Epitaxial growth and magnetic properties of ultraviolet transparent Ga2O3/(Ga1−xFex)2O3 multilayer thin films

PubMed Central

Guo, Daoyou; An, Yuehua; Cui, Wei; Zhi, Yusong; Zhao, Xiaolong; Lei, Ming; Li, Linghong; Li, Peigang; Wu, Zhenping; Tang, Weihua

2016-01-01

Multilayer thin films based on the ferromagnetic and ultraviolet transparent semiconductors may be interesting because their magnetic/electronic/photonic properties can be manipulated by the high energy photons. Herein, the Ga2O3/(Ga1−xFex)2O3 multilayer epitaxial thin films were obtained by alternating depositing of wide band gap Ga2O3 layer and Fe ultrathin layer due to inter diffusion between two layers at high temperature using the laser molecular beam epitaxy technique. The multilayer films exhibits a preferred growth orientation of crystal plane, and the crystal lattice expands as Fe replaces Ga site. Fe ions with a mixed valence of Fe2+ and Fe3+ are stratified distributed in the film and exhibit obvious agglomerated areas. The multilayer films only show a sharp absorption edge at about 250 nm, indicating a high transparency for ultraviolet light. What’s more, the Ga2O3/(Ga1−xFex)2O3 multilayer epitaxial thin films also exhibits room temperature ferromagnetism deriving from the Fe doping Ga2O3. PMID:27121446

Indentation-derived elastic modulus of multilayer thin films: Effect of unloading induced plasticity

DOE PAGES

Jamison, Ryan Dale; Shen, Yu -Lin

2015-08-13

Nanoindentation is useful for evaluating the mechanical properties, such as elastic modulus, of multilayer thin film materials. A fundamental assumption in the derivation of the elastic modulus from nanoindentation is that the unloading process is purely elastic. In this work, the validity of elastic assumption as it applies to multilayer thin films is studied using the finite element method. The elastic modulus and hardness from the model system are compared to experimental results to show validity of the model. Plastic strain is shown to increase in the multilayer system during the unloading process. Additionally, the indentation-derived modulus of a monolayermore » material shows no dependence on unloading plasticity while the modulus of the multilayer system is dependent on unloading-induced plasticity. Lastly, the cyclic behavior of the multilayer thin film is studied in relation to the influence of unloading-induced plasticity. Furthermore, it is found that several cycles are required to minimize unloading-induced plasticity.« less

Method for measurement of diffusivity: Calorimetric studies of Fe/Ni multilayer thin films

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

Liu, JX; Barmak, K

2015-07-15

A calorimetric method for the measurement of diffusivity in thin film multilayers is introduced and applied to the Fe Ni system. Using this method, the diffusivity in [Fe (25 nm)/Ni (25 nm)](20) multilayer thin films is measured as 4 x 10(-3)exp(-1.6 +/- 0.1 eV/ k(B)T) cm(2)/s, respectively. The diffusion mechanism in the multilayers and its relevance to laboratory synthesis of L1(0) ordered FeNi are discussed. (C) 2015 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Electro-Caloric Properties of BT/PZT Multilayer Thin Films Prepared by Sol-Gel Method.

PubMed

Kwon, Min-Su; Lee, Sung-Gap; Kim, Kyeong-Min

2018-09-01

In this study, Barium Titanate (BT)/Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) multilayer thin films were fabricated by the spin-coating method on Pt (200 nm)/Ti (10 nm) SiO2 (100 nm)/P-Si (100) substrates using BaTiO3 and Pb(Zr0.90Ti0.10)O3 metal alkoxide solutions. The coating and heating procedure was repeated several times to form the multilayer thin films. All of BT/PZT multilayer thin films show X-ray diffraction patterns typical to a polycrystalline perovskite structure and a uniform and void free grain microstructure. The thickness of the BT and PZT film by one-cycle of drying/sintering was approximately 50 nm and all of the films consisted of fine grains with a flat surface morphology. The electrocaloric properties of BT/PZT thin films were investigated by indirect estimation. The results showed that the temperature change ΔT can be calculated as a function of temperature using Maxwell's relation; the temperature change reaches a maximum value of ~1.85 °C at 135 °C under an applied electric field of 260 kV/cm.

Multilayer polymer dielectric films for hollow glass waveguides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kendall, Wesley; Harrington, James A.

2018-02-01

Hollow glass waveguides (HGWs) have been extensively investigated for the transmission of broadband, high-power radiation, particularly in the mid-infrared. One area of particular interest is the deposition of dielectric thin films within the hollow core of the HGW in order to reduce the losses at desired wavelengths. By implementing a thin film multilayer structure with high index mismatch between adjacent films, it is possible to dramatically improve the losses of the waveguides due to the thin film interference effect. Existing multilayer film research has utilized heavy metal halides, which although provide considerable index contrast, are toxic and unsuitable for clinical applications in which they are often used. Polymer dielectric thin films provide desirable optical properties for HGWs but are hindered by solvent compatibility in the deposition procedure. This work demonstrates implementation of a polymer multilayer dielectric thin film stack within a HGW, using ChemoursTM Teflon AF (n = 1.29) as the low-index material and polystyrene (n = 1.59) as the high-index material. These two polymers were deposited using liquid phase techniques within a HGW; the absorption spectra of waveguide as each layer was deposited on was analyzed in the mid-IR with an FTIR, and straight and bending losses were measured on a CO2 laser. Appreciable losses were realized with the addition of the second polymer film and the interference bands red-shifted with the second layer, suggesting the successful creation of the multilayer structure.

Nanomechanical investigation of thin-film electroceramic/metal-organic framework multilayers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Best, James P.; Michler, Johann; Liu, Jianxi; Wang, Zhengbang; Tsotsalas, Manuel; Maeder, Xavier; Röse, Silvana; Oberst, Vanessa; Liu, Jinxuan; Walheim, Stefan; Gliemann, Hartmut; Weidler, Peter G.; Redel, Engelbert; Wöll, Christof

2015-09-01

Thin-film multilayer stacks of mechanically hard magnetron sputtered indium tin oxide (ITO) and mechanically soft highly porous surface anchored metal-organic framework (SURMOF) HKUST-1 were studied using nanoindentation. Crystalline, continuous, and monolithic surface anchored MOF thin films were fabricated using a liquid-phase epitaxial growth method. Control over respective fabrication processes allowed for tuning of the thickness of the thin film systems with a high degree of precision. It was found that the mechanical indentation of such thin films is significantly affected by the substrate properties; however, elastic parameters were able to be decoupled for constituent thin-film materials (EITO ≈ 96.7 GPa, EHKUST-1 ≈ 22.0 GPa). For indentation of multilayer stacks, it was found that as the layer thicknesses were increased, while holding the relative thickness of ITO and HKUST-1 constant, the resistance to deformation was significantly altered. Such an observation is likely due to small, albeit significant, changes in film texture, interfacial roughness, size effects, and controlling deformation mechanism as a result of increasing material deposition during processing. Such effects may have consequences regarding the rational mechanical design and utilization of MOF-based hybrid thin-film devices.

Multilayer thin film design as far ultraviolet quarterwave retarders

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kim, Jongmin; Zukic, Muamer; Torr, Douglas T.; Wilson, Michele M.

1993-01-01

At short wavelengths, such as FUV, transparent, optically active materials are scarce. Reflection phase retardation by a multilayer thin film can be a good alternative in this wavelength region. We design a multilayer quarterwave retarder by calculating the electric fields at each boundary in the multilayer thin film. Using this method, we achieve designs of FUV multilayers which provide high, matched reflectances for both s- and p-polarization states, and at the same time a phase difference between these two states of nearly 90 deg. For example, a quarterwave retarder designed at the Lyman-alpha line (121.6 nm) has 81.05 percent reflectance for the s-polarization and 81.04 percent for the p-polarization state. The phase difference between these two polarization states is 90.07 deg. For convenience the retarders are designed for 45 deg angle of incidence, but our design approach can be used for any other angle of incidence. Aluminum and MgF2 are used as film materials and an opaque thick film of aluminum as the substrate.

Patterning of magnetic thin films and multilayers using nanostructured tantalum gettering templates.

PubMed

Qiu, Wenlan; Chang, Long; Lee, Dahye; Dannangoda, Chamath; Martirosyan, Karen; Litvinov, Dmitri

2015-03-25

This work demonstrates that a nonmagnetic thin film of cobalt oxide (CoO) sandwiched between Ta seed and capping layers can be effectively reduced to a magnetic cobalt thin film by annealing at 200 °C, whereas CoO does not exhibit ferromagnetic properties at room temperature and is stable at up to ∼400 °C. The CoO reduction is attributed to the thermodynamically driven gettering of oxygen by tantalum, similar to the exothermic reduction-oxidation reaction observed in thermite systems. Similarly, annealing at 200 °C of a nonmagnetic [CoO/Pd]N multilayer thin film sandwiched between Ta seed and Ta capping layers results in the conversion into a magnetic [Co/Pd]N multilayer, a material with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy that is of interest for magnetic data storage applications. A nanopatterning approach is introduced where [CoO/Pd]N multilayers is locally reduced into [Co/Pd]N multilayers to achieve perpendicular magnetic anisotropy nanostructured array. This technique can potentially be adapted to nanoscale patterning of other systems for which thermodynamically favorable combination of oxide and gettering layers can be identified.

Nanomechanical investigation of thin-film electroceramic/metal-organic framework multilayers

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

Best, James P., E-mail: james.best@empa.ch, E-mail: engelbert.redel@kit.edu, E-mail: christof.woell@kit.edu; Michler, Johann; Maeder, Xavier

2015-09-07

Thin-film multilayer stacks of mechanically hard magnetron sputtered indium tin oxide (ITO) and mechanically soft highly porous surface anchored metal-organic framework (SURMOF) HKUST-1 were studied using nanoindentation. Crystalline, continuous, and monolithic surface anchored MOF thin films were fabricated using a liquid-phase epitaxial growth method. Control over respective fabrication processes allowed for tuning of the thickness of the thin film systems with a high degree of precision. It was found that the mechanical indentation of such thin films is significantly affected by the substrate properties; however, elastic parameters were able to be decoupled for constituent thin-film materials (E{sub ITO} ≈ 96.7 GPa, E{sub HKUST−1} ≈ 22.0 GPa).more » For indentation of multilayer stacks, it was found that as the layer thicknesses were increased, while holding the relative thickness of ITO and HKUST-1 constant, the resistance to deformation was significantly altered. Such an observation is likely due to small, albeit significant, changes in film texture, interfacial roughness, size effects, and controlling deformation mechanism as a result of increasing material deposition during processing. Such effects may have consequences regarding the rational mechanical design and utilization of MOF-based hybrid thin-film devices.« less

Preliminary Reports, Memoranda and Technical Notes of the Materials Research Council Summer Conference, La Jolla, California

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-07-01

Multilayer Thin Film materials M. S. Wrighton ...................................... 26 •.. Line Defects in Langmuir - Blodgett Films J. P. Hirth...of Langmuir and Blodgett can be used to prepare monolayers and multilayers of organic materials on a o, variety of substrates. The films of organic...references therein. * 2. Cf. Thin Solid Films, 99, (1982) from the proceedings of the "* . International Conference on Langmuir - Blodgett Films held

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.

Properties of thin silver films with different thickness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Pei; Su, Weitao; Wang, Reng; Xu, Xiaofeng; Zhang, Fengshan

2009-01-01

In order to investigate optical properties of silver films with different film thickness, multilayer composed of thin silver film sandwiched between ZnS films are sputtered on the float glass. The crystal structures, optical and electrical properties of films are characterized by various techniques, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), spectrum analysis, etc. The optical constants of thin silver film are calculated by fitting the transmittance ( T) and reflectance ( R) spectrum of the multilayer. Electrical and optical properties of silver films thinner than 6.2 nm exhibit sharp change. However, variation becomes slow as film thickness is larger than 6.2 nm. The experimental results indicate that 6.2 nm is the optimum thickness for properties of silver.

Simultaneous ultra-long data retention and low power based on Ge10Sb90/SiO2 multilayer thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

You, Haipeng; Hu, Yifeng; Zhu, Xiaoqin; Zou, Hua; Song, Sannian; Song, Zhitang

2018-02-01

In this article, Ge10Sb90/SiO2 multilayer thin films were prepared to improve thermal stability and data retention for phase change memory. Compared with Ge10Sb90 monolayer thin film, Ge10Sb90 (1 nm)/SiO2 (9 nm) multilayer thin film had higher crystallization temperature and resistance contrast between amorphous and crystalline states. Annealed Ge10Sb90 (1 nm)/SiO2 (9 nm) had uniform grain with the size of 15.71 nm. After annealing, the root-mean-square surface roughness for Ge10Sb90 (1 nm)/SiO2 (9 nm) thin film increased slightly from 0.45 to 0.53 nm. The amorphization time for Ge10Sb90 (1 nm)/SiO2 (9 nm) thin film (2.29 ns) is shorter than Ge2Sb2Te5 (3.56 ns). The threshold voltage of a cell based on Ge10Sb90 (1 nm)/SiO2 (9 nm) (3.57 V) was smaller than GST (4.18 V). The results indicated that Ge10Sb90/SiO2 was a promising phase change thin film with high thermal ability and low power consumption for phase change memory application.

Nanomechanical Behavior of High Gas Barrier Multilayer Thin Films.

PubMed

Humood, Mohammad; Chowdhury, Shahla; Song, Yixuan; Tzeng, Ping; Grunlan, Jaime C; Polycarpou, Andreas A

2016-05-04

Nanoindentation and nanoscratch experiments were performed on thin multilayer films manufactured using the layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly technique. These films are known to exhibit high gas barrier, but little is known about their durability, which is an important feature for various packaging applications (e.g., food and electronics). Films were prepared from bilayer and quadlayer sequences, with varying thickness and composition. In an effort to evaluate multilayer thin film surface and mechanical properties, and their resistance to failure and wear, a comprehensive range of experiments were conducted: low and high load indentation, low and high load scratch. Some of the thin films were found to have exceptional mechanical behavior and exhibit excellent scratch resistance. Specifically, nanobrick wall structures, comprising montmorillonite (MMT) clay and polyethylenimine (PEI) bilayers, are the most durable coatings. PEI/MMT films exhibit high hardness, large elastic modulus, high elastic recovery, low friction, low scratch depth, and a smooth surface. When combined with the low oxygen permeability and high optical transmission of these thin films, these excellent mechanical properties make them good candidates for hard coating surface-sensitive substrates, where polymers are required to sustain long-term surface aesthetics and quality.

In-situ stress measurement of single and multilayer thin-films used in x-ray astronomy optics applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Broadway, David M.; Ramsey, Brian D.; O'Dell, Stephen L.; Gurgew, Danielle

2017-09-01

We present in-situ stress measurement results for single and multilayer thin-films deposited by magnetron sputtering. In particular, we report on the influence of the material interfaces on the ensuing stress in both the transient and steady-state regimes of film growth. This behavior is used to determine the appropriate thicknesses of the constituent layers that will result in a net tensile stress in multilayers composed of various material combinations. These multilayers can then be used to compensate the compressive integrated stress in single and multilayer EUV and x-ray optical coatings. The use of multilayers to compensate the integrated stress might be advantageous because, unlike single layers of chromium, the roughness is not expected to increase with the total thickness of the multilayer. In this paper, we demonstrate the technique for W/Si and Mo/Si multilayers and discuss its application to other material combinations.

Chiral magnetic conductivity and surface states of Weyl semimetals in topological insulator ultra-thin film multilayer.

PubMed

Owerre, S A

2016-06-15

We investigate an ultra-thin film of topological insulator (TI) multilayer as a model for a three-dimensional (3D) Weyl semimetal. We introduce tunneling parameters t S, [Formula: see text], and t D, where the former two parameters couple layers of the same thin film at small and large momenta, and the latter parameter couples neighbouring thin film layers along the z-direction. The Chern number is computed in each topological phase of the system and we find that for [Formula: see text], the tunneling parameter [Formula: see text] changes from positive to negative as the system transits from Weyl semi-metallic phase to insulating phases. We further study the chiral magnetic effect (CME) of the system in the presence of a time dependent magnetic field. We compute the low-temperature dependence of the chiral magnetic conductivity and show that it captures three distinct phases of the system separated by plateaus. Furthermore, we propose and study a 3D lattice model of Porphyrin thin film, an organic material known to support topological Frenkel exciton edge states. We show that this model exhibits a 3D Weyl semi-metallic phase and also supports a 2D Weyl semi-metallic phase. We further show that this model recovers that of 3D Weyl semimetal in topological insulator thin film multilayer. Thus, paving the way for simulating a 3D Weyl semimetal in topological insulator thin film multilayer. We obtain the surface states (Fermi arcs) in the 3D model and the chiral edge states in the 2D model and analyze their topological properties.

ZrO2 Layer Thickness Dependent Electrical and Dielectric Properties of BST/ZrO2/BST Multilayer Thin Films

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

Sahoo, S. K.; Misra, D.; Agrawal, D. C.

2011-01-01

Recently, high K materials play an important role in microelectronic devices such as capacitors, memory devices, and microwave devices. Now a days ferroelectric barium strontium titanate [Ba{sub x}Sr{sub 1-x}TiO{sub 3}, (BST)] thin film is being actively investigated for applications in dynamic random access memories (DRAM), field effect transistor (FET), and tunable devices because of its properties such as high dielectric constant, low leakage current, low dielectric loss, and high dielectric breakdown strength. Several approaches have been used to optimize the dielectric and electrical properties of BST thin films such as doping, graded compositions, and multilayer structures. We have found thatmore » inserting a ZrO{sub 2} layer in between two BST layers results in a significant reduction in dielectric constant, loss tangent, and leakage current in the multilayer thin films. Also it is shown that the properties of multilayer structure are found to depend strongly on the sublayer thicknesses. In this work the effect of ZrO{sub 2} layer thickness on the dielectric, ferroelectric as well as electrical properties of BST/ZrO{sub 2}/BST multilayer structure is studied. The multilayer Ba{sub 0.8}Sr{sub 0.2}TiO{sub 3}/ZrO{sub 2}/Ba{sub 0.8}Sr{sub 0.2}TiO{sub 3} film is deposited by a sol-gel process on the platinized Si substrate. The thickness of the middle ZrO{sub 2} layer is varied while keeping the top and bottom BST layer thickness as fixed. It is observed that the dielectric constant, dielectric loss tangent, and leakage current of the multilayer films reduce with the increase of ZrO{sub 2} layer thickness and hence suitable for memory device applications. The ferroelectric properties of the multilayer film also decrease with the ZrO{sub 2} layer thickness.« less

Interplay between current driven ferromagnetism in charge ordered antiferromagnetic Pr0.5Ca0.5MnO3 and superconducting YBa2Cu3O7-δ thin film multilayer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baisnab, Dipak Kumar; Sardar, Manas; Amaladass, E. P.; Vaidhyanathan, L. S.; Baskaran, R.

2018-07-01

Thin film multilayer heterostructure of alternate YBa2Cu3O7-δ (YBCO) and Pr0.5Ca0.5MnO3 (PCMO) with thickness of each layer ∼60 nm has been deposited on (100) oriented SrTiO3 substrate by Pulsed Laser Deposition technique. A half portion of the base YBCO layer was masked in situ using mechanical shadow mask and in the remaining half portion, five alternate layers of PCMO and YBCO thin films were deposited. Magnetoresistance measurements were carried out under externally applied magnetic field and injection current. A noticeable damped oscillation of the superconducting transition temperature (TC) of this multilayer with respect to magnetic field is seen. Curiously, the field at which the first minimum in TC occurs, decreases as an injection current is driven perpendicular/parallel to the multilayers. Both these phenomena indicate that ferromagnetic correlation can be induced in antiferromagnetic PCMO thin films by (1) external magnetic field, or (2) injection current. While (1) is well researched, our study indicates that ferromagnetism can be induced by small amount of current in PCMO thin films. This unusual behavior points towards the strongly correlated nature of electrons in PCMO.

Laser processing of thin-film multilayer structures: comparison between a 3D thermal model and experimental results.

PubMed

Naghshine, Babak B; Kiani, Amirkianoosh

2017-01-01

In this research, a numerical model is introduced for simulation of laser processing of thin film multilayer structures, to predict the temperature and ablated area for a set of laser parameters including average power and repetition rate. Different thin-films on Si substrate were processed by nanosecond Nd:YAG laser pulses and the experimental and numerical results were compared to each other. The results show that applying a thin film on the surface can completely change the temperature field and vary the shape of the heat affected zone. The findings of this paper can have many potential applications including patterning the cell growth for biomedical applications and controlling the grain size in fabrication of polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) thin-film transistors (TFTs).

Doped SnO₂ transparent conductive multilayer thin films explored by continuous composition spread.

PubMed

Lee, Jin Ju; Ha, Jong-Yoon; Choi, Won-Kook; Cho, Yong Soo; Choi, Ji-Won

2015-04-13

Mn-doped SnO₂ thin films were fabricated by a continuous composition spread (CCS) method on a glass substrate at room temperature to find optimized compositions. The fabricated materials were found to have a lower resistivity than pure SnO₂ thin films because of oxygen vacancies generated by Mn doping. As Mn content was increased, resistivity was found to decrease for limited doping concentrations. The minimum thin film resistivity was 0.29 Ω-cm for a composition of 2.59 wt % Mn-doped SnO₂. The Sn-O vibrational stretching frequency in FT-IR showed a blue shift, consistent with oxygen deficiency. Mn-doped SnO₂/Ag/Mn-doped SnO₂ multilayer structures were fabricated using this optimized composition deposited by an on-axis radio frequency (RF) sputter. The multilayer transparent conducting oxide film had a resistivity of 7.35 × 10⁻⁵ Ω-cm and an average transmittance above 86% in the 550 nm wavelength region.

The effect of underlayers on the reversal of perpendicularly magnetized multilayer thin films for magnetic micro- and nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vemulkar, T.; Mansell, R.; Petit, D. C. M. C.; Cowburn, R. P.; Lesniak, M. S.

2017-01-01

Perpendicularly magnetized microparticles offer the ability to locally apply high torques on soft matter under an applied magnetic field. These particles are engineered to have a zero remanence magnetic configuration via synthetic antiferromagnetic coupling using a Ru coupling interlayer. The flexibility offered by the top down thin film fabrication process in a CoFeB/Pt perpendicular thin film is demonstrated by using the Pt interlayer thicknesses in a Pt/Ru/Pt antiferromagnetic coupling multilayer to tune the applied magnetic field value of the easy axis spin-flip transition to saturation and hence the field value at which the magnetic particles are magnetically activated via a distinct transition to saturation. The importance of a Ta buffer layer on the magnetic behavior of the stack is shown. While Au capping layers are desirable for biotechnology applications, we demonstrate that they can drastically change the nucleation and propagation of domains in the film, thereby altering the reversal behavior of the thin film. The effect of Au underlayers on a multilayer thin film composed of repeated motifs of a synthetic antiferromagnetic building block is also investigated.

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

{ital In-situ} x-ray investigation of hydrogen charging in thin film bimetallic electrodes

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

Jisrawi, N.M.; Wiesmann, H.; Ruckman, M.W.

Hydrogen uptake and discharge by thin metallic films under potentiostatic control was studied using x-ray diffraction at the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS). The formation of metal-hydrogen phases in Pd, Pd-capped Nb and Pd/Nb multilayer electrode structures was deduced from x-ray diffraction data and correlated with the cyclic voltammetry (CV) peaks. The x-ray data was also used to construct a plot of the hydrogen concentration as a function of cell potential for a multilayered thin film. {copyright} {ital 1997 Materials Research Society.}

Sb7Te3/Ge multilayer films for low power and high speed phase-change memory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Shiyu; Wu, Weihua; Zhai, Jiwei; Song, Sannian; Song, Zhitang

2017-06-01

Phase-change memory has attracted enormous attention for its excellent properties as compared to flash memories due to their high speed, high density, better date retention and low power consumption. Here we present Sb7Te3/Ge multilayer films by using a magnetron sputtering method. The 10 years’ data retention temperature is significantly increased compared with pure Sb7Te3. When the annealing temperature is above 250 °C, the Sb7Te3/Ge multilayer thin films have better interface properties, which renders faster crystallization speed and high thermal stability. The decrease in density of ST/Ge multilayer films is only around 5%, which is very suitable for phase change materials. Moreover, the low RESET power benefits from high resistivity and better thermal stability in the PCM cells. This work demonstrates that the multilayer configuration thin films with tailored properties are beneficial for improving the stability and speed in phase change memory applications.

Recent progress in high-mobility thin-film transistors based on multilayer 2D materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, Young Ki; Liu, Na; Yin, Demin; Hong, Seongin; Kim, Dong Hak; Kim, Sunkook; Choi, Woong; Yoon, Youngki

2017-04-01

Two-dimensional (2D) layered semiconductors are emerging as promising candidates for next-generation thin-film electronics because of their high mobility, relatively large bandgap, low-power switching, and the availability of large-area growth methods. Thin-film transistors (TFTs) based on multilayer transition metal dichalcogenides or black phosphorus offer unique opportunities for next-generation electronic and optoelectronic devices. Here, we review recent progress in high-mobility transistors based on multilayer 2D semiconductors. We describe the theoretical background on characterizing methods of TFT performance and material properties, followed by their applications in flexible, transparent, and optoelectronic devices. Finally, we highlight some of the methods used in metal-semiconductor contacts, hybrid structures, heterostructures, and chemical doping to improve device performance.

Roll-to-Roll sputtered ITO/Cu/ITO multilayer electrode for flexible, transparent thin film heaters and electrochromic applications.

PubMed

Park, Sung-Hyun; Lee, Sang-Mok; Ko, Eun-Hye; Kim, Tae-Ho; Nah, Yoon-Chae; Lee, Sang-Jin; Lee, Jae Heung; Kim, Han-Ki

2016-09-22

We fabricate high-performance, flexible, transparent electrochromic (EC) films and thin film heaters (TFHs) on an ITO/Cu/ITO (ICI) multilayer electrode prepared by continuous roll-to-roll (RTR) sputtering of ITO and Cu targets. The RTR-sputtered ICI multilayer on a 700 mm wide PET substrate at room temperature exhibits a sheet resistance of 11.8 Ω/square and optical transmittance of 73.9%, which are acceptable for the fabrication of flexible and transparent EC films and TFHs. The effect of the Cu interlayer thickness on the electrical and optical properties of the ICI multilayer was investigated in detail. The bending and cycling fatigue tests demonstrate that the RTR-sputtered ICI multilayer was more flexible than a single ITO film because of high strain failure of the Cu interlayer. The flexible and transparent EC films and TFHs fabricated on the ICI electrode show better performances than reference EC films and TFHs with a single ITO electrode. Therefore, the RTR-sputtered ICI multilayer is the best substitute for the conventional ITO film electrode in order to realize flexible, transparent, cost-effective and large-area EC devices and TFHs that can be used as flexible and smart windows.

Roll-to-Roll sputtered ITO/Cu/ITO multilayer electrode for flexible, transparent thin film heaters and electrochromic applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Sung-Hyun; Lee, Sang-Mok; Ko, Eun-Hye; Kim, Tae-Ho; Nah, Yoon-Chae; Lee, Sang-Jin; Lee, Jae Heung; Kim, Han-Ki

2016-09-01

We fabricate high-performance, flexible, transparent electrochromic (EC) films and thin film heaters (TFHs) on an ITO/Cu/ITO (ICI) multilayer electrode prepared by continuous roll-to-roll (RTR) sputtering of ITO and Cu targets. The RTR-sputtered ICI multilayer on a 700 mm wide PET substrate at room temperature exhibits a sheet resistance of 11.8 Ω/square and optical transmittance of 73.9%, which are acceptable for the fabrication of flexible and transparent EC films and TFHs. The effect of the Cu interlayer thickness on the electrical and optical properties of the ICI multilayer was investigated in detail. The bending and cycling fatigue tests demonstrate that the RTR-sputtered ICI multilayer was more flexible than a single ITO film because of high strain failure of the Cu interlayer. The flexible and transparent EC films and TFHs fabricated on the ICI electrode show better performances than reference EC films and TFHs with a single ITO electrode. Therefore, the RTR-sputtered ICI multilayer is the best substitute for the conventional ITO film electrode in order to realize flexible, transparent, cost-effective and large-area EC devices and TFHs that can be used as flexible and smart windows.

Roll-to-Roll sputtered ITO/Cu/ITO multilayer electrode for flexible, transparent thin film heaters and electrochromic applications

PubMed Central

Park, Sung-Hyun; Lee, Sang-Mok; Ko, Eun-Hye; Kim, Tae-Ho; Nah, Yoon-Chae; Lee, Sang-Jin; Lee, Jae Heung; Kim, Han-Ki

2016-01-01

We fabricate high-performance, flexible, transparent electrochromic (EC) films and thin film heaters (TFHs) on an ITO/Cu/ITO (ICI) multilayer electrode prepared by continuous roll-to-roll (RTR) sputtering of ITO and Cu targets. The RTR-sputtered ICI multilayer on a 700 mm wide PET substrate at room temperature exhibits a sheet resistance of 11.8 Ω/square and optical transmittance of 73.9%, which are acceptable for the fabrication of flexible and transparent EC films and TFHs. The effect of the Cu interlayer thickness on the electrical and optical properties of the ICI multilayer was investigated in detail. The bending and cycling fatigue tests demonstrate that the RTR-sputtered ICI multilayer was more flexible than a single ITO film because of high strain failure of the Cu interlayer. The flexible and transparent EC films and TFHs fabricated on the ICI electrode show better performances than reference EC films and TFHs with a single ITO electrode. Therefore, the RTR-sputtered ICI multilayer is the best substitute for the conventional ITO film electrode in order to realize flexible, transparent, cost-effective and large-area EC devices and TFHs that can be used as flexible and smart windows. PMID:27653830

Improvement of Permeation of Solvent-Free Multilayer Encapsulation of Thin Films on Poly(ethylene terephthalate)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Jin-Woo; Kang, Hee-Jin; Kim, Jong-Yeon; Kim, Gwi-Yeol; Seo, Dae-Shik

2006-12-01

In this study, inorganic multilayer thin-film encapsulation is adopted for the first time to protect an organic layer from moisture and oxygen. Inorganic multilayer thin-film encapsulation is deposited onto poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) using an electron beam and sputtering. The SiON/SiO2 and parylene layer show the most suitable properties. Under these conditions, the water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) for PET can be reduced from a level of 0.57 g m-2 day-1 (bare substrate) to 1× 10-5 g m-2 day-1 after the application of a SiON and SiO2 layer. These results indicate that PET/parylene/SiO2/SiON barrier coatings have high potential for flexible organic light-emitting diode (OLED) applications.

High Transparent and Conductive TiO2/Ag/TiO2 Multilayer Electrode Films Deposited on Sapphire Substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loka, Chadrasekhar; Moon, Sung Whan; Choi, YiSik; Lee, Kee-Sun

2018-03-01

Transparent conducting oxides attract intense interests due to its diverse industrial applications. In this study, we report sapphire substrate-based TiO2/Ag/TiO2 (TAT) multilayer structure of indium-free transparent conductive multilayer coatings. The TAT thin films were deposited at room temperature on sapphire substrates and a rigorous analysis has been presented on the electrical and optical properties of the films as a function of Ag thickness. The optical and electrical properties were mainly controlled by the Ag mid-layer thickness of the TAT tri-layer. The TAT films showed high luminous transmittance 84% at 550 nm along with noteworthy low electrical resistance 3.65 × 10-5 Ω-cm and sheet resistance of 3.77 Ω/square, which is better are than those of amorphous ITO films and any sapphire-based dielectric/metal/dielectric multilayer stack. The carrier concentration of the films was increased with respect to Ag thickness. We obtained highest Hackke's figure of merit 43.97 × 10-3 Ω-1 from the TAT multilayer thin film with a 16 nm thick Ag mid-layer.

Solution-processed phase-change VO(2) metamaterials from colloidal vanadium oxide (VO(x)) nanocrystals.

PubMed

Paik, Taejong; Hong, Sung-Hoon; Gaulding, E Ashley; Caglayan, Humeyra; Gordon, Thomas R; Engheta, Nader; Kagan, Cherie R; Murray, Christopher B

2014-01-28

We demonstrate thermally switchable VO2 metamaterials fabricated using solution-processable colloidal nanocrystals (NCs). Vanadium oxide (VOx) NCs are synthesized through a nonhydrolytic reaction and deposited from stable colloidal dispersions to form NC thin films. Rapid thermal annealing transforms the VOx NC thin films into monoclinic, nanocrystalline VO2 thin films that show a sharp, reversible metal-insulator phase transition. Introduction of precise concentrations of tungsten dopings into the colloidal VOx NCs enables the still sharp phase transition of the VO2 thin films to be tuned to lower temperatures as the doping level increases. We fabricate "smart", differentially doped, multilayered VO2 films to program the phase and therefore the metal-insulator behavior of constituent vertically structured layers with temperature. With increasing temperature, we tailored the optical response of multilayered films in the near-IR and IR regions from that of a strong light absorber, in a metal-insulator structure, to that of a Drude-like reflector, characteristic of a pure metallic structure. We demonstrate that nanocrystal-based nanoimprinting can be employed to pattern multilayered subwavelength nanostructures, such as three-dimensional VO2 nanopillar arrays, that exhibit plasmonic dipolar responses tunable with a temperature change.

Magnetic properties of sputtered Permalloy/molybdenum multilayers

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

Romera, M.; Ciudad, D.; Maicas, M.

2011-10-15

In this work, we report the magnetic properties of sputtered Permalloy (Py: Ni{sub 80}Fe{sub 20})/molybdenum (Mo) multilayer thin films. We show that it is possible to maintain a low coercivity and a high permeability in thick sputtered Py films when reducing the out-of-plane component of the anisotropy by inserting thin film spacers of a non-magnetic material like Mo. For these kind of multilayers, we have found coercivities which are close to those for single layer films with no out-of-plane anisotropy. The coercivity is also dependent on the number of layers exhibiting a minimum value when each single Py layer hasmore » a thickness close to the transition thickness between Neel and Bloch domain walls.« less

Self-Assembled Multilayer Structure and Enhanced Thermochromic Performance of Spinodally Decomposed TiO2-VO2 Thin Film.

PubMed

Sun, Guangyao; Zhou, Huaijuan; Cao, Xun; Li, Rong; Tazawa, Masato; Okada, Masahisa; Jin, Ping

2016-03-23

Composite films of VO2-TiO2 were deposited on sapphire (11-20) substrate by cosputtering method. Self-assembled well-ordered multilayer structure with alternating Ti- and V-rich epitaxial thin layer was obtained by thermal annealing via a spinodal decomposition mechanism. The structured thermochromic films demonstrate superior optical modulation upon phase transition, with significantly reduced transition temperature. The results provide a facile and novel approach to fabricate smart structures with excellent performance.

Low temperature reactive bonding

DOEpatents

Makowiecki, D.M.; Bionta, R.M.

1995-01-17

The joining technique is disclosed that requires no external heat source and generates very little heat during joining. It involves the reaction of thin multilayered films deposited on faying surfaces to create a stable compound that functions as an intermediate or braze material in order to create a high strength bond. While high temperatures are reached in the reaction of the multilayer film, very little heat is generated because the films are very thin. It is essentially a room temperature joining process. 5 figures.

Binary metal oxide nanoparticle incorporated composite multilayer thin films for sono-photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gokul, Paramasivam; Vinoth, Ramalingam; Neppolian, Bernaurdshaw; Anandhakumar, Sundaramurthy

2017-10-01

We report reduced graphene oxide (rGO) supported binary metal oxide (CuO-TiO2/rGO) nanoparticle (NP) incorporated multilayer thin films based on Layer-by-Layer (LbL) assembly for enhanced sono-photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange under exposure to UV radiation. Multilayer thin films were fabricated on glass and quartz slides, and investigated using scanning electron microscopy and UV-vis spectroscopy. The loading of catalyst NPs on the film resulted in the change of morphology of the film from smooth to rough with uniformly distributed NPs on the surface. The growth of the control and NP incorporated films followed a linear regime as a function of number of layers. The%degradation of methyl orange as a function of time was investigated by UV-vis spectroscopy and total organic carbon (TOC) measurements. Complete degradation of methyl orange was achieved within 13 h. The amount of NP loading in the film significantly influenced the%degradation of methyl orange. Catalyst reusability studies revealed that the catalyst thin films could be repeatedly used for up to five times without any change in photocatalytic activity of the films. The findings of the present study support that the binary metal oxide catalyst films reported here are very useful for continuous systems, and thus, making it an option for scale up.

Fabrication of stable, wide-bandgap thin films of Mg, Zn and O

DOEpatents

Katiyar, Ram S.; Bhattacharya, Pijush; Das, Rasmi R.

2006-07-25

A stable, wide-bandgap (approximately 6 eV) ZnO/MgO multilayer thin film is fabricated using pulsed-laser deposition on c-plane Al₂O₃ substrates. Layers of ZnO alternate with layers of MgO. The thickness of MgO is a constant of approximately 1 nm; the thicknesses of ZnO layers vary from approximately 0.75 to 2.5 nm. Abrupt structural transitions from hexagonal to cubic phase follow a decrease in the thickness of ZnO sublayers within this range. The band gap of the thin films is also influenced by the crystalline structure of multilayer stacks. Thin films with hexagonal and cubic structure have band-gap values of 3.5 and 6 eV, respectively. In the hexagonal phase, Mg content of the films is approximately 40%; in the cubic phase Mg content is approximately 60%. The thin films are stable and their structural and optical properties are unaffected by annealing at 750.degree. C.

Mo/Si and Mo/Be multilayer thin films on Zerodur substrates for extreme-ultraviolet lithography

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

Mirkarimi, Paul B.; Bajt, Sasa; Wall, Mark A.

2000-04-01

Multilayer-coated Zerodur optics are expected to play a pivotal role in an extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) lithography tool. Zerodur is a multiphase, multicomponent material that is a much more complicated substrate than commonly used single-crystal Si or fused-silica substrates. We investigate the effect of Zerodur substrates on the performance of high-EUV reflectance Mo/Si and Mo/Be multilayer thin films. For Mo/Si the EUV reflectance had a nearly linear dependence on substrate roughness for roughness values of 0.06-0.36 nm rms, and the FWHM of the reflectance curves (spectral bandwidth) was essentially constant over this range. For Mo/Be the EUV reflectance was observed to decreasemore » more steeply than Mo/Si for roughness values greater than approximately 0.2-0.3 nm. Little difference was observed in the EUV reflectivity of multilayer thin films deposited on different substrates as long as the substrate roughness values were similar. (c) 2000 Optical Society of America.« less

Mo/Si and Mo/Be multilayer thin films on Zerodur substrates for extreme-ultraviolet lithography.

PubMed

Mirkarimi, P B; Bajt, S; Wall, M A

2000-04-01

Multilayer-coated Zerodur optics are expected to play a pivotal role in an extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) lithography tool. Zerodur is a multiphase, multicomponent material that is a much more complicated substrate than commonly used single-crystal Si or fused-silica substrates. We investigate the effect of Zerodur substrates on the performance of high-EUV reflectance Mo/Si and Mo/Be multilayer thin films. For Mo/Si the EUV reflectance had a nearly linear dependence on substrate roughness for roughness values of 0.06-0.36 nm rms, and the FWHM of the reflectance curves (spectral bandwidth) was essentially constant over this range. For Mo/Be the EUV reflectance was observed to decrease more steeply than Mo/Si for roughness values greater than approximately 0.2-0.3 nm. Little difference was observed in the EUV reflectivity of multilayer thin films deposited on different substrates as long as the substrate roughness values were similar.

Multilayer bioactive glass/zirconium titanate thin films in bone tissue engineering and regenerative dentistry

PubMed Central

Mozafari, Masoud; Salahinejad, Erfan; Shabafrooz, Vahid; Yazdimamaghani, Mostafa; Vashaee, Daryoosh; Tayebi, Lobat

2013-01-01

Surface modification, particularly coatings deposition, is beneficial to tissue-engineering applications. In this work, bioactive glass/zirconium titanate composite thin films were prepared by a sol-gel spin-coating method. The surface features of the coatings were studied by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and spectroscopic reflection analyses. The results show that uniform and sound multilayer thin films were successfully prepared through the optimization of the process variables and the application of carboxymethyl cellulose as a dispersing agent. Also, it was found that the thickness and roughness of the multilayer coatings increase nonlinearly with increasing the number of the layers. This new class of nanocomposite coatings, comprising the bioactive and inert components, is expected not only to enhance bioactivity and biocompatibility, but also to protect the surface of metallic implants against wear and corrosion. PMID:23641155

High conductivity and transparent aluminum-based multi-layer source/drain electrodes for thin film transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Rihui; Zhang, Hongke; Fang, Zhiqiang; Ning, Honglong; Zheng, Zeke; Li, Xiaoqing; Zhang, Xiaochen; Cai, Wei; Lu, Xubing; Peng, Junbiao

2018-02-01

In this study, high conductivity and transparent multi-layer (AZO/Al/AZO-/Al/AZO) source/drain (S/D) electrodes for thin film transistors were fabricated via conventional physical vapor deposition approaches, without toxic elements or further thermal annealing process. The 68 nm-thick multi-layer films with excellent optical properties (transparency: 82.64%), good electrical properties (resistivity: 6.64  ×  10-5 Ω m, work function: 3.95 eV), and superior surface roughness (R q   =  0.757 nm with scanning area of 5  ×  5 µm2) were fabricated as the S/D electrodes. Significantly, comprehensive performances of AZO films are enhanced by the insertion of ultra-thin Al layers. The optimal transparent TFT with this multi-layer S/D electrodes exhibited a decent electrical performance with a saturation mobility (µ sat) of 3.2 cm2 V-1 s-1, an I on/I off ratio of 1.59  ×  106, a subthreshold swing of 1.05 V/decade. The contact resistance of AZO/Al/AZO/Al/AZO multi-layer electrodes is as low as 0.29 MΩ. Moreover, the average visible light transmittance of the unpatterned multi-layers constituting a whole transparent TFT could reach 72.5%. The high conductivity and transparent multi-layer S/D electrodes for transparent TFTs possessed great potential for the applications of the green and transparent displays industry.

Giant negative electrocaloric effect in PbZrO3/0.88BaTiO3-0.12Bi(Mg1/2,Ti1/2)O3 multilayered composite ferroelectric thin film for solid-state refrigeration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, D.; Wang, J. B.; Zhong, X. L.; Li, B.; Zhang, Y.; Jin, C.; Zheng, D. F.; Meng, X. J.

2017-11-01

A giant negative electrocaloric (EC) effect in a PbZrO3/(0.88BaTiO3-0.12 Bi(Mg1/2,Ti1/2)O3) (PZ/(BT-BMT)) multilayered composite ferroelectric (MCFE) thin film which is grown on Pt(111)/Ti/SiO2/Si(100) substrates by the sol-gel method is investigated in this work. The negative EC effect in the PZ/(BMT-BT) MCFE thin film is greatly higher than that in the PZ AFE thin film with an adiabatic temperature change (ATC) ΔT = 1.5 K. The ATC ΔT of the PZ/(BMT-BT) MCFE thin film is -32 K under the applied electric field change ΔE = 1151 kV/cm. The result is conducive to enhance the EC refrigeration efficiency greatly.

Epitaxy: Programmable Atom Equivalents Versus Atoms

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

Wang, Mary X.; Seo, Soyoung E.; Gabrys, Paul A.

The programmability of DNA makes it an attractive structure-directing ligand for the assembly of nanoparticle superlattices in a manner that mimics many aspects of atomic crystallization. However, the synthesis of multilayer single crystals of defined size remains a challenge. Though previous studies considered lattice mismatch as the major limiting factor for multilayer assembly, thin film growth depends on many interlinked variables. Here, a more comprehensive approach is taken to study fundamental elements, such as the growth temperature and the thermodynamics of interfacial energetics, to achieve epitaxial growth of nanoparticle thin films. Under optimized equilibrium conditions, single crystal, multilayer thin filmsmore » can be synthesized over 500 × 500 μm2 areas on lithographically patterned templates. Importantly, these superlattices follow the same patterns of crystal growth demonstrated in thin film atomic deposition, allowing for these processes to be understood in the context of well-studied atomic epitaxy, and potentially enabling a nanoscale model to study fundamental crystallization processes.« less

Properties of Exchange Coupled All-garnet Magneto-Optic Thin Film Multilayer Structures

PubMed Central

Nur-E-Alam, Mohammad; Vasiliev, Mikhail; Kotov, Viacheslav A.; Balabanov, Dmitry; Akimov, Ilya; Alameh, Kamal

2015-01-01

The effects of exchange coupling on magnetic switching properties of all-garnet multilayer thin film structures are investigated. All-garnet structures are fabricated by sandwiching a magneto-soft material of composition type Bi1.8Lu1.2Fe3.6Al1.4O12 or Bi3Fe5O12:Dy2O3 in between two magneto-hard garnet material layers of composition type Bi2Dy1Fe4Ga1O12 or Bi2Dy1Fe4Ga1O12:Bi2O3. The fabricated RF magnetron sputtered exchange-coupled all-garnet multilayers demonstrate a very attractive combination of magnetic properties, and are of interest for emerging applications in optical sensors and isolators, ultrafast nanophotonics and magneto-plasmonics. An unconventional type of magnetic hysteresis behavior not observed previously in magnetic garnet thin films is reported and discussed. PMID:28788043

Enhancement of the electrical characteristics of thin-film transistors with indium-zinc-tin oxide/Ag/indium-zinc-tin oxide multilayer electrodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oh, Dohyun; Yun, Dong Yeol; Cho, Woon-Jo; Kim, Tae Whan

2014-08-01

Transparent indium-zinc-tin oxide (IZTO)-based thin-film transistors (TFTs) with IZTO/Ag/IZTO multilayer electrodes were fabricated on glass substrates using a tilted dual-target radio-frequency magnetron sputtering system. The IZTO TFTs with IZTO/Ag/IZTO multilayer electrodes exhibited a high optical transmittance in a visible region. The threshold voltage, the mobility, and the on/off-current ratio of the TFTs with IZTO/Ag/IZTO multilayer electrodes were enhanced in comparison with those of the TFTs with ITO electrodes. The source/drain contact resistance of the IZTO TFTs with IZTO/Ag/IZTO multilayer electrodes was smaller than that of the IZTO TFTs with ITO electrodes, resulting in enhancement of their electrical characteristics.

The effect of annealing on structural and optical properties of α-Fe2O3/CdS/α-Fe2O3 multilayer heterostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saleem, M.; Durrani, S. M. A.; Saheb, N.; Al-Kuhaili, M. F.; Bakhtiari, I. A.

2014-11-01

Multilayered thin film heterostructures of α-Fe2O3/CdS/α-Fe2O3 were prepared through physical vapor deposition. Each α-Fe2O3 layer was deposited by e-beam evaporation of iron in an oxygen atmosphere. The CdS layer was deposited by thermal evaporation in a vacuum. The effect of post annealing of multilayered thin films in air in the temperature range 250 °C to 450 °C was investigated. Structural characterization indicated the growth of the α-Fe2O3 phase with a polycrystalline structure without any CdS crystalline phase. As-deposited multilayer heterostructures were amorphous and transformed into polycrystalline upon annealing. The surface modification of the films during annealing was revealed by scanning electron microscopy. Spectrophotometric measurements were used to determine the optical properties, including the transmittance, absorbance, and band gap. All the films had both direct as well as indirect band gaps.

Effect of magnetization boundary condition on cavity magnon polariton of YIG thin film.

PubMed

Jiang, H H; Xiao, Y; Hu, C M; Guo, H; Xia, K

2018-06-22

Motivated by recent studies of cavity magnon polariton (CMP), we extended a previous theoretical work to generalize microwave transmission calculation with various magnetization boundary condition of YIG thin film embedded in cavity. It is found that numerical implementation given in this paper can be easily applied to other magnetization boundary condition and extended to magnetic multilayers. Numerical results show that ferromagnetic resonance mode of microwave transmission spectrum, which is absent in previous calculation, can be recovered by altering the pinning condition of surface spins. The demonstrated reliability of our theory opens attractive perspectives for studying CMP of thin film with complicated surface magnetization distribution and magnetic multilayers.

Effect of magnetization boundary condition on cavity magnon polariton of YIG thin film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, H. H.; Xiao, Y.; Hu, C. M.; Guo, H.; Xia, K.

2018-06-01

Motivated by recent studies of cavity magnon polariton (CMP), we extended a previous theoretical work to generalize microwave transmission calculation with various magnetization boundary condition of YIG thin film embedded in cavity. It is found that numerical implementation given in this paper can be easily applied to other magnetization boundary condition and extended to magnetic multilayers. Numerical results show that ferromagnetic resonance mode of microwave transmission spectrum, which is absent in previous calculation, can be recovered by altering the pinning condition of surface spins. The demonstrated reliability of our theory opens attractive perspectives for studying CMP of thin film with complicated surface magnetization distribution and magnetic multilayers.

Electrochemical Analysis of Conducting Polymer Thin Films

PubMed Central

Vyas, Ritesh N.; Wang, Bin

2010-01-01

Polyelectrolyte multilayers built via the layer-by-layer (LbL) method has been one of the most promising systems in the field of materials science. Layered structures can be constructed by the adsorption of various polyelectrolyte species onto the surface of a solid or liquid material by means of electrostatic interaction. The thickness of the adsorbed layers can be tuned precisely in the nanometer range. Stable, semiconducting thin films are interesting research subjects. We use a conducting polymer, poly(p-phenylene vinylene) (PPV), in the preparation of a stable thin film via the LbL method. Cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy have been used to characterize the ionic conductivity of the PPV multilayer films. The ionic conductivity of the films has been found to be dependent on the polymerization temperature. The film conductivity can be fitted to a modified Randle’s circuit. The circuit equivalent calculations are performed to provide the diffusion coefficient values. PMID:20480052

Enhancement of Fluorescence-Based Sandwich Immunoassay Using Multilayered Microplates Modified with Plasma-Polymerized Films

PubMed Central

Yano, Kazuyoshi; Iwasaki, Akira

2016-01-01

A functional modification of the surface of a 96-well microplate coupled with a thin layer deposition technique is demonstrated for enhanced fluorescence-based sandwich immunoassays. The plasma polymerization technique enabling the deposition of organic thin films was employed for the modification of the well surface of a microplate. A silver layer and a plasma-polymerized film were consecutively deposited on the microplate as a metal mirror and the optical interference layer, respectively. When Cy3-labeled antibody was applied to the wells of the resulting multilayered microplate without any immobilization step, greatly enhanced fluorescence was observed compared with that obtained with the unmodified one. The same effect could be also exhibited for an immunoassay targeting antigen directly adsorbed on the multilayered microplate. Furthermore, a sandwich immunoassay for the detection of interleukin 2 (IL-2) was performed with the multilayered microplates, resulting in specific and 88-fold–enhanced fluorescence detection. PMID:28029144

An Observation of Diamond-Shaped Particle Structure in a Soya Phosphatidylcohline and Bacteriorhodopsin Composite Langmuir Blodgett Film Fabricated by Multilayer Molecular Thin Film Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsujiuchi, Y.; Makino, Y.

A composite film of soya phosphatidylcohline (soya PC) and bacteriorhodopsin (BR) was fabricated by the multilayer molecular thin film method using fatty acid and lipid on a quartz substrate. Direct Force Microscopy (DFM), UV absorption spectra and IR absorption spectra of the film were characterized on the detail of surface structure of the film. The DFM data revealed that many rhombus (diamond-shaped) particles were observed in the film. The spectroscopic data exhibited the yield of M-intermediate of BR in the film. On our modelling of molecular configuration indicate that the coexistence of the strong inter-molecular interaction and the strong inter-molecular interaction between BR trimmers attributed to form the particles.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2004-07-01

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

Surface instability of an imperfectly bonded thin elastic film under surface van der Waals forces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xu; Jing, Rong

2017-02-01

This paper studies surface instability of a thin elastic film imperfectly bonded to a rigid substrate interacting with a rigid contactor through van der Waals forces under plane strain conditions. The film-substrate interface is modeled as a linear spring with vanishing thickness described in terms of the normal and tangential interface parameters. Depending on the ratio of the two imperfect interface parameters, the critical value of the Poisson's ratio for the occurrence of surface wrinkling in the absence of surface energy can be greater than, equal to, or smaller than 0.25, which is the critical Poisson's ratio for a perfect film-substrate interface. The critical surface energy for the inhibition of the surface wrinkling is also obtained. Finally, we propose a very simple and effective method to study the surface instability of a multilayered elastic film with imperfect interfaces interacting with a rigid contactor or with another multilayered elastic film (or a multilayered simply supported plate) with imperfect interfaces.

Ti{sub 2}AlN thin films synthesized by annealing of (Ti+Al)/AlN multilayers

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

Cabioch, Thierry, E-mail: Thierry.cabioch@univ-poitiers.fr; Alkazaz, Malaz; Beaufort, Marie-France

2016-08-15

Highlights: • Epitaxial thin films of the MAX phase Ti{sub 2}AlN are obtained by thermal annealing. • A new metastable (Ti,Al,N) solid solution with the structure of α-T is evidenced. • The formation of the MAX phase occurs at low temperature (600 °C). - Abstract: Single-phase Ti{sub 2}AlN thin films were obtained by annealing in vacuum of (Ti + Al)/AlN multilayers deposited at room temperature by magnetron sputtering onto single-crystalline (0001) 4H-SiC and (0001) Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} substrates. In-situ X-ray diffraction experiments combined with ex-situ cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy observations reveal that interdiffusion processes occur in the multilayer at amore » temperature of ∼400 °C leading to the formation of a (Ti, Al, N) solid solution, having the hexagonal structure of α-Ti, whereas the formation of Ti{sub 2}AlN occurs at 550–600 °C. Highly oriented (0002) Ti{sub 2}AlN thin films can be obtained after an annealing at 750 °C.« less

Influences of the residual argon gas and thermal annealing on Ta2O5 and SiO2 thin film filters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Wen-Jen; Chen, Chih-Min; Lai, Yin-Chieh

2005-04-01

Ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) technique had widely used for improving stacking density and atomic mobility of thin films in many applications, especially adopted in optical film industries. Tantalum pentaoxide (Ta2O5) and silicon oxides (SiO2) optical thin films were deposited on the quartz glass substrate by using argon ion beam assisted deposition, and the influences of the residual argon gas and thermal annealing processes on the optical property, stress, compositional and microstructure evolution of the thin films were investigated in this study. Ta2O5 thin films were analyzed by XPS indicated that the ratio value of oxygen to tantalum was insufficient, at the same time, the residual argon gas in the thin films might result in film and device instabilities. Adopting oxygen-thermal annealing treatment at the temperature of 425°C, the thin films not only decreased the residual argon gas and the surface roughness, but also provided the sufficient stoichiometric ratio. Simultaneously, microstructure examination indicated few nano-crystallized structures and voids existed in Ta2O5 thin films, and possessed reasonable refractive index and lower extinction coefficient. By the way, we also suggested the IBAD system using the film compositional gas ion beam to replace the argon ion beam for assisting deposited optical films. The designed (HL)6H6LH(LH)6 multi-layers indicated higher insertion loss than the designed (HL)68H(LH)6 multi-layers. Therefore, using the high refractive index as spacer material represented lower insertion loss.

Study on Ultrafast Photodynamics of Novel Multilayered Thin Films for Device Applications

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-07-31

study ultrafast phase-transition of VO2 thin film. This part of work was started right after the new laser installed. With better laser output...1-3]. With the purpose of combined effect that the proposed ultrafast phase-transition VO2 thin film deposited on a substrate of heavy metal...second point of focus was to study ultrafast phase-transition of VO2 thin film. This part of work was started right after the new laser installed

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

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

Lereu, Aude L.; Zerrad, M.; Passian, Ali

In photonics, the field concentration and enhancement have been major objectives for achieving size reduction and device integration. Plasmonics offers resonant field confinement and enhancement, but ultra-sharp optical resonances in all-dielectric multi-layer thin films are emerging as a powerful contestant. Thus, applications capitalizing upon stronger and sharper optical resonances and larger field enhancements could be faced with a choice for the superior platform. Here in this paper, we present a comparison between plasmonic and dielectric multi-layer thin films for their resonance merits. We show that the remarkable characteristics of the resonance behavior of optimized dielectric multi-layers can outweigh those ofmore » their metallic counterpart.« less

Stoichiometry and thickness dependence of superconducting properties of niobium nitride thin films

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

Beebe, Melissa R., E-mail: mrbeebe@email.wm.edu; Beringer, Douglas B.; Burton, Matthew C.

2016-03-15

The current technology used in linear particle accelerators is based on superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities fabricated from bulk niobium (Nb), which have smaller surface resistance and therefore dissipate less energy than traditional nonsuperconducting copper cavities. Using bulk Nb for the cavities has several advantages, which are discussed elsewhere; however, such SRF cavities have a material-dependent accelerating gradient limit. In order to overcome this fundamental limit, a multilayered coating has been proposed using layers of insulating and superconducting material applied to the interior surface of the cavity. The key to this multilayered model is to use superconducting thin films tomore » exploit the potential field enhancement when these films are thinner than their London penetration depth. Such field enhancement has been demonstrated in MgB{sub 2} thin films; here, the authors consider films of another type-II superconductor, niobium nitride (NbN). The authors present their work correlating stoichiometry and superconducting properties in NbN thin films and discuss the thickness dependence of their superconducting properties, which is important for their potential use in the proposed multilayer structure. While there are some previous studies on the relationship between stoichiometry and critical temperature T{sub C}, the authors are the first to report on the correlation between stoichiometry and the lower critical field H{sub C1}.« less

Melting Behavior of Al/Pb/Sn/Al Multilayered Thin Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, Patan Yousaf; Devi, M. Manolata; Biswas, Krishanu

2015-09-01

Metals or alloy nanoparticles (NPs) have been reported to exhibit superheating on melting when coated with higher melting point material or embedded in a matrix. This is due to the suppression of the heterogeneous nucleation of the melt at the epitaxial interface. For 2D thin films, this necessary condition is not feasible because even if a thin film is sandwiched between higher melting temperature materials with coherent interfaces, the heterogeneous nucleation of melt is possible at various detects. However, it has earlier been reported that 2D thin films of the pure metal sandwiched by other materials can exhibit superheating by suppression of melt growth. In order to probe this effect in case of alloy thin films, the present investigation has been carried out on Pb/Sn multilayers sandwiched between Al layers. The present study shows that such sandwiched thin films prepared by accumulative roll bonding process cause the formation of biphasic NPs in the intermixed region of Pb and Sn. Al layers undergo severe plastic deformation, leading to the generation of dislocations and sub-grain boundaries. DSC (differential canning calorimeter) thermograms of the films indicate superheating of 3 K to 6 K (or 3 °C to 6 °C). Theoretical analysis using currently available literatures has been carried out to justify the finding in the present investigation.

Thin film photovoltaic device with multilayer substrate

DOEpatents

Catalano, Anthony W.; Bhushan, Manjul

1984-01-01

A thin film photovoltaic device which utilizes at least one compound semiconductor layer chosen from Groups IIB and VA of the Periodic Table is formed on a multilayer substrate The substrate includes a lowermost support layer on which all of the other layers of the device are formed. Additionally, an uppermost carbide or silicon layer is adjacent to the semiconductor layer. Below the carbide or silicon layer is a metal layer of high conductivity and expansion coefficient equal to or slightly greater than that of the semiconductor layer.

Combinatorial investigation of Fe–B thin-film nanocomposites

PubMed Central

Brunken, Hayo; Grochla, Dario; Savan, Alan; Kieschnick, Michael; Meijer, Jan D; Ludwig, Alfred

2011-01-01

Combinatorial magnetron sputter deposition from elemental targets was used to create Fe–B composition spread type thin film materials libraries on thermally oxidized 4-in. Si wafers. The materials libraries consisting of wedge-type multilayer thin films were annealed at 500 or 700 °C to transform the multilayers into multiphase alloys. The libraries were characterized by nuclear reaction analysis, Rutherford backscattering, nanoindentation, vibrating sample magnetometry, x-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Young's modulus and hardness values were related to the annealing parameters, structure and composition of the films. The magnetic properties of the films were improved by annealing in a H2 atmosphere, showing a more than tenfold decrease in the coercive field values in comparison to those of the vacuum-annealed films. The hardness values increased from 8 to 18 GPa when the annealing temperature was increased from 500 to 700 °C. The appearance of Fe2B phases, as revealed by XRD and TEM, had a significant effect on the mechanical properties of the films. PMID:27877435

Finite element analysis of multilayer DEAP stack-actuators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuhring, Stefan; Uhlenbusch, Dominik; Hoffstadt, Thorben; Maas, Jürgen

2015-04-01

Dielectric elastomers (DE) are thin polymer films belonging to the class of electroactive polymers (EAP). They are coated with compliant and conductive electrodes on each side, which make them performing a relative high amount of deformation with considerable force generation under the influence of an electric field. Because the realization of high electric fields with a limited voltage level requests single layer polymer films to be very thin, novel multilayer actuators are utilized to increase the absolute displacement and force. In case of a multilayer stack-actuator, many actuator films are mechanically stacked in series and electrically connected in parallel. Because there are different ways to design such a stack-actuator, this contribution considers an optimization of some design parameters using the finite element analysis (FEA), whereby the behavior and the actuation of a multilayer dielectric electroactive polymer (DEAP) stack-actuator can be improved. To describe the material behavior, first different material models are compared and necessary material parameters are identified by experiments. Furthermore, a FEA model of a DEAP film is presented, which is expanded to a multilayer DEAP stack-actuator model. Finally, the results of the FEA are discussed and conclusions for design rules of optimized stack-actuators are outlined.

Origin of colossal dielectric response of CaCu3Ti4O12 studied by using CaTiO3/CaCu3Ti4O12/CaTiO3 multilayer thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitsugi, Masakazu; Asanuma, Shutaro; Uesu, Yoshiaki; Fukunaga, Mamoru; Kobayashi, Wataru; Terasaki, Ichiro

2007-06-01

To elucidate the origin of the colossal dielectric response (CDR) of CaCu3Ti4O12 (CCTO), multilayer thin films of CCTO interposed in insulating CaTiO3 (CTO) were synthesized using a pulsed laser deposition technique. The capacitance C of CTO/CCTO/CTO films with different layer thicknesses is measured. After removing the capacitance of CTO by extrapolating C to zero CTO thickness, the real part of dielectric constant of CCTO is estimated to be 329-435, which is much smaller than the reported value for CCTO thin films. This fact indicates that the CDR of CCTO is extrinsic and originates from an internal barrier layer capacitor.

Layer-by-layer strippable Ag multilayer films fabricated by modular assembly.

PubMed

Li, Yan; Chen, Xiaoyan; Li, Qianqian; Song, Kai; Wang, Shihui; Chen, Xiaoyan; Zhang, Kai; Fu, Yu; Jiao, Yong-Hua; Sun, Ting; Liu, Fu-Chun; Han, En-Hou

2014-01-21

We have developed a new method to fabricate multilayer films, which uses prepared thin films as modular blocks and transfer as operation mode to build up multilayer structures. In order to distinguish it from the in situ fabrication manner, this method is called modular assembly in this study. On the basis of such concept, we have fabricated a multilayer film using the silver mirror film as the modular block and poly(lactic acid) as the transfer tool. Due to the special double-layer structure of the silver mirror film, the resulting multilayer film had a well-defined stratified architecture with alternate porous/compact layers. As a consequence of the distinct structure, the interaction between the adjacent layers was so weak that the multilayer film could be layer-by-layer stripped. In addition, the top layer in the film could provide an effective protection on the morphology and surface property of the underlying layers. This suggests that if the surface of the film was deteriorated, the top layer could be peeled off and the freshly exposed surface would still maintain the original function. The successful preparation of the layer-by-layer strippable silver multilayer demonstrates that modular assembly is a feasible and effective method to build up multilayer films capable of creating novel and attractive micro/nanostructures, having great potential in the fabrication of nanodevices and coatings.

Highly Crystalline CVD-grown Multilayer MoSe2 Thin Film Transistor for Fast Photodetector

PubMed Central

Jung, Chulseung; Kim, Seung Min; Moon, Hyunseong; Han, Gyuchull; Kwon, Junyeon; Hong, Young Ki; Omkaram, Inturu; Yoon, Youngki; Kim, Sunkook; Park, Jozeph

2015-01-01

Hexagonal molybdenum diselenide (MoSe2) multilayers were grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD). A relatively high pressure (>760 Torr) was used during the CVD growth to achieve multilayers by creating multiple nuclei based on the two-dimensional crystal growth model. Our CVD-grown multilayer MoSe2 thin-film transistors (TFTs) show p-type-dominant ambipolar behaviors, which are attributed to the formation of Se vacancies generated at the decomposition temperature (650 °C) after the CVD growth for 10 min. Our MoSe2 TFT with a reasonably high field-effect mobility (10 cm2/V · s) exhibits a high photoresponsivity (93.7 A/W) and a fast photoresponse time (τrise ~ 0.4 s) under the illumination of light, which demonstrates the practical feasibility of multilayer MoSe2 TFTs for photodetector applications. PMID:26477744

Highly ductile multilayered films by layer-by-layer assembly of oppositely charged polyurethanes for biomedical applications.

PubMed

Podsiadlo, Paul; Qin, Ming; Cuddihy, Meghan; Zhu, Jian; Critchley, Kevin; Kheng, Eugene; Kaushik, Amit K; Qi, Ying; Kim, Hyoung-Sug; Noh, Si-Tae; Arruda, Ellen M; Waas, Anthony M; Kotov, Nicholas A

2009-12-15

Multilayered thin films prepared with the layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly technique are typically "brittle" composites, while many applications such as flexible electronics or biomedical devices would greatly benefit from ductile, and tough nanostructured coatings. Here we present the preparation of highly ductile multilayered films via LBL assembly of oppositely charged polyurethanes. Free-standing films were found to be robust, strong, and tough with ultimate strains as high as 680% and toughness of approximately 30 MJ/m(3). These results are at least 2 orders of magnitude greater than most LBL materials presented until today. In addition to enhanced ductility, the films showed first-order biocompatibility with animal and human cells. Multilayered structures incorporating polyurethanes open up a new research avenue into the preparation of multifunctional nanostructured films with great potential in biomedical applications.

Magnetic spin structure and magnetoelectric coupling in BiFeO{sub 3}-BaTiO{sub 3} multilayer

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

Lazenka, Vera, E-mail: Vera.Lazenka@fys.kuleuven.be; Modarresi, Hiwa; Bisht, Manisha

2015-02-23

Magnetic spin structures in epitaxial BiFeO{sub 3} single layer and an epitaxial BaTiO{sub 3}/BiFeO{sub 3} multilayer thin film have been studied by means of nuclear resonant scattering of synchrotron radiation. We demonstrate a spin reorientation in the 15 × [BaTiO{sub 3}/BiFeO{sub 3}] multilayer compared to the single BiFeO{sub 3} thin film. Whereas in the BiFeO{sub 3} film, the net magnetic moment m{sup →} lies in the (1–10) plane, identical to the bulk, m{sup →} in the multilayer points to different polar and azimuthal directions. This spin reorientation indicates that strain and interfaces play a significant role in tuning the magnetic spin order.more » Furthermore, large difference in the magnetic field dependence of the magnetoelectric coefficient observed between the BiFeO{sub 3} single layer and multilayer can be associated with this magnetic spin reorientation.« less

Microelectronic superconducting device with multi-layer contact

DOEpatents

Wellstood, Frederick C.; Kingston, John J.; Clarke, John

1993-01-01

A microelectronic component comprising a crossover is provided comprising a substrate, a first high T.sub.c superconductor thin film, a second insulating thin film comprising SrTiO.sub.3 ; and a third high T.sub.c superconducting film which has strips which crossover one or more areas of the first superconductor film. An insitu method for depositing all three films on a substrate is provided which does not require annealing steps. The photolithographic process is used to separately pattern the high T.sub.c superconductor thin films.

Microelectronic superconducting device with multi-layer contact

DOEpatents

Wellstood, F.C.; Kingston, J.J.; Clarke, J.

1993-10-26

A microelectronic component comprising a crossover is provided comprising a substrate, a first high T[sub c] superconductor thin film, a second insulating thin film comprising SrTiO[sub 3] ; and a third high T[sub c] superconducting film which has strips which crossover one or more areas of the first superconductor film. An in situ method for depositing all three films on a substrate is provided which does not require annealing steps. The photolithographic process is used to separately pattern the high T[sub c] superconductor thin films. 14 figures.

