore » of the scintillation light from the PMT. The high scintillation yield of Xe appears to overcome the light loss, facilitating neutron detection and presenting interesting opportunities for neutron detector design.« less

Study on the Hydrogenated ZnO-Based Thin Film Transistors. Part 1

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-04-30

IGZO film on the performance of thin film transistors 5 Chapter 2. Hydrogenation of a- IGZO channel layer in the thin film transistors 12...effect of substrate temperature during the deposition of a- IGZO film on the performance of thin film transistors Introduction The effect of substrate...temperature during depositing IGZO channel layer on the performance of amorphous indium-gallium-zinc oxide (a- IGZO

A comparison study of Co and Cu doped MgO diluted magnetic thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarıtaş, S.; ćakıcı, T.; Muǧlu, G. Merhan; Kundakcı, M.; Yıldırım, M.

2017-02-01

Transition metal-doped MgO diluted magnetic thin films are appropriate candidates for spintronic applications and designing magnetic devices and sensors. Therefore, MgO:Co and MgO:Cu films were deposited on glass substrates by Chemical Spray Pyrolysis (CSP) method different thin film deposition parameters. Deposited different transition metal doped MgO thin films were compared in terms of optic and structural properties. Comparison optic analysis of the films was investigated spectral absorption and transmittance measurements by UV-Vis double beam spectrophotometer technique. Comparison structural analysis of the thin films was examined by using XRD, Raman Analysis, SEM, EDX and AFM techniques. The transition metal-doped; MgO:Co and MgO:Cu thin films maybe have potential applications in spintronics and magnetic data storage.

Synthesis of cobalt doped BiFeO3 multiferroic thin films on p-Si substrate by sol-gel method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prasannakumara, R.; Shrisha, B. V.; Naik, K. Gopalakrishna

2018-05-01

Bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3) and cobalt doped BiFeO3 (BiFe1-xCoxO3) nanostructure thin films were grown on p-silicon substrates by sol-gel spin coating method with a sequence of coating and annealing process. The post-annealing of the grown films was carried out under high pure argon atmosphere. The grown nanostructure thin films were characterized using XRD, FESEM, and AFM for the structural, morphological and topological studies, respectively. The elemental compositions of the samples were studied by EDX spectra. The PL spectra of the grown sample shows a narrow emission peak around 559 nm which corresponds to the energy band gap of BFO thin films. The XRD peaks of the BiFeO3 nanostructure thin film reveals the rhombohedral structure and transformed from rhombohedral to orthorhombic or tetragonal structure in Co doped BiFeO3 thin films. The Co substitution in BiFeO3 helped to obtain higher dense nanostructure thin films with smaller grain size than the BiFeO3 thin films.

Structural and electrical transport properties of La2Mo2O9 thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paul, T.; Ghosh, A.

2017-04-01

We have studied the structure and electrical properties of La2Mo2O9 thin films of different thicknesses prepared by the laser deposition technique at different substrate temperatures. The structural properties of the thin films have been investigated using XRD, XPS, AFM, TEM, SEM, and Raman spectroscopy. The electrical transport properties of the thin films have been investigated in wide temperature and frequency ranges. The cubic nature of the thin films has been confirmed from structural analysis. An enhancement of the oxygen ion conductivity of the films up to five orders of magnitude is obtained compared to that of the bulk La2Mo2O9, suggesting usefulness of the thin films as electrolytes in micro-solid oxide fuel cells. The enhanced dc ionic conductivity of the thin films has been interpreted using the rule of the mixture model, while a power law model has been used to investigate the frequency and temperature dependences of the conductivity. The analysis of the results predicts the three-dimensional oxygen ion conduction in the thin films.

Thin film bismuth iron oxides useful for piezoelectric devices

DOEpatents

Zeches, Robert J.; Martin, Lane W.; Ramesh, Ramamoorthy

2016-05-31

The present invention provides for a composition comprising a thin film of BiFeO.sub.3 having a thickness ranging from 20 nm to 300 nm, a first electrode in contact with the BiFeO.sub.3 thin film, and a second electrode in contact with the BiFeO.sub.3 thin film; wherein the first and second electrodes are in electrical communication. The composition is free or essentially free of lead (Pb). The BFO thin film is has the piezoelectric property of changing its volume and/or shape when an electric field is applied to the BFO thin film.

Applications of Thin Film Thermocouples for Surface Temperature Measurement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martin, Lisa C.; Holanda, Raymond

1994-01-01

Thin film thermocouples provide a minimally intrusive means of measuring surface temperature in hostile, high temperature environments. Unlike wire thermocouples, thin films do not necessitate any machining of the surface, therefore leaving intact its structural integrity. Thin films are many orders of magnitude thinner than wire, resulting in less disruption to the gas flow and thermal patterns that exist in the operating environment. Thin film thermocouples have been developed for surface temperature measurement on a variety of engine materials. The sensors are fabricated in the NASA Lewis Research Center's Thin Film Sensor Lab, which is a class 1000 clean room. The thermocouples are platinum-13 percent rhodium versus platinum and are fabricated by the sputtering process. Thin film-to-leadwire connections are made using the parallel-gap welding process. Thermocouples have been developed for use on superalloys, ceramics and ceramic composites, and intermetallics. Some applications of thin film thermocouples are: temperature measurement of space shuttle main engine turbine blade materials, temperature measurement in gas turbine engine testing of advanced materials, and temperature and heat flux measurements in a diesel engine. Fabrication of thin film thermocouples is described. Sensor durability, drift rate, and maximum temperature capabilities are addressed.

Sol-gel derived Al-Ga co-doped transparent conducting oxide ZnO thin films

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

Serrao, Felcy Jyothi, E-mail: jyothiserrao@gmail.com; Department of Physics, Karnataka Government Research centre SCEM, Mangalore, 575007; Sandeep, K. M.

2016-05-23

Transparent conducting ZnO doped with Al, Ga and co-doped Al and Ga (1:1) (AGZO) thin films were grown on glass substrates by cost effective sol-gel spin coating method. The XRD results showed that all the films are polycrystalline in nature and highly textured along the (002) plane. Enhanced grain size was observed in the case of AGZO thin films. The transmittance of all the films was more than 83% in the visible region of light. The electrical properties such as carrier concentration and mobility values are increased in case of AGZO compared to that of Al and Ga doped ZnOmore » thin films. The minimum resistivity of 2.54 × 10{sup −3} Ω cm was observed in AGZO thin film. The co-doped AGZO thin films exhibited minimum resistivity and high optical transmittance, indicate that co-doped ZnO thin films could be used in transparent electronics mainly in display applications.« less

Effect of precursor on epitaxially grown of ZnO thin film on p-GaN/sapphire (0 0 0 1) substrate by hydrothermal technique

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

Sahoo, Trilochan; Ju, Jin-Woo; Kannan, V.

2008-03-04

Single crystalline ZnO thin film on p-GaN/sapphire (0 0 0 1) substrate, using two different precursors by hydrothermal route at a temperature of 90 deg. C were successfully grown. The effect of starting precursor on crystalline nature, surface morphology and optical emission of the films were studied. ZnO thin films were grown in aqueous solution of zinc acetate and zinc nitrate. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that all the thin films were single crystalline in nature and exhibited wurtzite symmetry and c-axis orientation. The thin films obtained with zinc nitrate had a more pitted rough surface morphology compared to the filmmore » grown in zinc acetate. However the thickness of the films remained unaffected by the nature of the starting precursor. Sharp luminescence peaks were observed from the thin films almost at identical energies but deep level emission was slightly prominent for the thin film grown in zinc nitrate.« less

The uniformity study of non-oxide thin film at device level using electron energy loss spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Zhi-Peng; Zheng, Yuankai; Li, Shaoping; Wang, Haifeng

2018-05-01

Electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) has been widely used as a chemical analysis technique to characterize materials chemical properties, such as element valence states, atoms/ions bonding environment. This study provides a new method to characterize physical properties (i.e., film uniformity, grain orientations) of non-oxide thin films in the magnetic device by using EELS microanalysis on scanning transmission electron microscope. This method is based on analyzing white line ratio of spectra and related extended energy loss fine structures so as to correlate it with thin film uniformity. This new approach can provide an effective and sensitive method to monitor/characterize thin film quality (i.e., uniformity) at atomic level for thin film development, which is especially useful for examining ultra-thin films (i.e., several nanometers) or embedded films in devices for industry applications. More importantly, this technique enables development of quantitative characterization of thin film uniformity and it would be a remarkably useful technique for examining various types of devices for industrial applications.

Investigation of the structural, surface, optical and electrical properties of the Indium doped CuxO thin films deposited by a thermionic vacuum arc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Musaoğlu, Caner; Pat, Suat; Özen, Soner; Korkmaz, Şadan; Mohammadigharehbagh, Reza

2018-03-01

In this study, investigation of some physical properties of In-doped CuxO thin films onto amorphous glass substrates were done. The thin films were depsoied by thermionic vacuum arc technique (TVA). TVA technique gives a thin film with lower precursor impurity according to the other chemical and physical depsoition methods. The microstructural properties of the produced thin films was determined by x-ray diffraction device (XRD). The thickness values were measured as to be 30 nm and 60 nm, respectively. The miller indices of the thin films’ crystalline planes were determined as to be Cu (111), CuO (\\bar{1} 12), CuInO2 (107) and Cu2O (200), Cu (111), CuO (\\bar{1} 12), CuO (\\bar{2} 02), CuInO2 (015) for sample C1 and C2, respectively. The produced In-doped CuO thin films are in polycrystalline structure. The surface properties of produced In doped CuO thin films were determined by using an atomic force microscope (AFM) and field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) tools. The optical properties of the In doped CuO thin films were determined by UV–vis spectrophotometer, interferometer, and photoluminescence devices. p-type semiconductor thin film was obtained by TVA depsoition.

Linking Precursor Alterations to Nanoscale Structure and Optical Transparency in Polymer Assisted Fast-Rate Dip-Coating of Vanadium Oxide Thin Films

PubMed Central

Glynn, Colm; Creedon, Donal; Geaney, Hugh; Armstrong, Eileen; Collins, Timothy; Morris, Michael A.; Dwyer, Colm O’

2015-01-01

Solution processed metal oxide thin films are important for modern optoelectronic devices ranging from thin film transistors to photovoltaics and for functional optical coatings. Solution processed techniques such as dip-coating, allow thin films to be rapidly deposited over a large range of surfaces including curved, flexible or plastic substrates without extensive processing of comparative vapour or physical deposition methods. To increase the effectiveness and versatility of dip-coated thin films, alterations to commonly used precursors can be made that facilitate controlled thin film deposition. The effects of polymer assisted deposition and changes in solvent-alkoxide dilution on the morphology, structure, optoelectronic properties and crystallinity of vanadium pentoxide thin films was studied using a dip-coating method using a substrate withdrawal speed within the fast-rate draining regime. The formation of sub-100 nm thin films could be achieved rapidly from dilute alkoxide based precursor solutions with high optical transmission in the visible, linked to the phase and film structure. The effects of the polymer addition was shown to change the crystallized vanadium pentoxide thin films from a granular surface structure to a polycrystalline structure composed of a high density of smaller in-plane grains, resulting in a uniform surface morphology with lower thickness and roughness. PMID:26123117

Nonlinear optical parameters of nanocrystalline AZO thin film measured at different substrate temperatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jilani, Asim; Abdel-wahab, M. Sh; Al-ghamdi, Attieh A.; Dahlan, Ammar sadik; Yahia, I. S.

2016-01-01

The 2.2 wt% of aluminum (Al)-doped zinc oxide (AZO) transparent and preferential c-axis oriented thin films were prepared by using radio frequency (DC/RF) magnetron sputtering at different substrate temperature ranging from room temperature to 200 °C. For structural analysis, X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Atomic Force Electron Microscope (AFM) was used for morphological studies. The optical parameters such as, optical energy gap, refractive index, extinction coefficient, dielectric loss, tangent loss, first and third order nonlinear optical properties of transparent films were investigated. High transmittance above 90% and highly homogeneous surface were observed in all samples. The substrate temperature plays an important role to get the best transparent conductive oxide thin films. The substrate temperature at 150 °C showed the growth of highly transparent AZO thin film. Energy gap increased with the increased in substrate temperature of Al doped thin films. Dielectric constant and loss were found to be photon energy dependent with substrate temperature. The change in substrate temperature of Al doped thin films also affect the non-liner optical properties of thin films. The value of χ(3) was found to be changed with the grain size of the thin films that directly affected by the substrate temperature of the pure and Al doped ZnO thin films.

Thin-Film Thermocouple Technology Demonstrated for Reliable Heat Transfer Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1996-01-01

Exploratory work is in progress to apply thin-film thermocouples to localized heat transfer measurements on turbine engine vanes and blades. The emerging thin-film thermocouple technology shows great potential to improve the accuracy of local heat transfer measurements. To verify and master the experimental methodology of thin-film thermocouples, the NASA Lewis Research Center conducted a proof-of-concept experiment in a controlled environment before applying the thin-film sensors to turbine tests.

Scientific Understanding of Non-Chromated Corrosion Inhibitors Function

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-01

deposited Al - Cu thin films (left) and aged Al - Cu thin films (right). 348 Figure 7.8. Pit morphologies developed...under neat epoxy resins applied to “as- deposited ” (left) and aged Al - Cu thin films (right) at different exposure times. 349 Figure 7.9. SEM and EDS...results of “As- deposited ” Al - Cu thin film. 351 Figure 7.10. SEM and EDS results of aged Al - Cu thin films. 352 Figure 7.11. Pit

High temperature thermal management with boron nitride nanosheets.

PubMed

Wang, Yilin; Xu, Lisha; Yang, Zhi; Xie, Hua; Jiang, Puqing; Dai, Jiaqi; Luo, Wei; Yao, Yonggang; Hitz, Emily; Yang, Ronggui; Yang, Bao; Hu, Liangbing

2017-12-21

The rapid development of high power density devices requires more efficient heat dissipation. Recently, two-dimensional layered materials have attracted significant interest due to their superior thermal conductivity, ease of production and chemical stability. Among them, hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is electrically insulating, making it a promising thermal management material for next-generation electronics. In this work, we demonstrated that an h-BN thin film composed of layer-by-layer laminated h-BN nanosheets can effectively enhance the lateral heat dissipation on the substrate. We found that by using the BN-coated glass instead of bare glass as the substrate, the highest operating temperature of a reduced graphene oxide (RGO) based device could increase from 700 °C to 1000 °C, and at the same input power, the operating temperature of the RGO device is effectively decreased. The remarkable performance improvement using the BN coating originates from its anisotropic thermal conductivity: a high in-plane thermal conductivity of 14 W m -1 K -1 for spreading and a low cross-plane thermal conductivity of 0.4 W m -1 K -1 to avoid a hot spot right underneath the device. Our results provide an effective approach to improve the heat dissipation in integrated circuits and high power devices.

Piezoelectric thin films and their applications for electronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshino, Yukio

2009-03-01

ZnO and AlN piezoelectric thin films have been studied for applications in bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonator. This article introduces methods of forming ZnO and AlN piezoelectric thin films by radio frequency sputtering and applications of BAW resonators considering the relationship between the crystallinity of piezoelectric thin films and the characteristics of the BAW resonators. Using ZnO thin films, BAW resonators were fabricated for a contour mode at 3.58 MHz and thickness modes from 200 MHz to 5 GHz. The ZnO thin films were combined with various materials, substrates, and thin films to minimize the temperature coefficient of frequency (TCF). The minimum TCF of BAW resonators was approximately 2 ppm/°C in the range -20 to 80 °C. The electromechanical coupling coefficient (k2) in a 1.9 GHz BAW resonator was 6.9%. Using AlN thin films, 5-20 GHz BAW resonators with an ultrathin membrane were realized. The membrane thickness of a 20 GHz BAW resonator was about 200 nm, k2 was 6.1%, and the quality factor (Q) was about 280. Q decreased with increasing resonant frequency. The value of k2 is almost the same for 5-20 GHz resonators. This result could be obtained by improving the thickness uniformity, by controlling internal stress of thin films, and by controlling the crystallinity of AlN piezoelectric thin film.

Electro-thermal control of aluminum-doped zinc oxide/vanadium dioxide multilayered thin films for smart-device applications

PubMed Central

Skuza, J. R.; Scott, D. W.; Mundle, R. M.; Pradhan, A. K.

2016-01-01

We demonstrate the electro-thermal control of aluminum-doped zinc oxide (Al:ZnO) /vanadium dioxide (VO2) multilayered thin films, where the application of a small electric field enables precise control of the applied heat to the VO2 thin film to induce its semiconductor-metal transition (SMT). The transparent conducting oxide nature of the top Al:ZnO film can be tuned to facilitate the fine control of the SMT of the VO2 thin film and its associated properties. In addition, the Al:ZnO film provides a capping layer to the VO2 thin film, which inhibits oxidation to a more energetically favorable and stable V2O5 phase. It also decreases the SMT of the VO2 thin film by approximately 5–10 °C because of an additional stress induced on the VO2 thin film and/or an alteration of the oxygen vacancy concentration in the VO2 thin film. These results have significant impacts on technological applications for both passive and active devices by exploiting this near-room-temperature SMT. PMID:26884225

Effect of substrate temperature and oxygen partial pressure on RF sputtered NiO thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheemadan, Saheer; Santhosh Kumar, M. C.

2018-04-01

Nickel oxide (NiO) thin films were deposited by RF sputtering process and the physical properties were investigated for varying substrate temperatures and oxygen partial pressure. The variation of the crystallographic orientation and microstructure of the NiO thin films with an increase in substrate temperature were studied. It was observed that NiO thin films deposited at 350 °C shows relatively good crystalline characteristics with a preferential orientation along (111) plane. With the optimum substrate temperature of 350 °C, the NiO thin films were deposited under various oxygen partial pressures at the same experimental conditions. The structural, optical and electrical properties of NiO thin films under varying oxygen partial pressure of 10%–50% were investigated. From XRD it is clear that the films prepared in the pure argon atmosphere were amorphous while the films in oxygen partial pressure exhibited polycrystalline NiO phase. SEM and AFM investigations unveil that the higher substrate temperature improves the microstructure of the thin films. It is revealed that the NiO thin films deposited at oxygen partial pressure of 40% and a substrate temperature of 350 °C, showed higher electrical conductivity with p-type characteristics.

Method and system for constructing a rechargeable battery and battery structures formed with the method

DOEpatents

Hobson, David O.; Snyder, Jr., William B.

1995-01-01

A method and system for manufacturing a thin-film battery and a battery structure formed with the method utilizes a plurality of deposition stations at which thin battery component films are built up in sequence upon a web-like substrate as the substrate is automatically moved through the stations. At an initial station, cathode and anode current collector film sections are deposited upon the substrate, and at another station, a thin cathode film is deposited upon the substrate so to overlie part of the cathode current collector section. At another station, a thin electrolyte film is deposited upon so as to overlie the cathode film and part of the anode current collector film, at yet another station, a thin lithium film is deposited upon so as to overlie the electrolyte film and an additional part of the anode current collector film. Such a method accommodates the winding of a layup of battery components into a spiral configuration to provide a thin-film, high capacity battery and also accommodates the build up of thin film battery components onto a substrate surface having any of a number of shapes.

Research progress of VO2 thin film as laser protecting material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Zhiwei; Lu, Yuan; Hou, Dianxin

2018-03-01

With the development of laser technology, the battlefield threat of directional laser weapons is becoming more and more serious. The blinding and destruction caused by laser weapons on the photoelectric equipment is an important part of the current photo-electronic warfare. The research on the defense technology of directional laser weapons based on the phase transition characteristics of VO2 thin films is an important subject. The researches of VO2 thin films are summarized based on review these points: the preparation methods of VO2 thin films, phase transition mechanism, phase transition temperature regulating, interaction between VO2 thin films and laser, and the application prospect of vo2 thin film as laser protecting material. This paper has some guiding significance for further research on the VO2 thin films in the field of defense directional laser weapons.

Chemical vapor deposition of silicon, silicon dioxide, titanium and ferroelectric thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Feng

Various silicon-based thin films (such as epitaxial, polycrystalline and amorphous silicon thin films, silicon dioxide thin films and silicon nitride thin films), titanium thin film and various ferroelectric thin films (such as BaTiO3 and PbTiO3 thin films) play critical roles in the manufacture of microelectronics circuits. For the past few years, there have been tremendous interests to search for cheap, safe and easy-to-use methods to develop those thin films with high quality and good step coverage. Silane is a critical chemical reagent widely used to deposit silicon-based thin films. Despite its wide use, silane is a dangerous material. It is pyrophoric, extremely flammable and may explode from heat, shock and/or friction. Because of the nature of silane, serious safety issues have been raised concerning the use, transportation, and storage of compressed gas cylinders of silane. Therefore it is desired to develop safer ways to deposit silicon-based films. In chapter III, I present the results of our research in the following fields: (1) Silane generator, (2) Substitutes of silane for deposition of silicon and silicon dioxide thin films, (3) Substitutes of silane for silicon dioxide thin film deposition. In chapter IV, hydropyridine is introduced as a new ligand for use in constructing precursors for chemical vapor deposition. Detachement of hydropyridine occurs by a low-temperature reaction leaving hydrogen in place of the hydropyridine ligands. Hydropyridine ligands can be attached to a variety of elements, including main group metals, such as aluminum and antimony, transition metals, such as titanium and tantalum, semiconductors such as silicon, and non-metals such as phosphorus and arsenic. In this study, hydropyridine-containing titanium compounds were synthesized and used as chemical vapor deposition precursors for deposition of titanium containing thin films. Some other titanium compounds were also studied for comparison. In chapter V, Chemical Vapor Depositions (CVD) of many oxide thin films including ferroelectric and high dielectric constant BaTiO3, SrTiO 3 and PbTiO3 films had been carried out under reduced pressure (30 torr--80 torr) using liquid precursors containing beta-diketone ligands. The relative reactivities of Ba(beta-diketonate)2, Sr(beta-diketonate) 2, Pb(beta-diketonate)2, Ti(beta-diketonate)3, TiO(beta-diketonate)2 and Ti(OiPr)2(beta-diketonate) 2 had been studied individually prior to the deposition of BaTiO 3, SrTiO3 and PbTiO3 thin films from the mixtures of corresponding precursors. By using multi-step deposition method, carbon free stoichiometric BaTiO3 thin films uniform in large area have been achieved.

