Positron annihilation at the Si/SiO2 interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leung, T. C.; Weinberg, Z. A.; Asoka-Kumar, P.; Nielsen, B.; Rubloff, G. W.; Lynn, K. G.

1992-01-01

Variable-energy positron annihilation depth-profiling has been applied to the study of the Si/SiO2 interface in Al-gate metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) structures. For both n- and p-type silicon under conditions of negative gate bias, the positron annihilation S-factor characteristic of the interface (Sint) is substantially modified. Temperature and annealing behavior, combined with known MOS physics, suggest strongly that Sint depends directly on holes at interface states or traps at the Si/SiO2 interface.

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.

Ultrathin Au-Alloy Nanowires at the Liquid-Liquid Interface.

PubMed

Chatterjee, Dipanwita; Shetty, Shwetha; Müller-Caspary, Knut; Grieb, Tim; Krause, Florian F; Schowalter, Marco; Rosenauer, Andreas; Ravishankar, Narayanan

2018-03-14

Ultrathin bimetallic nanowires are of importance and interest for applications in electronic devices such as sensors and heterogeneous catalysts. In this work, we have designed a new, highly reproducible and generalized wet chemical method to synthesize uniform and monodispersed Au-based alloy (AuCu, AuPd, and AuPt) nanowires with tunable composition using microwave-assisted reduction at the liquid-liquid interface. These ultrathin alloy nanowires are below 4 nm in diameter and about 2 μm long. Detailed microstructural characterization shows that the wires have an face centred cubic (FCC) crystal structure, and they have low-energy twin-boundary and stacking-fault defects along the growth direction. The wires exhibit remarkable thermal and mechanical stability that is critical for important applications. The alloy wires exhibit excellent electrocatalytic activity for methanol oxidation in an alkaline medium.

Single crystalline silicene consist of various superstructures using a flexible ultrathin Ag(111) template on Si(111)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsu, Hung-Chang; Lu, Yi-Hung; Su, Tai-Lung; Lin, Wen-Chin; Fu, Tsu-Yi

2018-07-01

Using scanning tunneling microscopy, we studied the formation of silicene on an ultrathin Ag(111) film with a thickness of 6–12 monolayers, which was prepared on a Si(111) substrate. A low-energy electron diffraction pattern with an oval spot indicated that the ultrathin Ag(111) film is more disordered than the single-crystal Ag(111). After Si epitaxy growth, we still measured the classical 4 × 4, √13 × √13, and 2√3 × 2√3 silicene superstructures, which are the same as the silicene superstructure on single-crystal Ag(111). Growing silicene on a single-crystal Ag(111) bulk usually results in the formation of a defect boundary due to the inconsistent orientation of various superstructures. By comparing the angles and boundary conditions between various silicene superstructures on the ultrathin film and single-crystal Ag(111), we discovered that a consistent orientation of various superstructures without obvious boundary defects formed on the ultrathin Ag(111) film. The results indicated single crystalline silicene formation, which was attributed to the domain rotation and lateral shift of the disordered ultrathin Ag(111) film.

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

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

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

2015-05-04

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

Photoluminescence and capacitance voltage characterization of GaAs surface passivated by an ultrathin GaN interface control layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anantathanasarn, Sanguan; Hasegawa, Hideki

2002-05-01

A novel surface passivation technique for GaAs using an ultrathin GaN interface control layer (GaN ICL) formed by surface nitridation was characterized by ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) photoluminescence (PL) and capacitance-voltage ( C- V) measurements. The PL quantum efficiency was dramatically enhanced after being passivated by the GaN ICL structure, reaching as high as 30 times of the initial clean GaAs surface. Further analysis of PL data was done by the PL surface state spectroscopy (PLS 3) simulation technique. PL and C- V results are in good agreement indicating that ultrathin GaN ICL reduces the gap states and unpins the Fermi level, realizing a wide movement of Fermi level within the midgap region and reduction of the effective surface recombination velocity by a factor of 1/60. GaN layer also introduced a large negative surface fixed charge of about 10 12 cm -2. A further improvement took place by depositing a Si 3N 4 layer on GaN ICL/GaAs structure.

Interface effects in ultra-thin films: Magnetic and chemical properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Sungkyun

When the thickness of a magnetic layer is comparable to (or smaller than) the electron mean free path, the interface between magnetic and non-magnetic layers becomes very important factor to determine magnetic properties of the ultra-thin films. The quality of interface can enhance (or reduce) the desired properties. Several interesting physical phenomena were studied using these interface effects. The magnetic anisotropy of ultra-thin Co films is studied as function of non-magnetic underlayer thickness and non- magnetic overlayer materials using ex situ Brillouin light scattering (BLS). I observed that perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) increases with underlayer thickness and saturates after 5 ML. This saturation can be understood as a relaxation of the in-plane lattice parameter of Au(111) on top of Cu(111) to its bulk value. For the overlayer study, Cu, Al, and Au are used. An Au overlayer gives the largest PMA due to the largest in-plane lattice mismatch between Co and Au. An unusual effect was found by adding an additional layer on top of the Au overlayer. An additional Al capping layer on top of the Au overlayer reduces the PMA significantly. The possible explanation is that the misfit strain at the interface between the Al and the Au can be propagated through the Au layer to affect the magnetic properties of Co even though the in- plane lattice mismatch is less than 1%. Another interesting problem in interface interdiffusion and thermal stability in magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) structures is studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Since XPS is a very chemically sensitive technique, it allows us to monitor interface interdiffusion of the MTJ structures as-deposited and during post-deposition processing. For the plasma- oxidized samples, Fe only participates in the oxidation reduction process. In contrast to plasma-oxidized samples, there were no noticeable chemical shifts as- deposited and during post-deposition processing in air

Structure and strain relaxation mechanisms of ultrathin epitaxial Pr2O3 films on Si(111)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schroeder, T.; Lee, T.-L.; Libralesso, L.; Joumard, I.; Zegenhagen, J.; Zaumseil, P.; Wenger, C.; Lupina, G.; Lippert, G.; Dabrowski, J.; Müssig, H.-J.

2005-04-01

The structure of ultrathin epitaxial Pr2O3 films on Si(111) was studied by synchrotron radiation-grazing incidence x-ray diffraction. The oxide film grows as hexagonal Pr2O3 phase with its (0001) plane attached to the Si(111) substrate. The hexagonal (0001) Pr2O3 plane matches the in-plane symmetry of the hexagonal Si(111) surface unit cell by aligning the ⟨101¯0⟩Pr2O3 along the ⟨112¯⟩ Si directions. The small lattice mismatch of 0.5% results in the growth of pseudomorphic oxide films of high crystalline quality with an average domain size of about 50 nm. The critical thickness tc for pseudomorphic growth amounts to 3.0±0.5nm. The relaxation of the oxide film from pseudomorphism to bulk behavior beyond tc causes the introduction of misfit dislocations, the formation of an in-plane small angle mosaicity structure, and the occurence of a phase transition towards a (111) oriented cubic Pr2O3 film structure. The observed phase transition highlights the influence of the epitaxial interface energy on the stability of Pr2O3 phases on Si(111). A mechanism is proposed which transforms the hexagonal (0001) into the cubic (111) Pr2O3 epilayer structure by rearranging the oxygen network but leaving the Pr sublattice almost unmodified.

Diffractive intermediate layer enables broadband light trapping for high efficiency ultrathin c-Si tandem cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Guijun; Ho, Jacob Y. L.; Li, He; Kwok, Hoi-Sing

2014-06-01

Light management through the intermediate reflector in the tandem cell configuration is of great practical importance for achieving high stable efficiency and also low cost production. So far, however, the intermediate reflectors employed currently are mainly focused on the light absorption enhancement of the top cell. Here, we present a diffractive intermediate layer that allows for light trapping over a broadband wavelength for the ultrathin c-Si tandem solar cell. Compared with the standard intermediate reflector, this nanoscale architectural intermediate layer results in a 35% and 21% remarkable enhancement of the light absorption in the top (400-800 nm) and bottom (800-1100 nm) cells simultaneously, and ultrathin c-Si tandem cells with impressive conversion efficiency of 13.3% are made on the glass substrate.

Propagation of misfit dislocations from buffer/Si interface into Si

DOEpatents

Liliental-Weber, Zuzanna [El Sobrante, CA; Maltez, Rogerio Luis [Porto Alegre, BR; Morkoc, Hadis [Richmond, VA; Xie, Jinqiao [Raleigh, VA

2011-08-30

Misfit dislocations are redirected from the buffer/Si interface and propagated to the Si substrate due to the formation of bubbles in the substrate. The buffer layer growth process is generally a thermal process that also accomplishes annealing of the Si substrate so that bubbles of the implanted ion species are formed in the Si at an appropriate distance from the buffer/Si interface so that the bubbles will not migrate to the Si surface during annealing, but are close enough to the interface so that a strain field around the bubbles will be sensed by dislocations at the buffer/Si interface and dislocations are attracted by the strain field caused by the bubbles and move into the Si substrate instead of into the buffer epi-layer. Fabrication of improved integrated devices based on GaN and Si, such as continuous wave (CW) lasers and light emitting diodes, at reduced cost is thereby enabled.

Interface trap and oxide charge generation under negative bias temperature instability of p-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors with ultrathin plasma-nitrided SiON gate dielectrics

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

Zhu Shiyang; Nakajima, Anri; Ohashi, Takuo

2005-12-01

The interface trap generation ({delta}N{sub it}) and fixed oxide charge buildup ({delta}N{sub ot}) under negative bias temperature instability (NBTI) of p-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (pMOSFETs) with ultrathin (2 nm) plasma-nitrided SiON gate dielectrics were studied using a modified direct-current-current-voltage method and a conventional subthreshold characteristic measurement. Different stress time dependences were shown for {delta}N{sub it} and {delta}N{sub ot}. At the earlier stress times, {delta}N{sub it} dominates the threshold voltage shift ({delta}V{sub th}) and {delta}N{sub ot} is negligible. With increasing stress time, the rate of increase of {delta}N{sub it} decreases continuously, showing a saturating trend for longer stress times, while {delta}N{submore » ot} still has a power-law dependence on stress time so that the relative contribution of {delta}N{sub ot} increases. The thermal activation energy of {delta}N{sub it} and the NBTI lifetime of pMOSFETs, compared at a given stress voltage, are independent of the peak nitrogen concentration of the SiON film. This indicates that plasma nitridation is a more reliable method for incorporating nitrogen in the gate oxide.« less

Growth, stability and decomposition of Mg2Si ultra-thin films on Si (100)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sarpi, B.; Zirmi, R.; Putero, M.; Bouslama, M.; Hemeryck, A.; Vizzini, S.

2018-01-01

Using Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES), Scanning Tunneling Microscopy/Spectroscopy (STM/STS) and Low Energy Electron Diffraction (LEED), we report an in-situ study of amorphous magnesium silicide (Mg2Si) ultra-thin films grown by thermally enhanced solid-phase reaction of few Mg monolayers deposited at room temperature (RT) on a Si(100) surface. Silicidation of magnesium films can be achieved in the nanometric thickness range with high chemical purity and a high thermal stability after annealing at 150 °C, before reaching a regime of magnesium desorption for temperatures higher than 350 °C. The thermally enhanced reaction of one Mg monolayer (ML) results in the appearance of Mg2Si nanometric crystallites leaving the silicon surface partially uncovered. For thicker Mg deposition nevertheless, continuous 2D silicide films are formed with a volcano shape surface topography characteristic up to 4 Mg MLs. Due to high reactivity between magnesium and oxygen species, the thermal oxidation process in which a thin Mg2Si film is fully decomposed (0.75 eV band gap) into a magnesium oxide layer (6-8 eV band gap) is also reported.

The localization and crystallographic dependence of Si suboxide species at the SiO2/Si interface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grunthaner, P. J.; Hecht, M. H.; Grunthaner, F. J.; Johnson, N. M.

1987-01-01

X-ray photoemission spectroscopy has been used to examine the localization and crystallographic dependence of Si(+), Si(2+), and Si(3+) suboxide states at the SiO2/Si interface for (100)and (111)-oriented substrates with gate oxide quality thermal oxides. The Si(+) and Si(2+) states are localized within 6-10 A of the interface while the Si(3+) state extends about 30 A into the bulk SiO2. The distribution of Si(+) and Si(2+) states shows a strong crystallographic dependence with Si(2+) dominating on (100) substrates and Si(+) dominating on (111) substrates. This crystallographic dependence is anticipated from consideration of ideal unreconstructed (100) and (111) Si surfaces, suggesting that (1) the Si(+) and Si(2+) states are localized immediately within the first monolayer at the interface and (2) the first few monolayers of substrate Si atoms are not significantly displaced from the bulk. The total number of suboxide states observed at the SiO2/Si interface corresponds to 94 and 83 percent of a monolayer for these (100) and (111) substrates, respectively.

Determination of magnetic anisotropy constants in Fe ultrathin film on vicinal Si(111) by anisotropic magnetoresistance

PubMed Central

Ye, Jun; He, Wei; Wu, Qiong; Liu, Hao-Liang; Zhang, Xiang-Qun; Chen, Zi-Yu; Cheng, Zhao-Hua

2013-01-01

The epitaxial growth of ultrathin Fe film on Si(111) surface provides an excellent opportunity to investigate the contribution of magnetic anisotropy to magnetic behavior. Here, we present the anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) effect of Fe single crystal film on vicinal Si(111) substrate with atomically flat ultrathin p(2 × 2) iron silicide as buffer layer. Owing to the tiny misorientation from Fe(111) plane, the symmetry of magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy changes from the six-fold to a superposition of six-fold, four-fold and a weakly uniaxial contribution. Furthermore, the magnitudes of various magnetic anisotropy constants were derived from torque curves on the basis of AMR results. Our work suggests that AMR measurements can be employed to figure out precisely the contributions of various magnetic anisotropy constants. PMID:23828508

ZrO2 film interfaces with Si and SiO2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2005-08-01

The interface formed by the thermal oxidation of sputter-deposited Zr metal onto Si(100)- and SiO2-coated Si(100) wafers was studied in situ and in real time using spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) in the 1.5-4.5 photon energy range and mass spectrometry of recoiled ions (MSRI). SE yielded optical properties for the film and interface and MSRI yielded film and interface composition. An optical model was developed and verified using transmission electron microscopy. Interfacial reaction of the ZrO2 was observed for both substrates, with more interaction for Si substrates. Equivalent oxide thicknesses and interface trap levels were determined on capacitors with lower trap levels found on samples with a thicker SiO2 underlayer. In addition to the optical properties for the intermixed interface layer, the optical properties for Zr metal and unreacted ZrO2 are also reported.

Studies of the Si/SiO2 interface using synchrotron radiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hecht, M. H.; Grunthaner, F. J.

1985-01-01

Synchrotron radiation photoemission spectroscopy (SRPS) in the 1-4 KeV photon energy range is a useful tool for interface characterization. Results are presented of a series of studies of the near-interface region of Si/SiO2 which confirm that a bond strain gradient exists in the oxide as a result of lattice mismatch. These experiments include measurement of photoemission lineshape changes as a function of photon energy, corresponding changes in the electron escape depth near the interface, and surface extended X-ray absorption fine structure (SEXAFS) measurements directly indicating the shortening of the Si-Si second nearest neighbor distance in the near-interface region of the oxide.

Reaction mechanisms at 4H-SiC/SiO2 interface during wet SiC oxidation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akiyama, Toru; Hori, Shinsuke; Nakamura, Kohji; Ito, Tomonori; Kageshima, Hiroyuki; Uematsu, Masashi; Shiraishi, Kenji

2018-04-01

The reaction processes at the interface between SiC with 4H structure (4H-SiC) and SiO2 during wet oxidation are investigated by electronic structure calculations within the density functional theory. Our calculations for 4H-SiC/SiO2 interfaces with various orientations demonstrate characteristic features of the reaction depending on the crystal orientation of SiC: On the Si-face, the H2O molecule is stable in SiO2 and hardly reacts with the SiC substrate, while the O atom of H2O can form Si-O bonds at the C-face interface. Two OH groups are found to be at least necessary for forming new Si-O bonds at the Si-face interface, indicating that the oxidation rate on the Si-face is very low compared with that on the C-face. On the other hand, both the H2O molecule and the OH group are incorporated into the C-face interface, and the energy barrier for OH is similar to that for H2O. By comparing the calculated energy barriers for these reactants with the activation energies of oxide growth rate, we suggest the orientation-dependent rate-limiting processes during wet SiC oxidation.

A Novel Intrinsic Interface State Controlled by Atomic Stacking Sequence at Interfaces of SiC/SiO2.

PubMed

Matsushita, Yu-Ichiro; Oshiyama, Atsushi

2017-10-11

On the basis of ab initio total-energy electronic-structure calculations, we find that electron states localized at the SiC/SiO 2 interface emerge in the energy region between 0.3 eV below and 1.2 eV above the bulk conduction-band minimum (CBM) of SiC, being sensitive to the sequence of atomic bilayers in SiC near the interface. These new interface states unrecognized in the past are due to the peculiar characteristics of the CBM states that are distributed along the crystallographic channels. We also find that the electron doping modifies the energetics among the different stacking structures. Implication for performance of electron devices fabricated on different SiC surfaces is discussed.

Introduction of Si/SiO{sub 2} interface states by annealing Ge-implanted films

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

Marstein, E.S.; Gunnaes, A.E.; Olsen, A.

2004-10-15

Nanocrystals embedded in SiO{sub 2} films are the subject of a number of recent works, mainly because of their potential usefulness in the fabrication of optoelectronic devices and nanocrystal memory structures. One interesting method for the fabrication of such nanocrystals is the ion implantation of segregating species into SiO{sub 2} films followed by heat treatment in order to induce nanocrystal formation. This method is both relatively simple and also compatible with the current MOS (metal-oxide-semiconductor) device technology. An unintentional effect can occur during the fabrication of nanocrystals using this method, namely a significant diffusion of the implanted species during annealing,more » away from the regions with the highest concentration. The Si/SiO{sub 2} interface can be exposed to this diffusion flux. This can result in an altered interface and have a significant influence on electronic devices. Here, we report on ion implantation of Ge into SiO{sub 2} on Si followed by annealing under conditions, resulting in Ge accumulation at the Si/SiO{sub 2} interface as determined by secondary-ion mass spectroscopy analysis, transmission electron microscopy with energy dispersive analysis of x-rays, and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry. The accumulation of Ge at the Si/SiO{sub 2} interface has also been reported before. The resulting effect on the electronic structure of the interface is a priori unknown. We have fabricated MOS capacitors on the sample structures and their capacitance-voltage characteristics were measured and analyzed. We measure an interface state density around 1x10{sup 12} cm{sup -2}, which is high compared to standard Si MOS devices. We discuss the results in terms of the previous electrical measurements on Ge-oxide interfaces and SiGe interfaces, which also can yield a high interface state density. The specific conditions we report result in a sufficiently low Ge concentration that nanocrystals are not segregated in the Si

Abrupt GaP/Si hetero-interface using bistepped Si buffer

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

Ping Wang, Y., E-mail: yanping.wang@insa-rennes.fr; Kuyyalil, J.; Nguyen Thanh, T.