Metamaterial Perfect Absorber Analyzed by a Meta-Cavity Model Consisting of Multilayer Metasurfaces (Postprint)

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-09-05

metamaterial perfect absorber behaves as a meta-cavity bounded between a resonant metasurface and a metallic thin- film reflector. The perfect absorption...cavity quantum electrodynamics devices. 15. SUBJECT TERMS Metamaterial; meta-cavity; metallic thin- film reflector; Fabry-Perot cavity resonance...metamaterial perfect absorber behaves as a meta-cavity bounded between a resonant metasurface and a metallic thin- film reflector. The perfect absorption is

The Role of Annealing Process in Ag-Based BaSnO3 Multilayer Thin Films.

PubMed

Wu, Muying; Yu, Shihui; He, Lin; Yang, Lei; Zhang, Weifeng

2016-12-01

The BaSnO3/Ag/BaSnO3 multilayer structure was designed and fabricated on a quartz glass by magnetron sputtering, followed by an annealing process at a temperature from 150 to 750 °C in air. In this paper, we investigated the influence of the annealing temperature on the structural, optical, and electrical properties of the multilayers and proposed the mechanisms of conduction and transmittance. The maximum value of the figure of merit of 31.8 × 10(-3) Ω(-1) was achieved for the BaSnO3/Ag/BaSnO3 multilayer thin films annealed at 150 °C, while the average optical transmittance in the visible ranges was >84 %, the resistivity was 5.71 × 10(-5) Ω cm, and the sheet resistance was 5.57 Ω/sq. When annealed at below 600 °C, the values of resistivity and transmittance of the multilayers were within an acceptable range (resistivity <5.0 × 10(-4) Ω cm, transmittance >80 %). The observed property of the multilayer film is suitable for the application of transparent conductive electrodes.

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

Hannachi, Amira, E-mail: amira.hannachi88@gmail.com; Maghraoui-Meherzi, Hager

Manganese sulfide thin films have been deposited on glass slides by chemical bath deposition (CBD) method. The effects of preparative parameters such as deposition time, bath temperature, concentration of precursors, multi-layer deposition, different source of manganese, different complexing agent and thermal annealing on structural and morphological film properties have been investigated. The prepared thin films have been characterized using the X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). It exhibit the metastable forms of MnS, the hexagonal γ-MnS wurtzite phase with preferential orientation in the (002) plane or the cubic β-MnS zinc blende with preferentialmore » orientation in the (200) plane. Microstructural studies revealed the formation of MnS crystals with different morphologies, such as hexagons, spheres, cubes or flowers like. - Graphical Abstract: We report the preparation of different phases of manganese sulfide thin films (γ, β and α-MnS) by chemical bath deposition method. The effects of deposition parameters such as deposition time and temperature, concentrations of precursors and multi-layer deposition on MnS thin films structure and morphology were investigated. The influence of thermal annealing under nitrogen atmosphere at different temperature on MnS properties was also studied. Different manganese precursors as well as different complexing agent were also used. - Highlights: • γ and β-MnS films were deposited on substrate using the chemical bath deposition. • The effect of deposition parameters on MnS film properties has been investigated. • Multi-layer deposition was also studied to increase film thickness. • The effect of annealing under N{sub 2} at different temperature was investigated.« less

Cross-sectional TEM specimen preparation for W/B{sub 4}C multilayer sample using FIB

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

Mondal, Puspen, E-mail: puspen@rrcat.gov.in; Pradhan, P. C.; Tiwari, Pragya

2016-05-23

A recent emergence of a cross-beam scanning electron microscopy (SEM)/focused-ion-beam (FIB) system have given choice to fabricate cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) specimen of thin film multilayer sample. A 300 layer pair thin film multilayer sample of W/B{sub 4}C was used to demonstrate the specimen lift-out technique in very short time as compared to conventional cross-sectional sample preparation technique. To get large area electron transparent sample, sample prepared by FIB is followed by Ar{sup +} ion polishing at 2 kV with grazing incident. The prepared cross-sectional sample was characterized by transmission electron microscope.

Surface plasmons and Bloch surface waves: Towards optimized ultra-sensitive optical sensors

DOE PAGES

Lereu, Aude L.; Zerrad, M.; Passian, Ali; ...

2017-07-07

In photonics, the field concentration and enhancement have been major objectives for achieving size reduction and device integration. Plasmonics offers resonant field confinement and enhancement, but ultra-sharp optical resonances in all-dielectric multi-layer thin films are emerging as a powerful contestant. Thus, applications capitalizing upon stronger and sharper optical resonances and larger field enhancements could be faced with a choice for the superior platform. Here in this paper, we present a comparison between plasmonic and dielectric multi-layer thin films for their resonance merits. We show that the remarkable characteristics of the resonance behavior of optimized dielectric multi-layers can outweigh those ofmore » their metallic counterpart.« less

Magnetron sputtered boron films and TI/B multilayer structures

DOEpatents

Makowiecki, Daniel M.; Jankowski, Alan F.

1993-01-01

A method is described for the production of thin boron and titanium/boron films by magnetron sputter deposition. The amorphous boron films contain no morphological growth features, unlike those found when thin films are prepared by various physical vapor deposition processes. Magnetron sputter deposition method requires the use of a high density crystalline boron sputter target which is prepared by hot isostatic pressing. Thin boron films prepared by this method are useful for ultra-thin band pass filters as well as the low Z element in low Z/high Z mirrors which enhance reflectivity from grazing to normal incidence.

Magnetron sputtered boron films and Ti/B multilayer structures

DOEpatents

Makowiecki, Daniel M.; Jankowski, Alan F.

1995-01-01

A method is described for the production of thin boron and titanium/boron films by magnetron sputter deposition. The amorphous boron films contain no morphological growth features, unlike those found when thin films are prepared by various physical vapor deposition processes. Magnetron sputter deposition method requires the use of a high density crystalline boron sputter target which is prepared by hot isostatic pressing. Thin boron films prepared by this method are useful for ultra-thin band pass filters as well as the low Z element in low Z/high Z mirrors which enhance reflectivity from grazing to normal incidence.

Magnetron sputtered boron films and TI/B multilayer structures

DOEpatents

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

1993-04-20

A method is described for the production of thin boron and titanium/boron films by magnetron sputter deposition. The amorphous boron films contain no morphological growth features, unlike those found when thin films are prepared by various physical vapor deposition processes. Magnetron sputter deposition method requires the use of a high density crystalline boron sputter target which is prepared by hot isostatic pressing. Thin boron films prepared by this method are useful for ultra-thin band pass filters as well as the low Z element in low Z/high Z mirrors which enhance reflectivity from grazing to normal incidence.

Magnetron sputtered boron films and Ti/B multilayer structures

DOEpatents

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

1995-02-14

A method is described for the production of thin boron and titanium/boron films by magnetron sputter deposition. The amorphous boron films contain no morphological growth features, unlike those found when thin films are prepared by various physical vapor deposition processes. Magnetron sputter deposition method requires the use of a high density crystalline boron sputter target which is prepared by hot isostatic pressing. Thin boron films prepared by this method are useful for ultra-thin band pass filters as well as the low Z element in low Z/high Z mirrors which enhance reflectivity from grazing to normal incidence. 6 figs.

Reactive multilayers fabricated by vapor deposition. A critical review

DOE PAGES

Adams, D. P.

2014-10-02

The reactive multilayer thin films are a class of energetic materials that continue to attract attention for use in joining applications and as igniters. Generally composed of two reactants, these heterogeneous solids can be stimulated by an external source to promptly release stored chemical energy in a sudden emission of light and heat. In our critical review article, results from recent investigations of these materials are discussed. Discussion begins with a brief description of the vapor deposition techniques that provide accurate control of layer thickness and film composition. More than 50 reactive film compositions have been reported to date, withmore » most multilayers fabricated by magnetron sputter deposition or electron-beam evaporation. In later sections, we review how multilayer ignition threshold, reaction rate, and total heat are tailored via thin film design. For example, planar multilayers with nanometer-scale periodicity exhibit rapid, self-sustained reactions with wavefront velocities up to 100 m/s. Numeric and analytical models have elucidated many of the fundamental processes that underlie propagating exothermic reactions while demonstrating how reaction rates vary with multilayer design. Recent, time-resolved diffraction and imaging studies have further revealed the phase transformations and the wavefront dynamics associated with propagating chemical reactions. Many reactive multilayers (e.g., Co/Al) form product phases that are consistent with published equilibrium phase diagrams, yet a few systems, such as Pt/Al, develop metastable products. The final section highlights current and emerging applications of reactive multilayers. Examples include reactive Ni(V)/Al and Pd/Al multilayers which have been developed for localized soldering of heat-sensitive components.« less

Optimized thin film coatings for passive radiative cooling applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naghshine, Babak B.; Saboonchi, Ahmad

2018-03-01

Passive radiative cooling is a very interesting method, which lays on low atmospheric downward radiation within 8-13 μm waveband at dry climates. Various thin film multilayer structures have been investigated in numerous experimental studies, in order to find better coatings to exploit the full potential of this method. However, theoretical works are handful and limited. In this paper, the Simulated Annealing and Genetic Algorithm are used to optimize a thin film multilayer structure for passive radiative cooling applications. Spectral radiative properties are calculated through the matrix formulation. Considering a wide range of materials, 30 high-potential convective shields are suggested. According to the calculations, cooling can be possible even under direct sunlight, using the introduced shields. Moreover, a few water-soluble materials are studied for the first time and the results show that, a KBr substrate coated by a thin CaF2 or polyethylene film can is very close to an ideal coating for passive radiative cooling at night.

Design and characterization of terahertz-absorbing nano-laminates of dielectric and metal thin films.

PubMed

Bolakis, C; Grbovic, D; Lavrik, N V; Karunasiri, G

2010-07-05

A terahertz-absorbing thin-film stack, containing a dielectric Bragg reflector and a thin chromium metal film, was fabricated on a silicon substrate for applications in bi-material terahertz (THz) sensors. The Bragg reflector is to be used for optical readout of sensor deformation under THz illumination. The THz absorption characteristics of the thin-film composite were measured using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The absorption of the structure was calculated both analytically and by finite element modeling and the two approaches agreed well. Finite element modeling provides a convenient way to extract the amount of power dissipation in each layer and is used to quantify the THz absorption in the multi-layer stack. The calculation and the model were verified by experimentally characterizing the multi-layer stack in the 3-5 THz range. The measured and simulated absorption characteristics show a reasonably good agreement. It was found that the composite film absorbed about 20% of the incident THz power. The model was used to optimize the thickness of the chromium film for achieving high THz absorption and found that about 50% absorption can be achieved when film thickness is around 9 nm.

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.

Artificial multilayers and nanomagnetic materials.

PubMed

Shinjo, Teruya

2013-01-01

The author has been actively engaged in research on nanomagnetic materials for about 50 years. Nanomagnetic materials are comprised of ferromagnetic systems for which the size and shape are controlled on a nanometer scale. Typical examples are ultrafine particles, ultrathin films, multilayered films and nano-patterned films. In this article, the following four areas of the author's studies are described.(1) Mössbauer spectroscopic studies of nanomagnetic materials and interface magnetism.(2) Preparation and characterization of metallic multilayers with artificial superstructures.(3) Giant magnetoresistance (GMR) effect in magnetic multilayers.(4) Novel properties of nanostructured ferromagnetic thin films (dots and wires).A subject of particular interest in the author's research was the artificially prepared multilayers consisting of metallic elements. The motivation to initiate the multilayer investigation is described and the physical properties observed in the artificial multilayers are introduced. The author's research was initially in the field of pure physical science and gradually extended into applied science. His achievements are highly regarded not only from the fundamental point of view but also from the technological viewpoint.

Metastable and equilibrium phase formation in sputter-deposited Ti/Al multilayer thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lucadamo, G.; Barmak, K.; Lavoie, C.; Cabral, C., Jr.; Michaelsen, C.

2002-06-01

The sequence and kinetics of metastable and equilibrium phase formation in sputter deposited multilayer thin films was investigated by combining in situ synchrotron x-ray diffraction (XRD) with ex situ electron diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The sequence included both cubic and tetragonal modifications of the equilibrium TiAl3 crystal structure. Values for the formation activation energies of the various phases in the sequence were determined using the XRD and DSC data obtained here, as well as activation energy data reported in the literature.

Thin film solar energy collector

DOEpatents

Aykan, Kamran; Farrauto, Robert J.; Jefferson, Clinton F.; Lanam, Richard D.

1983-11-22

A multi-layer solar energy collector of improved stability comprising: (1) a substrate of quartz, silicate glass, stainless steel or aluminum-containing ferritic alloy; (2) a solar absorptive layer comprising silver, copper oxide, rhodium/rhodium oxide and 0-15% by weight of platinum; (3) an interlayer comprising silver or silver/platinum; and (4) an optional external anti-reflective coating, plus a method for preparing a thermally stable multi-layered solar collector, in which the absorptive layer is undercoated with a thin film of silver or silver/platinum to obtain an improved conductor-dielectric tandem.

SmNiO3/NdNiO3 thin film multilayers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Girardot, C.; Pignard, S.; Weiss, F.; Kreisel, J.

2011-06-01

Rare earth nickelates RENiO3 (RE =rare earth), which attract interest due to their sharp metal-insulator phase transition, are instable in bulk form due to the necessity of an important oxygen pressure to stabilize Ni in its 3+ state of oxidation. Here, we report the stabilization of RE nickelates in [(SmNiO3)t/(NdNiO3)t]n thin film multilayers, t being the thickness of layers alternated n times. Both bilayers and multilayers have been deposited by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. The multilayer structure and the presence of the metastable phases SmNiO3 and NdNiO3 are evidenced from by x-ray and Raman scattering. Electric measurements of a bilayer structure further support the structural quality of the embedded RE nickelate layers.

Improvement of laser molecular beam epitaxy grown SrTiO3 thin film properties by temperature gradient modulation growth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jin Long; Hao, J. H.; Li, Y. R.

2007-09-01

Oxygen diffusion at the SrTiO3/Si interface was analyzed. A method called temperature gradient modulation growth was introduced to control oxygen diffusion at the interface of SrTiO3/Si. Nanoscale multilayers were grown at different temperatures at the initial growing stage of films. Continuous growth of SrTiO3 films was followed to deposit on the grown sacrificial layers. The interface and crystallinity of SrTiO3/Si were investigated by in situ reflection high energy electron diffraction and x-ray diffraction measurements. It has been shown that the modulated multilayers may help suppress the interfacial diffusion, and therefore improve SrTiO3 thin film properties.

A diffusion-reaction scheme for modeling ignition and self-propagating reactions in Al/CuO multilayered thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lahiner, Guillaume; Nicollet, Andrea; Zapata, James; Marín, Lorena; Richard, Nicolas; Rouhani, Mehdi Djafari; Rossi, Carole; Estève, Alain

2017-10-01

Thermite multilayered films have the potential to be used as local high intensity heat sources for a variety of applications. Improving the ability of researchers to more rapidly develop Micro Electro Mechanical Systems devices based on thermite multilayer films requires predictive modeling in which an understanding of the relationship between the properties (ignition and flame propagation), the multilayer structure and composition (bilayer thicknesses, ratio of reactants, and nature of interfaces), and aspects related to integration (substrate conductivity and ignition apparatus) is achieved. Assembling all these aspects, this work proposes an original 2D diffusion-reaction modeling framework to predict the ignition threshold and reaction dynamics of Al/CuO multilayered thin films. This model takes into consideration that CuO first decomposes into Cu2O, and then, released oxygen diffuses across the Cu2O and Al2O3 layers before reacting with pure Al to form Al2O3. This model is experimentally validated from ignition and flame velocity data acquired on Al/CuO multilayers deposited on a Kapton layer. This paper discusses, for the first time, the importance of determining the ceiling temperature above which the multilayers disintegrate, possibly before their complete combustion, thus severely impacting the reaction front velocity and energy release. This work provides a set of heating surface areas to obtain the best ignition conditions, i.e., with minimal ignition power, as a function of the substrate type.

Thermoelectric properties of Zn4Sb3/CeFe(4-x)CoxSb12 nano-layered superlattices modified by MeV Si ion beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Budak, S.; Guner, S.; Minamisawa, R. A.; Muntele, C. I.; Ila, D.

2014-08-01

We prepared multilayers of superlattice thin film system with 50 periodic alternating nano-layers of semiconducting half-Heusler β-Zn4Sb3 and skutterudite CeFe2Co2Sb12 compound thin films using ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) with Au layers deposited on both sides as metal contacts. The deposited multilayer thin films have alternating layers about 5 nm thick. The total thickness of the multilayer system is 275 nm. The superlattices were then bombarded by 5 MeV Si ion at six different fluences to form nano-cluster structures. The film thicknesses and composition were monitored by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) before and after MeV ion bombardment. We have measured the thermoelectric efficiency, Figure of Merit ZT, of the fabricated device by measuring the cross plane thermal conductivity by the 3rd harmonic (3ω) method, the cross plane Seebeck coefficient, and the electrical conductivity using the van der Pauw method before and after the MeV ion bombardments. We reached the remarkable thermoelectric Figure of Merit results at optimal fluences.

Characterization of casein and poly-l-arginine multilayer films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szyk-Warszyńska, Lilianna; Kilan, Katarzyna; Socha, Robert P.

2014-06-01

Thin films containing casein appear to be a promising material for coatings used in the medical area to promote biomineralization. alfa- and beta-casein and poly-L-arginine multilayer films were formed by the layer-by layer technique and their thickness and mass were analyzed by ellipsometry and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D). We investigated the effect of the type of casein used for the film formation and of the polyethyleneimine anchoring layer on the thickness and mass of adsorbed films. The analysis of the mass of films during their post-treatment with the solutions of various ionic strength and pH provided the information concerning films stability, while the XPS elemental analysis confirmed binding of calcium ions by the casein embedded in the multilayers.

Thin-Film Power Transformers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Katti, Romney R.

1995-01-01

Transformer core made of thin layers of insulating material interspersed with thin layers of ferromagnetic material. Flux-linking conductors made of thinner nonferromagnetic-conductor/insulator multilayers wrapped around core. Transformers have geometric features finer than those of transformers made in customary way by machining and mechanical pressing. In addition, some thin-film materials exhibit magnetic-flux-carrying capabilities superior to those of customary bulk transformer materials. Suitable for low-cost, high-yield mass production.

Stabilization of solar films against hi temperature deactivation

DOEpatents

Jefferson, Clinton F.

1984-03-20

A multi-layer solar energy collector of improved stability comprising: (1) a solar absorptive film consisting essentially of copper oxide, cobalt oxide and manganese oxide; (2) a substrate of quartz, silicate glass or a stainless steel; and (3) an interlayer of platinum, plus a method for preparing a thermally stable multi-layered solar collector, in which the absorptive layer is undercoated with a thin film of platinum to obtain a stable conductor-dielectric tandem.

Thermo-optically tunable thin film devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Domash, Lawrence H.

2003-10-01

We report advances in tunable thin film technology and demonstration of multi-cavity tunable filters. Thin film interference coatings are the most widely used optical technology for telecom filtering, but until recently no tunable versions have been known except for mechanically rotated filters. We describe a new approach to broadly tunable components based on the properties of semiconductor thin films with large thermo-optic coefficients. The technology is based on amorphous silicon deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), a process adapted for telecom applications from its origins in the flat-panel display and solar cell industries. Unlike MEMS devices, tunable thin films can be constructed in sophisticated multi-cavity, multi-layer optical designs.

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.

Superconducting Thin Films for the Enhancement of Superconducting Radio Frequency Accelerator Cavities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burton, Matthew C.

Bulk niobium (Nb) superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities are currently the preferred method for acceleration of charged particles at accelerating facilities around the world. However, bulk Nb cavities have poor thermal conductance, impose material and design restrictions on other components of a particle accelerator, have low reproducibility and are approaching the fundamental material-dependent accelerating field limit of approximately 50MV/m. Since the SRF phenomena occurs at surfaces within a shallow depth of ˜1 microm, a proposed solution to this problem has been to utilize thin film technology to deposit superconducting thin films on the interior of cavities to engineer the active SRF surface in order to achieve cavities with enhanced properties and performance. Two proposed thin film applications for SRF cavities are: 1) Nb thin films coated on bulk cavities made of suitable castable metals (such as copper or aluminum) and 2) multilayer films designed to increase the accelerating gradient and performance of SRF cavities. While Nb thin films on copper (Cu) cavities have been attempted in the past using DC magnetron sputtering (DCMS), such cavities have never performed at the bulk Nb level. However, new energetic condensation techniques for film deposition, such as High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering (HiPIMS), offer the opportunity to create suitably thick Nb films with improved density, microstructure and adhesion compared to traditional DCMS. Clearly use of such novel technique requires fundamental studies to assess surface evolution and growth modes during deposition and resulting microstructure and surface morphology and the correlation with RF superconducting properties. Here we present detailed structure-property correlative research studies done on Nb/Cu thin films and NbN- and NbTiN-based multilayers made using HiPIMS and DCMS, respectively.

Deodorisation effect of diamond-like carbon/titanium dioxide multilayer thin films deposited onto polypropylene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ozeki, K.; Hirakuri, K. K.; Masuzawa, T.

2011-04-01

Many types of plastic containers have been used for the storage of food. In the present study, diamond-like carbon (DLC)/titanium oxide (TiO2) multilayer thin films were deposited on polypropylene (PP) to prevent flavour retention and to remove flavour in plastic containers. For the flavour removal test, two types of multilayer films were prepared, DLC/TiO2 films and DLC/TiO2/DLC films. The residual gas concentration of acetaldehyde, ethylene, and turmeric compounds in bottle including the DLC/TiO2-coated and the DLC/TiO2/DLC-coated PP plates were measured after UV radiation, and the amount of adsorbed compounds to the plates was determined. The percentages of residual gas for acetaldehyde, ethylene, and turmeric with the DLC/TiO2 coated plates were 0.8%, 65.2% and 75.0% after 40 h of UV radiation, respectively. For the DLC/TiO2/DLC film, the percentages of residual gas for acetaldehyde, ethylene and turmeric decreased to 34.9%, 76.0% and 85.3% after 40 h of UV radiation, respectively. The DLC/TiO2/DLC film had a photocatalytic effect even though the TiO2 film was covered with the DLC film.

Direct-Write Laser Grayscale Lithography for Multilayer Lead Zirconate Titanate Thin Films.

PubMed

Benoit, Robert R; Jordan, Delaney M; Smith, Gabriel L; Polcawich, Ronald G; Bedair, Sarah S; Potrepka, Daniel M

2018-05-01

Direct-write laser grayscale lithography has been used to facilitate a single-step patterning technique for multilayer lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin films. A 2.55- -thick photoresist was patterned with a direct-write laser. The intensity of the laser was varied to create both tiered and sloped structures that are subsequently transferred into multilayer PZT(52/48) stacks using a single Ar ion-mill etch. Traditional processing requires a separate photolithography step and an ion mill etch for each layer of the substrate, which can be costly and time consuming. The novel process allows access to buried electrode layers in the multilayer stack in a single photolithography step. The grayscale process was demonstrated on three 150-mm diameter Si substrates configured with a 0.5- -thick SiO 2 elastic layer, a base electrode of Pt/TiO 2 , and a stack of four PZT(52/48) thin films of either 0.25- thickness per layer or 0.50- thickness per layer, and using either Pt or IrO 2 electrodes above and below each layer. Stacked capacitor structures were patterned and results will be reported on the ferroelectric and electromechanical properties using various wiring configurations and compared to comparable single layer PZT configurations.

Fruit and vegetable films and uses thereof

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The present invention is directed to monolayer, bilayer, and multilayer films made from fruit, vegetable or a combination thereof, which films have the thinness, strength, flexibility and crispness to serve as alternates or substitutes for seaweed-based films such as nori, while providing nutrition ...

Correlation Between Material Properties of Ferroelectric Thin Films and Design Parameters for Microwave Device Applications: Modeling Examples and Experimental Verification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miranda, Felix A.; VanKeuls, Fred W.; Subramanyam, Guru; Mueller, Carl H.; Romanofsky, Robert R.; Rosado, Gerardo

2000-01-01

The application of thin ferroelectric films for frequency and phase agile components is the topic of interest of many research groups worldwide. Consequently, proof-of-concepts (POC) of different tunable microwave components using either (HTS, metal)/ferroelectric thin film/dielectric heterostructures or (thick, thin) film "flip-chip" technology have been reported. Either as ferroelectric thin film characterization tools or from the point of view of circuit implementation approach, both configurations have their respective advantages and limitations. However, we believe that because of the progress made so far using the heterostructure (i.e., multilayer) approach, and due to its intrinsic features such as planar configuration and monolithic integration, a study on the correlation of circuit geometry aspects and ferroelectric material properties could accelerate the insertion of this technology into working systems. In this paper, we will discuss our study performed on circuits based on microstrip lines at frequencies above 10 GHz, where the multilayer configuration offers greater ease of insertion due to circuit's size reduction. Modeled results of relevant circuit parameters such as the characteristic impedance, effective dielectric constant, and attenuation as a function of ferroelectric film's dielectric constant, tans, and thickness, will be presented for SrTiO3 and Ba(x)Sr(1-x)TiO3 ferroelectric films. A comparison between the modeled and experimental data for some of these parameters will be presented.

Development of high damage threshold multilayer thin film beam combiner for laser application

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

Nand, Mangla, E-mail: mnand@rrcat.gov.in; Babita,; Jena, S.

2016-05-23

A polarized wavelength multiplexer with high laser induced damage threshold has been developed to combine two laser beam of high peak power in the visible region. The present wavelength multiplexer is a multilayer thin film device deposited by reactive electron beam evaporation. The developed device is capable of combining two p-polarized laser beams of peak power density of 1.7 GW/cm{sup 2} at an angle of incidence of 45°. High transmission (T> 90%) in high pass region and high reflection (R> 99%) in stop band region have been achieved.

Indentation-Induced Shear Band Formation in Thin-Film Multilayers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bigelow, Shannon; Shen, Yu-Lin

2017-08-01

We report an exploratory investigation into the cause of shear band formation in multilayer thin-films subject to nanoindentation. The material system considered here is composed of alternating aluminum (Al) and silicon carbide (SiC) nanolayers, atop a silicon (Si) substrate. Finite element models are developed in an attempt to reproduce the shear banding phenomenon observed experimentally. By introducing strain softening into the material model for the hard SiC layers, shear bands can be seen to emerge from the indentation site in the finite element analysis. Broad implications, along with possible directions for future work, are discussed.

Development of high damage threshold multilayer thin film beam combiner for laser application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nand, Mangla; Babita, Jena, S.; Tokas, R. B.; Rajput, P.; Mukharjee, C.; Thakur, S.; Jha, S. N.; Sahoo, N. K.

2016-05-01

A polarized wavelength multiplexer with high laser induced damage threshold has been developed to combine two laser beam of high peak power in the visible region. The present wavelength multiplexer is a multilayer thin film device deposited by reactive electron beam evaporation. The developed device is capable of combining two p-polarized laser beams of peak power density of 1.7 GW/cm2 at an angle of incidence of 45°. High transmission (T> 90%) in high pass region and high reflection (R> 99%) in stop band region have been achieved.

Modelling and analysis of the stress distribution in a multi-thin film system Pt/USG/Si

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, W. Z.; Roqueta, F.; Craveur, J. C.; Belhenini, S.; Gardes, P.; Tougui, A.

2018-04-01

Residual stress analysis is commonly achieved through curvature measurement with the help of Stoney’s formula. However, this conventional approach is inadequate for multi-layer thin film systems, which are widely used in today’s microelectronics. Also, for the thin film case, the residual stress is composed of thermal stress and intrinsic stress. Measuring the wafer curvature at room temperature provides a value for the average stresses in the layer, the two components cannot be distinguished by the existing methodologies of curvature measurement. To alleviate these problems, a modified curvature method combining finite element (FE) modelling is proposed to study the stress distribution in a Pt/USG/Si structure. A 2D FE model is firstly built in order to calculate the thermal stress in the multilayer structure, the obtained thermal stresses in respective films are verified by an analytical model. Then, we calculate the warpage of the multilayer structure by considering the intrinsic stress in the respective films. The residual stresses in the films are determined by minimizing the difference between the simulated warpage and that of experimental measurement. The proposed approach can be used to calculate not only the average residual stress but also thermal and intrinsic stress components in the USG and Platinum films. The obtained residual and intrinsic stresses from a numerical model are compared with the values of other studies. There is no limitation for the application of our methodologies regarding the number of the layers in the stack.

Surface analysis monitoring of polyelectrolyte deposition on Ba 0.5Sr 0.5TiO 3 thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morales-Cruz, Angel L.; Fachini, Estevão R.; Miranda, Félix A.; Cabrera, Carlos R.

2007-09-01

Thin films are currently gaining interest in many areas such as integrated optics, sensors, friction, reducing coatings, surface orientation layers, and general industrial applications. Recently, molecular self-assembling techniques have been applied for thin film deposition of electrically conducting polymers, conjugated polymers for light-emitting devices, nanoparticles, and noncentrosymmetric-ordered second order nonlinear optical (NOL) devices. Polyelectrolytes self-assemblies have been used to prepare thin films. The alternate immersion of a charged surface in polyannion and a polycation solution leads usually to the formation of films known as polyelectrolyte multilayers. These polyanion and polycation structures are not neutral. However, charge compensation appears on the surface. This constitutes the building driving force of the polyelectrolyte multilayer films. The present approach consists of two parts: (a) the chemisorption of 11-mercaptoundecylamine (MUA) to construct a self-assembled monolayer with the consequent protonation of the amine, and (b) the deposition of opposite charged polyelectrolytes in a sandwich fashion. The approach has the advantage that ionic attraction between opposite charges is the driving force for the multilayer buildup. For our purposes, the multilayer of polyelectrolytes depends on the quality of the surface needed for the application. In many cases, this approach will be used in a way that the roughness factor defects will be diminished. The polyelectrolytes selected for the study were: polystyrene sulfonate sodium salt (PSS), poly vinylsulfate potassium salt (PVS), and polyallylamine hydrochloride (PAH), as shown in Fig. 1. The deposition of polyelectrolytes was carried out by a dipping procedure with the corresponding polyelectrolyte. Monitoring of the alternate deposition of polyelectrolyte bilayers was done by surface analysis techniques such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), specular reflectance infrared (IR), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The surface analysis results are presented through the adsorption steps of the polyelectrolytes layer by layer.

Color tunable low cost transparent heat reflector using copper and titanium oxide for energy saving application

PubMed Central

Dalapati, Goutam Kumar; Masudy-Panah, Saeid; Chua, Sing Teng; Sharma, Mohit; Wong, Ten It; Tan, Hui Ru; Chi, Dongzhi

2016-01-01

Multilayer coating structure comprising a copper (Cu) layer sandwiched between titanium dioxide (TiO2) were demonstrated as a transparent heat reflecting (THR) coating on glass for energy-saving window application. The main highlight is the utilization of Cu, a low-cost material, in-lieu of silver which is widely used in current commercial heat reflecting coating on glass. Color tunable transparent heat reflecting coating was realized through the design of multilayer structure and process optimization. The impact of thermal treatment on the overall performance of sputter deposited TiO2/Cu/TiO2 multilayer thin film on glass substrate is investigated in detail. Significant enhancement of transmittance in the visible range and reflectance in the infra-red (IR) region has been observed after thermal treatment of TiO2/Cu/TiO2 multilayer thin film at 500 °C due to the improvement of crystal quality of TiO2. Highest visible transmittance of 90% and IR reflectance of 85% at a wavelength of 1200 nm are demonstrated for the TiO2/Cu/TiO2 multilayer thin film after annealing at 500 °C. Performance of TiO2/Cu/TiO2 heat reflector coating decreases after thermal treatment at 600 °C. The wear performance of the TiO2/Cu/TiO2 multilayer structure has been evaluated through scratch hardness test. The present work shows promising characteristics of Cu-based THR coating for energy-saving building industry. PMID:26846687

Color tunable low cost transparent heat reflector using copper and titanium oxide for energy saving application.

PubMed

Dalapati, Goutam Kumar; Masudy-Panah, Saeid; Chua, Sing Teng; Sharma, Mohit; Wong, Ten It; Tan, Hui Ru; Chi, Dongzhi

2016-02-05

Multilayer coating structure comprising a copper (Cu) layer sandwiched between titanium dioxide (TiO2) were demonstrated as a transparent heat reflecting (THR) coating on glass for energy-saving window application. The main highlight is the utilization of Cu, a low-cost material, in-lieu of silver which is widely used in current commercial heat reflecting coating on glass. Color tunable transparent heat reflecting coating was realized through the design of multilayer structure and process optimization. The impact of thermal treatment on the overall performance of sputter deposited TiO2/Cu/TiO2 multilayer thin film on glass substrate is investigated in detail. Significant enhancement of transmittance in the visible range and reflectance in the infra-red (IR) region has been observed after thermal treatment of TiO2/Cu/TiO2 multilayer thin film at 500 °C due to the improvement of crystal quality of TiO2. Highest visible transmittance of 90% and IR reflectance of 85% at a wavelength of 1200 nm are demonstrated for the TiO2/Cu/TiO2 multilayer thin film after annealing at 500 °C. Performance of TiO2/Cu/TiO2 heat reflector coating decreases after thermal treatment at 600 °C. The wear performance of the TiO2/Cu/TiO2 multilayer structure has been evaluated through scratch hardness test. The present work shows promising characteristics of Cu-based THR coating for energy-saving building industry.

Layer-by-layer modification of thin-film metal-semiconductor multilayers with ultrashort laser pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romashevskiy, S. A.; Tsygankov, P. A.; Ashitkov, S. I.; Agranat, M. B.

2018-05-01

The surface modifications in a multilayer thin-film structure (50-nm alternating layers of Si and Al) induced by a single Gaussian-shaped femtosecond laser pulse (350 fs, 1028 nm) in the air are investigated by means of atomic-force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and optical microscopy (OM). Depending on the laser fluence, various modifications of nanometer-scale metal and semiconductor layers, including localized formation of silicon/aluminum nanofoams and layer-by-layer removal, are found. While the nanofoams with cell sizes in the range of tens to hundreds of nanometers are produced only in the two top layers, layer-by-layer removal is observed for the four top layers under single pulse irradiation. The 50-nm films of the multilayer structure are found to be separated at their interfaces, resulting in a selective removal of several top layers (up to 4) in the form of step-like (concentric) craters. The observed phenomenon is associated with a thermo-mechanical ablation mechanism that results in splitting off at film-film interface, where the adhesion force is less than the bulk strength of the used materials, revealing linear dependence of threshold fluences on the film thickness.

Artificial multilayers and nanomagnetic materials

PubMed Central

SHINJO, Teruya

2013-01-01

The author has been actively engaged in research on nanomagnetic materials for about 50 years. Nanomagnetic materials are comprised of ferromagnetic systems for which the size and shape are controlled on a nanometer scale. Typical examples are ultrafine particles, ultrathin films, multilayered films and nano-patterned films. In this article, the following four areas of the author’s studies are described. (1) Mössbauer spectroscopic studies of nanomagnetic materials and interface magnetism. (2) Preparation and characterization of metallic multilayers with artificial superstructures. (3) Giant magnetoresistance (GMR) effect in magnetic multilayers. (4) Novel properties of nanostructured ferromagnetic thin films (dots and wires). A subject of particular interest in the author’s research was the artificially prepared multilayers consisting of metallic elements. The motivation to initiate the multilayer investigation is described and the physical properties observed in the artificial multilayers are introduced. The author’s research was initially in the field of pure physical science and gradually extended into applied science. His achievements are highly regarded not only from the fundamental point of view but also from the technological viewpoint. PMID:23391605

Aluminum induced crystallization of amorphous Ge thin films on insulating substrate

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

Singh, Ch. Kishan, E-mail: kisn@igcar.gov.in; Tah, T.; Sunitha, D. T.

2016-05-23

Aluminium (metal) induced crystallization of amorphous Ge in bilayer and multilayer Ge/Al thin films deposited on quartz substrate at temperature well below the crystallization temperature of bulk Ge is reported. The crystallization of poly-Ge proceeds via formations of dendritic crystalline Ge grains in the Al matrix. The observed phases were characterized by Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The microstructure of Al thin film layer was found to have a profound influence on such crystallization process and formation of dendritic grains.

Layer-by-layer grown scalable redox-active ruthenium-based molecular multilayer thin films for electrochemical applications and beyond.

PubMed

Kaliginedi, Veerabhadrarao; Ozawa, Hiroaki; Kuzume, Akiyoshi; Maharajan, Sivarajakumar; Pobelov, Ilya V; Kwon, Nam Hee; Mohos, Miklos; Broekmann, Peter; Fromm, Katharina M; Haga, Masa-aki; Wandlowski, Thomas

2015-11-14

Here we report the first study on the electrochemical energy storage application of a surface-immobilized ruthenium complex multilayer thin film with anion storage capability. We employed a novel dinuclear ruthenium complex with tetrapodal anchoring groups to build well-ordered redox-active multilayer coatings on an indium tin oxide (ITO) surface using a layer-by-layer self-assembly process. Cyclic voltammetry (CV), UV-Visible (UV-Vis) and Raman spectroscopy showed a linear increase of peak current, absorbance and Raman intensities, respectively with the number of layers. These results indicate the formation of well-ordered multilayers of the ruthenium complex on ITO, which is further supported by the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. The thickness of the layers can be controlled with nanometer precision. In particular, the thickest layer studied (65 molecular layers and approx. 120 nm thick) demonstrated fast electrochemical oxidation/reduction, indicating a very low attenuation of the charge transfer within the multilayer. In situ-UV-Vis and resonance Raman spectroscopy results demonstrated the reversible electrochromic/redox behavior of the ruthenium complex multilayered films on ITO with respect to the electrode potential, which is an ideal prerequisite for e.g. smart electrochemical energy storage applications. Galvanostatic charge-discharge experiments demonstrated a pseudocapacitor behavior of the multilayer film with a good specific capacitance of 92.2 F g(-1) at a current density of 10 μA cm(-2) and an excellent cycling stability. As demonstrated in our prototypical experiments, the fine control of physicochemical properties at nanometer scale, relatively good stability of layers under ambient conditions makes the multilayer coatings of this type an excellent material for e.g. electrochemical energy storage, as interlayers in inverted bulk heterojunction solar cell applications and as functional components in molecular electronics applications.

An investigation of Au/Ti multilayer thin-films: surface morphology, structure and interfacial/surface migration of constituents under applied thermal stress

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Senevirathne, Indrajith; Kemble, Eric; Lavoie, John

2014-03-01

Multilayer thin films are ubiquitous in industry. Au/Ti/substrate is unique due to possible biological applications in proof of concept devices. Material used for substrates include borosilicate glass, and quartz. Typical Ti depositions on substrates give rise to Stanski-Krastonov (SK) like growth while Frank-van der Merwe (FM) like growth is preferred. Ti films with thickness of ~ 100nm were deposited onto varying substrates using a thermal evaporator. The additional Au layer is then deposited via magnetron sputter deposition at 100mtorr at low deposition rates (~ 1ML/min) onto the Ti thin film. These systems were annealed at varying temperatures and at different durations. Systems were investigated via AFM (Atomic Force Microscopy) probes to examine the surface morphology, and structure. Further, the ambient contamination and elemental distribution/diffusion at annealing was investigated via Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). PASSHE FPDC Annual Grant (LOU # 2010-LHU-03)

Exploring the performance of thin-film superconducting multilayers as kinetic inductance detectors for low-frequency detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Songyuan; Goldie, D. J.; Withington, S.; Thomas, C. N.

2018-01-01

We have solved numerically the diffusive Usadel equations that describe the spatially varying superconducting proximity effect in Ti-Al thin-film bi- and trilayers with thickness values that are suitable for kinetic inductance detectors (KIDs) to operate as photon detectors with detection thresholds in the frequency range of 50-90 GHz. Using Nam’s extension of the Mattis-Bardeen calculation of the superconductor complex conductivity, we show how to calculate the surface impedance for the spatially varying case, and hence the surface impedance quality factor. In addition, we calculate energy-and spatially-averaged quasiparticle lifetimes at temperatures well-below the transition temperature and compare to calculation in Al. Our results for the pair-breaking threshold demonstrate differences between bilayers and trilayers with the same total film thicknesses. We also predict high quality factors and long multilayer-averaged quasiparticle recombination times compared to thin-film Al. Our calculations give a route for designing KIDs to operate in this scientifically-important frequency regime.

Structural studies of zirconium doped Ba{sub 0.70}Sr{sub 0.30}TiO{sub 3} lead free ferroelectric thin films

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

Sharma, Sarita, E-mail: sss.sharmasarita@gmail.com; Ram, Mast; Thakur, Shilpa

2016-05-06

Ba{sub 0.7}Sr{sub 0.3}(Zr{sub x}Ti{sub 1-x})O{sub 3}(BSZT, x=0,0.05,0.10,0.15,0.20) thin films were prepared by using sol gel method. Structural and microstructural properties were studied by using XRD, Raman Spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM) respectively. XRD and Raman Spectroscopy show the presence of tetragonal phase in multilayer BSZT thin film. The experimental results demonstrate that structural and microstructural properties of BSZT thin film were significantly dependent on variation of Zr content.

Extraordinary Corrosion Protection from Polymer-Clay Nanobrick Wall Thin Films.

PubMed

Schindelholz, Eric J; Spoerke, Erik D; Nguyen, Hai-Duy; Grunlan, Jaime C; Qin, Shuang; Bufford, Daniel C

2018-06-20

Metals across all industries demand anticorrosion surface treatments and drive a continual need for high-performing and low-cost coatings. Here we demonstrate polymer-clay nanocomposite thin films as a new class of transparent conformal barrier coatings for protection in corrosive atmospheres. Films assembled via layer-by-layer deposition, as thin as 90 nm, are shown to reduce copper corrosion rates by >1000× in an aggressive H 2 S atmosphere. These multilayer nanobrick wall coatings hold promise as high-performing anticorrosion treatment alternatives to costlier, more toxic, and less scalable thin films, such as graphene, hexavalent chromium, or atomic-layer-deposited metal oxides.

Interface Properties of Atomic-Layer-Deposited Al2O3 Thin Films on Ultraviolet/Ozone-Treated Multilayer MoS2 Crystals.

PubMed

Park, Seonyoung; Kim, Seong Yeoul; Choi, Yura; Kim, Myungjun; Shin, Hyunjung; Kim, Jiyoung; Choi, Woong

2016-05-11

We report the interface properties of atomic-layer-deposited Al2O3 thin films on ultraviolet/ozone (UV/O3)-treated multilayer MoS2 crystals. The formation of S-O bonds on MoS2 after low-power UV/O3 treatment increased the surface energy, allowing the subsequent deposition of uniform Al2O3 thin films. The capacitance-voltage measurement of Au-Al2O3-MoS2 metal oxide semiconductor capacitors indicated n-type MoS2 with an electron density of ∼10(17) cm(-3) and a minimum interface trap density of ∼10(11) cm(-2) eV(-1). These results demonstrate the possibility of forming a high-quality Al2O3-MoS2 interface by proper UV/O3 treatment, providing important implications for their integration into field-effect transistors.

Brilliant iridescence of Morpho butterfly wing scales is due to both a thin film lower lamina and a multilayered upper lamina.

PubMed

Giraldo, M A; Stavenga, D G

2016-05-01

Butterflies belonging to the nymphalid subfamily, Morphinae, are famous for their brilliant blue wing coloration and iridescence. These striking optical phenomena are commonly explained as to originate from multilayer reflections by the ridges of the wing scales. Because the lower lamina of the scales of related nymphalid butterflies, the Nymphalinae, plays a dominant role in the wing coloration, by acting as a thin film reflector, we investigated single blue scales of three characteristic Morpho species: M. epistrophus, M. helenor and M. cypris. The experimental data obtained by spectrophotometry, scatterometry and scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that also in the Morpho genus the lower lamina of both the cover and ground scales acts as an optical thin film reflector, contributing importantly to the blue structural coloration of the wings. Melanin pigment has a contrast-enhancing function in a sub-class of ground scales.

Stress Compensating Multilayers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Broadway, David M.; Ramsey, Brian D.; O'dell, Stephen; Gurgew, Danielle

2017-01-01

We present in-situ stress measurement results for single and multilayer thin-films deposited by magnetron sputtering. In particular, we report on the influence of the material interfaces on the ensuing stress in both the transient and steady-state regimes of film growth. This behavior is used to determine the appropriate thicknesses of the constituent layers that will result in a net tensile stress in multilayers composed of various material combinations. These multilayers can then be used to compensate the compressive integrated stress in single and multilayer EUV and x-ray optical coatings. The use of multilayers to compensate the integrated stress might be advantageous because, unlike single layers of chromium, the roughness is not expected to increase with the total thickness of the multilayer. In this paper, we demonstrate the technique for W/Si and Mo/Si multilayers and discuss its application to other material combinations.

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.

Dielectric Properties of BST/(Y 2O 3) x(ZrO 2) 1-x/BST Trilayer Films

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

Sahoo, Santosh K.; Misra, D.

2011-01-31

Thin films of Ba1-xSrxTiO3 (BST) are being actively investigated for applications in dynamic random access memories (DRAM) because of their properties such as high dielectric constant, low leakage current, and high dielectric breakdown strength. Various approaches have been used to improve the dielectric properties of BST thin films such as doping, graded compositions, and multilayer structures. We have found that inserting a ZrO2 layer in between two BST layers results in a significant reduction in dielectric constant as well as dielectric loss. In this work the effect of Y2O3 doped ZrO2 on the dielectric properties of BST/ZrO2/BST trilayer structure ismore » studied. The structure Ba0.8Sr0.2TiO3/(Y2O3)x(ZrO2)1-x/Ba0.8Sr0.2TiO3 is deposited by a sol-gel process on platinized Si substrate. The composition (x) of the middle layer is varied while keeping the total thickness of the trilayer film constant. The dielectric constant of the multilayer film decreases with the increase of Y2O3 amount in the film whereas there is a slight variation in dielectric loss. In Y2O3 doped multilayer thin films, the dielectric loss is lower in comparison to other films and also there is good frequency stability in the loss in the measured frequency range and hence very suitable for microwave device applications.« less

Layered ultra-thin coherent structures used as electrical resistors having low-temperature coefficient of resistivity

DOEpatents

Werner, T.R.; Falco, C.M.; Schuller, I.K.

1982-08-31

A thin film resistor having a controlled temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) ranging from negative to positive degrees kelvin and having relatively high resistivity. The resistor is a multilayer superlattice crystal containing a plurality of alternating, ultra-thin layers of two different metals. TCR is varied by controlling the thickness of the individual layers. The resistor can be readily prepared by methods compatible with thin film circuitry manufacturing techniques.

Spectroscopic Ellipsometry Studies of Ag and ZnO Thin Films and Their Interfaces for Thin Film Photovoltaics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sainju, Deepak

Many modern optical and electronic devices, including photovoltaic devices, consist of multilayered thin film structures. Spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) is a critically important characterization technique for such multilayers. SE can be applied to measure key parameters related to the structural, optical, and electrical properties of the components of multilayers with high accuracy and precision. One of the key advantages of this non-destructive technique is its capability of monitoring the growth dynamics of thin films in-situ and in real time with monolayer level precision. In this dissertation, the techniques of SE have been applied to study the component layer materials and structures used as back-reflectors and as the transparent contact layers in thin film photovoltaic technologies, including hydrogenated silicon (Si:H), copper indium-gallium diselenide (CIGS), and cadmium telluride (CdTe). The component layer materials, including silver and both intrinsic and doped zinc oxide, are fabricated on crystalline silicon and glass substrates using magnetron sputtering techniques. These thin films are measured in-situ and in real time as well as ex-situ by spectroscopic ellipsometry in order to extract parameters related to the structural properties, such as bulk layer thickness and surface roughness layer thickness and their time evolution, the latter information specific to real time measurements. The index of refraction and extinction coefficient or complex dielectric function of a single unknown layer can also be obtained from the measurement versus photon energy. Applying analytical expressions for these optical properties versus photon energy, parameters that describe electronic transport, such as electrical resistivity and electron scattering time, can be extracted. The SE technique is also performed as the sample is heated in order to derive the effects of annealing on the optical properties and derived electrical transport parameters, as well as the intrinsic temperature dependence of these properties and parameters. One of the major achievements of this dissertation research is the characterization of the thickness and optical properties of the interface layer formed between the silver and zinc oxide layers in a back-reflector structure used in thin film photovoltaics. An understanding of the impact of these thin film material properties on solar cell device performance has been complemented by applying reflectance and transmittance spectroscopy as well as simulations of cell performance.

Structure and method for controlling band offset and alignment at a crystalline oxide-on-semiconductor interface

DOEpatents

McKee, Rodney A.; Walker, Frederick J.

2003-11-25

A crystalline oxide-on-semiconductor structure and a process for constructing the structure involves a substrate of silicon, germanium or a silicon-germanium alloy and an epitaxial thin film overlying the surface of the substrate wherein the thin film consists of a first epitaxial stratum of single atomic plane layers of an alkaline earth oxide designated generally as (AO).sub.n and a second stratum of single unit cell layers of an oxide material designated as (A'BO.sub.3).sub.m so that the multilayer film arranged upon the substrate surface is designated (AO).sub.n (A'BO.sub.3).sub.m wherein n is an integer repeat of single atomic plane layers of the alkaline earth oxide AO and m is an integer repeat of single unit cell layers of the A'BO.sub.3 oxide material. Within the multilayer film, the values of n and m have been selected to provide the structure with a desired electrical structure at the substrate/thin film interface that can be optimized to control band offset and alignment.

The stability of the epitaxially introduced metastable metallic structures of thin layers and multilayers

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

Cadeville, M.C.

Among the very large number of metallic thin films, sandwiches and multilayers which have been elaborated by epitaxy on various single crystalline substrates during the last decade, few new structures are reported. Limiting to the case of 3d metals, one finds with a great confidence bcc Cobalt, possibly bee Nickel and a non-compact hexagonal (hp) iron. Moreover structures existing at high temperature under ambient pressure are epitaxially stabilized at room temperature (RT) like fcc Cobalt, fcc Iron, fcc and bcc Manganese. The hcp iron which is stable under high pressure at RT would not be epitaxially stabilized at ambient pressuremore » conversely to first findings. The critical thickness of the metastable phase is generally limited to some monolayers in thin films, being slightly increased in sandwiches or multilayers, even if the phenomenological wetting criterion to build superlattices is not satisfied. No increased magnetic moment has been found up to now in the expanded lattices, contrary to band structure calculation predictions. 56 refs.« less

Quantitative evaluation of sputtering induced surface roughness and its influence on AES depth profiles of polycrystalline Ni/Cu multilayer thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, X. L.; Coetsee, E.; Wang, J. Y.; Swart, H. C.; Terblans, J. J.

2017-07-01

The polycrystalline Ni/Cu multilayer thin films consisting of 8 alternating layers of Ni and Cu were deposited on a SiO2 substrate by means of electron beam evaporation in a high vacuum. Concentration-depth profiles of the as-deposited multilayered Ni/Cu thin films were determined with Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) in combination with Ar+ ion sputtering, under various bombardment conditions with the samples been stationary as well as rotating in some cases. The Mixing-Roughness-Information depth (MRI) model used for the fittings of the concentration-depth profiles accounts for the interface broadening of the experimental depth profiling. The interface broadening incorporates the effects of atomic mixing, surface roughness and information depth of the Auger electrons. The roughness values extracted from the MRI model fitting of the depth profiling data agrees well with those measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The ion sputtering induced surface roughness during the depth profiling was accordingly quantitatively evaluated from the fitted MRI parameters with sample rotation and stationary conditions. The depth resolutions of the AES depth profiles were derived directly from the values determined by the fitting parameters in the MRI model.

Multi-layer thin-film electrolytes for metal supported solid oxide fuel cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haydn, Markus; Ortner, Kai; Franco, Thomas; Uhlenbruck, Sven; Menzler, Norbert H.; Stöver, Detlev; Bräuer, Günter; Venskutonis, Andreas; Sigl, Lorenz S.; Buchkremer, Hans-Peter; Vaßen, Robert

2014-06-01

A key to the development of metal-supported solid oxide fuel cells (MSCs) is the manufacturing of gas-tight thin-film electrolytes, which separate the cathode from the anode. This paper focuses the electrolyte manufacturing on the basis of 8YSZ (8 mol.-% Y2O3 stabilized ZrO2). The electrolyte layers are applied by a physical vapor deposition (PVD) gas flow sputtering (GFS) process. The gas-tightness of the electrolyte is significantly improved when sequential oxidic and metallic thin-film multi-layers are deposited, which interrupt the columnar grain structure of single-layer electrolytes. Such electrolytes with two or eight oxide/metal layers and a total thickness of about 4 μm obtain leakage rates of less than 3 × 10-4 hPa dm3 s-1 cm-2 (Δp: 100 hPa) at room temperature and therefore fulfill the gas tightness requirements. They are also highly tolerant with respect to surface flaws and particulate impurities which can be present on the graded anode underground. MSC cell tests with double-layer and multilayer electrolytes feature high power densities more than 1.4 W cm-2 at 850 °C and underline the high potential of MSC cells.

Fabrication of multilayer TiO{sub 2} thin films for dye-sensitized solar cells with high conversion efficiency by electrophoresis deposition

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

Chang, Ho; Chen, Wei-An; Su, Hung-Ting

2010-01-15

This research coats a commercial TiO{sub 2} nanoparticle Degussa P25 with good roundness and size uniformity on an indium tin oxide (ITO) glass substrate and to be photoelectrical electrode by electrophoresis deposition. It combined with dye N719, electrolyte I{sup -}/ I{sub 3}{sup -} and counter-electrode of Pt layer to produce dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Through the electrophoretic technique, a multilayer film of an appropriate thickness is deposited in the suspension containing TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles and isopropanol. In this process, electric current, voltage, and the number of deposition cycles are well controlled to obtain a single TiO{sub 2} film of aroundmore » 3.3 {mu}m thick. Stacking is then performed to obtain a multilayer-typed TiO{sub 2} film of around 12 {mu}m thick. As the sintering temperature reaches 400 C, the prepared multilayer TiO{sub 2} film with a good compactness can increase the dye adsorption capability of the thin film and enhance its adsorption percentage. In addition, the heat treatment will transfer a portion of the rutile crystalline into the anatase crystalline, resulting in better material properties for DSSCs application. DSSCs produced are exposed to metal halide lamp and their energy conversion efficiency is measured. The I-V curve of the produced DSSCs shows that it has an excellent energy conversion efficiency of 6.9%. (author)« less

Enhanced thermo-spin effects in iron-oxide/metal multilayers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramos, R.; Lucas, I.; Algarabel, P. A.; Morellón, L.; Uchida, K.; Saitoh, E.; Ibarra, M. R.

2018-06-01

Since the discovery of the spin Seebeck effect (SSE), much attention has been devoted to the study of the interaction between heat, spin, and charge in magnetic systems. The SSE refers to the generation of a spin current upon the application of a thermal gradient and detected by means of the inverse spin Hall effect. Conversely, the spin Peltier effect (SPE) refers to the generation of a heat current as a result of a spin current induced by the spin Hall effect. Here we report a strong enhancement of both the SSE and SPE in Fe3O4/Pt multilayered thin films at room temperature as a result of an increased thermo-spin conversion efficiency in the multilayers. These results open the possibility to design thin film heterostructures that may boost the application of thermal spin currents in spintronics.

Synthesis and characterization of Copper/Cobalt/Copper/Iron nanostructurated films with magnetoresistive properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ciupinǎ, Victor; Prioteasa, Iulian; Ilie, Daniela; Manu, Radu; Petrǎşescu, Lucian; Tutun, Ştefan Gabriel; Dincǎ, Paul; MustaÅ£ǎ, Ion; Lungu, Cristian Petricǎ; Jepu, IonuÅ£; Vasile, Eugeniu; Nicolescu, Virginia; Vladoiu, Rodica

2017-02-01

Copper/Cobalt/Copper/Iron thin films were synthesized in order to obtain nanostructured materials with special magnetoresistive properties. The multilayer films were deposited on silicon substrates. In this respect we used Thermionic Vacuum Arc Discharge Method (TVA). The benefit of this deposition technique is the ability to have a controlled range of thicknesses starting from few nanometers to hundreds of nanometers. The purity of the thin films was insured by a high vacuum pressure and a lack of any kind of buffer gas inside the coating chamber. The morphology and structure of the thin films were analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) Techniques and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDXS). Magnetoresistive measurement results depict that thin films possess Giant Magneto-Resistance Effect (GMR). Magneto-Optic-Kerr Effect (MOKE) studies were performed to characterize the magnetic properties of these thin films.

Robust lanthanide emitters in polyelectrolyte thin films for photonic applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greenspon, Andrew S.; Marceaux, Brandt L.; Hu, Evelyn L.

2018-02-01

Trivalent lanthanides provide stable emission sources at wavelengths spanning the ultraviolet through the near infrared with uses in telecommunications, lighting, and biological sensing and imaging. We describe a method for incorporating an organometallic lanthanide complex within polyelectrolyte multilayers, producing uniform, optically active thin films on a variety of substrates. These films demonstrate excellent emission with narrow linewidths, stable over a period of months, even when bound to metal substrates. Utilizing different lanthanides such as europium and terbium, we are able to easily tune the resulting wavelength of emission of the thin film. These results demonstrate the suitability of this platform as a thin film emitter source for a variety of photonic applications such as waveguides, optical cavities, and sensors.

Thin film photovoltaic device

DOEpatents

Catalano, Anthony W.; Bhushan, Manjul

1982-01-01

A thin film photovoltaic solar cell which utilizes a zinc phosphide semiconductor is of the homojunction type comprising an n-type conductivity region forming an electrical junction with a p-type region, both regions consisting essentially of the same semiconductor material. The n-type region is formed by treating zinc phosphide with an extrinsic dopant such as magnesium. The semiconductor is formed on a multilayer substrate which acts as an opaque contact. Various transparent contacts may be used, including a thin metal film of the same chemical composition as the n-type dopant or conductive oxides or metal grids.

Thermal conductivity of SrVO3-SrTiO3 thin films: Evidence of intrinsic thermal resistance at the interface between oxide layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katsufuji, T.; Saiki, T.; Okubo, S.; Katayama, Y.; Ueno, K.

2018-05-01

By using a technique of thermoreflectance that can precisely measure the thermal conductivity of thin films, we found that the thermal conductivity of SrVO3-SrTiO3 multilayer thin films normal to the surface was substantially reduced by decreasing the thickness of each layer. This indicates that a large intrinsic thermal resistance exists at the interface between SrVO3 and SrTiO3 in spite of the similar phononic properties for these two compounds.

Freestanding and Reactive Thin Films Fabricated by Covalent Layer-by-Layer Assembly and Subsequent Lift-Off of Azlactone-Containing Polymer Multilayers

PubMed Central

Buck, Maren E.

2010-01-01

We report an approach to the fabrication of freestanding and amine-reactive thin films that is based on the reactive layer-by-layer assembly and subsequent lift-off of azlactone-containing polymer multilayers. We demonstrate that covalently crosslinked multilayers fabricated using the azlactone-functionalized polymer poly(2-vinyl-4,4-dimethylazlactone) (PVDMA) and a primary amine-containing polymer [poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI)] can be delaminated from planar glass and silicon surfaces by immersion in mildly acidic aqueous environments to yield flexible freestanding membranes. These freestanding membranes are robust and can withstand exposure to strong acid, strong base, or incubation in high ionic strength solutions that typically lead to the disruption and erosion of polymer multilayers assembled by reversible weak interactions (e.g., ‘polyelectrolyte multilayers’ assembled by electrostatic interactions or hydrogen bonding). We demonstrate further that these PEI/PVDMA assemblies contain residual reactive azlactone functionality that can be exploited to chemically modify the films (either directly after fabrication or after they have been lifted off of the substrates on which they were fabricated) using a variety of amine-functionalized small molecules. These freestanding membranes can also be transferred readily onto other objects (for example, onto the surfaces of planar substrates containing holes or pores) to fabricate suspended polymer membranes and other film-functionalized interfaces. In addition to planar, two-dimensional freestanding films, this approach can be used to fabricate and isolate three-dimensional freestanding membranes (e.g., curved films or tubes) by layer-by-layer assembly on, and subsequent lift-off from, the surfaces of topologically complex substrates (e.g., the curved ends of glass tubing, etc.). The results of this investigation, when combined, suggest the basis of methods for the fabrication of stable, chemically-reactive, and flexible polymer thin films and membranes of potential utility in a variety of fundamental and applied contexts. PMID:20857952

Thermoelectric Properties and Morphology of Si/SiC Thin-Film Multilayers Grown by Ion Beam Sputtering

DOE PAGES

Cramer, Corson; Farnell, Casey; Farnell, Cody; ...

2018-03-19

Multilayers (MLs) of 31 bi-layers and a 10-nm layer thickness each of Si/SiC were deposited on silicon, quartz and mullite substrates using a high-speed, ion-beam sputter deposition process. The samples deposited on the silicon substrates were used for imaging purposes and structural verification as they did not allow for accurate electrical measurement of the material. The Seebeck coefficient and the electrical resistivity on the mullite and the quartz substrates were reported as a function of temperature and used to compare the film performance. The thermal conductivity measurement was performed for ML samples grown on Si, and an average value ofmore » the thermal conductivity was used to find the figure of merit, zT, for all samples tested. X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra showed an amorphous nature of the thin films. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to study the film morphology and verify the nature of the crystallinity. The mobility of the multilayer films was measured to be only 0.039 to 1.0 cm 2/Vs at room temperature. The samples were tested three times in the temperature range of 300 K to 900 K to document the changes in the films with temperature cycling. The highest Seebeck coefficient is measured for a Si/SiC multilayer system on quartz and mullite substrates and were observed at 870 K to be roughly -2600 μV/K due to a strain-induced redistribution of the states’ effect. The highest figure of merit, zT, calculated for the multilayers in this study was 0.08 at 870 K.« less

Thermoelectric Properties and Morphology of Si/SiC Thin-Film Multilayers Grown by Ion Beam Sputtering

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

Cramer, Corson; Farnell, Casey; Farnell, Cody

Multilayers (MLs) of 31 bi-layers and a 10-nm layer thickness each of Si/SiC were deposited on silicon, quartz and mullite substrates using a high-speed, ion-beam sputter deposition process. The samples deposited on the silicon substrates were used for imaging purposes and structural verification as they did not allow for accurate electrical measurement of the material. The Seebeck coefficient and the electrical resistivity on the mullite and the quartz substrates were reported as a function of temperature and used to compare the film performance. The thermal conductivity measurement was performed for ML samples grown on Si, and an average value ofmore » the thermal conductivity was used to find the figure of merit, zT, for all samples tested. X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra showed an amorphous nature of the thin films. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to study the film morphology and verify the nature of the crystallinity. The mobility of the multilayer films was measured to be only 0.039 to 1.0 cm 2/Vs at room temperature. The samples were tested three times in the temperature range of 300 K to 900 K to document the changes in the films with temperature cycling. The highest Seebeck coefficient is measured for a Si/SiC multilayer system on quartz and mullite substrates and were observed at 870 K to be roughly -2600 μV/K due to a strain-induced redistribution of the states’ effect. The highest figure of merit, zT, calculated for the multilayers in this study was 0.08 at 870 K.« less

Highly stable thin film transistors using multilayer channel structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nayak, Pradipta K.; Wang, Zhenwei; Anjum, D. H.; Hedhili, M. N.; Alshareef, H. N.

2015-03-01

We report highly stable gate-bias stress performance of thin film transistors (TFTs) using zinc oxide (ZnO)/hafnium oxide (HfO2) multilayer structure as the channel layer. Positive and negative gate-bias stress stability of the TFTs was measured at room temperature and at 60 °C. A tremendous improvement in gate-bias stress stability was obtained in case of the TFT with multiple layers of ZnO embedded between HfO2 layers compared to the TFT with a single layer of ZnO as the semiconductor. The ultra-thin HfO2 layers act as passivation layers, which prevent the adsorption of oxygen and water molecules in the ZnO layer and hence significantly improve the gate-bias stress stability of ZnO TFTs.

Three-Dimensional Microphase Separation and Synergistic Permeability in Stacked Lipid–Polymer Hybrid Membranes

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

Kang, Minjee; Lee, Byeongdu; Leal, Cecilia

Here, we present new structures of soft-material thin films that augment the functionality of substrate-mediated delivery systems. A hybrid material composed of phospholipids and block copolymers adopts a multilayered membrane structure supported on a solid surface. The hybrid films comprise intentional intramembrane heterogeneities that register across multilayers. These stacked domains convey unprecedented enhancement and control of permeability of solutes across micrometer-thick films. Using grazing incidence X-ray scattering, phase contrast atomic force microscopy, and confocal microscopy, we observed that in each lamella, lipid and polymers partition unevenly within the membrane plane segregating into lipid- or polymer-rich domains. Interestingly, we found evidencemore » that like-domains align in registry across multilayers, thereby making phase separation three-dimensional. Phase boundaries exist over extended length scales to compensate the height mismatch between lipid and polymer molecules. We show that microphase separation in hybrid films can be exploited to augment the capability of drug-eluting substrates. Lipid–polymer hybrid films loaded with paclitaxel show synergistic permeability of drug compared to single-component counterparts. We present a thorough structural study of stacked lipid–polymer hybrid membranes and propose that the presence of registered domains and domain boundaries impart enhanced drug release functionality. This work offers new perspectives in designing thin films for controlled delivery applications« less

Three-Dimensional Microphase Separation and Synergistic Permeability in Stacked Lipid–Polymer Hybrid Membranes

DOE PAGES

Kang, Minjee; Lee, Byeongdu; Leal, Cecilia

2017-10-20

Here, we present new structures of soft-material thin films that augment the functionality of substrate-mediated delivery systems. A hybrid material composed of phospholipids and block copolymers adopts a multilayered membrane structure supported on a solid surface. The hybrid films comprise intentional intramembrane heterogeneities that register across multilayers. These stacked domains convey unprecedented enhancement and control of permeability of solutes across micrometer-thick films. Using grazing incidence X-ray scattering, phase contrast atomic force microscopy, and confocal microscopy, we observed that in each lamella, lipid and polymers partition unevenly within the membrane plane segregating into lipid- or polymer-rich domains. Interestingly, we found evidencemore » that like-domains align in registry across multilayers, thereby making phase separation three-dimensional. Phase boundaries exist over extended length scales to compensate the height mismatch between lipid and polymer molecules. We show that microphase separation in hybrid films can be exploited to augment the capability of drug-eluting substrates. Lipid–polymer hybrid films loaded with paclitaxel show synergistic permeability of drug compared to single-component counterparts. We present a thorough structural study of stacked lipid–polymer hybrid membranes and propose that the presence of registered domains and domain boundaries impart enhanced drug release functionality. This work offers new perspectives in designing thin films for controlled delivery applications« less

Preparation of multilayered nanocrystalline thin films with composition-modulated interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biro, D.; Barna, P. B.; Székely, L.; Geszti, O.; Hattori, T.; Devenyi, A.

2008-06-01

The properties of multilayer thin film structures depend on the morphology and structure of interfaces. A broad interface, in which the composition is varying, can enhance, e.g., the hardness of multilayer thin films. In the present experiments multilayers of TiAlN and CrN as well as TiAlN, CrN and MoS 2 were studied by using unbalanced magnetron sputter sources. The sputter sources were arranged side by side on an arc. This arrangement permits development of a transition zone between the layers, where the composition changes continuously. The multilayer system was deposited by one-fold oscillating movement of substrates in front of sputter sources. Thicknesses of layers could be changed both by oscillation frequency and by the power applied to sputter sources. Ti/Al: 50/50 at%, pure chromium and MoS 2 targets were used in the sputter sources. The depositions were performed in an Ar-N 2 mixture at 0.22 Pa working pressure. The sputtering power of the TiAl source was feed-back adjusted in fuzzy-logic mode in order to avoid fluctuation of the TiAl target sputter rate due to poisoning of the target surface. Structure characterization of films deposited on <1 0 0> Si wafers covered by thermally grown SiO 2 was performed by cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. At first a 100 nm thick Cr base layer was deposited on the substrate to improve adhesion, which was followed by a CrN transition layer. The CrN transition layer was followed by a 100 nm thick TiAlN/CrN multilayer system. The TiAlN/CrN/MoS 2 multilayer system was deposited on the surface of this underlayer system. The underlayer systems Cr, CrN and TiAlN/CrN were crystalline with columnar structure according to the morphology of zone T of the structure zone models. The column boundaries contained segregated phases showing up in the under-focused TEM images. The surface of the underlayer system was wavy due to dome-shaped columns. The nanometer-scaled TiAlN/CrN/MoS 2 multilayer system followed this waviness. Crystallinity of the TiAlN and CrN layers in the multilayer system decreases with increasing thickness of the MoS 2 layer.