Thermoelectric Properties of Epitaxial β-FeSi2 Thin Films on Si(111) and Approach for Their Enhancement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taniguchi, Tatsuhiko; Sakane, Shunya; Aoki, Shunsuke; Okuhata, Ryo; Ishibe, Takafumi; Watanabe, Kentaro; Suzuki, Takeyuki; Fujita, Takeshi; Sawano, Kentarou; Nakamura, Yoshiaki

2017-05-01

We have investigated the intrinsic thermoelectric properties of epitaxial β-FeSi2 thin films and the impact of phosphorus (P) doping. Epitaxial β-FeSi2 thin films with single phase were grown on Si(111) substrates by two different techniques in an ultrahigh-vacuum molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) system: solid-phase epitaxy (SPE), where iron silicide films formed by codeposition of Fe and Si at room temperature were recrystallized by annealing at 530°C to form epitaxial β-FeSi2 thin films on Si(111) substrates, and MBE of β-FeSi2 thin films on epitaxial β-FeSi2 templates formed on Si(111) by reactive deposition epitaxy (RDE) at 530°C (RDE + MBE). Epitaxial SPE thin films based on codeposition had a flatter surface and more abrupt β-FeSi2/Si(111) interface than epitaxial RDE + MBE thin films. We investigated the intrinsic thermoelectric properties of the epitaxial β-FeSi2 thin films on Si(111), revealing lower thermal conductivity and higher electrical conductivity compared with bulk β-FeSi2. We also investigated the impact of doping on the Seebeck coefficient of bulk and thin-film β-FeSi2. A route to enhance the thermoelectric performance of β-FeSi2 is proposed, based on (1) fabrication of thin-film structures for high electrical conductivity and low thermal conductivity, and (2) proper choice of doping for high Seebeck coefficient.

Electron Excess Doping and Effective Schottky Barrier Reduction on the MoS2/h-BN Heterostructure.

PubMed

Joo, Min-Kyu; Moon, Byoung Hee; Ji, Hyunjin; Han, Gang Hee; Kim, Hyun; Lee, Gwanmu; Lim, Seong Chu; Suh, Dongseok; Lee, Young Hee

2016-10-12

Layered hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) thin film is a dielectric that surpasses carrier mobility by reducing charge scattering with silicon oxide in diverse electronics formed with graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides. However, the h-BN effect on electron doping concentration and Schottky barrier is little known. Here, we report that use of h-BN thin film as a substrate for monolayer MoS 2 can induce ∼6.5 × 10 11 cm -2 electron doping at room temperature which was determined using theoretical flat band model and interface trap density. The saturated excess electron concentration of MoS 2 on h-BN was found to be ∼5 × 10 13 cm -2 at high temperature and was significantly reduced at low temperature. Further, the inserted h-BN enables us to reduce the Coulombic charge scattering in MoS 2 /h-BN and lower the effective Schottky barrier height by a factor of 3, which gives rise to four times enhanced the field-effect carrier mobility and an emergence of metal-insulator transition at a much lower charge density of ∼1.0 × 10 12 cm -2 (T = 25 K). The reduced effective Schottky barrier height in MoS 2 /h-BN is attributed to the decreased effective work function of MoS 2 arisen from h-BN induced n-doping and the reduced effective metal work function due to dipole moments originated from fixed charges in SiO 2 .

Temperature Behavior of Thin Film Varactor

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-01-01

Temperature Behavior of Thin Film Varactor By Richard X. Fu ARL-TR-5905 January 2012...Thin Film Varactor Richard X. Fu Sensors and Electron Devices Directorate, ARL...DD-MM-YYYY) January 2012 2. REPORT TYPE Final 3. DATES COVERED (From - To) 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Temperature Behavior of Thin Film Varactor 5a

Electronic Devices Based on Oxide Thin Films Fabricated by Fiber-to-Film Process.

PubMed

Meng, You; Liu, Ao; Guo, Zidong; Liu, Guoxia; Shin, Byoungchul; Noh, Yong-Young; Fortunato, Elvira; Martins, Rodrigo; Shan, Fukai

2018-05-30

Technical development for thin-film fabrication is essential for emerging metal-oxide (MO) electronics. Although impressive progress has been achieved in fabricating MO thin films, the challenges still remain. Here, we report a versatile and general thermal-induced nanomelting technique for fabricating MO thin films from the fiber networks, briefly called fiber-to-film (FTF) process. The high quality of the FTF-processed MO thin films was confirmed by various investigations. The FTF process is generally applicable to numerous technologically relevant MO thin films, including semiconducting thin films (e.g., In 2 O 3 , InZnO, and InZrZnO), conducting thin films (e.g., InSnO), and insulating thin films (e.g., AlO x ). By optimizing the fabrication process, In 2 O 3 /AlO x thin-film transistors (TFTs) were successfully integrated by fully FTF processes. High-performance TFT was achieved with an average mobility of ∼25 cm 2 /(Vs), an on/off current ratio of ∼10 7 , a threshold voltage of ∼1 V, and a device yield of 100%. As a proof of concept, one-transistor-driven pixel circuit was constructed, which exhibited high controllability over the light-emitting diodes. Logic gates based on fully FTF-processed In 2 O 3 /AlO x TFTs were further realized, which exhibited good dynamic logic responses and voltage amplification by a factor of ∼4. The FTF technique presented here offers great potential in large-area and low-cost manufacturing for flexible oxide electronics.

Studies on RF sputtered (WO3)1-x (V2O5)x thin films for smart window applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meenakshi, M.; Sivakumar, R.; Perumal, P.; Sanjeeviraja, C.

2016-05-01

V2O5 doped WO3 targets for RF sputtering thin film deposition were prepared for various compositions. Thin films of (WO3)1-x (V2O5)x were deposited on to glass substrates using these targets. Structural characteristics of the prepared targets and thin films were studied using X-ray diffraction. Laser Raman studies were carried out on the thin films to confirm the compound formation.

Application Of Positron Beams For The Characterization Of Nano-scale Pores In Thin Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirata, K.; Ito, K.; Kobayashi, Y.; Suzuki, R.; Ohdaira, T.; Eijt, S. W. H.; Schut, H.; van Veen, A.

2003-08-01

We applied three positron annihilation techniques, positron 3γ-annihilation spectroscopy, positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy, and angular correlation of annihilation radiation, to the characterization of nano-scale pores in thin films by combining them with variable-energy positron beams. Characterization of pores in thin films is an important part of the research on various thin films of industrial importance. The results of our recent studies on pore characterization of thin films by positron beams will be reported here.

Characterization of aluminum selenide bi-layer thin film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boolchandani, Sarita; Soni, Gyanesh; Srivastava, Subodh; Vijay, Y. K.

2018-05-01

The Aluminum Selenide (AlSe) bi-layer thin films were grown on glass substrate using thermal evaporation method under high vacuum condition. The morphological characterization was done using SEM. Electrical measurement with temperature variation shows that thin films exhibit the semiconductor nature. The optical properties of prepared thin films have also been characterized by UV-VIS spectroscopy measurements. The band gap of composite thin films has been calculated by Tauc's relation at different temperature ranging 35°C-100°C.

Investigation of phase transition properties of ZrO2 thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Davinder; Singh, Avtar; Kaur, Manpreet; Rana, Vikrant Singh; Kaur, Raminder

2018-05-01

This paper presents the synthesis of transparent thin films of zirconium oxide (ZrO2) deposited on glass substrates by sol-gel dip coating technique. Synthesized films were characterized for different annealing time and withdrawal speed. Change in crystallographic properties of thin films was investigated by using X-ray diffraction. Surface morphology of transparent thin films was estimated by using scanning electron microscope.

Consequence of oxidant concentration on XPS properties of chemically synthesized polythiophene thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamat, Sandip V.; Chhabra, Jasvinder; Patil, V. S.; Yadav, J. B.; Puri, R. K.; Puri, Vijaya

2018-05-01

The polythiophene thin films were prepared by a wellknown chemical bath deposition technique. The deposited thin films were characterized for structural morphological properties and the adhesion of these thin films were measured by direct pull off (DPO) method, the effect of oxidant concentration on these thin films also studied. The FTIR spectra of chemically deposited polythiophene thin films shows the absorption peak at 836 cm-1 which represents c-s stretching vibrations, shifts to 869 cm-1 as the oxidant concentration increases. The band at 666 cm-1 representing c-s-c ring deformation becomes sharper and appears with a shoulder peak due to increase in oxidant concentration.

Methods of making non-covalently bonded carbon-titania nanocomposite thin films and applications of the same

DOEpatents

Liang, Yu Teng; Vijayan, Baiju K.; Gray, Kimberly A.; Hersam, Mark C.

2016-07-19

In one aspect, a method of making non-covalently bonded carbon-titania nanocomposite thin films includes: forming a carbon-based ink; forming a titania (TiO.sub.2) solution; blade-coating a mechanical mixture of the carbon-based ink and the titania solution onto a substrate; and annealing the blade-coated substrate at a first temperature for a first period of time to obtain the carbon-based titania nanocomposite thin films. In certain embodiments, the carbon-based titania nanocomposite thin films may include solvent-exfoliated graphene titania (SEG-TiO.sub.2) nanocomposite thin films, or single walled carbon nanotube titania (SWCNT-TiO.sub.2) nanocomposite thin films.

Effect of Doping Materials on the Low-Level NO Gas Sensing Properties of ZnO Thin Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Çorlu, Tugba; Karaduman, Irmak; Yildirim, Memet Ali; Ateş, Aytunç; Acar, Selim

2017-07-01

In this study, undoped, Cu-doped, and Ni-doped ZnO thin films have been successfully prepared by successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction method. The structural, compositional, and morphological properties of the thin films are characterized by x-ray diffractometer, energy dispersive x-ray analysis (EDX), and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. Doping effects on the NO gas sensing properties of these thin films were investigated depending on gas concentration and operating temperature. Cu-doped ZnO thin film exhibited a higher gas response than undoped and Ni-doped ZnO thin film at the operating temperature range. The sensor with Cu-doped ZnO thin film gave faster responses and recovery speeds than other sensors, so that is significant for the convenient application of gas sensor. The response and recovery speeds could be associated with the effective electron transfer between the Cu-doped ZnO and the NO molecules.

Spectroscopic ellipsometry investigation of the optical properties of graphene oxide dip-coated on magnetron sputtered gold thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Politano, Grazia Giuseppina; Vena, Carlo; Desiderio, Giovanni; Versace, Carlo

2018-02-01

Despite intensive investigations on graphene oxide-gold nanocomposites, the interaction of graphene oxide sheets with magnetron sputtered gold thin films has not been studied yet. The optical constants of graphene oxide thin films dip-coated on magnetron sputtered gold thin films were determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry in the [300-1000] wavelength range. Moreover, the morphologic properties of the samples were investigated by SEM analysis. Graphene oxide absorbs mainly in the ultraviolet region, but when it is dip-coated on magnetron sputtered gold thin films, its optical constants show dramatic changes, becoming absorbing in the visible region, with a peak of the extinction coefficient at 3.1 eV. Using magnetron sputtered gold thin films as a substrate for graphene oxide thin films could therefore be the key to enhance graphene oxide optical sheets' properties for several technological applications, preserving their oxygen content and avoiding the reduction process.

Optical stress generator and detector

DOEpatents

Maris, Humphrey J.; Stoner, Robert J

2001-01-01

Disclosed is a system for the characterization of thin films and interfaces between thin films through measurements of their mechanical and thermal properties. In the system light is absorbed in a thin film or in a structure made up of several thin films, and the change in optical transmission or reflection is measured and analyzed. The change in reflection or transmission is used to give information about the ultrasonic waves that are produced in the structure. The information that is obtained from the use of the measurement methods and apparatus of this invention can include: (a) a determination of the thickness of thin films with a speed and accuracy that is improved compared to earlier methods; (b) a determination of the thermal, elastic, and optical properties of thin films; (c) a determination of the stress in thin films; and (d) a characterization of the properties of interfaces, including the presence of roughness and defects.

Optical stress generator and detector

DOEpatents

Maris, Humphrey J.; Stoner, Robert J.

1998-01-01

Disclosed is a system for the characterization of thin films and interfaces between thin films through measurements of their mechanical and thermal properties. In the system light is absorbed in a thin film or in a structure made up of several thin films, and the change in optical transmission or reflection is measured and analyzed. The change in reflection or transmission is used to give information about the ultrasonic waves that are produced in the structure. The information that is obtained from the use of the measurement methods and apparatus of this invention can include: (a) a determination of the thickness of thin films with a speed and accuracy that is improved compared to earlier methods; (b) a determination of the thermal, elastic, and optical properties of thin films; (c) a determination of the stress in thin films; and (d) a characterization of the properties of interfaces, including the presence of roughness and defects.

Optical stress generator and detector

DOEpatents

Maris, H.J.; Stoner, R.J.

1998-05-05

Disclosed is a system for the characterization of thin films and interfaces between thin films through measurements of their mechanical and thermal properties. In the system light is absorbed in a thin film or in a structure made up of several thin films, and the change in optical transmission or reflection is measured and analyzed. The change in reflection or transmission is used to give information about the ultrasonic waves that are produced in the structure. The information that is obtained from the use of the measurement methods and apparatus of this invention can include: (a) a determination of the thickness of thin films with a speed and accuracy that is improved compared to earlier methods; (b) a determination of the thermal, elastic, and optical properties of thin films; (c) a determination of the stress in thin films; and (d) a characterization of the properties of interfaces, including the presence of roughness and defects. 32 figs.

Optical stress generator and detector

DOEpatents

Maris, Humphrey J.; Stoner, Robert J

2002-01-01

Disclosed is a system for the characterization of thin films and interfaces between thin films through measurements of their mechanical and thermal properties. In the system light is absorbed in a thin film or in a structure made up of several thin films, and the change in optical transmission or reflection is measured and analyzed. The change in reflection or transmission is used to give information about the ultrasonic waves that are produced in the structure. The information that is obtained from the use of the measurement methods and apparatus of this invention can include: (a) a determination of the thickness of thin films with a speed and accuracy that is improved compared to earlier methods; (b) a determination of the thermal, elastic, and optical properties of thin films; (c) a determination of the stress in thin films; and (d) a characterization of the properties of interfaces, including the presence of roughness and defects.

Optical stress generator and detector

DOEpatents

Maris, Humphrey J.; Stoner, Robert J

1999-01-01

Disclosed is a system for the characterization of thin films and interfaces between thin films through measurements of their mechanical and thermal properties. In the system light is absorbed in a thin film or in a structure made up of several thin films, and the change in optical transmission or reflection is measured and analyzed. The change in reflection or transmission is used to give information about the ultrasonic waves that are produced in the structure. The information that is obtained from the use of the measurement methods and apparatus of this invention can include: (a) a determination of the thickness of thin films with a speed and accuracy that is improved compared to earlier methods; (b) a determination of the thermal, elastic, and optical properties of thin films; (c) a determination of the stress in thin films; and (d) a characterization of the properties of interfaces, including the presence of roughness and defects.

Antimicrobial activity of biopolymer-antibiotic thin films fabricated by advanced pulsed laser methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cristescu, R.; Popescu, C.; Dorcioman, G.; Miroiu, F. M.; Socol, G.; Mihailescu, I. N.; Gittard, S. D.; Miller, P. R.; Narayan, R. J.; Enculescu, M.; Chrisey, D. B.

2013-08-01

We report on thin film deposition by matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) of two polymer-drug composite thin film systems. A pulsed KrF* excimer laser source (λ = 248 nm, τ = 25 ns, ν = 10 Hz) was used to deposit composite thin films of poly(D,L-lactide) (PDLLA) containing several gentamicin concentrations. FTIR spectroscopy was used to demonstrate that MAPLE-transferred materials exhibited chemical structures similar to those of drop cast materials. Scanning electron microscopy data indicated that MAPLE may be used to fabricate thin films of good morphological quality. The activity of PDLLA-gentamicin composite thin films against Staphylococcus aureus bacteria was demonstrated using drop testing. The influence of drug concentration on microbial viability was also assessed. Our studies indicate that polymer-drug composite thin films prepared by MAPLE may be used to impart antimicrobial activity to implants, medical devices, and other contact surfaces.

Characterization of Pb-Doped GaN Thin Films Grown by Thermionic Vacuum Arc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Özen, Soner; Pat, Suat; Korkmaz, Şadan

2018-03-01

Undoped and lead (Pb)-doped gallium nitride (GaN) thin films have been deposited by a thermionic vacuum arc (TVA) method. Glass and polyethylene terephthalate were selected as optically transparent substrates. The structural, optical, morphological, and electrical properties of the deposited thin films were investigated. These physical properties were interpreted by comparison with related analysis methods. The crystalline structure of the deposited GaN thin films was hexagonal wurtzite. The optical bandgap energy of the GaN and Pb-doped GaN thin films was found to be 3.45 eV and 3.47 eV, respectively. The surface properties of the deposited thin films were imaged using atomic force microscopy and field-emission scanning electron microscopy, revealing a nanostructured, homogeneous, and granular surface structure. These results confirm that the TVA method is an alternative layer deposition system for Pb-doped GaN thin films.

A study on micro-structural and optical parameters of InxSe1-x thin film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patel, P. B.; Desai, H. N.; Dhimmar, J. M.; Modi, B. P.

2018-04-01

Thin film of Indium Selenide (InSe) has been deposited by thermal evaporation technique onto pre cleaned glass substrate under high vacuum condition. The micro-structural and optical properties of InxSe1-x (x = 0.6, 1-x = 0.4) thin film have been characterized by X-ray diffractrometer (XRD) and UV-Visible spectrophotometer. The XRD spectra showed that InSe thin film has single phase hexagonal structure with preferred orientation along (1 1 0) direction. The micro-structural parameters (crystallite size, lattice strain, dislocation density, domain population) for InSe thin film have been calculated using XRD spectra. The optical parameters (absorption, transmittance, reflectance, energy band gap, Urbach energy) of InSe thin film have been evaluated from absorption spectra. The direct energy band gap and Urbach energy of InSe thin film is found to be 1.90 eV and 235 meV respectively.

Note: Novel diamond anvil cell for electrical measurements using boron-doped metallic diamond electrodes

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

Matsumoto, R.; Sasama, Y.; Yamaguchi, T.

2016-07-15

A novel diamond anvil cell suitable for electrical transport measurements under high pressure has been developed. A boron-doped metallic diamond film was deposited as an electrode on a nano-polycrystalline diamond anvil using a microwave plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition technique combined with electron beam lithography. The maximum pressure that can be achieved by this assembly is above 30 GPa. We report electrical transport measurements of Pb up to 8 GPa. The boron-doped metallic diamond electrodes showed no signs of degradation after repeated compression.

Large area polysilicon films with predetermined stress characteristics and method for producing same

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heuer, Arthur H. (Inventor); Kahn, Harold (Inventor); Yang, Jie (Inventor); Phillips, Stephen M. (Inventor)

2002-01-01

Multi-layer assemblies of polysilicon thin films having predetermined stress characteristics and techniques for forming such assemblies are disclosed. In particular, a multi-layer assembly of polysilicon thin films may be produced that has a stress level of zero, or substantially so. The multi-layer assemblies comprise at least one constituent thin film having a tensile stress and at least one constituent thin film having a compressive stress. The thin films forming the multi-layer assemblies may be disposed immediately adjacent to one another without the use of intermediate layers between the thin films. Multi-layer assemblies exhibiting selectively determinable overall bending moments are also disclosed. Selective production of overall bending moments in microstructures enables manufacture of such structures with a wide array of geometrical configurations.

Enhancing the color gamut of white displays using novel deep-blue organic fluorescent dyes to form color-changed thin films with improved efficiency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Wei-Ting; Huang, Wen-Yao

2012-10-01

This study used the novel fluorescence based deep-blue-emitting molecule BPVPDA in an organic fluorescent color thin film to exhibit deep blue color with CIE coordinates of (0.13, 0.16). The developed original organic RGB color thin film technology enables the optimization of the distinctive features of an organic light emitting diode (OLED) and thin-film-transistor (TFT) LCD display. The color filter structure maintains the same high resolution to obtain a higher level of brightness in comparison with conventional organic RGB color thin film. The image-processing engine is designed to achieve a sharp text image for a TFT LCD with organic color thin films. The organic color thin films structure uses an organic dye dopant in a limpid photoresist. With this technology, the following characteristics can be obtained: 1. high color reproduction of gamut ratio, and 2. improved luminous efficiency with organic color fluorescent thin film. This performance is among the best results ever reported for a color-filter used on TFT-LCD or OLED.

Enhancing the color gamut of white displays using novel deep-blue organic fluorescent dyes to form color-changed thin films with improved efficiency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Wei-ting; Huang, Wen-Yao

2012-06-01

This study used novel fluorescence based deep-blue-emitting molecules, namely BPVPDA, an organic fluorescence color thin film using BPVPDA exhibit deep blue fluorine with CIE coordinates of (0.13,0.16). The developed original Organic RGB color thin film technology enables the optimization of the distinctive features of an organic light emitting diode (OLED) and (TFT) LCD display. The color filter structure maintains the same high resolution to obtain a higher level of brightness, in comparison with conventional organic RGB color thin film. The image-processing engine is designed to achieve a sharp text image for a thin-film-transistor (TFT) LCD with organic color thin films. The organic color thin films structure uses organic dye dopent in limpid photo resist. With this technology , the following characteristics can be obtained: (1) high color reproduction of gamut ratio, and (2) improved luminous efficiency with organic color fluorescence thin film. This performance is among the best results ever reported for a color-filter used on TFT-LCD and OLED.