We evidence the influence of the quality of the starting Si surface on the III-V/Si interface abruptness and on the formation of defects during the growth of III-V/Si heterogeneous crystal, using high resolution transmission electron microscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy. GaP layers were grown by molecular beam epitaxy on vicinal Si (001). The strong effect of the Si substrate chemical preparation is first demonstrated by studying structural properties of both Si homoepitaxial layer and GaP/Si heterostructure. It is then shown that choosing adequate chemical preparation conditions and subsequent III-V regrowth conditions enables the quasi-suppression of micro-twins in the epilayer.more » Finally, the abruptness of GaP/Si interface is found to be very sensitive to the Si chemical preparation and is improved by the use of a bistepped Si buffer prior to III-V overgrowth.« less

Nucleation of C60 on ultrathin SiO2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conrad, Brad; Groce, Michelle; Cullen, William; Pimpinelli, Alberto; Williams, Ellen; Einstein, Ted

2012-02-01

We utilize scanning tunneling microscopy to characterize the nucleation, growth, and morphology of C60 on ultrathin SiO2 grown at room temperature. C60 thin films are deposited in situ by physical vapor deposition with thicknesses varying from <0.05 to ˜1 ML. Island size and capture zone distributions are examined for a varied flux rate and substrate deposition temperature. The C60 critical nucleus size is observed to change between monomers and dimers non-monotonically from 300 K to 500 K. Results will be discussed in terms of recent capture zone studies and analysis methods. Relation to device fabrication will be discussed. doi:10.1016/j.susc.2011.08.020

Quantification of strain and charge co-mediated magnetoelectric coupling on ultra-thin Permalloy/PMN-PT interface.

PubMed

Nan, Tianxiang; Zhou, Ziyao; Liu, Ming; Yang, Xi; Gao, Yuan; Assaf, Badih A; Lin, Hwaider; Velu, Siddharth; Wang, Xinjun; Luo, Haosu; Chen, Jimmy; Akhtar, Saad; Hu, Edward; Rajiv, Rohit; Krishnan, Kavin; Sreedhar, Shalini; Heiman, Don; Howe, Brandon M; Brown, Gail J; Sun, Nian X

2014-01-14

Strain and charge co-mediated magnetoelectric coupling are expected in ultra-thin ferromagnetic/ferroelectric multiferroic heterostructures, which could lead to significantly enhanced magnetoelectric coupling. It is however challenging to observe the combined strain charge mediated magnetoelectric coupling, and difficult in quantitatively distinguish these two magnetoelectric coupling mechanisms. We demonstrated in this work, the quantification of the coexistence of strain and surface charge mediated magnetoelectric coupling on ultra-thin Ni0.79Fe0.21/PMN-PT interface by using a Ni0.79Fe0.21/Cu/PMN-PT heterostructure with only strain-mediated magnetoelectric coupling as a control. The NiFe/PMN-PT heterostructure exhibited a high voltage induced effective magnetic field change of 375 Oe enhanced by the surface charge at the PMN-PT interface. Without the enhancement of the charge-mediated magnetoelectric effect by inserting a Cu layer at the PMN-PT interface, the electric field modification of effective magnetic field was 202 Oe. By distinguishing the magnetoelectric coupling mechanisms, a pure surface charge modification of magnetism shows a strong correlation to polarization of PMN-PT. A non-volatile effective magnetic field change of 104 Oe was observed at zero electric field originates from the different remnant polarization state of PMN-PT. The strain and charge co-mediated magnetoelectric coupling in ultra-thin magnetic/ferroelectric heterostructures could lead to power efficient and non-volatile magnetoelectric devices with enhanced magnetoelectric coupling.

Photoconductivity of ultra-thin Ge(GeSn) layers grown in Si by low-temperature molecular beam epitaxy

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

Talochkin, A. B., E-mail: tal@isp.nsc.ru; Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk 630090; Chistokhin, I. B.

2016-04-07

Photoconductivity (PC) spectra of Si/Ge(GeSn)/Si structures with the ultra-thin (1.0–2.3 nm) Ge and GeSn alloy layers grown by the low-temperature (T = 100 °C) molecular beam epitaxy are studied. Photoresponse in the range of 1.2–0.4 eV related to light absorption in the buried Ge(GeSn) layer is observed. It is shown that in case of lateral PC, a simple diffusion model can be used to determine the absorption coefficient of this layer α ∼ 10{sup 5 }cm{sup −1}. This value is 100 times larger than that of a single Ge quantum dot layer and is reached significantly above the band gap of most bulk semiconductors. The observedmore » absorption is caused by optical transitions between electron and hole states localized at the interfaces. The anomalous high value of α can be explained by the unusual state of Ge(GeSn) layer with high concentration of dangling bonds, the optical properties of which have been predicted theoretically by Knief and von Niessen (Phys. Rev. B 59, 12940 (1999)).« less

Ultrathin body GaSb-on-insulator p-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors on Si fabricated by direct wafer bonding

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

Yokoyama, Masafumi, E-mail: yokoyama@mosfet.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp; Takenaka, Mitsuru; Takagi, Shinichi

2015-02-16

We have realized ultrathin body GaSb-on-insulator (GaSb-OI) on Si wafers by direct wafer bonding technology using atomic-layer deposition (ALD) Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} and have demonstrated GaSb-OI p-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (p-MOSFETs) on Si. A 23-nm-thick GaSb-OI p-MOSFET exhibits the peak effective mobility of ∼76 cm{sup 2}/V s. We have found that the effective hole mobility of the thin-body GaSb-OI p-MOSFETs decreases with a decrease in the GaSb-OI thickness or with an increase in Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} ALD temperature. The InAs passivation of GaSb-OI MOS interfaces can enhance the peak effective mobility up to 159 cm{sup 2}/V s for GaSb-OI p-MOSFETs with themore » 20-nm-thick GaSb layer.« less

Al+Si Interface Optical Properties Obtained in the Si Solar Cell Configuration

DOE PAGES

Subedi, Indra; Silverman, Timothy J.; Deceglie, Michael G.; ...

2017-10-18

Al is a commonly used material for rear side metallization in commercial silicon (Si) wafer solar cells. In this study, through-the-silicon spectroscopic ellipsometry is used in a test sample to measure Al+Si interface optical properties like those in Si wafer solar cells. Two different spectroscopic ellipsometers are used for measurement of Al+Si interface optical properties over the 1128-2500 nm wavelength range. For validation, the measured interface optical properties are used in a ray tracing simulation over the 300-2500 nm wavelength range for an encapsulated Si solar cell having random pyramidal texture. The ray tracing model matches well with the measuredmore » total reflectance at normal incidence of a commercially available Si module. The Al+Si optical properties presented here enable quantitative assessment of major irradiance/current flux losses arising from reflection and parasitic absorption in encapsulated Si solar cells.« less

Al+Si Interface Optical Properties Obtained in the Si Solar Cell Configuration

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

Subedi, Indra; Silverman, Timothy J.; Deceglie, Michael G.

Al is a commonly used material for rear side metallization in commercial silicon (Si) wafer solar cells. In this study, through-the-silicon spectroscopic ellipsometry is used in a test sample to measure Al+Si interface optical properties like those in Si wafer solar cells. Two different spectroscopic ellipsometers are used for measurement of Al+Si interface optical properties over the 1128-2500 nm wavelength range. For validation, the measured interface optical properties are used in a ray tracing simulation over the 300-2500 nm wavelength range for an encapsulated Si solar cell having random pyramidal texture. The ray tracing model matches well with the measuredmore » total reflectance at normal incidence of a commercially available Si module. The Al+Si optical properties presented here enable quantitative assessment of major irradiance/current flux losses arising from reflection and parasitic absorption in encapsulated Si solar cells.« less

Exceptional cracking behavior in H-implanted Si/B-doped Si0.70Ge0.30/Si heterostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Da; Wang, Dadi; Chang, Yongwei; Li, Ya; Ding, Rui; Li, Jiurong; Chen, Xiao; Wang, Gang; Guo, Qinglei

2018-01-01

The cracking behavior in H-implanted Si/B-doped Si0.70Ge0.30/Si structures after thermal annealing was investigated. The crack formation position is found to closely correlate with the thickness of the buried Si0.70Ge0.30 layer. For H-implanted Si containing a buried 3-nm-thick B-doped Si0.70Ge0.30 layer, localized continuous cracking occurs at the interfaces on both sides of the Si0.70Ge0.30 interlayer. Once the thickness of the buried Si0.70Ge0.30 layer increases to 15 and 70 nm, however, a continuous sharp crack is individually observed along the interface between the Si substrate and the B-doped Si0.70Ge0.30 interlayer. We attribute this exceptional cracking behavior to the existence of shear stress on both sides of the buried Si0.70Ge0.30 layer and the subsequent trapping of hydrogen, which leads to a crack in a well-controlled manner. This work may pave the way for high-quality Si or SiGe membrane transfer in a feasible manner, thus expediting its potential applications to ultrathin silicon-on-insulator (SOI) or silicon-germanium-on-insulator (SGOI) production.

Study of Direct-Contact HfO2/Si Interfaces

PubMed Central

Miyata, Noriyuki

2012-01-01

Controlling monolayer Si oxide at the HfO2/Si interface is a challenging issue in scaling the equivalent oxide thickness of HfO2/Si gate stack structures. A concept that the author proposes to control the Si oxide interface by using ultra-high vacuum electron-beam HfO2 deposition is described in this review paper, which enables the so-called direct-contact HfO2/Si structures to be prepared. The electrical characteristics of the HfO2/Si metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors are reviewed, which suggest a sufficiently low interface state density for the operation of metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect-transistors (MOSFETs) but reveal the formation of an unexpected strong interface dipole. Kelvin probe measurements of the HfO2/Si structures provide obvious evidence for the formation of dipoles at the HfO2/Si interfaces. The author proposes that one-monolayer Si-O bonds at the HfO2/Si interface naturally lead to a large potential difference, mainly due to the large dielectric constant of the HfO2. Dipole scattering is demonstrated to not be a major concern in the channel mobility of MOSFETs. PMID:28817060

Influence of interface layer on optical properties of sub-20 nm-thick TiO2 films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Yue-Jie; Zhang, Rong-Jun; Li, Da-Hai; Zhan, Yi-Qiang; Lu, Hong-Liang; Jiang, An-Quan; Chen, Xin; Liu, Juan; Zheng, Yu-Xiang; Wang, Song-You; Chen, Liang-Yao

2018-02-01

The sub-20 nm ultrathin titanium dioxide (TiO2) films with tunable thickness were deposited on Si substrates by atomic layer deposition (ALD). The structural and optical properties were acquired by transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry. Afterwards, a constructive and effective method of analyzing interfaces by applying two different optical models consisting of air/TiO2/Ti x Si y O2/Si and air/effective TiO2 layer/Si, respectively, was proposed to investigate the influence of interface layer (IL) on the analysis of optical constants and the determination of band gap of TiO2 ultrathin films. It was found that two factors including optical constants and changing components of the nonstoichiometric IL could contribute to the extent of the influence. Furthermore, the investigated TiO2 ultrathin films of 600 ALD cycles were selected and then annealed at the temperature range of 400-900 °C by rapid thermal annealing. Thicker IL and phase transition cause the variation of optical properties of TiO2 films after annealing and a shorter electron relaxation time reveals the strengthened electron-electron and electron-phonon interactions in the TiO2 ultrathin films at high temperature. The as-obtained results in this paper will play a role in other studies of high dielectric constants materials grown on Si substrates and in the applications of next generation metal-oxide-semiconductor devices.

Nanowire decorated, ultra-thin, single crystalline silicon for photovoltaic devices.

PubMed

Aurang, Pantea; Turan, Rasit; Unalan, Husnu Emrah

2017-10-06

Reducing silicon (Si) wafer thickness in the photovoltaic industry has always been demanded for lowering the overall cost. Further benefits such as short collection lengths and improved open circuit voltages can also be achieved by Si thickness reduction. However, the problem with thin films is poor light absorption. One way to decrease optical losses in photovoltaic devices is to minimize the front side reflection. This approach can be applied to front contacted ultra-thin crystalline Si solar cells to increase the light absorption. In this work, homojunction solar cells were fabricated using ultra-thin and flexible single crystal Si wafers. A metal assisted chemical etching method was used for the nanowire (NW) texturization of ultra-thin Si wafers to compensate weak light absorption. A relative improvement of 56% in the reflectivity was observed for ultra-thin Si wafers with the thickness of 20 ± 0.2 μm upon NW texturization. NW length and top contact optimization resulted in a relative enhancement of 23% ± 5% in photovoltaic conversion efficiency.

"Un-annealed and Annealed Pd Ultra-Thin Film on SiC Characterized by Scanning Probe Microscopy and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy"

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lu, W. J.; Shi, D. T.; Elshot, K.; Bryant, E.; Lafate, K.; Chen, H.; Burger, A.; Collins, W. E.

1998-01-01

Pd/SiC has been used as a hydrogen and a hydrocarbon gas sensor operated at high temperature. UHV (Ultra High Vacuum)-Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) techniques were applied to study the relationship between the morphology and chemical compositions for Pd ultra-thin films on SiC (less than 30 angstroms) at different annealing temperatures. Pd ultra-thin film on 6H-SiC was prepared by the RF sputtering method. The morphology from UHV-STM and AFM shows that the Pd thin film was well deposited on SiC substrate, and the Pd was partially aggregated to round shaped participates at an annealing temperature of 300 C. At 400 C, the amount of surface participates decreases, and some strap shape participates appear. From XPS, Pd2Si was formed on the surface after annealing at 300 C, and all Pd reacted with SiC to form Pd2Si after annealing at 400 C. The intensity of the XPS Pd peak decreases enormously at 400 C. The Pd film diffused into SiC, and the Schottky barrier height has almost no changes. The work shows the Pd sicilides/SiC have the same electronic properties with Pd/SiC, and explains why the Pd/SiC sensor still responds to hydrogen at high operating temperatures.

Room Temperature Ferroelectricity in Ultrathin SnTe Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Kai; Liu, Junwei; Lin, Haicheng; Zhao, Kun; Zhong, Yong; Ji, Shuai-Hua; He, Ke; Wang, Lili; Ma, Xucun; Fu, Liang; Chen, Xi; Xue, Qi-Kun

2015-03-01

The ultrathin SnTe films with several unit cell thickness grown on graphitized SiC(0001) surface have been studied by the scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy (STM/S). The domain structures, local lattice distortion and the electronic band bending at film edges induced by the in-plane spontaneous polarization along < 110 > have been revealed at atomic scale. The experiments at variant temperature show that the Curie temperature Tc of the one unit cell thick (two atomic layers) SnTe film is as high as 280K, much higher than that of the bulk counterpart (~100K) and the 2-4 unit cell thick films even indicate robust ferroelectricity at room temperature. This Tc enhancement is attributed to the stress-free interface, larger electronic band gap and greatly reduced Sn vacancy concentration in the ultrathin films. The lateral domain size varies from several tens to several hundreds of nanometers, and the spontaneous polarization direction could be modified by STM tip. Those properties of ultrathin SnTe films show the potential application on ferroelectric devices. The work was financially supported by Ministry of Science and Technology of China, National Science Foundation and Ministry of Education of China.

Effect of PECVD SiNx/SiOyNx-Si interface property on surface passivation of silicon wafer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Xiao-Jie; Zhou, Chun-Lan; Zhu, Jun-Jie; Zhou, Su; Wang, Wen-Jing

2016-12-01

It is studied in this paper that the electrical characteristics of the interface between SiOyNx/SiNx stack and silicon wafer affect silicon surface passivation. The effects of precursor flow ratio and deposition temperature of the SiOyNx layer on interface parameters, such as interface state density Dit and fixed charge Qf, and the surface passivation quality of silicon are observed. Capacitance-voltage measurements reveal that inserting a thin SiOyNx layer between the SiNx and the silicon wafer can suppress Qf in the film and Dit at the interface. The positive Qf and Dit and a high surface recombination velocity in stacks are observed to increase with the introduced oxygen and minimal hydrogen in the SiOyNx film increasing. Prepared by deposition at a low temperature and a low ratio of N2O/SiH4 flow rate, the SiOyNx/SiNx stacks result in a low effective surface recombination velocity (Seff) of 6 cm/s on a p-type 1 Ω·cm-5 Ω·cm FZ silicon wafer. The positive relationship between Seff and Dit suggests that the saturation of the interface defect is the main passivation mechanism although the field-effect passivation provided by the fixed charges also make a contribution to it. Project supported by the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2015AA050302) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 61306076).

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

PubMed

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

2018-01-23

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

XPS Study of Oxide/GaAs and SiO2/Si Interfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

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

1982-01-01

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

Process dependent morphology of the Si/SiO2 interface measured with scanning tunneling microscopy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hecht, Michael H.; Bell, L. D.; Grunthaner, F. J.; Kaiser, W. J.

1988-01-01

A new experimental technique to determine Si/SiO2 interface morphology is described. Thermal oxides of silicon are chemically removed, and the resulting surface topography is measured with scanning tunneling microscopy. Interfaces prepared by oxidation of Si (100) and (111) surfaces, followed by postoxidation anneal (POA) at different temperatures, have been characterized. Correlations between interface structure, chemistry, and electrical characteristics are described.

Interfacial structure and electrical properties of ultrathin HfO2 dielectric films on Si substrates by surface sol-gel method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gong, You-Pin; Li, Ai-Dong; Qian, Xu; Zhao, Chao; Wu, Di

2009-01-01

Ultrathin HfO2 films with about ~3 nm thickness were deposited on n-type (1 0 0) silicon substrates using hafnium chloride (HfCl4) source by the surface sol-gel method and post-deposition annealing (PDA). The interfacial structure and electrical properties of ultrathin HfO2 films were investigated. The HfO2 films show amorphous structures and smooth surface morphologies with a very thin interfacial oxide layer of ~0.5 nm and small surface roughness (~0.45 nm). The 500 °C PDA treatment forms stronger Hf-O bonds, leading to passivated traps, and the interfacial layer is mainly Hf silicate (HfxSiyOz). Equivalent oxide thickness of around 0.84 nm of HfO2/Si has been obtained with a leakage current density of 0.7 A cm-2 at Vfb + 1 V after 500 °C PDA. It was found that the current conduction mechanism of HfO2/Si varied from Schottky-Richardson emission to Fowler-Nordheim tunnelling at an applied higher positive voltage due to the activated partial traps remaining in the ultrathin HfO2 films.

Anomalously deep polarization in SrTiO3 (001) interfaced with an epitaxial ultrathin manganite film

DOE PAGES

Wang, Zhen; Tao, Jing; Yu, Liping; ...