Thin-film designs by simulated annealing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boudet, T.; Chaton, P.; Herault, L.; Gonon, G.; Jouanet, L.; Keller, P.

1996-11-01

With the increasing power of computers, new methods in synthesis of optical multilayer systems have appeared. Among these, the simulated-annealing algorithm has proved its efficiency in several fields of physics. We propose to show its performances in the field of optical multilayer systems through different filter designs.

Tunable thin-film optical filters for hyperspectral microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Favreau, Peter F.; Rich, Thomas C.; Prabhat, Prashant; Leavesley, Silas J.

2013-02-01

Hyperspectral imaging was originally developed for use in remote sensing applications. More recently, it has been applied to biological imaging systems, such as fluorescence microscopes. The ability to distinguish molecules based on spectral differences has been especially advantageous for identifying fluorophores in highly autofluorescent tissues. A key component of hyperspectral imaging systems is wavelength filtering. Each filtering technology used for hyperspectral imaging has corresponding advantages and disadvantages. Recently, a new optical filtering technology has been developed that uses multi-layered thin-film optical filters that can be rotated, with respect to incident light, to control the center wavelength of the pass-band. Compared to the majority of tunable filter technologies, these filters have superior optical performance including greater than 90% transmission, steep spectral edges and high out-of-band blocking. Hence, tunable thin-film optical filters present optical characteristics that may make them well-suited for many biological spectral imaging applications. An array of tunable thin-film filters was implemented on an inverted fluorescence microscope (TE 2000, Nikon Instruments) to cover the full visible wavelength range. Images of a previously published model, GFP-expressing endothelial cells in the lung, were acquired using a charge-coupled device camera (Rolera EM-C2, Q-Imaging). This model sample presents fluorescently-labeled cells in a highly autofluorescent environment. Linear unmixing of hyperspectral images indicates that thin-film tunable filters provide equivalent spectral discrimination to our previous acousto-optic tunable filter-based approach, with increased signal-to-noise characteristics. Hence, tunable multi-layered thin film optical filters may provide greatly improved spectral filtering characteristics and therefore enable wider acceptance of hyperspectral widefield microscopy.

Self-assembly of dodecaphenyl POSS thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Handke, Bartosz; Klita, Łukasz; Niemiec, Wiktor

2017-12-01

The self-assembly abilities of Dodecaphenyl Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane thin films on Si(1 0 0) surfaces were studied. Due to their thermal properties - relatively low sublimation temperature and preservation of molecular structure - cage type silsesquioxanes are ideal material for the preparation of a thin films by Physical Vapor Deposition. The Ultra-High Vacuum environment and the deposition precision of the PVD method enable the study of early stages of thin film growth and its molecular organization. X-ray Reflectivity and Atomic Force Microscopy measurements allow to pursuit size-effects in the structure of thin films with thickness ranges from less than a single molecular layer up to several tens of layers. Thermal treatment of the thin films triggered phase change: from a poorly ordered polycrystalline film into a well-ordered multilayer structure. Self-assembly of the layers is the effect of the π-stacking of phenyl rings, which force molecules to arrange in a superlattice, forming stacks of alternating organic-inorganic layers.

Thin film multilayer filters for solar EUV telescopes.

PubMed

Chkhalo, N I; Drozdov, M N; Kluenkov, E B; Kuzin, S V; Lopatin, A Ya; Luchin, V I; Salashchenko, N N; Tsybin, N N; Zuev, S Yu

2016-06-10

Al, with a passband in the wavelength range of 17-60 nm, and Zr, with a passband in the wavelength range of 6.5-17 nm, thin films on a support grid or support membrane are frequently used as UV, visible, and near-IR blocking filters in solar observatories. Although they possess acceptable optical performance, these filters also have some shortcomings such as low mechanical strength and low resistance to oxidation. These shortcomings hinder meeting the requirements for filters of future telescopes. We propose multilayer thin film filters on the basis of Al, Zr, and other materials with improved characteristics. It was demonstrated that stretched multilayer films on a support grid with a mesh size up to 5 mm can withstand vibration loads occurring during spacecraft launch. A large mesh size is preferable for filters of high-resolution solar telescopes, since it allows image distortion caused by light diffraction on the support grid to be avoided. We have investigated the thermal stability of Al/Si and Zr/Si multilayers assuming their possible application as filters in the Intergelioprobe project, in which the observation of coronal plasma will take place close to the Sun. Zr/Si films show high thermal stability and may be used as blocking filters in the wavelength range of 12.5-17 nm. Al/Si films show lower thermal stability: a significant decrease in the film's transmission in the EUV spectral range and an increase in the visible spectrum have been observed. We suppose that the low thermal stability of Al/Si films restricts their application in the Intergelioprobe project. Thus, there is a lack of filters for the wavelength range of λ>17  nm. Be/Si and Cr/Si filters have been proposed for the wavelength range near 30.4 nm. Although these filters have lower transparency than Al/Si, they are superior in thermal stability. Multilayer Sc/Al filters with relatively high transmission at a wavelength of 58.4 nm (HeI line) and simultaneously sufficient rejection in the wavelength range near 30.4 nm (HeII line) have been fabricated. They are planned to be used in the project KORTES, whose telescopes will have an EUV channel at 58.4 nm.

Solid-state dewetting of magnetic binary multilayer thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esterina, Ria; Liu, X. M.; Adeyeye, A. O.; Ross, C. A.; Choi, W. K.

2015-10-01

We examined solid-state dewetting behavior of magnetic multilayer thin film in both miscible (CoPd) and immiscible (CoAu) systems and found that CoPd and CoAu dewetting stages follow that of elemental materials. We established that CoPd alloy morphology and dewetting rate lie in between that of the elemental materials. Johnson-Mehl-Avrami analysis was utilized to extract the dewetting activation energy of CoPd. For CoAu, Au-rich particles and Co-rich particles are distinguishable and we are able to predict the interparticle spacings and particle densities for the particles that agree well with the experimental results. We also characterized the magnetic properties of CoPd and CoAu nanoparticles.

AND/R: Advanced neutron diffractometer/reflectometer for investigation of thin films and multilayers for the life sciences

PubMed Central

Dura, Joseph A.; Pierce, Donald J.; Majkrzak, Charles F.; Maliszewskyj, Nicholas C.; McGillivray, Duncan J.; Lösche, Mathias; O'Donovan, Kevin V.; Mihailescu, Mihaela; Perez-Salas, Ursula; Worcester, David L.; White, Stephen H.

2011-01-01

An elastic neutron scattering instrument, the advanced neutron diffractometer/reflectometer (AND/R), has recently been commissioned at the National Institute of Standards and Technology Center for Neutron Research. The AND/R is the centerpiece of the Cold Neutrons for Biology and Technology partnership, which is dedicated to the structural characterization of thin films and multilayers of biological interest. The instrument is capable of measuring both specular and nonspecular reflectivity, as well as crystalline or semicrystalline diffraction at wave-vector transfers up to approximately 2.20 Å−1. A detailed description of this flexible instrument and its performance characteristics in various operating modes are given. PMID:21892232

Fabrication and design of vanadium oxide microbolometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdel-Rahman, M.; Al-Khalli, N.; Zia, M. F.; Alduraibi, M.; Ilahi, B.; Awad, E.; Debbar, N.

2017-02-01

Vanadium oxide (VxOy) multilayer sandwich structures previously studied by our group were found to yield a sensitive thermometer thin film material suitable for microbolometer applications. In this work, we aim to estimate the performance of a proposed air-bridge microbolometer configuration based on VxOy multilayer sandwich structure thermometer thin films. For this purpose, a microbolometer was fabricated on silicon (Si) substrate covered with a silicon nitride (Si3N4) insulating layer using VxOy thermometer thin film material. The fabricated microbolometer was patterned using electron-beam lithography and liftoff techniques and it was characterized in terms of its voltage repsonsivity (Rv), signal to noise ratio (SNR), noise equivalent power (NEP) and detectivity D*. A model was then developed by the aid of numerical optical/thermal simulations and experimentally measured parameters to estimate the performance of the microbolometer when fabricated in an air-bridge configuration. The estimated D* was found to be 1.55×107 cm.√Hz/ W.

Non-destructive evaluation of nano-sized structure of thin film devices by using small angle neutron scattering.

PubMed

Shin, E J; Seong, B S; Choi, Y; Lee, J K

2011-01-01

Nano-sized multi-layers copper-doped SrZrO3, platinum (Pt) and silicon oxide (SiO2) on silicon substrates were prepared by dense plasma focus (DPF) device with the high purity copper anode tip and analyzed by using small angle neutron scattering (SANS) to establish a reliable method for the non-destructive evaluation of the under-layer structure. Thin film was well formed at the time-to-dip of 5 microsec with stable plasma of DPF. Several smooth intensity peaks were periodically observed when neutron beam penetrates the thin film with multi-layers perpendicularly. The platinum layer is dominant to intensity peaks, where the copper-doped SrZnO3 layer next to the platinum layer causes peak broadening. The silicon oxide layer has less effect on the SANS spectra due to its relative thick thickness. The SANS spectra shows thicknesses of platinum and copper-doped SrZnO3 layers as 53 and 25 nm, respectively, which are well agreement with microstructure observation.

Thin PDMS Films Using Long Spin Times or Tert-Butyl Alcohol as a Solvent

PubMed Central

Koschwanez, John H.; Carlson, Robert H.; Meldrum, Deirdre R.

2009-01-01

Thin polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) films are frequently used in “lab on a chip” devices as flexible membranes. The common solvent used to dilute the PDMS for thin films is hexane, but hexane can swell the underlying PDMS substrate. A better solvent would be one that dissolves uncured PDMS but doesn't swell the underlying substrate. Here, we present protocols and spin curves for two alternatives to hexane dilution: longer spin times and dilution in tert-butyl alcohol. The thickness of the PDMS membranes under different spin speeds, spin times, and PDMS concentrations was measured using an optical profilometer. The use of tert-butyl alcohol to spin thin PDMS films does not swell the underlying PDMS substrate, and we have used these films to construct multilayer PDMS devices. PMID:19238212

Thin film characterization by laser interferometry combined with SIMS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kempf, J.; Nonnenmacher, M.; Wagner, H. H.

1988-10-01

Thin film properties of technologically important materials (Si, GaAs, SiO2, WSix) have been measured by using a novel technique that combines secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and laser interferometry. The simultaneous measurement of optical phase and reflectance as well as SIMS species during ion sputtering yielded optical constants, sputtering rates and composition of thin films with high depth resolution. A model based on the principle of multiple reflection within a multilayer structure, which considered also transformation of the film composition in depth and time during sputtering, was fitted to the reflectance and phase data. This model was applied to reveal the transformation of silicon by sputtering with O{2/+} ions. Special attention was paid to the preequilibrium phase of the sputter process (amorphization, oxidation, and volume expansion). To demonstrate the analytical potential of our method the multilayer system WSix/poly-Si/SiO2/Si was investigated. The physical parameters and the stoichiometry of tungsten suicide were determined for annealed as well as deposited films. A highly sensitive technique that makes use of a Fabry-Perot etalon integrated with a Michelson type interferometer is proposed. This two-stage interferometer has the potential to profile a sample surface with subangstroem resolution.

Optimizing ITO for incorporation into multilayer thin film stacks for visible and NIR applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roschuk, Tyler; Taddeo, David; Levita, Zachary; Morrish, Alan; Brown, Douglas

2017-05-01

Indium Tin Oxide, ITO, is the industry standard for transparent conductive coatings. As such, the common metrics for characterizing ITO performance are its transmission and conductivity/resistivity (or sheet resistance). In spite of its recurrent use in a broad range of technological applications, the performance of ITO itself is highly variable, depending on the method of deposition and chamber conditions, and a single well defined set of properties does not exist. This poses particular challenges for the incorporation of ITO in complex optical multilayer stacks while trying to maintain electronic performance. Complicating matters further, ITO suffers increased absorption losses in the NIR - making the ability to incorporate ITO into anti-reflective stacks crucial to optimizing overall optical performance when ITO is used in real world applications. In this work, we discuss the use of ITO in multilayer thin film stacks for applications from the visible to the NIR. In the NIR, we discuss methods to analyze and fine tune the film properties to account for, and minimize, losses due to absorption and to optimize the overall transmission of the multilayer stacks. The ability to obtain high transmission while maintaining good electrical properties, specifically low resistivity, is demonstrated. Trade-offs between transmission and conductivity with variation of process parameters are discussed in light of optimizing the performance of the final optical stack and not just with consideration to the ITO film itself.

Using high thermal stability flexible thin film thermoelectric generator at moderate temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Zhuang-Hao; Luo, Jing-Ting; Chen, Tian-Bao; Zhang, Xiang-Hua; Liang, Guang-Xing; Fan, Ping

2018-04-01

Flexible thin film thermoelectric devices are extensively used in the microscale industry for powering wearable electronics. In this study, comprehensive optimization was conducted in materials and connection design for fabricating a high thermal stability flexible thin film thermoelectric generator. First, the thin films in the generator, including the electrodes, were prepared by magnetron sputtering deposition. The "NiCu-Cu-NiCu" multilayer electrode structure was applied to ensure the thermal stability of the device used at moderate temperature in an air atmosphere. A design with metal layer bonding and series accordant connection was then employed. The maximum efficiency of a single PN thermocouple generator is >11%, and the output power loss of the generator is <10% after integration.

Effects of interfaces on the thermal conductivity in Si/Si0.75Ge0.25 multilayer with varying Au layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Yangsen; Wu, Zhenghua; Ye, Fengjie; Hu, Zhiyu

2018-02-01

The manoeuvre of thermal transport property across multilayer films with inserted metal layers through controlling the metal-nonmetal interfaces is of fundamental interest. In this work, amorphous Si/Si0.75Ge0.25 multilayer films inserted with varying Au layers were fabricated by magnetron sputtering. The structure and sharp interface of multilayers films were characterized by low angle x-ray diffraction (LAXRD), grazing incidence small angle x-ray scattering (GISAXS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A differential 3ω method was applied to measure the effective thermal conductivity. The measurements show that thermal conductivity has changed as varying Au layers. Thermal conductivity increased from 0.94 to 1.31 Wm-1K-1 while Si0.75Ge0.25 layer was replaced by different Au layers, which was attributed to the strong electron-phonon coupling and interface thermal resistance in a metal-nonmetal multilayered system. Theoretical calculation combined with experimental results indicate that the thermal conductivity of the multilayer film could be facilely controlled by introducing different number of nanoconstructed metal-nonmetal interfaces, which provide a more insightful understanding of the thermal transport manipulation mechanism of the thin film system with inserting metal layers.

Thin film photovoltaic device

DOEpatents

Catalano, A.W.; Bhushan, M.

1982-08-03

A thin film photovoltaic solar cell which utilizes a zinc phosphide semiconductor is of the homojunction type comprising an n-type conductivity region forming an electrical junction with a p-type region, both regions consisting essentially of the same semiconductor material. The n-type region is formed by treating zinc phosphide with an extrinsic dopant such as magnesium. The semiconductor is formed on a multilayer substrate which acts as an opaque contact. Various transparent contacts may be used, including a thin metal film of the same chemical composition as the n-type dopant or conductive oxides or metal grids. 5 figs.

Multilayer thin film design as far ultraviolet polarizers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kim, Jongmin; Zukic, Muamer; Torr, Douglas T.

1993-01-01

We use a concept of induced transmission and absorption to design multilayer thin film reflection polarizers in the FUV region. We achieve high s-polarization reflectance and a high degree of polarization by means of a MgF2/Al/MgF2 three layer structure on an opaque thick film of aluminum as the substrate. For convenience they are designed at a 45 deg angle of incidence. For example, our polarizer designed for the Lyman-alpha line (121.6 nm) has 88.67 percent reflectance for the s-polarization case, and 1.21 percent for the p-polarization case, with a degree of polarization of 97.31 percent. If we make a double surface polarizer with this design, it will have a degree of polarization of 99.96 percent and s-polarization throughput of 78.62 percent.

Method for Fabricating Miniaturized NiTi Self-Expandable Thin Film Devices with Increased Radiopacity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bechtold, Christoph; Lima de Miranda, Rodrigo; Chluba, Christoph; Zamponi, Christiane; Quandt, Eckhard

2016-12-01

Nitinol is the material of choice for many medical applications, in particular for minimally invasive implants due to its superelasticity and biocompatibility. However, NiTi has limited radiopacity which complicates positioning in the body. A common strategy to increase the radiopacity of NiTi devices is the addition of radiopaque markers by micro-riveting or micro-welding. The recent trend of miniaturizing medical devices, however, reduces their radiopacity further, and makes the addition of radiopaque markers to these miniaturized devices difficult. NiTi thin film technology has great potential to overcome such limitations and to fabricate new generations of miniaturized, self-expandable NiTi medical devices with additional functionalities, such as structured multilayer devices with increased radiopacity. For this purpose, we have produced superelastic thin film NiTi samples covered locally with Tantalum structures of different thickness and different shape. These multilayer devices were characterized regarding their mechanical and corrosion properties as well as their X-ray visibility. The superelastic behavior of the underlying NiTi layer is impeded by the Ta layer, and shows therefore a dependence on the Tantalum patterning geometry and thickness. No delamination was observed after mechanical and corrosion tests. The multilayers reveal excellent corrosion resistance, as well as a significant increase in radiopacity.

Engineering invitro cellular microenvironment using polyelectrolyte multilayer films to control cell adhesion and for drug delivery applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kidambi, Srivatsan

Over the past decades, the development of new methods for fabricating thin films that provide precise control of the three-dimensional topography and cell adhesion has generated lots of interest. These films could lead to significant advances in the fields of tissue engineering, drug delivery and biosensors which have become increasingly germane areas of research in the field of chemical engineering. The ionic layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly technique called "Polyelectrolyte Multilayers (PEMs)", introduced by Decher in 1991, has emerged as a versatile and inexpensive method of constructing polymeric thin films, with nanometer-scale control of ionized species. PEMs have long been utilized in such applications as sensors, eletrochromics, and nanomechanical thin films but recently they have also been shown to be excellent candidates for biomaterial applications. In this thesis, we engineered these highly customizable PEM thin films to engineer in vitro cellular microenvironments to control cell adhesion and for drug delivery applications. PEM films were engineered to control the adhesion of primary hepatocytes and primary neurons without the aid of adhesive proteins/ligands. We capitalized upon the differential cell attachment and spreading of primary hepatocytes and neurons on poly(diallyldimethylammoniumchloride) (PDAC) and sulfonated polystyrene (SPS) surfaces to make patterned co-cultures of primary hepatocytes/fibroblasts and primary neurons/astrocytes on the PEM surfaces. In addition, we developed self-assembled monolayer (SAM) patterns of m-d-poly(ethylene glycol) (m-dPEG) acid molecules onto PEMs. The created m-dPEG acid monolayer patterns on PEMs acted as resistive templates, and thus prevented further deposits of consecutive poly(anion)/poly(cation) pairs of charged particles and resulted in the formation of three-dimensional (3-D) patterned PEM films or selective particle depositions atop the original multilayer thin films. These new patterned and structured surfaces have potential applications in microelectronic devices and electro-optical and biochemical sensors. The PEG patterns developed are tunable at certain salt conditions and be removed from the PEM surface without affecting the PEM layers underneath the patterns. These removable surfaces provide an alternative method to form patterns of multiple particles, proteins and cells. This new approach provides an environmentally friendly and biocompatible route to designing versatile salt tunable surfaces. Finally, we illustrate the use of PEM films to engineer aptamer and siRNA based drug delivery systems.

Magneto-Optic Materials for Biasing Ring Laser Gyros. Report Number 3. (Computer Model for Evaluating Scattering from Multi-Layer Dielectric Thin Film Structures Containing a Magnetic Layer.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-09-30

16. "Substituted Rare Earth Garnet Substrate Crystals and LPE Films for Magneto-optic Applications," M. Kestigian, W.R. Bekebrede and A.B. Smith, J...transparent garnet magnetic films have been discussed by workers at Sperry [4,5]. The above considerations indicate that it is highly desirable to have...metallic magnetic film , such as a garnet , on top of an MLD stack. C. A partially transparent (very thin) magnetic metal film on top of an MLD stack. We

New Insight into Nuclear Reactions in Solids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miley, George H.

2003-04-01

Earlier work by the author disclosed evidence for nuclear transmutations in multi-layer thin-film Ni/Pd electrodes loaded to a high ratio of hydrogen/film metal using an electrolytic technique [1]. Non-natural isotopes abundances were found for select products. A distinctive characteristic of this and similar experiments by others is a product yield curve vs. mass with four high yield peaks distributed between low and high masses. Attempts to explain this observation have evolved around the original swimming electron layer (SEL) theory [2]. In addition, CR-39 track detector measurements have revealed low-level emission of 1.6 MeV protons and 16 MeV alpha particles from the front face of the thin film electrodes during runs [3]. Most recently Mitsubishi Corp. researchers have reported a real-time transmutation measurement using built-in XPS diagnostics where a surface layer of Sr-88 was transmuted into Mo-96 over a 200 hour run period during the diffusion of deuterium through a multi-layer thin-film Pd/CaO substrate [4]. Likewise in a companion experiment, Cs-133 was transmuted into Pr-141. These products exhibit a large deviation from natural isotopic abundance, and the characteristic signature is a mass change of 8 and charge change of 4. These various phenomena along with a preliminary theory involving SEL and orbital mixing will be presented. The objective is to provide a unified understanding of both types of experiments presented in Refs. 1 and 3. [1] G.H. Miley and J. A. Patterson, "Nuclear Transmutations in Thin-Film Nickel Coatings Undergoing Electrolysis," J. New Energy, 1, 3, 5-30 (1996). [2] H. Hora, et al., "Screening in Cold Fusion Derived from D D Reactions," Physics Ltrs. A, 175, 138-143, (1993). [3] A. Lipson, et al., "In-situ long - range alpha particles and X-ray detection in Pd thin film-cathodes during electrolysis in, Li2SO4/H2O, Bult. APS, 47, 1,Pt. II, 1219, Indianapolis, (2002). [4] Y. Iwamura, T. Itoh, et al., "Low energy nuclear reaction induced by D gas permeation through multilayer film," Japanese J. Physics, 41, pt. 1, 7A, 4642, (2002).

Cluster Beam Deposition of High Temperature Materials

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-01-01

include Secur y Classifocation) CLUSTER BEAM DEPOSITION OF HIGH TEMPERATURE MATERIALS 12 . PERSONAL AUTHOR(S) William J. Herron and James F. Garvey 13a TYPE... industria - applications (su:erconducting thin films, diamond-liKe !arbn,. films, patterned or multi-layered thin films, etc...) INT RODIU C’I 1 Recently there...Tne path of the expanc~ nr gas pulse passes perpendicularly (left to right in tne figure) over the surface of the target rod. I I Laser Beam-I I I Lens

Broadly tunable thin-film intereference coatings: active thin films for telecom applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Domash, Lawrence H.; Ma, Eugene Y.; Lourie, Mark T.; Sharfin, Wayne F.; Wagner, Matthias

2003-06-01

Thin film interference coatings (TFIC) are the most widely used optical technology for telecom filtering, but until recently no tunable versions have been known except for mechanically rotated filters. We describe a new approach to broadly tunable TFIC components based on the thermo-optic properties of semiconductor thin films with large thermo-optic coefficients 3.6X10[-4]/K. The technology is based on amorphous silicon thin films deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), a process adapted for telecom applications from its origins in the flat-panel display and solar cell industries. Unlike MEMS devices, tunable TFIC can be designed as sophisticated multi-cavity, multi-layer optical designs. Applications include flat-top passband filters for add-drop multiplexing, tunable dispersion compensators, tunable gain equalizers and variable optical attenuators. Extremely compact tunable devices may be integrated into modules such as optical channel monitors, tunable lasers, gain-equalized amplifiers, and tunable detectors.

Investigation of Electrical and Optical Properties of Highly Transparent TCO/Ag/TCO Multilayer.

PubMed

Kim, Sunbo; Lee, Jaehyeong; Dao, Vinh Ai; Ahn, Shihyun; Hussain, Shahzada Qamar; Park, Jinjoo; Jung, Junhee; Lee, Chan; Song, Bong-Shik; Choi, Byoungdeog; Lee, Youn-Jung; Iftiquar, S M; Yi, Junsin

2015-03-01

Transparent conductive oxides (TCOs) have been widely used as transparent electrodes for opto-electronic devices, such as solar cells, flat-panel displays, and light-emitting diodes, because of their unique characteristics of high optical transmittance and low electrical resistivity. Among various TCO materials, zinc oxide based films have recently received much attention because they have advantages over commonly used indium and tin-based oxide films. Most TCO films, however, exhibit valleys of transmittance in the wavelength range of 550-700 nm, lowering the average transmittance in the visible region and decreasing short-circuit current (Isc) of solar cells. A TCO/Ag/TCO multi-layer structure has emerged as an attractive alternative because it provides optical characteristics without the valley of transmittance compared with a 100-nm-thick single-layer TCO. In this article, we report the electrical, optical and surface properties of TCO/Ag/TCO. These multi-layers were deposited at room temperature with various Ag film thicknesses from 5 to 15 nm while the thickness of TCO thin film was fixed at 40 nm. The TCO/Ag/TCO multi-layer with a 10-nm-thick Ag film showed optimum transmittance in the visible (400-800 nm) wavelength region. These multi-layer structures have advantages over TCO layers of the same thickness.

Tuning electro-optic susceptibity via strain engineering in artificial PZT multilayer films for high-performance broadband modulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Minmin; Du, Zehui; Li, Hongling; Chen, Bensong; Jing, Lin; Tay, Roland Ying Jie; Lin, Jinjun; Tsang, Siu Hon; Teo, Edwin Hang Tong

2017-12-01

A series of Pb(Zr1-xTix)O3 multilayer films alternatively stacked by Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 and Pb(Zr0.35Ti0.65)O3 layers have been deposited on corning glass by magnetron sputtering. The films demonstrate pure perovskite structure and good crystallinity. A large tetragonality (c/a) of ∼1.061 and a shift of ∼0.08 eV for optical bandgap were investigated at layer engineered films. In addition, these samples exhibited a wild tunable electro-optic behavior from tens to ∼250.2 pm/V, as well as fast switching time of down to a few microseconds. The giant EO coefficient was attribute the strain-polarization coupling effect and also comparable to that of epitaxial (001) single crystal PZT thin films. The combination of high transparency, large EO effect, fast switching time, and huge phase transition temperature in PZT-based thin films show the potential on electro-optics from laser to information telecommunication.

Biodegradable multilayer barrier films based on alginate/polyethyleneimine and biaxially oriented poly(lactic acid).

PubMed

Gu, Chun-Hong; Wang, Jia-Jun; Yu, Yang; Sun, Hui; Shuai, Ning; Wei, Bing

2013-02-15

A layer-by-layer (LBL) approach was used to assemble alternating layers of sodium alginate (ALG)/polyethyleneimine (PEI) on biaxially oriented poly(lactic acid) (BOPLA) films in order to produce bio-based all-polymer thin films with low gas permeability. Increasing the depositing of ALG and PEI from 0 to 30 layers results in large thickness variations (from 0 to 3.92 μm). After 30 ALG/PEI layers are deposited, the resulting assembly has an OTR of 1.22 cm(3)/(m(2) day atm). When multiplied by thickness, the resulting oxygen permeability (OP) is found to be less than 3.8×10(-17) cm(3) cm/cm(2) s Pa, which is almost 3 orders of magnitude lower than that of uncoated BOPLA film (1.8×10(-14) cm(3)cm/cm(2) s Pa). At the same time, the resulting multilayer-coated BOPLA films maintain high optical clarity and tensile properties. This unique barrier thin film has become a promising alternative to non-biodegradable synthetic food packaging materials. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The properties of RE-TM magneto-optical films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Z. Y.; Miao, X. S.; Zhu, P.; Hu, Y. S.; Wan, D. F.; Dai, D. W.; Chen, S. B.; Lin, G. Q.

1992-09-01

In this paper, the magnetic, magneto-optical and galvonomagnetic properties, and their temperature dependence for LRE-TM SmCo, SmCoDy and HRE-TM TbFeCo magneto-optical films as high density recording media prepared by rf magnetron sputtering or evaporation are reported. By adding Dy to SmCo thin film, the SmCoDy thin film is more suitable for magneto-optical recording, its domain size being below 0.63 μm. The Kerr enhancement and corrosion protective effects of AIN and AlSiN for optimum design of the multi-layer structure of magneto-optical disk are described. The instruments of measuring the magneto-optical Kerr effect and magneto-optical recording domain characteristics of thin films are reviewed.

Characterization of TiN/B-C-N multilayers by transmission electron microscopy, ion beam backscattering, and low angle x-ray diffraction

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

Kung, H.; Fayeulle, S.; Nastasi, M.

1997-10-01

The effects of Ar ion irradiation on the structure and stability of multilayered DC sputtered thin films of TiN/B-C-N have been studied. An increase of the bilayer repeat length to a maximum of 12.8% and departure of nitrogen from the film was observed indicating the interdiffusion between TiN and B-C-N layers. For the highest dose (5 {times} 10{sup 16} ions/cm{sup 2}) the multilayered structure partly disappears. The various mechanisms are discussed in terms of stress-driven diffusion and viscous flow of atoms.

Next-generation all-silica coatings for UV applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melninkaitis, A.; Grinevičiūtė, L.; Abromavičius, G.; Mažulė, L.; Smalakys, L.; Pupka, E.; Š čiuka, M.; Buzelis, R.; Kičas, S.

2017-11-01

Band-gap and refractive index are known as fundamental properties determining intrinsic optical resistance of multilayer dielectric coatings. By considering this fact we propose novel approach to manufacturing of interference thin films, based on artificial nano-structures of modulated porosity embedded in high band-gap matrix. Next generation all-silica mirrors were prepared by GLancing Angle Deposition (GLAD) using electron beam evaporation. High reflectivity (HR) was achieved by tailoring the porosity of highly resistant silica material during the thin film deposition process. Furthermore, the proposed approach was also demonstrated to work well in case of anti-reflection (AR) coatings. Conventional HR HfO2 and SiO2 as well as AR Al2O3 and SiO2 multilayers produced by Ion Beam Sputtering (IBS) were used as reference coatings. Damage performance of experimental coatings was also analyzed. All-silica based GLAD approach resulted in significant improvement of intrinsic laser damage resistance properties if compared to conventional coatings. Besides laser damage testing, other characteristics of experimental coatings are analyzed and discussed - reflectance, surface roughness and optical scattering. We believe that reported concept can be expanded to virtually any design of thin film coatings thus opening a new way of next generation highly resistant thin films well suited for high power and UV laser applications.

Femtosecond laser processing of NiPd single and 5x(Ni/Pd) multilayer thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrović, S.; Gaković, B.; Zamfirescu, M.; Radu, C.; Peruško, D.; Radak, B.; Ristoscu, C.; Zdravković, S.; Luculescu, C. L.; Mihailescu, I. N.

2017-09-01

Modification of single and complex nickel-palladium samples by laser processing in the femtosecond time domain was studied. The samples were processed by focused Ti:Sapphire laser beam (Clark CPA-2101) with 775 nm laser wavelength, 2 kHz repetition rate, 200 fs pulse duration. The laser-induced morphological modifications have shown dependence on the applied fluences and number of laser pulses. The formed surface nanostructures on the single NiPd/Si and multilayer 5x(Ni/Pd)/Si systems are compared with individual Ni and Pd thin films. The results show an increase in surface roughness, formation of parallel periodic surface structures, appearance of hydrodynamic features and ablation of surface material. At low number of pulses (less than 10 pulses) and low pulse energies range (not over 1.7 μJ), the two types of laser-induced periodic surface structure (LIPSS) can be observed: low and high spatial frequency LIPSS (HSFL and LSFL). For all samples, the measured LSFL periods were 720 nm for the ripples created solely on thin film surfaces during the single pulse action. In the case of the multi-pulse irradiation, the periodicities of created LSFLs on the all investigated thin films have shown tendency to reduction with increasing of pulse energies.

Very low-refractive-index optical thin films consisting of an array of SiO2 nanorods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xi, J.-Q.; Kim, Jong Kyu; Schubert, E. F.; Ye, Dexian; Lu, T.-M.; Lin, Shawn-Yu; Juneja, Jasbir S.

2006-03-01

The refractive-index contrast in dielectric multilayer structures, optical resonators, and photonic crystals is an important figure of merit that creates a strong demand for high-quality thin films with a low refractive index. A SiO2 nanorod layer with low refractive index of n=1.08, to our knowledge the lowest ever reported in thin-film materials, is grown by oblique-angle electron-beam deposition of SiO2. A single-pair distributed Bragg reflector employing a SiO2 nanorod layer is demonstrated to have enhanced reflectivity, showing the great potential of low-refractive-index films for applications in photonic structures and devices.

Surface Morphology of Liquid and Solid Thin Films via X-Ray Reflectivity.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shindler, Joseph Daniel

X-ray reflectivity can be used to measure the spatial variations in the electron density on length scales from Angstroms to microns. It is sensitive to atomic scale roughness, interdiffusion in buried layers, the thickness of multilayer stacks, and in-plane correlations in each of these cases. We have pioneered the use of a high intensity, moderate resolution configuration for x-ray reflectivity which utilizes a bent crystal graphite monochromator. With this technique we can obtain a beam intensity one hundred times greater than is possible using the high resolution rotating anode configuration, while we have shown that the resulting instrumental resolution is appropriate for the vast majority of thin film work. For all of the systems studied, we were able to measure the weak diffuse scattering signal to probe the in-plane length scales of interfacial roughness, a measurement which had previously only been attempted at synchrotron sources. Studied systems include thin films and surfaces with a wide range of structural order and surface morphologies. Interest in liquid films has been of a fundamental nature. Theories on the expected film evolution with changing thickness and temperature are currently being tested with scattering experiments. We have pursued the issues of film/substrate wetting and conformality, focussing on the temperature dependence of these phenomena near the triple point. Despite the heterogeneity of the substrate potential, we see a very sharp wetting transition at or near the triple point, although below the triple point the film is still smooth, consistent with a uniform layer. We also see a loss of conformality as the fluid films thicken; this is consistent with theory and with other recent experiments. The properties of a multilayer solid film depend not only on the magnitude of the roughness of each interface, but also on the conformality between interfaces and the length scales of the roughness--i.e., whether the roughness is on the atomic lengths of interdiffusion, crystalline order lengths of faceting, or even longer lengths due to other processes. In a joint project with Alcoa, we combined the methods of x-ray Bragg diffraction and small angle reflectivity to probe aluminum thin films as precursors to true multilayer films, correlating grain size and orientation with the magnitude and length-scales of surface roughness. We also correlated all film properties with such parameters as the deposition method, substrate roughness, and film thickness.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2017-08-01

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

Design guidelines for advanced LSI microcircuit packaging using thick film multilayer technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peckinpaugh, C. J.

1974-01-01

Ceramic multilayer circuitry results from the sequential build-up of two or more layers of pre-determined conductive interconnections separated by dielectric layers and fired at an elevated temperature to form a solidly fused structure. The resultant ceramic interconnect matrix is used as a base to mount active and passive devices and provide the necessary electrical interconnection to accomplish the desired electrical circuit. Many methods are known for developing multilevel conductor mechanisms such as multilayer printed circuits, welded wire matrices, flexible copper tape conductors, and thin and thick-film ceramic multilayers. Each method can be considered as a specialized field with each possessing its own particular set of benefits and problems. This design guide restricts itself to the art of design, fabrication and assembly of ceramic multilayer circuitry and the reliability of the end product.

Substrate-Independent Robust and Heparin-Mimetic Hydrogel Thin Film Coating via Combined LbL Self-Assembly and Mussel-Inspired Post-Cross-linking.

PubMed

Ma, Lang; Cheng, Chong; He, Chao; Nie, Chuanxiong; Deng, Jie; Sun, Shudong; Zhao, Changsheng

2015-12-02

In this work, we designed a robust and heparin-mimetic hydrogel thin film coating via combined layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly and mussel-inspired post-cross-linking. Dopamine-grafted heparin-like/-mimetic polymers (DA-g-HepLP) with abundant carboxylic and sulfonic groups were synthesized by the conjugation of adhesive molecule, DA, which exhibited substrate-independent adhesive affinity to various solid surfaces because of the formation of irreversible covalent bonds. The hydrogel thin film coated substrates were prepared by a three-step reaction: First, the substrates were coated with DA-g-HepLP to generate negatively charged surfaces. Then, multilayers were obtained via LbL coating of chitosan and the DA-g-HepLP. Finally, the noncovalent multilayers were oxidatively cross-linked by NaIO4. Surface ATR-FTIR and XPS spectra confirmed the successful fabrication of the hydrogel thin film coatings onto membrane substrates; SEM images revealed that the substrate-independent coatings owned 3D porous morphology. The soaking tests in highly alkaline, acid, and concentrated salt solutions indicated that the cross-linked hydrogel thin film coatings owned high chemical resistance. In comparison, the soaking tests in physiological solution indicated that the cross-linked hydrogel coatings owned excellent long-term stability. The live/dead cell staining and morphology observations of the adhered cells revealed that the heparin-mimetic hydrogel thin film coated substrates had low cell toxicity and high promotion ability for cell proliferation. Furthermore, systematic in vitro investigations of protein adsorption, platelet adhesion, blood clotting, and blood-related complement activation confirmed that the hydrogel film coated substrates showed excellent hemocompatibility. Both the results of inhibition zone and bactericidal activity indicated that the gentamycin sulfate loaded hydrogel thin films had significant inhibition capability toward both Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. Combined the above advantages, it is believed that the designed heparin-mimetic hydrogel thin films may show high potential for applications in various biological and clinical fields, such as long-term hemocompatible and drug-loading materials for implants.

Atomic structures of Ruddlesden-Popper faults in LaCoO3/SrRuO3 multilayer thin films induced by epitaxial strain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Wei; Zhang, Hui; Shen, Xi; Guan, Xiangxiang; Yao, Yuan; Wang, Yanguo; Sun, Jirong; Yu, Richeng

2018-05-01

In this paper, scanning transmission electron microscopy is used to study the microstructures of the defects in LaCoO3/SrRuO3 multilayer films grown on the SrTiO3 substrates, and these films have different thickness of SrRuO3 (SRO) layers. Several types of Ruddlesden-Popper (R.P.) faults at an atomic level are found, and these chemical composition fluctuations in the growth process are induced by strain fields originating from the film-film and film-substrate lattice mismatches. Furthermore, we propose four types of structural models based on the atomic arrangements of the R.P. planar faults, which severely affect the functional properties of the films.

Simultaneous parameter optimization of x-ray and neutron reflectivity data using genetic algorithms

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

Singh, Surendra, E-mail: surendra@barc.gov.in; Basu, Saibal

2016-05-23

X-ray and neutron reflectivity are two non destructive techniques which provide a wealth of information on thickness, structure and interracial properties in nanometer length scale. Combination of X-ray and neutron reflectivity is well suited for obtaining physical parameters of nanostructured thin films and superlattices. Neutrons provide a different contrast between the elements than X-rays and are also sensitive to the magnetization depth profile in thin films and superlattices. The real space information is extracted by fitting a model for the structure of the thin film sample in reflectometry experiments. We have applied a Genetic Algorithms technique to extract depth dependentmore » structure and magnetic in thin film and multilayer systems by simultaneously fitting X-ray and neutron reflectivity data.« less

Strain-assisted magnetization reversal in Co/Ni multilayers with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy

PubMed Central

Gopman, D. B.; Dennis, C. L.; Chen, P. J.; Iunin, Y. L.; Finkel, P.; Staruch, M.; Shull, R. D.

2016-01-01

Multifunctional materials composed of ultrathin magnetic films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy combined with ferroelectric substrates represent a new approach toward low power, fast, high density spintronics. Here we demonstrate Co/Ni multilayered films with tunable saturation magnetization and perpendicular anisotropy grown directly on ferroelectric PZT [Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3] substrate plates. Electric fields up to ±2 MV/m expand the PZT by 0.1% and generate at least 0.02% in-plane compression in the Co/Ni multilayered film. Modifying the strain with a voltage can reduce the coercive field by over 30%. We also demonstrate that alternating in-plane tensile and compressive strains (less than 0.01%) can be used to propagate magnetic domain walls. This ability to manipulate high anisotropy magnetic thin films could prove useful for lowering the switching energy for magnetic elements in future voltage-controlled spintronic devices. PMID:27297638

Diffusion barrier properties of single- and multilayered quasi-amorphous tantalum nitride thin films against copper penetration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, G. S.; Chen, S. T.

2000-06-01

Tantalum-related thin films containing different amounts of nitrogen are sputter deposited at different argon-to-nitrogen flow rate ratios on (100) silicon substrates. Using x-ray diffractometry, transmission electron microscopy, composition and resistivity analyses, and bending-beam stress measurement technique, this work examines the impact of varying the nitrogen flow rate, particularly on the crystal structure, composition, resistivity, and residual intrinsic stress of the deposited Ta2N thin films. With an adequate amount of controlled, reactive nitrogen in the sputtering gas, thin films of the tantalum nitride of nominal formula Ta2N are predominantly amorphous and can exist over a range of nitrogen concentrations slightly deviated from stoichiometry. The single-layered quasi-amorphous Ta2N (a-Ta2N) thin films yield intrinsic compressive stresses in the range 3-5 GPa. In addition, the use of the 40-nm-thick a-Ta2N thin films with different nitrogen atomic concentrations (33% and 36%) and layering designs as diffusion barriers between silicon and copper are also evaluated. When subjected to high-temperature annealing, the single-layered a-Ta2N barrier layers degrade primarily by an amorphous-to-crystalline transition of the barrier layers. Crystallization of the single-layered stoichiometric a-Ta2N (Ta67N33) diffusion barriers occurs at temperatures as low as 450 °C. Doing so allows copper to preferentially penetrate through the grain boundaries or thermal-induced microcracks of the crystallized barriers and react with silicon, sequentially forming {111}-facetted pyramidal Cu3Si precipitates and TaSi2 Overdoping nitrogen into the amorphous matrix can dramatically increase the crystallization temperature to 600 °C. This temperature increase slows down the inward diffusion of copper and delays the formation of both silicides. The nitrogen overdoped Ta2N (Ta64N36) diffusion barriers can thus be significantly enhanced so as to yield a failure temperature 100 °C greater than that of the Ta67N33 diffusion barriers. Moreover, multilayered films, formed by alternately stacking the Ta67N33 and Ta64N36 layers with an optimized bilayer thickness (λ) of 10 nm, can dramatically reduce the intrinsic compressive stress to only 0.7 GPa and undergo high-temperature annealing without crystallization. Therefore, the Ta67N33/Ta64N36 multilayered films exhibit a much better barrier performance than the highly crystallization-resistant Ta64N36 single-layered films.

Structure and Properties of Azobenzene Thin-Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allen, R. A.

1987-09-01

Available from UMI in association with The British Library. A number of monomer and polymer materials, all containing the azobenzene group, have been deposited as Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) multilayers and their structures and physical properties studied. LB films of two monomeric materials exhibited liquid crystal phase changes that were investigated by optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Multilayers built up from one of the materials exhibited a phase change upon aging and this demonstrated that the LB technique had produced a structure that was not the equilibrium state. A monomer material possessing a fluorocarbon chain was found to initially deposit as an LB film in a Z-type manner, but changed to Y-type deposition with increasing multilayer thickness. A correlation was observed between this behaviour and the surface potential changes that were brought about when deposition took place on an aluminium substrate. The feasibility of building up alternating multilayers of monomer and polymer materials was demonstrated. Combining these two classes of material in the same LB film may confer on it the mechanical durability of the polymers and the highly ordered structure and potentially interesting physical properties of the monomer. The structures developed here may prove to have high second harmonic generation capabilities. Polymer materials were built up into relatively thick Y-type LB multilayers and studied by X-ray diffraction. Only poorly defined layered structures were found. Polymer materials were also cast into thin films from the melt and from solution. One of the compounds developed a high degree of anisotropy in its structure after exposure to linearly polarised white light. A birefringence of up to Deltan = 0.21 was measured. In contrast, LB films formed from the same material could not be ordered in the same manner and this appeared to result from the very close packing that takes place in such structures.

Ion Beam Analysis of Iridium-Based TES for Microcalorimeter Detectors

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

Gomes, M. Ribeiro; Galeazzi, M.; Bogorin, D.

2009-12-16

The physical properties of thin multilayer structures are deeply related to the crystalline quality and stoichiometry of the films. The interface roughness/mixing require a detailed study to determine its influence on the growth processes and surface topography. This is an important aspect when we have lattice mismatch between the superconducting thin-films and the substrates, and a high reliability/reproducibility is required as for large array microcalorimeter applications, as in the case of the MARE experiment, designed to measure the mass of the neutrino with sub-eV sensitivity by measuring the beta decay of {sup 187}Re with cryogenic microcalorimeters. Ion beam analysis techniquesmore » are ideal to determine the thickness and concentration profiles of the chemical species in ultra-thin films. Here we present the results on the Ir-based superconducting films deposited on Si-substrates based on systematic investigations of the concentration depth profiles of the multilayer structure using 2.0 MeV {sup 4}He{sup +} ions for high resolution Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry combined with X-Ray Reflectrometry to evaluate the interface/roughness mixing and the crystalline quality in the TES prototypes.« less

Nanostructured multilayer thin films of multiwalled carbon nanotubes/gold nanoparticles/glutathione for the electrochemical detection of dopamine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Detsri, Ekarat; Rujipornsakul, Sirilak; Treetasayoot, Tanapong; Siriwattanamethanon, Pawarit

2016-10-01

In the present study, multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), and glutathione (GSH) were used to fabricate multilayer nanoscale thin films. The composite thin films were fabricated by layer-by-layer technique as the films were constructed by the alternate deposition of cationic and anionic polyelectrolytes. The MWCNTs were modified via a noncovalent surface modification method using poly(diallydimethylammonium chloride) to form a cationic polyelectrolyte. An anionic polyelectrolyte was prepared by the chemical reduction of HAuCl4 using sodium citrate as both the stabilizing and reducing agent to form anionic AuNPs. GSH was used as an electrocatalyst toward the electro-oxidation of dopamine. The constructed composite electrode exhibits excellent electrocatalytic activity toward dopamine with a short response time and a wide linear range from 1 to 100 μmol/L. The limits of detection and quantitation of dopamine are (0.316 ± 0.081) μmol/L and (1.054 ± 0.081) μmol/L, respectively. The method is satisfactorily applied for the determination of dopamine in plasma and urine samples to obtain the recovery in the range from 97.90% to 105.00%.

Underpotential deposition-mediated layer-by-layer growth of thin films

DOEpatents

Wang, Jia Xu; Adzic, Radoslav R.

2017-06-27

A method of depositing contiguous, conformal submonolayer-to-multilayer thin films with atomic-level control is described. The process involves electrochemically exchanging a mediating element on a substrate with a noble metal film by alternatingly sweeping potential in forward and reverse directions for a predetermined number of times in an electrochemical cell. By cycling the applied voltage between the bulk deposition potential for the mediating element and the material to be deposited, repeated desorption/adsorption of the mediating element during each potential cycle can be used to precisely control film growth on a layer-by-layer basis.

Ultra-thin multilayer capacitors.

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

Renk, Timothy Jerome; Monson, Todd C.

2009-06-01

The fabrication of ultra-thin lanthanum-doped lead zirconium titanate (PLZT) multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) using a high-power pulsed ion beam was studied. The deposition experiments were conducted on the RHEPP-1 facility at Sandia National Laboratories. The goal of this work was to increase the energy density of ceramic capacitors through the formation of a multilayer device with excellent materials properties, dielectric constant, and standoff voltage. For successful device construction, there are a number of challenging requirements including achieving correct stoichiometric and crystallographic composition of the deposited PLZT, as well as the creation of a defect free homogenous film. This report detailsmore » some success in satisfying these requirements, although 900 C temperatures were necessary for PLZT perovskite phase formation. These temperatures were applied to a previously deposited multi-layer film which was then post-annealed to this temperature. The film exhibited mechanical distress attributable to differences in the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the various layers. This caused significant defects in the deposited films that led to shorts across devices. A follow-on single layer deposition without post-anneal produced smooth layers with good interface behavior, but without the perovskite phase formation. These issues will need to be addressed in order for ion beam deposited MLCCs to become a viable technology. It is possible that future in-situ heating during deposition may address both the CTE issue, and result in lowered processing temperatures, which in turn could raise the probability of successful MLCC formation.« less

Direct laser interference patterning of magnetic thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aktag, Aliekber

Recently, patterned magnetic thin films have attracted much attention for a variety of applications such as high density magnetic recording, magnetoresistive sensing, and magnetic random access memories. In the case of magnetic recording, one scheme calls for the films to be patterned into single domain "dots", where every dot represents a thermally stable bit. In this thesis, we extended a technique called direct laser interference patterning (DLIP), originally developed by Polushkin and co-workers, to pattern and locally modify the materials properties of magnetic thin films. In this technique, a high-intensity Nd:YAG pulse laser beam was split into two, three, or four beams, which are then recombined to interfere on a sample surface. The interference intensity maxima can modify the local materials properties of the film through local "annealing" or, more drastically, by ablation. We carried out some preliminary investigations of the DLIP process in several films including co-sputtered Co-C, amorphous Dy/Co:SiO2 multilayers, and Co/SiO2 multilayers in order to refine our techniques. We successfully produced regular arrays of lines, dots, or antidots formed by ablation of the thin film. The preliminary studies also showed that, in the regime of more modest pulse energies, it is possible to modify the magnetic properties of the films without noticeably changing the film topography. We then prepared perpendicular magnetic anisotropy Co/Pt multilayers with a SiO x passivation layer and applied DLIP at fairly modest intensities to pattern the film. We then studied the structural and magnetic changes that occurred in some detail. X-ray diffraction scans showed the Co/Pt:SiO x multilayer films to be nanocrystalline before and after patterning. Atomic force microscopy images showed no evidence for topographic changes of the Co/Pt:SiOx during patterning. In contrast, magnetic force microscopy showed regular periodic dot arrays, indicating that the local magnetic properties were significantly affected by the patterning process. Alternating-gradient-force magnetometry and magneto-optic measurements also showed that the magnetic properties were markedly changed by the DLIP process. Our results offer strong evidence that local heating causes the moments to change from perpendicular to in-plane, with the consequent formation of an "anisotropy lattice": dots of in-plane magnetization within a matrix of perpendicular magnetization. We also carried out some optical interference calculations to predict the light intensity distributions for two, three, and four interfering beams of light. We found that the patterns could be controlled by varying the angles of incidence, the polarizations of the beams, and the wavelength and intensity of the beams, and that a wide variety of patterns are possible. The predicted patterns were in quite good agreement with those observed experimentally.

NbTiN Based SIS Multilayer Structures for SRF Applications

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

Valente, Anne-marie; Eremeev, Grigory; Phillips, H

2013-09-01

For the past three decades, bulk niobium has been the material of choice for SRF cavities applications. RF cavity performance is now approaching the theoretical limit for bulk niobium. For further improvement of RF cavity performance for future accelerator projects, Superconductor Insulator - Superconductor (SIS) multilayer structures (as recently proposed by Alex Gurevich) present the theoretical prospect to reach RF performance beyond bulk Nb, using thinly layered higher-Tc superconductors with enhanced Hc1. Jefferson Lab (JLab) is pursuing this approach with the development of NbTiN and AlN based multilayer SIS structures. This paper presents the results on the characteristics of NbTiNmore » films and the first RF measurements on NbTiN-based multilayer structure on thick Nb films.« less

Thermal analysis of continuous and patterned multilayer films in the presence of a nanoscale hot spot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juang, Jia-Yang; Zheng, Jinglin

2016-10-01

Thermal responses of multilayer films play essential roles in state-of-the-art electronic systems, such as photo/micro-electronic devices, data storage systems, and silicon-on-insulator transistors. In this paper, we focus on the thermal aspects of multilayer films in the presence of a nanoscale hot spot induced by near field laser heating. The problem is set up in the scenario of heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR), the next-generation technology to overcome the data storage density limit imposed by superparamagnetism. We characterized thermal responses of both continuous and patterned multilayer media films using transient thermal modeling. We observed that material configurations, in particular, the thermal barriers at the material layer interfaces crucially impact the temperature field hence play a key role in determining the hot spot geometry, transient response and power consumption. With a representative generic media model, we further explored the possibility of optimizing thermal performances by designing layers of heat sink and thermal barrier. The modeling approach demonstrates an effective way to characterize thermal behaviors of micro and nano-scale electronic devices with multilayer thin film structures. The insights into the thermal transport scheme will be critical for design and operations of such electronic devices.

High efficient light absorption and nanostructure-dependent birefringence of a metal-dielectric symmetrical layered structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jen, Yi-Jun; Jhang, Yi-Ciang; Liu, Wei-Chih

2017-08-01

A multilayer that comprises ultra-thin metal and dielectric films has been investigated and applied as a layered metamaterial. By arranging metal and dielectric films alternatively and symmetrically, the equivalent admittance and refractive index can be tailored separately. The tailored admittance and refractive index enable us to design optical filters with more flexibility. The admittance matching is achieved via the admittance tracing in the normalized admittance diagram. In this work, an ultra-thin light absorber is designed as a multilayer composed of one or several cells. Each cell is a seven-layered film stack here. The design concept is to have the extinction as large as possible under the condition of admittance matching. For a seven-layered symmetrical film stack arranged as Ta2O5 (45 nm)/ a-Si (17 nm)/ Cr (30 nm)/ Al (30 nm)/ Cr (30 nm)/ a-Si (17 nm)/ Ta2O5 (45 nm), its mean equivalent admittance and extinction coefficient over the visible regime is 1.4+0.2i and 2.15, respectively. The unit cell on a transparent BK7 glass substrate absorbs 99% of normally incident light energy for the incident medium is glass. On the other hand, a transmission-induced metal-dielectric film stack is investigated by using the admittance matching method. The equivalent anisotropic property of the metal-dielectric multilayer varied with wavelength and nanostructure are investigated here.

Silicon carbide multilayer protective coating on carbon obtained by thermionic vacuum arc method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ciupină, Victor; Lungu, Cristian Petrica; Vladoiu, Rodica; Prodan, Gabriel; Porosnicu, Corneliu; Belc, Marius; Stanescu, Iuliana M.; Vasile, Eugeniu; Rughinis, Razvan

2014-01-01

Thermionic vacuum arc (TVA) method is currently developing, in particular, to work easily with heavy fusible material for the advantage presented by control of directing energy for the elements forming a plasma. The category of heavy fusible material can recall C and W (high-melting point materials), and are difficult to obtain or to control by other means. Carbon is now used in many areas of special mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties. We refer in particular to high-temperature applications where unwanted effects may occur due to oxidation. Changed properties may lead to improper functioning of the item or device. For example, increasing the coefficient of friction may induce additional heat on moving items. One solution is to protect the item in question by coating with proper materials. Silicon carbide (SiC) was chosen mainly due to compatibility with coated carbon substrate. Recently, SiC has been used as conductive transparent window for optical devices, particularly in thin film solar cells. Using the TVA method, SiC coatings were obtained as thin films (multilayer structures), finishing with a thermal treatment up to 1000°C. Structural properties and oxidation behavior of the multilayer films were investigated, and the measurements showed that the third layer acts as a stopping layer for oxygen. Also, the friction coefficient of the protected films is lower relative to unprotected carbon films.

Rapid Optimization of External Quantum Efficiency of Thin Film Solar Cells Using Surrogate Modeling of Absorptivity.

PubMed

Kaya, Mine; Hajimirza, Shima

2018-05-25

This paper uses surrogate modeling for very fast design of thin film solar cells with improved solar-to-electricity conversion efficiency. We demonstrate that the wavelength-specific optical absorptivity of a thin film multi-layered amorphous-silicon-based solar cell can be modeled accurately with Neural Networks and can be efficiently approximated as a function of cell geometry and wavelength. Consequently, the external quantum efficiency can be computed by averaging surrogate absorption and carrier recombination contributions over the entire irradiance spectrum in an efficient way. Using this framework, we optimize a multi-layer structure consisting of ITO front coating, metallic back-reflector and oxide layers for achieving maximum efficiency. Our required computation time for an entire model fitting and optimization is 5 to 20 times less than the best previous optimization results based on direct Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) simulations, therefore proving the value of surrogate modeling. The resulting optimization solution suggests at least 50% improvement in the external quantum efficiency compared to bare silicon, and 25% improvement compared to a random design.

Enhancement of lower critical field by reducing the thickness of epitaxial and polycrystalline MgB₂ thin films

DOE PAGES

Tan, Teng; Wolak, M. A.; Acharya, Narendra; ...

2015-04-01

For potential applications in superconducting RF cavities, we have investigated the properties of polycrystalline MgB₂ films, including the thickness dependence of the lower critical field Hc₁. MgB₂ thin films were fabricated by hybrid physical-chemical vapor deposition on (0001) SiC substrate either directly (for epitaxial films) or with a MgO buffer layer (for polycrystalline films). When the film thickness decreased from 300 nm to 100 nm, Hc₁ at 5 K increased from around 600 Oe to 1880 Oe in epitaxial films and to 1520 Oe in polycrystalline films. The result is promising for using MgB₂/MgO multilayers to enhance the vortex penetrationmore » field.« less

Single-crystal-like, c-axis oriented BaTiO3 thin films with high-performance on flexible metal templates for ferroelectric applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shin, Junsoo; Goyal, Amit; Jesse, Stephen; Kim, Dae Ho

2009-06-01

Epitaxial, c-axis oriented BaTiO3 thin films were deposited using pulsed laser ablation on flexible, polycrystalline Ni alloy tape with biaxially textured oxide buffer multilayers. The high quality of epitaxial BaTiO3 thin films with P4mm group symmetry was confirmed by x-ray diffraction. The microscopic ferroelectric domain structure and the piezoelectric domain switching in these films were confirmed via spatially resolved piezoresponse mapping and local hysteresis loops. Macroscopic measurements demonstrate that the films have well-saturated hysteresis loops with a high remanent polarization of ˜11.5 μC/cm2. Such high-quality, single-crystal-like BaTiO3 films on low-cost, polycrystalline, flexible Ni alloy substrates are attractive for applications in flexible lead-free ferroelectric devices.

Investigation of optical pump on dielectric tunability in PZT/PT thin film by THz spectroscopy.

PubMed

Ji, Jie; Luo, Chunya; Rao, Yunkun; Ling, Furi; Yao, Jianquan

2016-07-11

The dielectric spectra of single-layer PbTiO₃ (PT), single-layer PbZr_xTi_1-xO₃ (PZT) and multilayer PZT/PT thin films under an external optical field were investigated at room temperature by time-domain terahertz (THz) spectroscopy. Results showed that the real part of permittivity increased upon application of an external optical field, which could be interpreted as hardening of the soft mode and increasing of the damping coefficient and oscillator strength. Furthermore, the central mode was observed in the three films. Among the dielectric property of the three thin films studied, the tunability of the PZT/PT superlattice was the largest.

Radiation damage effects in far-ultraviolet filters, thin films, and substrates.

PubMed

Keffer, C E; Torr, M R; Zukic, M; Spann, J F; Torr, D G; Kim, J

1994-09-01

Advances in vacuum ultraviolet thin-film filter technology have been made through the use of filter designs with multilayers of materials such as Al(2)O(3), BaF(2), CaF(2), HfO(2), LaF(3), MgF(2), and SiO(2). Our immediate application for these filters will be in an imaging system to be flown on a satellite where a 2 × 9 R(E) orbit will expose the instrument to approximately 250 krad of radiation. Because to our knowledge no previous studies have been made on the potential radiation damage of these materials in the thin-film format, we report on such an assessment here. Transmittances and reflectances of BaF(2), CaF(2), HfO(2), MgF(2), and SiO(2) thin films on MgF(2) substrates, Al(2)O(3) thin films on fused-silica substrates, uncoated fused silica and MgF(2), and four multilayer filters made from these materials were measured from 120 to 180 nm beforeand after irradiation by 250 krad from a (60)Co gamma radiation source. No radiation-induced losses in transmittance or reflectance occurred in this wavelength range. Additional postradiation measurements from 160 to 300 nm indicates 2-5% radiation-induced absorption near 260 nm in some of the samples with MgF(2) substrates. From these measurements we conclude that far-ultraviolet filters made from the materials tested should experience less than 5% change from exposure to up to 250 krad of high-energy radiation in space applications.

Elasticity, biodegradability and cell adhesive properties of chitosan/hyaluronan multilayer films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schneider, Aurore; Richert, Ludovic; Francius, Gregory; Voegel, Jean-Claude; Picart, Catherine

2007-03-01

In the bioengineering field, a recent and promising approach to modifying biomaterial surfaces is the layer-by-layer (LbL) technique used to build thin polyelectrolyte multilayer films. In this work, we focused on polyelectrolyte multilayer films made of two polysaccharides, chitosan (CHI) and hyaluronan (HA), and on the control of their physico-chemical and cell adhesive properties by chemical cross-linking. CHI/HA films were cross-linked using a water soluble carbodiimide and observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) with a fluorescently labeled CHI. Film thicknesses were similar for native and cross-linked films. The film nanometer roughness was measured by atomic force microscopy and was found to be higher for cross-linked films. Cross-linking the films also leads to a drastic change in film stiffness. The elastic modulus of the films (Young's modulus) as measured by AFM nano-indentation was about tenfold increased for cross-linked films as compared to native ones. From a biological point of view, cross-liked films are more resistant to enzymatic degradation by hyaluronidase. Furthermore, the increase in film stiffness has a favorable effect on the adhesion and spreading of chondrosarcoma cells. Thus, the CHI/HA cross-linked films could be used for various applications due to their adhesive properties and to their mechanical properties (including stability in enzymatic media).

"Shrink-to-fit" superhydrophobicity: thermally-induced microscale wrinkling of thin hydrophobic multilayers fabricated on flexible shrink-wrap substrates.

PubMed

Manna, Uttam; Carter, Matthew C D; Lynn, David M

2013-06-11

An approach to the design of flexible superhydrophobic surfaces based on thermally induced wrinkling of thin, hydrophobic polymer multilayers on heat-shrinkable polymer films is reported. This approach exploits shrinking processes common to "heat-shrink" plastics, and can thus be used to create "shrink-to-fit" superhydrophobic coatings on complex surfaces, manipulate the dimensions and densities of patterned features, and promote heat-activated repair of full-thickness defects. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Exploring interface morphology of a deeply buried layer in periodic multilayer

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

Das, Gangadhar; Srivastava, A. K.; Tiwari, M. K., E-mail: mktiwari@rrcat.gov.in

2016-06-27

Long-term durability of a thin film device is strongly correlated with the nature of interface structure associated between different constituent layers. Synthetic periodic multilayer structures are primarily employed as artificial X-ray Bragg reflectors in many applications, and their reflection efficiency is predominantly dictated by the nature of the buried interfaces between the different layers. Herein, we demonstrate the applicability of the combined analysis approach of the X-ray reflectivity and grazing incidence X-ray fluorescence measurements for the reliable and precise determination of a buried interface structure inside periodic X-ray multilayer structures. X-ray standing wave field (XSW) generated under Bragg reflection conditionmore » is used to probe the different constituent layers of the W- B{sub 4}C multilayer structure at 10 keV and 12 keV incident X-ray energies. Our results show that the XSW assisted fluorescence measurements are markedly sensitive to the location and interface morphology of a buried layer structure inside a periodic multilayer structure. The cross sectional transmission electron microscopy results obtained on the W-B{sub 4}C multilayer structure provide a deeper look on the overall reliability and accuracy of the XSW method. The method described here would also be applicable for nondestructive characterization of a wide range of thin film based semiconductor and optical devices.« less

Influence of the growth parameters on the electronic and magnetic properties of La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 epitaxial thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Annese, E.; Mori, T. J. A.; Schio, P.; Rache Salles, B.; Cezar, J. C.

2018-04-01

The implementation of La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 thin films in multilayered structures in organic and inorganic spintronics devices requires the optimization of their electronic and magnetic properties. In this work we report the structural, morphological, electronic and magnetic characterizations of La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 epitaxial thin films on SrTiO3 substrates, grown by pulsed laser deposition under different growing conditions. We show that the fluence of laser shots and in situ post-annealing conditions are important parameters to control the tetragonality (c/a) of the thin films. The distortion of the structure has a remarkable impact on both surface and bulk magnetism, allowing the tunability of the materials properties for use in different applications.

Nanolaminated FeCoB/FeCo and FeCoB/NiFe soft magnetic thin films with tailored magnetic properties deposited by magnetron sputtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hida, Rachid; Falub, Claudiu V.; Perraudeau, Sandrine; Morin, Christine; Favier, Sylvie; Mazel, Yann; Saghi, Zineb; Michel, Jean-Philippe

2018-05-01

Thin films based on layers of Fe52Co28B20 (at%), Fe65Co35 (at%), and Ni80Fe20 (at%) were deposited by sputtering on 8″ bare Si and Si/200 nm-thermal-SiO2 wafers by simultaneous use of two or more cathodes. Due to the continuous rotation of the substrate cage, such that the substrates faced different targets alternately, the multilayers consisted of stacks of alternating, nanometer-thick regular layers. The composition of the films was determined by Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS) and Nuclear Reactive Analysis (NRA), whereas Plasma Profiling Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (PP-TOFMS) analysis gave depth profile information about the chemical elements. The structural and magnetic properties of the films were investigated by X-ray Diffraction and by TEM analysis, B-H loop tracer and high frequency single coil technique permeametry, respectively. The linear dependence of the coercivity of these thin films versus the grain size can be explained by the random anisotropy model. These novel, composite soft magnetic multilayers, with tunable in-plane anisotropy, allow operation at tunable frequencies, as shown by broadband (between 100 MHz and 10 GHz) RF measurements that exhibit a classical Landau-Lifschitz-Gilbert (LLG) behavior and, combine the magnetic properties of the individual materials in an advantageous way. This article presents a method to produce nanostructured soft magnetic multilayers, the properties of which can easily be tuned by choosing the ratio of the individual nanolayers. In this way it's possible to combine soft magnetic materials with complementary properties, e.g. high saturation magnetization, low coercivity, high specific resistivity and low magnetostriction

Hydrogen plasma treatment of very thin p-type nanocrystalline Si films grown by RF-PECVD in the presence of B(CH3)3

PubMed Central

Filonovich, Sergej Alexandrovich; Águas, Hugo; Busani, Tito; Vicente, António; Araújo, Andreia; Gaspar, Diana; Vilarigues, Marcia; Leitão, Joaquim; Fortunato, Elvira; Martins, Rodrigo

2012-01-01

We have characterized the structure and electrical properties of p-type nanocrystalline silicon films prepared by radio-frequency plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition and explored optimization methods of such layers for potential applications in thin-film solar cells. Particular attention was paid to the characterization of very thin (∼20 nm) films. The cross-sectional morphology of the layers was studied by fitting the ellipsometry spectra using a multilayer model. The results suggest that the crystallization process in a high-pressure growth regime is mostly realized through a subsurface mechanism in the absence of the incubation layer at the substrate-film interface. Hydrogen plasma treatment of a 22-nm-thick film improved its electrical properties (conductivity increased more than ten times) owing to hydrogen insertion and Si structure rearrangements throughout the entire thickness of the film. PMID:27877504

Ferromagnetic resonance linewidth and damping in perpendicular-anisotropy magnetic multilayers thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beaujour, Jean-Marc

2010-03-01

Transition metal ferromagnetic films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) have ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) linewidths that are one order of magnitude larger than soft magnetic materials, such as pure iron (Fe) and permalloy (NiFe) thin films. We have conducted systematic studies of a variety of thin film materials with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy to investigate the origin of the enhanced FMR linewidths, including Ni/Co and CoFeB/Co/Ni multilayers. In Ni/Co multilayers the PMA was systematically reduced by irradiation with Helium ions, leading to a transition from out-of-plane to in-plane easy axis with increasing He ion fluence [1,2]. The FMR linewidth depends linearly on frequency for perpendicular applied fields and increases significantly when the magnetization is rotated into the film plane with an applied in-plane magnetic field. Irradiation of the film with Helium ions decreases the PMA and the distribution of PMA parameters, leading to a large reduction in the FMR linewidth for in-plane magnetization. These results suggest that fluctuations in the PMA lead to a large two magnon scattering contribution to the linewidth for in-plane magnetization and establish that the Gilbert damping is enhanced in such materials (α˜0.04, compared to α˜0.002 for pure Fe) [2]. We compare these results to those on CoFeB/Co/Ni and published results on other thin film materials with PMA [e.g., Ref. 3]. [1] D. Stanescu et al., J. Appl. Phys. 103, 07B529 (2008). [2] J-M. L. Beaujour, D. Ravelosona, I. Tudosa, E. Fullerton, and A. D. Kent, Phys. Rev. B RC 80, 180415 (2009). [3] N. Mo, J. Hohlfeld, M. ulIslam, C. S. Brown, E. Girt, P. Krivosik, W. Tong, A. Rebel, and C. E. Patton, Appl. Phys. Lett. 92, 022506 (2008). *Research done in collaboration with: A. D. Kent, New York University, D. Ravelosona, Institut d'Electronique Fondamentale, UMR CNRS 8622, Universit'e Paris Sud, E. E. Fullerton, Center for Magnetic Recording Research, UCSD, and supported by NSF-DMR-0706322.