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

The effect of Argon pressure dependent V thin film on the phase transition process of (020) VO2 thin film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meng, Yifan; Huang, Kang; Tang, Zhou; Xu, Xiaofeng; Tan, Zhiyong; Liu, Qian; Wang, Chunrui; Wu, Binhe; Wang, Chang; Cao, Juncheng

2018-01-01

It has been proved challenging to fabricate the single crystal orientation of VO2 thin film by a simple method. Based on chemical reaction thermodynamic and crystallization analysis theory, combined with our experimental results, we find out that when stoichiometric number of metallic V in the chemical equation is the same, the ratio of metallic V thin film surface average roughness Ra to thin film average particle diameter d decreases with the decreasing sputtering Argon pressure. Meanwhile, the oxidation reaction equilibrium constant K also decreases, which will lead to the increases of oxidation time, thereby the crystal orientation of the VO2 thin film will also become more uniform. By sputtering oxidation coupling method, metallic V thin film is deposited on c-sapphire substrate at 1 × 10-1 Pa, and then oxidized in the air with the maximum oxidation time of 65s, high oriented (020) VO2 thin film has been fabricated successfully, which exhibits ∼4.6 orders sheet resistance change across the metal-insulator transition.

Surface-area-controlled synthesis of porous TiO2 thin films for gas-sensing applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Jae Young; Kim, Ho-hyoung; Rana, Dolly; Jamwal, Deepika; Katoch, Akash

2017-03-01

Surface-area-controlled porous TiO2 thin films were prepared via a simple sol-gel chemical route, and their gas-sensing properties were thoroughly investigated in the presence of typical oxidizing NO2 gas. The surface area of TiO2 thin films was controlled by developing porous TiO2 networked by means of controlling the TiO2-to-TTIP (titanium isopropoxide, C12H28O4Ti) molar ratio, where TiO2 nanoparticles of size ˜20 nm were used. The sensor’s response was found to depend on the surface area of the TiO2 thin films. The porous TiO2 thin-film sensor with greater surface area was more sensitive than those of TiO2 thin films with lesser surface area. The improved sensing ability was ascribed to the porous network formed within the thin films by TiO2 sol. Our results show that surface area is a key parameter for obtaining superior gas-sensing performance; this provides important guidelines for preparing and using porous thin films for gas-sensing applications.

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.

Boron doping a semiconductor particle

DOEpatents

Stevens, G.D.; Reynolds, J.S.; Brown, L.K.

1998-06-09

A method of boron doping a semiconductor particle using boric acid to obtain a p-type doped particle. Either silicon spheres or silicon powder is mixed with a diluted solution of boric acid having a predetermined concentration. The spheres are dried, with the boron film then being driven into the sphere. A melt procedure mixes the driven boron uniformly throughout the sphere. In the case of silicon powder, the powder is metered out into piles and melted/fused with an optical furnace. Both processes obtain a p-type doped silicon sphere with desired resistivity. Boric acid is not a restricted chemical, is inexpensive, and does not pose any special shipping, handling, or disposal requirements. 2 figs.

Boron doping a semiconductor particle

DOEpatents

Stevens, Gary Don; Reynolds, Jeffrey Scott; Brown, Louanne Kay

1998-06-09

A method (10,30) of boron doping a semiconductor particle using boric acid to obtain a p-type doped particle. Either silicon spheres or silicon powder is mixed with a diluted solution of boric acid having a predetermined concentration. The spheres are dried (16), with the boron film then being driven (18) into the sphere. A melt procedure mixes the driven boron uniformly throughout the sphere. In the case of silicon powder, the powder is metered out (38) into piles and melted/fused (40) with an optical furnace. Both processes obtain a p-type doped silicon sphere with desired resistivity. Boric acid is not a restricted chemical, is inexpensive, and does not pose any special shipping, handling, or disposal requirements.

Photovoltaic devices comprising cadmium stannate transparent conducting films and method for making

DOEpatents

Wu, Xuanzhi; Coutts, Timothy J.; Sheldon, Peter; Rose, Douglas H.

1999-01-01

A photovoltaic device having a substrate, a layer of Cd.sub.2 SnO.sub.4 disposed on said substrate as a front contact, a thin film comprising two or more layers of semiconductor materials disposed on said layer of Cd.sub.2 SnO.sub.4, and an electrically conductive film disposed on said thin film of semiconductor materials to form a rear electrical contact to said thin film. The device is formed by RF sputter coating a Cd.sub.2 SnO.sub.4 layer onto a substrate, depositing a thin film of semiconductor materials onto the layer of Cd.sub.2 SnO.sub.4, and depositing an electrically conductive film onto the thin film of semiconductor materials.

Domain matched epitaxial growth of (111) Ba{sub 0.5}Sr{sub 0.5}TiO{sub 3} thin films on (0001) Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} with ZnO buffer layer

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

Krishnaprasad, P. S., E-mail: pskrishnaprasu@gmail.com, E-mail: mkj@cusat.ac.in; Jayaraj, M. K., E-mail: pskrishnaprasu@gmail.com, E-mail: mkj@cusat.ac.in; Antony, Aldrin

2015-03-28

Epitaxial (111) Ba{sub 0.5}Sr{sub 0.5}TiO{sub 3} (BST) thin films have been grown by pulsed laser deposition on (0001) Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} substrate with ZnO as buffer layer. The x-ray ω-2θ, Φ-scan and reciprocal space mapping indicate epitaxial nature of BST thin films. The domain matched epitaxial growth of BST thin films over ZnO buffer layer was confirmed using Fourier filtered high resolution transmission electron microscope images of the film-buffer interface. The incorporation of ZnO buffer layer effectively suppressed the lattice mismatch and promoted domain matched epitaxial growth of BST thin films. Coplanar inter digital capacitors fabricated on epitaxial (111) BSTmore » thin films show significantly improved tunable performance over polycrystalline thin films.« less

Synthesis, characterization and oxidation of metallic cobalt (Co) thin film into semiconducting cobalt oxide (Co3O4)thin film using microwave plasma CVD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahman Ansari, Akhalakur; Hussain, Shahir; Imran, Mohd; Abdel-wahab, M. Sh; Alshahrie, Ahmed

2018-06-01

The pure cobalt thin film was deposited on the glass substrate by using DC magnetron sputtering and then exposed to microwave assist oxygen plasma generated in microwave plasma CVD. The oxidation process of Co thin film into Co3O4 thin films with different microwave power and temperature were studied. The influences of microwave power, temperature and irradiation time were investigated on the morphology and particle size of oxide thin films. The crystal structure, chemical conformation, morphologies and optical properties of oxidized Co thin films (Co3O4) were studied by using x-ray diffraction (XRD), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Raman Spectroscopy and UV–vis Spectroscopy. The data of these films showed complete oxidation pure metallic cobalt (Co) into cobalt oxide (Co3O4). The optical properties were studied for calculating the direct band gaps which ranges from 1.35 to 1.8 eV.

Preparation of p-type GaN-doped SnO2 thin films by e-beam evaporation and their applications in p-n junction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lv, Shuliang; Zhou, Yawei; Xu, Wenwu; Mao, Wenfeng; Wang, Lingtao; Liu, Yong; He, Chunqing

2018-01-01

Various transparent GaN-doped SnO2 thin films were deposited on glass substrates by e-beam evaporation using GaN:SnO2 targets of different GaN weight ratios. It is interesting to find that carrier polarity of the thin films was converted from n-type to p-type with increasing GaN ratio higher than 15 wt.%. The n-p transition in GaN-doped SnO2 thin films was explained for the formation of GaSn and NO with increasing GaN doping level in the films, which was identified by Hall measurement and XPS analysis. A transparent thin film p-n junction was successfully fabricated by depositing p-type GaN:SnO2 thin film on SnO2 thin film, and a low leakage current (6.2 × 10-5 A at -4 V) and a low turn-on voltage of 1.69 V were obtained for the p-n junction.

Electron-beam-evaporated thin films of hafnium dioxide for fabricating electronic devices

DOE PAGES

Xiao, Zhigang; Kisslinger, Kim

2015-06-17

Thin films of hafnium dioxide (HfO 2) are widely used as the gate oxide in fabricating integrated circuits because of their high dielectric constants. In this paper, the authors report the growth of thin films of HfO 2 using e-beam evaporation, and the fabrication of complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuits using this HfO 2 thin film as the gate oxide. The authors analyzed the thin films using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and electron diffraction, thereby demonstrating that the e-beam-evaporation-grown HfO 2 film has a polycrystalline structure and forms an excellent interface with silicon. Accordingly, we fabricated 31-stage CMOS ringmore » oscillator to test the quality of the HfO 2 thin film as the gate oxide, and obtained excellent rail-to-rail oscillation waveforms from it, denoting that the HfO 2 thin film functioned very well as the gate oxide.« less

Stretchable, adhesive and ultra-conformable elastomer thin films.

PubMed

Sato, Nobutaka; Murata, Atsushi; Fujie, Toshinori; Takeoka, Shinji

2016-11-16

Thermoplastic elastomers are attractive materials because of the drastic changes in their physical properties above and below the glass transition temperature (T g ). In this paper, we report that free-standing polystyrene (PS, T g : 100 °C) and polystyrene-polybutadiene-polystyrene triblock copolymer (SBS, T g : -70 °C) thin films with a thickness of hundreds of nanometers were prepared by a gravure coating method. Among the mechanical properties of these thin films determined by bulge testing and tensile testing, the SBS thin films exhibited a much lower elastic modulus (ca. 0.045 GPa, 212 nm thickness) in comparison with the PS thin films (ca. 1.19 GPa, 217 nm thickness). The lower elastic modulus and lower thickness of the SBS thin films resulted in higher conformability and thus higher strength of adhesion to an uneven surface such as an artificial skin model with roughness (R a = 10.6 μm), even though they both have similar surface energies. By analyzing the mechanical properties of the SBS thin films, the elastic modulus and thickness of the thin films were strongly correlated with their conformability to a rough surface, which thus led to a high adhesive strength. Therefore, the SBS thin films will be useful as coating layers for a variety of materials.

In-situ ellipsometry: applications to thin film research, development, and production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kief, M. T.

1999-07-01

Many industries including the optics industry, semiconductor industry, and magnetic storage industry are deeply rooted in the science and technology of thin film materials and thin film based devices. Research in novel thin film systems and the engineering of artificial structures increasingly requires a control on the atomic scale in both thickness and lateral order. Development of the deposition and fabrication processes for these thin film structures requires technical sophistication and efficiency combined with an understanding of the multi-faceted process interactions. The production of these materials necessitates a remarkable degree of control to minimize scrap and assure good performance. Furthermore, in today's industry these operations must occur at an ever accelerating pace. In this article, we will review one technique which can make these challenges more tractable - insitu ellipsometry. This is a very powerful tool which is capable of characterizing thin film processes in real-time. We review the art and illustrate with novel applications to metal thin film growth. In addition, we will illustrate how information obtained with insitu ellipsometry can predict the end use thin film properties such as the transport properties. In conclusion, further advances in insitu ellipsometry and its applications will be discussed in terms of needs and trends as a tool for thin film research, development and production.

Comparison of full 3-D, thin-film 3-D, and thin-film plate analyses of a postbuckled embedded delamination

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitcomb, John D.

1989-01-01

Strain-energy release rates are often used to predict when delamination growth will occur in laminates under compression. Because of the inherently high computational cost of performing such analyses, less rigorous analyses such as thin-film plate analysis were used. The assumptions imposed by plate theory restrict the analysis to the calculation of total strain energy, G(sub t). The objective is to determine the accuracy of thin-film plate analysis by comparing the distribution of G(sub t) calculated using fully three dimensional (3D), thin-film 3D, and thin-film plate analyses. Thin-film 3D analysis is the same as thin-film plate analysis, except 3D analysis is used to model the sublaminate. The 3D stress analyses were performed using the finite element program NONLIN3D. The plate analysis results were obtained from published data, which used STAGS. Strain-energy release rates were calculated using variations of the virtual crack closure technique. The results demonstrate that thin-film plate analysis can predict the distribution of G(sub t) quite well, at least for the configurations considered. Also, these results verify the accuracy of the strain-energy release rate procedure for plate analysis.

Comparison of effective transverse piezoelectric coefficients e31,f of Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 thin films between direct and converse piezoelectric effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsujiura, Yuichi; Kawabe, Saneyuki; Kurokawa, Fumiya; Hida, Hirotaka; Kanno, Isaku

2015-10-01

We evaluated the effective transverse piezoelectric coefficients (e31,f) of Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PZT) thin films from both the direct and converse piezoelectric effects of unimorph cantilevers. (001) preferentially oriented polycrystalline PZT thin films and (001)/(100) epitaxial PZT thin films were deposited on (111)Pt/Ti/Si and (001)Pt/MgO substrates, respectively, by rf-magnetron sputtering, and their piezoelectric responses owing to intrinsic and extrinsic effects were examined. The direct and converse |e31,f| values of the polycrystalline PZT thin films were calculated as 6.4 and 11.5-15.0 C/m2, respectively, whereas those of the epitaxial PZT thin films were calculated as 3.4 and 4.6-4.8 C/m2, respectively. The large |e31,f| of the converse piezoelectric property of the polycrystalline PZT thin films is attributed to extrinsic piezoelectric effects. Furthermore, the polycrystalline PZT thin films show a clear nonlinear piezoelectric contribution, which is the same as the Rayleigh-like behavior reported in bulk PZT. In contrast, the epitaxial PZT thin films on the MgO substrate show a piezoelectric response owing to the intrinsic and linear extrinsic effects, and no nonlinear contribution was observed.

Wide-Bandgap CIAS Thin-film Photovoltaics with Transparent Back Contacts for Next-Generation Single and Multijunction Devices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Woods, Lawrence M.; Kalla, Ajay; Gonzalez, Damian; Ribelin, Rosine

2005-01-01

Future spacecraft and high-altitude airship (HAA) technologies will require high array specific power (W/kg), which can be met using thin-film photovoltaics (PV) on lightweight and flexible substrates. It has been calculated that the thin-film array technology, including the array support structure, begins to exceed the specific power of crystalline multi-junction arrays when the thin-film device efficiencies begin to exceed 12%. Thin-film PV devices have other advantages in that they are more easily integrated into HAA s, and are projected to be much less costly than their crystalline PV counterparts. Furthermore, it is likely that only thin-film array technology will be able to meet device specific power requirements exceeding 1 kW/kg (photovoltaic and integrated substrate/blanket mass only). Of the various thin-film technologies, single junction and radiation resistant CuInSe2 (CIS) and associated alloys with gallium, aluminum and sulfur have achieved the highest levels of thin-film device performance, with the best efficiency, reaching 19.2% under AM1.5 illumination conditions and on thick glass substrates.(3) Thus, it is anticipated that single- and tandem-junction devices with flexible substrates and based on CIS and related alloys could achieve the highest levels of thin-film space and HAA solar array performance.

Corrosion behavior of surface films on boron-implanted high purity iron and stainless steels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kim, H. J.; Carter, W. B.; Hochman, R. F.; Meletis, E. I.

1985-01-01

Boron (dose, 2 x 10 to the 17th ions/sq cm) was implanted into high purity iron, AISI 316 austenitic stainless steel, and AISI 440C martensitic stainless steel, at 40 keV. The film structure of implanted samples was examined and characterized by contrast and diffraction analyses utilizing transmission electron microscopy. The effect of B(+) ion implantation on the corrosion behavior was studied using the potentiodynamic polarization technique. Tests were performed in deaerated 1 N H2SO4 and 0.1 M NaCl solutions. Scanning electron microscopy was used to examine the morphology of the corroded surfaces after testing.

Transferable and flexible thin film devices for engineering applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mutyala, Madhu Santosh K.; Zhou, Jingzhou; Li, Xiaochun

2014-05-01

Thin film devices can be of significance for manufacturing, energy conversion systems, solid state electronics, wireless applications, etc. However, these thin film sensors/devices are normally fabricated on rigid silicon substrates, thus neither flexible nor transferrable for engineering applications. This paper reports an innovative approach to transfer polyimide (PI) embedded thin film devices, which were fabricated on glass, to thin metal foils. Thin film thermocouples (TFTCs) were fabricated on a thin PI film, which was spin coated and cured on a glass substrate. Another layer of PI film was then spin coated again on TFTC/PI and cured to obtain the embedded TFTCs. Assisted by oxygen plasma surface coarsening of the PI film on the glass substrate, the PI embedded TFTC was successfully transferred from the glass substrate to a flexible copper foil. To demonstrate the functionality of the flexible embedded thin film sensors, they were transferred to the sonotrode tip of an ultrasonic metal welding machine for in situ process monitoring. The dynamic temperatures near the sonotrode tip were effectively measured under various ultrasonic vibration amplitudes. This technique of transferring polymer embedded electronic devices onto metal foils yield great potentials for numerous engineering applications.

Quantifying resistances across nanoscale low- and high-angle interspherulite boundaries in solution-processed organic semiconductor thin films.

PubMed

Lee, Stephanie S; Mativetsky, Jeffrey M; Loth, Marsha A; Anthony, John E; Loo, Yueh-Lin

2012-11-27

The nanoscale boundaries formed when neighboring spherulites impinge in polycrystalline, solution-processed organic semiconductor thin films act as bottlenecks to charge transport, significantly reducing organic thin-film transistor mobility in devices comprising spherulitic thin films as the active layers. These interspherulite boundaries (ISBs) are structurally complex, with varying angles of molecular orientation mismatch along their lengths. We have successfully engineered exclusively low- and exclusively high-angle ISBs to elucidate how the angle of molecular orientation mismatch at ISBs affects their resistivities in triethylsilylethynyl anthradithiophene thin films. Conductive AFM and four-probe measurements reveal that current flow is unaffected by the presence of low-angle ISBs, whereas current flow is significantly disrupted across high-angle ISBs. In the latter case, we estimate the resistivity to be 22 MΩμm(2)/width of the ISB, only less than a quarter of the resistivity measured across low-angle grain boundaries in thermally evaporated sexithiophene thin films. This discrepancy in resistivities across ISBs in solution-processed organic semiconductor thin films and grain boundaries in thermally evaporated organic semiconductor thin films likely arises from inherent differences in the nature of film formation in the respective systems.

Fabrication and characterization of {110}-oriented Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 thin films on Pt/SiO2/Si substrates using PdO//Pd buffer layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oshima, Naoya; Uchiyama, Kiyoshi; Ehara, Yoshitaka; Oikawa, Takahiro; Ichinose, Daichi; Tanaka, Hiroki; Sato, Tomoya; Uchida, Hiroshi; Funakubo, Hiroshi

2017-10-01

A strongly {110}-oriented perovskite-type thin film of tetragonal Pb(Zr0.4Ti0.6)O3 (PZT) was successfully obtained on a (100)Si substrate using a {101}PdO//{111}Pd thin film as a buffer layer. The {101}PdO//{111}Pd thin film buffer layer was obtained by oxidizing {111}Pd after depositing {111}Pd on a {111}Pt/TiO x /SiO2/{100}Si substrate. Using this buffer layer, a {110} c -oriented SrRuO3 (SRO) thin film was deposited by sputtering as a bottom electrode of PZT thin films. Subsequently, the {110}-oriented PZT thin film can be deposited on a (110) c SRO thin film by metal-organic chemical deposition (MOCVD) and its properties can be compared with those of PZT thin films with other orientations of {100} and {111}. Among the {100}, {110}, {111}-oriented PZT films, the {100}-oriented one showed the largest remnant polarization, which is in good agreement with those of the PZTs epitaxially grown in the 〈100〉, 〈110〉, and 〈111〉 directions. The other properties, i.e., piezoelectricity and dielectric constants, also showed similar anisotropic tendencies, which is in good agreement with the data reported in the epitaxially grown PZTs.

An overview of thin film nitinol endovascular devices.

PubMed

Shayan, Mahdis; Chun, Youngjae

2015-07-01

Thin film nitinol has unique mechanical properties (e.g., superelasticity), excellent biocompatibility, and ultra-smooth surface, as well as shape memory behavior. All these features along with its low-profile physical dimension (i.e., a few micrometers thick) make this material an ideal candidate in developing low-profile medical devices (e.g., endovascular devices). Thin film nitinol-based devices can be collapsed and inserted in remarkably smaller diameter catheters for a wide range of catheter-based procedures; therefore, it can be easily delivered through highly tortuous or narrow vascular system. A high-quality thin film nitinol can be fabricated by vacuum sputter deposition technique. Micromachining techniques were used to create micro patterns on the thin film nitinol to provide fenestrations for nutrition and oxygen transport and to increase the device's flexibility for the devices used as thin film nitinol covered stent. In addition, a new surface treatment method has been developed for improving the hemocompatibility of thin film nitinol when it is used as a graft material in endovascular devices. Both in vitro and in vivo test data demonstrated a superior hemocompatibility of the thin film nitinol when compared with commercially available endovascular graft materials such as ePTFE or Dacron polyester. Promising features like these have motivated the development of thin film nitinol as a novel biomaterial for creating endovascular devices such as stent grafts, neurovascular flow diverters, and heart valves. This review focuses on thin film nitinol fabrication processes, mechanical and biological properties of the material, as well as current and potential thin film nitinol medical applications. Copyright © 2015 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chemical and thermal stability of the characteristics of filtered vacuum arc deposited ZnO, SnO2 and zinc stannate thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Çetinörgü, E.; Goldsmith, S.

2007-09-01

ZnO, SnO2 and zinc stannate thin films were deposited on commercial microscope glass and UV fused silica substrates using filtered vacuum arc deposition system. During the deposition, the substrate temperature was at room temperature (RT) or at 400 °C. The film structure and composition were determined using x-ray diffraction and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. The transmission of the films in the VIS was 85% to 90%. The thermal stability of the film electrical resistance was determined in air as a function of the temperature in the range 28 °C (RT) to 200 °C. The resistance of ZnO increased from ~ 5000 to 105 Ω when heated to 200 °C, that of SnO2 films increased from 500 to 3900 Ω, whereas that of zinc stannate thin films increased only from 370 to 470 Ω. During sample cooling to RT, the resistance of ZnO and SnO2 thin films continued to rise considerably; however, the increase in the zinc stannate thin film resistance was significantly lower. After cooling to RT, ZnO and SnO2 thin films became practically insulators, while the resistance of zinc stannate was 680 Ω. The chemical stability of the films was determined by immersing in acidic and basic solutions up to 27 h. The SnO2 thin films were more stable in the HCl solution than the ZnO and the zinc stannate thin films; however, SnO2 and zinc stannate thin films that were immersed in the NaOH solution did not dissolve after 27 h.