2016-10-17

Using atomically-resolved imaging and spectroscopy, we reveal a remarkably deep polarization in non-ferroelectric SrTiO 3 near its interface with an ultrathin nonmetallic film of La 2/3Sr 1/3MnO 3. Electron holography shows an electric field near the interface in SrTiO 3, yielding a surprising spontaneous polarization density of ~ 21 μC/cm 2. Combining the experimental results with first principles calculations, we propose that the observed deep polarization is induced by the electric field originating from oxygen vacancies that extend beyond a dozen unit-cells from the interface, thus providing important evidence of the role of defects in the emergent interface properties ofmore » transition metal oxides.« less

Thermogravimetric and microscopic analysis of SiC/SiC materials with advanced interfaces

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

Windisch, C.F. Jr.; Jones, R.H.; Snead, L.L.

1997-04-01

The chemical stability of SiC/SiC composites with fiber/matrix interfaces consisting of multilayers of SiC/SiC and porous SiC have been evaluated using a thermal gravimetric analyzer (TGA). Previous evaluations of SiC/SiC composites with carbon interfacial layers demonstrated the layers are not chemically stable at goal use temperatures of 800-1100{degrees}C and O{sub 2} concentrations greater than about 1 ppm. No measureable mass change was observed for multilayer and porous SiC interfaces at 800-1100{degrees}C and O{sub 2} concentrations of 100 ppm to air; however, the total amount of oxidizable carbon is on the order of the sensitivity of the TGA. Further studies aremore » in progress to evaluate the stability of these materials.« less

Direct Imaging and First Principles Studies of Si3N4/SiO2 Interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walkosz, Weronika; Klie, Robert; Ogut, Serdar; Mikijelj, Bilijana; Pennycook, Stephen; Idrobo, Juan C.

2010-03-01

It is well known that the composition of the integranular films (IGFs) in sintered polycrystalline silicon nitride (Si3N4) ceramics controls many of their physical and mechanical properties. A considerable effort has been made to characterize these films on the atomic scale using both experimental and theoretical methods. In this talk, we present results from a combined atomic-resolution Z-contrast and annular bright field imaging, electron energy-loss spectroscopy, as well as ab initio studies of the interface between β-Si3N4 (10-10) and SiO2 intergranular film. Our results show that O replaces N at the interface between the two materials in agreement with our theoretical calculations and that N is present in the SiO2 IGF. Moreover, they indicate the presence of atomic columns completing Si3N4 open rings, which have not been observed experimentally at the recently imaged Si3N4/rare-earth oxides interfaces, but have been predicted theoretically on bare Si3N4 surfaces. The structural and electronic variations at the Si3N4/SiO2 interface will be discussed in detail, focusing in particular on bonding characteristics.

Formation of silicon nanodots via ion beam sputtering of ultrathin gold thin film coatings on Si

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Ion beam sputtering of ultrathin film Au coatings used as a physical catalyst for self-organization of Si nanostructures has been achieved by tuning the incident particle energy. This approach holds promise as a scalable nanomanufacturing parallel processing alternative to candidate nanolithography techniques. Structures of 11- to 14-nm Si nanodots are formed with normal incidence low-energy Ar ions of 200 eV and fluences above 2 × 1017 cm-2. In situ surface characterization during ion irradiation elucidates early stage ion mixing migration mechanism for nanodot self-organization. In particular, the evolution from gold film islands to the formation of ion-induced metastable gold silicide followed by pure Si nanodots formed with no need for impurity seeding. PMID:21711934

Magnetic and structural characterization of ultra-thin Fe (222) films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loving, Melissa G.; Brown, Emily E.; Rizzo, Nicholas D.; Ambrose, Thomas F.

2018-05-01

Varied thickness body centered cubic (BCC) ultrathin Fe films (10-50Å) have been sputter deposited onto Si (111) substrates. BCC Fe with the novel (222) texture was obtained by H- terminating the Si (111) starting substrate then immediately depositing the magnetic films. Structural results derived from grazing incidence x-ray diffraction and x-ray reflectivity confirm the crystallographic texture, film thickness, and interface roughness. Magnetic results indicate that Fe (222) exhibits soft magnetic switching (easy axis), high anisotropy (hard axis), which is maintained across the thickness range, and a positive magnetostriction (for the thicker film layers). The observed soft magnetic switching in this system makes it an ideal candidate for future magnetic memory development as well as other microelectronics applications that utilize magnetic materials.

Positron annihilation studies of the AlOx/SiO2/Si interface in solar cell structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edwardson, C. J.; Coleman, P. G.; Li, T.-T. A.; Cuevas, A.; Ruffell, S.

2012-03-01

Film and film/substrate interface characteristics of 30 and 60 nm-thick AlOx films grown on Si substrates by thermal atomic layer deposition (ALD), and 30 nm-thick AlOx films by sputtering, have been probed using variable-energy positron annihilation spectroscopy (VEPAS) and Doppler-broadened spectra ratio curves. All samples were found to have an interface which traps positrons, with annealing increasing this trapping response, regardless of growth method. Thermal ALD creates an AlOx/SiOx/Si interface with positron trapping and annihilation occurring in the Si side of the SiOx/Si boundary. An induced positive charge in the Si next to the interface reduces diffusion into the oxides and increases annihilation in the Si. In this region there is a divacancy-type response (20 ± 2%) before annealing which is increased to 47 ± 2% after annealing. Sputtering seems to not produce samples with this same electrostatic shielding; instead, positron trapping occurs directly in the SiOx interface in the as-deposited sample, and the positron response to it increases after annealing as an SiO2 layer is formed. Annealing the film has the effect of lowering the film oxygen response in all film types. Compared to other structural characterization techniques, VEPAS shows larger sensitivity to differences in film preparation method and between as-deposited and annealed samples.

Injection doping of ultrathin microcrystalline silicon films prepared by CC-CVD

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

Koynov, S.; Grebner, S.; Schwarz, R.

1997-07-01

Recently, the authors have proposed a cyclic method, referred to as Closed Chamber CVD (CC-CVD), for the preparation of {micro}c-Si films of high crystalline fraction at increased deposition rates. In this work, they first report new process conditions of CC-CVD, which result in growth of highly crystalline films with a sharp interface on a foreign substrate. Then these conditions are further used together with a pulsed injection of B{sub 2}H{sub 6} in an appropriate moment of each cycle, so that the disturbance of the crystallization process is prevented. A series of ultrathin {micro}c-Si films, doped by this technique, is characterizedmore » by conductivity measurements, SEM, Raman Scattering, optical transmission and UV reflection. A strong reduction of the transient interface layer is achieved and conductivity as high as 2 S/cm with an activation energy of 27 meV is reached.« less

Time dependent changes in Schottky barrier mapping of the W/Si(001) interface utilizing ballistic electron emission microscopy

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

Durcan, Chris A.; Balsano, Robert; LaBella, Vincent P., E-mail: vlabella@albany.edu

2015-06-28

The W/Si(001) Schottky barrier height is mapped to nanoscale dimensions using ballistic electron emission microscopy (BEEM) over a period of 21 days to observe changes in the interface electrostatics. Initially, the average spectrum is fit to a Schottky barrier height of 0.71 eV, and the map is uniform with 98% of the spectra able to be fit. After 21 days, the average spectrum is fit to a Schottky barrier height of 0.62 eV, and the spatial map changes dramatically with only 27% of the spectra able to be fit. Transmission electron microscopy shows the formation of an ultra-thin tungsten silicide at themore » interface, which increases in thickness over the 21 days. This increase is attributed to an increase in electron scattering and the changes are observed in the BEEM measurements. Interestingly, little to no change is observed in the I-V measurements throughout the 21 day period.« less

Two-dimensional ultra-thin SiO(x) (0 < x < 2) nanosheets with long-term cycling stability as lithium ion battery anodes.

PubMed

Sun, Lin; Su, Tingting; Xu, Lei; Liu, Meipin; Du, Hong-Bin

2016-03-21

Ultra-thin SiO(x) (0 < x < 2) nanosheets were obtained via a convenient solvothermal route from a Zintl compound CaSi2. After carbon coating, the SiOx@C nanosheet anodes exhibit high capacity, good rate and superior cycling performance for high-capacity lithium ion battery applications. The specific capacity can be maintained as high as 760 mA h g(-1) with almost no capacity decay after 400 cycles at a current density of 0.5 A g(-1).

Origin of the broad three-terminal Hanle signals in Fe/SiO{sub 2}/Si tunnel junctions

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

Sato, Shoichi; Tanaka, Masaaki; Nakane, Ryosho

2015-07-20

Lorentzian-shaped broader three-terminal Hanle (B-3TH) signals are observed in Fe/SiO{sub 2}/Si tunnel junction devices at 6–300 K. We propose a spin conducting model, which explains all the characteristics of our experimental results, such as field angle dependence and bias dependence of the B-3TH signals, as well as experimental results reported by other groups. It was found that the shape of the B-3TH signals is determined by the spin depolarization at the Fe/SiO{sub 2} interface caused by local magnetic fields, unlike the conventional understanding. The shape of the B-3TH signals, including narrower and inverted Hanle signals, reflects the magnetic order of anmore » ultrathin paramagnetic layer formed at the Fe/SiO{sub 2} interface. Our model provides a unified explanation of the B-3TH signals observed in three-terminal Hanle measurements.« less

Structural and electronic properties of the transition layer at the SiO{sub 2}/4H-SiC interface

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

Li, Wenbo; Wang, Dejun, E-mail: dwang121@dlut.edu.cn; Zhao, Jijun

Using first-principles methods, we generate an amorphous SiO{sub 2}/4H-SiC interface with a transition layer. Based this interface model, we investigate the structural and electronic properties of the interfacial transition layer. The calculated Si 2p core-level shifts for this interface are comparable to the experimental data, indicating that various SiC{sub x}O{sub y} species should be present in this interface transition layer. The analysis of the electronic structures reveals that the tetrahedral SiC{sub x}O{sub y} structures cannot introduce any of the defect states at the interface. Interestingly, our transition layer also includes a C-C=C trimer and SiO{sub 5} configurations, which lead tomore » the generation of interface states. The accurate positions of Kohn-Sham energy levels associated with these defects are further calculated within the hybrid functional scheme. The Kohn-Sham energy levels of the carbon trimer and SiO{sub 5} configurations are located near the conduction and valence band of bulk 4H-SiC, respectively. The result indicates that the carbon trimer occurred in the transition layer may be a possible origin of near interface traps. These findings provide novel insight into the structural and electronic properties of the realistic SiO{sub 2}/SiC interface.« less

Observation of interface defects in thermally oxidized SiC using positron annihilation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dekker, James; Saarinen, Kimmo; Ólafsson, Halldór; Sveinbjörnsson, Einar Ö.

2003-03-01

Positron annihilation has been applied to study thermally oxidized 4H- and 6H-SiC. The SiC/SiO2 interface is found to contain a high density of open-volume defects. The positron trapping at the interface defects correlates with the charge of the interface determined by capacitance-voltage experiments. For oxides grown on n-SiC substrates, the positron annihilation characteristics at these defects are nearly indistinguishable from those of a silicon/oxide interface, with no discernable contribution from C-related bonds or carbon clusters. These results indicate that those defects at the SiC/oxide interface, which are visible to positrons, are similar to those at the Si/oxide interface. The positron annihilation characteristics suggest that these defects are vacancies surrounded by oxygen atoms.

Tuning of in-plane optical anisotropy by inserting ultra-thin InAs layer at interfaces in (001)-grown GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells

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

Yu, J. L., E-mail: jlyu@semi.ac.cn; Key Laboratory of Semiconductor Materials Science, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 912, Beijing 100083; Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Materials Chemistry and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou 350002

2015-01-07

The in-plane optical anisotropy (IPOA) in (001)-grown GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells (QWs) with different well widths varying from 2 nm to 8 nm has been studied by reflectance difference spectroscopy. Ultra-thin InAs layers with thickness ranging from 0.5 monolayer (ML) to 1.5 ML have been inserted at GaAs/AlGaAs interfaces to tune the asymmetry in the QWs. It is demonstrated that the IPOA can be accurately tailored by the thickness of the inserted ultra-thin InAs layer at the interfaces. Strain-induced IPOA has also been extracted by using a stress apparatus. We find that the intensity of the strain-induced IPOA decreases with the thickness ofmore » the inserted InAs layer, while that of the interface-induced IPOA increases with the thickness of the InAs layer. Theoretical calculations based on 6 band k ⋅ p theory have been carried out, and good agreements with experimental results are obtained. Our results demonstrate that, the IPOA of the QWs can be greatly and effectively tuned by inserting an ultra-thin InAs layer with different thicknesses at the interfaces of QWs, which does not significantly influence the transition energies and the transition probability of QWs.« less

Hydrogen release at metal-oxide interfaces: A first principle study of hydrogenated Al/SiO2 interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Jianqiu; Tea, Eric; Li, Guanchen; Hin, Celine

2017-06-01

The Anode Hydrogen Release (AHR) mechanism at interfaces is responsible for the generation of defects, that traps charge carriers and can induce dielectric breakdown in Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors. The AHR has been extensively studied at Si/SiO2 interfaces but its characteristics at metal-silica interfaces remain unclear. In this study, we performed Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations to study the hydrogen release mechanism at the typical Al/SiO2 metal-oxide interface. We found that interstitial hydrogen atoms can break interfacial Alsbnd Si bonds, passivating a Si sp3 orbital. Interstitial hydrogen atoms can also break interfacial Alsbnd O bonds, or be adsorbed at the interface on aluminum, forming stable Alsbnd Hsbnd Al bridges. We showed that hydrogenated Osbnd H, Sisbnd H and Alsbnd H bonds at the Al/SiO2 interfaces are polarized. The resulting bond dipole weakens the Osbnd H and Sisbnd H bonds, but strengthens the Alsbnd H bond under the application of a positive bias at the metal gate. Our calculations indicate that Alsbnd H bonds and Osbnd H bonds are more important than Sisbnd H bonds for the hydrogen release process.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2004-03-01

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

Phase formation and morphological stability of ultrathin Ni-Co-Pt silicide films formed on Si(100)

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

Xu, Peng; Wu, Dongping, E-mail: dongpingwu@fudan.edu.cn; Kubart, Tomas

Ultrathin Ni, Co, and Pt films, each no more than 4 nm in thickness, as well as their various combinations are employed to investigate the competing growth of epitaxial Co{sub 1-y}Ni{sub y}Si{sub 2} films against polycrystalline Pt{sub 1-z}Ni{sub z}Si. The phase formation critically affects the morphological stability of the resulting silicide films, with the epitaxial films being superior to the polycrystalline ones. Any combination of those metals improves the morphological stability with reference to their parent individual metal silicide films. When Ni, Co, and Pt are all included, the precise initial location of Pt does little to affect the final phasemore » formation in the silicide films and the epitaxial growth of Co{sub 1-x}Ni{sub x}Si{sub 2} films is always perturbed, in accordance to thermodynamics that shows a preferential formation of Pt{sub 1-z}Ni{sub z}Si over that of Co{sub 1-y}Ni{sub y}Si{sub 2}.« less

Effects of antimony (Sb) on electron trapping near SiO{sub 2}/4H-SiC interfaces

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

Mooney, P. M.; Jiang, Zenan; Basile, A. F.

To investigate the mechanism by which Sb at the SiO{sub 2}/SiC interface improves the channel mobility of 4H-SiC MOSFETs, 1 MHz capacitance measurements and constant capacitance deep level transient spectroscopy (CCDLTS) measurements were performed on Sb-implanted 4H-SiC MOS capacitors. The measurements reveal a significant concentration of Sb donors near the SiO{sub 2}/SiC interface. Two Sb donor related CCDLTS peaks corresponding to shallow energy levels in SiC were observed close to the SiO{sub 2}/SiC interface. Furthermore, CCDLTS measurements show that the same type of near-interface traps found in conventional dry oxide or NO-annealed capacitors are present in the Sb implanted samples. Thesemore » are O1 traps, suggested to be carbon dimers substituted for O dimers in SiO{sub 2}, and O2 traps, suggested to be interstitial Si in SiO{sub 2}. However, electron trapping is reduced by a factor of ∼2 in Sb-implanted samples compared with samples with no Sb, primarily at energy levels within 0.2 eV of the SiC conduction band edge. This trap passivation effect is relatively small compared with the Sb-induced counter-doping effect on the MOSFET channel surface, which results in improved channel transport.« less

Effects of ultra-thin Si-fin body widths upon SOI PMOS FinFETs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liaw, Yue-Gie; Chen, Chii-Wen; Liao, Wen-Shiang; Wang, Mu-Chun; Zou, Xuecheng

2018-05-01

Nano-node tri-gate FinFET devices have been developed after integrating a 14 Å nitrided gate oxide upon the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers established on an advanced CMOS logic platform. These vertical double gate (FinFET) devices with ultra-thin silicon fin (Si-fin) widths ranging from 27 nm to 17 nm and gate length down to 30 nm have been successfully developed with a 193 nm scanner lithography tool. Combining the cobalt fully silicidation and the CESL strain technology beneficial for PMOS FinFETs was incorporated into this work. Detailed analyses of Id-Vg characteristics, threshold voltage (Vt), and drain-induced barrier lowering (DIBL) illustrate that the thinnest 17 nm Si-fin width FinFET exhibits the best gate controllability due to its better suppression of short channel effect (SCE). However, higher source/drain resistance (RSD), channel mobility degradation due to dry etch steps, or “current crowding effect” will slightly limit its transconductance (Gm) and drive current.

Broadband absorption enhancement in plasmonic nanoshells-based ultrathin microcrystalline-Si solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raja, Waseem; Bozzola, Angelo; Zilio, Pierfrancesco; Miele, Ermanno; Panaro, Simone; Wang, Hai; Toma, Andrea; Alabastri, Alessandro; de Angelis, Francesco; Zaccaria, Remo Proietti

2016-04-01

With the objective to conceive a plasmonic solar cell with enhanced photocurrent, we investigate the role of plasmonic nanoshells, embedded within a ultrathin microcrystalline silicon solar cell, in enhancing broadband light trapping capability of the cell and, at the same time, to reduce the parasitic loss. The thickness of the considered microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si) layer is only ~1/6 of conventional μc-Si based solar cells while the plasmonic nanoshells are formed by a combination of silica and gold, respectively core and shell. We analyze the cell optical response by varying both the geometrical and optical parameters of the overall device. In particular, the nanoshells core radius and metal thickness, the periodicity, the incident angle of the solar radiation and its wavelength are varied in the widest meaningful ranges. We further explain the reason for the absorption enhancement by calculating the electric field distribution associated to resonances of the device. We argue that both Fabry-Pérot-like and localized plasmon modes play an important role in this regard.

Enhanced photovoltaic performance of ultrathin Si solar cells via semiconductor nanocrystal sensitization: Energy transfer vs. optical coupling effects

DOE PAGES

Hoang, Son; Ashraf, Ahsan; Eisaman, Matthew D.; ...