Using dairy ingredients to produce edible films and biodegradable packaging materials

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Food packaging is comprised of multi-layers of films which are thin continuous sheets of synthetic polymers. Recently, major food retailers and consumers have become concerned about the waste that packaging generates and the scarce natural resources and energy used in its manufacture. They are deman...

Determination and analysis of non-linear index profiles in electron-beam-deposited MgOAl2O3ZrO2 ternary composite thin-film optical coatings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sahoo, N. K.; Thakur, S.; Senthilkumar, M.; Das, N. C.

2005-02-01

Thickness-dependent index non-linearity in thin films has been a thought provoking as well as intriguing topic in the field of optical coatings. The characterization and analysis of such inhomogeneous index profiles pose several degrees of challenges to thin-film researchers depending upon the availability of relevant experimental and process-monitoring-related information. In the present work, a variety of novel experimental non-linear index profiles have been observed in thin films of MgOAl2O3ZrO2 ternary composites in solid solution under various electron-beam deposition parameters. Analysis and derivation of these non-linear spectral index profiles have been carried out by an inverse-synthesis approach using a real-time optical monitoring signal and post-deposition transmittance and reflection spectra. Most of the non-linear index functions are observed to fit polynomial equations of order seven or eight very well. In this paper, the application of such a non-linear index function has also been demonstrated in designing electric-field-optimized high-damage-threshold multilayer coatings such as normal- and oblique-incidence edge filters and a broadband beam splitter for p-polarized light. Such designs can also advantageously maintain the microstructural stability of the multilayer structure due to the low stress factor of the non-linear ternary composite layers.

Addition of silica nanoparticles to tailor the mechanical properties of nanofibrillated cellulose thin films.

PubMed

Eita, Mohamed; Arwin, Hans; Granberg, Hjalmar; Wågberg, Lars

2011-11-15

Over the last decade, the use of nanocellulose in advanced technological applications has been promoted both due the excellent properties of this material in combination with its renewability. In this study, multilayered thin films composed of nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC), polyvinyl amine (PVAm) and silica nanoparticles were fabricated on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) using a layer-by-layer adsorption technique. The multilayer build-up was followed in situ by quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation, which indicated that the PVAm-SiO(2)-PVAm-NFC system adsorbs twice as much wet mass material compared to the PVAm-NFC system for the same number of bilayers. This is accompanied with a higher viscoelasticity for the PVAm-SiO(2)-PVAm-NFC system. Ellipsometry indicated a dry-state thickness of 2.2 and 3.4 nm per bilayer for the PVAm-NFC system and the PVAm-SiO(2)-PVAm-NFC system, respectively. Atomic force microscopy height images indicate that in both systems, a porous network structure is achieved. Young's modulus of these thin films was determined by the Strain-Induced Elastic Buckling Instability for Mechanical Measurements (SIEBIMM) technique. The Young's modulus of the PVAm/NFC films was doubled, from 1 to 2 GPa, upon incorporation of silica nanoparticles in the films. The introduction of the silica nanoparticles lowered the refractive index of the films, most probably due to an increased porosity of the films. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Corrosion-resistant multilayer structures with improved reflectivity

DOEpatents

Soufli, Regina; Fernandez-Perea, Monica; Robinson, Jeff C.

2013-04-09

In one general embodiment, a thin film structure includes a substrate; a first corrosion barrier layer above the substrate; a reflective layer above the first corrosion barrier layer, wherein the reflective layer comprises at least one repeating set of sub-layers, wherein one of the sub-layers of each set of sub-layers being of a corrodible material; and a second corrosion barrier layer above the reflective layer. In another general embodiment, a system includes an optical element having a thin film structure as recited above; and an image capture or spectrometer device. In a further general embodiment, a laser according to one embodiment includes a light source and the thin film structure as recited above.

Hybrid Physical Vapor Deposition Instrument for Advanced Functional Multilayers and Materials

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-04-27

Hybrid Physical Vapor Deposition Instrument for Advanced Functional Multilayers and Materials PI Maria received support to construct a physical...vapor deposition (PVD) system that combines electron beam (e- beam) evaporation, magnetron sputtering, pulsed laser ablation, and ion-assisted deposition ...The instrumentation enables clean, uniform, and rapid deposition of a wide variety of metallic, semiconducting, and ceramic thin films with

Optical coating on a corrugated surface to align the polarization of an unpolarized wave without loss

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jen, Yi Jun

2017-12-01

A multilayer comprising birefringent thin films is devised to present to function as a polarization beam splitter and waveplate simultaneously. By arranging such a multilayer on a right triangle-shaped corrugated surface, a polarizer is realized to align the randomly oscillating electric field of an unpolarized wave into a linear polarized wave without loss.

Performance Investigation of Multilayer MoS2 Thin-Film Transistors Fabricated via Mask-free Optically Induced Electrodeposition.

PubMed

Li, Meng; Liu, Na; Li, Pan; Shi, Jialin; Li, Guangyong; Xi, Ning; Wang, Yuechao; Liu, Lianqing

2017-03-08

Transition metal dichalcogenides, particularly MoS 2 , have recently received enormous interest in explorations of the physics and technology of nanodevice applications because of their excellent optical and electronic properties. Although monolayer MoS 2 has been extensively investigated for various possible applications, its difficulty of fabrication renders it less appealing than multilayer MoS 2 . Moreover, multilayer MoS 2 , with its inherent high electronic/photonic state densities, has higher output driving capabilities and can better satisfy the ever-increasing demand for versatile devices. Here, we present multilayer MoS 2 back-gate thin-film transistors (TFTs) that can achieve a relatively low subthreshold swing of 0.75 V/decade and a high mobility of 41 cm 2 ·V -1 ·s -1 , which exceeds the typical mobility value of state-of-the-art amorphous silicon-based TFTs by a factor of 80. Ag and Au electrode-based MoS 2 TFTs were fabricated by a convenient and rapid process. Then we performed a detailed analysis of the impacts of metal contacts and MoS 2 film thickness on electronic performance. Our findings show that smoother metal contacts exhibit better electronic characteristics and that MoS 2 film thickness should be controlled within a reasonable range of 30-40 nm to obtain the best mobility values, thereby providing valuable insights regarding performance enhancement for MoS 2 TFTs. Additionally, to overcome the limitations of the conventional fabrication method, we employed a novel approach known as optically induced electrodeposition (OIE), which allows the flexible and precise patterning of metal films and enables rapid and mask-free device fabrication, for TFT fabrication.

Parasitic oscillation suppression in solid state lasers using absorbing thin films

DOEpatents

Zapata, L.E.

1994-08-02

A thin absorbing film is bonded onto at least certain surfaces of a solid state laser gain medium. An absorbing metal-dielectric multilayer film is optimized for a broad range of incidence angles, and is resistant to the corrosive/erosive effects of a coolant such as water, used in the forced convection cooling of the film. Parasitic oscillations hamper the operation of solid state lasers by causing the decay of stored energy to amplified rays trapped within the gain medium by total and partial internal reflections off the gain medium facets. Zigzag lasers intended for high average power operation require the ASE absorber. 16 figs.

Parasitic oscillation suppression in solid state lasers using absorbing thin films

DOEpatents

Zapata, Luis E.

1994-01-01

A thin absorbing film is bonded onto at least certain surfaces of a solid state laser gain medium. An absorbing metal-dielectric multilayer film is optimized for a broad range of incidence angles, and is resistant to the corrosive/erosive effects of a coolant such as water, used in the forced convection cooling of the film. Parasitic oscillations hamper the operation of solid state lasers by causing the decay of stored energy to amplified rays trapped within the gain medium by total and partial internal reflections off the gain medium facets. Zigzag lasers intended for high average power operation require the ASE absorber.

Extracting interface locations in multilayer polymer waveguide films using scanning angle Raman spectroscopy

DOE PAGES

Bobbitt, Jonathan M.; Smith, Emily A.

2017-11-09

There is an increasing demand for nondestructive in situ techniques that measure chemical content, total thickness, and interface locations for multilayer polymer films, and SA Raman spectroscopy in combination with appropriate data models can provide this information. A scanning angle (SA) Raman spectroscopy method was developed to measure the chemical composition of multilayer polymer waveguide films and to extract the location of buried interfaces between polymer layers with 7–80-nm axial spatial resolution. The SA Raman method measures Raman spectra as the incident angle of light upon a prism-coupled thin film is scanned. Six multilayer films consisting of poly(methyl methacrylate)/polystyrene ormore » poly(methyl methacrylate)/polystyrene/poly(methyl methacrylate) were prepared with total thicknesses ranging from 330-1260 nm. The interface locations were varied by altering the individual layer thicknesses between 140-680 nm. The Raman amplitude ratio of the 1605 cm -1 peak for PS and 812 cm -1 peak for PMMA was used in calculations of the electric field intensity within the polymer layers to model the SA Raman data and extract the total thickness and interface locations. There is an average 8% and 7% difference in the measured thickness between the SA Raman and profilometry measurements for bilayer and trilayer films, respectively.« less

Extracting interface locations in multilayer polymer waveguide films using scanning angle Raman spectroscopy

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

Bobbitt, Jonathan M.; Smith, Emily A.

There is an increasing demand for nondestructive in situ techniques that measure chemical content, total thickness, and interface locations for multilayer polymer films, and SA Raman spectroscopy in combination with appropriate data models can provide this information. A scanning angle (SA) Raman spectroscopy method was developed to measure the chemical composition of multilayer polymer waveguide films and to extract the location of buried interfaces between polymer layers with 7–80-nm axial spatial resolution. The SA Raman method measures Raman spectra as the incident angle of light upon a prism-coupled thin film is scanned. Six multilayer films consisting of poly(methyl methacrylate)/polystyrene ormore » poly(methyl methacrylate)/polystyrene/poly(methyl methacrylate) were prepared with total thicknesses ranging from 330-1260 nm. The interface locations were varied by altering the individual layer thicknesses between 140-680 nm. The Raman amplitude ratio of the 1605 cm -1 peak for PS and 812 cm -1 peak for PMMA was used in calculations of the electric field intensity within the polymer layers to model the SA Raman data and extract the total thickness and interface locations. There is an average 8% and 7% difference in the measured thickness between the SA Raman and profilometry measurements for bilayer and trilayer films, respectively.« less

MOVPE of GaSb/InGaAsSb Multilayers and Fabrication of Dual Band Photodetectors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Xiao, Ye-Gao; Bhat, Ishwara; Refaat, Tamer F.; Abedin, M. Nurul; Shao, Qing-Hui

2005-01-01

Metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) of GaSb/InGaAsSb multilayer thin films and fabrication of bias-selectable dual band photodetectors are reported. For the dual band photodetectors the short wavelength detector, or the upper p- GaSb/n-GaSb junction photodiode, is placed optically ahead of the long wavelength one, or the lower photodiode. The latter is based on latticed-matched In0.13Ga0.87As0.11Sb0.89 with bandgap near 0.6 eV. Specifically, high quality multilayer thin films are grown sequentially from top to bottom as p+-GaSb/p-GaSb/n-GaSb/n-InGaAsSb/p-InGaAsSb/p-GaSb on undoped p-type GaSb substrate, and as n-GaSb/p-GaSb/p-InGaAsSb/n-InGaAsSb/n-GaSb on Te-doped n-type GaSb substrate respectively. The multilayer thin films are characterized by optical microscope, atomic force microscope (AFM), electron microprobe analyses etc. The photodiode mesa steps are patterned by photolithography with wet chemical etching and the front metallization is carried out by e-beam evaporation with Pd/Ge/Au/Ti/Au to give ohmic contact on both n- and p-type Sb based layer surfaces. Dark I-V measurements show typical diode behavior for both the upper and lower photodiodes. The photoresponsivity measurements indicate that both the upper and lower photodiodes can sense the infrared illumination corresponding to their cutoff wavelengths respectively, comparable with the simulation results. More work is underway to bring the long wavelength band to the medium infrared wavelength region near 4 micrometers.

pH-sensing properties of cascaded long- and short-period fiber grating with poly acrylic acid/poly allylamine hydrochloride thin-film overlays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Ying

2014-11-01

Based on coupled-mode theory and transfer matrix method, the mode coupling mechanism and the reflection spectral properties of coated cascaded long- and short-period gratings (CLBG) are discussed. The effects of the thin-film parameters (film refractive index and film thickness) on the reflection spectra of the coated CLBG are simulated. By using electrostatic self-assembly method, poly acrylic acid (PAA) and poly allylamine hydrochloride (PAH) multilayer molecular pH-sensitive thin-films are assembled on the surface of the partial corroded CLBG. When the CLBG coated with PAA/PAH films are used to sense pH values, the resonant wavelengths of the CLBG have almost no shift, whereas the resonance peak reflectivities change with pH values. In addition, the sensitivities of the resonance peak reflectivities responding to pH values are improved by an order of magnitude.

TiN films fabricated by reactive gas pulse sputtering: A hybrid design of multilayered and compositionally graded structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Jijun; Zhang, Feifei; Wan, Qiang; Lu, Chenyang; Peng, Mingjing; Liao, Jiali; Yang, Yuanyou; Wang, Lumin; Liu, Ning

2016-12-01

Reactive gas pulse (RGP) sputtering approach was used to prepare TiN thin films through periodically changing the N2/Ar gas flow ratio. The obtained RGPsbnd TiN film possessed a hybrid architecture containing compositionally graded and multilayered structures, composed of hcp Ti-phase and fcc TiN-phase sublayers. Meanwhile, the RGP-TiN film exhibited a composition-oscillation along the film thickness direction, where the Ti-phase sublayer had a compositional gradient and the TiN-phase retained a constant stoichiometric ratio of Ti:N ≈ 1. The film modulation ratio λ (the thicknesses ratio of the Ti and TiN-phase sublayer) can be effectively tuned by controlling the undulation behavior of the N2 partial flow rate. Detailed analysis showed that this hybrid structure originated from a periodic transition of the film growth mode during the reactive sputtering process.

Strong modification of thin film properties due to screening across the interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Altendorf, S. G.; Reisner, A.; Tam, B.; Meneghin, F.; Wirth, S.; Tjeng, L. H.

2018-04-01

We report on our investigation of the influence of screening across the interface on the properties of semiconducting thin films. Using EuO as a well-defined model material, layers of various thickness deposited on yttria-stabilized zirconia (100) substrates were covered half with Mg metal and half with the wide-band-gap insulator MgO. We observed that the Curie temperature for the thinnest films is significantly higher for the part which is interfaced with the metal compared to the part which is interfaced with the insulator. We infer that the proximity of a polarizable medium reduces the energies of virtual charge excitations and thus increases the effective exchange interactions, a strong effect that can be utilized systematically for the design of thin film and multilayer systems.

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.

Multilayer thin-film phantoms for axial contrast transfer function measurement in optical coherence tomography.

PubMed

Agrawal, Anant; Chen, Chao-Wei; Baxi, Jigesh; Chen, Yu; Pfefer, T Joshua

2013-07-01

In optical coherence tomography (OCT), axial resolution is one of the most critical parameters impacting image quality. It is commonly measured by determining the point spread function (PSF) based on a specular surface reflection. The contrast transfer function (CTF) provides more insights into an imaging system's resolving characteristics and can be readily generated in a system-independent manner, without consideration for image pixel size. In this study, we developed a test method for determination of CTF based on multi-layer, thin-film phantoms, evaluated using spectral- and time-domain OCT platforms with different axial resolution values. Phantoms representing six spatial frequencies were fabricated and imaged. The fabrication process involved spin coating silicone films with precise thicknesses in the 8-40 μm range. Alternating layers were doped with a specified concentration of scattering particles. Validation of layer optical properties and thicknesses were achieved with spectrophotometry and stylus profilometry, respectively. OCT B-scans were used to calculate CTFs and results were compared with convetional PSF measurements based on specular reflections. Testing of these phantoms indicated that our approach can provide direct access to axial resolution characteristics highly relevant to image quality. Furthermore, tissue phantoms based on our thin-film fabrication approach may have a wide range of additional applications in optical imaging and spectroscopy.

Release of DNA from polyelectrolyte multilayers fabricated using 'charge-shifting' cationic polymers: tunable temporal control and sequential, multi-agent release.

PubMed

Sun, Bin; Lynn, David M

2010-11-20

We report an approach to the design of multilayered polyelectrolyte thin films (or 'polyelectrolyte multilayers', PEMs) that can be used to provide tunable control over the release of plasmid DNA (or multiple different DNA constructs) from film-coated surfaces. Our approach is based upon methods for the layer-by-layer assembly of DNA-containing thin films, and exploits the properties of a new class of cationic 'charge-shifting' polymers (amine functionalized polymers that undergo gradual changes in net charge upon side chain ester hydrolysis) to provide control over the rates at which these films erode and release DNA. We synthesized two 'charge-shifting' polymers (polymers 1 and 2) containing different side chain structures by ring-opening reactions of poly(2-alkenyl azlactone)s with two different tertiary amine functionalized alcohols (3-dimethylamino-1-propanol and 2-dimethylaminoethanol, respectively). Subsequent characterization revealed large changes in the rates of side chain ester hydrolysis for these two polymers; whereas the half-life for the hydrolysis of the esters in polymer 1 was ~200 days, the half-life for polymer 2 was ~6 days. We demonstrate that these large differences in side chain hydrolysis make possible the design of PEMs that erode and promote the surface-mediated release of DNA either rapidly (e.g., over ~3 days for films fabricated using polymer 2) or slowly (e.g., over ~1 month for films fabricated using polymer 1). We demonstrate further that it is possible to design films with release profiles that are intermediate to these two extremes by fabricating films using solutions containing different mixtures of these two polymers. This approach can thus expand the usefulness of these two polymers and achieve a broader range of DNA release profiles without the need to synthesize polymers with new structures or properties. Finally, we demonstrate that polymers 1 and 2 can be used to fabricate multilayered films with hierarchical structures that promote the sequential release of two different DNA constructs with separate and distinct release profiles (e.g., the release of a first construct over a period of ~3 days, followed by the sustained release of a second for a period of ~70 days). With further development, this approach could contribute to the design of functional thin films and surface coatings that provide sophisticated control over the timing and the order of the release of two or more DNA constructs (or other agents) of interest in a range of biomedical contexts. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Absence of morphotropic phase boundary effects in BiFeO3-PbTiO3 thin films grown via a chemical multilayer deposition method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gupta, Shashaank; Bhattacharjee, Shuvrajyoti; Pandey, Dhananjai; Bansal, Vipul; Bhargava, Suresh K.; Peng, Ju Lin; Garg, Ashish

2011-07-01

We report an unusual behavior observed in (BiFeO3)1- x -(PbTiO3) x (BF- xPT) thin films prepared using a multilayer chemical solution deposition method. Films of different compositions were grown by depositing several bilayers of BF and PT precursors of varying BF and PT layer thicknesses followed by heat treatment in air. X-ray diffraction showed that samples of all compositions show mixing of two compounds resulting in a single-phase mixture, also confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. In contrast to bulk compositions, samples show a monoclinic (MA-type) structure suggesting disappearance of the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) at x=0.30 as observed in the bulk. This is accompanied by the lack of any enhancement of the remanent polarization at the MPB, as shown by the ferroelectric measurements. Magnetic measurements showed an increase in the magnetization of the samples with increasing BF content. Significant magnetization in the samples indicates melting of spin spirals in the BF- xPT films, arising from a random distribution of iron atoms. Absence of Fe2+ ions was corroborated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. The results illustrate that thin film processing methodology significantly changes the structural evolution, in contrast to predictions from the equilibrium phase diagram, besides modifying the functional characteristics of the BP- xPT system dramatically.

Improving Fire Resistance of Cotton Fabric through Layer-by-Layer Assembled Graphene Multilayer Nanocoating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jang, Wonjun; Chung, Il Jun; Kim, Junwoo; Seo, Seongmin; Park, Yong Tae; Choi, Kyungwho

2018-05-01

In this study, thin films containing poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs), stabilized with poly(4-styrene-sulfonic acid) (PSS), were assembled by a simple and cost-effective layer-by-layer (LbL) technique in order to introduce the anti-flammability to cotton. These antiflammable layers were characterized by using UV-vis spectrometry and quartz crystal microbalance as a function of the number of bilayers deposited. Scanning electron microscopy was used to visualize the morphology of the thin film coatings on the cotton fabric. The graphene-polymer thin films introduced anti-flammable properties through thermally stable carbonaceous layers at a high temperature. The thermal stability and flame retardant property of graphene-coated cotton was demonstrated by thermogravimetric analysis, cone calorimetry, and vertical flame test. The results indicate that LbL-assembled graphene-polymer thin films can be applied largely in the field of flame retardant.

Influence of cellulose nanocrystals concentration and ionic strength on the elaboration of cellulose nanocrystals-xyloglucan multilayered thin films.

PubMed

Dammak, Abir; Moreau, Céline; Azzam, Firas; Jean, Bruno; Cousin, Fabrice; Cathala, Bernard

2015-12-15

The effect of the variation of CNC concentration on the growth pattern of CNC-XG films is investigated. We found that a transition in the growth slope occurs at a CNC concentration of roughly 3-4gL(-1). A close effect can be obtained by the increase of the ionic strength of the CNC suspensions, suggesting that electrostatic interactions are involved. Static light scattering investigation of CNC dispersions at increasing concentrations demonstrated that the particle-particle interactions change as the CNC concentration increases. Neutron Reflectivity (NR) was used to probe the internal structure of the films. The increase of the CNC concentration as well as the increase of the ionic strength in the CNC suspension were found to induce a densification of the adsorbed CNC layers, even though the mechanisms are not strictly identical in both cases. Small changes in these parameters provide a straightforward way of controlling the architecture of CNC-based multilayered thin films and, as a result, their functional properties. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ultrathin planar graphene supercapacitors.

PubMed

Yoo, Jung Joon; Balakrishnan, Kaushik; Huang, Jingsong; Meunier, Vincent; Sumpter, Bobby G; Srivastava, Anchal; Conway, Michelle; Reddy, Arava Leela Mohana; Yu, Jin; Vajtai, Robert; Ajayan, Pulickel M

2011-04-13

With the advent of atomically thin and flat layers of conducting materials such as graphene, new designs for thin film energy storage devices with good performance have become possible. Here, we report an "in-plane" fabrication approach for ultrathin supercapacitors based on electrodes comprised of pristine graphene and multilayer reduced graphene oxide. The in-plane design is straightforward to implement and exploits efficiently the surface of each graphene layer for energy storage. The open architecture and the effect of graphene edges enable even the thinnest of devices, made from as grown 1-2 graphene layers, to reach specific capacities up to 80 μFcm(-2), while much higher (394 μFcm(-2)) specific capacities are observed multilayer reduced graphene oxide electrodes. The performances of devices with pristine as well as thicker graphene-based structures are examined using a combination of experiments and model calculations. The demonstrated all solid-state supercapacitors provide a prototype for a broad range of thin-film based energy storage devices.

Experimental and numerical study on transverse piezoelectricity of xBiInO3-(1 - x)PbTiO3 films by multilayer cantilevers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Ke-xue; Zhang, Shu-yi; Shui, Xiu-ji; Wasa, Kiyotaka

2018-02-01

The effective transverse piezoelectric coefficient of the piezoelectric films xBiInO3-(1 - x)PbTiO3 (x = 0,0.10,0.15,0.20) were studied experimentally and numerically by multilayer cantilevers. The xBiInO3-(1 - x)PbTiO3 thin films were deposited on (101)SrRuO3/(100)Pt/(100)MgO substrates and then covered with Pt electrode by RF-magnetron sputtering method. In experiments, the tip vibration amplitudes of the cantilevers for different x of the films were measured, in which the optimized compositions for maximizing the tip vibration can be found. Meanwhile, based on the bending model of multilayer piezoelectric cantilevers, the tip-deflection and transverse piezoelectricity of the cantilevers were simulated by COMSOL software. By comparing the experimental and numerical results, both are in agreement very well, and the mechanism of the optimized transverse piezoelectricity of the cantilevers was proposed finally.

Calibration of the Multi-Spectral Solar Telescope Array multilayer mirrors and XUV filters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allen, Maxwell J.; Willis, Thomas D.; Kankelborg, Charles C.; O'Neal, Ray H.; Martinez-Galarce, Dennis S.; Deforest, Craig E.; Jackson, Lisa; Lindblom, Joakim; Walker, Arthur B. C., Jr.; Barbee, Troy W., Jr.

1993-01-01

The Multi-Spectral Solar Telescope Array (MSSTA), a rocket-borne solar observatory, was successfully flown in May, 1991, obtaining solar images in eight XUV and FUV bands with 12 compact multilayer telescopes. Extensive measurements have recently been carried out on the multilayer telescopes and thin film filters at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory. These measurements are the first high spectral resolution calibrations of the MSSTA instruments. Previous measurements and/or calculations of telescope throughputs have been confirmed with greater accuracy. Results are presented on Mo/Si multilayer bandpass changes with time and experimental potassium bromide and tellurium filters.

Unexpected resonant response in [Fe(001)/Cr(001)]10/MgO(001) multilayers in a magnetic field.

PubMed

Aliev, F G; Pryadun, V V; Snoeck, E

2009-01-23

We observed unexpected resonant response in [Fe/Cr]10 multilayers epitaxially grown on MgO(100) substrates which exists only when both ac current and dc magnetic field are simultaneously applied. The magnitude of the resonances is determined by the multilayer magnetization proving their intrinsic character. The reduction of interface epitaxy leads to nonlinear dependence of the magnitude of resonances on the alternating current density. We speculate that the existence of the interface transition zone could facilitate the subatomic vibrations in thin metallic films and multilayers grown on bulk insulating substrates.

Nanoscale deformation mechanism of TiC/a-C nanocomposite thin films

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

Chen, C. Q.; Pei, Y. T.; Shaha, K. P.

2009-06-01

This paper concentrates on the deformation behavior of amorphous diamondlike carbon composite materials. Combined nanoindentation and ex situ cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy investigations are carried out on TiC/a-C nanocomposite films, with and without multilayered structures deposited by pulse dc magnetron sputtering. It is shown that by controlling the distribution of nanocrystallites forming nanoscale multilayers, the system can be used as a 'microstructural ruler' that is able to distinguish various deformation patterns, which can be hardly detected otherwise in a homogeneous structure. It is shown that rearrangement of nanocrystallites and displacement of a-C matrix occur at length scales from tens ofmore » nanometer down to 1 nm. At submicrometer scale homogeneous nucleation of multiple shear bands has been observed within the nanocomposites. The multilayered structure in the TiC/a-C nanocomposite film contributes to an enhanced toughness.« less

Synthesis, characterization and application of Co doped TiO2 multilayer thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khan, M. I.

2018-06-01

To use the visible portion of solar light, 2% cobalt doped TiO2 (Co: TiO2) multilayer thin films having 1, 2, 3 and 4 stacked layers have been deposited on FTO substrates using spray pyrolysis technique. XRD results show that 1 and 2 layers of films have anatase phase. Brookite phase has been appeared at the 3 and 4 layered films. The average grain size of 1, 2, 3 and 4 layers of films are 14.4, 23.5, 29.7 and 33.6 nm respectively. UV-Vis results show that 4th layer film has high absorption in the visible region. The calculated Eg of 1, 2, 3 and 4 layers is 3.54, 3.42, 3.30 and 3.03 eV respectively. The calculated average sheet resistivity of 1, 2, 3 and 4 layers of films is 7.68 × 104, 4.54 × 104, 8.85 × 103 and 7.95 × 102 (ohm-m) respectively, according to four point probe technique. Solar simulator results show that highest solar conversion efficiency (5.6%) has been obtained by using 3 stacked layers photoanode. This new structure in the form of stack layers provides a way to improve the efficiency of optoelectronic devices.

Microstructure-related properties at 193 nm of MgF2 and GdF3 films deposited by a resistive-heating boat.

PubMed

Liu, Ming-Chung; Lee, Cheng-Chung; Kaneko, Masaaki; Nakahira, Kazuhide; Takano, Yuuichi

2006-03-01

MgF2 and GdF3 materials, used for a single-layer coating at 193 nm, are deposited by a resistive-heating boat at specific substrate temperatures. Optical characteristics (transmittance, refractive index, extinction coefficient, and optical loss) and microstructures (morphology and crystalline structure) are investigated and discussed. Furthermore, MgF2 is used as a low-index material, and GdF3 is used as a high-index material for multilayer coatings. Reflectance, stress, and the laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) are studied. It is shown that MgF2 and GdF3 thin films, deposited on the substrate at a temperature of 300 degrees C, obtain good quality thin films with high transmittance and little optical loss at 193 nm. For multilayer coatings, the stress mainly comes from MgF2, and the absorption comes from GdF3. Among those coatings, the sixteen-layer design, sub/(1.4L 0.6H)8/air, shows the largest LIDT.

The formation of α-phase SnS nanostructure from a hybrid, multi-layered S/Sn/S/Sn/S thin films: Phase stability, surface morphology and optical studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baby, Benjamin Hudson; Bharathi Mohan, D.

2017-11-01

Single phase of SnS thin film was fabricated from S/Sn/S/Sn/S multilayer prepared by using atmospheric pressure and vacuum thermal evaporation methods Glancing angle high vacuum thermal evaporation technique was employed to grow Sn nanorods which facilitated the sulphur diffusion in a faster manner to prepare SnS nanoparticles. The sulphur deposition temperature, sulphur deposition time and tin deposition time were successfully tailored in the synthesis process and stabilized α-phase SnS by probing through confocal micro-Raman spectrometer. X-ray diffraction confirms the formation of SnS crystal structure at sulphur deposition temperature 200 °C. The mechanism of formation of highly porous SnS phase with flower like morphology is explained from the morphological analysis of post deposition annealed film. The complete absence of any oxidation state as evident from Raman as well as EDAX analysis confirms that the proposed sulphurization method could be a suitable, simple and cheap technique for the successful sulphurization of metal films. Band gap calculation from Tauc plot showed a direct band gap value of 1.5 eV for films with single phase of SnS which can be used as a p-type absorber layer in thin film solar cells. Emission studies showed the energy transitions attributed to band edge transition and due to the presence of intrinsic defects.

Solution Coating of Pharmaceutical Nanothin Films and Multilayer Nanocomposites with Controlled Morphology and Polymorphism.

PubMed

Horstman, Elizabeth M; Kafle, Prapti; Zhang, Fengjiao; Zhang, Yifu; Kenis, Paul J A; Diao, Ying

2018-03-28

Nanosizing is rapidly emerging as an alternative approach to enhance solubility and thus the bioavailability of poorly aqueous soluble active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Although numerous techniques have been developed to perform nanosizing of API crystals, precise control and modulation of their size in an energy and material efficient manner remains challenging. In this study, we present meniscus-guided solution coating as a new technique to produce pharmaceutical thin films of nanoscale thickness with controlled morphology. We demonstrate control of aspirin film thickness over more than 2 orders of magnitude, from 30 nm to 1.5 μm. By varying simple process parameters such as the coating speed and the solution concentration, the aspirin film morphology can also be modulated by accessing different coating regimes, namely the evaporation regime and the Landau-Levich regime. Using ellipticine-a poorly water-soluble anticancer drug-as another model compound, we discovered a new polymorph kinetically trapped during solution coating. Furthermore, the polymorphic outcome can be controlled by varying coating conditions. We further performed layer-by-layer coating of multilayer nanocomposites, with alternating thin films of ellipticine and a biocompatible polymer, which demonstrate the potential of additive manufacturing of multidrug-personalized dosage forms using this approach.

Far infrared filters for the Galileo-Jupiter and other missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seeley, J. S.; Hunneman, R.; Whatley, A.

1981-01-01

Progress in the development of FIR multilayer interference filters for the net flux radiometer and photopolarizing radiometer to be carried on board the Galileo mission to Jupiter is reported. The multilayer interference technique has been extended to the region above 40 microns by the use of PbTe/II-VI materials in hard-coated combination, with the thickest layers composed of CdSe QWOT at 74 microns and PbTe QWOT. Improvements have also been obtained in filters below 20 microns on the basis of the Chebyshev stack design. A composite filter cutting on steeply at 40 microns has been designed which employs a thin crystal quartz substrate, shorter wavelength absorption in ZnS and As2S3 thin films, and supplementary multilayer interference. Finally, absorptive filters have been developed based on II-VI compounds in multilayer combination with KRS-5 (or 6) on a KRS-5 (or 6) substrate

Thin-film decoupling capacitors for multi-chip modules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dimos, D.; Lockwood, S. J.; Schwartz, R. W.; Rogers, M. S.

Thin-film decoupling capacitors based on ferroelectric lead lanthanum zirconate titanate (PLZT) films are being developed for use in advanced packages, such as multi-chip modules. These thin-film decoupling capacitors are intended to replace multi-layer ceramic capacitors for certain applications, since they can be more fully integrated into the packaging architecture. The increased integration that can be achieved should lead to decreased package volume and improved high-speed performance, due to a decrease in interconnect inductance. PLZT films are fabricated by spin coating using metal carboxylate/alkoxide solutions. These films exhibit very high dielectric constants ((var epsilon) greater than or equal to 900), low dielectric losses (tan(delta) = 0.01), excellent insulation resistances (rho greater than 10(exp 13) (Omega)-cm at 125 C), and good breakdown field strengths (E(sub B) = 900 kV/cm). For integrated circuit applications, the PLZT dielectric is less than 1 micron thick, which results in a large capacitance/area (8-9 nF/sq mm). The thin-film geometry and processing conditions also make these capacitors suitable for direct incorporation onto integrated circuits and for packages that require embedded components.

Multilayer coating of optical substrates by ion beam sputtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daniel, M. V.; Demmler, M.

2017-10-01

Ion beam sputtering is well established in research and industry, despite its relatively low deposition rates compared to electron beam evaporation. Typical applications are coatings of precision optics, like filters, mirrors and beam splitter. Anti-reflective or high-reflective multilayer stacks benefit from the high mobility of the sputtered particles on the substrate surface and the good mechanical characteristics of the layers. This work gives the basic route from single layer optimization of reactive ion beam sputtered Ta2O5 and SiO2 thin films towards complex multilayer stacks for high-reflective mirrors and anti-reflective coatings. Therefore films were deposited using different oxygen flow into the deposition chamber Afterwards, mechanical (density, stress, surface morphology, crystalline phases) and optical properties (reflectivity, absorption and refractive index) were characterized. These knowledge was used to deposit a multilayer coating for a high reflective mirror.

Innovative soft magnetic multilayers with enhanced in-plane anisotropy and ferromagnetic resonance frequency for integrated RF passive devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Falub, Claudiu V.; Bless, Martin; Hida, Rachid; MeduÅa, Mojmír; Ammann, Arnold

2018-04-01

We present an innovative, economical method for manufacturing soft magnetic materials that may pave the way for integrated thin film magnetic cores with dramatically improved properties. Soft magnetic multilayered thin films based on the Fe-28%Co20%B (at.%) and Co-4.5%Ta4%Zr (at.%) amorphous alloys are deposited on 8" bare Si and Si/200nm-thermal-SiO2 wafers in an industrial, high-throughput Evatec LLS EVO II magnetron sputtering system. The multilayers consist of stacks of alternating 80-nm-thick ferromagnetic layers and 4-nm-thick Al2O3 dielectric interlayers. Since in our dynamic sputter system the substrate cage rotates continuously, such that the substrates face different targets alternatively, each ferromagnetic sublayer in the multilayer consists of a fine structure comprising alternating CoTaZr and FeCoB nanolayers with very sharp interfaces. We adjust the thickness of these individual nanolayers between 0.5 and 1.5 nm by changing the cage rotation speed and the power of each gun, which is an excellent mode to engineer new, composite ferromagnetic materials. Using X-ray reflectometry (XRR) we reveal that the interfaces between the FeCoB and CoTaZr nanolayers are perfectly smooth with roughness of 0.2-0.3 nm. Kerr magnetometry and B-H looper measurements for the as-deposited samples show that the coercivity of these thin films is very low, 0.2-0.3 Oe, and gradually scales up with the thickness of FeCoB nanolayers, i.e. with the increase of the overall Fe content from 0 % (e.g. CoTaZr-based multilayers) to 52 % (e.g. FeCoB-based multilayers). We explain this trend in the random anisotropy model, based on considerations of grain size growth, as revealed by glancing angle X-ray diffraction (GAXRD), but also because of the increase of magnetostriction with the increase of Fe content as shown by B-H looper measurements performed on strained wafers. The unexpected enhancement of the in-plane anisotropy field from 18.3 Oe and 25.8 Oe for the conventional CoTaZr- and FeCoB-based multilayers, respectively, up to ˜48 Oe for the nanostructured multilayers with FeCoB/CoTaZr nano-bilayers is explained based on interface anisotropy contribution. These novel soft magnetic multilayers, with enhanced in-plane anisotropy, allow operation at higher frequencies, as revealed by broadband (between 100 MHz and 10 GHz) RF measurements that exhibit a classical Landau-Lifschitz-Gilbert (LLG) behavior.

Multicolor Layer-by-Layer films using weak polyelectrolyte assisted synthesis of silver nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rivero, Pedro Jose; Goicoechea, Javier; Urrutia, Aitor; Matias, Ignacio Raul; Arregui, Francisco Javier

2013-10-01

In the present study, we show that silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with different shape, aggregation state and color (violet, green, orange) have been successfully incorporated into polyelectrolyte multilayer thin films using the layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly. In order to obtain colored thin films based on AgNPs is necessary to maintain the aggregation state of the nanoparticles, a non-trivial aspect in which this work is focused on. The use of Poly(acrylic acid, sodium salt) (PAA) as a protective agent of the AgNPs is the key element to preserve the aggregation state and makes possible the presence of similar aggregates (shape and size) within the LbLcolored films. This approach based on electrostatic interactions of the polymeric chains and the immobilization of AgNPs with different shape and size into the thin films opens up a new interesting perspective to fabricate multicolornanocomposites based on AgNPs.

Multicolor Layer-by-Layer films using weak polyelectrolyte assisted synthesis of silver nanoparticles

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

In the present study, we show that silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) with different shape, aggregation state and color (violet, green, orange) have been successfully incorporated into polyelectrolyte multilayer thin films using the layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly. In order to obtain colored thin films based on AgNPs is necessary to maintain the aggregation state of the nanoparticles, a non-trivial aspect in which this work is focused on. The use of Poly(acrylic acid, sodium salt) (PAA) as a protective agent of the AgNPs is the key element to preserve the aggregation state and makes possible the presence of similar aggregates (shape and size) within the LbLcolored films. This approach based on electrostatic interactions of the polymeric chains and the immobilization of AgNPs with different shape and size into the thin films opens up a new interesting perspective to fabricate multicolornanocomposites based on AgNPs. PMID:24148227

Enhanced carrier mobility of multilayer MoS2 thin-film transistors by Al2O3 encapsulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Seong Yeoul; Park, Seonyoung; Choi, Woong

2016-10-01

We report the effect of Al2O3 encapsulation on the carrier mobility and contact resistance of multilayer MoS2 thin-film transistors by statistically investigating 70 devices with SiO2 bottom-gate dielectric. After Al2O3 encapsulation by atomic layer deposition, calculation based on Y-function method indicates that the enhancement of carrier mobility from 24.3 cm2 V-1 s-1 to 41.2 cm2 V-1 s-1 occurs independently from the reduction of contact resistance from 276 kΩ.μm to 118 kΩ.μm. Furthermore, contrary to the previous literature, we observe a negligible effect of thermal annealing on contact resistance and carrier mobility during the atomic layer deposition of Al2O3. These results demonstrate that Al2O3 encapsulation is a useful method of improving the carrier mobility of multilayer MoS2 transistors, providing important implications on the application of MoS2 and other two-dimensional materials into high-performance transistors.

Metal oxide multilayer hard mask system for 3D nanofabrication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Zhongmei; Salmi, Emma; Vehkamäki, Marko; Leskelä, Markku; Ritala, Mikko

2018-02-01

We demonstrate the preparation and exploitation of multilayer metal oxide hard masks for lithography and 3D nanofabrication. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) and focused ion beam (FIB) technologies are applied for mask deposition and mask patterning, respectively. A combination of ALD and FIB was used and a patterning procedure was developed to avoid the ion beam defects commonly met when using FIB alone for microfabrication. ALD grown Al2O3/Ta2O5/Al2O3 thin film stacks were FIB milled with 30 keV gallium ions and chemically etched in 5% tetramethylammonium hydroxide at 50 °C. With metal evaporation, multilayers consisting of amorphous oxides Al2O3 and Ta2O5 can be tailored for use in 2D lift-off processing, in preparation of embedded sub-100 nm metal lines and for multilevel electrical contacts. Good pattern transfer was achieved by lift-off process from the 2D hard mask for micro- and nano-scaled fabrication. As a demonstration of the applicability of this method to 3D structures, self-supporting 3D Ta2O5 masks were made from a film stack on gold particles. Finally, thin film resistors were fabricated by utilizing controlled stiction of suspended Ta2O5 structures.

Electrical and Infrared Optical Properties of Vanadium Oxide Semiconducting Thin-Film Thermometers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zia, Muhammad Fakhar; Abdel-Rahman, Mohamed; Alduraibi, Mohammad; Ilahi, Bouraoui; Awad, Ehab; Majzoub, Sohaib

2017-10-01

A synthesis method has been developed for preparation of vanadium oxide thermometer thin film for microbolometer application. The structure presented is a 95-nm thin film prepared by sputter-depositing nine alternating multilayer thin films of vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) with thickness of 15 nm and vanadium with thickness of 5 nm followed by postdeposition annealing at 300°C in nitrogen (N2) and oxygen (O2) atmospheres. The resulting vanadium oxide (V x O y ) thermometer thin films exhibited temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) of -3.55%/°C with room-temperature resistivity of 2.68 Ω cm for structures annealed in N2 atmosphere, and TCR of -3.06%/°C with room-temperature resistivity of 0.84 Ω cm for structures annealed in O2 atmosphere. Furthermore, optical measurements of N2- and O2-annealed samples were performed by Fourier-transform infrared ellipsometry to determine their dispersion curves, refractive index ( n), and extinction coefficient ( k) at wavelength from 7000 nm to 14,000 nm. The results indicate the possibility of applying the developed materials in thermometers for microbolometers.

A chemically stable PVD multilayer encapsulation for lithium microbatteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ribeiro, J. F.; Sousa, R.; Cunha, D. J.; Vieira, E. M. F.; Silva, M. M.; Dupont, L.; Goncalves, L. M.

2015-10-01

A multilayer physical vapour deposition (PVD) thin-film encapsulation method for lithium microbatteries is presented. Lithium microbatteries with a lithium cobalt oxide (LiCoO2) cathode, a lithium phosphorous oxynitride (LiPON) electrolyte and a metallic lithium anode are under development, using PVD deposition techniques. Metallic lithium film is still the most common anode on this battery technology; however, it presents a huge challenge in terms of material encapsulation (lithium reacts with almost any materials deposited on top and almost instantly begins oxidizing in contact with atmosphere). To prove the encapsulation concept and perform all the experiments, lithium films were deposited by thermal evaporation technique on top of a glass substrate, with previously patterned Al/Ti contacts. Three distinct materials, in a multilayer combination, were tested to prevent lithium from reacting with protection materials and atmosphere. These multilayer films were deposited by RF sputtering and were composed of lithium phosphorous oxide (LiPO), LiPON and silicon nitride (Si3N4). To complete the long-term encapsulation after breaking the vacuum, an epoxy was applied on top of the PVD multilayer. In order to evaluate oxidation state of lithium films, the lithium resistance was measured in a four probe setup (cancelling wires/contact resistances) and resistivity calculated, considering physical dimensions. A lithium resistivity of 0.16 Ω μm was maintained for more than a week. This PVD multilayer exonerates the use of chemical vapour deposition (CVD), glove-box chambers and sample manipulation between them, significantly reducing the fabrication cost, since battery and its encapsulation are fabricated in the same PVD chamber.

FIBER AND INTEGRATED OPTICS: Reflection of electromagnetic radiation from a multilayer waveguide structure with an absorbing metal layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chernushich, A. P.; Shkerdin, G. N.; Shukin, Yu M.

1992-10-01

The angular distribution of the reflection coefficient of an asymmetric multilayer planar structure containing a thin metal film and a planar optical waveguide has been found by accurate numerical calculations. There are resonances in the reflection coefficient associated with hybrid modes of the structure. The cases of strong and weak coupling of the surface polariton modes with the waveguide modes are discussed. The results of the numerical analysis agree with solutions of Maxwell's equations for a multilayer planar structure.

Temperature induced CuInSe2 nanocrystal formation in the Cu2Se-In3Se2 multilayer thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohan, A.; Rajesh, S.

2017-04-01

The paper deals with the impact of annealing on Cu2Se-In3Se2 multilayer structure and discusses the quantum confinements. Thermal evaporation technique was used to prepare multilayer films over the glass substrates. The films were annealed at different temperatures (150 °C-350 °C) under vacuum atmosphere. The XRD pattern reveals that the films exhibit (112) peaks with CuInSe2 Chalcopyrite structure and upon annealing crystallinity improved. The grain size comes around 13-19 nm. The optical band gap value was found to be 2.21 to 2.09 eV and band gap splitting was observed for higher annealing temperatures. The increase in the band gap is related to quantum confinement effect. SEM image shows nano crystals spread over the entire surface for higher annealing temperatures. Optical absorption and PL spectra shows the blue shift during annealing. The HR-TEM shows the particle size in the nano range and which confirms the CuInSe2 nanocrystal formation. AFM image shows the rough surface with homogenous grains for the as deposited films and smooth surface for annealed films.

Micromachined Thin-Film Sensors for SOI-CMOS Co-Integration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laconte, Jean; Flandre, D.; Raskin, Jean-Pierre

Co-integration of sensors with their associated electronics on a single silicon chip may provide many significant benefits regarding performance, reliability, miniaturization and process simplicity without significantly increasing the total cost. Micromachined Thin-Film Sensors for SOI-CMOS Co-integration covers the challenges and interests and demonstrates the successful co-integration of gas flow sensors on dielectric membrane, with their associated electronics, in CMOS-SOI technology. We firstly investigate the extraction of residual stress in thin layers and in their stacking and the release, in post-processing, of a 1 μm-thick robust and flat dielectric multilayered membrane using Tetramethyl Ammonium Hydroxide (TMAH) silicon micromachining solution.

Analysis of the tunable asymmetric fiber F-P cavity for fiber sensor edge-filter demodulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Haitao; Liang, Youcheng

2014-12-01

An asymmetric fiber (Fabry-Pérot,F-P) interferometric cavity with good linearity and wide dynamic range is successfully designed basing on optical thin film characteristic matrix theory; by choosing the material of two different thin metallic layers, the asymmetric fiber F-P interferometric cavity is fabricated by depositing the multi-layer thin films on the optical fiber's end face. The demodulation method for the wavelength shift of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor basing on the F-P cavity is demonstrated and a theoretical formula is obtained. And the experimental results coincide well with computational results obtained from the theoretical model.

Synthesis and characterization of cadmium sulphide thin films prepared by spin coating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chodavadiya, Nisarg; Chapanari, Amisha; Zinzala, Jignesh; Ray, Jaymin; Pandya, Samir

2018-05-01

An II-VI group semiconductor is Wide band gap materials and has been widely studied due to their fundamental optical, structural, and electrical properties. Cadmium sulphide (CdS) is one of the most emerged materials in II-VI group. It has many applications such as buffer later in photovoltaic cell, multilayer light emitting diodes, optical filters, thin film field effect transistors, gas sensors, light detectors etc. It is fundamentally an n-type material with an optical band gap of 2.4 eV. Owing to these properties we had studied CdS thin films synthesis and characterized by Raman, Ultraviolet - Visible spectroscopy (UV-VIS) and Hot probe method. CdS thin films were prepared by spin coating of the Cadmium-thiourea precursor solution. Visual inspection after 20 minute thermolysis time the films were looks uniform and shiny pale yellow in color. Raman confirms the A1 vibration of pure CdS. UV-VIS gives the band gap about 2.52 eV, which confirms the formation of nanocrystalline form of CdS. Finally, hot probe signifies the n-type conductivity of the CdS film.

Coherency strain and its effect on ionic conductivity and diffusion in solid electrolytes--an improved model for nanocrystalline thin films and a review of experimental data.

PubMed

Korte, C; Keppner, J; Peters, A; Schichtel, N; Aydin, H; Janek, J

2014-11-28

A phenomenological and analytical model for the influence of strain effects on atomic transport in columnar thin films is presented. A model system consisting of two types of crystalline thin films with coherent interfaces is assumed. Biaxial mechanical strain ε0 is caused by lattice misfit of the two phases. The conjoined films consist of columnar crystallites with a small diameter l. Strain relaxation by local elastic deformation, parallel to the hetero-interface, is possible along the columnar grain boundaries. The spatial extent δ0 of the strained hetero-interface regions can be calculated, assuming an exponential decay of the deformation-forces. The effect of the strain field on the local ionic transport in a thin film is then calculated by using the thermodynamic relation between (isostatic) pressure and free activation enthalpy ΔG(#). An expression describing the total ionic transport relative to bulk transport of a thin film or a multilayer as a function of the layer thickness is obtained as an integral average over strained and unstrained regions. The expression depends only on known material constants such as Young modulus Y, Poisson ratio ν and activation volume ΔV(#), which can be combined as dimensionless parameters. The model is successfully used to describe own experimental data from conductivity and diffusion studies. In the second part of the paper a comprehensive literature overview of experimental studies on (fast) ion transport in thin films and multilayers along solid-solid hetero-interfaces is presented. By comparing and reviewing the data the observed interface effects can be classified into three groups: (i) transport along interfaces between extrinsic ionic conductors (and insulator), (ii) transport along an open surface of an extrinsic ionic conductor and (iii) transport along interfaces between intrinsic ionic conductors. The observed effects in these groups differ by about five orders of magnitude in a very consistent way. The modified interface transport in group (i) is most probably caused by strain effects, misfit dislocations or disordered transition regions.

Methodologies in determining mechanical properties of thin films using nanoindentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Seung Min Jane

Thin films are critical components of microelectronic and MEMS devices, and evaluating their mechanical properties is of current interest. As the dimensions of the devices become smaller and smaller, however, understanding the mechanical properties of materials at sub-micron length scales becomes more challenging. The conventional methods for evaluating strengths of materials in bulk form cannot be applied, and new methodologies are required for accurately evaluating mechanical properties of thin films. In this work, development of methodologies using the nanoindenter was pursued in three parts: (1) creation of a new method for extracting thin film hardness, (2) use of combinatorial methods for determining compositions with desired mechanical properties, and (3) use of microcompression testing of sub-micron sized pillars to understand plasticity in Al-Sc multilayers. The existing nanoindentation hardness model by Oliver & Pharr is unable to accurately determine the hardness of thin films on substrates with an elastic mismatch. Thus, a new method of analysis for extracting thin film hardness from film/substrate systems, that eliminates the effect of elastic mismatch of the underlying substrate, surface roughness, and also pile-up/sink-in, is needed. Such a method was developed in the first part of this study. The feasibility of using the nanoindentation hardness together with combinatorial methods to efficiently scan through mechanical properties of Ti-Al metallic alloys was examined in the second part of this study. The combinatorial approach provides an efficient method that can be used to determine alloy compositions that might merit further exploration and development as bulk materials. Finally, the mechanical properties of Al-Al3Sc multilayers with bilayer periods ranging from 6-100 nm were examined using microcompression. The sub-micron sized pillars were prepared using the focused ion beam (FIB) and compression tested with the flat tip of the nanoindenter. The measured yield strengths show the trend of increasing strength with decreasing bilayer period, and agree with the nanoindentation hardness results using the suitable Tabor correction factor. Strain softening was observed at large strains, and a new model for the true stress and true strain was developed to account for the inhomogeneous deformation geometry.

Unsupported thin film beam splitter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bastien, R. C.; Scheuerman, R. J.

1972-01-01

Multilayer beam splitter system yielding nearly equal broadband infrared reflectance and transmittance in the 5 to 50 micron spectral region has been developed which will significantly reduce size and cost of light path compensating devices in infrared spectral instruments.

Thermal activation in Co/Sb nanoparticle-multilayer thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Madden, Michael R.

Multilayer "Co" /"Sb" thin films created via electron-beam physical vapor deposition are known to exhibit thermally activated dynamics. Scanning tunneling microscopy has indicated that the "Co" forms nanoparticles within an "Sb" matrix during deposition and subsequently forms nanowires by way of NP migration within the interstices of the confining layers. The electrical resistance of these systems decays during this irreversible aging process in a manner well-modeled by an Arrhenius law. Presently, this phenomenon is shown to possess some degree of tunability with respect to "Co" layer thickness tCo as well as deposition temperature Tdep , whereby characteristic timescales increase with either parameter. Furthermore, fluctuation timescales and activation energies seem to decrease and increase respectively with increasing t Co. An easily calibrated, one-time-use, time-temperature switch based on such systems lies within the realm of plausibility. The results presented here can be considered to be part of an ongoing development of the concept.

Coloration mechanisms and phylogeny of Morpho butterflies.

PubMed

Giraldo, M A; Yoshioka, S; Liu, C; Stavenga, D G

2016-12-15

Morpho butterflies are universally admired for their iridescent blue coloration, which is due to nanostructured wing scales. We performed a comparative study on the coloration of 16 Morpho species, investigating the morphological, spectral and spatial scattering properties of the differently organized wing scales. In numerous previous studies, the bright blue Morpho coloration has been fully attributed to the multi-layered ridges of the cover scales' upper laminae, but we found that the lower laminae of the cover and ground scales play an important additional role, by acting as optical thin film reflectors. We conclude that Morpho coloration is a subtle combination of overlapping pigmented and/or unpigmented scales, multilayer systems, optical thin films and sometimes undulated scale surfaces. Based on the scales' architecture and their organization, five main groups can be distinguished within the genus Morpho, largely agreeing with the accepted phylogeny. © 2016. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Investigation on single walled carbon nanotube thin films deposited by Langmuir Blodgett method

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

Vishalli,, E-mail: vishalli-2008@yahoo.com; Dharamvir, Keya; Kaur, Ramneek

2015-05-15

Langmuir Blodgett is a technique to deposit a homogeneous film with a fine control over thickness and molecular organization. Thin films of functionalized SWCNTs have been prepared by Langmuir Blodgett method. The good surface spreading properties of SWCNTs at air/water interface are indicated by surface pressure-area isotherm and the monolayer formed on water surface is transferred onto the quartz substrate by vertical dipping. A multilayer film is thus obtained in a layer by layer manner. The film is characterized by Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy and FTIR.AFM shows the surface morphology of the deposited film. UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy shows themore » characteristic peaks of semiconducting SWCNTs. The uniformity of LB film can be used further in understanding the optical and electrical behavior of these materials.« less

Optical and sensing properties of sol-gel derived vanadium pentoxide thin films with porous and dense structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Babeva, T.; Awala, H.; Grand, J.; Lazarova, K.; Vasileva, M.; Mintova, S.

2018-03-01

The sol-gel and spin-coating methods were used for deposition of thin transparent V2O5 films on optical glass substrates and silicon wafers. Different synthesis and deposition conditions, including synthesis temperatures and post-deposition annealing, were used aiming at obtaining transparent films with high refractive index and good optical quality. The surface morphology and structure of the films were studied by SEM and XRD. The optical properties (refractive index, extinction coefficient and optical band gap) and thickness of the V2O5 films were determined from their transmittance and reflectance spectra. The potential application of the films as building blocks of optical sensors was demonstrated by preparation of multilayered structures comprising both V2O5 and BEA-type zeolite films and testing their response towards acetone vapors.

Patterning layer-by-layer self-assembled multilayer by lithography and its applications to thin film devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hua, Feng

Nanoparticles are exciting materials because they exhibit unique electronic, catalytic, and optical properties. As a novel and promising nanobuilding block, it attracts considerable research efforts in its integration into a wide variety of thin film devices. Nanoparticles were adsorbed onto the substrate with layer-by-layer self-assembly which becomes of great interest due to its suitability in colloid particle assembly. Without extremely high temperatures and sophisticated equipment, molecularly organized films in an exactly pre-designed order can grow on almost all the substrates in nature. Two approaches generating spatially separated patterns comprised of nanoparticles are demonstrated, as well as two approaches patterning more than one type of nonoparticle on a silicon wafer. The structure of the thin film patterned by these approaches are analyzed and considered suitable to the thin film device. Finally, the combination of lithography and layer-by-layer (lbl) self-assembly is utilized to realize the microelectronic device with functional nonoparticles. The lbl self-assembly is the way to coat the nonoparticles and the lighography to pattern them. Based on the coating and patterning technique, a MOS-capacitor, a MOS field-effect-transistor and magnetic thin film cantilever are fabricated.

Soap-film coating: High-speed deposition of multilayer nanofilms

PubMed Central

Zhang, Renyun; Andersson, Henrik A.; Andersson, Mattias; Andres, Britta; Edlund, Håkan; Edström, Per; Edvardsson, Sverker; Forsberg, Sven; Hummelgård, Magnus; Johansson, Niklas; Karlsson, Kristoffer; Nilsson, Hans-Erik; Norgren, Magnus; Olsen, Martin; Uesaka, Tetsu; Öhlund, Thomas; Olin, Håkan

2013-01-01

The coating of thin films is applied in numerous fields and many methods are employed for the deposition of these films. Some coating techniques may deposit films at high speed; for example, ordinary printing paper is coated with micrometre-thick layers of clay at a speed of tens of meters per second. However, to coat nanometre thin films at high speed, vacuum techniques are typically required, which increases the complexity of the process. Here, we report a simple wet chemical method for the high-speed coating of films with thicknesses at the nanometre level. This soap-film coating technique is based on forcing a substrate through a soap film that contains nanomaterials. Molecules and nanomaterials can be deposited at a thickness ranging from less than a monolayer to several layers at speeds up to meters per second. We believe that the soap-film coating method is potentially important for industrial-scale nanotechnology. PMID:23503102

Porting of the transfer-matrix method for multilayer thin-film computations on graphics processing units

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Limmer, Steffen; Fey, Dietmar

2013-07-01

Thin-film computations are often a time-consuming task during optical design. An efficient way to accelerate these computations with the help of graphics processing units (GPUs) is described. It turned out that significant speed-ups can be achieved. We investigate the circumstances under which the best speed-up values can be expected. Therefore we compare different GPUs among themselves and with a modern CPU. Furthermore, the effect of thickness modulation on the speed-up and the runtime behavior depending on the input data is examined.

Basic optics of effect materials.

PubMed

Jones, Steven A

2010-01-01

Effect materials derive their color and effect primarily from thin-film interference. Effect materials have evolved over the decades from simple guanine crystals to the complex multilayer optical structures of today. The development of new complex effect materials requires an understanding of the optics of effect materials. Such an understanding would also benefit the cosmetic formulator as these new effect materials are introduced. The root of this understanding begins with basic optics. This paper covers the nature of light, interference of waves, thin-film interference, color from interference, and color travel.

Improvement of silicon solar cell performance through the use of thin film coatings.

PubMed

Reynard, D L; Andrew, A

1966-01-01

Thin film coatings are used universally in solar cell power systems for spacecraft. Antireflective coatings are used to increase the amount of useful energy reaching the active surface of the cell. Multilayer interference filters are employed to reject unwanted portions of the solar spectrum in order to reduce equilibrium temperature and to prevent ultraviolet damage. Glass covers are used in conjunction with these coatings for the purpose of increasing the thermal emittance of the surface. Appreciable performance increases can be obtained through the uses of these filters and coatings.

Superlattice Multinanolayered Thin Films of SiO2/SiO2 + Ge for Thermoelectric Device Applications

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-04-05

radioiso- tope sources in the past. In a space nuclear reactor system, the energy source is the heat generated by the controlled fission of uranium ...to the nanodots and/or nanocluster formations in the multilayered thin films. This is one of the expected results of the ion beam bombardments on...very large (150 W m 1 K 1 for Si and 63 W m 1 K 1 for Ge). The lattice thermal conductivity can be substantially reduced by alloy formation between

Controllable poly-crystalline bilayered and multilayered graphene film growth by reciprocal chemical vapor deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Qinke; Jung, Seong Jun; Jang, Sung Kyu; Lee, Joohyun; Jeon, Insu; Suh, Hwansoo; Kim, Yong Ho; Lee, Young Hee; Lee, Sungjoo; Song, Young Jae

2015-06-01

We report the selective growth of large-area bilayered graphene film and multilayered graphene film on copper. This growth was achieved by introducing a reciprocal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process that took advantage of an intermediate h-BN layer as a sacrificial template for graphene growth. A thin h-BN film, initially grown on the copper substrate using CVD methods, was locally etched away during the subsequent graphene growth under residual H2 and CH4 gas flows. Etching of the h-BN layer formed a channel that permitted the growth of additional graphene adlayers below the existing graphene layer. Bilayered graphene typically covers an entire Cu foil with domain sizes of 10-50 μm, whereas multilayered graphene can be epitaxially grown to form islands a few hundreds of microns in size. This new mechanism, in which graphene growth proceeded simultaneously with h-BN etching, suggests a potential approach to control graphene layers for engineering the band structures of large-area graphene for electronic device applications.We report the selective growth of large-area bilayered graphene film and multilayered graphene film on copper. This growth was achieved by introducing a reciprocal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process that took advantage of an intermediate h-BN layer as a sacrificial template for graphene growth. A thin h-BN film, initially grown on the copper substrate using CVD methods, was locally etched away during the subsequent graphene growth under residual H2 and CH4 gas flows. Etching of the h-BN layer formed a channel that permitted the growth of additional graphene adlayers below the existing graphene layer. Bilayered graphene typically covers an entire Cu foil with domain sizes of 10-50 μm, whereas multilayered graphene can be epitaxially grown to form islands a few hundreds of microns in size. This new mechanism, in which graphene growth proceeded simultaneously with h-BN etching, suggests a potential approach to control graphene layers for engineering the band structures of large-area graphene for electronic device applications. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: The growth conditions, statistical studies of OM images and high-resolution STM/TEM measurements for multi-/bi-layered graphene are discussed in detail. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr02716k

Multilayer thin films with compositional PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3/Bi1.5Zn1.0Nb1.5O7 layers for tunable applications

PubMed Central

Yu, Shihui; Li, Lingxia; Zhang, Weifeng; Sun, Zheng; Dong, Helei

2015-01-01

The dielectric properties and tunability of multilayer thin films with compositional PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3/Bi1.5Zn1.0Nb1.5O7 (PZT/BZN) layers (PPBLs) fabricated by pulsed laser deposition on Pt/TiO2/SiO2/Si substrate have been investigated. Dielectric measurements indicate that the PZT/BZN bilayer thin films exhibit medium dielectric constant of about 490, low loss tangent of 0.017, and superior tunable dielectric properties (tunability = 49.7% at 500 kV/cm) at a PZT/BZN thickness ratio of 3, while the largest figure of merit is obtained as 51.8. The thickness effect is discussed with a series connection model of bilayer capacitors, and the calculated dielectric constant and loss tangent are obtained. Furthermore, five kinds of thin–film samples comprising single bilayers, two, three, four and five PPBLs were also elaborated with the final same thickness. The four PPBLs show the largest dielectric constant of ~538 and tunability of 53.3% at a maximum applied bias field of 500 kV/cm and the lowest loss tangent of ~0.015, while the largest figure of merit is 65.6. The results indicate that four PPBLs are excellent candidates for applications of tunable devices. PMID:25960043

Pulsed Laser Deposition Growth of Delafossite (CuFeO2) thin films and multilayers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joshi, Toyanath; Ferrari, Piero; Borisov, Pavel; Cabrera, Alejandro; Lederman, David

2014-03-01

Owing to its narrow band gap (<2 eV) and p-type conductivity delafossite CuFeO2 is attractive for applications in the field of solar energy conversion. Obtaining pure phase CuFeO2 thin films, however, is relatively difficult. It is necessary to maintain the lowest possible Cu valency (+1) in order to avoid forming the comparably stable spinel compound CuFe2O4. We present a systematic study of the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) growth conditions for epitaxial (00.1) oriented CuFeO2 thin films on Al2O3 (00.1) substrates. The secondary impurity phase, CuFe2O4, was removed completely by optimizing the growth conditions. RHEED, XRD and TEM showed that the pure phase delafossite films are highly epitaxial to the substrate. The chemical purity was verified by Raman and XPS. The indirect bandgap of 1.15 eV was measured using infrared reflectivity, and is in agreement with the CuFeO2 bulk value. Finally, we discuss the growth and structural characterization of delafossite multilayers, CuFeO2/CuGaO2. This work was supported by a Research Challenge Grant from the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (HEPC.dsr.12.29) and the Microelectronics Advanced Research Corporation (Contract # 2013-MA-2382) at WVU.

Recent Advances in Gas Barrier Thin Films via Layer-by-Layer Assembly of Polymers and Platelets.

PubMed

Priolo, Morgan A; Holder, Kevin M; Guin, Tyler; Grunlan, Jaime C

2015-05-01

Layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly has emerged as the leading non-vacuum technology for the fabrication of transparent, super gas barrier films. The super gas barrier performance of LbL deposited films has been demonstrated in numerous studies, with a variety of polyelectrolytes, to rival that of metal and metal oxide-based barrier films. This Feature Article is a mini-review of LbL-based multilayer thin films with a 'nanobrick wall' microstructure comprising polymeric mortar and nano-platelet bricks that impart high gas barrier to otherwise permeable polymer substrates. These transparent, water-based thin films exhibit oxygen transmission rates below 5 × 10(-3) cm(3) m(-2) day(-1) atm(-1) and lower permeability than any other barrier material reported. In an effort to put this technology in the proper context, incumbent technologies such as metallized plastics, metal oxides, and flake-filled polymers are briefly reviewed. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Plasma-treated Langmuir-Blodgett reduced graphene oxide thin film for applications in biophotovoltaics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ibrahim, Siti Aisyah; Jaafar, Muhammad Musoddiq; Ng, Fong-Lee; Phang, Siew-Moi; Kumar, G. Ghana; Majid, Wan Haliza Abd; Periasamy, Vengadesh

2018-01-01

The surface optimization and structural characteristics of Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) reduced graphene oxide thin (rGO) film treated by argon plasma treatment were studied. In this work, six times deposition of rGO was deposited on a clean glass substrate using the LB method. Plasma technique involving a variation of plasma power, i.e., 20, 60, 100 and 140 W was exposed to the LB-rGO thin films under argon ambience. The plasma treatment generally improves the wettability or hydrophilicity of the film surface compared to without treatment. Maximum wettability was observed at a plasma power of 20 W, while also increasing the adhesion of the rGO film with the glass substrate. The multilayer films fabricated were characterized by means of spectroscopic, structural and electrical studies. The treatment of rGO with argon plasma was found to have improved its biocompatibility, and thus its performance as an electrode for biophotovoltaic devices has been shown to be enhanced considerably.