Thermal conductivity of pure silica MEL and MFI zeolite thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coquil, Thomas; Lew, Christopher M.; Yan, Yushan; Pilon, Laurent

2010-08-01

This paper reports the room temperature cross-plane thermal conductivity of pure silica zeolite (PSZ) MEL and MFI thin films. PSZ MEL thin films were prepared by spin coating a suspension of MEL nanoparticles in 1-butanol solution onto silicon substrates followed by calcination and vapor-phase silylation with trimethylchlorosilane. The mass fraction of nanoparticles within the suspension varied from 16% to 55%. This was achieved by varying the crystallization time of the suspension. The thin films consisted of crystalline MEL nanoparticles embedded in a nonuniform and highly porous silica matrix. They featured porosity, relative crystallinity, and MEL nanoparticles size ranging from 40% to 59%, 23% to 47% and 55 nm to 80 nm, respectively. PSZ MFI thin films were made by in situ crystallization, were b-oriented, fully crystalline, and had a 33% porosity. Thermal conductivity of these PSZ thin films was measured at room temperature using the 3ω method. The cross-plane thermal conductivity of the MEL thin films remained nearly unchanged around 1.02±0.10 W m-1 K-1 despite increases in (i) relative crystallinity, (ii) MEL nanoparticle size, and (iii) yield caused by longer nanoparticle crystallization time. Indeed, the effects of these parameters on the thermal conductivity were compensated by the simultaneous increase in porosity. PSZ MFI thin films were found to have similar thermal conductivity as MEL thin films even though they had smaller porosity. Finally, the average thermal conductivity of the PSZ films was three to five times larger than that reported for amorphous sol-gel mesoporous silica thin films with similar porosity and dielectric constant.

Atmospheric deposition process for enhanced hybrid organic-inorganic multilayer barrier thin films for surface protection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rehman, Mohammad Mutee ur; Kim, Kwang Tae; Na, Kyoung Hoan; Choi, Kyung Hyun

2017-11-01

In this study, organic polymer poly-vinyl acetate (PVA) and inorganic aluminum oxide (Al2O3) have been used together to fabricate a hybrid barrier thin film for the protection of PET substrate. The organic thin films of PVA were developed through roll to roll electrohydrodynamic atomization (R2R-EHDA) whereas the inorganic thin films of Al2O3 were grown by roll to roll spatial atmospheric atomic layer deposition (R2R-SAALD) for mass production. The use of these two technologies together to develop a multilayer hybrid organic-inorganic barrier thin films under atmospheric conditions is reported for the first time. These multilayer hybrid barrier thin films are fabricated on flexible PET substrate. Each layer of Al2O3 and PVA in barrier thin film exhibited excellent morphological, chemical and optical properties. Extremely uniform and atomically thin films of Al2O3 with average arithmetic roughness (Ra) of 1.64 nm and 1.94 nm respectively concealed the non-uniformity and irregularities in PVA thin films with Ra of 2.9 nm and 3.6 nm respectively. The optical transmittance of each layer was ∼ 80-90% while the water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) of hybrid barrier was in the range of ∼ 2.3 × 10-2 g m-2 day-1 with a total film thickness of ∼ 200 nm. Development of such hybrid barrier thin films with mass production and low cost will allow various flexible electronic devices to operate in atmospheric conditions without degradation of their properties.

Crystallization of amorphous silicon thin films deposited by PECVD on nickel-metalized porous silicon.

PubMed

Ben Slama, Sonia; Hajji, Messaoud; Ezzaouia, Hatem

2012-08-17

Porous silicon layers were elaborated by electrochemical etching of heavily doped p-type silicon substrates. Metallization of porous silicon was carried out by immersion of substrates in diluted aqueous solution of nickel. Amorphous silicon thin films were deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition on metalized porous layers. Deposited amorphous thin films were crystallized under vacuum at 750°C. Obtained results from structural, optical, and electrical characterizations show that thermal annealing of amorphous silicon deposited on Ni-metalized porous silicon leads to an enhancement in the crystalline quality and physical properties of the silicon thin films. The improvement in the quality of the film is due to the crystallization of the amorphous film during annealing. This simple and easy method can be used to produce silicon thin films with high quality suitable for thin film solar cell applications.

Crystallization of amorphous silicon thin films deposited by PECVD on nickel-metalized porous silicon

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Porous silicon layers were elaborated by electrochemical etching of heavily doped p-type silicon substrates. Metallization of porous silicon was carried out by immersion of substrates in diluted aqueous solution of nickel. Amorphous silicon thin films were deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition on metalized porous layers. Deposited amorphous thin films were crystallized under vacuum at 750°C. Obtained results from structural, optical, and electrical characterizations show that thermal annealing of amorphous silicon deposited on Ni-metalized porous silicon leads to an enhancement in the crystalline quality and physical properties of the silicon thin films. The improvement in the quality of the film is due to the crystallization of the amorphous film during annealing. This simple and easy method can be used to produce silicon thin films with high quality suitable for thin film solar cell applications. PMID:22901341

Handshake electron transfer from hydrogen Rydberg atoms incident at a series of metallic thin films

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

Gibbard, J. A.; Softley, T. P.

2016-06-21

Thin metallic films have a 1D quantum well along the surface normal direction, which yields particle-in-a-box style electronic quantum states. However the quantum well is not infinitely deep and the wavefunctions of these states penetrate outside the surface where the electron is bound by its own image-charge attraction. Therefore a series of discrete, vacant states reach out from the thin film into the vacuum increasing the probability of electron transfer from an external atom or molecule to the thin film, especially for the resonant case where the quantum well energy matches that of the atom. We show that “handshake” electronmore » transfer from a highly excited Rydberg atom to these thin-film states is experimentally measurable. Thicker films have a wider 1D box, changing the energetic distribution and image-state contribution to the thin film wavefunctions, resulting in more resonances. Calculations successfully predict the number of resonances and the nature of the thin-film wavefunctions for a given film thickness.« less

Optical Analysis of Iron-Doped Lead Sulfide Thin Films for Opto-Electronic Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chidambara Kumar, K. N.; Khadeer Pasha, S. K.; Deshmukh, Kalim; Chidambaram, K.; Shakil Muhammad, G.

Iron-doped lead sulfide thin films were deposited on glass substrates using successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction method (SILAR) at room temperature. The X-ray diffraction pattern of the film shows a well formed crystalline thin film with face-centered cubic structure along the preferential orientation (1 1 1). The lattice constant is determined using Nelson Riley plots. Using X-ray broadening, the crystallite size is determined by Scherrer formula. Morphology of the thin film was studied using a scanning electron microscope. The optical properties of the film were investigated using a UV-vis spectrophotometer. We observed an increase in the optical band gap from 2.45 to 3.03eV after doping iron in the lead sulfide thin film. The cutoff wavelength lies in the visible region, and hence the grown thin films can be used for optoelectronic and sensor applications. The results from the photoluminescence study show the emission at 500-720nm. The vibrating sample magnetometer measurements confirmed that the lead sulfide thin film becomes weakly ferromagnetic material after doping with iron.

Microstructural investigation of nickel silicide thin films and the silicide-silicon interface using transmission electron microscopy.

PubMed

Bhaskaran, M; Sriram, S; Mitchell, D R G; Short, K T; Holland, A S; Mitchell, A

2009-01-01

This article discusses the results of transmission electron microscopy (TEM)-based investigation of nickel silicide (NiSi) thin films grown on silicon. Nickel silicide is currently used as the CMOS technology standard for local interconnects and in electrical contacts. Films were characterized with a range of TEM-based techniques along with glancing angle X-ray diffraction. The nickel silicide thin films were formed by vacuum annealing thin films of nickel (50 nm) deposited on (100) silicon. The cross-sectional samples indicated a final silicide thickness of about 110 nm. This investigation studied and reports on three aspects of the thermally formed thin films: the uniformity in composition of the film using jump ratio maps; the nature of the interface using high resolution imaging; and the crystalline orientation of the thin films using selected-area electron diffraction (SAED). The analysis highlighted uniform composition in the thin films, which was also substantiated by spectroscopy techniques; an interface exhibiting the desired abrupt transition from silicide to silicon; and desired and preferential crystalline orientation corresponding to stoichiometric NiSi, supported by glancing angle X-ray diffraction results.

Effects of bacteria on CdS thin films used in technological devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alpdoğan, S.; Adıgüzel, A. O.; Sahan, B.; Tunçer, M.; Metin Gubur, H.

2017-04-01

Cadmium sulfide (CdS) thin films were fabricated on glass substrates by the chemical bath deposition method at 70 {}^\\circ \\text{C} considering deposition times ranging from 2 h to 5 h. The optical band gaps of CdS thin films were found to be in the 2.42-2.37 eV range. CdS thin films had uniform spherical nano-size grains which had polycrystalline, hexagonal and cubic phases. The films had a characteristic electrical resistivity of the order of {{10}5} Ω \\text{cm} and n-type conductivity at room condition. CdS thin films were incubated in cultures of B.domonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, which exist abundantly in the environment, and form biofilms. SEM images showed that S. aureus and K. pneumonia were detected significantly on the film surfaces with a few of P. aeruginosa and B. subtilis cells attached. CdS thin film surface exhibits relatively good resistance to the colonization of P. aeruginosa and B. subtilis. Optical results showed that the band gap of CdS thin films which interacted with the bacteria is 2.42 \\text{eV} . The crystal structure and electrical properties of CdS thin films were not affected by bacterial adhesion. The antimicrobial effect of CdS nanoparticles was different for different bacterial strains.

Magnetic damping phenomena in ferromagnetic thin-films and multilayers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azzawi, S.; Hindmarch, A. T.; Atkinson, D.

2017-11-01

Damped ferromagnetic precession is an important mechanism underpinning the magnetisation processes in ferromagnetic materials. In thin-film ferromagnets and ferromagnetic/non-magnetic multilayers, the role of precession and damping can be critical for spintronic device functionality and as a consequence there has been significant research activity. This paper presents a review of damping in ferromagnetic thin-films and multilayers and collates the results of many experimental studies to present a coherent synthesis of the field. The terms that are used to define damping are discussed with the aim of providing consistent definitions for damping phenomena. A description of the theoretical basis of damping is presented from early developments to the latest discussions of damping in ferromagnetic thin-films and multilayers. An overview of the time and frequency domain methods used to study precessional magnetisation behaviour and damping in thin-films and multilayers is also presented. Finally, a review of the experimental observations of magnetic damping in ferromagnetic thin-films and multilayers is presented with the most recent explanations. This brings together the results from many studies and includes the effects of ferromagnetic film thickness, the effects of composition on damping in thin-film ferromagnetic alloys, the influence of non-magnetic dopants in ferromagnetic films and the effects of combining thin-film ferromagnets with various non-magnetic layers in multilayered configurations.

Thin-film thickness measurement method based on the reflection interference spectrum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Li Na; Feng, Gao; Shu, Zhang

2012-09-01

A method is introduced to measure the thin-film thickness, refractive index and other optical constants. When a beam of white light shines on the surface of the sample film, the reflected lights of the upper and the lower surface of the thin-film will interfere with each other and reflectivity of the film will fluctuate with light wavelength. The reflection interference spectrum is analyzed with software according to the database, while the thickness and refractive index of the thin-film is measured.

Fabrication of high crystalline SnS and SnS2 thin films, and their switching device characteristics.

PubMed

Choi, Hyeongsu; Lee, Jeongsu; Shin, Seokyoon; Lee, Juhyun; Lee, Seungjin; Park, Hyunwoo; Kwon, Sejin; Lee, Namgue; Bang, Minwook; Lee, Seung-Beck; Jeon, Hyeongtag

2018-05-25

Representative tin sulfide compounds, tin monosulfide (SnS) and tin disulfide (SnS 2 ) are strong candidates for future nanoelectronic devices, based on non-toxicity, low cost, unique structures and optoelectronic properties. However, it is insufficient for synthesizing of tin sulfide thin films using vapor phase deposition method which is capable of fabricating reproducible device and securing high quality films, and their device characteristics. In this study, we obtained highly crystalline SnS thin films by atomic layer deposition and obtained highly crystalline SnS 2 thin films by phase transition of the SnS thin films. The SnS thin film was transformed into SnS 2 thin film by annealing at 450 °C for 1 h in H 2 S atmosphere. This phase transition was confirmed by x-ray diffractometer and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and we studied the cause of the phase transition. We then compared the film characteristics of these two tin sulfide thin films and their switching device characteristics. SnS and SnS 2 thin films had optical bandgaps of 1.35 and 2.70 eV, and absorption coefficients of about 10 5 and 10 4 cm -1 in the visible region, respectively. In addition, SnS and SnS 2 thin films exhibited p-type and n-type semiconductor characteristics. In the images of high resolution-transmission electron microscopy, SnS and SnS 2 directly showed a highly crystalline orthorhombic and hexagonal layered structure. The field effect transistors of SnS and SnS 2 thin films exhibited on-off drain current ratios of 8.8 and 2.1 × 10 3 and mobilities of 0.21 and 0.014 cm 2 V -1 s -1 , respectively. This difference in switching device characteristics mainly depends on the carrier concentration because it contributes to off-state conductance and mobility. The major carrier concentrations of the SnS and SnS 2 thin films were 6.0 × 10 16 and 8.7 × 10 13 cm -3 , respectively, in this experiment.

Fabrication of high crystalline SnS and SnS2 thin films, and their switching device characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Hyeongsu; Lee, Jeongsu; Shin, Seokyoon; Lee, Juhyun; Lee, Seungjin; Park, Hyunwoo; Kwon, Sejin; Lee, Namgue; Bang, Minwook; Lee, Seung-Beck; Jeon, Hyeongtag

2018-05-01

Representative tin sulfide compounds, tin monosulfide (SnS) and tin disulfide (SnS2) are strong candidates for future nanoelectronic devices, based on non-toxicity, low cost, unique structures and optoelectronic properties. However, it is insufficient for synthesizing of tin sulfide thin films using vapor phase deposition method which is capable of fabricating reproducible device and securing high quality films, and their device characteristics. In this study, we obtained highly crystalline SnS thin films by atomic layer deposition and obtained highly crystalline SnS2 thin films by phase transition of the SnS thin films. The SnS thin film was transformed into SnS2 thin film by annealing at 450 °C for 1 h in H2S atmosphere. This phase transition was confirmed by x-ray diffractometer and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and we studied the cause of the phase transition. We then compared the film characteristics of these two tin sulfide thin films and their switching device characteristics. SnS and SnS2 thin films had optical bandgaps of 1.35 and 2.70 eV, and absorption coefficients of about 105 and 104 cm‑1 in the visible region, respectively. In addition, SnS and SnS2 thin films exhibited p-type and n-type semiconductor characteristics. In the images of high resolution-transmission electron microscopy, SnS and SnS2 directly showed a highly crystalline orthorhombic and hexagonal layered structure. The field effect transistors of SnS and SnS2 thin films exhibited on–off drain current ratios of 8.8 and 2.1 × 103 and mobilities of 0.21 and 0.014 cm2 V‑1 s‑1, respectively. This difference in switching device characteristics mainly depends on the carrier concentration because it contributes to off-state conductance and mobility. The major carrier concentrations of the SnS and SnS2 thin films were 6.0 × 1016 and 8.7 × 1013 cm‑3, respectively, in this experiment.

Effect of temperature on NH3 sensing by ZnO: Mg thin film grown by radio frequency magnetron sputtering technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vinoth, E.; Gopalakrishnan, N.

2018-04-01

Undoped and Mg doped (at l0 mol %) ZnO thin films have been grown on glass substrates by using the RF magnetron sputtering. The structural properties of the fabricated thin films were studied by X-ray diffraction analysis and it was found hexagonal wurtzite phase and preferential orientation along (002) of both films. Green Band Emission peaks in the Photoluminescence spectra confirm the structural defects such as oxygen vacancies (Vo) in the films. Uniform distribution of spherical shape morphology of grains observed in the both films by FESEM. However, the growth of grains was found in the Mg doped thin film. The temperature dependent ammonia sensing is done by the indigenously made gas sensing setup. The gas response of the both films was increased as the temperature increases, attains maximum at 75° C and then decreases. Response and recovery time measurementswere donefor boththe films and it shows the fast response time and quick recovery for doped thin film compared to the pure ZnO thin film.

Electrical transport and capacitance characteristics of metal-insulator-metal structures using hexagonal and cubic boron nitride films as dielectrics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teii, Kungen; Kawamoto, Shinsuke; Fukui, Shingo; Matsumoto, Seiichiro

2018-04-01

Metal-insulator-metal capacitor structures using thick hexagonal and cubic boron nitride (hBN and cBN) films as dielectrics are produced by plasma jet-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, and their electrical transport and capacitance characteristics are studied in a temperature range of 298 to 473 K. The resistivity of the cBN film is of the order of 107 Ω cm at 298 K, which is lower than that of the hBN film by two orders of magnitude, while it becomes the same order as the hBN film above ˜423 K. The dominant current transport mechanism at high fields (≥1 × 104 V cm-1) is described by the Frenkel-Poole emission and thermionic emission models for the hBN and cBN films, respectively. The capacitance of the hBN film remains stable for a change in alternating-current frequency and temperature, while that of the cBN film has variations of at most 18%. The dissipation factor as a measure of energy loss is satisfactorily low (≤5%) for both films. The origin of leakage current and capacitance variation is attributed to a high defect density in the film and a transition interlayer between the substrate and the film, respectively. This suggests that cBN films with higher crystallinity, stoichiometry, and phase purity are potentially applicable for dielectrics like hBN films.

Magnetic tunnel junctions with monolayer hexagonal boron nitride tunnel barriers

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

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

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

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.

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

Routh, Prahlad K.; Nykypanchuk, Dmytro; Venkatesh, T. A.

Large area, device relevant sized microporous thin films are formed with commercially available polythiophenes by the breath figure technique, a water-assisted micro patterning method, with such semitransparent thin films exhibiting periodicity and uniformity dictated by the length of the polymer side chain. Compared to drop casted thin films, the microporous thin films exhibit increased crystallinity due to stronger packing of the polymer inside the honeycomb frame.

Studies on RF sputtered (WO{sub 3}){sub 1-x} (V{sub 2}O{sub 5}){sub x} thin films for smart window applications

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

Meenakshi, M.; Perumal, P.; Sivakumar, R.

2016-05-23

V{sub 2}O{sub 5} doped WO{sub 3} targets for RF sputtering thin film deposition were prepared for various compositions. Thin films of (WO{sub 3}){sub 1-x} (V{sub 2}O{sub 5}){sub x} were deposited on to glass substrates using these targets. Structural characteristics of the prepared targets and thin films were studied using X-ray diffraction. Laser Raman studies were carried out on the thin films to confirm the compound formation.

Thin-Film Photovoltaics: Status and Applications to Space Power

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Landis, Geoffrey A.; Hepp, Aloysius F.

1991-01-01

The potential applications of thin film polycrystalline and amorphous cells for space are discussed. There have been great advances in thin film solar cells for terrestrial applications; transfer of this technology to space applications could result in ultra low weight solar arrays with potentially large gains in specific power. Recent advances in thin film solar cells are reviewed, including polycrystalline copper iridium selenide and related I-III-VI2 compounds, polycrystalline cadmium telluride and related II-VI compounds, and amorphous silicon alloys. The possibility of thin film multi bandgap cascade solar cells is discussed.

Bandgap-Engineered Zinc-Tin-Oxide Thin Films for Ultraviolet Sensors.

PubMed

Cheng, Tien-Hung; Chang, Sheng-Po; Chang, Shoou-Jinn

2018-07-01

Zinc-tin-oxide thin-film transistors were prepared by radio frequency magnetron co-sputtering, while an identical zinc-tin-oxide thin film was deposited simultaneously on a clear glass substrate to facilitate measurements of the optical properties. When we adjusted the deposition power of ZnO and SnO2, the bandgap of the amorphous thin film was dominated by the deposition power of SnO2. Since the thin-film transistor has obvious absorption in the ultraviolet region owing to the wide bandgap, the drain current increases with the generation of electron-hole pairs. As part of these investigations, a zinc-tin-oxide thin-film transistor has been fabricated that appears to be very promising for ultraviolet applications.

PEALD grown high-k ZrO{sub 2} thin films on SiC group IV compound semiconductor

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

Khairnar, A. G., E-mail: agkhairnar@gmail.com; Patil, V. S.; Agrawal, K. S.

The study of ZrO{sub 2} thin films on SiC group IV compound semiconductor has been studied as a high mobility substrates. The ZrO{sub 2} thin films were deposited using the Plasma Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition System. The thickness of the thin films were measured using ellipsometer and found to be 5.47 nm. The deposited ZrO{sub 2} thin films were post deposition annealed in rapid thermal annealing chamber at temperature of 400°Ð¡. The atomic force microscopy and X-гау photoelectron spectroscopy has been carried out to study the surface topography, roughness and chemical composition of thin film, respectively.

Synergistic effect of indium and gallium co-doping on the properties of RF sputtered ZnO thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaheera, M.; Girija, K. G.; Kaur, Manmeet; Geetha, V.; Debnath, A. K.; Karri, Malvika; Thota, Manoj Kumar; Vatsa, R. K.; Muthe, K. P.; Gadkari, S. C.

2018-04-01

ZnO thin films were synthesized using RF magnetron sputtering, with simultaneous incorporation of Indium (In) and Gallium (Ga). The structural, optical, chemical composition and surface morphology of the pure and co-doped (IGZO) thin films were characterized by X-Ray diffraction (XRD), UV-visible spectroscopy, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), and Raman spectroscopy. XRD revealed that these films were oriented along c-axis with hexagonal wurtzite structure. The (002) diffraction peak in the co-doped sample was observed at 33.76° with a slight shift towards lower 2θ values as compared to pure ZnO. The surface morphology of the two thin films was observed to differ. For pure ZnO films, round grains were observed and for IGZO thin films round as well as rod type grains were observed. All thin films synthesized show excellent optical properties with more than 90% transmission in the visible region and band gap of the films is observed to decrease with co-doping. The co doping of In and Ga is therefore expected to provide a broad range optical and physical properties of ZnO thin films for a variety of optoelectronic applications.

Polymer/boron nitride nanocomposite materials for superior thermal transport performance.