2015-12-07

Excitonic energy transfer (ET) offers exciting opportunities for advances in optoelectronic devices such as solar cells. While recent experimental attempts have demonstrated its potential in both organic and inorganic photovoltaics (PVs), what remains to be addressed is quantitative understanding of how different ET modes contribute to PV performance and how ET contribution is differentiated from the classical optical coupling (OC) effects. In this study, we implement an ET scheme using a PV device platform, comprising CdSe/ZnS nanocrystal energy donor and 500 nm-thick ultrathin Si acceptor layers, and present the quantitative mechanistic description of how different ET modes, distinguished from themore » OC effects, increase the light absorption and PV efficiency. We find that nanocrystal sensitization enhances the short circuit current of ultrathin Si solar cells by up to 35%, of which the efficient ET, primarily driven by a long-range radiative mode, contributes to 38% of the total current enhancement. Lastly, these results not only confirm the positive impact of ET but also provide a guideline for rationally combining the ET and OC effects for improved light harvesting in PV and other optoelectronic devices.« less

Enhanced photovoltaic performance of ultrathin Si solar cells via semiconductor nanocrystal sensitization: energy transfer vs. optical coupling effects.

PubMed

Hoang, Son; Ashraf, Ahsan; Eisaman, Matthew D; Nykypanchuk, Dmytro; Nam, Chang-Yong

2016-03-21

Excitonic energy transfer (ET) offers exciting opportunities for advances in optoelectronic devices such as solar cells. While recent experimental attempts have demonstrated its potential in both organic and inorganic photovoltaics (PVs), what remains to be addressed is quantitative understanding of how different ET modes contribute to PV performance and how ET contribution is differentiated from the classical optical coupling (OC) effects. In this study, we implement an ET scheme using a PV device platform, comprising CdSe/ZnS nanocrystal energy donor and 500 nm-thick ultrathin Si acceptor layers, and present the quantitative mechanistic description of how different ET modes, distinguished from the OC effects, increase the light absorption and PV efficiency. We find that nanocrystal sensitization enhances the short circuit current of ultrathin Si solar cells by up to 35%, of which the efficient ET, primarily driven by a long-range radiative mode, contributes to 38% of the total current enhancement. These results not only confirm the positive impact of ET but also provide a guideline for rationally combining the ET and OC effects for improved light harvesting in PV and other optoelectronic devices.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

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

Lithium diffusion at Si-C interfaces in silicon-graphene composites

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

Odbadrakh, Khorgolkhuu; McNutt, N. W.; Nicholson, D. M.

2014-08-04

Models of intercalated Li and its diffusion in Si-Graphene interfaces are investigated using density functional theory. Results suggest that the presence of interfaces alters the energetics of Li binding and diffusion significantly compared to bare Si or Graphene surfaces. Our results show that cavities along reconstructed Si surface provide diffusion paths for Li. Diffusion barriers calculated along these cavities are significantly lower than penetration barriers to bulk Si. Interaction with Si surface results in graphene defects, creating Li diffusion paths that are confined along the cavities but have still lower barrier than in bulk Si.

Fabrication of high aspect ratio tungsten nanostructures on ultrathin c-Si membranes for extreme UV applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delachat, F.; Le Drogoff, B.; Constancias, C.; Delprat, S.; Gautier, E.; Chaker, M.; Margot, J.

2016-01-01

In this work, we demonstrate a full process for fabricating high aspect ratio diffraction optics for extreme ultraviolet lithography. The transmissive optics consists in nanometer scale tungsten patterns standing on flat, ultrathin (100 nm) and highly transparent (>85% at 13.5 nm) silicon membranes (diameter of 1 mm). These tungsten patterns were achieved using an innovative pseudo-Bosch etching process based on an inductively coupled plasma ignited in a mixture of SF6 and C4F8. Circular ultra-thin Si membranes were fabricated through a state-of-the-art method using direct-bonding with thermal difference. The silicon membranes were sputter-coated with a few hundred nanometers (100-300 nm) of stress-controlled tungsten and a very thin layer of chromium. Nanoscale features were written in a thin resist layer by electron beam lithography and transferred onto tungsten by plasma etching of both the chromium hard mask and the tungsten layer. This etching process results in highly anisotropic tungsten features at room temperature. The homogeneity and the aspect ratio of the advanced pattern transfer on the membranes were characterized with scanning electron microscopy after focus ion beam milling. An aspect ratio of about 6 for 35 nm size pattern is successfully obtained on a 1 mm diameter 100 nm thick Si membrane. The whole fabrication process is fully compatible with standard industrial semiconductor technology.

Strain and stability of ultrathin Ge layers in Si/Ge/Si axial heterojunction nanowires

DOE PAGES

Ross, Frances M.; Stach, Eric A.; Wen, Cheng -Yen; ...

2015-02-05

The abrupt heterointerfaces in the Si/Ge materials system presents useful possibilities for electronic device engineering because the band structure can be affected by strain induced by the lattice mismatch. In planar layers, heterointerfaces with abrupt composition changes are difficult to realize without introducing misfit dislocations. However, in catalytically grown nanowires, abrupt heterointerfaces can be fabricated by appropriate choice of the catalyst. Here we grow nanowires containing Si/Ge and Si/Ge/Si structures respectively with sub-1nm thick Ge "quantum wells" and we measure the interfacial strain fields using geometric phase analysis. Narrow Ge layers show radial strains of several percent, with a correspondingmore » dilation in the axial direction. Si/Ge interfaces show lattice rotation and curvature of the lattice planes. We conclude that high strains can be achieved, compared to what is possible in planar layers. In addition, we study the stability of these heterostructures under heating and electron beam irradiation. The strain and composition gradients are supposed to the cause of the instability for interdiffusion.« less

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohta, Hiromichi; Watanabe, Takanobu; Ohdomari, Iwao

2008-10-01

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

Effect of structure on the tribology of ultrathin graphene and graphene oxide films.

PubMed

Chen, Hang; Filleter, Tobin

2015-03-27

The friction and wear properties of graphene and graphene oxide (GO) with varying C/O ratio were investigated using friction force microscopy. When applied as solid lubricants between a sliding contact of a silicon (Si) tip and a SiO2/Si substrate, graphene and ultrathin GO films (as thin as 1-2 atomic layers) were found to reduce friction by ∼6 times and ∼2 times respectively as compared to the unlubricated contact. The differences in measured friction were attributed to different interfacial shear strengths. Ultrathin films of GO with a low C/O ratio of ∼2 were found to wear easily under small normal load. The onset of wear, and the location of wear initiation, is attributed to differences in the local shear strength of the sliding interface as a result of the non-homogeneous surface structure of GO. While the exhibited low friction of GO as compared to SiO2 makes it an economically viable coating for micro/nano-electro-mechanical systems with the potential to extend the lifetime of devices, its higher propensity for wear may limit its usefulness. To address this limitation, the wear resistance of GO samples with a higher C/O ratio (∼4) was also studied. The higher C/O ratio GO was found to exhibit much improved wear resistance which approached that of the graphene samples. This demonstrates the potential of tailoring the structure of GO to achieve graphene-like tribological properties.

Influences of ultrathin amorphous buffer layers on GaAs/Si grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Haiyang; Wang, Jun; Cheng, Zhuo; Yang, Zeyuan; Yin, Haiying; Fan, Yibing; Ma, Xing; Huang, Yongqing; Ren, Xiaomin

2018-04-01

In this work, a technique for the growth of GaAs epilayers on Si, combining an ultrathin amorphous Si buffer layer and a three-step growth method, has been developed to achieve high crystalline quality for monolithic integration. The influences of the combined technique for the crystalline quality of GaAs on Si are researched in this article. The crystalline quality of GaAs epilayer on Si with the combined technique is investigated by scanning electron microscopy, double crystal X-ray diffraction (DCXRD), photoluminescence, and transmission electron microscopy measurements. By means of this technique, a 1.8-µm-thick high-quality GaAs/Si epilayer was grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. The full-width at half-maximum of the DCXRD rocking curve in the (400) reflection obtained from the GaAs/Si epilayers is about 163 arcsec. Compared with only using three-step growth method, the current technique reduces etch pit density from 3 × 106 cm-2 to 1.5 × 105 cm-2. The results demonstrate that the combined technique is an effective approach for reducing dislocation density in GaAs epilayers on Si.

High thermal stability of abrupt SiO2/GaN interface with low interface state density

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2018-04-01

The effects of postdeposition annealing (PDA) on the interface properties of a SiO2/GaN structure formed by remote oxygen plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (RP-CVD) were systematically investigated. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy clarified that PDA in the temperature range from 600 to 800 °C has almost no effects on the chemical bonding features at the SiO2/GaN interface, and that positive charges exist at the interface, the density of which can be reduced by PDA at 800 °C. The capacitance-voltage (C-V) and current density-SiO2 electric field characteristics of the GaN MOS capacitors also confirmed the reduction in interface state density (D it) and the improvement in the breakdown property of the SiO2 film after PDA at 800 °C. Consequently, a high thermal stability of the SiO2/GaN structure with a low fixed charge density and a low D it formed by RP-CVD was demonstrated. This is quite informative for realizing highly robust GaN power devices.

Temperature Dependence of Diffusion and Reaction at a Pd/SiC Contact

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shi, D.T.; Lu, W. J.; Bryant, E.; Elshot, K.; Lafate, K.; Chen, H.; Burger, A.; Collins, W. E.

1998-01-01

Schottky diodes of Palladium/SiC are good candidates for hydrogen and hydrocarbon gas sensors at elevated temperature. The detection sensibility of the diodes has been found heavily temperature dependent. In this work, emphasis has been put on the understanding of changes of physical and chemical properties of the Schottky diodes with variation of temperature. Schottky diodes were made by depositing ultra-thin palladium films onto silicon carbide substrates. The electrical and chemical properties of Pd/SiC Schottky contacts were studied by XPS and AES at different annealing temperatures. No significant change in the Schottky barrier height of the Pd/SiC contact was found in the temperature range of RT-400 C. However, both palladium diffused into SiC and silicon migrated into palladium thin film as well as onto surface were observed at room temperature. The formation of palladium compounds at the Pd/SiC interface was also observed. Both diffusion and reaction at the Pd/SiC interface became significant at 300 C and higher temperature. In addition, silicon oxide was found also at the interface of the Pd/SiC contact at high temperature. In this report, the mechanism of diffusion and reaction at the Pd/SiC interface will be discussed along with experimental approaches.

Defect Characterization in SiGe/SOI Epitaxial Semiconductors by Positron Annihilation

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

The potential of positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS) for defect characterization at the atomic scale in semiconductors has been demonstrated in thin multilayer structures of SiGe (50 nm) grown on UTB (ultra-thin body) SOI (silicon-on-insulator). A slow positron beam was used to probe the defect profile. The SiO2/Si interface in the UTB-SOI was well characterized, and a good estimation of its depth has been obtained. The chemical analysis indicates that the interface does not contain defects, but only strongly localized charged centers. In order to promote the relaxation, the samples have been submitted to a post-growth annealing treatment in vacuum. After this treatment, it was possible to observe the modifications of the defect structure of the relaxed film. Chemical analysis of the SiGe layers suggests a prevalent trapping site surrounded by germanium atoms, presumably Si vacancies associated with misfit dislocations and threading dislocations in the SiGe films. PMID:21170391

Current Modulation of a Heterojunction Structure by an Ultra-Thin Graphene Base Electrode.

PubMed

Alvarado Chavarin, Carlos; Strobel, Carsten; Kitzmann, Julia; Di Bartolomeo, Antonio; Lukosius, Mindaugas; Albert, Matthias; Bartha, Johann Wolfgang; Wenger, Christian

2018-02-27

Graphene has been proposed as the current controlling element of vertical transport in heterojunction transistors, as it could potentially achieve high operation frequencies due to its metallic character and 2D nature. Simulations of graphene acting as a thermionic barrier between the transport of two semiconductor layers have shown cut-off frequencies larger than 1 THz. Furthermore, the use of n-doped amorphous silicon, (n)-a-Si:H, as the semiconductor for this approach could enable flexible electronics with high cutoff frequencies. In this work, we fabricated a vertical structure on a rigid substrate where graphene is embedded between two differently doped (n)-a-Si:H layers deposited by very high frequency (140 MHz) plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The operation of this heterojunction structure is investigated by the two diode-like interfaces by means of temperature dependent current-voltage characterization, followed by the electrical characterization in a three-terminal configuration. We demonstrate that the vertical current between the (n)-a-Si:H layers is successfully controlled by the ultra-thin graphene base voltage. While current saturation is yet to be achieved, a transconductance of ~230 μ S was obtained, demonstrating a moderate modulation of the collector-emitter current by the ultra-thin graphene base voltage. These results show promising progress towards the application of graphene base heterojunction transistors.

Behavior of the Si/SiO2 interface observed by Fowler-Nordheim tunneling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maserjian, J.; Zamani, N.

1982-01-01

Thin-oxide (40-50 A) metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) structures are shown to exhibit, before large levels of electron tunnel injection, the near-ideal behavior predicted for a uniform trapezoidal barrier with thick-oxide properties. The oscillatory field dependence caused by electron-wave interference at the Si/SiO2 interface suggests an abrupt, one-monolayer barrier transition (approximately 2.5 A) consistent with earlier work. After tunnel injection of 10 to the 17th - 5 x 10 to the 18th electrons/sq cm, the barrier undergoes appreciable degradation, leading to enhanced tunneling conductance. Reproducible behavior is observed among different samples. This effect is found to be consistent with the generation of positive states in the region of the oxide near the Si/SiO2 interface (less than 20 A), where the tunneling electrons emerge into the oxide conduction band.

Nanoscale interfacial heat transport of ultrathin epitaxial hetero films: Few monolayer Pb(111) on Si(111)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Witte, T.; Frigge, T.; Hafke, B.; Krenzer, B.; Horn-von Hoegen, M.

2017-06-01

We studied the phononic heat transport from ultrathin epitaxial Pb(111) films across the heterointerface into a Si(111) substrate by means of ultrafast electron diffraction. The thickness of the Pb films was varied from 15 to 4 monolayers. It was found that the thermal boundary conductance σTBC of the heterointerface is independent of the film thickness. We have no evidence for finite size effects: the continuum description of heat transport is still valid, even for the thinnest films of only 4 monolayer thickness.

X-ray absorption spectroscopy study on SiC-side interface structure of SiO2–SiC formed by thermal oxidation in dry oxygen

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Isomura, Noritake; Kosaka, Satoru; Kataoka, Keita; Watanabe, Yukihiko; Kimoto, Yasuji

2018-06-01

Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy is demonstrated to measure the fine atomic structure of SiO2–SiC interfaces. The SiC-side of the interface can be measured by fabricating thin SiO2 films and using SiC-selective EXAFS measurements. Fourier transforms of the oscillations of the EXAFS spectra correspond to radial-structure functions and reveal a new peak of the first nearest neighbor of Si for m-face SiC, which does not appear in measurements of the Si-face. This finding suggests that the m-face interface could include a structure with shorter Si–C distances. Numerical calculations provide additional support for this finding.

Designing metal hemispheres on silicon ultrathin film solar cells for plasmonic light trapping.

PubMed

Gao, Tongchuan; Stevens, Erica; Lee, Jung-kun; Leu, Paul W

2014-08-15

We systematically investigate the design of two-dimensional silver (Ag) hemisphere arrays on crystalline silicon (c-Si) ultrathin film solar cells for plasmonic light trapping. The absorption in ultrathin films is governed by the excitation of Fabry-Perot TEMm modes. We demonstrate that metal hemispheres can enhance absorption in the films by (1) coupling light to c-Si film waveguide modes and (2) exciting localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs). We show that hemisphere arrays allow light to couple to fundamental TEm and TMm waveguide modes in c-Si film as well as higher-order versions of these modes. The near-field light concentration of LSPRs also may increase absorption in the c-Si film, though these resonances are associated with significant parasitic absorption in the metal. We illustrate how Ag plasmonic hemispheres may be utilized for light trapping with 22% enhancement in short-circuit current density compared with that of a bare 100 nm thick c-Si ultrathin film solar cell.

Variations in interface compound nucleation for Ti-Al ultrathin films on Si substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, C. C.; Bené, R. W.

1985-11-01

We have determined the structures of compounds nucleated in a series of sequentially sputtered thin bilayer films of Al and Ti on Si substrates for a range of metal thicknesses and for both (100) and (111) substrates. The compound structures were determined by transmission electron microscopy and diffraction, augmented by Auger electron spectroscopy. An annealing temperature of about 380 °C for 30 min was required to produce compound nucleation. For the Ti/Al/Si(100) system it was found that the phases which were nucleated for samples with 30-min, 380 °C anneals varied from TiAl3 to Ti8Al24 to an unknown compound of tetragonal structure (a=b=5.782 Å, c=6.713 Å) as the Al intermediate layer thickness is changed from 200 to 60 to 40 Å. TiAl3 was the compound nucleated at 380 °C for all other cases. Finally, 410 °C annealing of the Al/Ti/Si(100) samples for 30 min resulted in formation of an apparently Al-altered form of TiSi2.

Improved Si0.5Ge0.5/Si interface quality achieved by the process of low energy hydrogen plasma cleaning and investigation of interface quality with positron annihilation spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liao, M.-H.; Chen, C.-H.

2013-04-01

The Positron Annihilation Spectra (PAS), Raman, and Photoluminescence spectroscopy reveal that Si0.5Ge0.5/Si interface quality can be significantly improved by the low energy plasma cleaning process using hydrogen. In the PAS, the particularly small value of lifetime and intensity near the Si0.5Ge0.5/Si interface in the sample with the treatment indicate that the defect concentration is successfully reduced 2.25 times, respectively. Fewer defects existed in the Si0.5Ge0.5/Si interface result in the high compressive strain about 0.36% in the top epi-Si0.5Ge0.5 layer, which can be observed in Raman spectra and stronger radiative recombination rate about 1.39 times for the infrared emission, which can be observed in the photoluminescence spectra. With better Si0.5Ge0.5/Si interface quality, the SiGe-based devices can have better optical and electrical characteristics for more applications in the industry. The PAS is also demonstrated that it is the useful methodology tool to quantify the defect information in the SiGe-based material.

Estimation of the depth resolution of secondary ion mass spectrometry at the interface SiO2/Si

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kocanda, J.; Fesič, V.; Veselý, M.; Breza, J.; Kadlečíková, M.

1995-08-01

Similarities between the processes that occur during sputtering of monocrystalline Si by reactive O2+ primary ions and the interface SiO2/monocrystalline Si by noble gas ions (e.g., by Ar+) have motivated us to utilize the semiempirical model of P. C. Zalm and C. J. Vriezema [Nucl. Instrum. Methods B 67, 495 (1992)], modified later by M. Petravić, B. G. Svensson, and J. S. Williams [Appl. Phys. Lett. 62, 278 (1993)] to calculate the decay length λb, as defined by J. B. Clegg [Surf. Interface Anal. 10, 322 (1987)], at the SiO2/Si interface. The measured and calculated results agree remarkably well. Inconsistency observed to be larger than 100% for glancing incidence angles confirms limitations of this model that were admitted already by its authors.