Structural and electrical characterization of annealed Si1-xCx/SiC thin film prepared by magnetron sputtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Shi-Hua; Liu, Jian

2014-05-01

Si-rich Si1—xCx /SiC multilayer thin films are prepared using magnetron sputtering, subsequently followed by thermal annealing in the range of 800-1200 °C. The influences of annealing temperature (Ta) on the formation of Si and/or SiC nanocrystals (NCs) and on the electrical characteristics of the multilayer film are investigated by using a variety of analytical techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR), current—voltage (I—V) technique, and capacitance-voltage (C—V) technique. XRD and Raman analyses indicate that Si NCs begin to form in samples for Ta >= 800 °C. At annealing temperatures of 1000 °C or higher, the formation of Si NCs is accompanied by the formation of SiC NCs. With the increase in the annealing temperature, the shift of FT-IR Si—C bond absorption spectra toward a higher wave number along with the change of band shape can be explained by a Si—C transitional phase between the loss of substitutional carbon and the formation of SiC precipitates and a precursor for the growth of SiC crystalline. The C—V and I—V results indicate that the interface quality of Si1—xCx/SiC multilayer film is improved significantly and the leakage current is reduced rapidly for Ta >= 1000 °C, which can be ascribed to the formation of Si and SiC NCs.

Absorption Coefficient of a Semiconductor Thin Film from Photoluminescence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rey, G.; Spindler, C.; Babbe, F.; Rachad, W.; Siebentritt, S.; Nuys, M.; Carius, R.; Li, S.; Platzer-Björkman, C.

2018-06-01

The photoluminescence (PL) of semiconductors can be used to determine their absorption coefficient (α ) using Planck's generalized law. The standard method, suitable only for self-supported thick samples, like wafers, is extended to multilayer thin films by means of the transfer-matrix method to include the effect of the substrate and optional front layers. α values measured on various thin-film solar-cell absorbers by both PL and photothermal deflection spectroscopy (PDS) show good agreement. PL measurements are extremely sensitive to the semiconductor absorption and allow us to advantageously circumvent parasitic absorption from the substrate; thus, α can be accurately determined down to very low values, allowing us to investigate deep band tails with a higher dynamic range than in any other method, including spectrophotometry and PDS.

Nanostructured PdO Thin Film from Langmuir-Blodgett Precursor for Room-Temperature H2 Gas Sensing.

PubMed

Choudhury, Sipra; Betty, C A; Bhattacharyya, Kaustava; Saxena, Vibha; Bhattacharya, Debarati

2016-07-06

Nanoparticulate thin films of PdO were prepared using the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique by thermal decomposition of a multilayer film of octadecylamine (ODA)-chloropalladate complex. The stable complex formation of ODA with chloropalladate ions (present in subphase) at the air-water interface was confirmed by the surface pressure-area isotherm and Brewster angle microscopy. The formation of nanocrystalline PdO thin film after thermal decomposition of as-deposited LB film was confirmed by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. Nanocrystalline PdO thin films were further characterized by using UV-vis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic (XPS) measurements. The XPS study revealed the presence of prominent Pd(2+) with a small quantity (18%) of reduced PdO (Pd(0)) in nanocrystalline PdO thin film. From the absorption spectroscopic measurement, the band gap energy of PdO was estimated to be 2 eV, which was very close to that obtained from specular reflectance measurements. Surface morphology studies of these films using atomic force microscopy and field-emission scanning electron microscopy indicated formation of nanoparticles of size 20-30 nm. These PdO film when employed as a chemiresistive sensor showed H2 sensitivity in the range of 30-4000 ppm at room temperature. In addition, PdO films showed photosensitivity with increase in current upon shining of visible light.

Multifunctional Hybrid Multilayer Gate Dielectrics with Tunable Surface Energy for Ultralow-Power Organic and Amorphous Oxide Thin-Film Transistors.

PubMed

Byun, Hye-Ran; You, Eun-Ah; Ha, Young-Geun

2017-03-01

For large-area, printable, and flexible electronic applications using advanced semiconductors, novel dielectric materials with excellent capacitance, insulating property, thermal stability, and mechanical flexibility need to be developed to achieve high-performance, ultralow-voltage operation of thin-film transistors (TFTs). In this work, we first report on the facile fabrication of multifunctional hybrid multilayer gate dielectrics with tunable surface energy via a low-temperature solution-process to produce ultralow-voltage organic and amorphous oxide TFTs. The hybrid multilayer dielectric materials are constructed by iteratively stacking bifunctional phosphonic acid-based self-assembled monolayers combined with ultrathin high-k oxide layers. The nanoscopic thickness-controllable hybrid dielectrics exhibit the superior capacitance (up to 970 nF/cm 2 ), insulating property (leakage current densities <10 -7 A/cm 2 ), and thermal stability (up to 300 °C) as well as smooth surfaces (root-mean-square roughness <0.35 nm). In addition, the surface energy of the hybrid multilayer dielectrics are easily changed by switching between mono- and bifunctional phosphonic acid-based self-assembled monolayers for compatible fabrication with both organic and amorphous oxide semiconductors. Consequently, the hybrid multilayer dielectrics integrated into TFTs reveal their excellent dielectric functions to achieve high-performance, ultralow-voltage operation (< ± 2 V) for both organic and amorphous oxide TFTs. Because of the easily tunable surface energy, the multifunctional hybrid multilayer dielectrics can also be adapted for various organic and inorganic semiconductors, and metal gates in other device configurations, thus allowing diverse advanced electronic applications including ultralow-power and large-area electronic devices.

Single- and Multilayered Nanostructures via Laser-Induced Block Copolymer Self-Assembly

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Majewski, Pawel; Yager, Kevin; Rahman, Atikur; Black, Charles

We present a novel method of accelerated self-assembly of block copolymer thin films utilizing laser light, called Laser Zone Annealing (LZA). In our approach, steep temperature transients are induced in block copolymer films by rastering narrowly focused laser line over the light-absorbing substrate. Extremely steep temperature gradients accelerate the process of self-assembly by several orders-of-magnitude compared to conventional oven annealing, and, when coupled to photo-thermal shearing, lead to global alignment of block copolymer domains assessed by GISXAS diffraction studies and real-space SEM imaging. We demonstrate monolithic alignment of various block-copolymer thin films including PS-b-PMMA, PS-b-PEO, PS-b-P2VP, PS-b-PI and observe different responsiveness to the shearing rate depending on the characteristic relaxation timescale of the particular material. Subsequently, we use the aligned polymeric films as templates for synthesis of single- and multi-layered arrays of inorganic, metallic or semiconducting nanowires and nanomeshes and investigate their anisotropic electro-optical properties. Research carried out in part at the Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, which is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, under Contract No. DE-AC02-98CH10886.

Formation, Structure and Electrochemical Impedance Analysis of Microporous Polyelectrolyte Multilayers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lutkenhaus, Jodie; McEnnis, Kathleen; Hammond, Paula

2007-03-01

Microporous networks are of interest as electrolyte materials, gas separation membranes and catalytic nanoparticle templates. Here, we create microporous polyelectrolyte networks of tunable pore size and connectivity using the layer-by-layer (LBL) technique. In this method, a film is formed from the alternate adsorption of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes from aqueous solution to create a cohesive thin film. Using poly(ethylene imine) (PEI) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), LBL thin films of variable composition and charge density were assembled; then, the films were treated in an acidic bath, which ionizes PEI and de-ionizes PAA. This shift in charge density induces morphological rearrangement realized by a microporous network. Depending on the assembly pH and acidic bath pH, we are able to precisely tune the morphology, which is characterized by atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. To demonstrate the porous nature of the polyelectrolyte multilayer, the pores were filled with non-aqueous electrolyte (i.e. ethylene carbonate, dimethyl carbonate and lithium hexafluorophosphate) and probed with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. These microporous networks exhibited two time constants, indicative of ions traveling through the liquid-filled pores and ions traveling through the polyelectrolyte matrix.

Lead zirconate titanate thin films directly on copper electrodes for ferroelectric, dielectric and piezoelectric applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kingon, Angus I.; Srinivasan, Sudarsan

2005-03-01

Replacement of noble metal electrodes by base metals significantly lowers the cost of ferroelectric, piezoelectric and dielectric devices. Here, we demonstrate that it is possible to process lead zirconate (Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3, or PZT) thin films directly on base metal copper foils. We explore the impact of the oxygen partial pressure during processing, and demonstrate that high-quality films and interfaces can be achieved through control of the oxygen partial pressure within a narrow window predicted by thermodynamic stability considerations. This demonstration has broad implications, opening up the possibility of the use of low-cost, high-conductivity copper electrodes for a range of Pb-based perovskite materials, including PZT films in embedded printed circuit board applications for capacitors, varactors and sensors; multilayer PZT piezoelectric stacks; and multilayer dielectric and electrostrictive devices based on lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate. We also point out that the capacitors do not fatigue on repeated switching, unlike those with Pt noble metal electrodes. Instead, they appear to be fatigue-resistant, like capacitors with oxide electrodes. This may have implications for ferroelectric non-volatile memories.

MultiLayer solid electrolyte for lithium thin film batteries

DOEpatents

Lee, Se -Hee; Tracy, C. Edwin; Pitts, John Roland; Liu, Ping

2015-07-28

A lithium metal thin-film battery composite structure is provided that includes a combination of a thin, stable, solid electrolyte layer [18] such as Lipon, designed in use to be in contact with a lithium metal anode layer; and a rapid-deposit solid electrolyte layer [16] such as LiAlF.sub.4 in contact with the thin, stable, solid electrolyte layer [18]. Batteries made up of or containing these structures are more efficient to produce than other lithium metal batteries that use only a single solid electrolyte. They are also more resistant to stress and strain than batteries made using layers of only the stable, solid electrolyte materials. Furthermore, lithium anode batteries as disclosed herein are useful as rechargeable batteries.

Effect of size and moisture on the mechanical behavior of SU-8 thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robin, C. J.; Jonnalagadda, K. N.

2016-02-01

The mechanical properties of SU-8 were investigated in conjunction with size effect, mechanical anisotropy and moisture absorption. Uniaxial tensile experiments were conducted on SU-8 films of 500 nm and 2 μm thickness. A spin coating process was used to fabricate the films with one set from a single coat (single layer) and the others containing multiple coats (multilayer) with pre-baking in between. The stress versus strain response was obtained from in situ optical experiments and a digital image correlation method. Compared to single layer films, the multilayer films showed a significant increase in mechanical properties as well as in-plane anisotropy. This anisotropy was confirmed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and attributed to the spin coating process, which resulted in higher crosslinking density in the film, and molecular orientation in the radial direction. Moisture absorption studies revealed that the mechanical properties were affected by water, which exists in both the free and bonded form in the polymer and acts as a plasticizer. The effect of moisture was similar in both the single and multilayer films, but was higher for the latter due to multiple processing steps as well as the existence of higher percentage of epoxy polar groups.

Graphene-based multilayer resonance structure to enhance the optical pressure on a Mie particle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hassanzadeh, Abdollah; Mohammadnezhad, Mohammadbagher

2016-04-01

We theoretically investigate the optical force exerted on a Mie dielectric particle in the evanescent field of a graphene-based resonance multilayer structure using the arbitrary beam theory and the theory of multilayer films. The resonance structure consists of several thin films including a dielectric film (MgF2), a metal film (silver or gold), and several graphene layers which are located on a prism base. The effects of the metal film thickness and the number of graphene layers on the optical force are numerically investigated. The thickness of the metal layer and the number of graphene layers are optimized to reach the highest optical force. The numerical results show that an optimized composition of graphene and gold leads to a higher optical force compared to that of the graphene and silver. The optical force was enhanced resonantly by four orders of magnitude for the resonance structure containing graphene and a gold film and by three orders of magnitude for the structure containing graphene and a silver film compared to other similar resonance structures. We hope that the results presented in this paper can provide an excellent means of improving the optical manipulation of particles and enable the provision of effective optical tweezers, micromotors, and microaccelelators.

Characterizing dielectric tensors of anisotropic materials from a single measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Paula Kay

Ellipsometry techniques look at changes in polarization states to measure optical properties of thin film materials. A beam reflected from a substrate measures the real and imaginary parts of the index of the material represented as n and k, respectively. Measuring the substrate at several angles gives additional information that can be used to measure multilayer thin film stacks. However, the outstanding problem in standard ellipsometry is that it uses a limited number of incident polarization states (s and p). This limits the technique to isotropic materials. The technique discussed in this paper extends the standard process to measure anisotropic materials by using a larger set of incident polarization states. By using a polarimeter to generate several incident polarization states and measure the polarization properties of the sample, ellipsometry can be performed on biaxial materials. Use of an optimization algorithm in conjunction with biaxial ellipsometry can more accurately determine the dielectric tensor of individual layers in multilayer structures. Biaxial ellipsometry is a technique that measures the dielectric tensors of a biaxial substrate, single-layer thin film, or multi-layer structure. The dielectric tensor of a biaxial material consists of the real and imaginary parts of the three orthogonal principal indices (n x + ikx, ny +iky and nz + i kz) as well as three Euler angles (alpha, beta and gamma) to describe its orientation. The method utilized in this work measures an angle-of-incidence Mueller matrix from a Mueller matrix imaging polarimeter equipped with a pair of microscope objectives that have low polarization properties. To accurately determine the dielectric tensors for multilayer samples, the angle-of-incidence Mueller matrix images are collected for multiple wavelengths. This is done in either a transmission mode or a reflection mode, each incorporates an appropriate dispersion model. Given approximate a priori knowledge of the dielectric tensor and film thickness, a Jones reflectivity matrix is calculated by solving Maxwell's equations at each surface. Converting the Jones matrix into a Mueller matrix provides a starting point for optimization. An optimization algorithm then finds the best fit dielectric tensor based on the measured angle-of-incidence Mueller matrix image. This process can be applied to polarizing materials, birefringent crystals and the multilayer structures of liquid crystal displays. In particular, the need for such accuracy in liquid crystal displays is growing as their applications in industry evolve.

Super Oxygen and Improved Water Vapor Barrier of Polypropylene Film with Polyelectrolyte Multilayer Nanocoatings.

PubMed

Song, Yixuan; Tzeng, Ping; Grunlan, Jaime C

2016-06-01

Biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) is widely used in packaging. Although its orientation increases mechanical strength and clarity, BOPP suffers from a high oxygen transmission rate (OTR). Multilayer thin films are deposited from water using layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly. Polyethylenimine (PEI) is combined with either poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) or vermiculite (VMT) clay to impart high oxygen barrier. A 30-bilayer PEI/VMT nanocoating (226 nm thick) improves the OTR of 17.8 μm thick BOPP by more than 30X, rivaling most inorganic coatings. PEI/PAA multilayers achieve comparable barrier with only 12 bilayers due to greater thickness, but these films exhibit increased oxygen permeability at high humidity. The PEI/VMT coatings actually exhibit improved oxygen barrier at high humidity (and also improve moisture barrier by more than 40%). This high barrier BOPP meets the criteria for sensitive food and some electronics packaging applications. Additionally, this water-based coating technology is cost effective and provides an opportunity to produce high barrier polypropylene film on an industrial scale. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Tracing the 4000 year history of organic thin films: From monolayers on liquids to multilayers on solidsa)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greene, J. E.

2015-03-01

The recorded history of organic monolayer and multilayer thin films spans approximately 4000 years. Fatty-acid-based monolayers were deposited on water by the ancients for applications ranging from fortune telling in King Hammurabi's time (˜1800 BC, Mesopotamia) to stilling choppy waters for sailors and divers as reported by the Roman philosopher Pliny the Elder in ˜78 AD, and then much later (1774) by the peripatetic American statesman and natural philosopher Benjamin Franklin, to Japanese "floating-ink" art (suminagashi) developed ˜1000 years ago. The modern science of organic monolayers began in the late-1800s/early-1900s with experiments by Lord Rayleigh and the important development by Agnes Pockels, followed two decades later by Irving Langmuir, of the tools and technology to measure the surface tension of liquids, the surface pressure of organic monolayers deposited on water, interfacial properties, molecular conformation of the organic layers, and phase transitions which occur upon compressing the monolayers. In 1935, Katherine Blodgett published a landmark paper showing that multilayers can be synthesized on solid substrates, with controlled thickness and composition, using an apparatus now known as the Langmuir-Blodgett (L-B) trough. A disadvantage of LB films for some applications is that they form weak physisorbed bonds to the substrate. In 1946, Bigelow, Pickett, and Zisman demonstrated, in another seminal paper, the growth of organic self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) via spontaneous adsorption from solution, rather than from the water/air interface, onto SiO2 and metal substrates. SAMs are close-packed two-dimensional organic crystals which exhibit strong covalent bonding to the substrate. The first multicomponent adsorbed monolayers and multilayer SAMs were produced in the early 1980s. Langmuir monolayers, L-B multilayers, and self-assembled mono- and multilayers have found an extraordinarily broad range of applications including controlled wetting, adhesion, electrochemistry, biocompatibility, molecular recognition, biosensing, cell biology, non-linear optics, molecular electronics, solar cells, read/write/erase memory, and magnetism.

Nanoscale strengthening mechanisms in metallic thin film systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schoeppner, Rachel Lynn

Nano-scale strengthening mechanisms for thin films were investigated for systems governed by two different strengthening techniques: nano-laminate strengthening and oxide dispersion strengthening. Films were tested under elevated temperature conditions to investigate changes in deformation mechanisms at different operating temperatures, and the structural stability. Both systems exhibit remarkable stability after annealing and thus long-term reliability. Nano-scale metallic multilayers with smaller layer thicknesses show a greater relative resistance to decreasing strength at higher temperature testing conditions than those with larger layer thicknesses. This is seen in both Cu/Ni/Nb multilayers as well as a similar tri-component bi-layer system (Cu-Ni/Nb), which removed the coherent interface from the film. Both nanoindentation and micro-pillar compression tests investigated the strain-hardening ability of these two systems to determine what role the coherent interface plays in this mechanism. Tri-layer films showed a higher strain-hardening ability as the layer thickness decreased and a higher strain-hardening exponent than the bi-layer system: verifying the presence of a coherent interface increases the strain-hardening ability of these multilayer systems. Both systems exhibited hardening of the room temperature strength after annealing, suggesting a change in microstructure has occurred, unlike that seen in other multilayer systems. Oxide dispersion strengthened Au films showed a marked increase in hardness and wear resistance with the addition of ZnO particles. The threshold for stress-induced grain-refinement as opposed to grain growth is seen at concentrations of at least 0.5 vol%. These systems exhibited stable microstructures during thermal cycling in films containing at least 1.0%ZnO. Nanoindentation experiments show the drop in hardness following annealing is almost completely attributed to the resulting grain growth. Four-point probe resistivity measurements on annealed films showed a significant drop in resistivity for the higher concentration ZnO films, which is proposed to be the result of a change in the particle-matrix interface structure. A model connecting the hardness and resistivity as a function of ZnO concentration has been developed based on the assumption that the impact of nm-scale ZnO precipitates on the mechanical and electrical behavior of Au films is likely dominated by a transition from semi-coherent to incoherent interfaces.

Space Environmentally Durable Polyimides and Copolyimides

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Connell, John W. (Inventor); Smith, Joseph G. (Inventor); Hergenrother, Paul M. (Inventor); Watson, Kent A. (Inventor); Thompson, Craig M. (Inventor)

2006-01-01

Polyimides displaying low color in thin films, atomic oxygen resistance, vacuum ultraviolet radiation resistance, solubility in organic solvents in the imide form, high glass transition (T(sub g)) temperatures, and high thermal stability are provided. The poly(amide acid)s, copoly(amide acid)s, polyimides and copolyimides are prepared by the reaction of stoichiometric ratios of an aromatic &anhydride with diamines which contain phenylphosphine oxide groups in polar aprotic solvents. Controlled molecular weight oligomeric (amide acid)s and imides can be prepared by offsetting the stoichiometry according to the Carothers equation using excess diamine and endcapping with aromatic anhydrides. The polyimide materials can be processed into various material forms such as thin films, fibers, foams, threads, adhesive film, coatings, dry powders, and fiber coated prepreg, and uses include thin film membranes on antennas, second-surface mirrors, thermal optical coatings, and multilayer thermal insulation (MLI) blanket materials.

Growth of different phases and morphological features of MnS thin films by chemical bath deposition: Effect of deposition parameters and annealing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hannachi, Amira; Maghraoui-Meherzi, Hager

2017-03-01

Manganese sulfide thin films have been deposited on glass slides by chemical bath deposition (CBD) method. The effects of preparative parameters such as deposition time, bath temperature, concentration of precursors, multi-layer deposition, different source of manganese, different complexing agent and thermal annealing on structural and morphological film properties have been investigated. The prepared thin films have been characterized using the X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). It exhibit the metastable forms of MnS, the hexagonal γ-MnS wurtzite phase with preferential orientation in the (002) plane or the cubic β-MnS zinc blende with preferential orientation in the (200) plane. Microstructural studies revealed the formation of MnS crystals with different morphologies, such as hexagons, spheres, cubes or flowers like.

Space Environmentally Durable Polyimides and Copolyimides

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Connell, John W. (Inventor); Smith, Joseph G., Jr. (Inventor); Hergenrother, Paul M. (Inventor); Watson, Kent A. (Inventor); Thompson, Craig M. (Inventor)

2005-01-01

Polyimides displaying low color in thin films, atomic oxygen resistance, vacuum ultraviolet radiation resistance, solubility in organic solvents in the imide form, high glass transition (T(sub g)) temperatures, and high thermal stability are provided. The poly(amide acid)s, copoly(amide acid)s, polyimides and copolyimides are prepared by the reaction of stoichiometric ratios of an aromatic dianhydride with diamines which contain phenylphosphine oxide groups in polar aprotic solvents. Controlled molecular weight oligomeric (amide acid)s and imides can be prepared by offsetting the stoichiometry according to the Carothers equation using excess diamine and endcapping with aromatic anhydrides The polyimide materials can be processed into various material forms such as thin films, fibers, foams, threads, adhesive film, coatings, dry powders, and fiber coated prepreg, and uses include thin film membranes on antennas, second-surface mirrors, thermal optical coatings, and multilayer thermal insulation (MLI) blanket materials.

High quality thin films of thermoelectric misfit cobalt oxides prepared by a chemical solution method

PubMed Central

Rivas-Murias, Beatriz; Manuel Vila-Fungueiriño, José; Rivadulla, Francisco

2015-01-01

Misfit cobaltates ([Bi/Ba/Sr/Ca/CoO]nRS[CoO2]q) constitute the most promising family of thermoelectric oxides for high temperature energy harvesting. However, their complex structure and chemical composition makes extremely challenging their deposition by high-vacuum physical techniques. Therefore, many of them have not been prepared as thin films until now. Here we report the synthesis of high-quality epitaxial thin films of the most representative members of this family of compounds by a water-based chemical solution deposition method. The films show an exceptional crystalline quality, with an electrical conductivity and thermopower comparable to single crystals. These properties are linked to the epitaxial matching of the rock-salt layers of the structure to the substrate, producing clean interfaces free of amorphous phases. This is an important step forward for the integration of these materials with complementary n-type thermoelectric oxides in multilayer nanostructures. PMID:26153533

Influence of low energy argon plasma treatment on the moisture barrier performance of hot wire-CVD grown SiNx multilayers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Majee, Subimal; Fátima Cerqueira, Maria; Tondelier, Denis; Geffroy, Bernard; Bonnassieux, Yvan; Alpuim, Pedro; Bourée, Jean Eric

2014-01-01

The reliability and stability are key issues for the commercial utilization of organic photovoltaic devices based on flexible polymer substrates. To increase the shelf-lifetime of these devices, transparent moisture barriers of silicon nitride (SiNx) films are deposited at low temperature by hot wire CVD (HW-CVD) process. Instead of the conventional route based on organic/inorganic hybrid structures, this work defines a new route consisting in depositing multilayer stacks of SiNx thin films, each single layer being treated by argon plasma. The plasma treatment allows creating smoother surface and surface atom rearrangement. We define a critical thickness of the single layer film and focus our attention on the effect of increasing the number of SiNx single-layers on the barrier properties. A water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) of 2 × 10-4 g/(m2·day) is reported for SiNx multilayer stack and a physical interpretation of the plasma treatment effect is given.

Au Nanoparticle Sub-Monolayers Sandwiched between Sol-Gel Oxide Thin Films

PubMed Central

Della Gaspera, Enrico; Menin, Enrico; Sada, Cinzia

2018-01-01

Sub-monolayers of monodisperse Au colloids with different surface coverage have been embedded in between two different metal oxide thin films, combining sol-gel depositions and proper substrates functionalization processes. The synthetized films were TiO2, ZnO, and NiO. X-ray diffraction shows the crystallinity of all the oxides and verifies the nominal surface coverage of Au colloids. The surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of the metal nanoparticles is affected by both bottom and top oxides: in fact, the SPR peak of Au that is sandwiched between two different oxides is centered between the SPR frequencies of Au sub-monolayers covered with only one oxide, suggesting that Au colloids effectively lay in between the two oxide layers. The desired organization of Au nanoparticles and the morphological structure of the prepared multi-layered structures has been confirmed by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analyses that show a high quality sandwich structure. The multi-layered structures have been also tested as optical gas sensors. PMID:29538338

Measurement of Two-Phase Flow and Heat Transfer Parameters using Infrared Thermometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kim, Tae-Hoon; Kommer, Eric; Dessiatoun, Serguei; Kim, Jungho

2012-01-01

A novel technique to measure heat transfer and liquid film thickness distributions over relatively large areas for two-phase flow and heat transfer phenomena using infrared (IR)thermometry is described. IR thermometry is an established technology that can be used to measure temperatures when optical access to the surface is available in the wavelengths of interest. In this work, a midwave IR camera (3.6-5.1 microns) is used to determine the temperature distribution within a multilayer consisting of a silicon substrate coated with a thin insulator. Since silicon is largely transparent to IR radiation, the temperature of the inner and outer walls of the multilayer can be measured by coating selected areas with a thin, IR opaque film. If the fluid used is also partially transparent to IR, the flow can be visualized and the liquid film thickness can be measured. The theoretical basis for the technique is given along with a description of the test apparatus and data reduction procedure. The technique is demonstrated by determining the heat transfer coefficient distributions produced by droplet evaporation and flow boiling heat transfer.

Nanosecond Surface Microdischarges in Multilayer Structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dubinov, A. E.; Lyubimtseva, V. A.

2018-05-01

Multilayer structures in which nanosecond surface microdischarges are generated have been developed, fabricated, and investigated. In these structures, layers are made in the form of thin transparent films, and a plasma discharge channel is formed in thin spacings between the layers. Passage of the discharge channel from one layer into the neighboring layer is implemented via pre-fabricated microholes. Images of microdischarges were obtained which confirmed that their plasma channels are formed according to the route assigned by the holes. The route may follow a fairly complex scheme and have self-intersection points and portions in which the electrons are bound to move in opposition to the electric field. In studying the shape of channels in multilayer strictures, the authors have found a new physical effect which lies in the azimuthal self-orientation of the discharge channel as it passes from one microhole to another.

Radiation Damage Effects in Far Ultraviolet Filters and Substrates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Keffer, Charles E.; Torr, Marsha R.; Zukic, Muamer; Spann, James F.; Torr, Douglas G.; Kim, Jongmin

1993-01-01

New advances in VUV thin film filter technology have been made using filter designs with multilayers of materials such as Al2O3, BaF2, CaF2, HfO2, LaF3, MgF2, and SiO2. Our immediate application for these filters will be in an imaging system to be flown on a satellite where a 2 X 9 R(sub E) orbit will expose the instrument to approximately 275 krads of radiation. In view of the fact that no previous studies have been made on potential radiation damage of these materials in the thin film format, we report on such an assessment here. Transmittances and reflectances of BaF2, CaF2, HfO2, LaF3, MgF2, and SiO2 thin films on MgF2 substrates, Al2O3 thin films on fused silica substrates, uncoated fused silica and MgF2, and four multilayer filters made from these materials were measured from 120 nm to 180 nm before and after irradiation by 250 krads from a Co-60 gamma radiation source. No radiation-induced losses in transmittance or reflectance occurred in this wavelength range. Additional postradiation measurements from 160 nm to 300 nm indicated a 3 - 5% radiation-induced absorption near 260 nm in some of the samples with MgF2 substrates. From these measurements it is concluded that far ultraviolet filters made from the materials tested should experience less that 5% change from exposure to up to 250 krads of high energy radiation in space applications.

Rate- and Temperature-Dependent Material Behavior of a Multilayer Polymer Battery Separator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avdeev, Ilya; Martinsen, Michael; Francis, Alex

2014-01-01

Designing battery packs for safety in automotive applications requires multiscale modeling, as macroscopic deformations due to impact cause the mechanical failure of individual cells on a sub-millimeter level. The separator material plays a critical role in this process, as the thinning or perforating of the separator can lead to thermal runaway and catastrophic failure of an entire battery pack. The electrochemical properties of various polymer separators have been extensively investigated; however, the dependency of mechanical properties of these thin films on various factors, such as high temperature and strain rate, has not been sufficiently characterized. In this study, the macroscopic mechanical properties of a multilayer polymer thin film used as a battery separator are studied experimentally at various temperatures, strain rates, and solvent saturations. Due to the anisotropy of the material, material testing was conducted in two perpendicular directions (machine and transverse directions). Material samples were tested in both dry and saturated conditions at several temperatures, and it was found that temperature and strain rate have a nearly linear effect on the stress experienced by the material. Additionally, saturating the separator material in a common lithium-ion solvent had softened it and had a positive effect on its toughness. The experimental results obtained in this study can be used to develop mathematical constitutive models of the multilayer separator material for subsequent numerical simulations and design.

An Electrostatically Self-Assembled Thin Film Made of Zn-Substituted Tungstoborate and Rhodamine B with Photoelectrochemical Properties.

PubMed

Mao, Xu; Zhang, Jia-Ning; Gao, Li-Hua; Su, Yu; Chen, Peng-Xia; Wang, Ke-Zhi

2016-04-01

An electrostatically self-assembled multilayer thin film consisting of alternating layers of Keggin polyoxometalate of Zn-substituted tungstoborate (BW11Zn) and Rhodamine B (RhB) has successfully been prepared on a quartz and indium-tin oxide (ITO) glass substrate. The ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) absorption spectra demonstrated that the electrostatically self-assembled film of (BW11Zn/RhB)n was uniformly deposited layer by layer, and the RhB molecules in the film formed the J-aggregation. The photoelectrochemical investigations showed that the films generated stable cathodic photocurrents that originated from RhB, and the maximal cathodic photocurrent density generated by an eight-layer film was 4.9 µA/cm2 while the film was irradiated with 100 mW/cm2 polychromatic light of 730 nm > λ > 325 nm at an applied potential of 0 V versus a saturated calomel electrode.

Enhancement of the barrier performance in organic/inorganic multilayer thin-film structures by annealing of the parylene layer

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

Kim, Namsu, E-mail: nkim@keti.re.kr; Components and Materials Physics Research Center, #68 Yatop-dong, Korea Electronics Technology Institute, Bundang-gu, 463-816; Graham, Samuel

2014-10-15

Highlights: • High performance thin-film barrier structure for encapsulation was fabricated. • By annealing parylene in encapsulation structure, the barrier performance was improved. • The effective water vapor transmission rate is 7.2 ± 3.0 × 10{sup −6} g/m{sup 2}/day. - Abstract: A multilayered barrier structure was fabricated by chemical vapor deposition of parylene and subsequent plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition of SiO{sub x} or SiN{sub x}. The barrier performance against water vapor ingress was significantly improved by annealing the parylene layer before the deposition of either SiO{sub x} or SiN{sub x}. The mechanism of this enhancement was investigated using atomic forcemore » microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The surface roughness of the parylene before the deposition of either SiO{sub x} or SiN{sub x} was found to correlate closely with the barrier performance of the multilayered structures. In addition, removing absorbed water vapor in the film by annealing results in a lower water vapor transmission rate in the transient region and a longer lag time. Annealing the parylene leads to a large decrease in the effective water vapor transmission rate, which reaches 7.2 ± 3.0 × 10{sup −6} g/m{sup 2}/day.« less

Thermal conductivity measurement of amorphous dielectric multilayers for phase-change memory power reduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fong, S. W.; Sood, A.; Chen, L.; Kumari, N.; Asheghi, M.; Goodson, K. E.; Gibson, G. A.; Wong, H.-S. P.

2016-07-01

In this work, we investigate the temperature-dependent thermal conductivities of few nanometer thick alternating stacks of amorphous dielectrics, specifically SiO2/Al2O3 and SiO2/Si3N4. Experiments using steady-state Joule-heating and electrical thermometry, while using a micro-miniature refrigerator over a wide temperature range (100-500 K), show that amorphous thin-film multilayer SiO2/Si3N4 and SiO2/Al2O3 exhibit through-plane room temperature effective thermal conductivities of about 1.14 and 0.48 W/(m × K), respectively. In the case of SiO2/Al2O3, the reduced conductivity is attributed to lowered film density (7.03 → 5.44 × 1028 m-3 for SiO2 and 10.2 → 8.27 × 1028 m-3 for Al2O3) caused by atomic layer deposition of thin-films as well as a small, finite, and repeating thermal boundary resistance (TBR) of 1.5 m2 K/GW between dielectric layers. Molecular dynamics simulations reveal that vibrational mismatch between amorphous oxide layers is small, and that the TBR between layers is largely due to imperfect interfaces. Finally, the impact of using this multilayer dielectric in a dash-type phase-change memory device is studied using finite-element simulations.

High spin-polarization in ultrathin Co2MnSi/CoPd multilayers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galanakis, I.

2015-03-01

Half-metallic Co2MnSi finds a broad spectrum of applications in spintronic devices either in the form of thin films or as spacer in multilayers. Using state-of-the-art ab-initio electronic structure calculations we exploit the electronic and magnetic properties of ultrathin Co2MnSi/CoPd multilayers. We show that these heterostructures combine high values of spin-polarization at the Co2MnSi spacer with the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy of binary compounds such as CoPd. Thus they could find application in spintronic/magnetoelectronic devices.

Ultrahard carbon film from epitaxial two-layer graphene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Yang; Cao, Tengfei; Cellini, Filippo; Berger, Claire; de Heer, Walter A.; Tosatti, Erio; Riedo, Elisa; Bongiorno, Angelo

2018-02-01

Atomically thin graphene exhibits fascinating mechanical properties, although its hardness and transverse stiffness are inferior to those of diamond. So far, there has been no practical demonstration of the transformation of multilayer graphene into diamond-like ultrahard structures. Here we show that at room temperature and after nano-indentation, two-layer graphene on SiC(0001) exhibits a transverse stiffness and hardness comparable to diamond, is resistant to perforation with a diamond indenter and shows a reversible drop in electrical conductivity upon indentation. Density functional theory calculations suggest that, upon compression, the two-layer graphene film transforms into a diamond-like film, producing both elastic deformations and sp2 to sp3 chemical changes. Experiments and calculations show that this reversible phase change is not observed for a single buffer layer on SiC or graphene films thicker than three to five layers. Indeed, calculations show that whereas in two-layer graphene layer-stacking configuration controls the conformation of the diamond-like film, in a multilayer film it hinders the phase transformation.

Profilometry of thin films on rough substrates by Raman spectroscopy

PubMed Central

Ledinský, Martin; Paviet-Salomon, Bertrand; Vetushka, Aliaksei; Geissbühler, Jonas; Tomasi, Andrea; Despeisse, Matthieu; De Wolf , Stefaan; Ballif , Christophe; Fejfar, Antonín

2016-01-01

Thin, light-absorbing films attenuate the Raman signal of underlying substrates. In this article, we exploit this phenomenon to develop a contactless thickness profiling method for thin films deposited on rough substrates. We demonstrate this technique by probing profiles of thin amorphous silicon stripes deposited on rough crystalline silicon surfaces, which is a structure exploited in high-efficiency silicon heterojunction solar cells. Our spatially-resolved Raman measurements enable the thickness mapping of amorphous silicon over the whole active area of test solar cells with very high precision; the thickness detection limit is well below 1 nm and the spatial resolution is down to 500 nm, limited only by the optical resolution. We also discuss the wider applicability of this technique for the characterization of thin layers prepared on Raman/photoluminescence-active substrates, as well as its use for single-layer counting in multilayer 2D materials such as graphene, MoS2 and WS2. PMID:27922033

Investigation of optical properties of multilayer dielectric structures using prism-coupling technique

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

Sokolov, V I; Glebov, V N; Malyutin, A M

2015-09-30

A method based on resonant excitation of waveguide modes with a prism coupler is proposed for measuring the thickness and refractive index of thin-film layers in multilayer dielectric structures. The peculiarities of reflection of TE- and TM-polarised light beams from a structure comprising eleven alternating layers of zinc sulfide (ZnS) and magnesium barium fluoride (MgBaF{sub 4}), whose thicknesses are much less than the wavelength of light, are investigated. Using the mathematical model developed, we have calculated the coefficients of reflection of collimated TE and TM light beams from a multilayer structure and determined the optical constants and thicknesses of themore » structure layers. The refractive indices of the layers, obtained for TE and TM polarisation of incident light, are in good agreement. The thicknesses of ZnS and MgBaF{sub 4} layers, found for different polarisations, coincide with an accuracy of ±1%. Thus, we have demonstrated for the first time that the prism-coupling technique allows one to determine the optical properties of thin-film structures when the number of layers in the structure exceeds ten layers. (integrated optics)« less

Multilayered Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Structures for Suppressing Magnetic Field Coupling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watanabe, Atom O.; Raj, Pulugurtha Markondeya; Wong, Denny; Mullapudi, Ravi; Tummala, Rao

2018-05-01

Control of electromagnetic interference (EMI) represents a major challenge for emerging consumer electronics, the Internet of Things, automotive electronics, and wireless communication systems. This paper discusses innovative EMI shielding materials and structures that offer higher shielding effectiveness compared with copper. To create high shielding effectiveness in the frequency range of 1 MHz to 100 MHz, multilayered shielding topologies with electrically conductive and nanomagnetic materials were modeled, designed, fabricated, and characterized. In addition, suppression of out-of-plane and in-plane magnetic-field coupling noise with these structures is compared with that of traditional single-layer copper or nickel-iron films. Compared with single-layered copper shields, multilayered structures consisting of copper, nickel-iron, and titanium showed a 3.9 times increase in shielding effectiveness in suppressing out-of-plane or vertically coupled noise and 1.3 times increase in lateral coupling. The superiority of multilayered thin-film shields over conventional shielding enables greater design flexibility, higher shielding effectiveness, and further miniaturization of emerging radiofrequency (RF) and power modules.

Thin Film Multilayer Conductor/Ferroelectric Tunable Microwave Components for Communication Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miranda, Felix A.; Romanofsky, Robert R.; VanKeuls, Frederick W.; Mueller, Carl H.; Treece, Randolph E.; Rivkin, Tania V.

1997-01-01

High Temperature Superconductor/Ferroelectric (HTS/FE ) thin film multilayered structures deposited onto dielectric substrates are currently being investigated for use in low loss, tunable microwave components for satellite and ground based communications. The main goal for this technology is to achieve maximum tunability while keeping the microwave losses as low as possible, so as to avoid performance degradation when replacing conventional technology (e.g., filters and oscillators) with HTS/FE components. Therefore, for HTS/FE components to be successfully integrated into current working systems, full optimization of the material and electrical properties of the ferroelectric films, without degrading those of the HTS film; is required. Hence, aspects such as the appropriate type of ferroelectric and optimization of the deposition conditions (e.g., deposition temperature) should be carefully considered. The tunability range as well as the microwave losses of the desired varactor (i.e., tunable component) are also dependent on the geometry chosen (e.g., parallel plate capacitor, interdigital capacitor, coplanar waveguide, etc.). In addition, the performance of the circuit is dependent on the location of the varactor in the circuit and the biasing circuitry. In this paper, we will present our results on the study of the SrTiO3/YBa2Cu3O(7-delta)/LaAl03 (STO/YBCO/LAO) and the Ba(x)Sr(1-x)TiO3/YBa2Cu3O(7-delta)/LaAl03(BSTO/YBCO/ILAO) HTS/FE multilayered structures. We have observed that the amount of variation of the dielectric constant upon the application of a dc electric field is closely related to the microstructure of the film. The largest tuning of the STO/YBCO/LAO structure corresponded to single-phased, epitaxial STO films deposited at 800 C and with a thickness of 500 nm. Higher temperatures resulted in interfacial degradation and poor film quality, while lower deposition temperatures resulted in films with lower dielectric constants, lower tunabilities, and higher losses. For STO/LAO multilayer structures having STO film of similar quality we have observed that interdigital capacitor configurations allow for higher tunabilities and lower losses than parallel plate configurations, but required higher dc voltage. Results on the use of these geometries in working microwave components such as filters and stabilizing resonators for local oscillators (LO) will be discussed.

Fabrication and Characterization of Thin Film Nickel Hydroxide Electrodes for Micropower Applications.

PubMed

Falahati, Hamid; Kim, Edward; Barz, Dominik P J

2015-06-17

The utilization of micropower sources is attractive in portable microfluidic devices where only low-power densities and energy contents are required. In this work, we report on the microfabrication of patterned α-Ni(OH)2 films on glass substrates which can be used for rechargeable microbatteries as well as for microcapacitors. A multilayer deposition technique is developed based on e-beam evaporation, ultraviolet lithography, and electroplating/electrodeposition which creates thin-film electrodes that are patterned with arrays of micropillars. The morphology and the structure of the patterned electrode films are characterized by employing field emission scanning electron microscopy. The chemical (elemental) composition is investigated by using X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Finally, cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and galvanostatic charge/discharge measurements are used to evaluate the electrochemical performance of the patterned thin film electrodes compared to patternless electrodes. We observe that patterning of the electrodes results in significantly improved stability and, thus, longer endurance while good electrochemical performance is maintained.

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

Headrick, Randall

In this research program, we have explored the fundamental limits for thin film deposition in both crystalline and amorphous (i.e. non-crystalline) materials systems. For vacuum-based physical deposition processes such as sputter deposition, the background gas pressure of the inert gas (usually argon) used as the process gas has been found to be a key variable. Both a roughness transition and stress transition as a function of pressure have been linked to a common mechanism involving collisions of energetic particles from the deposition source with the process inert gas. As energetic particles collide with gas molecules in the deposition process theymore » lose their energy rapidly if the pressure (and background gas density) is above a critical value. Both roughness and stress limit important properties of thin films for applications. In the area of epitaxial growth we have also discovered a related effect; there is a critical pressure below which highly crystalline layers grow in a layer-by-layer mode. This effect is also though to be due to energetic particle thermalization and scattering. Several other important effects such as the observation of coalescence dominated growth has been observed. This mode can be likened to the behavior of two-dimensional water droplets on the hood of a car during a rain storm; as the droplets grow and touch each other they tend to coalesce rapidly into new larger circular puddles, and this process proceeds exponentially as larger puddles overtake smaller ones and also merge with other large puddles. This discovery will enable more accurate simulations and modeling of epitaxial growth processes. We have also observed that epitaxial films undergo a roughening transition as a function of thickness, which is attributed to strain induced by the crystalline lattice mismatch with the substrate crystal. In addition, we have studied another physical deposition process called pulsed laser deposition. It differs from sputter deposition due to the pulsed nature of the deposition where particles arrive at the growth surface in an interval of a few microseconds. We have observed effects such as transient formation of two dimensional islands on elemental crystalline surfaces. Pulsed deposition may also lead to non-equilibrium phases in some cases, such as the observation anomalously high tetragonality for ferroelectric thin films. All of the results described above feature in-situ synchrotron X-ray scattering as the main experimental method, which has become an indispensable technique for observing the kinetics of structures forming in real-time. We have also investigated in-situ coherent X-ray scattering and have developed methods to characterize temporal correlations that are not possible to observe with low-coherence X-rays. A high profile result of this work is a new technique to monitor defect propagation velocities in thin films. This has practical significance since defects limit the properties of thin films and it is desirable to understand their properties and origin in order to control them for practical applications. More broadly, amorphous thin films and multilayers have applications in optical devices, including mirrors and filters. Epitaxial thin films and multilayers have applications in electronic devices such as ferroelectric multilayers for non-volatile data storage, and thermoelectric nanostructures for energy conversion. Our progress in this project points the way for improved deposition methods and for improved simulation and modeling of thin film deposition processes for nanoscale control of materials with novel applications in these areas.« less

The Formation, Transport Properties and Microstructure of 45 Degrees (001) Tilt Grain Boundaries in Yttrium BARIUM(2) COPPER(3) OXYGEN(7-X) Thin Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vuchic, Boris Vukan

1995-01-01

Most high angle grain boundaries in high-T _{c} superconductors exhibit weak link behavior. The Josephson-like properties of these grain boundaries can be used for many device applications such as superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs). The structure-property relationship of different types of 45 ^circ (001) YBa_2 Cu_3O_{7-x} thin film grain boundary junctions are examined to study their weak link nature. A technique, termed sputter-induced epitaxy, is developed to form 45^circ (001) tilt grain boundaries in YBa_2Cu _3O_{7-x} thin films on (100) MgO substrates. A low voltage ion bombardment pre-growth substrate treatment is used to modify the epitaxial orientation relationship between the thin film and the substrate in selected regions. By modifying the orientation of the thin film, grain boundary junctions can be placed in any configuration on the substrate. A variety of pre-growth sputtering conditions in conjunction with atomic force microscopy and Rutherford backscatter spectrometry are used to determine the role of the ions in modifying the substrate surface. Sputter-induced epitaxy is extended to a multilayer MgO/LaAlO_3 substrate, allowing integration of the sputter -induced epitaxy junctions into multilayer structures. The low temperature transport properties of the sputter-induced epitaxy junctions and a set of bi-epitaxial grain boundaries are studied. Individual grain boundaries are isolated and characterized for resistance vs. temperature, current vs. voltage as a function of temperature and magnetic field behavior. Resistive and superconducting grain boundaries are compared. Microstructural analysis is performed using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and high resolution electron microscopy (HREM). Marked differences are observed in the microstructure of resistive and superconducting grain boundaries. HREM studies suggest the importance of the local atomic scale structure of the grain boundary in transport properties. A phenomenological grain boundary model is proposed to describe the structure -property relationship of the boundaries.

Engineered Film Surfaces Via Spontaneous Phase Segregation

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-12-01

constituents of a Langmuir Blodgett thin Figure 1: Contact angles w/ H2O Contact angles determined from cast films of TPU with (right) 1% wt/wt...Synn, D.; Stelzle, M.; Rabolt, J. F., 2000: Characterization of Orientation of Perfluorostearic Acid Langmuir - Blodgett Multilayers by Infrared...Natick Soldier Center Materials Science Team Natick, MA 01760 ABSTRACT A series of hyperbranched materials have been developed that allow

Sputter-Coated Microparticle Additives for Tailored Optical Properties

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

hour at best). The microspheres coated in this work will be incorporated into a polymer matrix for composite and large-area coating applications...demonstrated, they will be incorporated into a polymer matrix for further testing. 15. SUBJECT TERMS fluidized bed, thin film, microparticles, coating...films of metals, ceramics , and multilayered materials.1 This is a practical method for the batch production of microparticles with tailored optical

Simulation and optimization of a soft gamma-ray concentrator using thin film multilayer structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shirazi, Farzane; Bloser, Peter F.; Krzanowski, James E.; Legere, Jason S.; McConnell, Mark L.

2017-08-01

We are reporting the investigation result of using multilayer thin film structures for channeling and concentrating soft gamma rays with energies greater than 100 keV, beyond the reach of current grazing-incidence hard X-ray mirrors. This will enable future telescopes for higher energies with same mission parameters already proven by NuSTAR. A suitable arrangement of bent multilayer structures of alternating low and high-density materials will channel soft gamma-ray photons via total external reflection and then concentrate the incident radiation to a point. We present the latest results of producing Ir/Si and W/Si multilayers with the required thicknesses and smoothness by using magnetron sputter technique. In addition to experimental works, we have been working on gamma-ray tracking model of the concentrator by IDL, making use of optical properties calculated by the IMD software. This modeling allows us to calculate efficiency and track photon for different energy bands and materials and compare them with experimental result. Also, we describe combine concentrator modeling result and detector simulation by MEGAlib to archive a complete package of gamma-ray telescope simulation. This technology offers the potential for soft gamma-ray telescopes with focal lengths of less than 10 m, removing the need for formation flying spacecraft and providing greatly increased sensitivity for modest cost and complexity and opening the field up to balloon-borne instruments.

Thin Film Coating with Highly Dispersible Barium Titanate-Polyvinylpyrrolidone Nanoparticles.

PubMed

Li, Jinhui; Inukai, Koji; Takahashi, Yosuke; Tsuruta, Akihiro; Shin, Woosuck

2018-05-01

Thin BaTiO₃ (BT) coating layers are required in various multilayer ceramic technologies, and fine nanosized BT particles with good dispersion in solution are essential for this coating process. In this work, cubic and tetragonal phase monodispersed BT nanoparticles—which were referred to as LBT and HBT-PVP coated on their surface by polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) polymer—were prepared by low temperature synthesis (LTS) and hydrothermal method (HT) at 80 and 230 °C, respectively. They were applied for the thin film coating on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and Si wafer substrates by a simple bar coating. The thickness of BT, LBT-PVP, and HBT-PVP films prepared by their 5 wt % coating agent on Si are around 268, 308, and 263 nm, and their surface roughness are 104.6, 91.6, and 56.1 nm, respectively. The optical transmittance of BT, LBT-PVP, and HBT-PVP films on PET are 55, 66, and 73% at 550 nm wavelength and the haze values are 34.89, 24.70, and 20.53% respectively. The mechanism of dispersant adsorbed on the BT surface for densification of thin film during the drying process of the film was discussed.

Thin Film Coating with Highly Dispersible Barium Titanate-Polyvinylpyrrolidone Nanoparticles

PubMed Central

Li, Jinhui; Inukai, Koji; Takahashi, Yosuke; Tsuruta, Akihiro; Shin, Woosuck

2018-01-01

Thin BaTiO3 (BT) coating layers are required in various multilayer ceramic technologies, and fine nanosized BT particles with good dispersion in solution are essential for this coating process. In this work, cubic and tetragonal phase monodispersed BT nanoparticles—which were referred to as LBT and HBT-PVP coated on their surface by polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) polymer—were prepared by low temperature synthesis (LTS) and hydrothermal method (HT) at 80 and 230 °C, respectively. They were applied for the thin film coating on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and Si wafer substrates by a simple bar coating. The thickness of BT, LBT-PVP, and HBT-PVP films prepared by their 5 wt % coating agent on Si are around 268, 308, and 263 nm, and their surface roughness are 104.6, 91.6, and 56.1 nm, respectively. The optical transmittance of BT, LBT-PVP, and HBT-PVP films on PET are 55, 66, and 73% at 550 nm wavelength and the haze values are 34.89, 24.70, and 20.53% respectively. The mechanism of dispersant adsorbed on the BT surface for densification of thin film during the drying process of the film was discussed. PMID:29724007

Effects of different wetting layers on the growth of smooth ultra-thin silver thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ni, Chuan; Shah, Piyush; Sarangan, Andrew M.

2014-09-01

Ultrathin silver films (thickness below 10 nm) are of great interest as optical coatings on windows and plasmonic devices. However, producing these films has been a continuing challenge because of their tendency to form clusters or islands rather than smooth contiguous thin films. In this work we have studied the effect of Cu, Ge and ZnS as wetting layers (1.0 nm) to achieve ultrasmooth thin silver films. The silver films (5 nm) were grown by RF sputter deposition on silicon and glass substrates using a few monolayers of the different wetting materials. SEM imaging was used to characterize the surface properties such as island formation and roughness. Also the optical properties were measured to identify the optical impact of the different wetting layers. Finally, a multi-layer silver based structure is designed and fabricated, and its performance is evaluated. The comparison between the samples with different wetting layers show that the designs with wetting layers which have similar optical properties to silver produce the best overall performance. In the absence of a wetting layer, the measured optical spectra show a significant departure from the model predictions, which we attribute primarily to the formation of clusters.

Growth and characterization of CdS buffer layers by CBD and MOCVD

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

Morrone, A.A.; Huang, C.; Li, S.S.

1999-03-01

Thin film CdS has been widely used in thin-film photovoltaic devices. The most efficient Cu(In,&hthinsp;Ga)Se{sub 2} (CIGS) solar cells reported to date utilized a thin CdS buffer layer prepared by a reactive solution growth technique known as chemical bath deposition (CBD). Considerable effort has been directed to better understand the role and find a replacement for the CBD CdS process in CIGS-based solar cells. We reported a low temperature ({approximately}150&hthinsp;{degree}C) Metalorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) CdS thin film buffer layer process for CIGS absorbers. Many prior studies have reported that CBD CdS contains a mixture of crystal structures. Recent investigationsmore » of CBD CdS thin films by ellipsometry suggested a multilayer structure. In this study we compare CdS thin films prepared by CBD and MOCVD and the effects of annealing. TED and XRD are used to characterize the crystal structure, the film microstructure is studied by HRTEM, and the optical properties are studied by Raman and spectrophotometry. All of these characterization techniques reveal superior crystalline film quality for CdS films grown by MOCVD compared to those grown by CBD. Dual Beam Optical Modulation (DBOM) studies showed that the MOCVD and CBD CdS buffer layer processes have nearly the same effect on CIGS absorbers when combined with a cadmium partial electrolyte aqueous dip. {copyright} {ital 1999 American Institute of Physics.}« less

Magnetoelectric coupling of multiferroic chromium doped barium titanate thin film probed by magneto-impedance spectroscopy

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

Shah, Jyoti, E-mail: shah.jyoti1@gmail.com; Kotnala, Ravinder K., E-mail: rkkotnala@nplindia.org, E-mail: rkkotnala@gmail.com

2014-04-07

Thin film of BaTiO{sub 3} doped with 0.1 at. % Cr (Cr:BTO) has been prepared by pulsed laser deposition technique. Film was deposited on Pt/SrTiO{sub 3} substrate at 500 °C in 50 mTorr Oxygen gas pressure using KrF (298 nm) laser. Polycrystalline growth of single phase Cr:BTO thin film has been confirmed by grazing angle X-ray diffraction. Cr:BTO film exhibited remnant polarization 6.4 μC/cm{sup 2} and 0.79 MV/cm coercivity. Magnetization measurement of Cr:BTO film showed magnetic moment 12 emu/cc. Formation of weakly magnetic domains has been captured by magnetic force microscopy. Theoretical impedance equation fitted to experimental data in Cole-Cole plot for thin film inmore » presence of transverse magnetic field resolved the increase in grain capacitance from 4.58 × 10{sup −12} to 5.4 × 10{sup −11} F. Film exhibited high value 137 mV/cm-Oe magneto-electric (ME) coupling coefficient at room temperature. The high value of ME coupling obtained can reduce the typical processing steps involved in multilayer deposition to obtain multiferrocity in thin film. Barium titanate being best ferroelectric material has been tailored to be multiferroic by non ferromagnetic element, Cr, doping in thin film form opens an avenue for more stable and reliable spintronic material for low power magnetoelectric random excess memory applications.« less

A fabrication and characterictics of microbolometer detectors using VOx/ZnO/VOx multilayer thin film processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Myung-Soo; Kim, Dae Hyeon; Ko, Hang Ju; Shin, Jae Chul; Kim, Hyo Jin; Kim, Do Gun

2014-06-01

In this work, a novel fabrication method for VOx-ZnO multilayers with mixed phase of the VO2 and V2O3 through the diffusion of oxygen by annealing at low temperature is presented. A stable sandwich structure of a VOx/ZnO/VOx multilayer was deposited at room temperature, through the oxygen gas flow rate, by RF sputtering system, and the mixed phase was formed through oxygen diffusion by annealing at O2 atmosphere. The results show that the single phase like multilayer formed by this process has a high TCR of more than -2.5%/K and low resistance of about 100 kohm at room temperature. XRD results for the as-deposited VOx/ZnO/VOx multilayer.

Soft X-ray imaging of thick carbon-based materials using the normal incidence multilayer optics.

PubMed

Artyukov, I A; Feschenko, R M; Vinogradov, A V; Bugayev, Ye A; Devizenko, O Y; Kondratenko, V V; Kasyanov, Yu S; Hatano, T; Yamamoto, M; Saveliev, S V

2010-10-01

The high transparency of carbon-containing materials in the spectral region of "carbon window" (lambda approximately 4.5-5nm) introduces new opportunities for various soft X-ray microscopy applications. The development of efficient multilayer coated X-ray optics operating at the wavelengths of about 4.5nm has stimulated a series of our imaging experiments to study thick biological and synthetic objects. Our experimental set-up consisted of a laser plasma X-ray source generated with the 2nd harmonics of Nd-glass laser, scandium-based thin-film filters, Co/C multilayer mirror and X-ray film UF-4. All soft X-ray images were produced with a single nanosecond exposure and demonstrated appropriate absorption contrast and detector-limited spatial resolution. A special attention was paid to the 3D imaging of thick low-density foam materials to be used in design of laser fusion targets.

Laser damage properties of TiO{sub 2}/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} thin films grown by atomic layer deposition

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

Wei Yaowei; Liu Hao; Sheng Ouyang

2011-08-20

Research on thin film deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) for laser damage resistance is rare. In this paper, it has been used to deposit TiO{sub 2}/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} films at 110 deg. C and 280 deg. C on fused silica and BK7 substrates. Microstructure of the thin films was investigated by x-ray diffraction. The laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) of samples was measured by a damage test system. Damage morphology was studied under a Nomarski differential interference contrast microscope and further checked under an atomic force microscope. Multilayers deposited at different temperatures were compared. The results show that the filmsmore » deposited by ALD had better uniformity and transmission; in this paper, the uniformity is better than 99% over 100 mm {Phi} samples, and the transmission is more than 99.8% at 1064 nm. Deposition temperature affects the deposition rate and the thin film microstructure and further influences the LIDT of the thin films. As to the TiO{sub 2}/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} films, the LIDTs were 6.73{+-}0.47 J/cm{sup 2} and 6.5{+-}0.46 J/cm{sup 2} at 110 deg. C on fused silica and BK7 substrates, respectively. The LIDTs at 110 deg. C are notably better than 280 deg. C.« less

Fabrication of multilayered thin films via spin-assembly

DOEpatents

Chiarelli, Peter A.; Robinson, Jeanne M.; Casson, Joanna L.; Johal, Malkiat S.; Wang, Hsing-Lin

2007-02-20

An process of forming multilayer thin film heterostructures is disclosed and includes applying a solution including a first water-soluble polymer from the group of polyanionic species, polycationic species and uncharged polymer species onto a substrate to form a first coating layer on the substrate, drying the first coating layer on the substrate, applying a solution including a second water-soluble polymer from the group of polyanionic species, polycationic species and uncharged polymer species onto the substrate having the first coating layer to form a second coating layer on the first coating layer wherein the second water-soluble polymer is of a different material than the first water-soluble polymer, and drying the second coating layer on the first coating layer so as to form a bilayer structure on the substrate. Optionally, one or more additional applying and drying sequences can be repeated with a water-soluble polymer from the group of polyanionic species, polycationic species and uncharged polymer species, so that a predetermined plurality of layers are built up upon the substrate.

Nonvolatile memory characteristics of organic thin film transistors using poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate)-based polymer multilayer dielectric

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Ying-Chih; Su, Yan-Kuin; Yu, Hsin-Chieh; Huang, Chun-Yuan; Huang, Tsung-Syun

2011-10-01

A wide hysteresis width characteristic (memory window) was observed in the organic thin film transistors (OTFTs) using poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA)-based polymer multilayers. In this study, a strong memory effect was also found in the pentacene-based OTFTs and the electric characteristics were improved by introducing PHEMA/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)/PHEMA trilayer to replace the conventional PHEMA monolayer or PMMA/PHEMA and PHEMA/PMMA bilayer as the dielectric layers of OTFTs. The memory effect was originated from the electron trapping and slow polarization of the dielectrics. The hydroxyl (-OH) groups inside the polymer dielectric were the main charge storage sites of the electrons. This charge-storage phenomenon could lead to a wide flat-band voltage shift (memory window, △VFB = 22 V) which is essential for the OTFTs' memory-related applications. Moreover, the fabricated transistors also exhibited significant switchable channel current due to the charge-storage and slow charge relaxation.

Maskless deposition technique for the physical vapor deposition of thin film and multilayer coatings with subnanometer precision and accuracy

DOEpatents

Vernon, Stephen P.; Ceglio, Natale M.

2000-01-01

The invention is a method for the production of axially symmetric, graded and ungraded thickness thin film and multilayer coatings that avoids the use of apertures or masks to tailor the deposition profile. A motional averaging scheme permits the deposition of uniform thickness coatings independent of the substrate radius. Coating uniformity results from an exact cancellation of substrate radius dependent terms, which occurs when the substrate moves at constant velocity. If the substrate is allowed to accelerate over the source, arbitrary coating profiles can be generated through appropriate selection and control of the substrate center of mass equation of motion. The radial symmetry of the coating profile is an artifact produced by orbiting the substrate about its center of mass; other distributions are obtained by selecting another rotation axis. Consequently there is a direct mapping between the coating thickness and substrate equation of motion which can be used to tailor the coating profile without the use of masks and apertures.

Influence of N2 partial pressure on structural and microhardness properties of TiN/ZrN multilayers deposited by Ar/N2 vacuum arc discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naddaf, M.; Abdallah, B.; Ahmad, M.; A-Kharroub, M.

2016-08-01

The influence of N2 partial pressure on structural, mechanical and wetting properties of multilayered TiN/ZrN thin films deposited on silicon substrates by vacuum arc discharge of (N2 + Ar) gas mixtures is investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show that the average texturing coefficient of (1 1 1) orientation and the grain size of both TiN and ZrN individual layers increase with increasing the N2 partial pressure. The Rutherford back scattering (RBS) measurements and analysis reveal that incorporation of the nitrogen in the film increases with increasing the N2 partial pressure and both TiN and ZrN individual layers have a nitrogen over-stoichiometry for N2 partial pressure ⩾50%. The change in the film micro-hardness is correlated to the changes in crystallographic texture, grain size, stoichiometry and the residual stress in the film as a function of the N2 partial pressure. In particular, stoichiometry of ZrN and TiN individual is found to play the vital role in determining the multilayer hardness. The multilayer film deposited at N2 partial pressure of 25% has the best stoichiometric ratio of both TiN and ZrN layers and the highest micro-hardness of about 32 GPa. In addition, water contact angle (WCA) measurements and analysis show a decrease in the work of adhesion on increasing the N2 partial pressure.

Unusual photoelectric behaviors of Mo-doped TiO2 multilayer thin films prepared by RF magnetron co-sputtering: effect of barrier tunneling on internal charge transfer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, B. X.; Luo, S. Y.; Mao, X. G.; Shen, J.; Zhou, Q. F.

2013-01-01

Mo-doped TiO2 multilayer thin films were prepared by RF magnetron co-sputtering. Microstructures, crystallite parameters and the absorption band were investigated with atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. Internal carrier transport characteristics and the photoelectric property of different layer-assemble modes were examined on an electrochemical workstation under visible light. The result indicates that the double-layer structure with an undoped surface layer demonstrated a red-shifted absorption edge and a much stronger photocurrent compared to the uniformly doped sample, signifying that the electric field implanted at the interface between particles in different layers accelerated internal charge transfer effectively. However, a heavily doped layer implanted at the bottom of the three-layer film merely brought about negative effects on the photoelectric property, mainly because of the Schottky junction existing above the substrate. Nevertheless, this obstacle was successfully eliminated by raising the Mo concentration to 1020 cm-3, where the thickness of the depletion layer fell into the order of angstroms and the tunneling coefficient manifested a dramatic increase. Under this circumstance, the Schottky junction disappeared and the strongest photocurrent was observed in the three-layer film.

Thermal cycling and the optical and electrical characterization of self-assembled multilayer nile blue A-gold thin films.

PubMed

Geist, Brian; Spillman, William B; Claus, Richard O

2005-10-20

Some laser applications produce high power densities that can be dangerous to equipment and operators. We have fabricated thin-film coatings by using molecular electrostatic self-assembly to create a spectrally selective absorbing coating that is able to withstand thermal fluctuations from -20 degrees C to 120 degrees C. We made the thin-film coatings by alternating deposition of an organic dye and gold colloidal nanoparticles onto glass substrates. Nile Blue A perchlorate, with a maximum absorbance slightly above 632 nm, was chosen as the organic dye. Strong coupling between the dye molecules and the gold nanoparticles provides a redshift that increases as the film's thickness is increased. The incorporation of the gold colloidal nanoparticles also decreases the resistivity of the film. The resistivity of the film was measured with a four-point probe and found to be approximately 10 omega/cm for the two samples measured. Atomic-force microscopy was used to show that film thickness increased 2.4 nm per bilayer. The optical properties of the film were measured at the end of every 5 thermal cycles from -20 degrees C to 120 degrees C, and negligible degradation was observed after 30 cycles.

Laser-induced periodic surface structures of thin, complex multi-component films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reif, Juergen; Varlamova, Olga; Ratzke, Markus; Uhlig, Sebastian

2016-04-01

Femtosecond laser-induced regular nanostructures are generated on a complex multilayer target, namely a piece of a commercial, used hard disk memory. It is shown that after single-shot 800-nm irradiation at 0.26 J/cm2 only the polymer cover layer and—in the center—a portion of the magnetic multilayer are ablated. A regular array of linearly aligned spherical 450-nm features at the uncovered interface between cover and magnetic layers appears not to be produced by the irradiation. Only after about 10 pulses on one spot, classical ripples perpendicular to the laser polarization with a period of ≈700 nm are observed, with a modulation between 40 nm above and 40 nm below the pristine surface and an ablation depth only slightly larger than the thickness of the multilayer magnetic film. Further increase of the pulse number does not result in deeper ablation. However, 770-nm ripples become parallel to the polarization and are swelling to more than 120 nm above zero, much more than the full multilayer film thickness. In the spot periphery, much shallower 300-nm ripples are perpendicular to the strong modulation and the laser polarization. Irradiation with 0.49-J/cm2 pulses from an ultrafast white-light continuum results—in the spot periphery—in the formation of 200-nm ripples, only swelling above zero after removal of the polymer cover, without digging into the magnetic film.

Analysis of the tunable asymmetric fiber F-P cavity for fiber strain sensor edge-filter demodulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Haotao; Liang, Youcheng

2014-12-01

An asymmetric fiber (Fabry-Pérot, F-P) interferometric cavity with the good linearity and wide dynamic range was successfully designed based on the optical thin film characteristic matrix theory; by adjusting the material of two different thin metallic layers, the asymmetric fiber F-P interferometric cavity was fabricated by depositing the multi-layer thin films on the optical fiber's end face. The asymmetric F-P cavity has the extensive potential application. In this paper, the demodulation method for the wavelength shift of the fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor based on the F-P cavity is demonstrated, and a theoretical formula is obtained. And the experimental results coincide well with the computational results obtained from the theoretical model.

Remarkably high mobility ultra-thin-film metal-oxide transistor with strongly overlapped orbitals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei Shih, Chen; Chin, Albert; Fu Lu, Chun; Fang Su, Wei

2016-01-01

High mobility channel thin-film-transistor (TFT) is crucial for both display and future generation integrated circuit. We report a new metal-oxide TFT that has an ultra-thin 4.5 nm SnO2 thickness for both active channel and source-drain regions, very high 147 cm2/Vs field-effect mobility, high ION/IOFF of 2.3 × 107, small 110 mV/dec sub-threshold slope, and a low VD of 2.5 V for low power operation. This mobility is already better than chemical-vapor-deposition grown multi-layers MoS2 TFT. From first principle quantum-mechanical calculation, the high mobility TFT is due to strongly overlapped orbitals.

Remarkably high mobility ultra-thin-film metal-oxide transistor with strongly overlapped orbitals

PubMed Central

Wei Shih, Chen; Chin, Albert; Fu Lu, Chun; Fang Su, Wei

2016-01-01

High mobility channel thin-film-transistor (TFT) is crucial for both display and future generation integrated circuit. We report a new metal-oxide TFT that has an ultra-thin 4.5 nm SnO2 thickness for both active channel and source-drain regions, very high 147 cm2/Vs field-effect mobility, high ION/IOFF of 2.3 × 107, small 110 mV/dec sub-threshold slope, and a low VD of 2.5 V for low power operation. This mobility is already better than chemical-vapor-deposition grown multi-layers MoS2 TFT. From first principle quantum-mechanical calculation, the high mobility TFT is due to strongly overlapped orbitals. PMID:26744240

Controlling particle properties in {{YBa}}_{2}{{Cu}}_{3}{{\\rm{O}}}_{7-\\delta } nanocomposites by combining PLD with an inert gas condensation system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sparing, M.; Reich, E.; Hänisch, J.; Gottschall, T.; Hühne, R.; Fähler, S.; Rellinghaus, B.; Schultz, L.; Holzapfel, B.