PubMed

Song, Wei-Li; Wang, Ping; Cao, Li; Anderson, Ankoma; Meziani, Mohammed J; Farr, Andrew J; Sun, Ya-Ping

2012-06-25

Boron nitride nanosheets were dispersed in polymers to give composite films with excellent thermal transport performances approaching the record values found in polymer/graphene nanocomposites. Similarly high performance at lower BN loadings was achieved by aligning the nanosheets in poly(vinyl alcohol) matrix by simple mechanical stretching (see picture). Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Film and membrane-model thermodynamics of free thin liquid films.

PubMed

Radke, C J

2015-07-01

In spite of over 7 decades of effort, the thermodynamics of thin free liquid films (as in emulsions and foams) lacks clarity. Following a brief review of the meaning and measurement of thin-film forces (i.e., conjoining/disjoining pressures), we offer a consistent analysis of thin-film thermodynamics. By carefully defining film reversible work, two distinct thermodynamic formalisms emerge: a film model with two zero-volume membranes each of film tension γ(f) and a membrane model with a single zero-volume membrane of membrane tension 2γ(m). In both models, detailed thermodynamic analysis gives rise to thin-film Gibbs adsorption equations that allow calculation of film and membrane tensions from measurements of disjoining-pressure isotherms. A modified Young-Laplace equation arises in the film model to calculate film-thickness profiles from the film center to the surrounding bulk meniscus. No corresponding relation exists in the membrane model. Illustrative calculations of disjoining-pressure isotherms for water are presented using square-gradient theory. We report considerable deviations from Hamaker theory for films less than about 3 nm in thickness. Such thin films are considerably more attractive than in classical Hamaker theory. Available molecular simulations reinforce this finding. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

In vivo biocompatibility of boron doped and nitrogen included conductive-diamond for use in medical implants.

PubMed

Garrett, David J; Saunders, Alexia L; McGowan, Ceara; Specks, Joscha; Ganesan, Kumaravelu; Meffin, Hamish; Williams, Richard A; Nayagam, David A X

2016-01-01

Recently, there has been interest in investigating diamond as a material for use in biomedical implants. Diamond can be rendered electrically conducting by doping with boron or nitrogen. This has led to inclusion of boron doped and nitrogen included diamond elements as electrodes and/or feedthroughs for medical implants. As these conductive device elements are not encapsulated, there is a need to establish their clinical safety for use in implants. This article compares the biocompatibility of electrically conducting boron doped diamond (BDD) and nitrogen included diamond films and electrically insulating poly crystalline diamond films against a silicone negative control and a BDD sample treated with stannous octoate as a positive control. Samples were surgically implanted into the back muscle of a guinea pig for a period of 4-15 weeks, excised and the implant site sectioned and submitted for histological analysis. All forms of diamond exhibited a similar or lower thickness of fibrotic tissue encapsulating compared to the silicone negative control samples. All forms of diamond exhibited similar or lower levels of acute, chronic inflammatory, and foreign body responses compared to the silicone negative control indicating that the materials are well tolerated in vivo. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Mechanism of wear and tribofilm formation with ionic liquids and ashless antiwear additives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Vibhu

Increasingly stringent government regulation on emissions (EPA Emissions Standard Reference Guide and latest CAFE standards requiring an average fuel economy of 54.5 mpg (combined cars and trucks) by 2025) impose significant challenges to the automotive and lubricant industries calling for the development and implementation of lower viscosity ILSAC GF-5&6 and API-CJ4&5 oils which further limit the amount of SAPS and deposits in engines. Development of additives that result in lower ash content, volatility and anti-wear property plays a crucial role in being able to reach these standards. The current industrial additive technology i.e. zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP) forms harmful deposits on catalytic convertor due to the volatility of Zn, S and P which, impairs its functionality and consequently results in higher emission from vehicles. In this research work, ionic liquids (IL's) that are non-volatile have been studied as new generation environment friendly antiwear additives along with other ashless anti-wear additives including boron based additives to overcome the current challenges of improving the fuel efficiency and reducing the amount of hazardous emissions. The goal of this thesis work is to study the tribological performance of selected IL's and develop a comprehensive understating of IL's chemistry and its consequences to their friction and wear outcomes. As first approach, various P, S and F based ionic liquids are studied for their tribological properties by analyzing the friction and wear results generated using standard tribological experiments. Following this, advanced surface characterization techniques such as X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy, SEM, Nano-indentation, SPM techniques are used to investigate the chemical-mechanical properties of the antiwear films. Results indicate that the tribological properties of ionic liquids depend on their solubility in base oil (BO) as well as their chemical interaction with the rubbing surfaces. To address the solubility issue of IL's in BO, ILs with longer alkyl chain structure were carefully selected which helped enhance the van der waals interaction between strongly polar ILs and non-polar base oil. The interaction of IL's with the metal surfaces was examined by analyzing the chemical-mechanical properties of the antiwear films formed. Results indicate that ionic liquids do react with the steel surfaces and form a protective antiwear film composed of iron polyphosphates i.e. short to medium chain length which results in improved wear protection. In addition, soluble boron additive (SB) chemistries were blended with ionic liquids to study the synergism between these two ashless antiwear chemistries. Addition of soluble boron additive (SB) to phosphorous based IL (P_DEHP) reduces the incubation time for antiwear film formation by forming boron oxide/boron phosphate film as early as the rubbing starts and subsequently a more durable iron phosphate film is formed providing long lasting wear protection. The synergistic interaction of boron chemistry with phosphorous based ionic liquids provides superior antiwear properties while eliminating volatile elements such as Zn and S from the additive technology.

Photoluminescence and cathodoluminescence properties of green emitting SrGa2{S}4 : Eu2+ thin film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chartier, Céline; Benalloul, Paul; Barthou, Charles; Frigerio, Jean-Marc; Mueller, Gerd O.; Mueller-Mach, Regina; Trottier, Troy

2002-02-01

Photoluminescence and cathodoluminescence properties of SrGa2S4 : Eu2+ thin films prepared by reactive RF magnetron sputtering are investigated. Luminescence performances of the phosphor in the thin film form are compared to those of powder samples: the brightness efficiency of thin films is found to be about 30% of the efficiency of powder at low current density. A ratio higher than 40% is expected at higher current density. Thin film screens for FEDs will become a positive alternative to powder screens provided that film quality and light extraction could be improved by optimization of thickness and deposition parameters.

Effect of temperature on optical properties of PMMA/SiO2 composite thin film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soni, Gyanesh; Srivastava, Subodh; Soni, Purushottam; Kalotra, Pankaj; Vijay, Y. K.

2018-05-01

Effect of temperature on PMMA/SiO2 composites thin films were investigated. Nanocomposite flexible thin films of 60 µm thicknesses with different loading of SiO2 nanoparticles were prepared using solution casting method. SEM images show that SiO2 nanoparticles are distributed uniformly in PMMA matrix without any lumps on the surface, and PMMA/SiO2 nano composite thin films had a smoother and regular morphology. UV-Vis and optical band gap measurements revealed that both the concentration of SiO2 nanoparticles and temperature affect the optical properties of the composite thin film in comparison to the pure PMMA film.

Guest-Induced Two-Way Structural Transformation in a Layered Metal-Organic Framework Thin Film.

PubMed

Haraguchi, Tomoyuki; Otsubo, Kazuya; Sakata, Osami; Fujiwara, Akihiko; Kitagawa, Hiroshi

2016-12-28

Fabrication of thin films made of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) has been intensively pursued for practical applications that use the structural response of MOFs. However, to date, only physisorption-induced structural response has been studied in these films. Chemisorption can be expected to provide a remarkable structural response because of the formation of bonds between guest molecules and reactive metal sites in host MOFs. Here, we report that chemisorption-induced two-way structural transformation in a nanometer-sized MOF thin film. We prepared a two-dimensional layered-type MOF Fe[Pt(CN) 4 ] thin film using a step-by-step approach. Although the as-synthesized film showed poor crystallinity, the dehydrated form of this thin film had a highly oriented crystalline nature (Film-D) as confirmed by synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD). Surprisingly, under water and pyridine vapors, Film-D showed chemisorption-induced dynamic structural transformations to Fe(L) 2 [Pt(CN) 4 ] thin films [L = H 2 O (Film-H), pyridine (Film-P)], where water and pyridine coordinated to the open Fe 2+ site. Dynamic structural transformations were also confirmed by in situ XRD, sorption measurement, and infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy. This is the first report of chemisorption-induced dynamic structural response in a MOF thin film, and it provides useful insights, which would lead to future practical applications of MOFs utilizing chemisorption-induced structural responses.

Photovoltaic devices comprising cadmium stannate transparent conducting films and method for making

DOEpatents

Wu, X.; Coutts, T.J.; Sheldon, P.; Rose, D.H.

1999-07-13

A photovoltaic device is disclosed having a substrate, a layer of Cd[sub 2]SnO[sub 4] disposed on said substrate as a front contact, a thin film comprising two or more layers of semiconductor materials disposed on said layer of Cd[sub 2]SnO[sub 4], and an electrically conductive film disposed on said thin film of semiconductor materials to form a rear electrical contact to said thin film. The device is formed by RF sputter coating a Cd[sub 2]SnO[sub 4] layer onto a substrate, depositing a thin film of semiconductor materials onto the layer of Cd[sub 2]SnO[sub 4], and depositing an electrically conductive film onto the thin film of semiconductor materials. 10 figs.

Development of High Resistive and High Magnetization Soft Thin Film and Fabrication of Thin Film Inductors

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-11-01

properties of Co- doped ZnO nanocluster films", .J. of Appl. Phys. in press, 2005 2. Presentations (contributed): Conference Contributions: 1) Y. Qiang...gigahertz band applications. The effects of substrates bias, sputter parameters, and seed-layer have thoroughly been investigated. The magnetic...Adequate properties of soft magnetic thin film were evaluated by an analytical calculation [1] to meet the requirement for gigahertz band thin-film

Cytotoxicity Evaluation of Anatase and Rutile TiO₂ Thin Films on CHO-K1 Cells in Vitro.

PubMed

Cervantes, Blanca; López-Huerta, Francisco; Vega, Rosario; Hernández-Torres, Julián; García-González, Leandro; Salceda, Emilio; Herrera-May, Agustín L; Soto, Enrique

2016-07-26

Cytotoxicity of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) thin films on Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) cells was evaluated after 24, 48 and 72 h of culture. The TiO₂ thin films were deposited using direct current magnetron sputtering. These films were post-deposition annealed at different temperatures (300, 500 and 800 °C) toward the anatase to rutile phase transformation. The root-mean-square (RMS) surface roughness of TiO₂ films went from 2.8 to 8.08 nm when the annealing temperature was increased from 300 to 800 °C. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) results showed that the TiO₂ films' thickness values fell within the nanometer range (290-310 nm). Based on the results of the tetrazolium dye and trypan blue assays, we found that TiO₂ thin films showed no cytotoxicity after the aforementioned culture times at which cell viability was greater than 98%. Independently of the annealing temperature of the TiO₂ thin films, the number of CHO-K1 cells on the control substrate and on all TiO₂ thin films was greater after 48 or 72 h than it was after 24 h; the highest cell survival rate was observed in TiO₂ films annealed at 800 °C. These results indicate that TiO₂ thin films do not affect mitochondrial function and proliferation of CHO-K1 cells, and back up the use of TiO₂ thin films in biomedical science.

Comparison of the agglomeration behavior of thin metallic films on SiO2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gadkari, P. R.; Warren, A. P.; Todi, R. M.; Petrova, R. V.; Coffey, K. R.

2005-07-01

The stability of continuous metallic thin films on insulating oxide surfaces is of interest to applications such as semiconductor interconnections and gate engineering. In this work, we report the study of the formation of voids and agglomeration of initially continuous Cu, Au, Ru and Pt thin films deposited on amorphous thermally grown SiO2 surfaces. Polycrystalline thin films having thicknesses in the range of 10-100 nm were ultrahigh vacuum sputter deposited on thermally grown SiO2 surfaces. The films were annealed at temperatures in the range of 150-800 °C in argon and argon+3% hydrogen gases. Scanning electron microscopy was used to investigate the agglomeration behavior, and transmission electron microscopy was used to characterize the microstructure of the as-deposited and annealed films. The agglomeration sequence in all of the films is found to follow a two step process of void nucleation and void growth. However, void growth in Au and Pt thin films is different from Cu and Ru thin films. Residual stress and adhesion were observed to play an important part in deciding the mode of void growth in Au and Pt thin films. Last, it is also observed that the tendency for agglomeration can be reduced by encapsulating the metal film with an oxide overlayer.

Photochemical metal organic deposition of metal oxides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Law, Wai Lung (Simon)

This thesis pertains to the study of the deposition of metal oxide thin films via the process of Photochemical Metal Organic Deposition (PMOD). In this process, an amorphous metal organic precursor thin film is subjected to irradiation under ambient conditions. Fragmentation of the metal precursor results from the photoreaction, leading to the formation of metal oxide thin films in the presence of oxygen. The advantage of PMOD lies in its ability to perform lithography of metal oxide thin film without the application of photoresist. The metal organic precursor can be imaged directly by photolysis through a lithography mask under ambient conditions. Thus the PMOD process provides an attractive alternative to the conventional VLSI fabrication process. Metal carboxylates and metal acetylacetonates complexes were used as the precursors for PMOD process in this thesis. Transition metal carboxylate and metal acetylacetonate complexes have shown previously that when deposited as amorphous thin films, they will undergo fragmentation upon photolysis, leading to the formation of metal oxide thin films under ambient conditions. In this thesis, the formation of main group metal oxides of aluminum, indium and tin, as well as the formation of rare-earth metal oxides of cerium and europium by PMOD from its corresponding metal organic precursor will be presented. The nature of the photoreactions as well as the properties of the thin films deposited by PMOD will be investigated. Doped metal oxide thin films can also be prepared using the PMOD process. By mixing the metal precursors prior to deposition in the desired ratio, precursor films containing more than one metal precursor can be obtained. Mixed metal oxide thin films corresponding to the original metal ratio, in the precursor mixture, can be obtained upon photolysis under ambient conditions. In this thesis, the properties of doped metal oxide thin films of europium doped aluminum oxide as well as tin doped indium oxide thin films will also be presented.

Optical Properties and Electrochemical Performance of LiFePO4 Thin Films Deposited on Transparent Current Collectors.

PubMed

Lee, HyunSeok; Yim, Haena; Kim, Kwang-Bum; Choi, Ji-Won

2015-11-01

LiFePO4 thin film cathodes are deposited on various transparent conducting oxide thin films on glass, which are used as cathode current collectors. The XRD patterns show that the thin films have the phase of LiFePO4 with an ordered olivine structure indexed to the orthorhombic Pmna space group. LiFePO4 thin film deposited on various TCO glass substrates exhibits transmittance of about 53%. The initial specific discharge capacities of LiFePO4 thin films are 25.0 μAh/cm2 x μm on FTO, 33.0 μAh/cm2 x μm on ITO, and 13.0 μAh/cm2 x μm on AZO coated glass substrates. Interestingly, the retention capacities of LiFePO4 thin films are 76.0% on FTO, 31.2% on ITO, and 37.7% on AZO coated glass substrates at 20th cycle. The initial specific discharge capacity of the LiFePO4/FTO electrode is slightly lower, but the discharge capacities of the LiFePO4/FTO electrode relatively decrease less than those of the others such as LiFePO4/ITO and LiFePO4/AZO with cycling. The results reported here provide the high transparency of LiFePO4 thin films cathode materials and the good candidate as FTO current collector of the LiFePO4 thin film cathode of transparent thin film rechargeable batteries due to its high transparency and cyclic retention.

Visible photoassisted room-temperature oxidizing gas-sensing behavior of Sn2S3 semiconductor sheets through facile thermal annealing.

PubMed

Liang, Yuan-Chang; Lung, Tsai-Wen; Wang, Chein-Chung

2016-12-01

Well-crystallized Sn 2 S 3 semiconductor thin films with a highly (111)-crystallographic orientation were grown using RF sputtering. The surface morphology of the Sn 2 S 3 thin films exhibited a sheet-like feature. The Sn 2 S 3 crystallites with a sheet-like surface had a sharp periphery with a thickness in a nanoscale size, and the crystallite size ranged from approximately 150 to 300 nm. Postannealing the as-synthesized Sn 2 S 3 thin films further in ambient air at 400 °C engendered roughened and oxidized surfaces on the Sn 2 S 3 thin films. Transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed that the surfaces of the Sn 2 S 3 thin films transformed into a SnO 2 phase, and well-layered Sn 2 S 3 -SnO 2 heterostructure thin films were thus formed. The Sn 2 S 3 -SnO 2 heterostructure thin film exhibited a visible photoassisted room-temperature gas-sensing behavior toward low concentrations of NO 2 gases (0.2-2.5 ppm). By contrast, the pure Sn 2 S 3 thin film exhibited an unapparent room-temperature NO 2 gas-sensing behavior under illumination. The suitable band alignment at the interface of the Sn 2 S 3 -SnO 2 heterostructure thin film and rough surface features might explain the visible photoassisted room-temperature NO 2 gas-sensing responses of the heterostructure thin film on exposure to NO 2 gas at low concentrations in this work.

Origin of high carrier mobility and low residual stress in RF superimposed DC sputtered Al doped ZnO thin film for next generation flexible devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Naveen; Dubey, Ashish; Bahrami, Behzad; Venkatesan, S.; Qiao, Qiquan; Kumar, Mukesh

2018-04-01

In this work, the energy and flux of high energetic ions were controlled by RF superimposed DC sputtering process to increase the grain size and suppress grain boundary potential with minimum residual stress in Al doped ZnO (AZO) thin film. AZO thin films were deposited at different RF/(RF + DC) ratios by keeping total power same and were investigated for their electrical, optical, structural and nanoscale grain boundaries potential. All AZO thin film showed high crystallinity and orientation along (002) with peak shift as RF/(RF + DC) ratio increased from 0.0, pure DC, to 1.0, pure RF. This peak shift was correlated with high residual stress in as-grown thin film. AZO thin film grown at mixed RF/(RF + DC) of 0.75 showed high electron mobility, low residual stress and large crystallite size in comparison to other AZO thin films. The nanoscale grain boundary potential was mapped using Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy in all AZO thin film and it was observed that carrier mobility is controlled not only by grains size but also by grain boundary potential. The XPS analysis confirms the variation in oxygen vacancies and zinc interstitials which explain the origin of low grain boundaries potential and high carrier mobility in AZO thin film deposited at 0.75 RF/(RF + DC) ratio. This study proposes a new way to control the grain size and grain boundary potential to further tune the optoelectronic-mechanical properties of AZO thin films for next generation flexible and optoelectronic devices.

Study of the effects of focused high-energy boron ion implantation in diamond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ynsa, M. D.; Agulló-Rueda, F.; Gordillo, N.; Maira, A.; Moreno-Cerrada, D.; Ramos, M. A.

2017-08-01

Boron-doped diamond is a material with a great technological and industrial interest because of its exceptional chemical, physical and structural properties. At modest boron concentrations, insulating diamond becomes a p-type semiconductor and at higher concentrations a superconducting metal at low temperature. The most conventional preparation method used so far, has been the homogeneous incorporation of boron doping during the diamond synthesis carried out either with high-pressure sintering of crystals or by chemical vapour deposition (CVD) of films. With these methods, high boron concentration can be included without distorting significantly the diamond crystalline lattice. However, it is complicated to manufacture boron-doped microstructures. A promising alternative to produce such microstructures could be the implantation of focused high-energy boron ions, although boron fluences are limited by the damage produced in diamond. In this work, the effect of focused high-energy boron ion implantation in single crystals of diamond is studied under different irradiation fluences and conditions. Micro-Raman spectra of the sample were measured before and after annealing at 1000 °C as a function of irradiation fluence, for both superficial and buried boron implantation, to assess the changes in the diamond lattice by the creation of vacancies and defects and their degree of recovery after annealing.

Ferroelectric and piezoelectric thin films and their applications for integrated capacitors, piezoelectric ultrasound transducers and piezoelectric switches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klee, M.; Boots, H.; Kumar, B.; van Heesch, C.; Mauczok, R.; Keur, W.; de Wild, M.; van Esch, H.; Roest, A. L.; Reimann, K.; van Leuken, L.; Wunnicke, O.; Zhao, J.; Schmitz, G.; Mienkina, M.; Mleczko, M.; Tiggelman, M.

2010-02-01

Ferroelectric and piezoelectric thin films are gaining more and more importance for the integration of high performance devices in small modules. High-K 'Integrated Discretes' devices have been developed, which are based on thin film ferroelectric capacitors integrated together with resistors and ESD protection diodes in a small Si-based chip-scale package. Making use of ferroelectric thin films with relative permittivity of 950-1600 and stacking processes of capacitors, extremely high capacitance densities of 20-520 nF/mm2, high breakdown voltages up to 140 V and lifetimes of more than 10 years at operating voltages of 5 V and 85°C are achieved. Thin film high-density capacitors play also an important role as tunable capacitors for applications such as tuneable matching circuits for RF sections of mobile phones. The performance of thin film tuneable capacitors at frequencies between 1 MHz and 1 GHz is investigated. Finally thin film piezoelectric ultrasound transducers, processed in Si- related processes, are attractive for medical imaging, since they enable large bandwidth (>100%), high frequency operation and have the potential to integrate electronics. With these piezoelectric thin film ultrasound transducers real time ultrasound images have been realized. Finally, piezoelectric thin films are used to manufacture galvanic MEMS switches. A model for the quasi-static mechanical behaviour is presented and compared with measurements.

Synthesis and characterization of lead sulphide thin films from ethanolamine (ETA) complexing agent chemical bath

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gashaw Hone, Fekadu; Dejene, F. B.

2018-02-01

Polycrystalline lead sulphide (PbS) thin films were grown on glass substrates by chemical bath deposition route using ethanolamine (ETA) as a complexing agent. The effects of ETA molar concentration on the structural, morphological, electrical and optical properties of lead sulphide thin films were thoroughly studied. The XRD analyses revealed that all the deposited thin films were face center cubic crystal structure and their preferred orientations were varied along the (111) and (200) planes. The XRD results further confirmed that ETA concentration had a significant effects on the strain, average crystalline size and dislocation density of the deposited thin films. The SEM studies illustrated the evolution and transformation of surface morphology as ETA molar concentration increased from 0.41 M to 1.64 M. The energy dispersive x-ray analysis was used to verify the compositional elements of the deposited thin films. Optical spectroscopy investigation established that the band gap of the PbS thin films were reduced from 0.98 eV to 0.68 eV as ETA concentration increased. The photoluminescence spectra showed a well defined peak at 428 nm and shoulder around 468 nm for all PbS thin films. The electrical resistivity of the thin films found in the order of 103 Ω cm at room temperature and decreased as the ETA molar concentration was increased.