Spin injection into silicon in three-terminal vertical and four-terminal lateral devices with Fe/Mg/MgO/Si tunnel junctions having an ultrathin Mg insertion layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sato, Shoichi; Nakane, Ryosho; Hada, Takato; Tanaka, Masaaki

2017-12-01

We demonstrate that the spin injection/extraction efficiency is enhanced by an ultrathin Mg insertion layer (⩽2 nm) in Fe /Mg /MgO /n+-Si tunnel junctions. In diode-type vertical three-terminal devices fabricated on a Si substrate, we observe the narrower three-terminal Hanle (N-3TH) signals indicating true spin injection into Si and estimate the spin polarization in Si to be 16% when the thickness of the Mg insertion layer is 1 nm, whereas no N-3TH signal is observed without the Mg insertion. This means that the spin injection/extraction efficiency is enhanced by suppressing the formation of a magnetically dead layer at the Fe/MgO interface. We also observe clear spin transport signals, such as nonlocal Hanle signals and spin-valve signals, in a lateral four-terminal device with the same Fe /Mg /MgO /n+-Si tunnel junctions fabricated on a Si-on-insulator substrate. It is found that both the intensity and linewidth of the spin signals are affected by the geometrical effects (device geometry and size). We have derived analytical functions taking into account the device structures, including channel thickness and electrode size, and estimated important parameters: spin lifetime and spin polarization. Our analytical functions explain the experimental results very well. Our study shows the importance of suppressing a magnetically dead layer and provides a unified understanding of spin injection/detection signals in different device geometries.

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

PubMed

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

2018-02-01

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

On the c-Si/SiO2 interface recombination parameters from photo-conductance decay measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonilla, Ruy S.; Wilshaw, Peter R.

2017-04-01

The recombination of electric charge carriers at semiconductor surfaces continues to be a limiting factor in achieving high performance optoelectronic devices, including solar cells, laser diodes, and photodetectors. The theoretical model and a solution algorithm for surface recombination have been previously reported. However, their successful application to experimental data for a wide range of both minority excess carrier concentrations and dielectric fixed charge densities has not previously been shown. Here, a parametrisation for the semiconductor-dielectric interface charge Q i t is used in a Shockley-Read-Hall extended formalism to describe recombination at the c-Si/SiO2 interface, and estimate the physical parameters relating to the interface trap density D i t , and the electron and hole capture cross-sections σ n and σ p . This approach gives an excellent description of the experimental data without the need to invoke a surface damage region in the c-Si/SiO2 system. Band-gap tail states have been observed to limit strongly the effectiveness of field effect passivation. This approach provides a methodology to determine interface recombination parameters in any semiconductor-insulator system using macro scale measuring techniques.

Study of vertical Si/SiO2 interface using laser-assisted atom probe tomography and transmission electron microscopy.

PubMed

Lee, J H; Lee, B H; Kim, Y T; Kim, J J; Lee, S Y; Lee, K P; Park, C G

2014-03-01

Laser-assisted atom probe tomography has opened the way to three-dimensional visualization of nanostructures. However, many questions related to the laser-matter interaction remain unresolved. We demonstrate that the interface reaction can be activated by laser-assisted field evaporation and affects the quantification of the interfacial composition. At a vertical interface between Si and SiO2, a SiO2 molecule tends to combine with a Si atom and evaporate as a SiO molecule, reducing the evaporation field. The features of the reaction depend on the direction of the laser illumination and the inner structure of tip. A high concentration of SiO is observed at a vertical interface between Si and SiO2 when the Si column is positioned at the center of the tip, whereas no significant SiO is detected when the SiO2 layer is at the center. The difference in the interfacial compositions of two samples was due to preferential evaporation of the Si layer. This was explained using transmission electron microscopy observations before and after atom probe experiments. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Si-based optical I/O for optical memory interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ha, Kyoungho; Shin, Dongjae; Byun, Hyunil; Cho, Kwansik; Na, Kyoungwon; Ji, Hochul; Pyo, Junghyung; Hong, Seokyong; Lee, Kwanghyun; Lee, Beomseok; Shin, Yong-hwack; Kim, Junghye; Kim, Seong-gu; Joe, Insung; Suh, Sungdong; Choi, Sanghoon; Han, Sangdeok; Park, Yoondong; Choi, Hanmei; Kuh, Bongjin; Kim, Kichul; Choi, Jinwoo; Park, Sujin; Kim, Hyeunsu; Kim, Kiho; Choi, Jinyong; Lee, Hyunjoo; Yang, Sujin; Park, Sungho; Lee, Minwoo; Cho, Minchang; Kim, Saebyeol; Jeong, Taejin; Hyun, Seokhun; Cho, Cheongryong; Kim, Jeong-kyoum; Yoon, Hong-gu; Nam, Jeongsik; Kwon, Hyukjoon; Lee, Hocheol; Choi, Junghwan; Jang, Sungjin; Choi, Joosun; Chung, Chilhee

2012-01-01

Optical interconnects may provide solutions to the capacity-bandwidth trade-off of recent memory interface systems. For cost-effective optical memory interfaces, Samsung Electronics has been developing silicon photonics platforms on memory-compatible bulk-Si 300-mm wafers. The waveguide of 0.6 dB/mm propagation loss, vertical grating coupler of 2.7 dB coupling loss, modulator of 10 Gbps speed, and Ge/Si photodiode of 12.5 Gbps bandwidth have been achieved on the bulk-Si platform. 2x6.4 Gbps electrical driver circuits have been also fabricated using a CMOS process.

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

PubMed

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

2014-03-14

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

Study of ion beam sputtered Fe/Si interfaces as a function of Si layer thickness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Anil; Brajpuriya, Ranjeet; Singh, Priti

2018-01-01

The exchange interaction in metal/semiconductor interfaces is far from being completely understood. Therefore, in this paper, we have investigated the nature of silicon on the Fe interface in the ion beam deposited Fe/Si/Fe trilayers keeping the thickness of the Fe layers fixed at 3 nm and varying the thickness of the silicon sandwich layer from 1.5 nm to 4 nm. Grazing incidence x-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy techniques were used, respectively, to study the structural and morphological changes in the deposited films as a function of layer thickness. The structural studies show silicide formation at the interfaces during deposition and better crystalline structure of Fe layers at a lower spacer layer thickness. The magnetization behavior was investigated using magneto-optical Kerr effect, which clearly shows that coupling between the ferromagnetic layers is highly influenced by the semiconductor spacer layer thickness. A strong antiferromagnetic coupling was observed for a value of tSi = 2.5 nm but above this value an unexpected behavior of hysteresis loop (step like) with two coercivity values is recorded. For spacer layer thickness greater than 2.5 nm, an elemental amorphous Si layer starts to appear in the spacer layer in addition to the silicide layer at the interfaces. It is observed that in the trilayer structure, Fe layers consist of various stacks, viz., Si doped Fe layers, ferromagnetic silicide layer, and nonmagnetic silicide layer at the interfaces. The two phase hysteresis loop is explained on the basis of magnetization reversal of two ferromagnetic layers, independent of each other, with different coercivities. X-ray photo electron spectroscopy technique was also used to study interfaces characteristics as a function of tSi.

Ultrathin Coating of Confined Pt Nanocatalysts by Atomic Layer Deposition for Enhanced Catalytic Performance in Hydrogenation Reactions.

PubMed

Wang, Meihua; Gao, Zhe; Zhang, Bin; Yang, Huimin; Qiao, Yan; Chen, Shuai; Ge, Huibin; Zhang, Jiankang; Qin, Yong

2016-06-13

Metal-support interfaces play a prominent role in heterogeneous catalysis. However, tailoring the metal-support interfaces to realize full utilization remains a major challenge. In this work, we propose a graceful strategy to maximize the metal-oxide interfaces by coating confined nanoparticles with an ultrathin oxide layer. This is achieved by sequential deposition of ultrathin Al2 O3 coats, Pt, and a thick Al2 O3 layer on carbon nanocoils templates by atomic layer deposition (ALD), followed by removal of the templates. Compared with the Pt catalysts confined in Al2 O3 nanotubes without the ultrathin coats, the ultrathin coated samples have larger Pt-Al2 O3 interfaces. The maximized interfaces significantly improve the activity and the protecting Al2 O3 nanotubes retain the stability for hydrogenation reactions of 4-nitrophenol. We believe that applying ALD ultrathin coats on confined catalysts is a promising way to achieve enhanced performance for other catalysts. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Interface perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in ultrathin Ta/NiFe/Pt layered structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirayama, Shigeyuki; Kasai, Shinya; Mitani, Seiji

2018-01-01

Interface perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) in ultrathin Ta/NiFe/Pt layered structures was investigated through magnetization measurements. Ta/NiFe/Pt films with NiFe layer thickness (t) values of 2 nm or more showed typical in-plane magnetization curves, which was presumably due to the dominant contribution of the shape magnetic anisotropy. The thickness dependence of the saturation magnetization of the entire NiFe layer (M s) was well analyzed using the so-called dead-layer model, showing that the magnetically active part of the NiFe layer has saturation magnetization (M\\text{s}\\text{act}) independent of t and comparable to the bulk value. In the perpendicular direction, the saturation field H k was found to clearly decrease with decreasing t, while the effective field of shape magnetic anisotropy due to the active NiFe saturation magnetization M\\text{s}\\text{act} should be independent of t. These observations show that there exists interface PMA in the layered structures. The interface PMA energy density was determined to be ∼0.17 erg/cm2 using the dead-layer model. Motivated by the correlation observed between M s and H k, we also attempted to interpret the experimental results using an alternative approach beyond the dead-layer model; however, it gives only implications on the incomplete validity of the dead-layer model and no better understanding.

Fermi level pinning at epitaxial Si on GaAs(100) interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silberman, J. A.; de Lyon, T. J.; Woodall, J. M.

1991-12-01

GaAs Schottky barrier contacts and metal-insulator-semiconductor structures that include thin epitaxial Si interfacial layers operate in a manner consistent with an unpinned Fermi level at the GaAs interface. These findings raise the question of whether this effect is an intrinsic property of the epitaxial GaAs(100)-Si interface. We have used x-ray photoemission spectroscopy to monitor the Fermi level position during in situ growth of thin epitaxial Si layers. In particular, films formed on heavily doped n- and p-type substrates were compared so as to use the large depletion layer fields available with high impurity concentration as a field-effect probe of the interface state density. The results demonstrate that epitaxial bonding at the interface alone is insufficient to eliminate Fermi level pinning, indicating that other mechanisms affect the interfacial charge balance in the devices that utilize Si interlayers.

Influence of LaSiOx passivation interlayer on band alignment between PEALD-Al2O3 and 4H-SiC determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Qian; Cheng, Xinhong; Zheng, Li; Shen, Lingyan; Zhang, Dongliang; Gu, Ziyue; Qian, Ru; Cao, Duo; Yu, Yuehui

2018-01-01

The influence of lanthanum silicate (LaSiOx) passivation interlayer on the band alignment between plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD)-Al2O3 films and 4H-SiC was investigated by high resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). An ultrathin in situ LaSiOx interfacial passivation layer (IPL) was introduced between the Al2O3 gate dielectric and the 4H-SiC substrate to enhance the interfacial characteristics. The valence band offset (VBO) and corresponding conduction band offset (CBO) for the Al2O3/4H-SiC interface without any passivation were extracted to be 2.16 eV and 1.49 eV, respectively. With a LaSiOx IPL, a VBO of 1.79 eV and a CBO of 1.86 eV could be obtained across the Al2O3/4H-SiC interface. The difference in the band alignments was dominated by the band bending or band shift in the 4H-SiC substrate as a result of different interfacial layers (ILs) formed at the interface. This understanding of the physical details of the band alignment could be a good foundation for Al2O3/LaSiOx/4H-SiC heterojunctions applied in the 4H-SiC metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs).

SiO 2/SiC interface proved by positron annihilation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maekawa, M.; Kawasuso, A.; Yoshikawa, M.; Itoh, H.

2003-06-01

We have studied positron annihilation in a Silicon carbide (SiC)-metal/oxide/semiconductor (MOS) structure using a monoenergetic positron beam. The Doppler broadening of annihilation quanta were measured as functions of the incident positron energy and the gate bias. Applying negative gate bias, significant increases in S-parameters were observed. This indicates the migration of implanted positrons towards SiO 2/SiC interface and annihilation at open-volume type defects. The behavior of S-parameters depending on the bias voltage was well correlated with the capacitance-voltage ( C- V) characteristics. We observed higher S-parameters and the interfacial trap density in MOS structures fabricated using the dry oxidation method as compared to those by pyrogenic oxidation method.

Contact Selectivity Engineering in a 2 μm Thick Ultrathin c-Si Solar Cell Using Transition-Metal Oxides Achieving an Efficiency of 10.8.

PubMed

Xue, Muyu; Islam, Raisul; Meng, Andrew C; Lyu, Zheng; Lu, Ching-Ying; Tae, Christian; Braun, Michael R; Zang, Kai; McIntyre, Paul C; Kamins, Theodore I; Saraswat, Krishna C; Harris, James S

2017-12-06

In this paper, the integration of metal oxides as carrier-selective contacts for ultrathin crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells is demonstrated which results in an ∼13% relative improvement in efficiency. The improvement in efficiency originates from the suppression of the contact recombination current due to the band offset asymmetry of these oxides with Si. First, an ultrathin c-Si solar cell having a total thickness of 2 μm is shown to have >10% efficiency without any light-trapping scheme. This is achieved by the integration of nickel oxide (NiO x ) as a hole-selective contact interlayer material, which has a low valence band offset and high conduction band offset with Si. Second, we show a champion cell efficiency of 10.8% with the additional integration of titanium oxide (TiO x ), a well-known material for an electron-selective contact interlayer. Key parameters including V oc and J sc also show different degrees of enhancement if single (NiO x only) or double (both NiO x and TiO x ) carrier-selective contacts are integrated. The fabrication process for TiO x and NiO x layer integration is scalable and shows good compatibility with the device.

Modal Contributions to Heat Conduction across Crystalline and Amorphous Si/Ge Interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gordiz, Kiarash; Henry, Asegun

Until now, our entire understanding of interfacial heat transfer has been based on the phonon gas model and Landauer formalism. Based on this framework, it is difficult to offer any intuition on heat transfer between two solid materials if one side of the interface is an amorphous structure. Here, using the interface conductance modal analysis (ICMA) method, we investigate the modal contributions to thermal interface conductance (TIC) through crystalline (c) and amorphous (a) Si/Ge interfaces. It is revealed that around 15% of the conductance through the cSi/cGe interface arises from less than 0.1% of the modes of vibration in the structure that exist between 12-13THz and because of their large eigenvectors around the interface are classified as interfacial modes. Correlation maps show that these interfacial modes exhibit strong correlations with all the other modes. The physics behind this strong coupling ability is studied by calculating the mode-level harmonic and anharmonic energy distribution among all the atoms in the system. It is found that these interfacial modes are enabled by the large degree of anharmonicity near the interface, which is higher than the bulk and ultimately allows this small group of modes to couple to other modes of vibration. In addition, unlike the cSi/cGe, correlation maps for aSi/cGe, cSi/aGe, and aSi/aGe interfaces show that the majority of contributions to TIC arise from auto-correlations instead of cross-correlations. The provided analysis sheds light on the nature of localized vibrations at interfaces and can be enlightening for other investigations of localization.

Is light-induced degradation of a-Si:H/c-Si interfaces reversible?

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

El Mhamdi, El Mahdi; Holovsky, Jakub; Demaurex, Bénédicte

2014-06-23

Thin hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) films deposited on crystalline silicon (c-Si) surfaces are sensitive probes for the bulk electronic properties of a-Si:H. Here, we use such samples during repeated low-temperature annealing and visible-light soaking to investigate the long-term stability of a-Si:H films. We observe that during annealing the electronic improvement of the interfaces follows stretched exponentials as long as hydrogen evolution in the films can be detected. Once such evolution is no longer observed, the electronic improvement occurs much faster. Based on these findings, we discuss how the reversibility of light-induced defects depends on (the lack of observable) hydrogen evolution.

Electric-field-controlled interface dipole modulation for Si-based memory devices.

PubMed

Miyata, Noriyuki

2018-05-31

Various nonvolatile memory devices have been investigated to replace Si-based flash memories or emulate synaptic plasticity for next-generation neuromorphic computing. A crucial criterion to achieve low-cost high-density memory chips is material compatibility with conventional Si technologies. In this paper, we propose and demonstrate a new memory concept, interface dipole modulation (IDM) memory. IDM can be integrated as a Si field-effect transistor (FET) based memory device. The first demonstration of this concept employed a HfO 2 /Si MOS capacitor where the interface monolayer (ML) TiO 2 functions as a dipole modulator. However, this configuration is unsuitable for Si-FET-based devices due to its large interface state density (D it ). Consequently, we propose, a multi-stacked amorphous HfO 2 /1-ML TiO 2 /SiO 2 IDM structure to realize a low D it and a wide memory window. Herein we describe the quasi-static and pulse response characteristics of multi-stacked IDM MOS capacitors and demonstrate flash-type and analog memory operations of an IDM FET device.

Role of interface states on electron transport in a-Si:H/nc-Si:H multilayer structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yadav, Asha; Kumari, Juhi; Agarwal, Pratima

2018-05-01

In this paper we report, I-V characteristic of a-Si:H/nc-Si:H multilayer structures in lateral as well as transverse direction. In lateral geometry, where the interfaces are parallel to the direction of electronic transport, residual photo conductivity (persistent photoconductivity) is observed after the light was turned off. On the other hand, in transverse geometry, where interfaces are along the direction of electronic transport, the space charge limited currents are affected and higher density of states is obtained. The PPC was more in the structures where numbers of such interface were more. These results have been understood in terms of the charge carriers trapped at the interface, which influence the electronic transport.

Magnetic properties influenced by interfaces in ultrathin Co/Ge(1 0 0) and Co/Ge(1 1 1) films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsay, J. S.; Yao, Y. D.; Cheng, W. C.; Tseng, T. K.; Wang, K. C.; Yang, C. S.

2003-10-01

Magnetic properties influenced by interfaces in ultrathin Co/Ge(1 0 0) and Co/Ge(1 1 1) films with thickness below 28 monolayers (ML) have been studied using the surface magneto-optic Kerr effect (SMOKE) technique. In both systems, the nonferromagnetic layer, as an interface between Co and Ge, plays an important role during annealing. In general, ultrathin Co films with fixed total thickness but fabricated at different temperatures on the same substrate, their Kerr hysteresis loops disappear roughly at the same temperature. This suggests that the thickness of the interfacial layer could inversely prevent the diffusion between Co and Ge substrate. From the annealing studies for both systems with total film thickness of 28 monolayers, we have found that Kerr signal disappears at 375 K for Co/Ge(1 1 1) and 425 K for Co/Ge(1 0 0) films. This suggests that Co/Ge(1 1 1) films possess a lower thermal stability than that of the Co/Ge(1 0 0) films. Our experimental data could be explained by different interfacial condition between Ge(1 0 0) and Ge(1 1 1), the different onset of interdiffusion, and the surface structure condition of Ge(1 0 0) and Ge(1 1 1).