2017-10-01

The critical current density {J}{{c}} in {{YBa}}2{{Cu}}3{{{O}}}7-δ thin films, which limits their application in external magnetic fields, can be enhanced by the introduction of artificial pinning centers such as non-superconducting nanoparticles inducing additional defects and local strain in the superconducting matrix. To understand the correlation between superconductivity, defect structures and particles, a controlled integration of particles with adjustable properties is essential. A powerful technique for the growth of isolated nanoparticles in the range of 10 nm is dc-magnetron sputtering in an inert gas flow. The inert gas condensation (IGC) of particles allows for an independent control of both the particle diameter distribution and the areal density. We report on the integration of such gas-phase-condensed {{HfO}}2 nanoparticles into pulsed laser deposited (PLD) {{YBa}}2{{Cu}}3{{{O}}}7-δ thin film multilayers with a combined PLD-IGC system. The particles and the structure of the multilayers are analyzed by transmission electron microscopy on cross-sectional FIB lamellae. As a result of the IGC particle implementation, randomly as well as biaxially oriented {{BaHfO}}3 precipitates are formed in the {{YBa}}2{{Cu}}3{{{O}}}7-δ thin films. With as few as three interlayers of nanoparticles, the pinning force density is enhanced in the low-field region.

Preparation of TiO2/Ag/TiO2 (TAT) multilayer films with optical and electrical properties enhanced by using Cr-added Ag film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loka, Chadrasekhar; Lee, Kee-Sun

2017-09-01

The dielectric-metal-dielectric tri-layer films have attracted much attention by virtue of their low-cost and high quality device performance as a transparent conductive electrode. Here, we report the deposition of Cr doped Ag films sandwiched between thin TiO2 layers and investigation on the surface microstructure, optical and electrical properties depending on the thickness of the Ag(Cr). The activation energy (1.18 eV) for grain growth of Ag was calculated from the Arrhenius plot using the law Dn -D0n = kt , which was comparable to the bulk diffusion of Ag. This result indicated the grain growth of Ag was effectively retarded by the Cr addition, which was presumed to related with blocking the surface and grain boundary diffusion due to Cr segregation. Based on thermal stability of Cr added Ag film, we deposited TiO2/Ag(Cr)/TiO2 (TAT) multilayer thin films and with a 10 nm thick Ag(Cr), the TAT films showed high optical transmittance in the visible region (94.2%), low electrical resistivity (8.66 × 10-5 Ω cm), and hence the high figure of merit 57.15 × 10-3 Ω-1 was achieved. The high transmittance of the TAT film was believed to be attributed to the low optical loss due to a reduction in the Ag layer thickness, the surface plasmon effect, and the electron scattering reduced by the Ag layer with a low electrical resistivity.

Enhanced electrical properties in bilayered ferroelectric thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Hao; Long, WeiJie; Chen, YaQing; Guo, DongJie

2013-03-01

Sr2Bi4Ti5O18 (SBTi) single layered and Sr2Bi4Ti5O18/Pb(Zr0.53Ti0.47)O3 (SBTi/PZT) bilayered thin films have been prepared on Pt/TiO2/SiO2/Si substrates by pulsed-laser deposition (PLD). The related structural characterizations and electrical properties have been comparatively investigated. X-ray diffraction reveals that both films have crystallized into perovskite phases and scanning electron microscopy shows the sharp interfaces. Both films show well-saturated ferroelectric hysteresis loops, however, compared with the single layered SBTi films, the SBTi/PZT bilayered films have significantly increased remnant polarization ( P r) and decreased coercive field ( E c), with the applied field of 260 kV/cm. The measured P r and E c of SBTi and SBTi/PZT films were 7.9 μC/cm2, 88.1 kV/cm and 13.0 μC/cm2, 51.2 kV/cm, respectively. In addition, both films showed good fatigue-free characteristics, the switchable polarization decreased by 9% and 11% of the initial values after 2.2×109 switching cycles for the SBTi single layered films and the SBTi/PZT bilayered films, respectively. Our results may provide some guidelines for further optimization of multilayered ferroelectric thin films.

Epitaxial growth of lead zirconium titanate thin films on Ag buffered Si substrates using rf sputtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Chun; Laughlin, David E.; Kryder, Mark H.

2007-04-01

Epitaxial lead zirconium titanate (PZT) (001) thin films with a Pt bottom electrode were deposited by rf sputtering onto Si(001) single crystal substrates with a Ag buffer layer. Both PZT(20/80) and PZT(53/47) samples were shown to consist of a single perovskite phase and to have the (001) orientation. The orientation relationship was determined to be PZT(001)[110]‖Pt(001)[110]‖Ag(001)[110]‖Si(001)[110]. The microstructure of the multilayer was studied using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The electron diffraction pattern confirmed the epitaxial relationship between each layer. The measured remanent polarization Pr and coercive field Ec of the PZT(20/80) thin film were 26μC /cm2 and 110kV/cm, respectively. For PZT(53/47), Pr was 10μC /cm2 and Ec was 80kV/cm.

Controllable light filters using an all-solid-state switchable mirror with a Mg-Ir thin film for preterm infant incubators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tajima, Kazuki; Shimoike, Mika; Li, Heng; Inagaki, Masumi; Izumi, Hitomi; Akiyama, Misaki; Matsushima, Yukiko; Ohta, Hidenobu

2013-04-01

We have fabricated a controllable light filter using an all-solid-state switchable mirror incorporating a Mg-Ir thin film for use in preterm infant incubators. The solid-state switchable mirror device was fabricated by depositing a multilayer on a glass substrate. The mixed hydride of MgH2 and Mg6Ir2H11 created from the Mg-Ir thin film is red in the transparent state. The optical switching speeds between the reflective and transparent red states depended on applied voltage. The device showed three states, namely, reflective, black, and transparent red, due to the properties of the switchable mirror material. These results suggest that the material could be used as a controllable light filter for preterm infant incubators, since it eliminates the light wavelength that disturbs regular sleep-wake cycles of preterm infants.

Characterization of casein and poly-L-arginine multilayer films.

PubMed

Szyk-Warszyńska, Lilianna; Kilan, Katarzyna; Socha, Robert P

2014-06-01

Thin films containing casein appear to be a promising material for coatings used in the medical area to promote biomineralization. α- and β-casein and poly-L-arginine multilayer films were formed by the layer-by layer technique and their thickness and mass were analyzed by ellipsometry and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D). (PLArg/casein) films deposited in 0.15M NaCl exhibit fast (exponential-like) growth of the film thickness with the number of layers. The resulting films were c.a. 10 times thicker than obtained for poly-L-arginine and natural polyanions. We investigated the effect of the type of casein used for the film formation, finding that films with α-casein were slightly thicker than ones with β-casein. The effect of polyethylene imine anchoring layer on the thickness and mass of adsorbed films was similar as for linear polyelectrolyte pairs. Thickness of "wet" films was c.a. two times larger than measured after drying that suggests their large hydration. The analysis of the mass of films during their post-treatment with the solutions of various ionic strength and pH provided the information concerning films stability. Films remain stable in the neutral and weakly basic conditions that includes HEPES buffer, which is widely used in cell culture and biomedical experiments. At the conditions of high ionic strength films swell but their swelling is reversible. Films containing caseins as polyanion appear to be more elastic and the same time more viscous than one formed with polyelectrolyte pairs. XPS elemental analysis confirmed binding of calcium ions by the casein embedded in the multilayers. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Characterization facility for magneto-optic media and systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mansuripur, M.; Fu, H.; Gadetsky, S.; Sugaya, S.; Wu, T. H.; Zambuto, J.; Gerber, R.; Goodman, T.; Erwin, J. K.

1993-01-01

Objectives of this research are: (1) to measure the hysteresis loop, Kerr rotation angle, anisotropy energy profile, Hall voltage, and magnetoresistance of thin-film magneto-optic media using our loop-tracer; (2) measure the wavelength-dependence of the Kerr rotation angle, Theta(sub k), and ellipticity, epsilon(sub k), for thin-film media using our magneto-optic Kerr spectrometer (MOKS); (3) measure the dielectric tensor of thin-film and multilayer samples using our variable-angle magneto-optic ellipsometer (VAMOE); (4) measure the hysteresis loop, coercivity, remanent magnetization, saturation magnetization, and anisotropy energy constant for thin film magnetic media using vibrating sample magnetometry; (5) observe small magnetic domains and investigate their interaction with defects using magnetic force microscopy; (6) perform static read/write/erase experiments on thin-film magneto-optic media using our static test station; (7) integrate the existing models of magnetization, magneto-optic effects, coercivity, and anisotropy in an interactive and user-friendly environment, and analyze the characterization data obtained in the various experiments, using this modeling package; (8) measure focusing- and tracking-error signals on a static testbed, determine the 'feedthrough' for various focusing schemes, investigate the effects of polarization and birefringence, and compare the results with diffraction-based calculations; and (9) measure the birefringence of optical disk substrates using two variable angle ellipsometers.

Unpolarized resonance grating reflectors with 44% fractional bandwidth.

PubMed

Niraula, Manoj; Magnusson, Robert

2016-06-01

There is immense scientific interest in the properties of resonant thin films embroidered with periodic nanoscale features. This device class possesses considerable innovation potential. Accordingly, we report unpolarized broadband reflectors enabled by a serial arrangement of a pair of polarized subwavelength gratings. Optimized with numerical methods, our elemental gratings consist of a partially etched crystalline-silicon film on a quartz substrate. The resulting reflectors exhibit extremely wide spectral reflection bands in one polarization. By arranging two such reflectors sequentially with orthogonal periodicities, there results an unpolarized spectral band that exceeds those of the individual polarized bands. In the experiments reported herein, we achieve zero-order reflectance exceeding 97% under unpolarized light incidence over a 500 nm wide wavelength band. This wideband represents a ∼44% fractional band in the near infrared. Moreover, the resonant unpolarized broadband accommodates an ultra-high reflection band spanning ∼85  nm and exceeding 99.9% in efficiency. The elemental polarization-sensitive reflectors based on one-dimensional (1D) resonant gratings have a simple design and robust performance, and are straightforward to fabricate. Hence, this technology is a promising alternative to traditional multilayer thin-film reflectors, especially at longer wavelengths of light where multilayer deposition may be infeasible or impractical.

VUV thin films, chapter 7

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zukic, Muamer; Torr, Douglas G.

1993-01-01

The application of thin film technology to the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) wavelength region from 120 nm to 230 nm has not been fully exploited in the past because of absorption effects which complicate the accurate determination of the optical functions of dielectric materials. The problem therefore reduces to that of determining the real and imaginary parts of a complex optical function, namely the frequency dependent refractive index n and extinction coefficient k. We discuss techniques for the inverse retrieval of n and k for dielectric materials at VUV wavelengths from measurements of their reflectance and transmittance. Suitable substrate and film materials are identified for application in the VUV. Such applications include coatings for the fabrication of narrow and broadband filters and beamsplitters. The availability of such devices open the VUV regime to high resolution photometry, interferometry and polarimetry both for space based and laboratory applications. This chapter deals with the optics of absorbing multilayers, the determination of the optical functions for several useful materials, and the design of VUV multilayer stacks as applied to the design of narrow and broadband reflection and transmission filters and beamsplitters. Experimental techniques are discussed briefly, and several examples of the optical functions derived for selected materials are presented.

Ultra-thin layer packaging for implantable electronic devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hogg, A.; Aellen, T.; Uhl, S.; Graf, B.; Keppner, H.; Tardy, Y.; Burger, J.

2013-07-01

State of the art packaging for long-term implantable electronic devices generally uses reliable metal and glass housings; however, these are limited in the miniaturization potential and cost reduction. This paper focuses on the development of biocompatible hermetic thin-film packaging based on poly-para-xylylene (Parylene-C) and silicon oxide (SiOx) multilayers for smart implantable microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices. For the fabrication, a combined Parylene/SiOx single-chamber deposition system was developed. Topological aspects of multilayers were characterized by atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Material compositions and layer interfaces were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. To evaluate the multilayer corrosion protection, water vapor permeation was investigated using a calcium mirror test. The calcium mirror test shows very low water permeation rates of 2 × 10-3 g m-2 day-1 (23 °C, 45% RH) for a 4.7 µm multilayer, which is equivalent to a 1.9 mm pure Parylene-C coating. According to the packaging standard MIL-STD-883, the helium gas tightness was investigated. These helium permeation measurements predict that a multilayer of 10 µm achieves the hermeticity acceptance criterion required for long-term implantable medical devices.

Process-Parameter-Dependent Optical and Structural Properties of ZrO2MgO Mixed-Composite Films Evaporated from the solid Solution

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sahoo, N. K.; Shapiro, A. P.

1998-01-01

The process-parameter-dependent optical and structural properties of ZrO2MgO mixed-composite material have been investigated. Optical properties were derived from spectrophotometric measurements. By use of atomic force microscopy, x-ray diffraction analysis, and energy-dispersive x-ray (EDX) analysis, the surface morphology, grain size distributions, crystallographic phases, and process-dependent material composition of films have been investigated. EDX analysis made evident the correlation between the oxygen enrichment in the films prepared at a high level of oxygen pressure and the very low refractive index. Since oxygen pressure can be dynamically varied during a deposition process, coatings constructed of suitable mixed-composite thin films can benefit from continuous modulation of the index of refraction. A step modulation approach is used to develop various multilayer-equivalent thin-film devices.

Effects of fluid shear stress on polyelectrolyte multilayers by neutron scattering studies

DOE PAGES

Singh, Saurabh; Junghans, Ann; Watkins, Erik; ...

2015-02-17

The structure of layer-by-layer (LbL) deposited nanofilm coatings consists of alternating polyethylenimine (PEI) and polystyrenesulfonate (PSS) films deposited on a single crystal quartz substrate. LbL-deposited nanofilms were investigated by neutron reflectomery (NR) in contact with water in the static and fluid shear stress conditions. The fluid shear stress was applied through a laminar flow of the liquid parallel to the quartz/polymer interface in a custom-built solid–liquid interface cell. The scattering length density profiles obtained from NR results of these polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEM), measured under different shear conditions, showed proportional decrease of volume fraction of water hydrating the polymers. For themore » highest shear rate applied (ca. 6800 s –1) the water volume fraction decreased by approximately 7%. The decrease of the volume fraction of water was homogeneous through the thickness of the film. Since there were not any significant changes in the total polymer thickness, it resulted in negative osmotic pressures in the film. The PEM films were compared with the behavior of thin films of thermoresponsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPAM) deposited via spin-coating. The PEM and pNIPAM differ in their interactions with water molecules, and they showed opposite behaviors under the fluid shear stress. In both cases the polymer hydration was reversible upon the restoration of static conditions. Furthermore, a theoretical explanation is given to explain this difference in the effect of shear on hydration of polymeric thin films.« less

Experimental correlation between nonlinear optical and magnetotransport properties observed in Au-Co thin films

DOE PAGES

Yang, Kaida; Kryutyanskiy, Victor; Kolmychek, Irina; ...

2016-01-01

Magnetic materials where at least one dimension is in the nanometer scale typically exhibit different magnetic, magnetotransport, and magnetooptical properties compared to bulk materials. Composite magnetic thin films where the matrix composition, magnetic cluster size, and overall composite film thickness can be experimentally tailored via adequate processing or growth parameters offer a viable nanoscale platform to investigate possible correlations between nonlinear magnetooptical and magnetotransport properties, since both types of properties are sensitive to the local magnetization landscape. As a result, it has been shown that the local magnetization contrast affects the nonlinear magnetooptical properties as well as the magnetotransport propertiesmore » in magnetic-metal/nonmagnetic metal multilayers; thus, nanocomposite films showcase another path to investigate possible correlations between these distinct properties which may prove useful for sensing applications.« less

Method and system using power modulation for maskless vapor deposition of spatially graded thin film and multilayer coatings with atomic-level precision and accuracy

DOEpatents

Montcalm, Claude [Livermore, CA; Folta, James Allen [Livermore, CA; Tan, Swie-In [San Jose, CA; Reiss, Ira [New City, NY

2002-07-30

A method and system for producing a film (preferably a thin film with highly uniform or highly accurate custom graded thickness) on a flat or graded substrate (such as concave or convex optics), by sweeping the substrate across a vapor deposition source operated with time-varying flux distribution. In preferred embodiments, the source is operated with time-varying power applied thereto during each sweep of the substrate to achieve the time-varying flux distribution as a function of time. A user selects a source flux modulation recipe for achieving a predetermined desired thickness profile of the deposited film. The method relies on precise modulation of the deposition flux to which a substrate is exposed to provide a desired coating thickness distribution.

Multilayer Ferritin Array for Bionanobattery

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chu, Sang-Hyon (Inventor); Choi, Sang H. (Inventor); Kim, Jae-Woo (Inventor); Lillehei, Peter T. (Inventor); Park, Yeonjoon (Inventor); King, Glen C. (Inventor); Elliott, James R., Jr. (Inventor)

2009-01-01

A thin-film electrode for a bio-nanobattery is produced by consecutively depositing arrays of a ferritin protein on a substrate, employing a spin self-assembly procedure. By this procedure, a first ferritin layer is first formed on the substrate, followed by building a second, oppositely-charged ferritin layer on the top of the first ferritin layer to form a bilayer structure. Oppositely-charged ferritin layers are subsequently deposited on top of each other until a desired number of bilayer structures is produced. An ordered, uniform, stable and robust, thin-film electrode material of enhanced packing density is presented, which provides optimal charge density for the bio-nanobattery.

Tracing the 4000 year history of organic thin films: From monolayers on liquids to multilayers on solids

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

Greene, J. E.; Linköping University, 581 83 Linköping; National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 10607, Taiwan

The recorded history of organic monolayer and multilayer thin films spans approximately 4000 years. Fatty-acid-based monolayers were deposited on water by the ancients for applications ranging from fortune telling in King Hammurabi's time (∼1800 BC, Mesopotamia) to stilling choppy waters for sailors and divers as reported by the Roman philosopher Pliny the Elder in ∼78 AD, and then much later (1774) by the peripatetic American statesman and natural philosopher Benjamin Franklin, to Japanese “floating-ink” art (suminagashi) developed ∼1000 years ago. The modern science of organic monolayers began in the late-1800s/early-1900s with experiments by Lord Rayleigh and the important development bymore » Agnes Pockels, followed two decades later by Irving Langmuir, of the tools and technology to measure the surface tension of liquids, the surface pressure of organic monolayers deposited on water, interfacial properties, molecular conformation of the organic layers, and phase transitions which occur upon compressing the monolayers. In 1935, Katherine Blodgett published a landmark paper showing that multilayers can be synthesized on solid substrates, with controlled thickness and composition, using an apparatus now known as the Langmuir-Blodgett (L-B) trough. A disadvantage of LB films for some applications is that they form weak physisorbed bonds to the substrate. In 1946, Bigelow, Pickett, and Zisman demonstrated, in another seminal paper, the growth of organic self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) via spontaneous adsorption from solution, rather than from the water/air interface, onto SiO{sub 2} and metal substrates. SAMs are close-packed two-dimensional organic crystals which exhibit strong covalent bonding to the substrate. The first multicomponent adsorbed monolayers and multilayer SAMs were produced in the early 1980s. Langmuir monolayers, L-B multilayers, and self-assembled mono- and multilayers have found an extraordinarily broad range of applications including controlled wetting, adhesion, electrochemistry, biocompatibility, molecular recognition, biosensing, cell biology, non-linear optics, molecular electronics, solar cells, read/write/erase memory, and magnetism.« less

Preparation and properties of sol-gel derived PZT thin films for decoupling capacitor applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwartz, R. W.; Dimos, D.; Lockwood, S. J.; Torres, V. M.

The use of ceramic thin films as decoupling capacitors offers the possibility of capacitor integration within the integrated circuit (IC) package and, potentially, directly onto the IC itself. Since these configurations minimize series inductance, higher operational speeds are possible. In the present study, the authors have investigated the dielectric and leakage characteristics of sol-gel PZT films. For compositions near the morphotropic phase boundary, dielectric constants of 1000, and loss tangents of about 0.02, are observed. The current-voltage behavior of the capacitors is characterized by a non-linear response, and significant asymmetry in both the leakage and breakdown characteristics as a function of bias sign is observed. Breakdown fields for PZT 53/47 thin films are typically approximately 800 kV/cm at 25 C. The authors have also studied the effects of La and Nb dopant additions and alternate firing strategies on film leakage characteristics. Donor doping at 2 - 5 mol % lowers leakage currents by a factor of 10(exp 3). For films prepared by a multilayering approach, firing each layer to crystallization results in leakage currents that are a factor of 10(exp 2) lower than films prepared by the standard process.

A soft gamma-ray concentrator using thin-film multilayer structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bloser, Peter F.; Aliotta, Paul H.; Echt, Olof; Krzanowski, James E.; Legere, Jason S.; McConnell, Mark L.; Shirazi, Farzane; Tsavalas, John G.; Wong, Emily N.; Kippen, R. Marc

2015-09-01

We have begun to investigate the use of thin-film, multilayer structures to form optics capable of concentrating soft gamma rays with energies greater than 100 keV, beyond the reach of current grazing-incidence hard X-ray mirrors. Alternating layers of low- and high-density materials (e.g., polymers and metals) will channel soft gamma-ray photons via total external reflection. A suitable arrangement of bent structures will then concentrate the incident radiation to a point. Gamma-ray optics made in this way offer the potential for soft gamma-ray telescopes with focal lengths of less than 10 m, removing the need for formation flying spacecraft and opening the field up to balloon-borne instruments. Building on initial investigations at Los Alamos National Laboratory, we are investigating whether it is possible to grow such flexible multi-layer structures with the required thicknesses and smoothness using magnetron sputter and pulsed laser deposition techniques. We present the initial results of tests aimed at fabricating such structures by combining magnetron sputtering with either spin coating or pulsed laser deposition, and demonstrating gamma-ray channeling of 122 keV photons in the laboratory. If successful, this technology offers the potential for transformational increases in sensitivity while dramatically improving the system-level performance of future high-energy astronomy missions through reduced mass and complexity.

Fibronectin-based multilayer thin films.

PubMed

Gand, Adeline; Tabuteau, Maud; Chat, Coline; Ladam, Guy; Atmani, Hassan; Van Tassel, Paul R; Pauthe, Emmanuel

2017-08-01

Thin films mimicking the structure and composition of the extra-cellular matrix (ECM) are potentially attractive as biomaterials for cell contacting applications. Layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly of a biological polycation, poly(l-lysine) (PLL), and a common ECM protein, fibronectin (Fn), was employed here to construct nanoscale, ECM mimicking films. Incremental film thickness and interfacial charge magnitude are observed to diminish with layer number, resulting in sub-linear film growth scaling and saturation after about 10 layers. Infrared spectroscopy and electron microscopy together reveal the formation of Fn containing aggregates, whose presence correlates with diminished charge reversal and suppressed LbL assembly. PLL-Fn films induce a significantly greater murine MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblastic cell proliferation, while maintaining a much higher proportion of Fn in the molecular (as opposed to fibrillar) state, compared to a Fn monolayer, suggesting the enhanced Fn content of these ECM-mimicking films to significantly, and positively, affect cell behavior. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Aqueous chemical growth of alpha-Fe2O3-alpha-Cr203 nanocompositethin films

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

Vayssieres, Lionel; Guo, Jinghua; Nordgren, Joseph

2001-06-30

We are reporting here on the inexpensive fabrication and optical properties of an iron(III) oxide chromium(III) oxide nanocomposite thin film of corundum crystal structure. Its novel and unique-designed architecture consists of uniformed, well-defined and oriented nanorods of Hematite (alpha-Fe2O3) of 50 nm in diameter and 500nm in length and homogeneously distributed nonaggregated monodisperse spherical nanoparticles of Eskolaite (alpha-Cr2O3) of 250 nm in diameter. This alpha-Fe2O3 alpha-Cr2O3 nanocomposite thin film is obtained by growing, directly onto transparent polycrystalline conducting substrate, an oriented layer of hematite nanorods and growing subsequently, the eskolaite layer. The synthesis is carried out by a template-free, low-temperature,more » multilayer thin film coating process using aqueous solution of metal salts as precursors. Almost 100 percent of the light is absorbed by the composite film between 300 and 525 nm and 40 percent at 800 nm which yields great expectations as photoanode materials for photovoltaic cells and photocatalytic devices.« less

Optical properties of thin films of zinc oxide quantum dots and polydimethylsiloxane: UV-blocking and the effect of cross-linking.

PubMed

Eita, Mohamed; El Sayed, Ramy; Muhammed, Mamoun

2012-12-01

Thin films of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and ZnO quantum dots (QDs) were built up as multilayers by spin-coating. The films are characterized by a UV-blocking ability that increases with increasing number of bilayers. Photoluminescence (PL) emission spectra of the thin films occur at 522 nm, which is the PL wavelength of the ZnO QDs dispersion, but with a lower intensity and a quantum yield (QY) less than 1% that of the dispersion. Cross-linking has introduced new features to the absorption spectra in that the absorption peak was absent. These changes were attributed to the morphological and structural changes revealed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), respectively. TEM showed that the ZnO particle size in the film increased from 7 (±2.7) nm to 16 (±7.8) upon cross-linking. The FTIR spectra suggest that ZnO QDs are involved in the cross-linking of PDMS and that the surface of the ZnO QDs has been chemically modified. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fabrication and characterization of compositionally-graded shape memory alloy films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cole, Daniel Paul

2009-12-01

The miniaturization of engineering devices has created interest in new actuation methods capable of high power and high frequency responses. Shape memory alloy (SMA) thin films have exhibited one of the highest power densities of any material used in these actuation schemes. However, they currently require complex thermomechanical training in order to be actuated, which becomes more difficult as devices approach the microscale. Previous studies have indicated that SMA films with compositional gradients have the added feature of an intrinsic two-way shape memory effect (SME). In this work, a new method for processing and characterizing compositionally-graded transformable thin films is presented. Graded NiTi SMA films were processed using magnetron sputtering. Single and multilayer graded films were deposited onto bulk NiTi substrates and single crystal silicon substrates, respectively. Annealing the films naturally produced a compositional gradient across the film-substrate or film-film interface through diffusion modification. The films were directly characterized using a combination of atomic force microscopy (AFM), x-ray diffraction and Auger electron spectroscopy. The compositional gradient was indirectly characterized by measuring the variation in mechanical properties as a function of depth using nanoindentation. The similarity of the indentation response on graded films of varying thickness was used to estimate the width of the graded interface. The nanoindentation response was predicted using an analysis that accounted for the transformation effects occurring under the tip during loading and the variation of elastic modulus resulting from the compositional gradient. The recovery mechanisms of the graded films are compared with homogeneous films using a new nanoscale technique. An AFM integrated with a heating and cooling stage was used to observe the recovery of inelastic deformation caused through nanoindentation. The graded films exhibited a two-way SME with a reduced hysteresis, while the homogeneous films exhibited the classical one-way SME. The fabrication and characterization techniques developed in this work have the potential to be applied to general graded and multi-layer film systems.

Surface patterning by pulsed-laser-induced transfer of metals and compounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toth, Zsolt; Mogyorosi, Peter; Szoerenyi, Tamas

1990-08-01

Besults of a systematic study on Q-switched nthy laser induced rrrn2 area transfer of supported titanium and chranium thin films and Ge/Se multilayer structures are reported. The appearance of the prints is governed by film-support adhesion and source-target spacing. Best quality prints are produced by ablating well adhering ntal films in close proximity ( spacing < 15 pm) to the target to be patterned. Transfer fran stacked elenntaxy layers as a source offers a unique possibility of depositing acinpound films by mixing the constituents and transferring the material onto the target substrate in a single step.

Electrostatically assisted fabrication of silver-dielectric core/shell nanoparticles thin film capacitor with uniform metal nanoparticle distribution and controlled spacing.

PubMed

Li, Xue; Niitsoo, Olivia; Couzis, Alexander

2016-03-01

An electrostatically-assisted strategy for fabrication of thin film composite capacitors with controllable dielectric constant (k) has been developed. The capacitor is composed of metal-dielectric core/shell nanoparticle (silver/silica, Ag@SiO2) multilayer films, and a backfilling polymer. Compared with the simple metal particle-polymer mixtures where the metal nanoparticles (NP) are randomly dispersed in the polymer matrix, the metal volume fraction in our capacitor was significantly increased, owing to the densely packed NP multilayers formed by the electrostatically assisted assembly process. Moreover, the insulating layer of silica shell provides a potential barrier that reduces the tunneling current between neighboring Ag cores, endowing the core/shell nanocomposites with a stable and relatively high dielectric constant (k) and low dielectric loss (D). Our work also shows that the thickness of the SiO2 shell plays a dominant role in controlling the dielectric properties of the nanocomposites. Control over metal NP separation distance was realized not only by variation the shell thickness of the core/shell NPs but also by introducing a high k nanoparticle, barium strontium titanate (BST) of relatively smaller size (∼8nm) compared to 80-160nm of the core/shell Ag@SiO2 NPs. The BST assemble between the Ag@SiO2 and fill the void space between the closely packed core/shell NPs leading to significant enhancement of the dielectric constant. This electrostatically assisted assembly method is promising for generating multilayer films of a large variety of NPs over large areas at low cost. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sputtering Deposition of Sandwich-Structured V2O5/Metal (V, W)/V2O5 Multilayers for the Preparation of High-Performance Thermally Sensitive VO2 Thin Films with Selectivity of VO2 (B) and VO2 (M) Polymorph.

PubMed

Liu, Hengwu; Wan, Dongyun; Ishaq, Ahmad; Chen, Lanli; Guo, Beibei; Shi, Siqi; Luo, Hongjie; Gao, Yanfeng

2016-03-01

For specific application to an uncooled infrared detector, VO2 thin films should have a series of characteristics including purposefully chosen polymorphs, accurate stoichiometry, phase stabilization, a high temperature-coefficient of resistance (TCR), and suitable square-resistance. This work reports controllable preparation of high-performance VO2 films via post annealing of a sandwich-structured V2O5/metal (V, W)/V2O5 multilayer precursor, which was deposited by RF magnetron sputtering. This sandwich structure can dynamically regulate oxygen contents and doping element levels in the films, enabling us to achieve accurate regulation of stoichiometry and polymorphs. The precursor films undergo a B to M phase transition depending on the quantity of the metal layers. At the thickness of the metal layer below a limitation, the resulting film after heat treatment was VO2 (B), and above the limitation, the product was VO2 (M). The optical modulation of the VO2 (M) in the near-infrared region can be tuned from 1.2 to 39.8% (ΔT2000 nm). TCR values can range from -1.89 to -4.29%/K and the square-resistances at room temperature (R0) from 69.68 to 12.63 kΩ. The simplicity in phase regulation of the present method and the superior optical and electrical properties of the films may allow its wide applications in thermo-opto-electro sensing devices.

Surface self-organization in multilayer film coatings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shuvalov, Gleb M.; Kostyrko, Sergey A.

2017-12-01

It is a recognized fact that during film deposition and subsequent thermal processing the film surface evolves into an undulating profile. Surface roughness affects many important aspects in the engineering application of thin film materials such as wetting, heat transfer, mechanical, electromagnetic and optical properties. To accurately control the morphological surface modifications at the micro- and nanoscale and improve manufacturing techniques, we design a mathematical model of the surface self-organization process in multilayer film materials. In this paper, we consider a solid film coating with an arbitrary number of layers under plane strain conditions. The film surface has a small initial perturbation described by a periodic function. It is assumed that the evolution of the surface relief is governed by surface and volume diffusion. Based on Gibbs thermodynamics and linear theory of elasticity, we present a procedure for constructing a governing equation that gives the amplitude change of the surface perturbation with time. A parametric study of the evolution equation leads to the definition of a critical undulation wavelength that stabilizes the surface. As a numerical result, the influence of geometrical and physical parameters on the morphological stability of an isotropic two-layered film coating is analyzed.

Growth and interface engineering in thin-film Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3 /SrMoO3 heterostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Radetinac, Aldin; Ziegler, Jürgen; Vafaee, Mehran; Alff, Lambert; Komissinskiy, Philipp

2017-04-01

Epitaxial heterostructures of ferroelectric Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3 and highly conducting SrMoO3 were grown by pulsed laser deposition on SrTiO3 (0 0 1) substrates. Surface oxidation of the SrMoO3 film is suppressed using a thin cap interlayer of Ba0.6Sr0.4TiO3-δ grown in reduced atmosphere. As shown by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the Mo4+ valence state of the SrMoO3 films is stable upon annealing of the sample in oxygen up to 600 °C. The described oxygen interface engineering enables utilization of the highly conducting material SrMoO3 in multilayer oxide ferroelectric varactors.

Structure and performance of dielectric films based on self-assembled nanocrystals with a high dielectric constant.

PubMed

Huang, Limin; Liu, Shuangyi; Van Tassell, Barry J; Liu, Xiaohua; Byro, Andrew; Zhang, Henan; Leland, Eli S; Akins, Daniel L; Steingart, Daniel A; Li, Jackie; O'Brien, Stephen

2013-10-18

Self-assembled films built from nanoparticles with a high dielectric constant are attractive as a foundation for new dielectric media with increased efficiency and range of operation, due to the ability to exploit nanofabrication techniques and emergent electrical properties originating from the nanoscale. However, because the building block is a discrete one-dimensional unit, it becomes a challenge to capture potential enhancements in dielectric performance in two or three dimensions, frequently due to surface effects or the presence of discontinuities. This is a recurring theme in nanoparticle film technology when applied to the realm of thin film semiconductor and device electronics. We present the use of chemically synthesized (Ba,Sr)TiO3 nanocrystals, and a novel deposition-polymerization technique, as a means to fabricate the dielectric layer. The effective dielectric constant of the film is tunable according to nanoparticle size, and effective film dielectric constants of up to 34 are enabled. Wide area and multilayer dielectrics of up to 8 cm(2) and 190 nF are reported, for which the building block is an 8 nm nanocrystal. We describe models for assessing dielectric performance, and distinct methods for improving the dielectric constant of a nanocrystal thin film. The approach relies on evaporatively driven assembly of perovskite nanocrystals with uniform size distributions in a tunable 7-30 nm size range, coupled with the use of low molecular weight monomer/polymer precursor chemistry that can infiltrate the porous nanocrystal thin film network post assembly. The intercrystal void space (low k dielectric volume fraction) is minimized, while simultaneously promoting intercrystal connectivity and maximizing volume fraction of the high k dielectric component. Furfuryl alcohol, which has good affinity to the surface of (Ba,Sr)TiO3 nanocrystals and miscibility with a range of solvents, is demonstrated to be ideal for the production of nanocomposites. The nanocrystal/furfuryl alcohol dispersions are suitable for the fabrication of thin films by chemical deposition techniques, including spin-coating, printing or a spraying process. To demonstrate the application of this technique to device fabrication, a multilayer capacitor with capacitance of 0.83 nF mm(-2) at 1 MHz is presented.

Polycaprolactone thin films for retinal tissue engineering and drug delivery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steedman, Mark Rory

This dissertation focuses on the development of polycaprolactone thin films for retinal tissue engineering and drug delivery. We combined these thin films with techniques such as micro and nanofabrication to develop treatments for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a disease that leads to the death of rod and cone photoreceptors. Current treatments are only able to slow or limit the progression of the disease, and photoreceptors cannot be regenerated or replaced by the body once lost. The first experiments presented focus on a potential treatment for AMD after photoreceptor death has occurred. We developed a polymer thin film scaffold technology to deliver retinal progenitor cells (RPCs) to the affected area of the eye. Earlier research showed that RPCs destined to become photoreceptors are capable of incorporating into a degenerated retina. In our experiments, we showed that RPC attachment to a micro-welled polycaprolactone (PCL) thin film surface enhanced the differentiation of these cells toward a photoreceptor fate. We then used our PCL thin films to develop a drug delivery device capable of sustained therapeutic release over a multi-month period that would maintain an effective concentration of the drug in the eye and eliminate the need for repeated intraocular injections. We first investigated the biocompatibility of PCL in the rabbit eye. We injected PCL thin films into the anterior chamber or vitreous cavity of rabbit eyes and monitored the animals for up to 6 months. We found that PCL thin films were well tolerated in the rabbit eye, showing no signs of chronic inflammation due to the implant. We then developed a multilayered thin film device containing a microporous membrane. We loaded these devices with lyophilized proteins and quantified drug elution for 10 weeks, finding that both bovine serum albumin and immunoglobulin G elute from these devices with zero order release kinetics. These experiments demonstrate that PCL is an extremely useful biomaterial that may be used to treat AMD in multiple ways. Through both tissue engineering and drug delivery techniques we have established that PCL thin films have the potential to revolutionize the treatment of AMD.

Sensitivity control of optical fiber biosensors utilizing turnaround point long period gratings with self-assembled polymer coatings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gifford, Erika; Wang, Z.; Ramachandran, S.; Heflin, J. R.

2007-09-01

Ionic self-assembled multilayers (ISAMs) adsorbed on long period fiber gratings (LPGs) can serve as an inexpensive, robust, portable, biosensor platform. The ISAM technique is a layer-by-layer deposition technique that creates thin films on the nanoscale level. The combination of ISAMs with LPGs yields exceptional sensitivity of the optical fiber transmission spectrum. We have shown theoretically that the resonant wavelength shift for a thin-film coated LPG can be caused by the variation of the film's refractive index and/or the variation of the thickness of the film. We have experimentally demonstrated that the deposition of nm-thick ISAM films on LPGs induces shifts in the resonant wavelength of > 1.6 nm per nm of thin film. It has also been shown that the sensitivity of the LPG to the thickness of the ISAM film increases with increased film thickness. We have further demonstrated that ISAM-coated LPGs can function effectively as biosensors by using the biotin-streptavidin system and by using the Bacillus anthracis (Anthrax) antibody- PA (Protective Antigen) system. Experiments have been successfully performed in both air and solution, which illustrates the versatility of the biosensor. The results confirm that ISAM-LPGs yield a reusable, thermally-stable, and robust platform for designing and building efficient optical biosensors.

The Investigation of 6mu Biaxially Oriented Polyethylene 2, 6, -Naphthalate As a Possible Dielectric For Pulse Power Capacitors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yen, S. P. S.; Lowry, L.; Cygan, P. J.; Jow, T. R.

1993-01-01

The introduction of polythylene -2, 6-Naphthalate (PEN) semicrystalline film with thicknesses of 0.9mu, 1.5mu, 4.0Mu and community. Its unique chemical and high temparterure stability, as well as superior thermo-mechanical properties allow ultra thin ( 2mu) PEN film to be processed into miniature multilayer chip capacitors for surface mount technology (SMT) application that can be used with standard soldering techniques.

Metal/Dielectric Multilayers for High Resolution Imaging

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-08-07

of a silicon waveguide coated by thin metal film. The proposed PWG structure consists of narrow silicon waveguide clad by gold film without top...where the waveguide thickness is 220nm and the lower oxide cladding is 2μm. The device consists of main waveguide (of waveguide width WSOI=450nm...evaporation, where 3nm thick titanium was used as adhesion layer before 40nm gold deposition took place. Finally, the samples were spun coated with

Multi-layered zinc oxide-graphene composite thin films for selective nitrogen dioxide sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghosh, A.; Bhowmick, T.; Majumder, S. B.

2018-02-01

In the present work, selective nitrogen dioxide (NO2) sensing characteristics of multi-layered graphene-zinc oxide (G-ZnO) thin films have been demonstrated at 150 °C. The response% of 5 ppm NO2 was measured to be 894% with response and recovery times estimated to be 150 s and 315 s, respectively. In these composite films, the interaction between graphene and zinc oxide is established through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy in conjunction with the analyses of photoluminescence spectra. Superior NO2 sensing of these films is due to simultaneous chemiadsorption of molecular oxygen and NO2 gases onto graphene and ZnO surfaces, resulting in an appreciable increase in the depletion layer width and thereby the sensor resistance. The sensor responses for other reducing gases (viz., CO, H2, and i-C4H10) are postulated to be due to their catalytic oxidation on the sensor surface, resulting in a decrease in the sensor resistance upon gas exposure. At lower operating temperature, due to the molecular nature of the chemiadsorbed oxygen, poor catalytic oxidation leads to a far lower sensor response for reducing gases as compared to NO2. For mixed NO2 and reducing gas sensing, we have reported that fast Fourier transformation of the resistance transients of all these gases in conjunction with principal component analyses forms a reasonably distinct cluster and, therefore, could easily be differentiated.

Coulombic interactions on the deposition and rotational mobility distributions of dyes in polyelectrolyte multilayer thin films.

PubMed

Li, Ye; Yip, Wai Tak

2004-12-07

We employed negatively charged fluorescein (FL), positively charged rhodamine 6G (R6G), and neutral Nile Red (NR) as molecular probes to investigate the influence of Coulombic interaction on their deposition into and rotational mobility inside polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) films. The entrapment efficiency of the dyes reveals that while Coulombic repulsion has little effect on dye deposition, Coulombic attraction can dramatically enhance the loading efficiency of dyes into a PEM film. By monitoring the emission polarization of single dye molecules in polyethylenimine (PEI) films, the percentages of mobile R6G, NR, and FL were determined to be 87 +/- 4%, 76 +/- 5%, and 68 +/- 3%, respectively. These mobility distributions suggest that cationic R6G enjoys the highest degree of rotational freedom, whereas anionic FL shows the least mobility because of Coulombic attraction toward cationic PEI. Regardless of charges, this high percentage of mobile molecules is in stark contrast to the 5-40% probe mobility reported from spun-cast polymer films, indicating that our PEI films contain more free volume and display richer polymer dynamics. These observations demonstrate the potential of using isolated fluorescent probes to interrogate the internal structure of a PEM film at a microscopic level.

Photonic devices on planar and curved substrates and methods for fabrication thereof

DOEpatents

Bartl, Michael H.; Barhoum, Moussa; Riassetto, David

2016-08-02

A versatile and rapid sol-gel technique for the fabrication of high quality one-dimensional photonic bandgap materials. For example, silica/titania multi-layer materials may be fabricated by a sol-gel chemistry route combined with dip-coating onto planar or curved substrate. A shock-cooling step immediately following the thin film heat-treatment process is introduced. This step was found important in the prevention of film crack formation--especially in silica/titania alternating stack materials with a high number of layers. The versatility of this sol-gel method is demonstrated by the fabrication of various Bragg stack-type materials with fine-tuned optical properties by tailoring the number and sequence of alternating layers, the film thickness and the effective refractive index of the deposited thin films. Measured optical properties show good agreement with theoretical simulations confirming the high quality of these sol-gel fabricated optical materials.

Multilayer adsorption of C2H4 and CF4 on graphite: Grand Canonical Monte Carlo simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdelatif, H.; Drir, M.

2016-11-01

We study the phase transitions in adsorbed multilayers by Grand Canonical Monte Carlo simulations (GCMC) of the lattice-gas model. The focus will be on ethylene (C2H4) and tetrafluoromethane (CF4) on a homogeneous graphite surface. Earlier simulations of these systems investigated structural properties, dynamical behaviors of adsorbed films and thermodynamic quantities such as isosteric heat. The main purpose of this study is to consider the adsorbed multilayers by the evaluation of the layering behavior, the wetting phenomena and the critical temperatures. The isotherms obtained for temperature from 50 K to 170 K reproduce a number of interesting features observed experimentally: (i) we observe an important number of layers in contrast with previous simulations, (ii) a finite number of layers at saturated pressure for low temperatures are found, (iii) the isotherms present vertical steps typical of layer-by-layer growth, at higher temperatures these distinct layers tend to disappear signifying that the film thickness increases continuously, (iv) a thin film to thick film transition near the triple point temperature is noticed. In addition to this qualitative description, quantitative information are determined including temperatures and relative pressures of layers formation, layer-critical-point temperatures and phase diagrams. Comparing the two systems, ethylene/graphite and tetrafluoromethane/graphite, we observe a qualitatively similar behavior.

General Strategy for Broadband Coherent Perfect Absorption and Multi-wavelength All-optical Switching Based on Epsilon-Near-Zero Multilayer Films

PubMed Central

Kim, Tae Young; Badsha, Md. Alamgir; Yoon, Junho; Lee, Seon Young; Jun, Young Chul; Hwangbo, Chang Kwon

2016-01-01

We propose a general, easy-to-implement scheme for broadband coherent perfect absorption (CPA) using epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) multilayer films. Specifically, we employ indium tin oxide (ITO) as a tunable ENZ material, and theoretically investigate CPA in the near-infrared region. We first derive general CPA conditions using the scattering matrix and the admittance matching methods. Then, by combining these two methods, we extract analytic expressions for all relevant parameters for CPA. Based on this theoretical framework, we proceed to study ENZ CPA in a single layer ITO film and apply it to all-optical switching. Finally, using an ITO multilayer of different ENZ wavelengths, we implement broadband ENZ CPA structures and investigate multi-wavelength all-optical switching in the technologically important telecommunication window. In our design, the admittance matching diagram was employed to graphically extract not only the structural parameters (the film thicknesses and incident angles), but also the input beam parameters (the irradiance ratio and phase difference between two input beams). We find that the multi-wavelength all-optical switching in our broadband ENZ CPA system can be fully controlled by the phase difference between two input beams. The simple but general design principles and analyses in this work can be widely used in various thin-film devices. PMID:26965195

Controlling Internal Organization of Multilayer Poly(methacrylic acid) Hydrogels with Polymer Molecular Weight

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

Kozlovskaya, Veronika; Zavgorodnya, Oleksandra; Ankner, John F.

Here, we report on tailoring the internal architecture of multilayer-derived poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) hydrogels by controlling the molecular weight of poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVPON) in hydrogen-bonded (PMAA/PVPON) layer-by-layer precursor films. The hydrogels are produced by cross-linking PMAA in the spin-assisted multilayers followed by PVPON release. We found that the thickness, morphology, and architecture of hydrogen-bonded films and the corresponding hydrogels are significantly affected by PVPON chain length. For all systems, an increase in PVPON molecular weight from M w = 2.5 to 1300 kDa resulted in increased total film thickness. We also show that increasing polymer M w smooths the hydrogen-bonded filmmore » surfaces but roughens those of the hydrogels. Using deuterated dPMAA marker layers in neutron reflectometry measurements, we found that hydrogen-bonded films reveal a high degree of stratification which is preserved in the cross-linked films. We observed dPMAA to be distributed more widely in the hydrogen-bonded films prepared with small M w PVPON due to the greater mobility of short-chain PVPON. Furthermore, these variations in the distribution of PMAA are erased after cross-linking, resulting in a distribution of dPMAA over about two bilayers for all M w but being somewhat more widely distributed in the films templated with higher M w PVPON. Finally, our results yield new insights into controlling the organization of nanostructured polymer networks using polymer molecular weight and open opportunities for fabrication of thin films with well-organized architecture and controllable function.« less

Controlling Internal Organization of Multilayer Poly(methacrylic acid) Hydrogels with Polymer Molecular Weight

DOE PAGES

Kozlovskaya, Veronika; Zavgorodnya, Oleksandra; Ankner, John F.; ...

2015-11-16

Here, we report on tailoring the internal architecture of multilayer-derived poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) hydrogels by controlling the molecular weight of poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVPON) in hydrogen-bonded (PMAA/PVPON) layer-by-layer precursor films. The hydrogels are produced by cross-linking PMAA in the spin-assisted multilayers followed by PVPON release. We found that the thickness, morphology, and architecture of hydrogen-bonded films and the corresponding hydrogels are significantly affected by PVPON chain length. For all systems, an increase in PVPON molecular weight from M w = 2.5 to 1300 kDa resulted in increased total film thickness. We also show that increasing polymer M w smooths the hydrogen-bonded filmmore » surfaces but roughens those of the hydrogels. Using deuterated dPMAA marker layers in neutron reflectometry measurements, we found that hydrogen-bonded films reveal a high degree of stratification which is preserved in the cross-linked films. We observed dPMAA to be distributed more widely in the hydrogen-bonded films prepared with small M w PVPON due to the greater mobility of short-chain PVPON. Furthermore, these variations in the distribution of PMAA are erased after cross-linking, resulting in a distribution of dPMAA over about two bilayers for all M w but being somewhat more widely distributed in the films templated with higher M w PVPON. Finally, our results yield new insights into controlling the organization of nanostructured polymer networks using polymer molecular weight and open opportunities for fabrication of thin films with well-organized architecture and controllable function.« less

Effect of substrates on the molecular orientation of silicon phthalocyanine dichloride thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Juzhi; Baba, Yuji; Sekiguchi, Tetsuhiro; Hirao, Norie; Honda, Mitsunori

2007-05-01

Molecular orientations of silicon phthalocyanine dichloride (SiPcCl2) thin films deposited on three different substrates have been measured by near-edge x-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy using linearly polarized synchrotron radiation. The substrates investigated were highly oriented pyrolitic graphite (HOPG), polycrystalline gold and indium tin oxide (ITO). For thin films of about five monolayers, the polarization dependences of the Si K-edge NEXAFS spectra showed that the molecular planes of SiPcCl2 on three substrates were nearly parallel to the surface. Quantitative analyses of the polarization dependences revealed that the tilted angle on HOPG was only 2°, which is interpreted by the perfect flatness of the HOPG surface. On the other hand, the tilted angle on ITO was 26°. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) observation of the ITO surface showed that the periodicity of the horizontal roughness is of the order of a few nanometres, which is larger than the molecular size of SiPcCl2. It is concluded that the morphology of the top surface layer of the substrate affects the molecular orientation of SiPcCl2 molecules not only for mono-layered adsorbates but also for multi-layered thin films.

Microstructure et proprietes electriques de l'oxyde de vanadium pour les microbolometres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cadieux, Catherine

Recent technological breakthroughs in the fabrication of microsystems will soon allow the mass production of infrared cameras. Subsequent price cut will open many new sectors of application. Because of its electrical properties, sputtered vanadium oxide has already been identified as the leading candidate for the active material of microbolometers. However, the large number of different crystallographic phases, as well as the instable nature of reactive sputtering, haveled to numerous contradictions in the existing literature. With the objective of understanding the impact of the deposition parameters on the microstructure, and of the microstructure on the electrical properties, vanadium oxide thin films have been deposited and characterised. In order to study their impact on the microstructure, oxidation state and pulse at the target, substrate bias and temperature, power, and film thickness were varied independently. The resulting thin films have been characterised by X-ray diffraction, Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, spectral reflectometry, optical interferometry as well as four-point probe and Van Der Pauw electrical measurements. Because of the instability of the poisoning regime, the actual system configuration forbids the deposition of phases with composition between V 3O7 and V7O3. Films deposited under a strong bias in the poisoned regime having the best properties, their growth mechanism has been thoroughly investigated. Under those conditions, the bombarding ions are energetic enough to modify the structure of the underlying thin film without resputtering it. A complex relation linking temperature, thickness and microstructure is observed. As the thickness is increased, the structure changes from amorphous, to almost monocristalline V2O5 (001) oriented, to polycristalline. For higher deposition power, the polycristalline section contains V3O7 in addition to the multiple orientations of V2O5. Those germinations which have already been observed but not explained in literature can be attributed to the accumulation of germination centers, a stress buildup for the crystalline sections, and a substrate heating caused by the ions bombardment. This last effect is also suggested to be the cause of the amorphous phase crystallisation for the films with longer deposition times. Films deposited at different temperatures show the same microstructure transitions. Two different behavior regimes can be proposed as function of the adatoms' energy. For low temperature, increasing the adatom energy increases the diffusion which promotes the formation of the lowest surface energy stoichiometry and orientation, V2O 5(001). At higher temperature, energy is sufficient to form more energetically expensive orientation and phases. Resistivity is strongly dependant on grain boundaries density as seen by its relationship with lateral grain size. The thin film resistivity is also increased with the number of different crystallographic orientation present in it. To circumvent the high sheet resistance of the deposited single layer films, a multilayer stacking of alternating oxides and metal layers has been deposited. This approach has permitted this project's industrial collaborator to obtain a sheet resistance of 250 kO/□and a TCR of -1.59 %/K. The microstructure of the multilayer is however very heterogeneous. Not only can the metal layers be identified, it is also possible to observe the amorphous to polycrystalline transition described higher for every oxide layer. This multilayer, as well as the best single layer film produced have been annealed for 2 hours at 400°C in high vacuum. The annealed multilayer doesn't show any diffraction peaks, has very low resistance, and an almost null TCR generally attributed to metallic compounds We suggest that the diffusion of the vanadium layers into the stack created a polycrystalline structure with grains that are too small to be seen by XRD. The single layer underwent thermal reduction to form the VO2(B)phase and also became very conductive. Its TCR was afterward measured at the interesting value of -1.74 %/K. Is it suggested that the low resistivity is caused by the presence of small grains of the metallic phase of VO2, which happens to be the next step in the reduction process. Single layer annealing seems to be a promising avenue for the development of films adequate for microbolometer integration with the present deposition system. It is nonetheless recommended to pursue this avenue using films that are homogenous on their thickness in order to decouple the thickness dependence of deposition and thermal reduction. Multilayers using already homogenous amorphous oxides can also be a solution. Finally, non-reactive deposition of tungsten doped thin films followed by an oxidizing anneal may be an option that would bypass the uniformity and stability problems of the present project.

Synergistic Enhancement of Enzyme Performance and Resilience via Orthogonal Peptide-Protein Chemistry Enabled Multilayer Construction.

PubMed

Zhang, Xue-Jian; Wang, Xiao-Wei; Sun, Jiaxing; Su, Chao; Yang, Shuguang; Zhang, Wen-Bin

2018-05-16

Protein immobilization is critical to utilize their unique functions in diverse applications. Herein, we report that orthogonal peptide-protein chemistry enabled multilayer construction can facilitate the incorporation of various folded structural domains, including calmodulin in different states, affibody and dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR). An extended conformation is found to be the most advantageous for steady film growth. The resulting protein thin films exhibit sensitive and selective responsive behaviors to bio-signals (Ca2+, TFP, NADPH, etc.) and fully maintain the catalytic activity of DHFR. The approach is applicable to different substrates such as hydrophobic gold and hydrophilic silica microparticles. The DHFR enzyme can be immobilized onto silica microparticles with tunable amounts. The multi-layer set-up exhibits a synergistic enhancement of DHFR activity with increasing number of bilayers and also makes the embedded DHFR more resilient to lyophilization. Therefore, this is a convenient and versatile method for protein immobilization with potential benefits of synergistic enhancement in enzyme performance and resilience.

Thin Film Approaches to the SRF Cavity Problem: Fabrication and Characterization of Superconducting Thin Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beringer, Douglas B.

Superconducting Radio Frequency (SRF) cavities are responsible for the acceleration of charged particles to relativistic velocities in most modern linear accelerators, such as those employed at high-energy research facilities like Thomas Jefferson National Laboratory's CEBAF and the LHC at CERN. Recognizing SRF as primarily a surface phenomenon enables the possibility of applying thin films to the interior surface of SRF cavities, opening a formidable tool chest of opportunities by combining and designing materials that offer greater benefit. Thus, while improvements in radio frequency cavity design and refinements in cavity processing techniques have improved accelerator performance and efficiency - 1.5 GHz bulk niobium SRF cavities have achieved accelerating gradients in excess of 35 MV/m - there exist fundamental material bounds in bulk superconductors limiting the maximally sustained accelerating field gradient (approximately 45 MV/m for Niobium) where inevitable thermodynamic breakdown occurs. With state of the art niobium based cavity design fast approaching these theoretical limits, novel material innovations must be sought in order to realize next generation SRF cavities. One proposed method to improve SRF performance is to utilize thin film superconducting-insulating-superconducting (SIS) multilayer structures to effectively magnetically screen a bulk superconducting layer such that it can operate at higher field gradients before suffering critically detrimental SRF losses. This dissertation focuses on the production and characterization of thin film superconductors for such SIS layers for radio-frequency applications.

Science and Technology of Nanostructured Magnetic Materials

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-07-06

galvano-magnetic and magneto-optic effects that can lead to future storage technologies. Ultrafine particles also show interesting and unique properties...areas including thin films, multilayers, disordered systems, ultrafine particles , intermetallic compounds, permanent magnets and magnetic imaging... ultrafine particles , intermetallic compounds, permanent magnets and magnetic imaging techniques. The development of new techniques for materials preparation

High color fidelity thin film multilayer systems for head-up display use

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsou, Yi-Jen D.; Ho, Fang C.

1996-09-01

Head-up display is gaining increasing access in automotive vehicles for indication and position/navigation purposes. An optical combiner, which allows the driver to receive image information from outside and inside of the automobile, is the essential part of this display device. Two multilayer thin film combiner coating systems with distinctive polarization selectivity and broad band spectral neutrality are discussed. One of the coating systems was designed to be located at the lower portion of the windshield. The coating reduced the exterior glare by approximately 45% and provided about 70% average see-through transmittance in addition to the interior information display. The other coating system was designed to be integrated with the sunshield located at the upper portion of the windshield. The coating reflected the interior information display while reducing direct sunlight penetration to 25%. Color fidelity for both interior and exterior images were maintained in both systems. This facilitated the display of full-color maps. Both coating systems were absorptionless and environmentally durable. Designs, fabrication, and performance of these coating systems are addressed.

Assembly of luminescent ordered multilayer thin-films based on oppositely-charged MMT and magnetic NiFe-LDHs nanosheets with ultra-long lifetimes

PubMed Central

Liu, Meitang; Wang, Tianlei; Ma, Hongwen; Fu, Yu; Hu, Kunran; Guan, Chao

2014-01-01

In this present report, luminescent ordered multilayer thin films (OMFs) based on oppositely-charged inorganic nanosheets and the different oppositely-charged chromophores were fabricated via layer-by-layer assembly method. Exfoliated layered double hydroxides (LDHs) and montmorillonite (MMT) nanosheets with opposite charges can be expected to provide a pseudo electronic microenvironment (PEM) which has not been declared in previous literatures, and transition metal-bearing LDHs nanosheets can offer an additional ferromagnetic effect (FME) for the chromophores at the same time. Surprisingly, the luminescent lifetimes of those OMFs with PEM and FME are significantly prolonged compared with that of the pristine chromophores, even much longer than those of OMFs without oppositely-charged and ferromagnetic architecture. Therefore, it is highly expected that the PEM and FME formed by oppositely-charged and transition metal-bearing inorganic nanosheets have remarkable influence on obtaining better optical property, which suggests a new potential way to manipulate, control and develop the novel light-emitting materials and optical devices. PMID:25413710

Optically transparent thin-film transistors based on 2D multilayer MoS₂ and indium zinc oxide electrodes.

PubMed

Kwon, Junyeon; Hong, Young Ki; Kwon, Hyuk-Jun; Park, Yu Jin; Yoo, Byungwook; Kim, Jiwan; Grigoropoulos, Costas P; Oh, Min Suk; Kim, Sunkook

2015-01-21

We report on optically transparent thin film transistors (TFTs) fabricated using multilayered molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) as the active channel, indium tin oxide (ITO) for the back-gated electrode and indium zinc oxide (IZO) for the source/drain electrodes, respectively, which showed more than 81% transmittance in the visible wavelength. In spite of a relatively large Schottky barrier between MoS2 and IZO, the n-type behavior with a field-effect mobility (μ(eff)) of 1.4 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) was observed in as-fabricated transparent MoS2 TFT. In order to enhance the performances of transparent MoS2 TFTs, a picosecond pulsed laser was selectively irradiated onto the contact region of the IZO electrodes. Following laser annealing, μ(eff) increased to 4.5 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1), and the on-off current ratio (I(on)/I(off)) increased to 10(4), which were attributed to the reduction of the contact resistance between MoS2 and IZO.

Wideband acoustic wave resonators composed of hetero acoustic layer structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kadota, Michio; Tanaka, Shuji

2018-07-01

“Hetero acoustic layer (HAL) surface acoustic wave (SAW) device” is a new type of SAW device using a single crystal piezoelectric thin plate supported by a substrate. In this study, a HAL SAW resonator using a LiNbO3 (LN) thin plate and a multi-layer acoustic film was designed by finite element method (FEM) and fabricated. The thickness of LN is 3.6 µm and the pitch of an interdigital transducer (IDT) (λ) is 5.24 µm for a resonance frequency of 600 MHz. The multi-layer acoustic film is composed of 3 layers of SiO2 and AlN for each, i.e., 6 layers in total, alternately deposited on a glass substrate. The HAL SAW resonator achieved a wide bandwidth of 20.3% and a high impedance ratio of 83 dB. Compared with a 0th shear horizontal (SH0) mode plate wave resonator, the performance is better and the thickness of LN is 7 times larger. The HAL SAW without a cavity is advantageous in terms of mechanical stability, thickness controllability and fabrication yield.

Adhesion promoters for large scale fabrication of dielectric elastomer stack transducers (DESTs) made of pre-fabricated dielectric films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grotepaß, T.; Förster-Zügel, F.; Mößinger, H.; Schlaak, H. F.

2015-04-01

Multilayer dielectric elastomer stack transducers (DESTs) are a promising new transducer technology with many applications in different industry sectors, like medical devices, human-machine-interaction, etc. Stacked dielectric elastomer transducers show larger thickness contraction driven by lower voltages than transducers made from a single dielectric layer. Traditionally multilayered DESTs are produced by repeatedly cross-linking a liquid elastomeric pre-polymer into the required shape. Our recent research focusses on a novel fabrication method for large scale stack transducers with a surface area over 200 x 300 mm by processing pre-fabricated elastomeric thin films of less than 50 μm thicknesses. The thin films are provided as two- or three-layer composites, where the elastomer is sandwiched between one or two sacrificial liners. Separating the elastomeric film from the residual layers and assembling them into dielectric elastomer stack transducers poses many challenges concerning adhesion, since the dielectric film merely separates from the liner if the adhesive forces between them are overcome. Conversely, during the assembly of a dielectric elastomer stack transducer, adhesive forces have to be established between two elastomeric layers or between the dielectric and the electrode layer. The very low Young's modulus of at least one adhesion partner requires suitable means of increasing the adhesive forces between the different adhesive layers of a dielectric elastomer stack transducer to prevent a delamination of the transducer during its lifetime. This work evaluates different surface activation treatments - corona, low-pressure plasma and UV-light - and their applicability in the production of large scale DESTs made from pre-fabricated elastomeric films.

Piezoelectric response of a PZT thin film to magnetic fields from permanent magnet and coil combination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guiffard, B.; Seveno, R.

2015-01-01

In this study, we report the magnetically induced electric field E 3 in Pb(Zr0.57Ti0.43)O3 (PZT) thin films, when they are subjected to both dynamic magnetic induction (magnitude B ac at 45 kHz) and static magnetic induction ( B dc) generated by a coil and a single permanent magnet, respectively. It is found that highest sensitivity to B dc——is achieved for the thin film with largest effective electrode. This magnetoelectric (ME) effect is interpreted in terms of coupling between eddy current-induced Lorentz forces (stress) in the electrodes of PZT and piezoelectricity. Such coupling was evidenced by convenient modelling of experimental variations of electric field magnitude with both B ac and B dc induction magnitudes, providing imperfect open circuit condition was considered. Phase angle of E 3 versus B dc could also be modelled. At last, the results show that similar to multilayered piezoelectric-magnetostrictive composite film, a PZT thin film made with a simple manufacturing process can behave as a static or dynamic magnetic field sensor. In this latter case, a large ME voltage coefficient of under B dc = 0.3 T was found. All these results may provide promising low-cost magnetic energy harvesting applications with microsized systems.

Laser processing of thin films for industrial packaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sozzi, Michele; Lutey, Adrian H. A.; Cucinotta, Annamaria; Selleri, Stefano; Molari, Pier Gabriele

2014-05-01

Single layer thin-film materials such as aluminum, polyethylene, polypropylene, and their multi-layer combinations such as aluminum-paper have been exposed to different laser radiation. A wide number of samples have been processed with 10 - 12.5 ns IR and Green, and 500 - 800 ps IR laser radiation at different translating speeds ranging from 50 mm/s to 1 m/s. High quality incisions have been obtained for all tested materials within the experimental conditions. The presented results provide the necessary parameters for an efficient cut and processing of the tested materials, for the employment of pulsed laser sources in the packaging industry, allowing the laser to prevail in lieu of more costly and energy intensive methods.

Thermal annealing induced multiple phase in V/V2O5 alternating multilayer structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ilahi, B.; Abdel-Rahman, M.; Zaaboub, Z.; Zia, M. F.; Alduraibi, M.; Maaref, H.

2016-09-01

In this paper, we report on microstructural, optical and electrical properties of alternating multilayer of vanadium pentoxide (V2O5), 25 nm, and vanadium (V), 5 nm, thin films deposited at room temperature by radio frequency (RF) and DC magnetron sputtering, respectively. Raman and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy have been employed to investigate the effects of thermal annealing for 20, 30 and 40 min at 400∘C in Nitrogen (N2) atmosphere on the multiple phase formation and its impact on the film resistance and temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR). We demonstrate that the oxygen free annealing environment allows the formation of multiple phases including V2O5, V6O13 and VO2 through oxygen diffusion and consequent deficiency in V2O5 layer.

Fe/Rh (100) multilayer magnetism probed by x-ray magnetic circular dichroism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomaz, M. A.; Ingram, D. C.; Harp, G. R.; Lederman, D.; Mayo, E.; O'brien, W. L.

1997-09-01

We report the layer-averaged magnetic moments of both Fe and Rh in sputtered Fe/Rh (100) multilayer thin films as measured by x-ray magnetic circular dichroism. We observe two distinct regimes in these films. The first is characterized by Rh moments of at least 1μB, Fe moments enhanced as much as 30% above bulk, and a bct crystal structure. The second regime is distinguished by sharp declines of both Fe and Rh moments accompanied by a transition to an fct crystal lattice. The demarcation between the two regions is identified as the layer thickness for which both bct and fct phases first coexist, which we term the critical thickness tcrit. We attribute the change in magnetic behavior to the structural transformation.

Methods to induce perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in full-Heusler Co2FeSi thin layers in a magnetic tunnel junction structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shinohara, Koki; Suzuki, Takahiro; Takamura, Yota; Nakagawa, Shigeki

2018-05-01

In this study, to obtain perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions (p-MTJs) using half-metallic ferromagnets (HMFs), several methods were developed to induce perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) in full-Heusler Co2FeSi (CFS) alloy thin layers in an MTJ multilayer composed of a layered CFS/MgO/CFS structure. Oxygen exposure at 2.0 Pa for 10 min after deposition of the bottom CFS layer was effective for obtaining PMA in the CFS layer. One of the reasons for the PMA is the formation of nearly ideal CFS/MgO interfaces due to oxygen exposure before the deposition of the MgO layer. The annealing process was effective for obtaining PMA in the top CFS layer capped with a Pd layer. PMA was clearly observed in the top CFS layer of a Cr(40 nm)/Pd(50 nm)/bottom CFS(0.6 nm)/MgO(2.0 nm)/top CFS(0.6 nm)/ Pd(10 nm) multilayer, where the top CFS and Pd thin films were deposited at RT and subsequently annealed at 300°C. In addition to the continuous layer growth of the films, the crystalline orientation alignment at the top CFS/Pd interface probably attributes to the origin of PMA at the top CFS layer.

Manipulation of Magnetic Textures in Thin Films and Devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tolley, Robert Douglas

Control and manipulation of magnetic textures is promising for the development of next-generation data storage, memory and processing technologies. Towards this goal, domain wall manipulation in two materials systems are presented here and thoroughly evaluated. Domain walls in ferrimagnetic Cobalt-Terbium alloys and multilayers are created, moved and stabilized via thermal gradients and a static magnetic field and exploit the unique properties of the system across the magnetic compensation point. The response of the systems to thermal gradients is observed via Kerr microscopy and used to determine the positioning of domain walls within patterned devices. Magnetic skyrmions are discovered in thin-film multilayered stacks using an Pt/Co/Os/Pt heterostructures where the thin Osmium layer is used to break interfacial symmetry and enhance the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. The resulting skyrmions are manipulated using temperature, magnetic field, and electric current, and special attention is paid to their motion and nucleation behavior. Skyrmions are observed to be formed by low applied currents from nucleation sites and by collapse of stripe textures. Patterned wires allow for the observation of skyrmion nucleation behavior in free space, as well as defect sites, and real-time Kerr microscopy imaging is presented of skyrmion and stripe dynamics. These systems are evaluated from a perspective of their growth, patterning, measurement, and the novel behavior of the magnetic textures.

Computational method for determining n and k for a thin film from the measured reflectance, transmittance, and film thickness.