Thickness-modulated anisotropic ferromagnetism in Fe-doped epitaxial HfO2 thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Wenlong; Liu, Ming; Zhang, Ruyi; Ma, Rong; Wang, Hong

2017-10-01

Epitaxial tetragonal Fe-doped Hf0.95Fe0.05O2 (FHO) thin films with various thicknesses were deposited on (001)-oriented NdCaAlO4 (NCAO) substrates by using a pulsed laser deposition (PLD) system. The crystal structure and epitaxial nature of the FHO thin films were confirmed by typical x-ray diffraction (XRD) θ-2θ scan and reciprocal space mapping (RSM). The results indicate that two sets of lattice sites exist with two different crystal orientations [(001) and (100)] in the thicker FHO thin films. Further, the intensity of the (100) direction increases with the increase in thicknesses, which should have a significant effect on the anisotropic magnetization of the FHO thin films. Meanwhile, all the FHO thin films possess a tetragonal phase structure. An anisotropy behavior in magnetization has been observed in the FHO thin films. The anisotropic magnetization of the FHO thin films is slowly weakened as the thickness increases. Meanwhile, the saturation magnetization (Ms) of both in-plane and out-of-plane decreases with the increase in the thickness. The change in the anisotropic magnetization and Ms is attributed to the crystal lattice and the variation in the valence of Fe ions. These results indicate that the thickness-modulated anisotropic ferromagnetism of the tetragonal FHO epitaxial thin films is of potential use for the integration of metal-oxide semiconductors with spintronics.

Piezoelectric MEMS: Ferroelectric thin films for MEMS applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kanno, Isaku

2018-04-01

In recent years, piezoelectric microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) have attracted attention as next-generation functional microdevices. Typical applications of piezoelectric MEMS are micropumps for inkjet heads or micro-gyrosensors, which are composed of piezoelectric Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PZT) thin films and have already been commercialized. In addition, piezoelectric vibration energy harvesters (PVEHs), which are regarded as one of the key devices for Internet of Things (IoT)-related technologies, are promising future applications of piezoelectric MEMS. Significant features of piezoelectric MEMS are their simple structure and high energy conversion efficiency between mechanical and electrical domains even on the microscale. The device performance strongly depends on the function of the piezoelectric thin films, especially on their transverse piezoelectric properties, indicating that the deposition of high-quality piezoelectric thin films is a crucial technology for piezoelectric MEMS. On the other hand, although the difficulty in measuring the precise piezoelectric coefficients of thin films is a serious obstacle in the research and development of piezoelectric thin films, a simple unimorph cantilever measurement method has been proposed to obtain precise values of the direct or converse transverse piezoelectric coefficient of thin films, and recently this method has become to be the standardized testing method. In this article, I will introduce fundamental technologies of piezoelectric thin films and related microdevices, especially focusing on the deposition of PZT thin films and evaluation methods for their transverse piezoelectric properties.

Thin Film CIGS and CdTe Photovoltaic Technologies: Commercialization, Critical Issues, and Applications; Preprint

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

Ullal, H. S.; von Roedern, B.

2007-09-01

We report here on the major commercialization aspects of thin-film photovoltaic (PV) technologies based on CIGS and CdTe (a-Si and thin-Si are also reported for completeness on the status of thin-film PV). Worldwide silicon (Si) based PV technologies continues to dominate at more than 94% of the market share, with the share of thin-film PV at less than 6%. However, the market share for thin-film PV in the United States continues to grow rapidly over the past several years and in CY 2006, they had a substantial contribution of about 44%, compared to less than 10% in CY 2003. Inmore » CY 2007, thin-film PV market share is expected to surpass that of Si technology in the United States. Worldwide estimated projections for CY 2010 are that thin-film PV production capacity will be more than 3700 MW. A 40-MW thin-film CdTe solar field is currently being installed in Saxony, Germany, and will be completed in early CY 2009. The total project cost is Euro 130 million, which equates to an installed PV system price of Euro 3.25/-watt averaged over the entire solar project. This is the lowest price for any installed PV system in the world today. Critical research, development, and technology issues for thin-film CIGS and CdTe are also elucidated in this paper.« less

Influence of spray time on the optical and electrical properties of CoNi2S4 thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El Radaf, I. M.; Fouad, S. S.; Ismail, A. M.; Sakr, G. B.

2018-04-01

In this paper, a facile spray pyrolysis technique was utilized to synthesize CoNi2S4 thin films. The influence of spray time on the structural, optical and electrical properties of the CoNi2S4 thin films was studied. The x-ray diffraction studies of the CoNi2S4 thin films illustrate that the films exhibit a polycrystalline nature with cubic structure. The values of the lattice strain ε, and the dislocation density δ, were decreased as the spray time increase while the grain size has reverse manner to lattice strain ε, and the dislocation density δ. The transmittance and reflectance spectra of the CoNi2S4 thin films were recorded in the wavelength range of (400–2500) nm to evaluate the optical parameters of the CoNi2S4 thin films. Optical absorption coefficient of CoNi2S4 thin films revealed a presence of a direct energy gap and the values of energy gap were decreased from 1.68 to 1.53 eV as the spray time increases from 15 min to 45 min. The nonlinear refractive index of the CoNi2S4 thin films was increased with increasing of the spray time. The CoNi2S4 thin films exhibit single activation energy and the activation energy was decreased as the spray time increased.

Effect of substrate on texture and mechanical properties of Mg-Cu-Zn thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eshaghi, F.; Zolanvari, A.

2018-04-01

In this work, thin films of Mg-Cu-Zn with 60 nm thicknesses have been deposited on the Si(100), Al, stainless steel, and Cu substrates using DC magnetron sputtering. FESEM images displayed uniformity of Mg-Cu-Zn particles on the different substrates. AFM micrograph revealed the roughness of thin film changes due to the different kinds of the substrates. XRD measurements showed the existence of strong Mg (002) reflections and weak Mg (101) peaks. Residual stress and adhesion force have been measured as the mechanical properties of the Mg-Cu-Zn thin films. The residual stresses of thin films which have been investigated by X-ray diffraction method revealed that the thin films sputtered on the Si and Cu substrates endure minimum and maximum stresses, respectively, during the deposition process. However, the force spectroscopy analysis indicated that the films grew on the Si and Cu experienced maximum and minimum adhesion force. The texture analysis has been done using XRD instrument to make pole figures of Mg (002) and Mg (101) reflections. ODFs have been calculated to evaluate the distribution of the orientations within the thin films. It was found that the texture and stress have an inverse relation, while the texture and the adhesion force of the Mg-Cu-Zn thin films have direct relation. A thin film that sustains the lowest residual stresses and highest adhesive force had the strongest {001} basal fiber texture.

Ambient pressure process for preparing aerogel thin films reliquified sols useful in preparing aerogel thin films

DOEpatents

Brinker, Charles Jeffrey; Prakash, Sai Sivasankaran

1999-01-01

A method for preparing aerogel thin films by an ambient-pressure, continuous process. The method of this invention obviates the use of an autoclave and is amenable to the formation of thin films by operations such as dip coating. The method is less energy intensive and less dangerous than conventional supercritical aerogel processing techniques.

Enhancement on crystallinity property of low annealed PbTiO3 thin films for metal-insulator-metal capacitor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nurbaya, Z.; Wahid, M. H.; Rozana, M. D.; Alrokayan, S. A. H.; Khan, H. A.; Rusop, M.

2018-05-01

This study presents the investigation on crystallinity property of PbTiO3 thin films towards metal-insulator-metal capacitor device fabrication. The preparation of the thin films utilizes sol-gel spin coating method with low annealing temperature effect. Hence, structural and electrical characterization is brought to justify the thin films consistency.

Fabrication of ionic liquid electrodeposited Cu--Sn--Zn--S--Se thin films and method of making

DOEpatents

Bhattacharya, Raghu Nath

2016-01-12

A semiconductor thin-film and method for producing a semiconductor thin-films comprising a metallic salt, an ionic compound in a non-aqueous solution mixed with a solvent and processing the stacked layer in chalcogen that results in a CZTS/CZTSS thin films that may be deposited on a substrate is disclosed.

Determining the Elastic Modulus of Compliant Thin Films Supported on Substrates from Flat Punch Indentation Measurements

Treesearch

M.J. Wald; J.M. Considine; K.T. Turner

2013-01-01

Instrumented indentation is a technique that can be used to measure the elastic properties of soft thin films supported on stiffer substrates, including polymer films, cellulosic sheets, and thin layers of biological materials. When measuring thin film properties using indentation, the effect of the substrate must be considered. Most existing models for determining the...

Optical and electrical responses of magnetron-sputtered amorphous Nb-doped TiO2 thin films annealed at low temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quynh, Luu Manh; Tien, Nguyen Thi; Thanh, Pham Van; Hieu, Nguyen Minh; Doanh, Sai Cong; Thuat, Nguyen Tran; Tuyen, Nguyen Viet; Luong, Nguyen Hoang; Hoang, Ngoc Lam Huong

2018-03-01

Nb-doped TiO2 (TNO) thin films were prepared by annealing at 300 °C for 30 min after a magnetron-sputter process. A laser-irradiated post-annealing Raman scattering analysis indirectly showed the possible formation of small size anatase TNO clusters within the thin film matrix Although the TNO thin films were not crystallized, oxygen vacancies were created by adding H2 into the sputter gas during the deposition process. This improved the conductivity and carrier concentration of the thin films. As the ratio of H2 in sputter gas is f(H2) = [H2/Ar+H2] = 10%, the carrier concentration of the amorphous TNO thin film reached 1022 (cm-3) with the resistivity being about 10-2 (Ω.cm). Even though a new methodology to decrease the fabrication temperature is not presented; this study demonstrates an efficient approach to shorten the annealing process, which ends prior to the crystallization of the thin films. Besides, in situ H2 addition into the sputter atmosphere is proven to be a good solution to enhance the electrical conductivity of semiconductor thin films like TNOs, despite the fact that they are not well crystallized.

Structural and optical properties of cobalt doped multiferroics BiFeO3 nanostructure thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prasannakumara, R.; Naik, K. Gopalakrishna

2018-05-01

Bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3) and Cobalt doped BiFeO3 (BiFe1-XCoXO3) nanostructure thin films were deposited on glass substrates by the sol-gel spin coating method. The X-ray diffraction patterns (XRD) of the grown BiFeO3 and BiFe1-XCoXO3 nanostructure thin films showed distorted rhombohedral structure. The shifting of peaks to higher angles was observed in cobalt doped BiFeO3. The surface morphology of the BiFeO3 and BiFe1-XCoXO3 nanostructure thin films were studied using FESEM, an increase in grain size was observed as Co concentration increases. The thickness of the nanostructure thin films was examined using FESEM cross-section. The EDX studies confirmed the elemental composition of the grown BiFeO3 and BiFe1-XCoXO3 nanostructure thin films. The optical characterizations of the grown nanostructure thin films were carried out using FTIR, it confirms the existence of Fe-O and Bi-O bands and UV-Visible spectroscopy shows the increase in optical band gap of the BiFeO3 nanostructure thin films with Co doping by ploting Tauc plot.

Calculation of optical band gaps of a-Si:H thin films by ellipsometry and UV-Vis spectrophotometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiu, Yijiao; Li, Wei; Wu, Maoyang; Fu, Junwei; Jiang, Yadong

2010-10-01

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) thin films doped with Phosphorus (P) and Nitrogen (N) were deposited by radio frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (RF-PECVD). The optical band gaps of the thin films obtained through either changing the gas pressure (P-doped only) or adulterating nitrogen concentration (with fixed P content) were investigated by means of Ellipsometric and Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, respectively. Tauc formula was used in calculating the optical band gaps of the thin films in both methods. The results show that Ellipsometry and UV-Vis spectrophotometry can be applied in the research of the optical properties of a-Si:H thin films experimentally. Both methods reflect the variation law of the optical band gaps caused by CVD process parameters, i.e., the optical band gap of the a-Si:H thin films is increased with the rise of the gas pressure or the nitrogen concentration respectively. The difference in optical band gaps of the doped a-Si:H thin films calculated by Ellipsometry or UV-Vis spectrophotometry are not so great that they both can be used to measure the optical band gaps of the thin films in practical applications.

Nanostructure and strain effects in active thin films for novel electronic device applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Zheng

2007-12-01

There are many potential applications of ferroelectric thin films that take advantage of their unique dielectric and piezoelectric properties, such as tunable microwave devices and thin-film active sensors for structural health monitoring (SHM). However, many technical issues still restrict practical applications of ferroelectric thin films, including high insertion loss, limited figure of merit, soft mode effect, large temperature coefficients, and others. The main theme of this thesis is the advanced technique developments, and the new ferroelectric thin films syntheses and investigations for novel device applications. A novel method of additional doping has been adopted to (Ba,Sr)TiO 3 (BSTO) thin films on MgO. By introducing 2% Mn into the stoichiometric BSTO, Mn:BSTO thin films have shown a greatly enhanced dielectric tunability and a reduced insertion loss at high frequencies (10-30 GHz). A new record of a large tunability of 80% with a high dielectric constant of 3800 and an extra low dielectric loss of 0.001 at 1 MHz at room-temperature was achieved. Meanwhile, the new highly epitaxial ferroelectric (Pb,Sr)TiO3 (PSTO) thin films have been synthesized on (001) MgO substrates. PSTO films demonstrated excellent high frequency dielectric properties with high dielectric constants above 1420 and large dielectric tunabilities above 34% at room-temperature up to 20 GHz. In addition, a smaller temperature coefficient from 80 K to 300 K was observed in PSTO films compared to BSTO films. These results indicate that the Mn:BSTO and PSTO films are both good candidates for developing room-temperature tunable microwave devices. Furthermore, crystalline ferroelectric BaTiO3 (BTO) thin films have been deposited directly on metal substrate Ni through a unique in-situ substrate pre-oxidation treatment. The highly oriented nanopillar structural BTO films were grown on the buffered layers created by the pre-oxidation treatment. No interdiffusion or reaction was observed at the interface. As-grown BTO films demonstrated good ferroelectric properties and an extremely large piezoelectric response of 130 (x 10-12 C/N). These excellent preliminary results enable the long-term perspective on the unobtrusive ferroelectric thin-film active sensors for SHM applications.

In-situ ellipsometry: applications to thin film research, development, and production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kief, Mark T.

1999-07-01

Many industries including the optics industry, semiconductor industry, and magnetic storage industry are deeply rooted in the science and technology of the film materials and thin film based devices. Research in novel thin film systems and the engineering of artificial structures increasingly requires a control on the atomic scale in both thickness and lateral order. Development of the deposition and fabrication processes for these thin film structures requires technical sophistication and efficiency combined with an understanding of the multi-faceted process interactions. The production of these materials necessitates a remarkable degree of control to minimize scrap and assure good performance. Furthermore, in today's industry these operations must occur at an ever accelerating pace. In this article, we will review one technique which can make these challenges more tractable-- insitu ellipsometry. This is a very powerful tool which is capable of characterizing thin film processes in real-time. We review the art and illustrate with novel applications to metal thin film growth. In addition, we will illustrate how information obtained with insitu ellipsometry can predict the end use thin film properties such as the transport properties. In conclusion, further advances in insitu ellipsometry and its applications will be discussed in terms of needs and trends as a tool for thin film research, development and production.

Effect of cadmium incorporation on the properties of zinc oxide thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bharath, S. P.; Bangera, Kasturi V.; Shivakumar, G. K.

2018-02-01

Cd x Zn1- x O (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.20) thin films are deposited on soda lime glass substrates using spray pyrolysis technique. To check the thermal stability, Cd x Zn1- x O thin films are subjected to annealing. Both the as-deposited and annealed Cd x Zn1- x O thin films are characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX) to check the structural, surface morphological and compositional properties, respectively. XRD analysis reveals that the both as-deposited and annealed Cd x Zn1- x O thin films are (002) oriented with wurtzite structure. SEM studies confirm that as-deposited, as well as annealed Cd x Zn1- x O thin films are free from pinholes and cracks. Compositional analysis shows the deficiency in Cd content after annealing. Optical properties evaluated from UV-Vis spectroscopy shows red shift in the band gap for Cd x Zn1- x O thin films. Electrical property measured using two probe method shows a decrease in the resistance after Cd incorporation. The results indicate that cadmium can be successfully incorporated in zinc oxide thin films to achieve structural changes in the properties of films.

Methods for preparing colloidal nanocrystal-based thin films

DOEpatents

Kagan, Cherie R.; Fafarman, Aaron T.; Choi, Ji-Hyuk; Koh, Weon-kyu; Kim, David K.; Oh, Soong Ju; Lai, Yuming; Hong, Sung-Hoon; Saudari, Sangameshwar Rao; Murray, Christopher B.

2016-05-10

Methods of exchanging ligands to form colloidal nanocrystals (NCs) with chalcogenocyanate (xCN)-based ligands and apparatuses using the same are disclosed. The ligands may be exchanged by assembling NCs into a thin film and immersing the thin film in a solution containing xCN-based ligands. The ligands may also be exchanged by mixing a xCN-based solution with a dispersion of NCs, flocculating the mixture, centrifuging the mixture, discarding the supernatant, adding a solvent to the pellet, and dispersing the solvent and pellet to form dispersed NCs with exchanged xCN-ligands. The NCs with xCN-based ligands may be used to form thin film devices and/or other electronic, optoelectronic, and photonic devices. Devices comprising nanocrystal-based thin films and methods for forming such devices are also disclosed. These devices may be constructed by depositing NCs on to a substrate to form an NC thin film and then doping the thin film by evaporation and thermal diffusion.

Swift heavy ion induced modifications in optical and electrical properties of cadmium selenide thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choudhary, Ritika; Chauhan, Rishi Pal

2017-07-01

The modification in various properties of thin films using high energetic ion beam is an exciting area of basic and applied research in semiconductors. In the present investigations, cadmium selenide (CdSe) thin films were deposited on ITO substrate using electrodeposition technique. To study the swift heavy ion (SHI) induced effects, the deposited thin films were irradiated with 120 MeV heavy Ag9+ ions using pelletron accelerator facility at IUAC, New Delhi, India. Structural phase transformation in CdSe thin film from metastable cubic phase to stable hexagonal phase was observed after irradiation leading to decrease in the band gap from 2.47 eV to 2.12 eV. The phase transformation was analyzed through X-ray diffraction patterns. During SHI irradiation, Generation of high temperature and pressure by thermal spike along the trajectory of incident ions in the thin films might be responsible for modification in the properties of thin films.[Figure not available: see fulltext.

Young's modulus measurement of aluminum thin film with cantilever structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, ByoungChan; Lee, SangHun; Lee, Hwasu; Shin, Hyungjae

2001-09-01

Micromachined cantilever structures are commonly used for measuring mechanical properties of thin film materials in MEMS. The application of conventional cantilever theory in experiment raises severe problem. The deformation of the supporting post and flange is produced by the applied electrostatic force and lead to more reduced measurement value than real Young's modulus of thin film materials. In order to determine Young's modulus of aluminum thin film robustly and reproducibly, the modified cantilever structure is proposed. Two measurement methods, which are cantilever tip deflection measurement and resonant frequency measurement, are used for confirming the reliability of the proposed cantilever structure as well. Measured results indicate that the proposed measurement scheme provides useful and credible Young's modulus value for thin film materials with sub-micron thickness. The proved validation of the proposed scheme makes sure that in addition to Young's modulus of aluminum thin film, that of other thin film materials which are aluminum alloy, metal, and so forth, can be extracted easily and clearly.

Printable CIGS thin film solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Xiaojuan

2014-03-01

Among the various thin film solar cells in the market, CuInGaSe thin film cells have been considered as the most promising alternatives to silicon solar cells because of their high photo-electricity efficiency, reliability, and stability. However, many fabrication of CIGS thin film are based on vacuum processes such as evaporation sputtering techniques which are not cost efficient. This work develops a method using paste or ink liquid spin-coated on glass that would be to conventional ways in terms of cost effective, non-vacuum needed, quick processing. A mixture precursor was prepared by dissolving appropriate amounts of chemicals. After the mixture solution was cooled, a viscous paste prepared and ready for spin-coating process. A slight bluish CIG thin film substrate was then put in a tube furnace with evaporation of metal Se by depositing CdS layer and ZnO nanoparticle thin film coating to a solar cell fabrication. Structure, absorption spectrum, and photo-conversion efficiency for the as-grown CIGS thin film solar cell under study.

Modified lead titanate thin films for pyroelectric infrared detectors on gold electrodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmed, Moinuddin; Butler, Donald P.

2015-07-01

Pyroelectric infrared detectors provide the advantage of both a wide spectral response and dynamic range, which also has enabled systems to be developed with reduced size, weight and power consumption. This paper demonstrates the deposition of lead zirconium titanate (PZT) and lead calcium titanate (PCT) thin films for uncooled pyroelectric detectors with the utilization of gold electrodes. The modified lead titanate thin films were deposited by pulsed laser deposition on gold electrodes. The PZT and PCT thins films deposited and annealed at temperatures of 650 °C and 550 °C respectively demonstrated the best pyroelectric performance in this work. The thin films displayed a pyroelectric effect that increased with temperature. Poling of the thin films was carried out for a fixed time periods and fixed dc bias voltages at elevated temperature in order to increase the pyroelectric coefficient by establishing a spontaneous polarization of the thin films. Poling caused the pyroelectric current to increase one order of magnitude.

Ferroelectric properties of PZT/BFO multilayer thin films prepared using the sol-gel method.