Phonon transport control by nanoarchitecture including epitaxial Ge nanodots for Si-based thermoelectric materials

PubMed Central

Yamasaka, Shuto; Nakamura, Yoshiaki; Ueda, Tomohiro; Takeuchi, Shotaro; Sakai, Akira

2015-01-01

Phonon transport in Si films was controlled using epitaxially-grown ultrasmall Ge nanodots (NDs) with ultrahigh density for the purpose of developing Si-based thermoelectric materials. The Si/Ge ND stacked structures, which were formed by the ultrathin SiO2 film technique, exhibited lower thermal conductivities than those of the conventional nanostructured SiGe bulk alloys, despite the stacked structures having a smaller Ge fraction. This came from the large thermal resistance caused by phonon scattering at the Si/Ge ND interfaces. The phonon scattering can be controlled by the Ge ND structure, which was independent of Si layer structure for carrier transport. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of ultrasmall epitaxial Ge NDs as phonon scattering sources, opening up a route for the realisation of Si-based thermoelectric materials. PMID:26434678

High fluence swift heavy ion structure modification of the SiO2/Si interface and gate insulator in 65 nm MOSFETs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Yao; Gao, Bo; Gong, Min; Willis, Maureen; Yang, Zhimei; Guan, Mingyue; Li, Yun

2017-04-01

In this work, a study of the structure modification, induced by high fluence swift heavy ion radiation, of the SiO2/Si structures and gate oxide interface in commercial 65 nm MOSFETs is performed. A key and novel point in this study is the specific use of the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) technique instead of the conventional atomic force microscope (AFM) or scanning electron microscope (SEM) techniques which are typically performed following the chemical etching of the sample to observe the changes in the structure. Using this method we show that after radiation, the appearance of a clearly visible thin layer between the SiO2 and Si is observed presenting as a variation in the TEM intensity at the interface of the two materials. Through measuring the EDX line scans we reveal that the Si:O ratio changed and that this change can be attributed to the migration of the Si towards interface after the Si-O bond is destroyed by the swift heavy ions. For the 65 nm MOSFET sample, the silicon substrate, the SiON insulator and the poly-silicon gate interfaces become blurred under the same irradiation conditions.

Superior Robust Ultrathin Single-Crystalline Silicon Carbide Membrane as a Versatile Platform for Biological Applications.

PubMed

Nguyen, Tuan-Khoa; Phan, Hoang-Phuong; Kamble, Harshad; Vadivelu, Raja; Dinh, Toan; Iacopi, Alan; Walker, Glenn; Hold, Leonie; Nguyen, Nam-Trung; Dao, Dzung Viet

2017-12-06

Micromachined membranes are promising platforms for cell culture thanks to their miniaturization and integration capabilities. Possessing chemical inertness, biocompatibility, and integration, silicon carbide (SiC) membranes have attracted great interest toward biological applications. In this paper, we present the batch fabrication, mechanical characterizations, and cell culture demonstration of robust ultrathin epitaxial deposited SiC membranes. The as-fabricated ultrathin SiC membranes, with an ultrahigh aspect ratio (length/thickness) of up to 20 000, possess high a fracture strength up to 2.95 GPa and deformation up to 50 μm. A high optical transmittance of above 80% at visible wavelengths was obtained for 50 nm membranes. The as-fabricated membranes were experimentally demonstrated as an excellent substrate platform for bio-MEMS/NEMS cell culture with the cell viability rate of more than 92% after 72 h. The ultrathin SiC membrane is promising for in vitro observations/imaging of bio-objects with an extremely short optical access.

Ion-beam-induced nanodots formation from Au/Si thin films on quartz surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Datta, D. P.; Siva, V.; Singh, A.; Joshi, S. R.; Kanjilal, D.; Sahoo, P. K.

2016-07-01

We report the synthesis of Si nanodots on quartz surface using ion irradiation. When a bi-layer of ultrathin Au and Si on quartz surface is irradiated by 500 keV Xe-ion beam, the bi-layer spontaneously transforms into nanodots at a fluence of 5 × 1014 ions cm-2. The spatial density and diameter of the nanodots are reduced with increase in applied ion fluence. The nanostructures exhibit photoluminescence in the visible range at room temperature where the intensity and wavelength depends upon ion fluence. The observed evolution seems to be correlated to ion beam mixing induced silicide formation at Au-Si interface.

Probing the electronic and spintronic properties of buried interfaces by extremely low energy photoemission spectroscopy

PubMed Central

Fetzer, Roman; Stadtmüller, Benjamin; Ohdaira, Yusuke; Naganuma, Hiroshi; Oogane, Mikihiko; Ando, Yasuo; Taira, Tomoyuki; Uemura, Tetsuya; Yamamoto, Masafumi; Aeschlimann, Martin; Cinchetti, Mirko

2015-01-01

Ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy (UPS) is a powerful tool to study the electronic spin and symmetry features at both surfaces and interfaces to ultrathin top layers. However, the very low mean free path of the photoelectrons usually prevents a direct access to the properties of buried interfaces. The latter are of particular interest since they crucially influence the performance of spintronic devices like magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs). Here, we introduce spin-resolved extremely low energy photoemission spectroscopy (ELEPS) to provide a powerful way for overcoming this limitation. We apply ELEPS to the interface formed between the half-metallic Heusler compound Co2MnSi and the insulator MgO, prepared as in state-of-the-art Co2MnSi/MgO-based MTJs. The high accordance between the spintronic fingerprint of the free Co2MnSi surface and the Co2MnSi/MgO interface buried below up to 4 nm MgO provides clear evidence for the high interface sensitivity of ELEPS to buried interfaces. Although the absolute values of the interface spin polarization are well below 100%, the now accessible spin- and symmetry-resolved wave functions are in line with the predicted existence of non-collinear spin moments at the Co2MnSi/MgO interface, one of the mechanisms evoked to explain the controversially discussed performance loss of Heusler-based MTJs at room temperature. PMID:25702631

Reaction of amorphous/crystalline SiOC/Fe interfaces by thermal annealing

DOE PAGES

Su, Qing; Zhernenkov, Mikhail; Ding, Hepeng; ...

2017-06-12

The development of revolutionary new alloys and composites is crucial to meeting materials requirements for next generation nuclear reactors. The newly developed amorphous silicon oxycarbide (SiOC) and crystalline Fe composite system has shown radiation tolerance over a wide range of temperatures. To advance understanding of this new composite, we investigate the structure and thermal stability of the interface between amorphous SiOC and crystalline Fe by combining various experimental techniques and simulation methods. We show that the SiOC/Fe interface is thermally stable up to at least 400 °C. When the annealing temperature reaches 600 °C, an intermixed region forms at thismore » interface. This region appears to be a crystalline phase that forms an incoherent interface with the Fe layer. Density functional theory (DFT) Molecular dynamics (MD) is performed on the homogeneous SiFeOC phase to study the early stages of 2 formation of the intermixed layer. Both experimental and simulation results suggest this phase has the fayalite crystal structure. As a result, the physical processes involved in the formation of the intermixed region are discussed.« less

Reduced interface spin polarization by antiferromagnetically coupled Mn segregated to the C o2MnSi /GaAs (001) interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rath, Ashutosh; Sivakumar, Chockalingam; Sun, C.; Patel, Sahil J.; Jeong, Jong Seok; Feng, J.; Stecklein, G.; Crowell, Paul A.; Palmstrøm, Chris J.; Butler, William H.; Voyles, Paul M.

2018-01-01

We have investigated the interfacial structure and its correlation with the calculated spin polarization in C o2MnSi /GaAs(001) lateral spin valves. C o2MnSi (CMS) films were grown on As-terminated c(4 ×4 ) GaAs(100) by molecular beam epitaxy using different first atomic layers: MnSi, Co, and Mn. Atomically resolved Z -contrast scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) imaging and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) were used to develop atomic structural models of the CMS/GaAs interfaces that were used as inputs for first-principles calculations to understand the magnetic and electronic properties of the interface. First-principles structures were relaxed and then validated by comparing experimental and simulated high-resolution STEM images. STEM-EELS results show that all three films have similar six atomic layer thick, Mn- and As-rich multilayer interfaces. However, the Co-initiated interface contains a M n2As -like layer, which is antiferromagnetic, and which is not present in the other two interfaces. Density functional theory calculations show a higher degree of interface spin polarization in the Mn- and MnSi-initiated cases, compared to the Co-initiated case, although none of the interfaces are half-metallic. The loss of half-metallicity is attributed, at least in part, to the segregation of Mn at the interface, which leads to the formation of interface states. The implications for the performance of lateral spin valves based on these interfaces are discussed briefly.

Propagation Characteristics of Finite Ground Coplanar Waveguide on Si Substrates With Porous Si and Polyimide Interface Layers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ponchak, George E.; Itotia, Isaac K.; Drayton, Rhonda Franklin

2003-01-01

Measured and modeled propagation characteristics of Finite Ground Coplanar (FGC) waveguide fabricated on a 15 ohm-cm Si substrate with a 23 micron thick, 68% porous Si layer and a 20 micron thick polyimide interface layer are presented for the first time. Attenuation and effective permittivity as function of the FGC geometry and the bias between the center conductor and the ground planes are presented. It is shown that the porous Si reduces the attenuation by 1 dB/cm compared to FGC lines with only polyimide interface layers, and the polyimide on porous silicon demonstrates negligible bias dependence.

XPS studies of structure-induced radiation effects at the Si/SiO2 interface. [X ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grunthaner, F. J.; Lewis, B. F.; Zamini, N.; Maserjian, J.; Madhukar, A.

1980-01-01

The interfacial structures of radiation hard and soft oxides grown by dry and wet processes on silicon substrates have been examined by high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It is found that the primary difference in the local atomic structure at the Si/SiO2 interface is the significantly higher concentration of strained 120 deg SiO2 bonds and SiO interfacial species in soft samples. Results of in situ radiation damage experiments using low energy electrons (0-20 eV) are reported which correlate with the presence of a strained layer of SiO2 (20 A) at the interface. The results are interpreted in terms of a structural model for hole and electron trap generation by ionizing radiation.

A novel X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study of the Al/SiO2 interface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hecht, M. H.; Vasquez, R. P.; Grunthaner, F. J.; Zamani, N.; Maserjian, J.

1985-01-01

The nondestructive measurement of the chemical and physical characteristics of the interface between bulk SiO2 and thick aluminum films is reported. Both X-ray phototelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and electrical measurements of unannealed, resistively evaporated Al films on thermal SiO2 indicate an atomically abrupt interface. Post metallization annealing at 450 C induces reduction of the SiO2 by the aluminum, at a rate consistent with the bulk reaction rate. The XPS measurement is performed from the SiO2 side after the removal of the Si substrate with XeF2 gas and thinning of the SiO2 layer with HF:ETOH. This represents a powerful new approach to the study of metal-insulator and related interfaces.

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

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

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

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

First-principles study of the structure properties of Al(111)/6H-SiC(0001) interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Qingjie; Xie, Jingpei; Wang, Changqing; Li, Liben; Wang, Aiqin; Mao, Aixia

2018-04-01

This paper presents a systematic study on the energetic and electronic structure of the Al(111)/6H-SiC(0001) interfaces by using first-principles calculation with density functional theory (DFT). There are all three situations for no-vacuum layer of Al/SiC superlattics, and two cases of C-terminated and Si-terminated interfaces are compared and analyzed. Through the density of states analysis, the initial information of interface combination is obtained. Then the supercells are stretched vertically along the z-axis, and the fracture of the interface is obtained, and it is pointed out that C-terminated SiC and Al interfaces have a better binding property. And, the fracture positions of C-terminated and Si-terminated interfaces are different in the process of stretching. Then, the distance variation in the process of stretching, the charge density differences, and the distribution of the electrons near the interface are analyzed. Al these work makes the specific reasons for the interface fracture are obtained at last.

Interface-Induced Zeeman-Protected Superconductivity in Ultrathin Crystalline Lead Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yi; Wang, Ziqiao; Zhang, Xuefeng; Liu, Chaofei; Liu, Yongjie; Zhou, Zhimou; Wang, Junfeng; Wang, Qingyan; Liu, Yanzhao; Xi, Chuanying; Tian, Mingliang; Liu, Haiwen; Feng, Ji; Xie, X. C.; Wang, Jian

2018-04-01

Two-dimensional (2D) superconducting systems are of great importance for exploring exotic quantum physics. The recent development of fabrication techniques has stimulated studies of high-quality single-crystalline 2D superconductors, where intrinsic properties give rise to unprecedented physical phenomena. Here, we report the observation of Zeeman-type spin-orbit interaction protected superconductivity (Zeeman-protected superconductivity) in 4-monolayer (ML) to 6-ML crystalline Pb films grown on striped incommensurate Pb layers on Si(111) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. An anomalously large in-plane critical field far beyond the Pauli limit is detected, which can be attributed to the Zeeman-protected superconductivity due to the in-plane inversion symmetry breaking at the interface. Our work demonstrates that, in superconducting heterostructures, the interface can induce Zeeman-type spin-orbit interactions and modulate the superconductivity.

Careful stoichiometry monitoring and doping control during the tunneling interface growth of an n + InAs(Si)/p + GaSb(Si) Esaki diode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El Kazzi, S.; Alian, A.; Hsu, B.; Verhulst, A. S.; Walke, A.; Favia, P.; Douhard, B.; Lu, W.; del Alamo, J. A.; Collaert, N.; Merckling, C.

2018-02-01

In this work, we report on the growth of pseudomorphic and highly doped InAs(Si)/GaSb(Si) heterostructures on p-type (0 0 1)-oriented GaSb substrate and the fabrication and characterization of n+/p+ Esaki tunneling diodes. We particularly study the influence of the Molecular Beam Epitaxy shutter sequences on the structural and electrical characteristics of InAs(Si)/GaSb(Si) Esaki diodes structures. We use real time Reflection High Electron Diffraction analysis to monitor different interface stoichiometry at the tunneling interface. With Atomic Force Microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Transmission Electron Microscopy analyses, we demonstrate that an "InSb-like" interface leads to a sharp and defect-free interface exhibiting high quality InAs(Si) crystal growth contrary to the "GaAs-like" one. We then prove by means of Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy profiles that Si-diffusion at the interface allows the growth of highly Si-doped InAs/GaSb diodes without any III-V material deterioration. Finally, simulations are conducted to explain our electrical results where a high Band to Band Tunneling (BTBT) peak current density of Jp = 8 mA/μm2 is achieved.

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

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

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

Electrically detected crystal orientation dependent spin-Rabi beat oscillation of c-Si(111)/SiO2 interface states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paik, Seoyoung; Lee, Sang-Yun; McCamey, Dane R.; Boehme, Christoph

2011-12-01

Electrically detected spin-Rabi beat oscillation of pairs of paramagnetic near interface states at the phosphorous doped (1016 cm-3) Si(111)/SiO2 interface is reported. Due to the g-factor anisotropy of the Pb center (a silicon surface dangling bond), one can tune intrapair Larmor frequency differences (Larmor separations) by orientation of the crystal with regard to an external magnetic field. Since Larmor separation governs the number of beating spin pairs, crystal orientation can control the beat current. This is used to identify spin states that are paired by mutual electronic transitions. The experiments confirm the presence of the previously reported 31P-Pb transition and provide direct experimental evidence of the previously hypothesized Pb-E' center (a near interface SiO2 bulk state) transition.

Electrical properties of Si-Si interfaces obtained by room temperature covalent wafer bonding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, A.; Zhang, Y.; Arroyo Rojas Dasilva, Y.; Isa, F.; von Känel, H.

2018-02-01

We study covalent bonds between p-doped Si wafers (resistivity ˜10 Ω cm) fabricated on a recently developed 200 mm high-vacuum system. Oxide- and void free interfaces were obtained by argon (Ar) or neon (Ne) sputtering prior to wafer bonding at room temperature. The influence of the sputter induced amorphous Si layer at the bonding interface on the electrical behavior is accessed with temperature-dependent current-voltage measurements. In as-bonded structures, charge transport is impeded by a potential barrier of 0.7 V at the interface with thermionic emission being the dominant charge transport mechanism. Current-voltage characteristics are found to be asymmetric which can tentatively be attributed to electric dipole formation at the interface as a result of the time delay between the surface preparation of the two bonding partners. Electron beam induced current measurements confirm the corresponding asymmetric double Schottky barrier like band-alignment. Moreover, we demonstrate that defect annihilation at a low temperature of 400 °C increases the electrical conductivity by up to three orders of magnitude despite the lack of recrystallization of the amorphous layer. This effect is found to be more pronounced for Ne sputtered surfaces which is attributed to the lighter atomic mass compared to Ar, inducing weaker lattice distortions during the sputtering.

Interface roughness mediated phonon relaxation rates in Si quantum dots.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferdous, Rifat; Hsueh, Yuling; Klimeck, Gerhard; Rahman, Rajib

2015-03-01

Si QDs are promising candidates for solid-state quantum computing due to long spin coherence times. However, the valley degeneracy in Si adds an additional degree of freedom to the electronic structure. Although the valley and orbital indices can be uniquely identified in an ideal Si QD, interface roughness mixes valley and orbital states in realistic dots. Such valley-orbit coupling can strongly influence T1 times in Si QDs. Recent experimental measurements of various relaxation rates differ from previous predictions of phonon relaxation in ideal Si QDs. To understand how roughness affects different relaxation rates, for example spin relaxation due to spin-valley coupling, which is a byproduct of spin-orbit and valley-orbit coupling, we need to understand the effect of valley-orbit coupling on valley relaxation first. Using a full-band atomistic tight-binding description for both the system's electron and electron-phonon hamiltonian, we analyze the effect of atomic-scale interface disorder on phonon induced valley relaxation and spin relaxation in a Si QD. We find that, the valley splitting dependence of valley relaxation rate governs the magnetic field dependence of spin relaxation rate. Our results help understand experimentally measured relaxation times.

Stability of the Al/TiB2 interface and doping effects of Mg/Si

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Chao; Xu, Ben; Wu, Ping; Li, Qiulin

2017-12-01

The Al/TiB2 interface is of significant importance in controlling the mechanical properties of Al-B4C composites and tuning the heterogeneous nucleation of Al/Si alloys in industry. Its stability and bonding conditions are critical for both purposes. In this paper, the interfacial energies were investigated by first-principles calculations, and the results support the reported grain refinement mechanisms in Al/Si alloys. Moreover, to improve the mechanical properties of the interface, Mg and Si were doped at the interface, and our simulations show that the two interfaces will both weaken after doping Mg/Si, thus the formation of TiB2 is inhibited. As a result, the processability of the Al-B4C composites may be improved. Our results provide a theoretical basis and guidance for practical applications.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

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

Surfactant-Mediated Growth of Ge/Si(001) Interface Studied by XPD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gunnella, R.; Castrucci, P.; Pinto, N.; Cucculelli, P.; Davoli, I.; Sébilleau, D.; de Crescenzi, M.