PubMed

Bennett, J M; Booty, M J

1966-01-01

A computational method of determining n and k for an evaporated film from the measured reflectance, transmittance, and film thickness has been programmed for an IBM 7094 computer. The method consists of modifications to the NOTS multilayer film program. The basic program computes normal incidence reflectance, transmittance, phase change on reflection, and other parameters from the optical constants and thicknesses of all materials. In the modification, n and k for the film are varied in a prescribed manner, and the computer picks from among these values one n and one k which yield reflectance and transmittance values almost equalling the measured values. Results are given for films of silicon and aluminum.

Thin Film Approaches to the SRF Cavity Problem Fabrication and Characterization of Superconducting Thin Films

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

Beringer, Douglas

Superconducting Radio Frequency (SRF) cavities are responsible for the acceleration of charged particles to relativistic velocities in most modern linear accelerators, such as those employed at high-energy research facilities like Thomas Jefferson National Laboratory’s CEBAF and the LHC at CERN. Recognizing SRF as primarily a surface phenomenon enables the possibility of applying thin films to the interior surface of SRF cavities, opening a formidable tool chest of opportunities by combining and designing materials that offer greater performance benefit. Thus, while improvements in radio frequency cavity design and refinements in cavity processing techniques have improved accelerator performance and efficiency – 1.5more » GHz bulk niobium SRF cavities have achieved accelerating gradients in excess of 35 MV/m – there exist fundamental material bounds in bulk superconductors limiting the maximally sustained accelerating field gradient (≈ 45 MV/m for Nb) where inevitable thermodynamic breakdown occurs. With state of the art Nb based cavity design fast approaching these theoretical limits, novel material innovations must be sought in order to realize next generation SRF cavities. One proposed method to improve SRF performance is to utilize thin film superconducting-insulating-superconducting (SIS) multilayer structures to effectively magnetically screen a bulk superconducting layer such that it can operate at higher field gradients before suffering critically detrimental SRF losses. This dissertation focuses on the production and characterization of thin film superconductors for such SIS layers for radio frequency applications. Correlated studies on structure, surface morphology and superconducting properties of epitaxial Nb and MgB2 thin films are presented.« less

High-frequency applications of high-temperature superconductor thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klein, N.

2002-10-01

High-temperature superconducting thin films offer unique properties which can be utilized for a variety of high-frequency device applications in many areas related to the strongly progressing market of information technology. One important property is an exceptionally low level of microwave absorption at temperatures attainable with low power cryocoolers. This unique property has initiated the development of various novel type of microwave devices and commercialized subsystems with special emphasis on application in advanced microwave communication systems. The second important achievement related to efforts in oxide thin and multilayer technology was the reproducible fabrication of low-noise Josephson junctions in high-temperature superconducting thin films. As a consequence of this achievement, several novel nonlinear high-frequency devices, most of them exploiting the unique features of the ac Josephson effect, have been developed and found to exhibit challenging properties to be utilized in basic metrology and Terahertz technology. On the longer timescale, the achievements in integrated high-temperature superconductor circuit technology may offer a strong potential for the development of digital devices with possible clock frequencies in the range of 100 GHz.

Simulation and Optimization of Soft Gamma-Ray Concentrator Using Thin Film Multilayer Structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shirazi, Farzane; Bloser, Peter F.; Aliotta, Paul H.; Echt, Olof; Krzanowski, James E.; Legere, Jason S.; McConnell, Mark L.; Tsavalas, John G.; Wong, Emily N.; Kippen, R. Marc

2016-04-01

We are reporting the investigation result of channeling and concentrating soft gamma rays (above 100 keV) using multilayer thin films of alternating low and high-density materials. This will enable future telescopes for higher energies with same mission parameters already proven by NuSTAR. Base on initial investigations at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) we are investigating of producing these multilayers with the required thicknesses and smoothness using magnetron sputter (MS) and pulsed laser deposition (PLD) techniques. A suitable arrangement of bent multilayer structures of alternating low and high-density materials will channel soft gamma-ray photons via total external reflection and then concentrate the incident radiation to a point. The high-energy astrophysics group at the UNH Space Science Center (SSC) is testing these structures for their ability to channel 122 keV gamma rays in the laboratory. In addition of experimental works, we have been working on gamma ray tracing model of the concentrator by IDL, making use of optical properties calculated by the IMD software. This modeling allows us to calculate efficiency and focal length for different energy bands and materials and compare them with experimental result. Also we will combine concentrator modeling result and detector simulation by Geant4 to archive a complete package of gamma-ray telescope simulation. If successful, this technology will offer the potential for soft gamma-ray telescopes with focal lengths of less than 10 m, removing the need for formation flying spacecraft and opening the field up to balloon-borne instruments and providing greatly increased sensitivity for modest cost and complexity.

Beyond the Young-Laplace model for cluster growth during dewetting of thin films: effective coarsening exponents and the role of long range dewetting interactions.

PubMed

Constantinescu, Adi; Golubović, Leonardo; Levandovsky, Artem

2013-09-01

Long range dewetting forces acting across thin films, such as the fundamental van der Waals interactions, may drive the formation of large clusters (tall multilayer islands) and pits, observed in thin films of diverse materials such as polymers, liquid crystals, and metals. In this study we further develop the methodology of the nonequilibrium statistical mechanics of thin films coarsening within continuum interface dynamics model incorporating long range dewetting interactions. The theoretical test bench model considered here is a generalization of the classical Mullins model for the dynamics of solid film surfaces. By analytic arguments and simulations of the model, we study the coarsening growth laws of clusters formed in thin films due to the dewetting interactions. The ultimate cluster growth scaling laws at long times are strongly universal: Short and long range dewetting interactions yield the same coarsening exponents. However, long range dewetting interactions, such as the van der Waals forces, introduce a distinct long lasting early time scaling behavior characterized by a slow growth of the cluster height/lateral size aspect ratio (i.e., a time-dependent Young angle) and by effective coarsening exponents that depend on cluster size. In this study, we develop a theory capable of analytically calculating these effective size-dependent coarsening exponents characterizing the cluster growth in the early time regime. Such a pronounced early time scaling behavior has been indeed seen in experiments; however, its physical origin has remained elusive to this date. Our theory attributes these observed phenomena to ubiquitous long range dewetting interactions acting across thin solid and liquid films. Our results are also applicable to cluster growth in initially very thin fluid films, formed by depositing a few monolayers or by a submonolayer deposition. Under this condition, the dominant coarsening mechanism is diffusive intercluster mass transport while the cluster coalescence plays a minor role, both in solid and in fluid films.

Optical constants of SrF 2 thin films in the 25-780-eV spectral range

DOE PAGES

Rodriguez-de Marcos, Luis; Larraguert, Juan I.; Aznarez, Jose A.; ...

2013-04-08

The transmittance and the optical constants of SrF 2 thin films, a candidate material for multilayer coatings operating in the extreme ultraviolet and soft x-rays, have been determined in the spectral range of 25–780 eV, in most of which no experimental data were previously available. SrF 2 films of various thicknesses were deposited by evaporation onto room-temperature, thin Al support films, and their transmittance was measured with synchrotron radiation. The transmittance as a function of film thickness was used to calculate the extinction coefficient k at each photon energy. A decrease in density with increasing SrF 2 film thickness wasmore » observed. In the calculation of k, this effect was circumvented by fitting the transmittance versus the product of thickness and density. The real part of the refractive index of SrF 2 films was calculated from k with Kramers-Krönig analysis, for which the measured spectral range was extended both to lower and to higher photon energies with data in the literature combined with interpolations and extrapolations. In conclusion, with the application of f- and inertial sum rules, the consistency of the compiled data was found to be excellent.« less

Ultrafast modulators based on nonlinear photonic crystal waveguides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Zhifu; Li, Jianheng; Tu, Yongming; Ho, Seng-Tiong; Wessels, Bruce W.

2011-03-01

Nonlinear photonic crystal (PhC) waveguides are being developed for ultrafast modulators. To enable phase velocity matching we have investigated one- and two-dimensional structures. Photonic crystal (PhC) waveguides based on epitaxial barium titanate (BTO) thin film in a Si3N4/BTO/MgO multilayer structure were fabricated by electron beam lithography or focused ion beam (FIB) milling. For both one- and two-dimensional PhCs, simulation shows that sufficient refractive index contrast is achieved to form a stop band. For one-dimensional Bragg reflector, we measured its slow light properties and the group refractive index of optical wave. For a millimeter long waveguide a 27 nm wide stop band was obtained at 1550 nm. A slowing of the light was observed, the group refractive indices at the mid band gap and at the band edges were estimated to be between 8.0 and 12 for the transverse electric (TE) mode, and 6.9 and 13 for the transverse magnetic (TM) mode. For TE optical modes, the enhancement factor of EO coefficient ranges from 7 to 13, and for the TM mode, the factor ranges from 5.9 to 15. Measurements indicate that near velocity phase matching can be realized. Upon realizing the phase velocity matching condition, devices with a small foot print with bandwidths at 490 GHz can be attained. Two-dimensional PhC crystal with a hexagonal lattice was also investigated. The PhCs were fabricated from epitaxial BTO thin film multilayers using focused ion beam milling. The PhCs are based on BTO slab waveguide and air hole arrays defined within Si3N4 and BTO thin films. A refractive index contrast of 0.4 between the barium titanate thin film multilayers and the air holes enables strong light confinement. For the TE optical mode, the hexagonal photonic crystal lattice with a diameter of 155 nm and a lattice constant of 740 nm yields a photonic bandgap over the wavelength range from 1525 to 1575 nm. The transmission spectrum of the PhC waveguide exhibits stronger Fabry Perot resonance compared to that of conventional waveguide. Measured transmission spectra show a bandgap in the ΓM direction in the reciprocal lattice that is in agreement with the simulated results using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. Compared to polarization intensity EO modulator with a half-wave voltage length product of 4.7 V•mm. The PhC based EO modulator has a factor of 6.6 improvement in the figure of merit performance. The thin film PhC waveguide devices show considerable potential for ultra-wide bandwidth electro-optic modulators as well as tunable optical filters and switches.

Computational modeling of muscular thin films for cardiac repair

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Böl, Markus; Reese, Stefanie; Parker, Kevin Kit; Kuhl, Ellen

2009-03-01

Motivated by recent success in growing biohybrid material from engineered tissues on synthetic polymer films, we derive a computational simulation tool for muscular thin films in cardiac repair. In this model, the polydimethylsiloxane base layer is simulated in terms of microscopically motivated tetrahedral elements. Their behavior is characterized through a volumetric contribution and a chain contribution that explicitly accounts for the polymeric microstructure of networks of long chain molecules. Neonatal rat ventricular cardiomyocytes cultured on these polymeric films are modeled with actively contracting truss elements located on top of the sheet. The force stretch response of these trusses is motivated by the cardiomyocyte force generated during active contraction as suggested by the filament sliding theory. In contrast to existing phenomenological models, all material parameters of this novel model have a clear biophyisical interpretation. The predictive features of the model will be demonstrated through the simulation of muscular thin films. First, the set of parameters will be fitted for one particular experiment documented in the literature. This parameter set is then used to validate the model for various different experiments. Last, we give an outlook of how the proposed simulation tool could be used to virtually predict the response of multi-layered muscular thin films. These three-dimensional constructs show a tremendous regenerative potential in repair of damaged cardiac tissue. The ability to understand, tune and optimize their structural response is thus of great interest in cardiovascular tissue engineering.

High density associative memory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moopenn, Alexander W. (Inventor); Thakoor, Anilkumar P. (Inventor); Daud, Taher (Inventor); Lambe, John J. (Inventor)

1989-01-01

A multi-layered, thin-film, digital memory having associative recall. There is a first memory matrix and a second memory matrix. Each memory matrix comprises, a first layer comprising a plurality of electrically separated row conductors; a second layer comprising a plurality of electrically separated column conductors intersecting but electrically separated from the row conductors; and, a plurality of resistance elements electrically connected between the row condutors and the column conductors at respective intersections of the row conductors and the column conductors, each resistance element comprising, in series, a first resistor of sufficiently high ohmage to conduct a sensible element current therethrough with virtually no heat-generating power consumption when a low voltage as employed in thin-film applications is applied thereacross and a second resistor of sufficiently high ohmage to conduct no sensible current therethrough when a low voltage as employed in thin-film applications is applied thereacross, the second resistor having the quality of breaking down to create a short therethrough upon the application of a breakdown level voltage across the first and second resistors.

Achieving pattern uniformity in plasmonic lithography by spatial frequency selection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Gaofeng; Chen, Xi; Zhao, Qing; Guo, L. Jay

2018-01-01

The effects of the surface roughness of thin films and defects on photomasks are investigated in two representative plasmonic lithography systems: thin silver film-based superlens and multilayer-based hyperbolic metamaterial (HMM). Superlens can replicate arbitrary patterns because of its broad evanescent wave passband, which also makes it inherently vulnerable to the roughness of the thin film and imperfections of the mask. On the other hand, the HMM system has spatial frequency filtering characteristics and its pattern formation is based on interference, producing uniform and stable periodic patterns. In this work, we show that the HMM system is more immune to such imperfections due to its function of spatial frequency selection. The analyses are further verified by an interference lithography system incorporating the photoresist layer as an optical waveguide to improve the aspect ratio of the pattern. It is concluded that a system capable of spatial frequency selection is a powerful method to produce deep-subwavelength periodic patterns with high degree of uniformity and fidelity.

Improving yield and performance in ZnO thin-film transistors made using selective area deposition.

PubMed

Nelson, Shelby F; Ellinger, Carolyn R; Levy, David H

2015-02-04

We describe improvements in both yield and performance for thin-film transistors (TFTs) fabricated by spatial atomic layer deposition (SALD). These improvements are shown to be critical in forming high-quality devices using selective area deposition (SAD) as the patterning method. Selective area deposition occurs when the precursors for the deposition are prevented from reacting with some areas of the substrate surface. Controlling individual layer quality and the interfaces between layers is essential for obtaining good-quality thin-film transistors and capacitors. The integrity of the gate insulator layer is particularly critical, and we describe a method for forming a multilayer dielectric using an oxygen plasma treatment between layers that improves crossover yield. We also describe a method to achieve improved mobility at the important interface between the semiconductor and the gate insulator by, conversely, avoiding oxygen plasma treatment. Integration of the best designs results in wide design flexibility, transistors with mobility above 15 cm(2)/(V s), and good yield of circuits.

Transparent nanocellulosic multilayer thin films on polylactic acid with tunable gas barrier properties.

PubMed

Aulin, Christian; Karabulut, Erdem; Tran, Amy; Wågberg, Lars; Lindström, Tom

2013-08-14

The layer-by-layer (LbL) deposition method was used for the build-up of alternating layers of nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) or carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) with a branched, cationic polyelectrolyte, polyethyleneimine (PEI) on flexible poly (lactic acid) (PLA) substrates. With this procedure, optically transparent nanocellulosic films with tunable gas barrier properties were formed. 50 layer pairs of PEI/NFC and PEI/CMC deposited on PLA have oxygen permeabilities of 0.34 and 0.71 cm(3)·μm/m(2)·day·kPa at 23 °C and 50% relative humidity, respectively, which is in the same range as polyvinyl alcohol and ethylene vinyl alcohol. The oxygen permeability of these multilayer nanocomposites outperforms those of pure NFC films prepared by solvent-casting. The nanocellulosic LbL assemblies on PLA substrates was in detailed characterized using a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D). Atomic force microscopy (AFM) reveals large structural differences between the PEI/NFC and the PEI/CMC assemblies, with the PEI/NFC assembly showing a highly entangled network of nanofibrils, whereas the PEI/CMC surfaces lacked structural features. Scanning electron microscopy images showed a nearly perfect uniformity of the nanocellulosic coatings on PLA, and light transmittance results revealed remarkable transparency of the LbL-coated PLA films. The present work demonstrates the first ever LbL films based on high aspect ratio, water-dispersible nanofibrillated cellulose, and water-soluble carboxymethyl cellulose polymers that can be used as multifunctional films and coatings with tailorable properties, such as gas barriers and transparency. Owing to its flexibility, transparency and high-performance gas barrier properties, these thin film assemblies are promising candidates for several large-scale applications, including flexible electronics and renewable packaging.

Effect of Al2O3 encapsulation on multilayer MoSe2 thin-film transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Hyun Ah; Yeoul Kim, Seong; Kim, Jiyoung; Choi, Woong

2017-03-01

We report the effect of Al2O3 encapsulation on the device performance of multilayer MoSe2 thin-film transistors based on statistical investigation of 29 devices with a SiO2 bottom-gate dielectric. On average, Al2O3 encapsulation by atomic layer deposition increased the field-effect mobility from 10.1 cm2 V-1 s-1 to 14.8 cm2 V-1 s-1, decreased the on/off-current ratio from 8.5  ×  105 to 2.3  ×  105 and negatively shifted the threshold voltage from  -1.1 V to  -8.1 V. Calculation based on the Y-function method indicated that the enhancement of intrinsic carrier mobility occurred independently of the reduction of contact resistance after Al2O3 encapsulation. Furthermore, contrary to previous reports in the literature, we observe a negligible effect of thermal annealing on contact resistance and carrier mobility during the atomic layer deposition of Al2O3. These results demonstrate that Al2O3 encapsulation is a useful method for improving the carrier mobility of multilayer MoSe2 transistors, providing important implications on the application of MoSe2 and other 2D materials into high-performance transistors.

A concept for a soft gamma-ray concentrator using thin-film multilayer structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bloser, Peter F.; Shirazi, Farzane; Echt, Olof; Krzanowski, James E.; Legere, Jason S.; McConnell, Mark L.; Tsavalas, John G.; Wong, Emily N.; Aliotta, Paul H.

2016-07-01

We are investigating the use of thin-film, multilayer structures to form optics capable of concentrating soft gamma rays with energies greater than 100 keV, beyond the reach of current grazing-incidence hard X-ray mirrors. Alternating layers of low- and high-density materials (e.g., polymers and metals) will channel soft gamma-ray photons via total external reflection. A suitable arrangement of bent structures will then concentrate the incident radiation to a point. Gamma-ray optics made in this way offer the potential for soft gamma-ray telescopes with focal lengths of less than 10 m, removing the need for formation flying spacecraft and opening the field up to balloon-borne instruments. Following initial investigations conducted at Los Alamos National Laboratory, we have constructed and tested a prototype structure using spin coating combined with magnetron sputtering. We are now investigating whether it is possible to grow such flexible multi-layer structures with the required thicknesses and smoothness more quickly by using magnetron sputter and pulsed laser deposition techniques. We present the latest results of our fabrication and gamma-ray channeling tests, and describe our modeling of the sensitivity of potential concentrator-based telescope designs. If successful, this technology offers the potential for transformational increases in sensitivity while dramatically improving the system-level performance of future high-energy astronomy missions through reduced mass and complexity.

In situ differential reflectance spectroscopy of thin crystalline films of PTCDA on different substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Proehl, Holger; Nitsche, Robert; Dienel, Thomas; Leo, Karl; Fritz, Torsten

2005-04-01

We report an investigation of the excitonic properties of thin crystalline films of the archetypal organic semiconductor PTCDA (3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride) grown on poly- and single crystalline surfaces. A sensitive setup capable of measuring the optical properties of ultrathin organic molecular crystals via differential reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) is presented. This tool allows to carry out measurements in situ, i.e., during the actual film growth, and over a wide spectral range, even on single crystalline surfaces with high symmetry or metallic surfaces, where widely used techniques like reflection anisotropy spectroscopy (RAS) or fluorescence excitation spectroscopy fail. The spectra obtained by DRS resemble mainly the absorption of the films if transparent substrates are used, which simplifies the analysis. In the case of mono- to multilayer films of PTCDA on single crystalline muscovite mica(0001) and Au(111) substrates, the formation of the solid state absorption from monomer to dimer and further to crystal-like absorption spectra can be monitored.

Anisotropic magnetic switching along hard [1 1 0]-type axes in Er-doped DyFe2/YFe2 thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stenning, G. B. G.; Bowden, G. J.; van der Laan, G.; Figueroa, A. I.; Bencok, P.; Steadman, P.; Hesjedal, T.

2017-10-01

Epitaxial-grown DyFe2/YFe2 multilayer thin films form an ideal model system for the study of magnetic exchange springs. Here the DyFe2 (YFe2) layers are magnetically hard (soft). In the presence of a magnetic field, exchange springs form in the YFe2 layers. Recently, it has been demonstrated that placing small amounts of Er into the centre of the YFe2 springs generates substantial changes in magnetic behavior. In particular, (i) the number of exchange-spring states is increased dramatically, (ii) the resulting domain-wall states cannot simply be described as either Néel or Bloch walls, (iii) the Er and Dy magnetic loops are strikingly different, and (iv) it is possible to engineer Er-induced magnetic exchange-spring collapse. Here, results are presented for Er-doped (1 1 0)-oriented DyFe2 (60 Å/YFe2(240 Å)15 multilayer films, at 100 K in fields of up to 12 T. In particular, we contrast magnetic loops for fields applied along seemingly equivalent hard-magnetic [1 1 0]-type axes. MBE-grown cubic Laves thin films offer the unique feature of allowing to apply the magnetic field along (i) a hard out-of-plane [1 1 0]-axis (the growth axis) and (ii) a similar hard in-plane [ 1 bar 10 ] -axis. Differences are found and attributed to the competition between the crystal-field interaction at the Er site and the long-range dipole-dipole interaction. In particular, the out-of-plane [1 1 0] Er results show the existence of a new magnetic exchange spring state, which would be very difficult to identify without the aid of element-specific technique of X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD).

Optical bandgap of single- and multi-layered amorphous germanium ultra-thin films

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

Liu, Pei; Zaslavsky, Alexander; Longo, Paolo

2016-01-07

Accurate optical methods are required to determine the energy bandgap of amorphous semiconductors and elucidate the role of quantum confinement in nanometer-scale, ultra-thin absorbing layers. Here, we provide a critical comparison between well-established methods that are generally employed to determine the optical bandgap of thin-film amorphous semiconductors, starting from normal-incidence reflectance and transmittance measurements. First, we demonstrate that a more accurate estimate of the optical bandgap can be achieved by using a multiple-reflection interference model. We show that this model generates more reliable results compared to the widely accepted single-pass absorption method. Second, we compare two most representative methods (Taucmore » and Cody plots) that are extensively used to determine the optical bandgap of thin-film amorphous semiconductors starting from the extracted absorption coefficient. Analysis of the experimental absorption data acquired for ultra-thin amorphous germanium (a-Ge) layers demonstrates that the Cody model is able to provide a less ambiguous energy bandgap value. Finally, we apply our proposed method to experimentally determine the optical bandgap of a-Ge/SiO{sub 2} superlattices with single and multiple a-Ge layers down to 2 nm thickness.« less

Terahertz antireflection coating enabled by a subwavelength metallic mesh capped with a thin dielectric film

DOE PAGES

Huang, Li; Chen, Hou -Tong; Zeng, Beibei; ...

2016-03-30

Metamaterials/metasurfaces have enabled unprecedented manipulation of electromagnetic waves. Here we present a new design of metasurface structure functioning as antireflection coatings. The structure consists of a subwavelength metallic mesh capped with a thin dielectric layer on top of a substrate. By tailoring the geometric parameters of the metallic mesh and the refractive index and thickness of the capping dielectric film, reflection from the substrate can be completely eliminated at a specific frequency. Compared to traditional methods such as coatings with single- or multi-layer dielectric films, the metasurface antireflection coatings are much thinner and the requirement of index matching is largelymore » lifted. Here, this approach is particularly suitable for antireflection coatings in the technically challenging terahertz frequency range and is also applicable in other frequency regimes.« less

Low emissivity Ag/Ta/glass multilayer thin films deposited by sputtering

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

Park, Sun Ho; Lee, Kee Sun; Green Home Energy Technology Center, Cheonan City

Ta is deposited on a glass substrate as an interlayer for the two-dimensional growth of Ag thin films because Ta has good thermal stability and can induce a negative surface-energy change in Ag/glass. From the transmission electron microscopy results, we concluded that the Ag crystals in the bottom layer (seemingly on Ag/Ta) were flattened; this was rarely observed in the three-dimensional growth mode. Comparing Ag/Ta/glass with Ag/glass, we found that the Ta interlayer was effective in reducing both the resistance and the emissivity, accompanied by the relatively high transmittance in the visible region. In particular, Ag(9 nm)/Ta(1 nm)/glass film showedmore » 0.08 of the emissivity, including {approx}61% of the transmittance in the visible region (wavelength: 550 nm).« less

Stimulated emission within the exciplex band by plasmonic-nanostructured polymeric heterojunctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xinping; Li, Hongwei; Wang, Yimeng; Liu, Feifei

2015-03-01

Organic heterojunctions have been extensively employed in the design of light-emitting diodes, photovoltaic devices, and thin-film field-effect transistors, which can be achieved by constructing a bilayer or a multi-layered thin-film deposition, or by blending two or more organic semiconductors with different charge-transport performances. Charge transfer excited states or exciplex may form on the heterointerfaces. Efficient light-emitting diodes have been demonstrated using exciplex emission. However, lasing or stimulated emission processes have not been observed with exciplex formation at organic heterojunctions. In this work, we demonstrate strong coherent interaction between photons and exciplex formation in the blends of poly-9,9'-dioctylfluorene-co-bis-N,N'-(4-butylphenyl)-bis-N,N'-phenyl-l,4-phenylenediamine (PFB) and poly-9,9'-dioctylfluorene-co-benzothiadiazole (F8BT), leading to transient stimulated exciplex emission. The responsible mechanisms involve plasmonic local-field enhancement and plasmonic feedback in a three-dimensional gold-nanoparticle matrix.Organic heterojunctions have been extensively employed in the design of light-emitting diodes, photovoltaic devices, and thin-film field-effect transistors, which can be achieved by constructing a bilayer or a multi-layered thin-film deposition, or by blending two or more organic semiconductors with different charge-transport performances. Charge transfer excited states or exciplex may form on the heterointerfaces. Efficient light-emitting diodes have been demonstrated using exciplex emission. However, lasing or stimulated emission processes have not been observed with exciplex formation at organic heterojunctions. In this work, we demonstrate strong coherent interaction between photons and exciplex formation in the blends of poly-9,9'-dioctylfluorene-co-bis-N,N'-(4-butylphenyl)-bis-N,N'-phenyl-l,4-phenylenediamine (PFB) and poly-9,9'-dioctylfluorene-co-benzothiadiazole (F8BT), leading to transient stimulated exciplex emission. The responsible mechanisms involve plasmonic local-field enhancement and plasmonic feedback in a three-dimensional gold-nanoparticle matrix. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr00140d

Collective mechanical behavior of multilayer colloidal arrays of hollow nanoparticles.

PubMed

Yin, Jie; Retsch, Markus; Thomas, Edwin L; Boyce, Mary C

2012-04-03

The collective mechanical behavior of multilayer colloidal arrays of hollow silica nanoparticles (HSNP) is explored under spherical nanoindentation through a combination of experimental, numerical, and theoretical approaches. The effective indentation modulus E(ind) is found to decrease with an increasing number of layers in a nonlinear manner. The indentation force versus penetration depth behavior for multilayer hollow particle arrays is predicted by an approximate analytical model based on the spring stiffness of the individual particles and the multipoint, multiparticle interactions as well as force transmission between the layers. The model is in good agreement with experiments and with detailed finite element simulations. The ability to tune the effective indentation modulus, E(ind), of the multilayer arrays by manipulating particle geometry and layering is revealed through the model, where E(ind) = (0.725m(-3/2) + 0.275)E(mon) and E(mon) is the monolayer modulus and m is number of layers. E(ind) is seen to plateau with increasing m to E(ind_plateau) = 0.275E(mon) and E(mon) scales with (t/R)(2), t being the particle shell thickness and R being the particle radius. The scaling law governing the nonlinear decrease in indentation modulus with an increase in layer number (E(ind) scaling with m(-3/2)) is found to be similar to that governing the indentation modulus of thin solid films E(ind_solid) on a stiff substrate (where E(ind_solid) scales with h(-1.4) and also decreases until reaching a plateau value) which also decreases with an increase in film thickness h. However, the mechanisms underlying this trend for the colloidal array are clearly different, where discrete particle-to-particle interactions govern the colloidal array behavior in contrast to the substrate constraint on deformation, which governs the thickness dependence of the continuous thin film indentation modulus.

Self-assembled multilayers and photoluminescence properties of a new water-soluble poly(para-phenylene)

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

Shi, X.; Li, D.; Luett, M.

1998-07-01

This paper reports the synthesis and characterizations of a new water-soluble poly(paraphenylene) (PPP) and its applications in preparing self-assembled multi-layer films. This new water-soluble conducting polymer was prepared through the sulfonation reaction of poly(p-quarterphenylene-2,2{prime}-dicarboxylic acid). The incorporation of sulfonate groups has dramatically improved PPP's solubility in water at a wide pH range, whereas previous PPP is only slightly soluble in basic solutions. Dilute aqueous solutions of this polymer with acidic, neutral or basic pH emit brilliant blue light while irradiated with UV light. The sulfonated PPP emits from 350 nm to 455 nm with a maximum intensity at 380 nm.more » Self-assembled multilayers of this sulfonated PPP were constructed with a positively charged polymer poly(diallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride) and characterized with various surface analyses. Conductive (RuO{sub 2} and ITO), semiconductive (Si wafer), and non-conductive (SiO{sub 2}) substrates were used in the preparation of self-assembled multilayers. Electrical, optical and structural properties of these novel self-assembled thin films will be discussed.« less

Self-assembled multilayers and photoluminescence properties of a new water-soluble poly(para-phenylene)

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

Shi, X.; Li, D.Q.; Luett, M.

1998-03-01

This paper reports the synthesis and characterizations of a new water-soluble poly(para-phenylene) (PPP) and its applications in preparing self-assembled multilayer films. This new water-soluble conducting polymer was prepared through the sulfonation reaction of poly(p-quarterphenylene-2,2{prime}-dicarboxylic acid). The incorporation of sulfonate groups has dramatically improved PPP`s solubility in water at a wide pH range, whereas previous PPP is only slightly soluble in basic solutions. Dilute aqueous solutions of this polymer with acidic, neutral or basic pH emit brilliant blue light while irradiated with UV light. The sulfonated PPP emits from 350 nm to 455 nm with a maximum intensity at 380 nm.more » Self-assembled multilayers of this sulfonated PPP were constructed with a positively charged polymer poly(diallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride) and characterized with various surface analyses. Conductive (RuO{sub 2} and ITO), semiconductive (Si wafer), and non-conductive (SiO{sub 2}) substrates were used in the preparation of self-assembled multilayers. Electrical, optical and structural properties of these novel self-assembled thin films will be discussed.« less

Tuning the effective parameters in (Ta/Cu/[Ni/Co]x/Ta) multilayers with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ayareh, Zohreh; Moradi, Mehrdad; Mahmoodi, Saman

2018-06-01

In this paper, we report perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) in a (Ta/Cu/[Ni/Co]x/Ta) multilayers structure. These typical structures usually include a multilayer of ferromagnetic and transition metal thin films. Usually, magnetic anisotropy is characterized by magnetization loops determined by magnetometer or magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE). The interface between ferromagnetic and metallic layers plays an important role in magnetic anisotropy evolution from out-of-plane to in-plane in (Ta/Cu/[Ni/Co]/Ta) structure. Obtained results from MOKE and magnetometry of these samples show that they have different easy axes due to change in thickness of Cu as spacer layer and difference in number of repetition of [Ni/Co] stacks.

Effect of pH on the structure and drug release profiles of layer-by-layer assembled films containing polyelectrolyte, micelles, and graphene oxide.

PubMed

Han, Uiyoung; Seo, Younghye; Hong, Jinkee

2016-04-07

Layer by layer (lbl) assembled multilayer thin films are used in drug delivery systems with attractive advantages such as unlimited selection of building blocks and free modification of the film structure. In this paper, we report the fundamental properties of lbl films constructed from different substances such as PS-b-PAA amphiphilic block copolymer micelles (BCM) as nano-sized drug vehicles, 2D-shaped graphene oxide (GO), and branched polyethylenimine (bPEI). These films were fabricated by successive lbl assembly as a result of electrostatic interactions between the carboxyl group of BCM and amine group of functionalized GO or bPEI under various pH conditions. We also compared the thickness, roughness, morphology and degree of adsorption of the (bPEI/BCM) films to those in the (GO/BCM) films. The results showed significant difference because of the distinct pH dependence of each material. In addition, drug release rates of the GO/BCM film were more rapid those of the (bPEI/BCM) film in pH 7.4 and pH 2 PBS buffer solutions. In (bPEI/BCM/GO/BCM) film, the inserted GO layers into bPEI/BCM multilayer induced rapid drug release. We believe that these materials &pH dependent film properties allow developments in the control of coating techniques for biological and biomedical applications.

Structure and Barrier Properties of Multinanolayered Biodegradable PLA/PBSA Films: Confinement Effect via Forced Assembly Coextrusion.

PubMed

Messin, Tiphaine; Follain, Nadège; Guinault, Alain; Sollogoub, Cyrille; Gaucher, Valérie; Delpouve, Nicolas; Marais, Stéphane

2017-08-30

Multilayer coextrusion processing was applied to produce 2049-layer film of poly(butylene succinate-co-butylene adipate) (PBSA) confined against poly(lactic acid) (PLA) using forced assembly, where the PBSA layer thickness was about 60 nm. This unique technology allowed to process semicrystalline PBSA as confined polymer and amorphous PLA as confining polymer in a continuous manner. The continuity of PBSA layers within the 80/20 wt % PLA/PBSA layered films was clearly evidenced by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Similar thermal events to the reference films were revealed by thermal studies; indicating no diffusion of polymers during the melt-processing. Mechanical properties were measured for the multilayer film and the obtained results were those expected considering the fraction of each polymer, revealing the absence of delamination in the PLA/PBSA multinanolayer film. The confinement effect induced by PLA led to a slight orientation of the crystals, an increase of the rigid amorphous fraction (RAF) in PBSA with a densification of this fraction without changing film crystallinity. These structural changes allowed to strongly improve the water vapor and gas barrier properties of the PBSA layer into the multilayer film up to two decades in the case of CO 2 gas. By confining the PBSA structure in very thin and continuous layers, it was then possible to improve the barrier performances of a biodegradable system and the resulting barrier properties were successfully correlated to the effect of confinement on the microstructure and the chain segment mobility of the amorphous phase. Such investigation on these multinanolayers of PLA/PBSA with the aim of evidencing relationships between microstructure implying RAF and barrier performances has never been performed yet. Besides, gas and water permeation results have shown that the barrier improvement obtained from the multilayer was mainly due to the reduction of solubility linked to the reduction of the free volume while the tortuosity effect, as usually expected, was not really observed. This work brings new insights in the field of physicochemical behaviors of new multilayer films made of biodegradable polyesters but also in interfacial processes due to the confinement effect induced in these multinanolayer structures obtained by the forced assembly coextrusion. This original coextrusion process was a very advantageous technique to produce eco-friendly materials with functional properties without the help of tie layer, additives, solvents, surface treatments, or inorganic fillers.

Light-controlled resistive switching characteristics in ZnO/BiFeO3/ZnO thin film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Dandan; Li, Xiaoping; Wang, Junshuai; Wu, Liangchen; Chen, Peng

2018-07-01

ZnO/BiFeO3/ZnO multilayer was fabricated on silicon (Si) substrate by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering system. The resistive switching characteristics in ZnO/BiFeO3/ZnO devices are observed, and the resistive switching behavior can be modulated by white light.

Polyelectrolyte and carbon nanotube multilayers made from ionic liquid solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakashima, Takuya; Zhu, Jian; Qin, Ming; Ho, Szushen; Kotov, Nicholas A.

2010-10-01

The inevitable contact of substrates with water during the traditional practice of layer-by-layer assembly (LBL) creates problems for multiple potential applications of LBL films in electronics. To resolve this issue, we demonstrate here the possibility of a LBL process using ionic liquids (ILs), which potentially eliminates corrosion and hydration processes related to aqueous media and opens additional possibilities in structural control of LBL films. ILs are also considered to be one of the best ``green'' processing solvents, and hence, are advantageous in respect to traditional organic solvents. Poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI) and poly(sodium styrenesulfonate) (PSS) were dispersed in a hydrophilic IL and successfully deposited in the LBL fashion. To produce electroactive thin films with significance to electronics, a similar process was realized for PSS-modified single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT-PSS) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). Characterization of the coating using standard spectroscopy and microscopy techniques typical of the multilayer field indicated that there are both similarities and differences in the structure and properties of LBL films build from ILs and aqueous solutions. The films exhibited electrical conductivity of 102 S m-1 with transparency as high as 98% for visible light, which is comparable to similar parameters for many carbon nanotube and graphene films prepared by both aqueous LBL and other methods.The inevitable contact of substrates with water during the traditional practice of layer-by-layer assembly (LBL) creates problems for multiple potential applications of LBL films in electronics. To resolve this issue, we demonstrate here the possibility of a LBL process using ionic liquids (ILs), which potentially eliminates corrosion and hydration processes related to aqueous media and opens additional possibilities in structural control of LBL films. ILs are also considered to be one of the best ``green'' processing solvents, and hence, are advantageous in respect to traditional organic solvents. Poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI) and poly(sodium styrenesulfonate) (PSS) were dispersed in a hydrophilic IL and successfully deposited in the LBL fashion. To produce electroactive thin films with significance to electronics, a similar process was realized for PSS-modified single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT-PSS) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). Characterization of the coating using standard spectroscopy and microscopy techniques typical of the multilayer field indicated that there are both similarities and differences in the structure and properties of LBL films build from ILs and aqueous solutions. The films exhibited electrical conductivity of 102 S m-1 with transparency as high as 98% for visible light, which is comparable to similar parameters for many carbon nanotube and graphene films prepared by both aqueous LBL and other methods. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Aggregation of PEI and PSS in [EMIm][EtSO4], detailed FTIR data, water-contact angle for (PEI/PSS)10 multilayers, and XPS survey spectra. See DOI: 10.1039/b9nr00333a

Microstructural and mechanical properties of Al2O3/ZrO2 nanomultilayer thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balakrishnan, G.; Sastikumar, D.; Kuppusami, P.; Babu, R. Venkatesh; Song, Jung Il

2018-02-01

Single layer aluminium oxide (Al2O3), zirconium oxide (ZrO2) and Al2O3/ZrO2 nano multilayer films were deposited on Si (100) substrates at room temperature by pulsed laser deposition. The development of Al2O3/ZrO2 nanolayered structure is an important method used to stabilize the high temperature phase (tetragonal and cubic) of ZrO2 at room temperature. In the Al2O3/ZrO2 multilayer structure, the Al2O3 layer was kept constant at 5 nm, while the ZrO2 layer thickness varied from 5 to 20 nm (5/5, 5/10, 5/15 and 5/20 nm) with a total of 40 bilayers. The X-ray diffraction studies of single layer Al2O3 indicated the γ-Al2O3 of cubic structure, while the single layer ZrO2 indicated both monoclinic and tetragonal phases. The 5/5 and 5/10 nm multilayer films showed the nanocrystalline nature of ZrO2 with tetragonal phase. The high resolution transmission electron microscopy studies indicated the formation of well-defined Al2O3 and ZrO2 layers and that they are of uniform thickness. The atomic force microscopy studies revealed the uniform and dense distribution of nanocrystallites. The nanoindentation studies indicated the hardness of 20.8 ± 1.10 and 10 ± 0.60 GPa, for single layer Al2O3 and ZrO2, respectively, and the hardness of multilayer films varied with bilayer thickness.

Basic analysis of reflectometry data software package for the analysis of multilayered structures according to reflectometry data

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

Astaf'ev, S. B., E-mail: bard@ns.crys.ras.ru; Shchedrin, B. M.; Yanusova, L. G.

2012-01-15

The main principles of developing the Basic Analysis of Reflectometry Data (BARD) software package, which is aimed at obtaining a unified (standardized) tool for analyzing the structure of thin multilayer films and nanostructures of different nature based on reflectometry data, are considered. This software package contains both traditionally used procedures for processing reflectometry data and the authors' original developments on the basis of new methods for carrying out and analyzing reflectometry experiments. The structure of the package, its functional possibilities, examples of application, and prospects of development are reviewed.

X ray, extreme and far ultraviolet optical thin films for space applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zukic, Muamer; Torr, Douglas G.; Kim, Jongmin

1993-01-01

Far and extreme ultraviolet optical thin film filters find many uses in space astronomy, space astrophysics, and space aeronomy. Spacebased spectrographs are used for studying emission and absorption features of the earth, planets, sun, stars, and the interstellar medium. Most of these spectrographs use transmission or reflection filters. This requirement has prompted a search for selective filtering coatings with high throughput in the FUV and EUV spectral region. Important progress toward the development of thin film filters with improved efficiency and stability has been made in recent years. The goal for this field is the minimization of absorption to get high throughput and enhancement of wavelength selection. The Optical Aeronomy Laboratory (OAL) at the University of Alabama in Huntsville has recently developed the technology to determine optical constants of bulk and film materials for wavelengths extending from x-rays (0.1 nm) to the FUV (200 nm), and several materials have been identified that were used for designs of various optical devices which previously have been restricted to space application in the visible and near infrared. A new design concept called the Pi-multilayer was introduced and applied to the design of optical coatings for wavelengths extending from x-rays to the FUV. Section 3 of this report explains the Pi-multilayer approach and demonstrates its application for the design and fabrication of the FUV coatings. Two layer Pi-stacks have been utilized for the design of reflection filters in the EUV wavelength range from 70 - 100 nm. In order to eliminate losses due to the low reflection of the imaging optics and increase throughput and out-of-band rejection of the EUV instrumentation we introduced a self-filtering camera concept. In the FUV region, MgF2 and LiF crystals are known to be birefringent. Transmission polarizers and quarterwave retarders made of MgF2 or LiF crystals are commercially available but the performances are poor. New techniques for the design of the EUV and FUV polarizers and quarterwave retarders are described in Section 5. X- and gamma-ray detectors rely on a measurement of the electron which is effected when a ray interacts with matter. The design of an x- and gamma-ray telescope to operate in a particular region of the spectrum is, therefore, largely dictated by the mechanism through which the rays interact. Energy selection and the focusing of the incident high energy rays can be achieved with spectrally selective high reflective multilayers. The design and spectral performance of narrowband reflective x-ray Pi-multilayers are presented in section 6.

Cell surface engineering with polyelectrolyte multilayer thin films.

PubMed

Wilson, John T; Cui, Wanxing; Kozlovskaya, Veronika; Kharlampieva, Eugenia; Pan, Di; Qu, Zheng; Krishnamurthy, Venkata R; Mets, Joseph; Kumar, Vivek; Wen, Jing; Song, Yuhua; Tsukruk, Vladimir V; Chaikof, Elliot L

2011-05-11

Layer-by-layer assembly of polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) films represents a bottom-up approach for re-engineering the molecular landscape of cell surfaces with spatially continuous and molecularly uniform ultrathin films. However, fabricating PEMs on viable cells has proven challenging owing to the high cytotoxicity of polycations. Here, we report the rational engineering of a new class of PEMs with modular biological functionality and tunable physicochemical properties which have been engineered to abrogate cytotoxicity. Specifically, we have discovered a subset of cationic copolymers that undergoes a conformational change, which mitigates membrane disruption and facilitates the deposition of PEMs on cell surfaces that are tailorable in composition, reactivity, thickness, and mechanical properties. Furthermore, we demonstrate the first successful in vivo application of PEM-engineered cells, which maintained viability and function upon transplantation and were used as carriers for in vivo delivery of PEMs containing biomolecular payloads. This new class of polymeric film and the design strategies developed herein establish an enabling technology for cell transplantation and other therapies based on engineered cells. © 2011 American Chemical Society

Study of organic-inorganic hetero-interfaces and electrical transport in semiconducting nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagner, Sean Robert

As the electronics industry continues to evolve and move towards functional electronic devices with increasing complexity and functionality, it becomes important to explore materials outside the regime of conventional semiconductors. Organic semiconducting small molecules have received a large amount of attention due to their high degree of flexibility, the option to perform molecular synthesis to modify their electronic and magnetic properties, and their ability to organize into highly-ordered functionalized nanostructures and thin films. Being able to form complex nanostructures and thin films with molecular precision, while maintaining the ability to tune properties through modifications in the molecular chemistry could result in vast improvements in conventional device architectures. However, before this is realized, there still remains a significant lack of understanding regarding how these molecules interact with various substrate surfaces as well as their intermolecular interactions. The interplay between these interactions can produce drastic changes in the molecular orientation and ordering at the hetero-interface, which can affect the transport properties of the molecular thin film and ultimately modify the performance of the organic electronic device. This study first focuses on the growth dynamics, molecular ordering, and molecular orientation of metal phthalocyanine (MPc) molecules, particularly on Si, a substrate which is notoriously difficult to form an organized organic thin film on due to the surface dangling bonds. By deactivating these bonds, the formation of a highly ordered organic molecular thin film becomes possible. Combining scanning tunneling microscopy, scanning tunneling spectroscopy, low-energy electron diffraction, and density functional theory calculations, the growth evolution of MPc molecules ( M = Zn, Cu, Co) from the single molecule level to multilayered films on the deactivated Si(111)-B surface is investigated. Initial tests are centered around thermally evaporated ZnPc. These molecules display a highly-ordered, close-packed, tilted configuration which differs from any known bulk packing motif. The ZnPc molecules are able to diffuse rapidly on the Si surface and preferentially nucleate at Si step-edges. This is followed by the formation of highly-ordered anisotropic stripe structures which grow across the Si terraces, i.e. anisotropic step-flow growth. The step-flow growth mode further impacts the growth by reducing the allowed symmetry of the molecular domains such that thin films with an exclusive in-plane molecular ordering are formed. Additionally, the ZnPc tilted packing motif stabilizes the molecular film, allowing it to maintain this packing for multilayered films, despite the decreasing substrate influence. The strength of the MPc-substrate interaction can be modified by changing the central transition-metal ion within the molecule. Through selective p-d orbital coupling between MPc molecules and the substrate, the degree of orbital coupling can induce modifications in the molecular ordering and orientation of MPc molecules at the interface. The secondary focus of this study is to initiate preliminary experimentation towards understanding how ordered organic molecular thin films can be applied to silicon-based devices that could have a significant impact on the electronics market. Si nanomembrane is a flexible, low-dimensional nanomaterial with electronic properties that are highly sensitive to the interface condition. By merging the knowledge of MPc thin film growth on Si with Si nanomembrane technology, possibilities towards modifying the transport properties of nanomaterials through engineering the organic-inorganic hetero-interface can be explored.

Direct writing of room temperature and zero field skyrmion lattices by a scanning local magnetic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Senfu; Zhang, Junwei; Zhang, Qiang; Barton, Craig; Neu, Volker; Zhao, Yuelei; Hou, Zhipeng; Wen, Yan; Gong, Chen; Kazakova, Olga; Wang, Wenhong; Peng, Yong; Garanin, Dmitry A.; Chudnovsky, Eugene M.; Zhang, Xixiang

2018-03-01

Magnetic skyrmions are topologically protected nanoscale spin textures exhibiting fascinating physical behaviors. Recent observations of room temperature skyrmions in sputtered multilayer films are an important step towards their use in ultra-low power devices. Such practical applications prefer skyrmions to be stable at zero magnetic fields and room temperature. Here, we report the creation of skyrmion lattices in Pt/Co/Ta multilayers by a scanning local field using magnetic force microscopy tips. We also show that those newly created skyrmion lattices are stable at both room temperature and zero fields. Lorentz transmission electron microscopy measurements reveal that the skyrmions in our films are of Néel-type. To gain a deeper understanding of the mechanism behind the creation of a skyrmion lattice by the scanning of local fields, we perform micromagnetic simulations and find the experimental results to be in agreement with our simulation data. This study opens another avenue for the creation of skyrmion lattices in thin films.

Multilayer organic based structures with enhanced hole transport

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mladenova, D.; Sinigersky, V.; Budurova, D.; Dobreva, T.; Karashanova, D.; Dimov, D.; Zhivkov, I.

2010-11-01

Multilayer Organic Based Devices (OBDs) were constructed by subsequent casting of organic films (from polymers, soluble in the same organic solvent). The problem with dissolution of the underlying layer was avoided by using electrophoretic deposition technique. Optimized conditions for electrophoretic deposition (EPD) of thin films with homogeneous and smooth surfaces, as confirmed by SEM, were found. The EPD, carried out at constant current, requires continuous increase of the voltage between the electrodes. In this way the decreased deposition rate caused by the decreased concentration of the material in the suspension and the increased thickness of the film deposited is compensated. The SEM images and the current voltage characteristics recorded, show that the hole transport polyvinylcarbazole (PVK) underlayer survive the treatment with the suspension used for the electrophoretic deposition of the active poly[2-methoxy-5-(3,7-dimethyloctyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene] electroluminescent layer. The PVK hole transport layer increases the device current, as confirmed by the current-voltage measurements. The results obtained demonstrate the possibility of OBDs preparation for electroluminescent and photovoltaic applications.

Thin polymeric films for building biohybrid microrobots.

PubMed

Ricotti, Leonardo; Fujie, Toshinori

2017-03-06

This paper aims to describe the disruptive potential that polymeric thin films have in the field of biohybrid devices and to review the recent efforts in this area. Thin (thickness  <  1 mm) and ultra-thin (thickness  <  1 µm) matrices possess a series of intriguing features, such as large surface area/volume ratio, high flexibility, chemical and physical surface tailorability, etc. This enables the fabrication of advanced bio/non-bio interfaces able to efficiently drive cell-material interactions, which are the key for optimizing biohybrid device performances. Thin films can thus represent suitable platforms on which living and artificial elements are coupled, with the aim of exploiting the unique features of living cells/tissues. This may allow to carry out certain tasks, not achievable with fully artificial technologies. In the paper, after a description of the desirable chemical/physical cues to be targeted and of the fabrication, functionalization and characterization procedures to be used for thin and ultra-thin films, the state-of-the-art of biohybrid microrobots based on micro/nano-membranes are described and discussed. The research efforts in this field are rather recent and they focus on: (1) self-beating cells (such as cardiomyocytes) able to induce a relatively large deformation of the underlying substrates, but affected by a limited controllability by external users; (2) skeletal muscle cells, more difficult to engineer in mature and functional contractile tissues, but featured by a higher controllability. In this context, the different materials used and the performances achieved are analyzed. Despite recent interesting advancements and signs of maturity of this research field, important scientific and technological steps are still needed. In the paper some possible future perspectives are described, mainly concerning thin film manipulation and assembly in multilayer 3D systems, new advanced materials to be used for the fabrication of thin films, cell engineering opportunities and modelling/computational efforts.

Ab initio modeling of zincblende AlN layer in Al-AlN-TiN multilayers

DOE PAGES

Yadav, S. K.; Wang, J.; Liu, X. -Y.

2016-06-13

An unusual growth mechanism of metastable zincblende AlN thin film by diffusion of nitrogen atoms into Al lattice is established. Using first-principles density functional theory, we studied the possibility of thermodynamic stability of AlN as a zincblende phase due to epitaxial strains and interface effect, which fails to explain the formation of zincblende AlN. We then compared the formation energetics of rocksalt and zincblende AlN in fcc Al through direct diffusion of nitrogen atoms to Al octahedral and tetrahedral interstitials. Furthermore, the formation of a zincblende AlN thin film is determined to be a kinetically driven process, not a thermodynamicallymore » driven process.« less

BDS thin film damage competition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stolz, Christopher J.; Thomas, Michael D.; Griffin, Andrew J.

2008-10-01

A laser damage competition was held at the 2008 Boulder Damage Symposium in order to determine the current status of thin film laser resistance within the private, academic, and government sectors. This damage competition allows a direct comparison of the current state-of-the-art of high laser resistance coatings since they are all tested using the same damage test setup and the same protocol. A normal incidence high reflector multilayer coating was selected at a wavelength of 1064 nm. The substrates were provided by the submitters. A double blind test assured sample and submitter anonymity so only a summary of the results are presented here. In addition to the laser resistance results, details of deposition processes, coating materials, and layer count will also be shared.

Interpretation of transport measurements in ZnO-thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petukhov, Vladimir; Stoemenos, John; Rothman, Johan; Bakin, Andrey; Waag, Andreas

2011-01-01

In order to interpret results of temperature dependent Hall measurements in heteroepitaxial ZnO-thin films, we adopted a multilayer conductivity model considering carrier-transport through the interfacial layer with degenerate electron gas as well as the upper part of ZnO layers with lower conductivity. This model was applied to the temperature dependence of the carrier concentration and mobility measured by Hall effect in a ZnO-layer grown on c-sapphire with conventional high-temperature MgO and low-temperature ZnO buffer. We also compared our results with the results of maximum entropy mobility-spectrum analysis (MEMSA). The formation of the highly conductive interfacial layer was explained by analysis of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images taken from similar layers.

Space Environmentally Stable Polyimides and Copolyimides

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Watson, Kent A.; Connell, John W.

2000-01-01

Polyimides with a unique combination of properties including low color in thin films, atomic oxygen (AO), ultra-violet (UV) radiation resistance, solubility in organic solvents in the imide form, high glass transition (T(sub g)) temperatures and high thermal stability have been prepared and characterized. The polymers were prepared by reacting a novel aromatic diamine with aromatic dianhydrides in a polar aprotic solvent. The solubility of the polymers in the imide form as well as the color density of thin films were dependent upon the chemical structure of the dianhydride. Several thin films (25-50 mm thick) prepared by solution casting of amide acid or imide solutions exhibited very low color and high optical transparency (approximately 90%) as determined by UV/visible spectroscopy. The polymers exhibited T(sub g)s >200 C depending upon the structure of the dianhydride and temperatures of 5% weight loss approximately 500C in air as determined by dynamic thermogravimetric analysis. Thin films coated with silver/inconel were exposed to a high fluence of AO and 1000 equivalent solar hours of UV radiation. The effects of these exposures on optical properties were minor. These space environmentally durable polymers are potentially useful in a variety of applications on spacecraft such as thin film membranes on antennas, second-surface mirrors, thermal/optical coatings and multi-layer thermal insulation (MLI) blanket materials. The chemistry, physical and mechanical properties of the polymers as well as their responses to AO and UV exposure will be discussed.

Mechanical Behavior of Fabric-Film Laminates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Said, Magdi S.

1999-01-01

Inflatable structures are gaining wide support in planetary scientific missions as well as commercial applications. For such applications a new class of materials made of laminating thin homogenous films to lightweight fabrics are being considered us structura1 gas envelops. The emerging composite materials are a result of recent advances in the manufacturing cf 1ightweight, high strength fibers, fabrics and scrims. The lamination of these load-carrying members with the proper gas barrier film results in wide range of materials suitable for various loading and environmental conditions. Polyester - based woven fabrics laminated to thin homogeneus film of polyester (Maylar) is an example of this class. This fabric/ film laminate is being considered for the development a material suitable for building large gas envelopes for use in the NASA Ultra Long Duration Balloon Program (ULDB). Compared to commercial homogeneus films, the material provides relatively high strength to weight ratio as well as better resistance to crack and tear propagation. The purpose of this papers is to introduce the mechanical behavior of this class of multi-layers composite and to highlight some of the concerns observed during the characterization of these laminate composites.

A study on 100 MeV O7+ irradiated SnO2/Ag/SnO2 multilayer as transparent electrode for flat panel display application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Vikas; Singh, Satyavir; Asokan, K.; Sachdev, Kanupriya

2016-07-01

The multilayer thin films of SnO2/Ag/SnO2 were deposited using electron-beam and thermal evaporation for flat panel display application. The as-prepared SnO2/Ag/SnO2 specimen was irradiated with 100 MeV O7+ ions by varying the fluences 1 × 1012 and 5 × 1012 ions/cm2. The pristine and irradiated films were investigated using XRD, SEM, AFM and Raman to find out modification in the structure and surface morphology of the films. UV-Vis and Hall measurement techniques were used to investigate the optical and electrical properties respectively. It was observed that the roughness of the film after irradiation (for the fluence of 1 × 1012 ions/cm2) ​ decreased to 0.68 nm from 1.6 nm and showed an increase in roughness to 1.35 nm on increasing the fluence to 5 × 1012 ions/cm2. This oxide/metal/oxide structure fulfills the basic requirements of a TCE, like high-transmittance >75% for pristine and >80% for the fluence of 1 × 1012 ions/cm2 over a broad spectrum of visible light for practical applications. The multilayer structure shows change in the electrical resistivity from 1.6 × 10-3 Ω cm to 6.3 × 10-3 Ω cm after irradiation.

Charge Transport in Low-Temperature Processed Thin-Film Transistors Based on Indium Oxide/Zinc Oxide Heterostructures.

PubMed

Krausmann, Jan; Sanctis, Shawn; Engstler, Jörg; Luysberg, Martina; Bruns, Michael; Schneider, Jörg J

2018-06-20

The influence of the composition within multilayered heterostructure oxide semiconductors has a critical impact on the performance of thin-film transistor (TFT) devices. The heterostructures, comprising alternating polycrystalline indium oxide and zinc oxide layers, are fabricated by a facile atomic layer deposition (ALD) process, enabling the tuning of its electrical properties by precisely controlling the thickness of the individual layers. This subsequently results in enhanced TFT performance for the optimized stacked architecture after mild thermal annealing at temperatures as low as 200 °C. Superior transistor characteristics, resulting in an average field-effect mobility (μ sat. ) of 9.3 cm 2 V -1 s -1 ( W/ L = 500), an on/off ratio ( I on / I off ) of 5.3 × 10 9 , and a subthreshold swing of 162 mV dec -1 , combined with excellent long-term and bias stress stability are thus demonstrated. Moreover, the inherent semiconducting mechanism in such multilayered heterostructures can be conveniently tuned by controlling the thickness of the individual layers. Herein, devices comprising a higher In 2 O 3 /ZnO ratio, based on individual layer thicknesses, are predominantly governed by percolation conduction with temperature-independent charge carrier mobility. Careful adjustment of the individual oxide layer thicknesses in devices composed of stacked layers plays a vital role in the reduction of trap states, both interfacial and bulk, which consequently deteriorates the overall device performance. The findings enable an improved understanding of the correlation between TFT performance and the respective thin-film composition in ALD-based heterostructure oxides.

Nanoscale reduction of graphene oxide thin films and its characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lorenzoni, M.; Giugni, A.; Di Fabrizio, E.; Pérez-Murano, Francesc; Mescola, A.; Torre, B.

2015-07-01

In this paper, we report on a method to reduce thin films of graphene oxide (GO) to a spatial resolution better than 100 nm over several tens of micrometers by means of an electrochemical scanning probe based lithography. In situ tip-current measurements show that an edged drop in electrical resistance characterizes the reduced areas, and that the reduction process is, to a good approximation, proportional to the applied bias between the onset voltage and the saturation thresholds. An atomic force microscope (AFM) quantifies the drop of the surface height for the reduced profile due to the loss of oxygen. Complementarily, lateral force microscopy reveals a homogeneous friction coefficient of the reduced regions that is remarkably lower than that of native graphene oxide, confirming a chemical change in the patterned region. Micro Raman spectroscopy, which provides access to insights into the chemical process, allows one to quantify the restoration and de-oxidation of the graphitic network driven by the electrochemical reduction and to determine characteristic length scales. It also confirms the homogeneity of the process over wide areas. The results shown were obtained from accurate analysis of the shift, intensity and width of Raman peaks for the main vibrational bands of GO and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) mapped over large areas. Concerning multilayered GO thin films obtained by drop-casting we have demonstrated an unprecedented lateral resolution in ambient conditions as well as an improved control, characterization and understanding of the reduction process occurring in GO randomly folded multilayers, useful for large-scale processing of graphene-based material.

The role of energetic ions from plasma in the creation of nanostructured materials and stable polymer surface treatments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bilek, M. M. M.; Newton-McGee, K.; McKenzie, D. R.; McCulloch, D. G.

2006-01-01

Plasma processes for the synthesis of new materials as thin films have enabled the production of a wide variety of new materials. These include meta-stable phases, which are not readily found in nature, and more recently, materials with structure on the nanoscale. Study of plasma synthesis processes at the fundamental level has revealed that ion energy, depositing flux and growth surface temperature are the critical parameters affecting the microstructure and the properties of the thin film materials formed. In this paper, we focus on the role of ion flux and impact energy in the creation of thin films with nanoscale structure in the form of multilayers. We describe three synthesis strategies, based on the extraction of ions from plasma sources and involving modulation of ion flux and ion energy. The microstructure, intrinsic stress and physical properties of the multilayered samples synthesized are studied and related back to the conditions at the growth surface during deposition. When energetic ions of a non-condensing species are used, it is possible to place active groups on the surfaces of materials such as polymers. These active groups can then be used as bonding sites in subsequent chemical attachment of proteins or other macromolecules. If the energy of the non-condensing ions is increased to a few keV then modified layers buried under the surface can be produced. Here we describe a method by which the aging effect, which is often observed in plasma surface modifications on polymers, can be reduced and even eliminated using high energy ion bombardment.

Broadband planar multilayered absorbers tuned by VO2 phase transition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Hao; Ji, Chunhui; Lu, Lulu; Li, Zhe; Li, Haoyang; Wang, Jun; Wu, Zhiming; Jiang, Yadong; Xu, Jimmy; Liu, Zhijun

2017-08-01

The metal-insulator transition makes vanadium dioxide an attractive material for developing reconfigurable optoelectronic components. Here we report on dynamically tunable broadband absorbers consisting of planar multilayered thin films. By thermally triggering the phase transition of vanadium dioxide, the effective impedance of multilayered structures is tuned in or out of the condition of impedance matching to free-space, leading to switchable broadband absorptions. Two types of absorbers are designed and demonstrated by using either the insulating or metallic state of vanadium dioxide at the impedance matched condition. The planar multilayered absorbers exhibit tunable absorption bands over the wavelength ranges of 5-9.3 μm and 3.9-8.2 μm, respectively. A large modulation depth up to 88% is measured. The demonstrated broadband absorbance tunability is of potential interest for reconfigurable bolometric sensing, camouflaging, and modulation of mid-infrared lights.

Experimental evidence for an optical interference model for vibrational sum frequency generation on multilayer organic thin film systems. I. Electric dipole approximation.

PubMed

O'Brien, Daniel B; Massari, Aaron M

2015-01-14

In the field of vibrational sum frequency generation spectroscopy (VSFG) applied to organic thin film systems, a significant challenge to data analysis is in the accurate description of optical interference effects. Herein, we provide experimental evidence that a model recently developed in our lab provides an accurate description of this phenomenon. We studied the organic small molecule N,N'-dioctyl-3,4,9,10-perylenedicarboximide vapor deposited as a thickness gradient on silicon wafer substrates with two oxide thicknesses and two surface preps. VSFG data were obtained using the ssp and the sps polarization combinations in the imide carbonyl stretching region as a function of organic thickness. In this first of two reports, the data are modeled and interpreted within the ubiquitous electric dipole approximation for VSFG. The intrinsic sample responses are parameterized during the fitting routines while optical interference effects are simply calculated from the model using known refractive indices, thin film thicknesses, and beam angles. The results indicate that the thin film model provides a good description of optical interferences, indicating that interfacial terms are significant. Inconsistencies between the fitting results within the bounds of the electric dipole response motivate deliberation for additional effects to be considered in the second report.

A K-band Frequency Agile Microstrip Bandpass Filter using a Thin Film HTS/Ferroelectric/dielectric Multilayer Configuration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Subramanyam, Guru; VanKeuls, Fred; Miranda, Felix A.

1998-01-01

We report on YBa2Cu3O(7-delta) (YBCO) thin film/SrTiO3 (STO) thin film K-band tunable bandpass filters on LaAlO3 (LAO) dielectric substrates. The 2 pole filter has a center frequency of 19 GHz and a 4% bandwidth. Tunability is achieved through the non-linear dc electric field dependence of the relative dielectric constant of STO(epsilon(sub rSTO). A large tunability ((Delta)f/f(sub 0) = (f(sub Vmax) - f(sub 0)/f(sub 0), where f(sub 0) is the center frequency of the filter at no bias and f(sub Vmax) is the center frequency of the filter at the maximum applied bias) of greater than 10% was obtained in YBCO/STO/LAO microstrip bandpass filters operating below 77 K. A center frequency shift of 2.3 GHz (i.e., a tunability factor of approximately 15%) was obtained at a 400 V bipolar dc bias, and 30 K, with minimal degradation in the insertion loss of the filter. This paper addresses design, fabrication and testing of tunable filters based on STO ferroelectric thin films. The performance of the YBCO/STO/LAO filters is compared to that of gold/STO/LAO counterparts.

Fabrication of amorphous IGZO thin film transistor using self-aligned imprint lithography with a sacrificial layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Sung Jin; Kim, Hyung Tae; Choi, Jong Hoon; Chung, Ho Kyoon; Cho, Sung Min

2018-04-01

An amorphous indium-gallium-zinc-oxide (a-IGZO) thin film transistor (TFT) was fabricated by a self-aligned imprint lithography (SAIL) method with a sacrificial photoresist layer. The SAIL is a top-down method to fabricate a TFT using a three-dimensional multilayer etch mask having all pattern information for the TFT. The sacrificial layer was applied in the SAIL process for the purpose of removing the resin residues that were inevitably left when the etch mask was thinned by plasma etching. This work demonstrated that the a-IGZO TFT could be fabricated by the SAIL process with the sacrificial layer. Specifically, the simple fabrication process utilized in this study can be utilized for the TFT with a plasma-sensitive semiconductor such as the a-IGZO and further extended for the roll-to-roll TFT fabrication.

Interfaces and thin films as seen by bound electromagnetic waves.

PubMed

Knoll, W

1998-01-01

This contribution summarizes the use of plasmon surface polaritons and guided optical waves for the characterization of interfaces and thin organic films. After a short introduction to the theoretical background of evanescent wave optics, examples are given that show how this interfacial "light" can be employed to monitor thin coatings at a solid/air or solid/liquid interface. Examples are given for a very sensitive thickness determination of samples ranging from self-assembled monolayers, to multilayer assemblies prepared by the Langmuir/Blodgett/Kuhn technique or by the alternate polyelectrolyte deposition. These are complemented by the demonstration of the potential of the technique to also monitor time-dependent processes in a kinetic mode. Here, we put an emphasis on the combination set-up of surface plasmon optics with electrochemical techniques, allowing for the on-line characterization of various surface functionalization strategies, e.g. for (bio-) sensor purposes.

Multilayer and grazing incidence X-ray/EUV optics; Proceedings of the Meeting, San Diego, CA, July 22-24, 1991

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoover, Richard B. (Editor)

1992-01-01

The present conference discusses the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF) calibration by means of synchrotron radiation and its X-ray reflectivity, X-ray scattering measurements from thin-foil X-ray mirrors, lobster-eye X-ray optics using microchannel plates, space-based interferometry at EUV and soft X-ray wavelengths, a water-window imaging X-ray telescope, a graded d-spacing multilayer telescope for high energy X-ray astronomy, photographic films for the multispectral solar telescope array, a soft X-ray ion chamber, and the development of hard X-ray optics. Also discussed are X-ray spectroscopy with multilayered optics, a slit aperture for monitoring X-ray experiments, an objective double-crystal spectrometer, a Ly-alpha coronagraph/polarimeter, tungsten/boron nitride multilayers for XUV optical applications, the evaluation of reflectors for soft X-ray optics, the manufacture of elastically bent crystals and multilayer mirrors, and selective photodevices for the VUV.

Langmuir-Blodgett Thin Films of Diketopyrrolopyrrole-Based Amphiphiles.

PubMed

Lo, Chi Kin; Wang, Cheng-Yin; Oosterhout, Stefan D; Zheng, Zilong; Yi, Xueping; Fuentes-Hernandez, Canek; So, Franky; Coropceanu, Veaceslav; Brédas, Jean-Luc; Toney, Michael F; Kippelen, Bernard; Reynolds, John R

2018-04-11

We report on two π-conjugated donor-acceptor-donor (D-A-D) molecules of amphiphilic nature, aiming to promote intermolecular ordering and carrier mobility in organic electronic devices. Diketopyrrolopyrrole was selected as the acceptor moiety that was disubstituted with nonpolar and polar functional groups, thereby providing the amphiphilic structures. This structural design resulted in materials with a strong intermolecular order in the solid state, which was confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry and polarized optical microscopy. Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films of ordered mono- and multilayers were transferred onto glass and silicon substrates, with layer quality, coverage, and intermolecular order controlled by layer compression pressure on the LB trough. Organic field-effect transistors and organic photovoltaics devices with active layers consisting of the amphiphilic conjugated D-A-D-type molecules were constructed to demonstrate that the LB technique is an effective layer-by-layer deposition approach to fabricate self-assembled, ordered thin films.