PubMed

Jo, Seo-Hyeon; Lee, Sung-Gap; Lee, Young-Hie

2012-01-05

In this study, Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3/BiFeO3 [PZT/BFO] multilayer thin films were fabricated using the spin-coating method on a Pt(200 nm)/Ti(10 nm)/SiO2(100 nm)/p-Si(100) substrate alternately using BFO and PZT metal alkoxide solutions. The coating-and-heating procedure was repeated several times to form the multilayer thin films. All PZT/BFO multilayer thin films show a void-free, uniform grain structure without the presence of rosette structures. The relative dielectric constant and dielectric loss of the six-coated PZT/BFO [PZT/BFO-6] thin film were approximately 405 and 0.03%, respectively. As the number of coatings increased, the remanent polarization and coercive field increased. The values for the BFO-6 multilayer thin film were 41.3 C/cm2 and 15.1 MV/cm, respectively. The leakage current density of the BFO-6 multilayer thin film at 5 V was 2.52 × 10-7 A/cm2.

Structure and electrical properties of Pb(ZrxTi1-x)O3 deposited on textured Pt thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, Jongin; Song, Han Wook; Lee, Hee Chul; Lee, Won Jong; No, Kwangsoo

2001-08-01

The texturing of the bottom electrode plays a key role in the structure and electrical properties of Pb(Zr, Ti)O3 (PZT) thin films. We fabricated Pt bottom electrodes having a different thickness on MgO single crystals at 600 °C by rf magnetron sputtering. As the thickness of platinum (Pt) thin film increased, the preferred orientation of Pt thin film changed from (200) to (111). PZT thin films were fabricated at 450 °C by electron cyclotron resonance-plasma enhanced metal organic chemical vapor deposition on the textured Pt thin films. The texturing of the bottom electrode caused drastic changes in the C-V characteristics, P-E characteristics, and fatigue characteristics of metal/ferroelectric material/metal (MFM) capacitors. The difference of the electrical properties between the PZT thin films having different texturing was discussed in terms-of the x-y alignment and the interface between electrode and PZT in MFM capacitors.

Exceptional Morphology-Preserving Evolution of Formamidinium Lead Triiodide Perovskite Thin Films via Organic-Cation Displacement

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

Zhou, Yuanyuan; Yang, Mengjin; Pang, Shuping

Here we demonstrate a radically different chemical route for the creation of HC(NH2)2PbI3 (FAPbI3) perovskite thin films. This approach entails a simple exposure of as-synthesized CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPbI3) perovskite thin films to HC(=NH)NH2 (formamidine or FA) gas at 150 degrees C, which leads to rapid displacement of the MA+ cations by FA+ cations in the perovskite structure. The resultant FAPbI3 perovskite thin films preserve the microstructural morphology of the original MAPbI3 thin films exceptionally well. Importantly, the myriad processing innovations that have led to the creation of high-quality MAPbI3 perovskite thin films are directly adaptable to FAPbI3 through this simple, rapidmore » chemical-conversion route. Accordingly, we show that efficiencies of perovskite solar cells fabricated with FAPbI3 thin films created using this route can reach -18%.« less

Experimental Study of Acid Treatment Toward Characterization of Structural, Optical, and Morphological Properties of TiO2-SnO2 Composite Thin Film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fajar, M. N.; Hidayat, R.; Triwikantoro; Endarko

2018-04-01

The TiO2-SnO2 thin film with single and double-layer structure has successfully synthesized on FTO (Fluorine-doped Tin Oxide) substrate using the screen printing technique. The structural, optical, and morphological properties of the film were investigated by XRD, UV-Vis, and SEM, respectively. The results showed that the single and double-layer structure of TiO2-SnO2 thin film has mixed phase with a strong formation of casseritte phase. The acid treatment effect on TiO2-SnO2 thin film decreases the peak intensity of anatase phase formation and thin film’s absorbance values. The morphological study is also revealed that the single layer TiO2-SnO2 thin film had a more porous nature and decreased particle size distribution after acid treatment, while the double-layer TiO2-SnO2 thin film Eroded due to acid treatment.

Structural and morphological study on ZnO:Al thin films grown using DC magnetron sputtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Astuti, B.; Sugianto; Mahmudah, S. N.; Zannah, R.; Putra, N. M. D.; Marwoto, P.; Aryanto, D.; Wibowo, E.

2018-03-01

ZnO doped Al (ZnO:Al ) thin film was deposited on corning glass substrate using DC magnetron sputtering method. Depositon process of the ZnO:Al thin films was kept constant at plasma power, deposition temperature and deposition time are 40 watt, 400°C and 2 hours, respectivelly. Furthermore, for annealing process has been done on the variation of oxygen pressure are 0, 50, and 100 mTorr. X-ray diffraction (XRD), and SEM was used to characterize ZnO:Al thin film was obtained. Based on XRD characterization results of the ZnO:Al thin film shows that deposited thin film has a hexagonal structure with the dominant diffraction peak at according to the orientation of the (002) plane and (101). Finally, the crystal structure of the ZnO:Al thin films that improves with an increasing the oxygen pressure at annealing process up to 100 mTorr and its revealed by narrow FWHM value and also with dense crystal structure.

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

Custer, Jonathan S.; Fleming, James G.; Roherty-Osmun, Elizabeth

Refractory ternary nitride films for diffusion barriers in microelectronics have been grown using chemical vapor deposition. Thin films of titanium-silicon-nitride, tungsten-boron-nitride, and tungsten-silicon-nitride of various compositions have been deposited on 150 mm Si wafers. The microstructure of the films are either fully amorphous for the tungsten based films, or nauocrystalline TiN in an amorphous matrix for titanium-silicon-nitride. All films exhibit step coverages suitable for use in future microelectronics generations. Selected films have been tested as diffusion barriers between copper and silicon, and generally perform extremely weH. These fiIms are promising candidates for advanced diffusion barriers for microelectronics applications. The manufacturingmore » of silicon wafers into integrated circuits uses many different process and materials. The manufacturing process is usually divided into two parts: the front end of line (FEOL) and the back end of line (BEOL). In the FEOL the individual transistors that are the heart of an integrated circuit are made on the silicon wafer. The responsibility of the BEOL is to wire all the transistors together to make a complete circuit. The transistors are fabricated in the silicon itself. The wiring is made out of metal, currently aluminum and tungsten, insulated by silicon dioxide, see Figure 1. Unfortunately, silicon will diffuse into aluminum, causing aluminum spiking of junctions, killing transistors. Similarly, during chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of tungsten from ~fj, the reactivity of the fluorine can cause "worn-holes" in the silicon, also destroying transistors. The solution to these problems is a so-called diffusion barrier, which will allow current to pass from the transistors to the wiring, but will prevent reactions between silicon and the metal.« less

Full-field measurement of surface topographies and thin film stresses at elevated temperatures by digital gradient sensing method.

PubMed

Zhang, Changxing; Qu, Zhe; Fang, Xufei; Feng, Xue; Hwang, Keh-Chih

2015-02-01

Thin film stresses in thin film/substrate systems at elevated temperatures affect the reliability and safety of such structures in microelectronic devices. The stresses result from the thermal mismatch strain between the film and substrate. The reflection mode digital gradient sensing (DGS) method, a real-time, full-field optical technique, measures deformations of reflective surface topographies. In this paper, we developed this method to measure topographies and thin film stresses of thin film/substrate systems at elevated temperatures. We calibrated and compensated for the air convection at elevated temperatures, which is a serious problem for optical techniques. We covered the principles for surface topography measurements by the reflection mode DGS method at elevated temperatures and the governing equations to remove the air convection effects. The proposed method is applied to successfully measure the full-field topography and deformation of a NiTi thin film on a silicon substrate at elevated temperatures. The evolution of thin film stresses obtained by extending Stoney's formula implies the "nonuniform" effect the experimental results have shown.

A facile fabrication of chemically converted graphene oxide thin films and their uses as absorber materials for solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adelifard, Mehdi; Darudi, Hosein

2016-07-01

There is a great interest in the use of graphene sheets in thin film solar cells with low-cost and good-optoelectronic properties. Here, the production of absorbent conductive reduced graphene oxide (RGO) thin films was investigated. RGO thin films were prepared from spray-coated graphene oxide (GO) layers at various substrate temperature followed by a simple hydrazine-reducing method. The structural, morphological, optical, and electrical characterizations of graphene oxide (GO) and RGO thin films were investigated. X-ray diffraction analysis showed a phase shift from GO to RGO due to hydrazine treatment, in agreement with the FTIR spectra of the layers. FESEM images clearly exhibited continuous films resulting from the overlap of graphene nanosheets. The produced low-cost thin films had high absorption coefficient up to 1.0 × 105 cm-1, electrical resistance as low as 0.9 kΩ/sq, and effective optical band gap of about 1.50 eV, close to the optimum value for solar conversion. The conductive absorbent properties of the reduced graphene oxide thin films would be useful to develop photovoltaic cells.

Computational Study of In-Plane Phonon Transport in Si Thin Films

PubMed Central

Wang, Xinjiang; Huang, Baoling

2014-01-01

We have systematically investigated the in-plane thermal transport in Si thin films using an approach based on the first-principles calculations and lattice dynamics. The effects of phonon mode depletion induced by the phonon confinement and the corresponding variation in interphonon scattering, which may be important for the thermal conductivities of ultra-thin films but are often neglected in precedent studies, are considered in this study. The in-plane thermal conductivities of Si thin films with different thicknesses have been predicted over a temperature range from 80 K to 800 K and excellent agreements with experimental results are found. The validities of adopting the bulk phonon properties and gray approximation of surface specularity in thin film studies have been clarified. It is found that in ultra-thin films, while the phonon depletion will reduce the thermal conductivity of Si thin films, its effect is largely offset by the reduction in the interphonon scattering rate. The contributions of different phonon modes to the thermal transport and isotope effects in Si films with different thicknesses under various temperatures are also analyzed. PMID:25228061

Structure evolution of zinc oxide thin films deposited by unbalance DC magnetron sputtering

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

Aryanto, Didik, E-mail: didi027@lipi.go.id; Materials Research Group, Physics Department, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Gunungpati, Semarang 50229 Jawa Tengah; Marwoto, Putut

Zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films are deposited on corning glass substrates using unbalanced DC magnetron sputtering. The effect of growth temperature on surface morphology and crystallographic orientation of ZnO thin film is studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The surface morphology and crystallographic orientation of ZnO thin film are transformed against the increasing of growth temperature. The mean grain size of film and the surface roughness are inversely and directly proportional towards the growth temperature from room temperature to 300 °C, respectively. The smaller grain size and finer roughness of ZnO thin film are obtainedmore » at growth temperature of 400 °C. The result of AFM analysis is in good agreement with the result of XRD analysis. ZnO thin films deposited in a series of growth temperatures have hexagonal wurtzite polycrystalline structures and they exhibit transformations in the crystallographic orientation. The results in this study reveal that the growth temperature strongly influences the surface morphology and crystallographic orientation of ZnO thin film.« less

Magnetoelastic Properties of Magnetic Thin Films Using the Magnetooptic Kerr Effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayo, Elizabeth; Lederman, David

1998-03-01

The magnetoelastic properties of Co and Fe thin films were measured using the magnetooptic Kerr effect (MOKE). Films were grown via magnetron sputtering on thin mica substrates. Magnetization loops were measured using MOKE with the magnetic field along different in-plane directions. Subsequently, the samples were mounted on a cylindrical sample holder, which imposed a well-defined strain to the film. This caused the magnetization loops to change dramatically due to the magnetoelastic coefficient of the thin film materials. The effects of the surface roughness and film thickness will also be discussed.

Structurally-driven Enhancement of Thermoelectric Properties within Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) thin Films

PubMed Central

Petsagkourakis, Ioannis; Pavlopoulou, Eleni; Portale, Giuseppe; Kuropatwa, Bryan A.; Dilhaire, Stefan; Fleury, Guillaume; Hadziioannou, Georges

2016-01-01

Due to the rising need for clean energy, thermoelectricity has raised as a potential alternative to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Specifically, thermoelectric devices based on polymers could offer an efficient path for near-room temperature energy harvesters. Thus, control over thermoelectric properties of conducting polymers is crucial and, herein, the structural, electrical and thermoelectric properties of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) thin films doped with p-toluenesulfonate (Tos) molecules were investigated with regards to thin film processing. PEDOT:Tos thin films were prepared by in-situ polymerization of (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) monomers in presence of iron(III) p-toluenesulfonate with different co-solvents in order to tune the film structure. While the Seebeck coefficient remained constant, a large improvement in the electrical conductivity was observed for thin films processed with high boiling point additives. The increase of electrical conductivity was found to be solely in-plane mobility-driven. Probing the thin film structure by Grazing Incidence Wide Angle X-ray Scattering has shown that this behavior is dictated by the structural properties of the PEDOT:Tos films; specifically by the thin film crystallinity combined to the preferential edge-on orientation of the PEDOT crystallites. Consequentially enhancement of the power factor from 25 to 78.5 μW/mK2 has been readily obtained for PEDOT:Tos thin films following this methodology. PMID:27470637

Plasma impact on structural, morphological and optical properties of copper acetylacetonate thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdel-Khalek, H.; El-Samahi, M. I.; El-Mahalawy, Ahmed M.

2018-06-01

The influence of plasma exposure on structural, morphological and optical properties of copper (II) acetylacetonate thin films deposited by thermal evaporation technique was investigated. Copper (II) acetylacetonate as-grown thin films were exposed to the atmospheric plasma for different times. The exposure of as-grown cu(acac)2 thin film to atmospheric plasma for 5 min modified its structural, morphological and optical properties. The effect of plasma exposure on structure and roughness of cu(acac)2 thin films was evaluated by XRD and AFM techniques, respectively. The XRD results showed an increment in crystallinity due to exposure for 5 min, but, when the exposure time reaches 10 min, the film was transformed to an amorphous state. The AFM results revealed a strong modification of films roughness when the average roughness decreased from 63.35 nm to 1 nm as a result of interaction with plasma. The optical properties of as-grown and plasma exposured cu(acac)2 thin films were studied using spectrophotometric method. The exposure of cu(acac)2 thin films to plasma produced the indirect energy gap decrease from 3.20 eV to 2.67 eV for 10 min exposure time. The dispersion parameters were evaluated in terms of single oscillator model for as-grown and plasma exposured thin films. The influence of plasma exposure on third order optical susceptibility was studied.

Effect of thickness on surface morphology, optical and humidity sensing properties of RF magnetron sputtered CCTO thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmadipour, Mohsen; Ain, Mohd Fadzil; Ahmad, Zainal Arifin

2016-11-01

In this study, calcium copper titanate (CCTO) thin films were deposited on ITO substrates successfully by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering method in argon atmosphere. The CCTO thin films present a polycrystalline, uniform and porous structure. The surface morphology, optical and humidity sensing properties of the synthesized CCTO thin films have been studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), UV-vis spectrophotometer and current-voltage (I-V) analysis. XRD and AFM confirmed that the intensity of peaks and pore size of CCTO thin films were enhanced by increasing the thin films. Tauc plot method was adopted to estimate the optical band gaps. The surface structure and energy band gaps of the deposited films were affected by film thickness. Energy band gap of the layers were 3.76 eV, 3.68 eV and 3.5 eV for 200 nm, 400 nm, and 600 nm CCTO thin films layer, respectively. The humidity sensing properties were measured by using direct current (DC) analysis method. The response times were 12 s, 22 s, and 35 s while the recovery times were 500 s, 600 s, and 650 s for 200 nm, 400 nm, and 600 nm CCTO thin films, respectively at humidity range of 30-90% relative humidity (RH).

Structurally-driven Enhancement of Thermoelectric Properties within Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) thin Films.

PubMed

Petsagkourakis, Ioannis; Pavlopoulou, Eleni; Portale, Giuseppe; Kuropatwa, Bryan A; Dilhaire, Stefan; Fleury, Guillaume; Hadziioannou, Georges

2016-07-29

Due to the rising need for clean energy, thermoelectricity has raised as a potential alternative to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. Specifically, thermoelectric devices based on polymers could offer an efficient path for near-room temperature energy harvesters. Thus, control over thermoelectric properties of conducting polymers is crucial and, herein, the structural, electrical and thermoelectric properties of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) thin films doped with p-toluenesulfonate (Tos) molecules were investigated with regards to thin film processing. Tos thin films were prepared by in-situ polymerization of (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) monomers in presence of iron(III) p-toluenesulfonate with different co-solvents in order to tune the film structure. While the Seebeck coefficient remained constant, a large improvement in the electrical conductivity was observed for thin films processed with high boiling point additives. The increase of electrical conductivity was found to be solely in-plane mobility-driven. Probing the thin film structure by Grazing Incidence Wide Angle X-ray Scattering has shown that this behavior is dictated by the structural properties of the Tos films; specifically by the thin film crystallinity combined to the preferential edge-on orientation of the PEDOT crystallites. Consequentially enhancement of the power factor from 25 to 78.5 μW/mK(2) has been readily obtained for Tos thin films following this methodology.

Biocorrosion investigation of two shape memory nickel based alloys: Ni-Mn-Ga and thin film NiTi.

PubMed

Stepan, L L; Levi, D S; Gans, E; Mohanchandra, K P; Ujihara, M; Carman, G P

2007-09-01

Thin film nitinol and single crystal Ni-Mn-Ga represent two new shape memory materials with potential to be used as percutaneously placed implant devices. However, the biocompatibility of these materials has not been adequately assessed. Immersion tests were conducted on both thin film nitinol and single crystal Ni-Mn-Ga in Hank's balanced salt solution at 37 degrees C and pH 7.4. After 12 h, large pits were found on the Ni-Mn-Ga samples while thin film nitinol displayed no signs of corrosion. Further electrochemical tests on thin film nitinol samples revealed breakdown potentials superior to a mechanically polished nitinol disc. These results suggest that passivation or electropolishing of thin film nitinol maybe unnecessary to promote corrosion resistance.

Multi-layer assemblies with predetermined stress profile and method for producing same

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heuer, Arthur H. (Inventor); Kahn, Harold (Inventor); Yang, Jie (Inventor); Phillips, Stephen M. (Inventor)

2003-01-01

Multi-layer assemblies of polysilicon thin films having predetermined stress characteristics and techniques for forming such assemblies are disclosed. In particular, a multi-layer assembly of polysilicon thin films may be produced that has a stress level of zero, or substantially so. The multi-layer assemblies comprise at least one constituent thin film having a tensile stress and at least one constituent thin film having a compressive stress. The thin films forming the multi-layer assemblies may be disposed immediately adjacent to one another without the use of intermediate layers between the thin films. Multi-layer assemblies exhibiting selectively determinable overall bending moments are also disclosed. Selective production of overall bending moments in microstructures enables manufacture of such structures with a wide array of geometrical configurations.

Thin Film Physical Sensor Instrumentation Research and Development at NASA Glenn Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wrbanek, John D.; Fralick, Gustave C.

2006-01-01

A range of thin film sensor technology has been demonstrated enabling measurement of multiple parameters either individually or in sensor arrays including temperature, strain, heat flux, and flow. Multiple techniques exist for refractory thin film fabrication, fabrication and integration on complex surfaces and multilayered thin film insulation. Leveraging expertise in thin films and high temperature materials, investigations for the applications of thin film ceramic sensors has begun. The current challenges of instrumentation technology are to further develop systems packaging and component testing of specialized sensors, further develop instrumentation techniques on complex surfaces, improve sensor durability, and to address needs for extreme temperature applications. The technology research and development ongoing at NASA Glenn for applications to future launch vehicles, space vehicles, and ground systems is outlined.

Optical, mechanical and structural properties of PMMA/SiO2 nanocomposite thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soni, Gyanesh; Srivastava, Subodh; Soni, Purushottam; Kalotra, Pankaj; Vijay, Y. K.

2018-01-01

We have fabricated PMMA/SiO2 nanocomposite flexible thin films of 60 μm thicknesses by using solution casting method in the presence of transverse electric field. In this paper, we have investigated the effect of SiO2 nanoparticle (NP) loading on optical and mechanical properties of the composite thin film. The SEM images show that nanocomposite thin films have a smoother and uniform morphology. The transmittance peak near 1103 cm-1 in FT-IR spectrum confirms the presence of SiO2 NPs in the composite thin film. It is observed that optical bandgap decreases with an increase in the SiO2 NP concentration. Dynamic mechanical analysis shows that presence of SiO2 NP enhances the mechanical strength of the composite thin film.

Fabrication of ATO/Graphene Multi-layered Transparent Conducting Thin Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Na; Chen, Fei; Shen, Qiang; Wang, Chuanbin; Zhang, Lianmeng

2013-03-01

A novel transparent conducting oxide based on the ATO/graphene multi-layered thin films has been developed to satisfy the application of transparent conductive electrode in solar cells. The ATO thin films are prepared by pulsed laser deposition method with high quality, namely the sheet resistance of 49.5 Ω/sq and average transmittance of 81.9 %. The prepared graphene sheet is well reduced and shows atomically thin, spotty distributed appearance on the top of the ATO thin films. The XRD and optical micrographs are used to confirm the successfully preparation of the ATO/graphene multi-layered thin films. The Hall measurements and UV-Vis spectrophotometer are conducted to evaluate the sheet resistance and optical transmittance of the innovative structure. It is found that graphene can improve the electrical properties of the ATO thin films with little influence on the optical transmittance.

Oxygen vacancy induced room temperature ferromagnetism in (In1-xNix)2O3 thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakraborty, Deepannita; Kaleemulla, S.; Kuppan, M.; Rao, N. Madhusudhana; Krishnamoorthi, C.; Omkaram, I.; Reddy, D. Sreekantha; Rao, G. Venugopal

2018-05-01

Nickel doped indium oxide thin films (In1-xNix)2O3 at x = 0.00, 0.03, 0.05 and 0.07 were deposited onto glass substrates by electron beam evaporation technique. The deposited thin films were subjected to annealing in air at 250 °C, 350 °C and 450 °C for 2 h using high temperature furnace. A set of films were vacuum annealed at 450 °C to study the role of oxygen on magnetic properties of the (In1-xNix)2O3 thin films. The thin films were subjected to different characterization techniques to study their structural, chemical, surface, optical and magnetic properties. All the synthesized air annealed and vacuum annealed films exhibit body centered cubic structure without any secondary phases. No significant change in the diffraction peak position, either to lower or higher diffraction angles has been observed. The band gap of the films decreased from 3.73 eV to 3.63 eV with increase of annealing temperature from 250 °C to 450 °C, in the presence of air. From a slight decrease in strength of magnetization to a complete disappearance of hysteresis loop has been observed in pure In2O3 thin films with increasing the annealing temperature from 250 °C to 450 °C, in the presence of air. The (In1-xNix)2O3 thin films annealed under vacuum follow a trend of enhancement in the strength of magnetization to increase in temperature from 250 °C to 450 °C. The hysteresis loop does not disappear at 450 °C in (In1-xNix)2O3 thin films, as observed in the case of pure In2O3 thin films.