The influence of Sb as a surfactant on the formation of Si/Ge interface is studied by means of XPD (X-ray photoelectron diffraction) and AED (Auger electron diffraction) from Ge and Si core levels. The technique employed is particularly suitable for checking the film tetragonal distortion, the growth morphology and the sharpness of the interface. We found a layer by layer growth mode for 3 ML of Ge on Si(001) and related values of strain of the film close to the value predicted by the elastic theory which enforces the use of such a surfactant to obtain high quality and sharp heterostructures. In addition, studying the influence of 3 ML of the Si cap layer on the 3 ML Ge, we obtain no indication of Ge segregation into the Si cap layer. Finally, evidences of quality degradation after high temperature (T > 600°C) annealing are shown.

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

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

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

2016-06-15

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

Density-functional study on the dopant-segregation mechanism: Chemical potential dependence of dopant-defect complex at Si/SiO2 interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kawai, Hiroki; Nakasaki, Yasushi; Kanemura, Takahisa; Ishihara, Takamitsu

2018-04-01

Dopant segregation at Si/SiO2 interface has been a serious problem in silicon device technology. This paper reports a comprehensive density-functional study on the segregation mechanisms of boron, phosphorous, and arsenic at the Si/SiO2 interface. We found that three kinds of interfacial defects, namely, interstitial oxygen, oxygen vacancy, and silicon vacancy with two oxygen atoms, are stable in the possible chemical potential range. Thus, we consider these defects as trap sites for the dopants. For these defects, the dopant segregation energies, the electrical activities of the trapped dopants, and the kinetic energy barriers of the trapping/detrapping processes are calculated. As a result, trapping at the interstitial oxygen site is indicated to be the most plausible mechanism of the dopant segregation. The interstitial oxygen works as a major trap site since it has a high areal density at the Si/SiO2 interface due to the low formation energy.

Role of an ultra-thin AlN/GaN superlattice interlayer on the strain engineering of GaN films grown on Si(110) and Si(111) substrates by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy

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

Shen, X. Q.; Takahashi, T.; Matsuhata, H.

2013-12-02

We investigate the role of an ultra-thin AlN/GaN superlattice interlayer (SL-IL) on the strain engineering of the GaN films grown on Si(110) and Si(111) substrates by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. It is found that micro-cracks limitted only at the SL-IL position are naturally generated. These micro-cracks play an important role in relaxing the tensile strain caused by the difference of the coefficient of thermal expansion between GaN and Si and keeping the residual strain in the crack-free GaN epilayers resulted from the SL-IL during the growth. The mechanism understanding of the strain modulation by the SL-IL in the GaN epilayersmore » grown on Si substrates makes it possible to design new heterostructures of III-nitrides for optic and electronic device applications.« less

Role of an ultra-thin AlN/GaN superlattice interlayer on the strain engineering of GaN films grown on Si(110) and Si(111) substrates by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, X. Q.; Takahashi, T.; Rong, X.; Chen, G.; Wang, X. Q.; Shen, B.; Matsuhata, H.; Ide, T.; Shimizu, M.

2013-12-01

We investigate the role of an ultra-thin AlN/GaN superlattice interlayer (SL-IL) on the strain engineering of the GaN films grown on Si(110) and Si(111) substrates by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. It is found that micro-cracks limitted only at the SL-IL position are naturally generated. These micro-cracks play an important role in relaxing the tensile strain caused by the difference of the coefficient of thermal expansion between GaN and Si and keeping the residual strain in the crack-free GaN epilayers resulted from the SL-IL during the growth. The mechanism understanding of the strain modulation by the SL-IL in the GaN epilayers grown on Si substrates makes it possible to design new heterostructures of III-nitrides for optic and electronic device applications.

A low thermal impact annealing process for SiO2-embedded Si nanocrystals with optimized interface quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hiller, Daniel; Gutsch, Sebastian; Hartel, Andreas M.; Löper, Philipp; Gebel, Thoralf; Zacharias, Margit

2014-04-01

Silicon nanocrystals (Si NCs) for 3rd generation photovoltaics or optoelectronic applications can be produced by several industrially compatible physical or chemical vapor deposition technologies. A major obstacle for the integration into a fabrication process is the typical annealing to form and crystallize these Si quantum dots (QDs) which involves temperatures ≥1100 °C for 1 h. This standard annealing procedure allows for interface qualities that correspond to more than 95% dangling bond defect free Si NCs. We study the possibilities to use rapid thermal annealing (RTA) and flash lamp annealing to crystallize the Si QDs within seconds or milliseconds at high temperatures. The Si NC interface of such samples exhibits huge dangling bond defect densities which makes them inapplicable for photovoltaics or optoelectronics. However, if the RTA high temperature annealing is combined with a medium temperature inert gas post-annealing and a H2 passivation, luminescent Si NC fractions of up to 90% can be achieved with a significantly reduced thermal load. A new figure or merit, the relative dopant diffusion length, is introduced as a measure for the impact of a Si NC annealing procedure on doping profiles of device structures.

Highly Simplified Tandem Organic Light-Emitting Devices Incorporating a Green Phosphorescence Ultrathin Emitter within a Novel Interface Exciplex for High Efficiency.

PubMed

Xu, Ting; Zhou, Jun-Gui; Huang, Chen-Chao; Zhang, Lei; Fung, Man-Keung; Murtaza, Imran; Meng, Hong; Liao, Liang-Sheng

2017-03-29

Herein we report a novel design philosophy of tandem OLEDs incorporating a doping-free green phosphorescent bis[2-(2-pyridinyl-N)phenyl-C](acetylacetonato)iridium(III) (Ir(ppy) 2 (acac)) as an ultrathin emissive layer (UEML) into a novel interface-exciplex-forming structure of 1,1-bis[(di-4-tolylamino)phenyl]cyclohexane (TAPC) and 1,3,5-tri(p-pyrid-3-yl-phenyl)benzene (TmPyPB). Particularly, relatively low working voltage and remarkable efficiency are achieved and the designed tandem OLEDs exhibit a peak current efficiency of 135.74 cd/A (EQE = 36.85%) which is two times higher than 66.2 cd/A (EQE = 17.97%) of the device with a single emitter unit. This might be one of the highest efficiencies of OLEDs applying ultrathin emitters without light extraction. Moreover, with the proposed structure, the color gamut of the displays can be effectively increased from 76% to 82% NTSC if the same red and blue emissions as those in the NTSC are applied. A novel form of harmonious fusion among interface exciplex, UEML, and tandem structure is successfully realized, which sheds light on further development of ideal OLED structure with high efficiency, simplified fabrication, low power consumption, low cost, and improved color gamut, simultaneously.

Chalcogenide-based van der Waals epitaxy: Interface conductivity of tellurium on Si(111)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lüpke, Felix; Just, Sven; Bihlmayer, Gustav; Lanius, Martin; Luysberg, Martina; Doležal, Jiří; Neumann, Elmar; Cherepanov, Vasily; Ošt'ádal, Ivan; Mussler, Gregor; Grützmacher, Detlev; Voigtländer, Bert

2017-07-01

We present a combined experimental and theoretical analysis of a Te rich interface layer which represents a template for chalcogenide-based van der Waals epitaxy on Si(111). On a clean Si(111)-(1 ×1 ) surface, we find Te to form a Te/Si(111)-(1 ×1 ) reconstruction to saturate the substrate bonds. A problem arising is that such an interface layer can potentially be highly conductive, undermining the applicability of the on-top grown films in electric devices. We perform here a detailed structural analysis of the pristine Te termination and present direct measurements of its electrical conductivity by in situ distance-dependent four-probe measurements. The experimental results are analyzed with respect to density functional theory calculations and the implications of the interface termination with respect to the electrical conductivity of chalcogenide-based topological insulator thin films are discussed. In detail, we find a Te/Si(111)-(1 ×1 ) interface conductivity of σ2D Te=2.6 (5 ) ×10-7S /□ , which is small compared to the typical conductivity of topological surface states.

n-MoS2/p-Si Solar Cells with Al2O3 Passivation for Enhanced Photogeneration.

PubMed

Rehman, Atteq Ur; Khan, Muhammad Farooq; Shehzad, Muhammad Arslan; Hussain, Sajjad; Bhopal, Muhammad Fahad; Lee, Sang Hee; Eom, Jonghwa; Seo, Yongho; Jung, Jongwan; Lee, Soo Hong

2016-11-02

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) has recently emerged as a promising candidate for fabricating ultrathin-film photovoltaic devices. These devices exhibit excellent photovoltaic performance, superior flexibility, and low production cost. Layered MoS 2 deposited on p-Si establishes a built-in electric field at MoS 2 /Si interface that helps in photogenerated carrier separation for photovoltaic operation. We propose an Al 2 O 3 -based passivation at the MoS 2 surface to improve the photovoltaic performance of bulklike MoS 2 /Si solar cells. Interestingly, it was observed that Al 2 O 3 passivation enhances the built-in field by reduction of interface trap density at surface. Our device exhibits an improved power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 5.6%, which to our knowledge is the highest efficiency among all bulklike MoS 2 -based photovoltaic cells. The demonstrated results hold the promise for integration of bulklike MoS 2 films with Si-based electronics to develop highly efficient photovoltaic cells.

Enhanced direct-gap light emission from Si-capped n+-Ge epitaxial layers on Si after post-growth rapid cyclic annealing: impact of non-radiative interface recombination toward Ge/Si double heterostructure lasers.

PubMed

Higashitarumizu, Naoki; Ishikawa, Yasuhiko

2017-09-04

Enhanced direct-gap light emission is reported for Si-capped n + -Ge layers on Si after post-growth rapid cyclic annealing (RCA), and impact of non-radiative recombination (NRR) at the Ge/Si interface is discussed toward Ge/Si double heterostructure (DH) lasers. P-doped n + -Ge layer (1 × 10 19 cm -3 , 400 nm) is grown on Si by ultra-high vacuum chemical vapor deposition, followed by a growth of Si capping layer (5 nm) to form a Si/Ge/Si DH structure. Post-growth RCA to eliminate defects in Ge is performed in N 2 at temperatures between 900°C and 780°C, where the annealing time is minimized to be 5 s in each RCA cycle to prevent an out-diffusion of P dopants from the Ge surface. Direct-gap photoluminescence (PL) intensity at 1.6 µm increases with the RCA cycles up to 40, although the threading dislocation density in Ge is not reduced after 3 cycles in the present condition. The PL enhancement is ascribed to the suppression of NRR at the Ge/Si interface, where an intermixed SiGe alloy is formed. For Ge/Si DH lasers, NRR at the Ge/Si interface is found to have a significant impact on the threshold current density Jth. In order to achieve Jth on the order of 1 kA/cm 2 , similar to III-V lasers, the interface recombination velocity S is required below 10 3 cm/s in spite of S as large as 10 5 cm/s at the ordinary defect-rich Ge/Si interface.

Ultrathin MoS2-coated Ag@Si nanosphere arrays as an efficient and stable photocathode for solar-driven hydrogen production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Qingwei; Su, Shaoqiang; Hu, Die; Lin, Lin; Yan, Zhibo; Gao, Xingsen; Zhang, Zhang; Liu, Jun-Ming

2018-03-01

Solar-driven photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting has attracted a great deal of attention recently. Silicon (Si) is an ideal light absorber for solar energy conversion. However, the poor stability and inefficient surface catalysis of Si photocathodes for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) have remained key challenges. Alternatively, MoS2 has been reported to exhibit excellent catalysis performance if sufficient active sites for the HER are available. Here, ultrathin MoS2 nanoflakes are directly synthesized to coat arrays of Ag-core Si-shell nanospheres (Ag@Si NSs) by using chemical vapor deposition. Due to the high surface area ratio and large curvature of these NSs, the as-grown MoS2 nanoflakes can accommodate more active sites. In addition, the high-quality coating of MoS2 nanoflakes on the Ag@Si NSs protects the photocathode from damage during the PEC reaction. An photocurrent density of 33.3 mA cm-2 at a voltage of -0.4 V is obtained versus the reversible hydrogen electrode. The as-prepared nanostructure as a hydrogen photocathode is evidenced to have high stability over 12 h PEC performance. This work opens up opportunities for composite photocathodes with high activity and stability using cheap and stable co-catalysts.

Ultrathin MoS2-coated Ag@Si nanosphere arrays as an efficient and stable photocathode for solar-driven hydrogen production.

PubMed

Zhou, Qingwei; Su, Shaoqiang; Hu, Die; Lin, Lin; Yan, Zhibo; Gao, Xingsen; Zhang, Zhang; Liu, Jun-Ming

2018-01-30

Solar-driven photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting has attracted a great deal of attention recently. Silicon (Si) is an ideal light absorber for solar energy conversion. However, the poor stability and inefficient surface catalysis of Si photocathodes for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) have remained key challenges. Alternatively, MoS 2 has been reported to exhibit excellent catalysis performance if sufficient active sites for the HER are available. Here, ultrathin MoS 2 nanoflakes are directly synthesized to coat arrays of Ag-core Si-shell nanospheres (Ag@Si NSs) by using chemical vapor deposition. Due to the high surface area ratio and large curvature of these NSs, the as-grown MoS 2 nanoflakes can accommodate more active sites. In addition, the high-quality coating of MoS 2 nanoflakes on the Ag@Si NSs protects the photocathode from damage during the PEC reaction. An photocurrent density of 33.3 mA cm -2 at a voltage of -0.4 V is obtained versus the reversible hydrogen electrode. The as-prepared nanostructure as a hydrogen photocathode is evidenced to have high stability over 12 h PEC performance. This work opens up opportunities for composite photocathodes with high activity and stability using cheap and stable co-catalysts.

Metal Immiscibility Route to Synthesis of Ultrathin Carbides, Borides, and Nitrides.

PubMed

Wang, Zixing; Kochat, Vidya; Pandey, Prafull; Kashyap, Sanjay; Chattopadhyay, Soham; Samanta, Atanu; Sarkar, Suman; Manimunda, Praveena; Zhang, Xiang; Asif, Syed; Singh, Abhisek K; Chattopadhyay, Kamanio; Tiwary, Chandra Sekhar; Ajayan, Pulickel M

2017-08-01

Ultrathin ceramic coatings are of high interest as protective coatings from aviation to biomedical applications. Here, a generic approach of making scalable ultrathin transition metal-carbide/boride/nitride using immiscibility of two metals is demonstrated. Ultrathin tantalum carbide, nitride, and boride are grown using chemical vapor deposition by heating a tantalum-copper bilayer with corresponding precursor (C 2 H 2 , B powder, and NH 3 ). The ultrathin crystals are found on the copper surface (opposite of the metal-metal junction). A detailed microscopy analysis followed by density functional theory based calculation demonstrates the migration mechanism, where Ta atoms prefer to stay in clusters in the Cu matrix. These ultrathin materials have good interface attachment with Cu, improving the scratch resistance and oxidation resistance of Cu. This metal-metal immiscibility system can be extended to other metals to synthesize metal carbide, boride, and nitride coatings. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Electron transport in ultra-thin films and ballistic electron emission microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Claveau, Y.; Di Matteo, S.; de Andres, P. L.; Flores, F.

2017-03-01

We have developed a calculation scheme for the elastic electron current in ultra-thin epitaxial heterostructures. Our model uses a Keldysh’s non-equilibrium Green’s function formalism and a layer-by-layer construction of the epitaxial film. Such an approach is appropriate to describe the current in a ballistic electron emission microscope (BEEM) where the metal base layer is ultra-thin and generalizes a previous one based on a decimation technique appropriated for thick slabs. This formalism allows a full quantum mechanical description of the transmission across the epitaxial heterostructure interface, including multiple scattering via the Dyson equation, which is deemed a crucial ingredient to describe interfaces of ultra-thin layers properly in the future. We introduce a theoretical formulation needed for ultra-thin layers and we compare with results obtained for thick Au(1 1 1) metal layers. An interesting effect takes place for a width of about ten layers: a BEEM current can propagate via the center of the reciprocal space (\\overlineΓ ) along the Au(1 1 1) direction. We associate this current to a coherent interference finite-width effect that cannot be found using a decimation technique. Finally, we have tested the validity of the handy semiclassical formalism to describe the BEEM current.

Interface Si donor control to improve dynamic performance of AlGaN/GaN MIS-HEMTs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Liang; Fu, Kai; Zhang, Zhili; Sun, Shichuang; Li, Weiyi; Yu, Guohao; Hao, Ronghui; Fan, Yaming; Shi, Wenhua; Cai, Yong; Zhang, Baoshun

2017-12-01

In this letter, we have studied the performance of AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor high electron mobility transistors (MIS-HEMTs) with different interface Si donor incorporation which is tuned during the deposition process of LPCVD-SiNx which is adopted as gate dielectric and passivation layer. Current collapse of the MIS-HEMTs without field plate is suppressed more effectively by increasing the SiH2Cl2/NH3 flow ratio and the normalized dynamic on-resistance (RON) is reduced two orders magnitude after off-state VDS stress of 600 V for 10 ms. Through interface characterization, we have found that the interface deep-level traps distribution with high Si donor incorporation by increasing the SiH2Cl2/NH3 flow ratio is lowered. It's indicated that the Si donors are most likely to fill and screen the deep-level traps at the interface resulting in the suppression of slow trapping process and the virtual gate effect. Although the Si donor incorporation brings about the increase of gate leakage current (IGS), no clear degradation of breakdown voltage can be seen by choosing appropriate SiH2Cl2/NH3 flow ratio.

ELLIPSOMETRIC STUDY OF a-Si:H NUCLEATION, GROWTH, AND INTERFACES

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Collins, R. W.

Recent in situ and spectroscopic ellipsometry investigations of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) nucleation behavior, microstructural evolution, and interface formation are reviewed. An outline of the commonly applied experimental techniques and data analysis is also presented. In situ ellipsometry reveals a nuclei formation and convergence sequence in the first 50Å of a-Si:H growth by rf plasma deposition from silane on c-Si and metal substrates. This sequence provides evidence of favorable growth chemistry that results in material with a low density of structural defects. The influence of deposition parameters and processes on the nucleation and subsequent microstructural evolution of a-Si:H is covered in detail. Among the other topics discussed include: nucleation of microcrystalline Si, evolution of surface roughness on a-Si:H, inert and reactive gas plasma modification of a-Si:H, and formation of a-Si:H heterostructures with SiO2, wide band gap alloys, and Bdoped a-Si:H.

Electron-selective contacts via ultra-thin organic interface dipoles for silicon organic heterojunction solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reichel, Christian; Würfel, Uli; Winkler, Kristina; Schleiermacher, Hans-Frieder; Kohlstädt, Markus; Unmüssig, Moritz; Messmer, Christoph A.; Hermle, Martin; Glunz, Stefan W.