Langmuir–Blodgett Thin Films of Diketopyrrolopyrrole-Based Amphiphiles

DOE PAGES

Lo, Chi Kin; Wang, Cheng -Yin; Oosterhout, Stefan D.; ...

2018-03-30

Here, we report on two π-conjugated donor–acceptor–donor (D–A–D) molecules of amphiphilic nature, aiming to promote intermolecular ordering and carrier mobility in organic electronic devices. Diketopyrrolopyrrole was selected as the acceptor moiety that was disubstituted with nonpolar and polar functional groups, thereby providing the amphiphilic structures. This structural design resulted in materials with a strong intermolecular order in the solid state, which was confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry and polarized optical microscopy. Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) films of ordered mono- and multilayers were transferred onto glass and silicon substrates, with layer quality, coverage, and intermolecular order controlled by layer compression pressure on themore » LB trough. Organic field-effect transistors and organic photovoltaics devices with active layers consisting of the amphiphilic conjugated D–A–D-type molecules were constructed to demonstrate that the LB technique is an effective layer-by-layer deposition approach to fabricate self-assembled, ordered thin films.« less

Underpotential deposition-mediated layer-by-layer growth of thin films

DOEpatents

Wang, Jia Xu; Adzic, Radoslav R.

2015-05-19

A method of depositing contiguous, conformal submonolayer-to-multilayer thin films with atomic-level control is described. The process involves the use of underpotential deposition of a first element to mediate the growth of a second material by overpotential deposition. Deposition occurs between a potential positive to the bulk deposition potential for the mediating element where a full monolayer of mediating element forms, and a potential which is less than, or only slightly greater than, the bulk deposition potential of the material to be deposited. By cycling the applied voltage between the bulk deposition potential for the mediating element and the material to be deposited, repeated desorption/adsorption of the mediating element during each potential cycle can be used to precisely control film growth on a layer-by-layer basis. This process is especially suitable for the formation of a catalytically active layer on core-shell particles for use in energy conversion devices such as fuel cells.

Ink jet assisted metallization for low cost flat plate solar cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Teng, K. F.; Vest, R. W.

1987-01-01

Computer-controlled ink-jet-assisted metallization of the front surface of solar cells with metalorganic silver inks offers a maskless alternative method to conventional photolithography and screen printing. This method can provide low cost, fine resolution, reduced process complexity, avoidance of degradation of the p-n junction by firing at lower temperature, and uniform line film on rough surface of solar cells. The metallization process involves belt furnace firing and thermal spiking. With multilayer ink jet printing and firing, solar cells of about 5-6 percent efficiency without antireflection (AR) coating can be produced. With a titanium thin-film underlayer as an adhesion promoter, solar cells of average efficiency 8.08 percent without AR coating can be obtained. This efficiency value is approximately equal to that of thin-film solar cells of the same lot. Problems with regard to lower inorganic content of the inks and contact resistance are noted.

Multilayer ZnO/Pd/ZnO Structure as Sensing Membrane for Extended-Gate Field-Effect Transistor (EGFET) with High pH Sensitivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rasheed, Hiba S.; Ahmed, Naser M.; Matjafri, M. Z.; Al-Hardan, Naif H.; Almessiere, Munirah Abdullah; Sabah, Fayroz A.; Al-Hazeem, Nabeel Z.

2017-10-01

Metal oxide nanostructures have attracted considerable attention as pH-sensitive membranes because of their unique advantages. Specifically, the special properties of ZnO thin film, including high surface-to-volume ratio, nontoxicity, thermal stability, chemical stability, electrochemical activity, and high mechanical strength, have attracted massive interest. ZnO exhibits wide bandgap of 3.37 eV, good biocompatibility, high reactivity, robustness, and environmental stability. These unique properties explain why ZnO has the most applications among all nanostructured metal oxides based on its structure and properties. Moreover, ZnO has excellent electrical characteristics, enabling its use in accurate sensors with rapid response. ZnO nanostructures can be used in novel pH and biomedical sensing applications. However, ZnO thin film exhibits large sheet resistance and low conductivity. Increasing the conductivity or reducing the resistivity of ZnO sensing membranes is important to achieve low impedance. We propose herein a new design using a multilayer ZnO/Pd/ZnO structure as a pH-sensing membrane. Multiple layers were deposited by radio frequency (RF) sputtering for ZnO and direct current (DC) sputtering for Pd to achieve low sheet resistance. These multilayers with low sheet resistance of 15.8 Ω/sq were then successfully used to control the conductivity in extended-gate field-effect transistors (EGFETs). The resulting multilayered EGFET pH-sensor demonstrated improved sensing performance. The measured sensitivity of the pH sensor was 40 μA/pH and 52 mV/pH within the pH range from 2 to 12, rendering this structure suitable for use in various applications, including pH sensors and biosensors.

Monte Carlo simulations of the X Y vectorial Blume-Emery-Griffiths model in multilayer films for 3He-4He mixtures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santos-Filho, J. B.; Plascak, J. A.

2017-09-01

The X Y vectorial generalization of the Blume-Emery-Griffiths (X Y -VBEG) model, which is suitable to be applied to the study of 3He-4He mixtures, is treated on thin films structure and its thermodynamical properties are analyzed as a function of the film thickness. We employ extensive and up-to-date Monte Carlo simulations consisting of hybrid algorithms combining lattice-gas moves, Metropolis, Wolff, and super-relaxation procedures to overcome the critical slowing down and correlations among different spin configurations of the system. We also make use of single histogram techniques to get the behavior of the thermodynamical quantities close to the corresponding transition temperatures. Thin films of the X Y -VBEG model present a quite rich phase diagram with Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) transitions, BKT endpoints, and isolated critical points. As one varies the impurity concentrations along the layers, and in the limit of infinite film thickness, there is a coalescence of the BKT transition endpoint and the isolated critical point into a single, unique tricritical point. In addition, when mimicking the behavior of thin films of 3He-4He mixtures, one obtains that the concentration of 3He atoms decreases from the outer layers to the inner layers of the film, meaning that the superfluid particles tend to locate in the bulk of the system.

Neat monolayer tiling of molecularly thin two-dimensional materials in 1 min

PubMed Central

Matsuba, Kazuaki; Wang, Chengxiang; Saruwatari, Kazuko; Uesusuki, Yusuke; Akatsuka, Kosho; Osada, Minoru; Ebina, Yasuo; Ma, Renzhi; Sasaki, Takayoshi

2017-01-01

Controlled arrangement of molecularly thin two-dimensional (2D) materials on a substrate, particularly into precisely organized mono- and multilayer structures, is a key to design a nanodevice using their unique and enhanced physical properties. Several techniques such as mechanical transfer process and Langmuir-Blodgett deposition have been applied for this purpose, but they have severe restrictions for large-scale practical applications, for example, limited processable area and long fabrication time, requiring skilled multistep operations. We report a facile one-pot spin-coating method to realize dense monolayer tiling of various 2D materials, such as graphene and metal oxide nanosheets, within 1 min over a wide area (for example, a 30-mmφ substrate). Centrifugal force drives the nanosheets in a thin fluid layer to the substrate edge where they are packed edge to edge all the way to the central region, without forming overlaps. We investigated the relationship between precursor concentration, rotation speed, and ultraviolet-visible absorbance and developed an effective method to optimize the parameters for neat monolayer films. The multilayer buildup is feasible by repeating the spin-coating process combined with a heat treatment at moderate temperature. This versatile solution-based technique will provide both fundamental and practical advancements in the rapid large-scale production of artificial lattice-like films and nanodevices based on 2D materials. PMID:28695198

Coverage-Dependent Anchoring of 4,4'-Biphenyl Dicarboxylic Acid to CoO(111) Thin Films.

PubMed

Mohr, Susanne; Schmitt, Tobias; Döpper, Tibor; Xiang, Feifei; Schwarz, Matthias; Görling, Andreas; Schneider, M Alexander; Libuda, Jörg

2017-05-02

We investigated the adsorption behavior of 4,4'-biphenhyl dicarboxylic acid (BDA) on well-ordered CoO(111) films grown on Ir(100) as a function of coverage and temperature using time-resolved and temperature-programmed infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (TR-IRAS, TP-IRAS) in combination with density functional theory (DFT) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) under ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) conditions. To compare the binding behavior of BDA as a function of the oxide film thickness, three different CoO(111) film thicknesses were explored: films of about 20 bilayers (BLs) (approximately 5 nm), 2 BLs, and 1 BL. The two carboxylic acid groups of BDA offer two potential anchoring points to the oxide surface. At 150 K, intact BDA adsorbs on 20 BL thick oxide films in planar geometry with the phenyl rings aligned parallel to the surface. With decreasing oxide film thickness, we observe an increasing tendency for deprotonation and the formation of flat-lying BDA molecules anchored as dicarboxylates. After saturation of the first monolayer, intact BDA multilayers grow with molecules aligned parallel to the surface. The BDA multilayer desorbs at around 360 K. Completely different growth behavior is observed if BDA is deposited above the multilayer desorption temperature. Initially, doubly deprotonated dicarboxylates are formed by adopting a flat-lying orientation. With increasing exposure, however, the adsorbate layer transforms into upright standing monocarboxylates. A sharp OH stretching band (3584 cm -1 ) and a blue-shifted CO stretching band (1759 cm -1 ) indicate weakly interacting apical carboxylic acid groups at the vacuum interface. The anchored monocarboxylate phase slowly desorbs in a temperature range of up to 470 K. At higher temperature, a flat-lying doubly deprotonated BDA is formed, which desorbs and decomposes in a temperature range of up to 600 K.

Giant Magnetoresistance: Basic Concepts, Microstructure, Magnetic Interactions and Applications

PubMed Central

Ennen, Inga; Kappe, Daniel; Rempel, Thomas; Glenske, Claudia; Hütten, Andreas

2016-01-01

The giant magnetoresistance (GMR) effect is a very basic phenomenon that occurs in magnetic materials ranging from nanoparticles over multilayered thin films to permanent magnets. In this contribution, we first focus on the links between effect characteristic and underlying microstructure. Thereafter, we discuss design criteria for GMR-sensor applications covering automotive, biosensors as well as nanoparticular sensors. PMID:27322277

Permalloy-Based Thin Film Structures: Magnetic Properties and the Giant Magnetoimpedance Effect in the Temperature Range Important for Biomedical Applications

PubMed Central

Chlenova, Anna A.; Moiseev, Alexey A.; Derevyanko, Mikhail S.; Semirov, Aleksandr V.; Lepalovsky, Vladimir N.

2017-01-01

Permalloy-based thin film structures are excellent materials for sensor applications. Temperature dependencies of the magnetic properties and giant magneto-impedance (GMI) were studied for Fe19Ni81-based multilayered structures obtained by the ion-plasma sputtering technique. Selected temperature interval of 25 °C to 50 °C corresponds to the temperature range of functionality of many devices, including magnetic biosensors. A (Cu/FeNi)5/Cu/(Cu/FeNi)5 multilayered structure with well-defined traverse magnetic anisotropy showed an increase in the GMI ratio for the total impedance and its real part with temperature increased. The maximum of the GMI of the total impedance ratio ΔZ/Z = 56% was observed at a frequency of 80 MHz, with a sensitivity of 18%/Oe, and the maximum GMI of the real part ΔR/R = 170% at a frequency of 10 MHz, with a sensitivity of 46%/Oe. As the magnetization and direct current electrical resistance vary very little with the temperature, the most probable mechanism of the unexpected increase of the GMI sensitivity is the stress relaxation mechanism associated with magnetoelastic anisotropy. PMID:28817084

Phonon impedance matching: minimizing interfacial thermal resistance of thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polanco, Carlos; Zhang, Jingjie; Ghosh, Avik

2014-03-01

The challenge to minimize interfacial thermal resistance is to allow a broad band spectrum of phonons, with non-linear dispersion and well defined translational and rotational symmetries, to cross the interface. We explain how to minimize this resistance using a frequency dependent broadening matrix that generalizes the notion of acoustic impedance to the whole phonon spectrum including symmetries. We show how to ``match'' two given materials by joining them with a single atomic layer, with a multilayer material and with a graded superlattice. Atomic layer ``matching'' requires a layer with a mass close to the arithmetic mean (or spring constant close to the harmonic mean) to favor high frequency phonon transmission. For multilayer ``matching,'' we want a material with a broadening close to the geometric mean to maximize transmission peaks. For graded superlattices, a continuous sequence of geometric means translates to an exponentially varying broadening that generates a wide-band antireflection coating for both the coherent and incoherent limits. Our results are supported by ``first principles'' calculations of thermal conductance for GaAs / Gax Al1 - x As / AlAs thin films using the Non-Equilibrium Greens Function formalism coupled with Density Functional Perturbation Theory. NSF-CAREER (QMHP 1028883), NSF-IDR (CBET 1134311), XSEDE.

Laser microprocessing technologies for automotive, flexible electronics, and solar energy sectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nikumb, Suwas; Bathe, Ravi; Knopf, George K.

2014-10-01

Laser microprocessing technologies offer an important tool to fulfill the needs of many industrial sectors. In particular, there is growing interest in applications of these processes in the manufacturing areas such as automotive parts fabrication, printable electronics and solar energy panels. The technology is primarily driven by our understanding of the fundamental laser-material interaction, process control strategies and the advancement of significant fabrication experience over the past few years. The wide-ranging operating parameters available with respect to power, pulse width variation, beam quality, higher repetition rates as well as precise control of the energy deposition through programmable pulse shaping technologies, enables pre-defined material removal, selective scribing of individual layer within a stacked multi-layer thin film structure, texturing of material surfaces as well as precise introduction of heat into the material to monitor its characteristic properties are a few examples. In this research, results in the area of laser surface texturing of metals for added hydrodynamic lubricity to reduce friction, processing of ink-jet printed graphene oxide for flexible printed electronic circuit fabrication and scribing of multi-layer thin films for the development of photovoltaic CuInGaSe2 (CIGS) interconnects for solar panel devices will be discussed.

X-ray absorption fine structure and x-ray diffraction studies of crystallographic grains in nanocrystalline FePd:Cu thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krupinski, M.; Perzanowski, M.; Polit, A.; Zabila, Y.; Zarzycki, A.; Dobrowolska, A.; Marszalek, M.

2011-03-01

FePd alloys have recently attracted considerable attention as candidates for ultrahigh density magnetic storage media. In this paper we investigate FePd thin alloy film with a copper admixture composed of nanometer-sized grains. [Fe(0.9 nm)/Pd(1.1 nm)/Cu(d nm)]×5 multilayers were prepared by thermal deposition at room temperature in UHV conditions on Si(100) substrates covered by 100 nm SiO2. The thickness of the copper layer has been changed from 0 to 0.4 nm. After deposition, the multilayers were rapidly annealed at 600 °C in a nitrogen atmosphere, which resulted in the creation of the FePd:Cu alloy. The structure of alloy films obtained this way was determined by x-ray diffraction (XRD), glancing angle x-ray diffraction, and x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS). The measurements clearly showed that the L10 FePd:Cu nanocrystalline phase has been formed during the annealing process for all investigated copper compositions. This paper concentrates on the crystallographic grain features of FePd:Cu alloys and illustrates that the EXAFS technique, supported by XRD measurements, can help to extend the information about grain size and grain shape of poorly crystallized materials. We show that, using an appropriate model of the FePd:Cu grains, the comparison of EXAFS and XRD results gives a reasonable agreement.

Multilayer Ni/Fe thin films as oxygen evolution catalysts for solar fuel production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biset-Peiró, M.; Murcia-López, S.; Fàbrega, C.; Morante, J. R.; Andreu, T.

2017-03-01

The slow kinetics and high overpotential of the oxygen evolution reaction is one of the main limiting factors to achieve the minimum required performances of the so-called photoelectrochemical water splitting systems. An oxygen evolution catalyst (OEC) becomes essential in order to perform this process with higher efficiency. Herein, we report the physical, optical and electrochemical characterization of multilayer Ni/Fe thin films as earth-abundant OEC, to avoid the use of platinum group metals (PGM). Uniform films of thicknesses ranging from 1 to 10 nm were fabricated by sequential and alternate thermal evaporation of Ni and Fe. It was found that the successive deposition allows the fabrication of a Ni terminated surface that does not need activation due to the Fe underlayer. The lowest overpotential achieved for NiFe was 370 mV at 10 mA cm-2 and a Tafel slope of 37 mV dec-1 with 1 nm thickness and 95% transmittance. Finally, NiFe OEC was implemented on top of Mo:BiVO4 photoanodes which resulted in a reduction of the open circuit potential of 0.2 V and up to five fold increase of the oxidation efficiency at 0.7 VRHE. The results presented facilitate the practical implementation of BiVO4 photoanodes in tandem configuration for bias free photoassisted water splitting.

Granular giant magnetoresistive materials and their ferromagnetic resonances

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rubinstein, M.; Das, B. N.; Koon, N. C.; Chrisey, D. B.; Horwitz, J.

1994-11-01

Ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) can reveal important information on the size and shape of the ferromagnetic particles which are dispersed in granular giant magnetoresistive (GMR) materials. We have investigated the FMR spectra of three different types of granular GMR material, each with different properties: (1) melt-spun ribbons of Fe5Co15Cu80 and Co20Cu80, (2) thin films of Co20Cu80 produced by pulsed laser deposition, and (3) a granular multilayer film of (Cu(50 A)/Fe(10 A)) x 50. We interpret the linewidth of these materials in as simple a manner as possible, as a 'powder pattern' of noninteracting ferromagnetic particles. The linewidth of the melt-spun ribbons is caused by a completely random distribution of crystalline anisotropy axes. The linewidth of these samples is strongly dependent upon the annealing temperature: the linewidth of the as-spun sample is 2.5 kOe (appropriate for single-domain particles) while the linewidth of a melt-spun sample annealed at 900 C for 15 min is 3.8 kOe (appropriate for larger, multidomain particles). The linewidth of the granular multilayer is attributed to a restricted distribution of shape anisotropies, as expected from a discontinuous multilayer, and is only 0.98 kOe with the magnetic field in the plane of the film.

Ferromagnetic-resonance studies of granular giant-magnetoresistive materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rubinstein, M.; Das, B. N.; Koon, N. C.; Chrisey, D. B.; Horwitz, J.

1994-07-01

Ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) can reveal important information on the size and shape of the ferromagnetic particles which are dispersed in granular giant magnetoresistive (GMR) materials. We have investigated the FMR spectra of three different types of granular GMR material, each with different properties: (1) melt-spun ribbons of Fe5Co15Cu80 and Co20Cu80, (2) thin films of Co20Cu80 produced by pulsed laser deposition, and (3) a granular multilayer film of [Cu(50 Å)/Fe(10 Å)]×50. We interpret the linewidth of these materials in as simple a manner as possible, as a ``powder pattern'' of noninteracting ferromagnetic particles. The linewidth of the melt-spun ribbons is caused by a completely random distribution of crystalline anisotropy axes. The linewidth of these samples is strongly dependent upon the annealing temperature: the linewidth of the as-spun sample is 2.5 kOe (appropriate for single-domain particles) while the linewidth of a melt-spun sample annealed at 900 °C for 15 min is 4.5 kOe (appropriate for larger, multidomain particles). The linewidth of the granular multilayer is attributed to a restricted distribution of shape anisotropies, as expected from a discontinuous multilayer, and is only 0.98 kOe when the applied magnetic field is in the plane of the film.

Nanoporous Ca3Co4O9 Thin Films for Transferable Thermoelectrics

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

The development of high-performance and transferable thin-film thermoelectric materials is important for low-power applications, e.g., to power wearable electronics, and for on-chip cooling. Nanoporous films offer an opportunity to improve thermoelectric performance by selectively scattering phonons without affecting electronic transport. Here, we report the growth of nanoporous Ca3Co4O9 thin films by a sequential sputtering-annealing method. Ca3Co4O9 is promising for its high Seebeck coefficient and good electrical conductivity and important for its nontoxicity, low cost, and abundance of its constituent raw materials. To grow nanoporous films, multilayered CaO/CoO films were deposited on sapphire and mica substrates by rf-magnetron reactive sputtering from elemental Ca and Co targets, followed by annealing at 700 °C to form the final phase of Ca3Co4O9. This phase transformation is accompanied by a volume contraction causing formation of nanopores in the film. The thermoelectric propoperties of the nanoporous Ca3Co4O9 films can be altered by controlling the porosity. The lowest electrical resistivity is ∼7 mΩ cm, yielding a power factor of 2.32 × 10–4 Wm–1K–2 near room temperature. Furthermore, the films are transferable from the primary mica substrates to other arbitrary polymer platforms by simple dry transfer, which opens an opportunity of low-temperature use these materials. PMID:29905306

Spin and orbital magnetic moments of Fe and Co in Co/Fe and Fe/Co multilayers on Si from L2,3 edge X-ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vemuru, Krishnamurthy; Rosenberg, Richard; Mankey, Gary

Nanostructured FeCo thin films are interesting for magnetic recording applications due to their high saturation magnetization, high Curie temperature and low magnetocrystalline anisotropy. It is desirable to know how the magnetism is modified by the nanostructrure. We report Fe L 2 , 3 edge and Co L2 , 3 edge x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) investigations of element specific spin and orbital magnetism of Fe and Co in two multilayer samples: (S1) Si/SiO2/[Co 0.8 nm/Fe 1.6 nm]x32/W (2nm) and (S2) Si/SiO2/[Co 1.6 nm/Fe 0.8 nm]x32/W (2nm) thin films at room temperature. Sum rule analysis of XMCD at Fe L2 , 3 edge in sample S1 shows that the orbital moment of Fe is strongly enhanced and the spin moment is strongly reduced as compared to the values found in bulk Fe. Details of sum rule analysis will be presented to compare and contrast spin magnetic moments and orbital magnetic moments of Fe and Co in the two multilayer samples. This research used resources of the Advanced Photon Source, a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science User Facility operated for the DOE Office of Science by Argonne National Laboratory under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2010-10-01

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

Elasticity study of textured barium strontium titanate thin films by X-ray diffraction and laser acoustic waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chaabani, Anouar; Njeh, Anouar; Donner, Wolfgang; Klein, Andreas; Hédi Ben Ghozlen, Mohamed

2017-05-01

Ba0.65Sr0.35TiO3 (BST) thin films of 300 nm were deposited on Pt(111)/TiO2/SiO2/Si(001) substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. Two thin films with different (111) and (001) fiber textures were prepared. X-ray diffraction was applied to measure texture. The raw pole figure data were further processed using the MTEX quantitative texture analysis software for plotting pole figures and calculating elastic constants and Young’s modulus from the orientation distribution function (ODF) for each type of textured fiber. The calculated elastic constants were used in the theoretical studies of surface acoustics waves (SAW) propagating in two types of multilayered BST systems. Theoretical dispersion curves were plotted by the application of the ordinary differential equation (ODE) and the stiffness matrix methods (SMM). A laser acoustic waves (LAW) technique was applied to generate surface acoustic waves (SAW) propagating in the BST films, and from a recursive process, the effective Young’s modulus are determined for the two samples. These methods are used to extract and compare elastic properties of two types of BST films, and quantify the influence of texture on the direction-dependent Young’s modulus.

On Complex Nuclei Energetics in LENR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miley, George H.; Hora, Heinz

2005-03-01

Swimming Electron Layer (SEL) theory plus fission of ``complex nuclei'' were proposed earlier to explain reaction products observed in electrolysis with multi-layer thin-film metallic electrodesootnotetext1.G.H. Miley, and J.A. Patterson, J. New Energy, Vol. 1, pp.11-15, (1996).. SEL was then extended to treat gas-diffusion driven transmutation experimentsootnotetextG. H. Miley and H. Hora, ``Nuclear Reactions in Solids,'' APS DNP Mtg., East Lansing, MI, Oct (2002).. It is also consistent with measured charged-particle emission during thin-film electrolysis and x-ray emission during plasma bombardment experimentsootnotetextA. Karabut, ``X-ray emission in high-current glow discharge,'' Proc., ICCF-9, Beijing China, May (2002).. The binding energy per complex nucleon can be estimated by an energy balance combined with identification of products for each complex e.g. complexes of A 39 have ˜ 0.05 MeV/Nucleon, etc, in thin film electrolysis. Energies in gas diffusion experiments are lower due to the reduced trap site potential at the multi-atom surface. In the case of x-ray emission, complexes involve subsurface defect center traps, giving only a few keV/Nucleon, consistent with experiments^3.

Optical response of nanostructured metal/dielectric composites and multilayers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Geoffrey B.; Maaroof, Abbas I.; Allan, Rodney S.; Schelm, Stefan; Anstis, Geoffrey R.; Cortie, Michael B.

2004-08-01

The homogeneous optical response in conducting nanostructured layers, and in insulating layers containing dense arrays of self assembled conducting nanoparticles separated by organic linkers, is examined experimentally through their effective complex indices (n*, k*). Classical effective medium models, modified to account for the 3-phase nanostructure, are shown to explain (n*, k*) in dense particulate systems but not inhomogeneous layers with macroscopic conductance for which a different approach to homogenisation is discussed. (n*, k*) data on thin granular metal films, thin mesoporous gold, and on thin metal layers containing ordered arrays of voids, is linked to properties of the surface plasmon states which span the nanostructured film. Coupling between evanescent waves at either surface counterbalanced by electron scattering losses must be considered. Virtual bound states for resonant photons result, with the associated transit delay leading to a large rise in n* in many nanostructures. Overcoating n-Ag with alumina is shown to alter (n*, k*) through its impact on the SP coupling. In contrast to classical optical homogenisation, effective indices depend on film thickness. Supporting high resolution SEM images are presented.

Interface mediated enhanced mixing of multilayered Ni-Bi thin films by swift heavy ion irradiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siva, V.; Chettah, A.; Ojha, S.; Tripathi, A.; Kanjilal, D.; Sahoo, Pratap K.

2017-10-01

We report the effect of ion beam mixing of Ni/Bi multilayers using 100 MeV Au ions as a function of irradiation fluences. X-ray diffraction study reveals the higher magnitude of NiBi3 and NiBi phases compared to elemental Ni and Bi after ion irradiation. We observe an evolution of grainy structures to a molten-like surface with increasing ion fluences. These features were also reflected in the Rutherford Backscattering spectrometry spectra, in terms of the enhanced mixing with increasing ion fluences. The experimental findings were understood on the basis of inelastic thermal spike model calculations.

Preparation of multi-layer film consisting of hydrogen-free DLC and nitrogen-containing DLC for conductive hard coating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iijima, Yushi; Harigai, Toru; Isono, Ryo; Degai, Satoshi; Tanimoto, Tsuyoshi; Suda, Yoshiyuki; Takikawa, Hirofumi; Yasui, Haruyuki; Kaneko, Satoru; Kunitsugu, Shinsuke; Kamiya, Masao; Taki, Makoto

2018-01-01

Conductive hard-coating films have potential application as protective films for contact pins used in the electrical inspection process for integrated circuit chips. In this study, multi-layer diamond-like carbon (DLC) films were prepared as conductive hard-coating films. The multi-layer DLC films consisting of DLC and nitrogen-containing DLC (N-DLC) film were prepared using a T-shape filtered arc deposition method. Periodic DLC/N-DLC four-layer and eight-layer films had the same film thickness by changing the thickness of each layer. In the ball-on-disk test, the N-DLC mono-layer film showed the highest wear resistance; however, in the spherical polishing method, the eight-layer film showed the highest polishing resistance. The wear and polishing resistance and the aggressiveness against an opponent material of the multi-layer DLC films improved by reducing the thickness of a layer. In multi-layer films, the soft N-DLC layer between hard DLC layers is believed to function as a cushion. Thus, the tribological properties of the DLC films were improved by a multi-layered structure. The electrical resistivity of multi-layer DLC films was approximately half that of the DLC mono-layer film. Therefore, the periodic DLC/N-DLC eight-layer film is a good conductive hard-coating film.

Polypeptide multilayer film co-delivers oppositely-charged drug molecules in sustained manners.

PubMed

Jiang, Bingbing; Defusco, Elizabeth; Li, Bingyun

2010-12-13

The current state-of-the-art for drug-carrying biomedical devices is mostly limited to those that release a single drug. Yet there are many situations in which more than one therapeutic agent is needed. Also, most polyelectrolyte multilayer films intended for drug delivery are loaded with active molecules only during multilayer film preparation. In this paper, we present the integration of capsules as vehicles within polypeptide multilayer films for sustained release of multiple oppositely charged drug molecules using layer-by-layer nanoassembly technology. Calcium carbonate (CaCO(3)) particles were impregnated with polyelectrolytes, shelled with polyelectrolyte multilayers, and then assembled onto polypeptide multilayer films using glutaraldehyde. Capsule-integrated polypeptide multilayer films were obtained after decomposition of CaCO(3) templates. Two oppositely charged drugs were loaded into capsules within polypeptide multilayer films postpreparation based on electrostatic interactions between the drugs and the polyelectrolytes impregnated within capsules. We determined that the developed innovative capsule-integrated polypeptide multilayer films could be used to load multiple drugs of very different properties (e.g., opposite charges) any time postpreparation (e.g., minutes before surgical implantation inside an operating room), and such capsule-integrated films allowed simultaneous delivery of two oppositely charged drug molecules and a sustained (up to two weeks or longer) and sequential release was achieved.

Polypeptide Multilayer Film Co-Delivers Oppositely-Charged Drug Molecules in Sustained Manners

PubMed Central

Jiang, Bingbing; DeFusco, Elizabeth; Li, Bingyun

2010-01-01

The current state-of-the-art for drug-carrying biomedical devices is mostly limited to those that release a single drug. Yet there are many situations in which more than one therapeutic agent is needed. Also, most polyelectrolyte multilayer films intending for drug delivery are loaded with active molecules only during multilayer film preparation. In this paper, we present the integration of capsules as vehicles within polypeptide multilayer films for sustained release of multiple oppositely-charged drug molecules using layer-by-layer nanoassembly technology. Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) particles were impregnated with polyelectrolytes, shelled with polyelectrolyte multilayers, and then assembled onto polypeptide multilayer films using glutaraldehyde. Capsule-integrated polypeptide multilayer films were obtained after decomposition of CaCO3 templates. Two oppositely-charged drugs were loaded into capsules within polypeptide multilayer films post-preparation based on electrostatic interactions between the drugs and the polyelectrolytes impregnated within capsules. We determined that the developed innovative capsule-integrated polypeptide multilayer films could be used to load multiple drugs of very different properties (e.g. opposite charges) any time post-preparation (e.g. minutes before surgical implantation inside an operating room), and such capsule-integrated films allowed simultaneous delivery of two oppositely-charged drug molecules and a sustained (up to two weeks or longer) and sequential release was achieved. PMID:21058719

Thermally tunable VO2-SiO2 nanocomposite thin-film capacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Yifei; Narayanachari, K. V. L. V.; Wan, Chenghao; Sun, Xing; Wang, Haiyan; Cooley, Kayla A.; Mohney, Suzanne E.; White, Doug; Duwel, Amy; Kats, Mikhail A.; Ramanathan, Shriram

2018-03-01

We present a study of co-sputtered VO2-SiO2 nanocomposite dielectric thin-film media possessing continuous temperature tunability of the dielectric constant. The smooth thermal tunability is a result of the insulator-metal transition in the VO2 inclusions dispersed within an insulating matrix. We present a detailed comparison of the dielectric characteristics of this nanocomposite with those of a VO2 control layer and of VO2/SiO2 laminate multilayers of comparable overall thickness. We demonstrated a nanocomposite capacitor that has a thermal capacitance tunability of ˜60% between 25 °C and 100 °C at 1 MHz, with low leakage current. Such thermally tunable capacitors could find potential use in applications such as sensing, thermal cloaks, and phase-change energy storage devices.

Multiferroics and magnetoelectrics: thin films and nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, L. W.; Crane, S. P.; Chu, Y.-H.; Holcomb, M. B.; Gajek, M.; Huijben, M.; Yang, C.-H.; Balke, N.; Ramesh, R.

2008-10-01

Multiferroic materials, or materials that simultaneously possess two or more ferroic order parameters, have returned to the forefront of materials research. Driven by the desire to achieve new functionalities—such as electrical control of ferromagnetism at room temperature—researchers have undertaken a concerted effort to identify and understand the complexities of multiferroic materials. The ability to create high quality thin film multiferroics stands as one of the single most important landmarks in this flurry of research activity. In this review we discuss the basics of multiferroics including the important order parameters and magnetoelectric coupling in materials. We then discuss in detail the growth of single phase, horizontal multilayer, and vertical heterostructure multiferroics. The review ends with a look to the future and how multiferroics can be used to create new functionalities in materials.

Planarized thick copper gate polycrystalline silicon thin film transistors for ultra-large AMOLED displays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yun, Seung Jae; Lee, Yong Woo; Son, Se Wan; Byun, Chang Woo; Reddy, A. Mallikarjuna; Joo, Seung Ki

2012-08-01

A planarized thick copper (Cu) gate low temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) thin film transistors (TFTs) is fabricated for ultra-large active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) displays. We introduce a damascene and chemical mechanical polishing process to embed a planarized Cu gate of 500 nm thickness into a trench and Si3N4/SiO2 multilayer gate insulator, to prevent the Cu gate from diffusing into the silicon (Si) layer at 550°C, and metal-induced lateral crystallization (MILC) technology to crystallize the amorphous Si layer. A poly-Si TFT with planarized thick Cu gate exhibits a field effect mobility of 5 cm2/Vs and a threshold voltage of -9 V, and a subthreshold swing (S) of 1.4 V/dec.

Ferroelectric thin film acoustic devices with electrical multiband switching ability.

PubMed

Ptashnik, Sergey V; Mikhailov, Anatoliy K; Yastrebov, Alexander V; Petrov, Peter K; Liu, Wei; Alford, Neil McN; Hirsch, Soeren; Kozyrev, Andrey B

2017-11-10

Design principles of a new class of microwave thin film bulk acoustic resonators with multiband resonance frequency switching ability are presented. The theory of the excitation of acoustic eigenmodes in multilayer ferroelectric structures is considered, and the principle of selectivity for resonator with an arbitrary number of ferroelectric layers is formulated. A so called "criterion function" is suggested that allows to determine the conditions for effective excitation at one selected resonance mode with suppression of other modes. The proposed theoretical approach is verifiedusing thepreexisting experimental data published elsewhere. Finally, the possible application of the two ferroelectric layers structures for switchable microwave overtone resonators, binary and quadrature phase-shift keying modulators are discussed. These devices could play a pivotal role in the miniaturization of microwave front-end antenna circuits.

Non-destructive spatial characterization of buried interfaces in multilayer stacks via two color picosecond acoustics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faria, Jorge C. D.; Garnier, Philippe; Devos, Arnaud

2017-12-01

We demonstrate the ability to construct wide-area spatial mappings of buried interfaces in thin film stacks in a non-destructive manner using two color picosecond acoustics. Along with the extraction of layer thicknesses and sound velocities from acoustic signals, the morphological information presented is a powerful demonstration of phonon imaging as a metrological tool. For a series of heterogeneous (polymer, metal, and semiconductor) thin film stacks that have been treated with a chemical procedure known to alter layer properties, the spatial mappings reveal changes to interior thicknesses and chemically modified surface features without the need to remove uppermost layers. These results compare well to atomic force microscopy scans showing that the technique provides a significant advantage to current characterization methods for industrially important device stacks.

Influence of elastic parameters on the evolution of elasticity modulus of thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gacem, A.; Doghmane, A.; Hadjoub, Z.; Beldi, I.; Doghmane, M.

2012-09-01

In recent years, it appears many structures in the form of thin films or multilayers, used as coatings for surface protection, or to provide materials with new properties different from those of substrates. These properties are the subject of a growing number of studies in order to produce Nano or micro structures with different degrees of quality, and cost as well as the manufacture of thin film properties more functional and more controllable. As the thicknesses are close to micrometric or nanometric scales, the modulus of elasticity are difficult to measure and experimental results are rarely published in the literature. In this context, we propose an analytical qualitative methodology to describe the influence of acoustic parameters of thin films on the evolution of elastic moduli the most used. This method is based on the determination of the acoustic signature V(z) of several thin layers deposited on different substrates, as well the information on the propagation velocity of ultrasonic waves are obtained. Thus, the dispersion curves representing the variation of the modulus of elasticity (Young and the shear), were determined. We have noticed that, according to the type of substrate (light, medium or heavy), we observed the appearance of some anomalies in curves that are generally associated with changes in the acoustic properties of each of the examined layers. We have shown that these anomalies are mainly due to the effect loading, and represent one of the fundamental parameters determining the appearance or disappearance of a phenomenon and represent one of the basic parameters determining the appearance or disappearance of phenomena. Finally, we determine the Poisson ratio of thin films in order to calculate other elastic parameters such as the compressor modulus.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2013-07-01

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

Piezoelectric Motion of Multilayer Film with Alternate Rows of Optical Isomers of Chiral Polymer Film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshida, Tetsuo; Imoto, Kenji; Nakai, Takaaki; Uwami, Ryouta; Kataoka, Takuya; Inoue, Masataka; Fukumoto, Takahiro; Kamimura, Yuuki; Kato, Atsuko; Tajitsu, Yoshiro

2011-09-01

We realized a multilayer film laminated alternately with poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) and poly(D-lactic acid) (PDLA) films in order to improve the piezoelectric performance of the PLLA film. In the fabrication processes, the thicknesses of PLLA and PDLA films were reduced to improve the effective electric field, and a multilayer composed of more than 100 layers (PDLA/PLLA multilayer film) was realized to improve the piezoelectric performance. In general, a single PLLA film has a piezoelectric constant of about 5 pC/N, and it is difficult to observe the piezoelectric resonance in this film of centimeter-order size using a commercial impedance analyzer because of its small Q-value. In contrast, the PDLA/PLLA multilayer film of centimeter-order size has a piezoelectric performance equivalent to that of the piezoelectric material with a piezoelectric constant of 100 pC/N, and also, the piezoelectric resonance can be observed in this film. On the basis of these results, we confirmed that even an object of 259 g mass is made to vibrate under the piezoelectric resonance vibration of this PDLA/PLLA multilayer film. In other words, necessary quantities for actual work as an actuator could be obtained in the PDLA/PLLA multilayer film.

Enhancement of Ti-containing hydrogenated carbon (Tisbnd C:H) films by high-power plasma-sputtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gwo, Jyh; Chu, Chun-Lin; Tsai, Ming-Jui; Lee, Shyong

2012-02-01

Ti-containing amorphous hydrogenated carbon (Tisbnd C:H) thin films were deposited on stainless steel SS304 substrates by high-power pulsed magnetron sputtering (HPPMS) in an atmosphere of mixed Ar and C2H2 gases using titanium metal as the cathodic material. The multilayer structure of the deposited film had a Tisbnd TiCsbnd DLC gradient to improve adhesion and reduce residual stress. This study investigates the effects of substrate bias and target-to-substrate distance on the mechanical properties of Tisbnd C:H films. Film properties, including composition, morphology, microstructure, mechanical, and tribology, were examined by glow discharge spectroscopy (GDS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, and a nanoindenter and a pin-on-disk tribometer. Experiments revealed impressive results.

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

Reactive Nanolaminates with Tailored Yield

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-07-31

nanolaminates, completed a calorimetry study of three different thermite families, and initiated a Kirkendall-type experiment in Zr-CuO layered...profiles of electrically ignited thermite multilayers, and can predict/recreate differential scanning 1. REPORT DATE (DD-MM-YYYY) 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 13...Research Office P.O. Box 12211 Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-2211 nanolaminate, thermite , thin film REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE 11. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S

Guided-mode resonance reflection and transmission filters in the optical and microwave spectral ranges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tibuleac, Sorin

In this dissertation, new reflection and transmission filters are developed and characterized in the optical and microwave spectral regions. These guided-mode resonance (GMR) filters are implemented by integrating diffraction gratings into classical thin-film multilayers to produce high efficiency filter response and low sidebands extended over a large spectral range. Diffraction from phase-shifted gratings and gratings with different periods is analyzed using rigorous coupled-wave theory yielding a new approach to filter linewidth broadening, line-shaping, and multi-line filters at normal incidence. New single-grating transmission filters presented have narrow linewidth, high peak transmittance, and low sideband reflectance. A comparison with classical thin-film filters shows that GMR devices require significantly fewer layers to obtain narrow linewidth and high peak response. All-dielectric microwave frequency- selective surfaces operating in reflection or transmission are shown to be realizable with only a few layers using common microwave materials. Single-layer and multilayer waveguide gratings operating as reflection and transmission filters, respectively, were built and tested in the 4-20 GHz frequency range. The presence of GMR notches and peaks is clearly established by the experimental results, and their spectral location and lineshape found to be in excellent agreement with the theoretical predictions. A new computer program using genetic algorithms and rigorous coupled-wave analysis was developed for optimization of multilayer structures containing homogeneous and diffractive layers. This program was utilized to find GMR filters possessing features not previously known. Thus, numerous examples of transmission filters with peaks approaching 100%, narrow linewidths (~0.03%), and low sidebands have been found in structures containing only 1-3 layers. A new type of GMR device integrating a waveguide grating with subwavelength period on the endface of an optical fiber is developed for high-resolution biomedical or chemical sensors and spectral filtering applications. Diffraction gratings with submicron periods exhibiting high efficiencies have been recorded for the first time on coated and uncoated endfaces of single-mode and multimode fibers. Guided-mode resonance transmittance notches of ~18% were experimentally obtained with structures consisting of photoresist gratings on thin films of Si3N4 deposited on optical fiber endfaces.

Compound formation and superconductivity in Au-Si: X-ray absorption measurements on ion-beam-mixed Au-Si films

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

Jeon, Y.; Jisrawi, N.; Liang, G.

Multilayered Au-Si thin films have been deposited with the net compositions ''Au/sub 1-//sub x/Si/sub x/,'' x = 0.29, 0.5, and 0.8. After ion-beam mixing these films exhibited superconductivity in the 0.3--1.2 K range despite the nonsuperconducting character of both Au and Si. Near-edge x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) measurements on the Au L/sub 3/ edge in these films indicate that metastable Au-Si compound formation occurs in these ion-mixed materials. Specifically, the XAS measurements indicate changes in Au 5d-orbital occupancy and changes in the local Au structural environment which are both consistent with local compound formation.

Dynamic behavior of ultra large graphene-based membranes using electrothermal transduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-mashaal, A. K.; Wood, G. S.; Torin, A.; Mastropaolo, E.; Newton, M. J.; Cheung, R.

2017-12-01

This letter reports an experimental study of an electrothermal actuator made from an ultra-large graphene-based bilayer thin film with a diameter to thickness aspect ratio of ˜10 000. Suspended thin films consisting of multilayer graphene and 350-500 nm-thick Poly(methyl methacrylate) have been transferred over circular cavities with a diameter of 3.5 mm. The use of bilayer materials with different mechanical and thermal properties results in thin film structures that can be induced to vibrate mechanically under the electrothermal transduction mechanism. The dynamic response of the bilayer has been investigated electrothermally by driving the structures with a combination of alternating current and direct current actuation voltages ( Va c and Vd c) and characterizing their resonant frequencies. It has been found that the bilayer thin film structure behaves as a membrane. In addition, the actuation configurations affect not only the amplitude of vibration but also the tuning of the resonant frequency of the vibrating membranes. The existence of Joule heating-induced tension lowers the mechanical stiffness of the membrane and hence shifts the resonant frequency downwards by -108187 ppm. A resonant frequency of 3.26 kHz with a vibration amplitude of 4.34 nm has been achieved for 350 nm-thick membranes under actuation voltages of 1 V of Va c and 8 V of Vd c.

Reaction of propane with the ordered NiO/Rh(1 1 1) studied by XPS and LEISS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Hong; Wang, Wenyi; Chen, Mingshu; Wan, Huilin

2018-05-01

Nickel oxide has been reported to be an efficient catalyst for oxidative dehydrogenation of propane (ODP) to propene at low temperature. In this paper, ultrathin NiO films with various thickness were prepared on a Rh(1 1 1) surface and characterized by X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) and Low-energy ion scattering spectroscopy (LEISS). Results show that NiO forms a two-dimensional (2D) network with a O-Ni-O structure at submonolayer coverages, and a bulk-like NiO at multilayer coverages. The submonolayer NiO films are less stable than the thick ones when annealed in ultra-high vacuum (UHV) due to the strong interaction with the Rh substrate. Propane was dosed onto the model surfaces at different temperatures to investigate the activation of propane and reactivity of NiO films with propane. The reactions of propane with the thin and thick NiO films are significantly different. Propane activates on the O defect sites for the thick NiO films, whereas activation occurs on the interface of nickel oxide and substrate for the thin films with a higher activity.

Iron-platinum multilayer thin film reactions to form L1(0) iron-platinum and exchange spring magnets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Bo

FePt films with the L10 phase have potential applications for magnetic recording and permanent magnets due to its high magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy density. Heat treatment of [Fe/Pt] n multilayer films is one approach to form the L10 FePt phase through a solid state reaction. This thesis has studied the diffusion and reaction of [Fe/Pt]n multilayer films to form the L10 FePt phase and has used this understanding to construct exchange spring magnets. The process-structure-property relations of [Fe/Pt] n multilayer films were systematically examined. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) study of the annealed multilayers indicates that the Pt layer grows at the expense of Fe during annealing, forming a disordered fcc FePt phase by the interdiffusion of Fe into Pt. This thickening of the fcc Pt layer can be attributed to the higher solubilities of Fe into fcc Pt, as compared to the converse. For the range of film thickness studied, a continuous L10 FePt product layer that then thickens with further annealing is not found. Instead, the initial L10 FePt grains are distributed mainly on the grain boundaries within the fcc FePt layer and at the Fe/Pt interfaces and further transformation of the sample to the ordered L10 FePt phase proceeds coupled with the growth of the initial L10 FePt grains. A comprehensive study of annealed [Fe/Pt]n films is provided concerning the phase fraction, grain size, nucleation/grain density, interdiffusivity, long-range order parameter, and texture, as well as magnetic properties. A method based on hollow cone dark field TEM is introduced to measure the volume fraction, grain size, and density of ordered L10 FePt phase grains in the annealed films, and low-angle X-ray diffraction is used to measure the effective Fe-Pt interdiffusivity. The process-structure-properties relations of two groups of samples with varying substrate temperature and periodicity are reported. The results demonstrate that the processing parameters (substrate temperature, periodicity) have a strong influence on the structure (effective interdiffusivity, L1 0 phase volume fraction, grain size, and density) and magnetic properties. The correlation of these parameters suggests that the annealed [Fe/Pt]n multilayer films have limited nuclei, and the subsequent growth of L10 phase is very important to the extent of ordered phase formed. A correlation between the grain size of fcc FePt phase, grain size of the L10 FePt phase, the L10 FePt phase fraction, and magnetic properties strongly suggests that the phase transformation of fcc →L10 is highly dependent on the grain size of the parent fcc FePt phase. A selective phase growth model is proposed to explain the phenomena observed. An investigation of the influence of total film thickness on the phase formation of the L10 FePt phase in [Fe/Pt] n multilayer films and a comparison of this to that of FePt co-deposited alloy films is also conducted. A general trend of greater L1 0 phase formation in thicker films was observed in both types of films. It was further found that the thickness dependence of the structure and of the magnetic properties in [Fe/Pt]n multilayer films is much stronger than that in FePt alloy films. This is related to the greater chemical energy contained in [Fe/Pt]n films than FePt alloy films, which is helpful for the L10 FePt phase growth. However, the initial nucleation temperature of [Fe/Pt]n multilayers and co-deposited alloy films was found to be similar. An investigation of L10 FePt-based exchange spring magnets is presented based on our understanding of the L10 formation in [Fe/Pt] n multilayer films. It is known that exchange coupling is an interfacial magnetic interaction and it was experimentally shown that this interaction is limited to within several nanometers of the interface. A higher degree of order of the hard phase is shown to increase the length scale slightly. Two approaches can be used to construct the magnets. For samples with composition close to stoichiometric L10 FePt, the achievement of higher energy product is limited by the average saturation magnetization, and therefore, a lower annealing temperature is beneficial to increase the energy product, allowing a larger fraction of disordered phase. For samples with higher Fe concentration, the (BH)max is limited by the low coercivity of annealed sample, and a higher annealing temperature is beneficial to increase the energy product.

Precise Control of the Number of Layers of Graphene by Picosecond Laser Thinning.

PubMed

Lin, Zhe; Ye, Xiaohui; Han, Jinpeng; Chen, Qiao; Fan, Peixun; Zhang, Hongjun; Xie, Dan; Zhu, Hongwei; Zhong, Minlin

2015-06-26

The properties of graphene can vary as a function of the number of layers (NOL). Controlling the NOL in large area graphene is still challenging. In this work, we demonstrate a picosecond (ps) laser thinning removal of graphene layers from multi-layered graphene to obtain desired NOL when appropriate pulse threshold energy is adopted. The thinning process is conducted in atmosphere without any coating and it is applicable for graphene films on arbitrary substrates. This method provides many advantages such as one-step process, non-contact operation, substrate and environment-friendly, and patternable, which will enable its potential applications in the manufacturing of graphene-based electronic devices.

Precise Control of the Number of Layers of Graphene by Picosecond Laser Thinning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Zhe; Ye, Xiaohui; Han, Jinpeng; Chen, Qiao; Fan, Peixun; Zhang, Hongjun; Xie, Dan; Zhu, Hongwei; Zhong, Minlin

2015-06-01

The properties of graphene can vary as a function of the number of layers (NOL). Controlling the NOL in large area graphene is still challenging. In this work, we demonstrate a picosecond (ps) laser thinning removal of graphene layers from multi-layered graphene to obtain desired NOL when appropriate pulse threshold energy is adopted. The thinning process is conducted in atmosphere without any coating and it is applicable for graphene films on arbitrary substrates. This method provides many advantages such as one-step process, non-contact operation, substrate and environment-friendly, and patternable, which will enable its potential applications in the manufacturing of graphene-based electronic devices.

Investigations of the kinetics of surfactant-assisted growth of cobalt/copper multilayers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peterson, Brennan Lovelace

Surfactants---a term given to a broad family of surface additives used in thin film growth---provide a potentially useful tool for the deposition engineer. A long history of work on the field has produced a sometimes conflicting view of what surfactants do, and while their efficacy in improving magnetic films is well established, the attendant structural changes remain unclear. Early work on surfactant-assisted growth was generally confined to deposition at near equilibrium conditions: high temperature and very slow deposition rates on very smooth (single crystal) substrates. In the case of low temperature sputter deposition, the kinetic phenomena differ greatly from the near-equilibrium case: high rate, more interlayer diffusive pathways, high grain boundary density, and few well defined atomic steps. There are two major ideas which underlie and explain the use of surfactants. First, they are used to alter growth kinetics of a single material by changing the diffusion barriers on the growing surface. Second, surfactants alter the initial nucleation parameters in heteroepitaxial growth, which is often explained with reference to changes in the surface energy, gamma. Changes to these parameters result, in turn, to variations of the roughness and conformality of thin films grown with the assistance of surfactants. Finally, the roughness and conformality are critical for determining the performance of modern thin film magnetic sensors. As surfactants offer a way to alter the nucleation and growth kinetics, they offer tremendous potential benefits. However, before surfactants are trustworthy deposition tool, a better understanding of their structural effects and underlying surface energy and kinetic changes is necessary. In order to investigate these phenomena, DC magnetron sputtered [Co/Cu] multilayers were deposited on Si/SiO2 substrates using O2 , Ag, Pb, and In as surfactants. Oxygen was introduced during growth at partial pressures ranging from 10-9 to 10-6 Torr, as well as "puffed" onto interfaces. The metallic surfactants (Pb, In, Ag) were deposited at various points in the multilayer---on top of the Co, on top of the Cu, or at the base---in order to determine the most effective position. In order to determine the role surface energy plays in determining surfactant assisted growth, in-situ stress measurements were taken. Surface energy effects are clearly seen in In and Pb deposition, while minimal changes are seen for O2 and Ag. To quantify the microstructural changes, low angle specular and diffuse scatter measurements were made. Specular scatter is sensitive to the film roughness, while diffuse scatter is particularly sensitive to changes to the layer-to-layer roughness correlations. The addition of a constant background of O2 during growth had the largest effect on the conformality and smoothness of the multilayers. Of the metallic surfactants, using Ag led to the greatest improvement in smoothness and correlation. With these results in hand, we posit a few basic models of surfactant activity in the various material systems.

High proton conductivity in the molecular interlayer of a polymer nanosheet multilayer film.

PubMed

Sato, Takuma; Hayasaka, Yuta; Mitsuishi, Masaya; Miyashita, Tokuji; Nagano, Shusaku; Matsui, Jun

2015-05-12

High proton conductivity was achieved in a polymer multilayer film with a well-defined two-dimensional lamella structure. The multilayer film was prepared by deposition of poly(N-dodecylacryamide-co-acrylic acid) (p(DDA/AA)) monolayers onto a solid substrate using the Langmuir-Blodgett technique. Grazing-angle incidence X-ray diffraction measurement of a 30-layer film of p(DDA/AA) showed strong diffraction peaks in the out-of-plane direction at 2θ = 2.26° and 4.50°, revealing that the multilayer film had a highly uniform layered structure with a monolayer thickness of 2.0 nm. The proton conductivity of the p(DDA/AA) multilayer film parallel to the layer plane direction was 0.051 S/cm at 60 °C and 98% relative humidity with a low activation energy of 0.35 eV, which is comparable to perfluorosulfonic acid membranes. The high conductivity and low activation energy resulted from the formation of uniform two-dimensional proton-conductive nanochannels in the hydrophilic regions of the multilayer film. The proton conductivity of the multilayer film perpendicular to the layer plane was determined to be 2.1 × 10(-13) S/cm. Therefore, the multilayer film showed large anisotropic conductivity with an anisotropic ratio of 2.4 × 10(11).

Dynamic mask for producing uniform or graded-thickness thin films

DOEpatents

Folta, James A [Livermore, CA

2006-06-13

A method for producing single layer or multilayer films with high thickness uniformity or thickness gradients. The method utilizes a moving mask which blocks some of the flux from a sputter target or evaporation source before it deposits on a substrate. The velocity and position of the mask is computer controlled to precisely tailor the film thickness distribution. The method is applicable to any type of vapor deposition system, but is particularly useful for ion beam sputter deposition and evaporation deposition; and enables a high degree of uniformity for ion beam deposition, even for near-normal incidence of deposition species, which may be critical for producing low-defect multilayer coatings, such as required for masks for extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL). The mask can have a variety of shapes, from a simple solid paddle shape to a larger mask with a shaped hole through which the flux passes. The motion of the mask can be linear or rotational, and the mask can be moved to make single or multiple passes in front of the substrate per layer, and can pass completely or partially across the substrate.

Graphene: corrosion-inhibiting coating.

PubMed

Prasai, Dhiraj; Tuberquia, Juan Carlos; Harl, Robert R; Jennings, G Kane; Rogers, Bridget R; Bolotin, Kirill I

2012-02-28

We report the use of atomically thin layers of graphene as a protective coating that inhibits corrosion of underlying metals. Here, we employ electrochemical methods to study the corrosion inhibition of copper and nickel by either growing graphene on these metals, or by mechanically transferring multilayer graphene onto them. Cyclic voltammetry measurements reveal that the graphene coating effectively suppresses metal oxidation and oxygen reduction. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements suggest that while graphene itself is not damaged, the metal under it is corroded at cracks in the graphene film. Finally, we use Tafel analysis to quantify the corrosion rates of samples with and without graphene coatings. These results indicate that copper films coated with graphene grown via chemical vapor deposition are corroded 7 times slower in an aerated Na(2)SO(4) solution as compared to the corrosion rate of bare copper. Tafel analysis reveals that nickel with a multilayer graphene film grown on it corrodes 20 times slower while nickel surfaces coated with four layers of mechanically transferred graphene corrode 4 times slower than bare nickel. These findings establish graphene as the thinnest known corrosion-protecting coating.

Development of very high J c in Ba(Fe 1-xCo x) 2As 2 thin films grown on CaF 2

DOE PAGES

Tarantini, C.; Kametani, F.; Lee, S.; ...

2014-12-03

Ba(Fe 1-xCo x) 2As 2 is the most tunable of the Fe-based superconductors (FBS) in terms of acceptance of high densities of self-assembled and artificially introduced pinning centres which are effective in significantly increasing the critical current density, J c. Moreover, FBS are very sensitive to strain, which induces an important enhancement in critical temperature,T c, of the material. In this study we demonstrate that strain induced by the substrate can further improve J c of both single and multilayer films by more than that expected simply due to the increase in T c. The multilayer deposition of Ba(Fe 1-xComore » x) 2As 2 on CaF 2 increases the pinning force density (F p=J c x μ₀H) by more than 60% compared to a single layer film, reaching a maximum of 84 GN/m 3 at 22.5 T and 4.2 K, the highest value ever reported in any 122 phase.« less

High efficiency copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) thin film solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rajanikant, Ray Jayminkumar

The generation of electrical current from the solar radiation is known as the photovoltaic effect. Solar cell, also known as photovoltaic (PV) cell, is a device that works on the principle of photovoltaic effect, and is widely used for the generation of electricity. Thin film polycrystalline solar cells based on copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) are admirable candidates for clean energy production with competitive prices in the near future. CIGS based polycrystalline thin film solar cells with efficiencies of 20.3 % and excellent temperature stability have already been reported at the laboratory level. The present study discusses about the fabrication of CIGS solar cell. Before the fabrication part of CIGS solar cell, a numerical simulation is carried out using One-Dimensional Analysis of Microelectronic and Photonic Structures (AMPS-ID) for understanding the physics of a solar cell device, so that an optimal structure is analyzed. In the fabrication part of CIGS solar cell, Molybdenum (Mo) thin film, which acts as a 'low' resistance metallic back contact, is deposited by RF magnetron sputtering on organically cleaned soda lime glass substrate. The major advantages for using Mo are high temperature, (greater than 600 °C), stability and inertness to CIGS layer (i.e., no diffusion of CIGS into Mo). Mo thin film is deposited at room temperature (RT) by varying the RF power and the working pressure. The Mo thin films deposited with 100 W RF power and 1 mTorr working pressure show a reflectivity of above average 50 % and the low sheet resistance of about 1 O/□. The p-type CIGS layer is deposited on Mo. Before making thin films of CIGS, a powder of CIGS material is synthesized using melt-quenching method. Thin films of CIGS are prepared by a single-stage flash evaporation process on glass substrates, initially, for optimization of deposition parameters and than on Mo coated glass substrates for device fabrication. CIGS thin film is deposited at 250 °C at a pressure of 10-5 mbar. The thickness of the film was kept 1 mum for the solar cell device preparation. Rapid Thermal Annealing (RTA) is carried out of CIGS thin film at 500 °C for 2 minutes in the argon atmosphere. Annealing process mainly improves the grain growth of the CIGS and, hence the surface roughness, which is essential for a multilayered semiconductor structure. Thin layer of n-type highly resistive cadmium sulphide (CdS), generally known as a "buffer" layer, is deposited on CIGS layer by thermal and flash evaporation method at the substrate temperature of 100 °C. The CdS thin film plays a crucial role in the formation of the p-n junction and thus the solar cell device performance. The effect of CdS film substrate temperature ranging from 50 °C to 200 °C is observed. At the 100 °C substrate temperature, CdS thin film shows the near to 85 % of transmission in the visible region and resistivity of the order of greater then 20 x 109 Ocm, which are the essential characteristics of buffer layer. The bi-layer structure of ZnO, containing 70 nm i-ZnO and 500 nm aluminum (Al) doped ZnO, act as a transparent front-contact for CIGS thin film solar cell. These layers were deposited using RF magnetron sputtering. i-ZnO thin film acts as an insulating layer, which prevents the recombination of the photo-generated carries and also minimizes the lattice miss match defects between CdS and Al-ZnO. The resistivity of iZnO and Al-ZnO is of the order of 1012 Ocm and 10-4 Ocm, respectively. Al-ZnO thin films act as transparent conducting top electrode having transparency of about 85 % in the visible region. On Al-ZnO layer the finger-type grid pattern of silver (Ag), 200 nm thick, is deposited for the collection of photo-generated carriers. The thin film based multilayered structure Mo / CIGS / CdS / i-ZnO / Al-ZnO / Ag grid of CIGS solar cell is grown one by one on a single glass substrate. As-prepared CIGS solar cell device shows a minute photovoltaic effect. For the further improvement of the cell we have varied the thickness of the buffer layer i.e. CdS. In addition, the deposition of CdS is carried out using flash evaporation method to improve the CIGS/CdS junction. Heat soak pulses of about 200 °C are also applied for 20 sec for the further upgrading the junction. To protect the CIGS/CdS junction from the high-energy sputtered particles of ZnO, a fine mesh of stainless steel is placed just before the sample holder to enhance the performance of the solar cell. The influence of the thickness of iZnO and CdS has been checked. The maximum V oe and Jsc of about 138 mV and 1.3 mA/cm2 , respectively, are achieved using flash evaporated CIGS layer and flash evaporated CdS thin film. Further improvement of current performance can be done either by adopting some other fabrication method to obtain a denser CIGS absorber layer or replacing the CdS layer with some other efficient buffer layer.

Diffusion of Sites versus Polymers in Polyelectrolyte Complexes and Multilayers.

PubMed

Fares, Hadi M; Schlenoff, Joseph B

2017-10-18

It has long been assumed that the spontaneous formation of materials such as complexes and multilayers from charged polymers depends on (inter)diffusion of these polyelectrolytes. Here, we separately examine the mass transport of polymer molecules and extrinsic sites-charged polyelectrolyte repeat units balanced by counterions-within thin films of polyelectrolyte complex, PEC, using sensitive isotopic labeling techniques. The apparent diffusion coefficients of these sites within PEC films of poly(diallyldimethylammonium), PDADMA, and poly(styrenesulfonate), PSS, are at least 2 orders of magnitude faster than the diffusion of polyelectrolytes themselves. This is because site diffusion requires only local rearrangements of polyelectrolyte repeat units, placing far fewer kinetic limitations on the assembly of polyelectrolyte complexes in all of their forms. Site diffusion strongly depends on the salt concentration (ionic strength) of the environment, and diffusion of PDADMA sites is faster than that of PSS sites, accounting for the asymmetric nature of multilayer growth. Site diffusion is responsible for multilayer growth in the linear and into the exponential regimes, which explains how PDADMA can mysteriously "pass through" layers of PSS. Using quantitative relationships between site diffusion coefficient and salt concentration, conditions were identified that allowed the diffusion length to always exceed the film thickness, leading to full exponential growth over 3 orders of magnitude thickness. Both site and polymer diffusion were independent of molecular weight, suggesting that ion pairing density is a limiting factor. Polyelectrolyte complexes are examples of a broader class of dynamic bulk polymeric materials that (self-) assemble via the transport of cross-links or defects rather than actual molecules.

Magneto-optical properties of PdCo based multilayered films

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

Nakamura, K.; Tsunashima, S.; Iwata, S.

1989-09-01

Magneto-optical and magnetic properties of multilayered films composed of PdCo alloy and other noble metal (Pd, Pt or Cu) layers are investigated. Multilayered films were prepared by RF magnetron sputtering method. Kerr rotation spectra (275nm-800nm) of Pd/Co multilayered films resemble those of PdCo alloys. In the films composed of PdCo alloy and Pt bilayers, the Kerr rotation increases with increasing Pt content while the perpendicular anisotropy decreases.

Transparent SiON/Ag/SiON multilayer passivation grown on a flexible polyethersulfone substrate using a continuous roll-to-roll sputtering system

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

We have investigated the characteristics of a silicon oxynitride/silver/silicon oxynitride [SiON/Ag/SiON] multilayer passivation grown using a specially designed roll-to-roll [R2R] sputtering system on a flexible polyethersulfone substrate. Optical, structural, and surface properties of the R2R grown SiON/Ag/SiON multilayer were investigated as a function of the SiON thickness at a constant Ag thickness of 12 nm. The flexible SiON/Ag/SiON multilayer has a high optical transmittance of 87.7% at optimized conditions due to the antireflection and surface plasmon effects in the oxide-metal-oxide structure. The water vapor transmission rate of the SiON/Ag/SiON multilayer is 0.031 g/m2 day at an optimized SiON thickness of 110 nm. This indicates that R2R grown SiON/Ag/SiON is a promising thin-film passivation for flexible organic light-emitting diodes and flexible organic photovoltaics due to its simple and low-temperature process. PMID:22221400

Integration of Multi-Functional Oxide Thin Film Heterostructures with III-V Semiconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahman, Md. Shafiqur

Integration of multi-functional oxide thin films with semiconductors has attracted considerable attention in recent years due to their potential applications in sensing and logic functionalities that can be incorporated in future system-on-a-chip devices. III-V semiconductor, for example, GaAs, have higher saturated electron velocity and mobility allowing transistors based on GaAs to operate at a much higher frequency with less noise compared to Si. In addition, because of its direct bandgap a number of efficient optical devices are possible and by oxide integrating with other III-V semiconductors the wavelengths can be made tunable through hetero-engineering of the bandgap. This study, based on the use of SrTiO3 (STO) films grown on GaAs (001) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) as an intermediate buffer layer for the hetero-epitaxial growth of ferromagnetic La0.7Sr 0.3MnO3 (LSMO) and room temperature multiferroic BiFeO 3 (BFO) thin films and superlattice structures using pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The properties of the multilayer thin films in terms of growth modes, lattice spacing/strain, interface structures and texture were characterized by the in-situ reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED). The crystalline quality and chemical composition of the complex oxide heterostructures were investigated by a combination of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron absorption spectroscopy (XPS). Surface morphology, piezo-response with domain structure, and ferroelectric switching observations were carried out on the thin film samples using a scanning probe microscope operated as a piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) in the contact mode. The magnetization measurements with field cooling exhibit a surprising increment in magnetic moment with enhanced magnetic hysteresis squareness. This is the effect of exchange interaction between the antiferromagnetic BFO and the ferromagnetic LSMO at the interface. The integration of BFO materials with LSMO on GaAs substrate also facilitated the demonstration of resistive random access memory (ReRAM) devices which can be faster with lower energy consumption compared to present commercial technologies. Ferroelectric switching observations using piezoresponse force microscopy show polarization switching demonstrating its potential for read-write operation in NVM devices. The ferroelectric and electrical characterization exhibit strong resistive switching with low SET/RESET voltages. Furthermore, a prototypical epitaxial field effect transistor based on multiferroic BFO as the gate dielectric and ferromagnetic LSMO as the conducting channel was also demonstrated. The device exhibits a modulation in channel conductance with high ON/OFF ratio. The measured nanostructure and physical-compositional results from the multilayer are correlated with their corresponding dielectric, piezoelectric, and ferroelectric properties. These results provide an understanding of the heteroepitaxial growth of ferroelectric (FE)-antiferromagnetic (AFM) BFO on ferromagnetic LSMO as a simple thin film or superlattice structure, integrated on STO buffered GaAs (001) with full control over the interface structure at the atomic-scale. This work also represents the first step toward the realization of magnetoelectronic devices integrated with GaAs (001).

Self-assembled biomimetic antireflection coatings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Linn, Nicholas C.; Sun, Chih-Hung; Jiang, Peng; Jiang, Bin

2007-09-01

The authors report a simple self-assembly technique for fabricating antireflection coatings that mimic antireflective moth eyes. Wafer-scale, nonclose-packed colloidal crystals with remarkable large hexagonal domains are created by a spin-coating technology. The resulting polymer-embedded colloidal crystals exhibit highly ordered surface modulation and can be used directly as templates to cast poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) molds. Moth-eye antireflection coatings with adjustable reflectivity can then be molded against the PDMS master. The specular reflection of replicated nipple arrays matches the theoretical prediction using a thin-film multilayer model. These biomimetic films may find important technological application in optical coatings and solar cells.

Oleophobic optical coating deposited by magnetron PVD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernt, D.; Ponomarenko, V.; Pisarev, A.

2016-09-01

Thin oxinitride films of Zn-Sn-O-N and Si-Al-O-N were deposited on glass by reactive magnetron sputtering at various nitrogen-to-oxygen ratios. Nitrogen added to oxygen led to decrease of the surface roughness and increase of oleophobic properties studied by the oil-drop test. The best oleophobity was obtained for Zn-Sn-O-N oxinitride at Zn:Sn=1:1 and N:O=1:2. Improved oleophobic properties were also demonstrated if the oxinitride film was deposited on top of the multilayer coating as the final step in the industrial cycle of production of energy efficient glass.