Gas Permeation in Thin Glassy Polymer Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paul, Donald

2011-03-01

The development of asymmetric and composite membranes with very thin dense ``skins'' needed to achieve high gas fluxes enabled the commercial use of membranes for molecular level separations. It has been generally assumed that these thin skins, with thicknesses of the order of 100 nm, have the same permeation characteristics as films with thicknesses of 25 microns or more. Thick films are easily made in the laboratory and have been used extensively for measuring permeation characteristics to evaluate the potential of new polymers for membrane applications. There is now evidence that this assumption can be in very significant error, and use of thick film data to select membrane materials or predict performance should be done with caution. This presentation will summarize our work on preparing films of glassy polymers as thin as 20 nm and characterizing their behavior by gas permeation, ellipsometry and positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy. Some of the most important polymers used commercially as gas separation membranes, i.e., Matrimid polyimide, polysulfone (PSF) and poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (PPO), have been made into well-defined thin films in our laboratories by spin casting techniques and their properties studied using the techniques we have developed. These thin films densify (or physically age) much faster than thicker films, and, as result, the permeability decreases, sometimes by several-fold over weeks or months for thin films. This means that the properties of these thin films can be very different from bulk films. The techniques, interpretations and implications of these observations will be discussed. In a broader sense, gas permeation measurements can be a powerful way of developing a better understanding of the effects of polymer chain confinement and/or surface mobility on the behavior of thin films.

SHI irradiation effect on pure and Mn doped ZnO thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khawal, H. A.; Raskar, N. D.; Dole, B. N.

2017-05-01

Investigated the structural, surface, electrical and modifications induced by Swift Heavy Ions (SHI) irradiation on pure and Mn substituted ZnO thin films were observed. Thin films of Zn1-xMnxO (x = 0.00, 0.04) were synthesized using the dip coating technique. All thin films irradiated by Li3+ swift heavy ions with fluence 5 × 1013 ions/cm2. The XRD peak reveals that all the samples exhibit wurtzite structures. Surface morphology of samples was investigated by SEM, it was observed that pristine samples of ZnO thin film shows spherical shape but for 4 % Mn substituted ZnO thin film with 5 × 1013 ions/cm2 fluence, it reveals that big grain spherical morphology like structure respectively. I-V characteristics were recorded in the voltage range -5 to 5 V. All curves were passed through origin and nearly linear exhibit ohmic in nature for the films.

Influence of substrate temperatures on the properties of GdF(3) thin films with quarter-wave thickness in the ultraviolet region.

PubMed

Jin, Jingcheng; Jin, Chunshui; Li, Chun; Deng, Wenyuan; Yao, Shun

2015-06-01

High-quality coatings of fluoride materials are in extraordinary demand for use in deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography. Gadolinium fluoride (GdF₃) thin films were prepared by a thermal boat evaporation process at different substrate temperatures. GdF₃ thin film was set at quarter-wave thickness (∼27  nm) with regard to their common use in DUV/vacuum ultraviolet optical stacks; these thin films may significantly differ in nanostructural properties at corresponding depositing temperatures, which would crucially influence the performance of the multilayers. The measurement and analysis of optical, structural, and mechanical properties of GdF₃ thin films have been performed in a comprehensive characterization cycle. It was found that depositing GdF₃ thin films at relative higher temperature would form a rather dense, smooth, homogeneous structure within this film thickness scale.

Examining the validity of Stoney-equation for in-situ stress measurements in thin film electrodes using a large-deformation finite-element procedure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wen, Jici; Wei, Yujie; Cheng, Yang-Tse

2018-05-01

During the lithiation and delithiation of a thin film electrode, stress in the electrode is deduced from the curvature change of the film using the Stoney equation. The accuracy of such a measurement is conditioned on the assumptions that (a) the mechanical properties of the electrode remain unchanged during lithiation and (b) small deformation holds. Here, we demonstrate that the change in elastic properties can influence the measurement of the stress in thin film electrodes. We consider the coupling between diffusion and deformation during lithiation and delithiation of thin film electrodes and implement the constitutive behavior in a finite-deformation finite element procedure. We demonstrate that both the variation in elastic properties in thin film electrodes and finite-deformation during lithiation and delithiation would challenge the applicability of the Stoney-equation for in-situ stress measurements of thin film electrodes.

[Study on anti-coagulant property of radio frequency sputtering nano-sized TiO2 thin films].

PubMed

Tang, Xiaoshan; Li, Da

2010-12-01

Nano-TiO2 thin films were prepared by Radio frequency (RF) sputtering on pyrolytic carbon substrates. The influences of sputtering power on the structure and the surface morphology of TiO2 thin films were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), and by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results show that the TiO2 films change to anatase through the optimum of sputtering power. The mean diameter of nano-particle is about 30 nm. The anti-coagulant property of TiO2 thin films was observed through platelet adhesion in vitro. The result of experiment reveals the amount of thrombus on the TiO2 thin films being much less than that on the pyrolytic carbon. It also indicates that the RF sputtering Nano-sized TiO2 thin films will be a new kind of promising materials applied to artificial heart valve and endovascular stent.

Pulsed photonic fabrication of nanostructured metal oxide thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bourgeois, Briley B.; Luo, Sijun; Riggs, Brian C.; Adireddy, Shiva; Chrisey, Douglas B.

2017-09-01

Nanostructured metal oxide thin films with a large specific surface area are preferable for practical device applications in energy conversion and storage. Herein, we report instantaneous (milliseconds) photonic synthesis of three-dimensional (3-D) nanostructured metal oxide thin films through the pulsed photoinitiated pyrolysis of organometallic precursor films made by chemical solution deposition. High wall-plug efficiency-pulsed photonic irradiation (xenon flash lamp, pulse width of 1.93 ms, fluence of 7.7 J/cm2 and frequency of 1.2 Hz) is used for scalable photonic processing. The photothermal effect of subsequent pulses rapidly improves the crystalline quality of nanocrystalline metal oxide thin films in minutes. The following paper highlights pulsed photonic fabrication of 3-D nanostructured TiO2, Co3O4, and Fe2O3 thin films, exemplifying a promising new method for the low-cost and high-throughput manufacturing of nanostructured metal oxide thin films for energy applications.

a Brief Survey on Basic Properties of Thin Films for Device Application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rao, M. C.; Shekhawat, M. S.

Thin film materials are the key elements of continued technological advances made in the fields of optoelectronic, photonic and magnetic devices. Thin film studies have directly or indirectly advanced many new areas of research in solid state physics and chemistry which are based on phenomena uniquely characteristic of the thickness, geometry and structure of the film. The processing of materials into thin films allows easy integration into various types of devices. Thin films are extremely thermally stable and reasonably hard, but they are fragile. On the other hand organic materials have reasonable thermal stability and are tough, but are soft. Thin film mechanical properties can be measured by tensile testing of freestanding films and by the micro beam cantilever deflection technique, but the easiest way is by means of nanoindentation. Optical experiments provide a good way of examining the properties of semiconductors. Particularly measuring the absorption coefficient for various energies gives information about the band gaps of the material. Thin film materials have been used in semiconductor devices, wireless communications, telecommunications, integrated circuits, rectifiers, transistors, solar cells, light-emitting diodes, photoconductors and light crystal displays, lithography, micro- electromechanical systems (MEMS) and multifunctional emerging coatings, as well as other emerging cutting technologies.

Thin films composed of multiwalled carbon nanotubes, gold nanoparticles and myoglobin for humidity detection at room temperature.

PubMed

Qi, Zhi-mei; Wei, Mingdeng; Honma, Itaru; Zhou, Haoshen

2007-02-02

Optically transparent and electrically conductive nanocomposite thin films consisting of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), gold nanoparticles (GNPs) and myoglobin molecules that glue GNPs and MWCNTs together are fabricated for the first time on glass substrates from aqueous solution. The nanocomposite thin film is capable of varying its resistance, impedance or optical transmittance at room temperature in response to changes in ambient humidity. The conductometric sensitivity to relative humidity (RH) of the nanocomposite thin film is compared with those of the pure and Mb-functionalized MWCNT layers. The pure MWCNT layer shows a small increase in its resistance with increasing RH due to the effect of p-type semiconducting nanotubes present in the film. In contrast, a four times higher sensitivity to RH is observed for both the nanocomposite and Mb-functionalized MWCNT thin films. The sensitivity enhancement is attributable to swelling of the thin films induced by water absorption in the presence of Mb molecules, which increases the inter-nanotube spacing and thereby causes a further increase of the film resistance. A humidity change as low as DeltaRH=0.3 % has been readily detected by conductometry using the nanocomposite thin film.

Structural and Optical Properties of Cd 1- x Se x Thin Films Deposited by Electron Beam Evaporation Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tripathi, Ravishankar Nath; Verma, Aneet Kumar; Rahul, Vishwakarma, S. R.

2011-10-01

Cadmium selenide (CdSe) thin films deposited by means of electron beam evaporation technique under high vacuum ˜10 -5 torr on ultrasonically cleaned glass substrate. Using stating materials of various compositions of cadmium and selenium using formula Cd 1- x Se x where x is orbitory constant having value 0.20≤ x ≤0.40 here we take less value of x for the creation of anion vacancy in thin films. In present work the structural properties have been studies using XRD technique and found that starting materials and thin films both are polycrystalline in nature having hexagonal structure. Here we study the effect of composition ratio Cd/Se in starting material and its prepared thin films on its grain size and lattice parameter. From the analysis of X-Ray diffractogram found that lattice parameter and grain size both are decreases with increasing Cd/Se ratio in thin films as well as in starting material the preferred orientation in thin films along (100) plane. The surface morphology was studied using SEM characterization and found that films are smooth and homogeneous. The films have been analysed for optical band gap and absorbed a direct band gap.

Molecular dynamics simulations of disjoining pressure effects in ultra-thin water films on a metal surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Han; Sun, Ying

2013-11-01

Disjoining pressure, the excess pressure in an ultra-thin liquid film as a result of van der Waals interactions, is important in lubrication, wetting, flow boiling, and thin film evaporation. The classic theory of disjoining pressure is developed for simple monoatomic liquids. However, real world applications often utilize water, a polar liquid, for which fundamental understanding of disjoining pressure is lacking. In the present study, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are used to gain insights into the effect of disjoining pressure in a water thin film. Our MD models were firstly validated against Derjaguin's experiments on gold-gold interactions across a water film and then verified against disjoining pressure in an argon thin film using the Lennard-Jones potential. Next, a water thin film adsorbed on a gold surface was simulated to examine the change of vapor pressure with film thickness. The results agree well with the classic theory of disjoining pressure, which implies that the polar nature of water molecules does not play an important role. Finally, the effects of disjoining pressure on thin film evaporation in nanoporous membrane and on bubble nucleation are discussed.

Doping induced c-axis oriented growth of transparent ZnO thin film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mistry, Bhaumik V.; Joshi, U. S.

2018-04-01

c-Axis oriented In doped ZnO (IZO) transparent conducting thin films were optimized on glass substrate using sol gel spin coating method. The Indium content in ZnO was varied systematically and the structural parameters were studied. Along with the crystallographic properties, the optoelectronic and electrical properties of IZO thin films were investigated in detail. The IZO thin films revealed hexagonal wurtzite structure. It was found that In doping in ZnO promotes the c-axis oriented growth of the thin films deposited on amorphous substrate. The particle size of the IZO films were increase as doping content increases from 2% to 5%. The 2% In doped ZnO film show electrical resistivity of 0.11 Ω cm, which is far better than the reported value for ZnO thin film. Better than 75% average optical transmission was estimated in the wavelength range from 400-800 nm. Systematic variartions in the electron concentration and band gap was observed with increasing In doping. Note worthy finding is that, with suitable amount of In doping improves not only transparency and conductivity but also improves the preferred orientation of the oxide thin film.

Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jet-Assisted Synthesis of Zeolite-Based Low-k Thin Films.

PubMed

Huang, Kai-Yu; Chi, Heng-Yu; Kao, Peng-Kai; Huang, Fei-Hung; Jian, Qi-Ming; Cheng, I-Chun; Lee, Wen-Ya; Hsu, Cheng-Che; Kang, Dun-Yen

2018-01-10

Zeolites are ideal low-dielectric constant (low-k) materials. This paper reports on a novel plasma-assisted approach to the synthesis of low-k thin films comprising pure-silica zeolite MFI. The proposed method involves treating the aged solution using an atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ). The high reactivity of the resulting nitrogen plasma helps to produce zeolite crystals with high crystallinity and uniform crystal size distribution. The APPJ treatment also remarkably reduces the time for hydrothermal reaction. The zeolite MFI suspensions synthesized with the APPJ treatment are used for the wet deposition to form thin films. The deposited zeolite thin films possessed dense morphology and high crystallinity, which overcome the trade-off between crystallinity and film quality. Zeolite thin films synthesized using the proposed APPJ treatment achieve low leakage current (on the order of 10 -8 A/cm 2 ) and high Young's modulus (12 GPa), outperforming the control sample synthesized without plasma treatment. The dielectric constant of our zeolite thin films was as low as 1.41. The overall performance of the low-k thin films synthesized with the APPJ treatment far exceed existing low-k films comprising pure-silica MFI.

Study on swift heavy ions induced modifications of Ag-ZnO nanocomposite thin film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, S. K.; Singhal, R.; Siva Kumar, V. V.

2017-03-01

In the present work, swift heavy ion (SHI) irradiation induced modifications in structural and optical properties of Ag-ZnO nanocomposite thin films have been investigated. Ag-ZnO nanocomposite (NCs) thin films were synthesized by RF magnetron sputtering technique and irradiated with 100 MeV Ag7+ ions at three different fluences 3 × 1012, 1 × 1013 and 3 × 1013 ions/cm2. Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry revealed Ag concentration to be ∼8.0 at.%, and measured thickness of the films was ∼55 nm. Structural properties of pristine and irradiated films have been analyzed by X-ray diffraction analysis and found that variation in crystallite size of the film with ion irradiation. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) indicates the formation of Ag-ZnO nanocomposite thin film with presence of Ag, Zn and O elements. Oxidation state of Ag and Zn also estimated by XPS analysis. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of Ag nanoparticle has appeared at ∼475 nm in the pristine thin film, which is blue shifted by ∼30 nm in film irradiated at fluence of 3 × 1012 ions/cm2 and completely disappeared in film irradiated at higher fluences, 1 × 1013 and 3 × 1013 ions/cm2. A marginal change in the optical band gap of Ag-ZnO nanocomposite thin film is also found with increasing ion fluence. Surface morphology of pristine and irradiated films have been studied using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). Raman and Photo-luminance (PL) spectra of nanocomposite thin films have been investigated to understand the ion induced modifications such as lattice defects and disordering in the nanocomposite thin film.

Formation of graphitic carbon nitride and boron carbon nitride film on sapphire substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kosaka, Maito; Urakami, Noriyuki; Hashimoto, Yoshio

2018-02-01

As a novel production method of boron carbon nitride (BCN) films, in this paper, we present the incorporation of B into graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4). First, we investigated the formation of g-C3N4 films via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using melamine powder as the precursor. The formation of g-C3N4 films on a c-plane sapphire substrate was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman spectroscopy measurements. The deposition temperature of g-C3N4 films was found to be suitable between 550 and 600 °C since the degradation and desorption of hexagonal C-N bonds should be suppressed. As for BCN films, we prepared BCN films via two-zone extended CVD using ammonia borane as the B precursor. Several XPS signals from B, C, and N core levels were detected from B-incorporated g-C3N4 films. While the N composition was almost constant, the marked tendencies for increasing B composition and decreasing C composition were achieved with the increase in the B incorporation, indicating the incorporation of B atoms by the substitution for C atoms. Optical absorptions were shifted to the high-energy side by B incorporation, which indicates the successful formation of BCN films using melamine and ammonia borane powders as precursors.

Large-area, electronically monodisperse, aligned single-walled carbon nanotube thin films fabricated by evaporation-driven self-assembly.

PubMed

Shastry, Tejas A; Seo, Jung-Woo T; Lopez, Josue J; Arnold, Heather N; Kelter, Jacob Z; Sangwan, Vinod K; Lauhon, Lincoln J; Marks, Tobin J; Hersam, Mark C

2013-01-14

By varying the evaporation conditions and the nanotube and surfactant concentrations, large-area, aligned single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) thin films are fabricated from electronically monodisperse SWCNT solutions by evaporation-driven self-assembly with precise control over the thin film growth geometry. Tunability is possible from 0.5 μm stripes to continuous thin films. The resulting SWCNT thin films possess highly anisotropic electrical and optical properties that are well suited for transparent conductor applications. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Multilayer composites and manufacture of same

DOEpatents

Holesinger, Terry G.; Jia, Quanxi

2006-02-07

The present invention is directed towards a process of depositing multilayer thin films, disk-shaped targets for deposition of multilayer thin films by a pulsed laser or pulsed electron beam deposition process, where the disk-shaped targets include at least two segments with differing compositions, and a multilayer thin film structure having alternating layers of a first composition and a second composition, a pair of the alternating layers defining a bi-layer wherein the thin film structure includes at least 20 bi-layers per micron of thin film such that an individual bi-layer has a thickness of less than about 100 nanometers.

Analysis of Hard Thin Film Coating

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shen, Dashen

1998-01-01

Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is interested in developing hard thin film coating for bearings. The wearing of the bearing is an important problem for space flight engine. Hard thin film coating can drastically improve the surface of the bearing and improve the wear-endurance of the bearing. However, many fundamental problems in surface physics, plasma deposition, etc, need further research. The approach is using Electron Cyclotron Resonance Chemical Vapor Deposition (ECRCVD) to deposit hard thin film on stainless steel bearing. The thin films in consideration include SiC, SiN and other materials. An ECRCVD deposition system is being assembled at MSFC.

Analysis of Hard Thin Film Coating

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shen, Dashen

1998-01-01

MSFC is interested in developing hard thin film coating for bearings. The wearing of the bearing is an important problem for space flight engine. Hard thin film coating can drastically improve the surface of the bearing and improve the wear-endurance of the bearing. However, many fundamental problems in surface physics, plasma deposition, etc, need further research. The approach is using electron cyclotron resonance chemical vapor deposition (ECRCVD) to deposit hard thin film an stainless steel bearing. The thin films in consideration include SiC, SiN and other materials. An ECRCVD deposition system is being assembled at MSFC.

Nonlinear optical characterization of ZnS thin film synthesized by chemical spray pyrolysis method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

G, Sreeja V.; V, Sabitha P.; Anila, E. I.; R, Reshmi; John, Manu Punnan; Radhakrishnan, P.

2014-10-01

ZnS thin film was prepared by Chemical Spray Pyrolysis (CSP) method. The sample was characterized by X-ray diffraction method and Z scan technique. XRD pattern showed that ZnS thin film has hexagonal structure with an average size of about 5.6nm. The nonlinear optical properties of ZnS thin film was studied by open aperture Z-Scan technique using Q-switched Nd-Yag Laser at 532nm. The Z-scan plot showed that the investigated ZnS thin film has saturable absorption behavior. The nonlinear absorption coefficient and saturation intensity were also estimated.

Tungsten-rhenium thin film thermocouples for SiC-based ceramic matrix composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, Bian; Zhang, Zhongkai; Shi, Peng; Zheng, Chen; Yu, Qiuyue; Jing, Weixuan; Jiang, Zhuangde

2017-01-01

A tungsten-rhenium thin film thermocouple is designed and fabricated, depending on the principle of thermal-electric effect caused by the high temperature. The characteristics of thin film thermocouples in different temperatures are investigated via numerical analysis and analog simulation. The working mechanism and thermo-electric features of the thermocouples are analyzed depending on the simulation results. Then the thin film thermocouples are fabricated and calibrated. The calibration results show that the thin film thermocouples based on the tungsten-rhenium material achieve ideal static characteristics and work well in the practical applications.

Coatings for FEL optics: preparation and characterization of B4C and Pt

PubMed Central

Störmer, Michael; Siewert, Frank; Horstmann, Christian; Buchheim, Jana; Gwalt, Grzegorz

2018-01-01

Large X-ray mirrors are required for beam transport at both present-day and future free-electron lasers (FELs) and synchrotron sources worldwide. The demand for large mirrors with lengths up to 1 m single layers consisting of light or heavy elements has increased during the last few decades. Accordingly, surface finishing technology is now able to produce large substrate lengths with micro-roughness on the sub-nanometer scale. At the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht (HZG), a 4.5 m-long sputtering facility enables us to deposit a desired single-layer material some tens of nanometers thick. For the European XFEL project, the shape error should be less than 2 nm over the whole 1 m X-ray mirror length to ensure the safe and efficient delivery of X-ray beams to the scientific instruments. The challenge is to achieve thin-film deposition on silicon substrates, benders and gratings without any change in mirror shape. Thin films of boron carbide and platinum with a thickness in the range 30–100 nm were manufactured using the HZG sputtering facility. This setup is able to cover areas of up to 1500 mm × 120 mm in one step using rectangular sputtering sources. The coatings produced were characterized using various thin-film methods. It was possible to improve the coating process to achieve a very high uniformity of the layer thickness. The movement of the substrate in front of the sputtering source has been optimized. A variation in B4C layer thickness below 1 nm (peak-to-valley) was achieved at a mean thickness of 51.8 nm over a deposition length of 1.5 m. In the case of Pt, reflectometry and micro-roughness measurements were performed. The uniformity in layer thickness was about 1 nm (peak-to-valley). The micro-roughness of the Pt layers showed no significant change in the coated state for layer thicknesses of 32 nm and 102 nm compared with the uncoated substrate state. The experimental results achieved will be discussed with regard to current restrictions and future developments. PMID:29271760