2018-01-01

In the last years, novel materials for the formation of electron-selective contacts on n-type crystalline silicon (c-Si) heterojunction solar cells were explored as an interfacial layer between the metal electrode and the c-Si wafer. Besides inorganic materials like transition metal oxides or alkali metal fluorides, also interfacial layers based on organic molecules with a permanent dipole moment are promising candidates to improve the contact properties. Here, the dipole effect plays an essential role in the modification of the interface and effective work function of the contact. The amino acids L-histidine, L-tryptophan, L-phenylalanine, glycine, and sarcosine, the nucleobase adenine, and the heterocycle 4-hydroxypyridine were investigated as dipole materials for an electron-selective contact on the back of p- and n-type c-Si with a metal electrode based on aluminum (Al). Furthermore, the effect of an added fluorosurfactant on the resulting contact properties was examined. The performance of n-type c-Si solar cells with a boron diffusion on the front was significantly increased when L-histidine and/or the fluorosurfactant was applied as a full-area back surface field. This improvement was attributed to the modification of the interface and the effective work function of the contact by the dipole material which was corroborated by numerical device simulations. For these solar cells, conversion efficiencies of 17.5% were obtained with open-circuit voltages (Voc) of 625 mV and fill factors of 76.3%, showing the potential of organic interface dipoles for silicon organic heterojunction solar cells due to their simple formation by solution processing and their low thermal budget requirements.

Vertical nanowire heterojunction devices based on a clean Si/Ge interface.

PubMed

Chen, Lin; Fung, Wayne Y; Lu, Wei

2013-01-01

Different vertical nanowire heterojunction devices were fabricated and tested based on vertical Ge nanowires grown epitaxially at low temperatures on (111) Si substrates with a sharp and clean Si/Ge interface. The nearly ideal Si/Ge heterojuctions with controlled and abrupt doping profiles were verified through material analysis and electrical characterizations. In the nSi/pGe heterojunction diode, an ideality factor of 1.16, subpicoampere reverse saturation current, and rectifying ratio of 10(6) were obtained, while the n+Si/p+Ge structure leads to Esaki tunnel diodes with a high peak tunneling current of 4.57 kA/cm(2) and negative differential resistance at room temperature. The large valence band discontinuity between the Ge and Si in the nanowire heterojunctions was further verified in the p+Si/pGe structure, which shows a rectifying behavior instead of an Ohmic contact and raises an important issue in making Ohmic contacts to heterogeneously integrated materials. A raised Si/Ge structure was further developed using a self-aligned etch process, allowing greater freedom in device design for applications such as the tunneling field-effect transistor (TFET). All measurement data can be well-explained and fitted with theoretical models with known bulk properties, suggesting that the Si/Ge nanowire system offers a very clean heterojunction interface with low defect density, and holds great potential as a platform for future high-density and high-performance electronics.

H2O incorporation in the phosphorene/a-SiO2 interface: a first-principles study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scopel, Wanderlã L.; Souza, Everson S.; Miwa, R. H.

2017-02-01

Based on first-principles calculations, we investigate (i) the energetic stability and electronic properties of single-layer phosphorene (SLP) adsorbed on an amorphous SiO2 surface (SLP/a-SiO2), and (ii) the further incorporation of water molecules at the phosphorene/a-SiO2 interface. In (i), we find that the phosphorene sheet binds to a-SiO2 through van der Waals interactions, even in the presence of oxygen vacancies on the surface. The SLP/a-SiO2 system presents a type-I band alignment, with the valence (conduction) band maximum (minimum) of the phosphorene lying within the energy gap of the a-SiO2 substrate. The structure and the surface-potential corrugations promote the formation of electron-rich and electron-poor regions on the phosphorene sheet and at the SLP/a-SiO2 interface. Such charge density puddles are strengthened by the presence of oxygen vacancies in a-SiO2. In (ii), because of the amorphous structure of the surface, we consider a number of plausible geometries for H2O embedded in the SLP/a-SiO2 interface. There is an energetic preference for the formation of hydroxyl (OH) groups on the a-SiO2 surface. Meanwhile, in the presence of oxygenated water or interstitial oxygen in the phosphorene sheet, we observe the formation of metastable OH bonded to the phosphorene, and the formation of energetically stable P-O-Si chemical bonds at the SLP/a-SiO2 interface. Further x-ray absorption spectra simulations are performed, which aim to provide additional structural/electronic information on the oxygen atoms forming hydroxyl groups or P-O-Si chemical bonds at the interface region.

H2O incorporation in the phosphorene/a-SiO2 interface: a first-principles study.

PubMed

Scopel, Wanderlã L; Souza, Everson S; Miwa, R H

2017-02-22

Based on first-principles calculations, we investigate (i) the energetic stability and electronic properties of single-layer phosphorene (SLP) adsorbed on an amorphous SiO 2 surface (SLP/a-SiO 2 ), and (ii) the further incorporation of water molecules at the phosphorene/a-SiO 2 interface. In (i), we find that the phosphorene sheet binds to a-SiO 2 through van der Waals interactions, even in the presence of oxygen vacancies on the surface. The SLP/a-SiO 2 system presents a type-I band alignment, with the valence (conduction) band maximum (minimum) of the phosphorene lying within the energy gap of the a-SiO 2 substrate. The structure and the surface-potential corrugations promote the formation of electron-rich and electron-poor regions on the phosphorene sheet and at the SLP/a-SiO 2 interface. Such charge density puddles are strengthened by the presence of oxygen vacancies in a-SiO 2 . In (ii), because of the amorphous structure of the surface, we consider a number of plausible geometries for H 2 O embedded in the SLP/a-SiO 2 interface. There is an energetic preference for the formation of hydroxyl (OH) groups on the a-SiO 2 surface. Meanwhile, in the presence of oxygenated water or interstitial oxygen in the phosphorene sheet, we observe the formation of metastable OH bonded to the phosphorene, and the formation of energetically stable P-O-Si chemical bonds at the SLP/a-SiO 2 interface. Further x-ray absorption spectra simulations are performed, which aim to provide additional structural/electronic information on the oxygen atoms forming hydroxyl groups or P-O-Si chemical bonds at the interface region.

Photochemistry on ultrathin metal films: Strongly enhanced cross sections for NO2 on Ag /Si(100)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wesenberg, Claudia; Autzen, Olaf; Hasselbrink, Eckart

2006-12-01

The surface photochemistry of NO2 on ultrathin Ag(111) films (5-60nm ) on Si(100) substrates has been studied. NO2, forming N2O4 on the surface, dissociates to release NO and NO2 into the gas phase with translational energies exceeding the equivalent of the sample temperature. An increase of the photodesorption cross section is observed for 266nm light when the film thickness is decreased below 30nm despite the fact that the optical absorptivity decreases. For 4.4nm film thickness this increase is about threefold. The data are consistent with a similar effect for 355nm light. The reduced film thickness has no significant influence on the average translation energy of the desorbing molecules or the branching into the different channels. The increased photodesorption cross section is interpreted to result from photon absorption in the Si substrate producing electrons with no or little momenta parallel to the surface at energies where this is not allowed in Ag. It is suggested that these electrons penetrate through the Ag film despite the gap in the surface projected band structure.

Interface-induced multiferroism by design in complex oxide superlattices

PubMed Central

Guo, Hangwen; Wang, Zhen; Dong, Shuai; Ghosh, Saurabh; Saghayezhian, Mohammad; Chen, Lina; Weng, Yakui; Herklotz, Andreas; Ward, Thomas Z.; Jin, Rongying; Pantelides, Sokrates T.; Zhu, Yimei; Zhang, Jiandi; Plummer, E. W.

2017-01-01

Interfaces between materials present unique opportunities for the discovery of intriguing quantum phenomena. Here, we explore the possibility that, in the case of superlattices, if one of the layers is made ultrathin, unexpected properties can be induced between the two bracketing interfaces. We pursue this objective by combining advanced growth and characterization techniques with theoretical calculations. Using prototype La2/3Sr1/3MnO3 (LSMO)/BaTiO3 (BTO) superlattices, we observe a structural evolution in the LSMO layers as a function of thickness. Atomic-resolution EM and spectroscopy reveal an unusual polar structure phase in ultrathin LSMO at a critical thickness caused by interfacing with the adjacent BTO layers, which is confirmed by first principles calculations. Most important is the fact that this polar phase is accompanied by reemergent ferromagnetism, making this system a potential candidate for ultrathin ferroelectrics with ferromagnetic ordering. Monte Carlo simulations illustrate the important role of spin–lattice coupling in LSMO. These results open up a conceptually intriguing recipe for developing functional ultrathin materials via interface-induced spin–lattice coupling. PMID:28607082

Interface science of virtual GaN substrates on Si(111) via Sc2O3/Y2O3 buffers: Experiment and theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tarnawska, L.; Dabrowski, J.; Grzela, T.; Lehmann, M.; Niermann, T.; Paszkiewicz, R.; Storck, P.; Schroeder, T.

2013-06-01

The final film quality of GaN on foreign substrates is known to crucially depend on the initial GaN interface and nucleation characteristics. To shed light on these characteristics of recently pioneered virtual, hexagonal GaN(0001) substrates on Si(111) via step graded Sc2O3(111)/Y2O3(111) buffers, a complex GaN(0001)/Sc2O3(111) interface structure model and the initial nucleation scenario is derived from a combined experimental (reflection high energy electron diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) and theoretical ab initio study. It is shown that the GaN/Sc2O3 interface chemistry is determined by a N-Ga-O-Sc atomic arrangement leading to N-polar GaN films. However, the atomic GaN(0001)/Sc2O3(111) interface configuration is complex and local perturbations might be at the origin of Ga-polar inversion domains in the mainly N-polar GaN films. The initial growth of GaN on Sc2O3 is characterized by an ultrathin N-Ga-O-Sc wetting layer which carries tensile strain and relaxes with increasing thickness. Further GaN deposition results in the formation of 3D islands which fully relax before island coalescence occurs. The implications of the GaN/Sc2O3 interface configuration, the 3D nucleation growth mode, and the coalescence process of misaligned islands are discussed with respect to the defect characteristics (inversion domains, cubic inclusions, threading dislocations) of the final GaN layer.

Dissolvable films of silk fibroin for ultrathin conformal bio-integrated electronics.

PubMed

Kim, Dae-Hyeong; Viventi, Jonathan; Amsden, Jason J; Xiao, Jianliang; Vigeland, Leif; Kim, Yun-Soung; Blanco, Justin A; Panilaitis, Bruce; Frechette, Eric S; Contreras, Diego; Kaplan, David L; Omenetto, Fiorenzo G; Huang, Yonggang; Hwang, Keh-Chih; Zakin, Mitchell R; Litt, Brian; Rogers, John A

2010-06-01

Electronics that are capable of intimate, non-invasive integration with the soft, curvilinear surfaces of biological tissues offer important opportunities for diagnosing and treating disease and for improving brain/machine interfaces. This article describes a material strategy for a type of bio-interfaced system that relies on ultrathin electronics supported by bioresorbable substrates of silk fibroin. Mounting such devices on tissue and then allowing the silk to dissolve and resorb initiates a spontaneous, conformal wrapping process driven by capillary forces at the biotic/abiotic interface. Specialized mesh designs and ultrathin forms for the electronics ensure minimal stresses on the tissue and highly conformal coverage, even for complex curvilinear surfaces, as confirmed by experimental and theoretical studies. In vivo, neural mapping experiments on feline animal models illustrate one mode of use for this class of technology. These concepts provide new capabilities for implantable and surgical devices.

Dissolvable Films of Silk Fibroin for Ultrathin, Conformal Bio-Integrated Electronics

PubMed Central

Kim, Dae-Hyeong; Viventi, Jonathan; Amsden, Jason J.; Xiao, Jianliang; Vigeland, Leif; Kim, Yun-Soung; Blanco, Justin A.; Panilaitis, Bruce; Frechette, Eric S.; Contreras, Diego; Kaplan, David L.; Omenetto, Fiorenzo G.; Huang, Yonggang; Hwang, Keh-Chih; Zakin, Mitchell R.; Litt, Brian; Rogers, John A.

2011-01-01

Electronics that are capable of intimate, non-invasive integration with the soft, curvilinear surfaces of biological tissues offer important opportunities for diagnosing and treating disease and for improving brain-machine interfaces. This paper describes a material strategy for a type of bio-interfaced system that relies on ultrathin electronics supported by bioresorbable substrates of silk fibroin. Mounting such devices on tissue and then allowing the silk to dissolve and resorb initiates a spontaneous, conformal wrapping process driven by capillary forces at the biotic/abiotic interface. Specialized mesh designs and ultrathin forms for the electronics ensure minimal stresses on the tissue and highly conformal coverage, even for complex curvilinear surfaces, as confirmed by experimental and theoretical studies. In vivo, neural mapping experiments on feline animal models illustrate one mode of use for this class of technology. These concepts provide new capabilities for implantable or surgical devices. PMID:20400953

Dissolvable films of silk fibroin for ultrathin conformal bio-integrated electronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Dae-Hyeong; Viventi, Jonathan; Amsden, Jason J.; Xiao, Jianliang; Vigeland, Leif; Kim, Yun-Soung; Blanco, Justin A.; Panilaitis, Bruce; Frechette, Eric S.; Contreras, Diego; Kaplan, David L.; Omenetto, Fiorenzo G.; Huang, Yonggang; Hwang, Keh-Chih; Zakin, Mitchell R.; Litt, Brian; Rogers, John A.

2010-06-01

Electronics that are capable of intimate, non-invasive integration with the soft, curvilinear surfaces of biological tissues offer important opportunities for diagnosing and treating disease and for improving brain/machine interfaces. This article describes a material strategy for a type of bio-interfaced system that relies on ultrathin electronics supported by bioresorbable substrates of silk fibroin. Mounting such devices on tissue and then allowing the silk to dissolve and resorb initiates a spontaneous, conformal wrapping process driven by capillary forces at the biotic/abiotic interface. Specialized mesh designs and ultrathin forms for the electronics ensure minimal stresses on the tissue and highly conformal coverage, even for complex curvilinear surfaces, as confirmed by experimental and theoretical studies. In vivo, neural mapping experiments on feline animal models illustrate one mode of use for this class of technology. These concepts provide new capabilities for implantable and surgical devices.

Detailed study of SiOxNy:H/Si interface properties for high quality surface passivation of crystalline silicon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Peng; Lei, Dong; Yu, Xuegong; Huang, Chunlai; Li, Mo; Dai, Gang; Zhang, Jian; Yang, Deren

2018-01-01

In this work, we present a detailed study on the interface and passivation properties of the hydrogenated silicon oxynitride (SiOxNy:H) on the crystalline silicon (c-Si) and their correlations with the film composition. The SiOxNy:H films were synthesized by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) at various N2O flow rates, which results in different film composition, in particular the different H-related bonds, such as Sisbnd H and Nsbnd H bonds. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy measurements show that the concentration of Nsbnd H bonds increases with the N2O flows from 0 to 30 sccm, while drops below the detection limit at N2O flows above 30 sccm. This changing trend of Nsbnd H bonds correlates well with the evolution of carrier lifetime of silicon substrate passivated by SiOxNy:H film, indicating the crucial role of Nsbnd H bonds in surface passivation. It is inferred that during the film deposition and forming gas anneal (FGA) a considerable amount of hydrogen atoms are liberated from the weak type of Nsbnd H bonds rather than Sisbnd H bonds, and then passivate the dangling bonds at the interface, thus resulting in the significant reduction of interface state density and the improved passivation quality. In detail, the interface state density is reduced from ∼5 × 1012 to ∼2 × 1012 cm-2 eV-1 after the FGA, as derived from the high frequency capacitance-voltage (Csbnd V) measurements.

The isotype ZnO/SiC heterojunction prepared by molecular beam epitaxy--A chemical inert interface with significant band discontinuities.

PubMed

Zhang, Yufeng; Lin, Nanying; Li, Yaping; Wang, Xiaodan; Wang, Huiqiong; Kang, Junyong; Wilks, Regan; Bär, Marcus; Mu, Rui

2016-03-15

ZnO/SiC heterojunctions show great potential for various optoelectronic applications (e.g., ultraviolet light emitting diodes, photodetectors, and solar cells). However, the lack of a detailed understanding of the ZnO/SiC interface prevents an efficient and rapid optimization of these devices. Here, intrinsic (but inherently n-type) ZnO were deposited via molecular beam epitaxy on n-type 6H-SiC single crystalline substrates. The chemical and electronic structure of the ZnO/SiC interfaces were characterized by ultraviolet/x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and x-ray excited Auger electron spectroscopy. In contrast to the ZnO/SiC interface prepared by radio frequency magnetron sputtering, no willemite-like zinc silicate interface species is present at the MBE-ZnO/SiC interface. Furthermore, the valence band offset at the abrupt ZnO/SiC interface is experimentally determined to be (1.2 ± 0.3) eV, suggesting a conduction band offset of approximately 0.8 eV, thus explaining the reported excellent rectifying characteristics of isotype ZnO/SiC heterojunctions. These insights lead to a better comprehension of the ZnO/SiC interface and show that the choice of deposition route might offer a powerful means to tailor the chemical and electronic structures of the ZnO/SiC interface, which can eventually be utilized to optimize related devices.

Investigation of microstructure and properties of ultrathin graded ZrNx self-assembled diffusion barrier in deep nano-vias prepared by plasma ion immersion implantation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zou, Jianxiong; Liu, Bo; Lin, Liwei; Lu, Yuanfu; Dong, Yuming; Jiao, Guohua; Ma, Fei; Li, Qiran

2018-01-01

Ultrathin graded ZrNx self-assembled diffusion barriers with controllable stoichiometry was prepared in Cu/p-SiOC:H interfaces by plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) with dynamic regulation of implantation fluence. The fundamental relationship between the implantation fluence of N+ and the stoichiometry and thereby the electrical properties of the ZrNx barrier was established. The optimized fluence of a graded ZrN thin film with gradually decreased Zr valence was obtained with the best electrical performance as well. The Cu/p-SiOC:H integration is thermally stable up to 500 °C due to the synergistic effect of Cu3Ge and ZrNx layers. Accordingly, the PIII process was verified in a 100-nm-thick Cu dual-damascene interconnect, in which the ZrNx diffusion barrier of 1 nm thick was successfully self-assembled on the sidewall without barrier layer on the via bottom. In this case, the via resistance was reduced by approximately 50% in comparison with Ta/TaN barrier. Considering the results in this study, ultrathin ZrNx conformal diffusion barrier can be adopted in the sub-14 nm technology node.

Formation and investigation of ultrathin layers of Co2FeSi ferromagnetic alloy synthesized on silicon covered with a CaF2 barrier layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grebenyuk, G. S.; Gomoyunova, M. V.; Pronin, I. I.; Vyalikh, D. V.; Molodtsov, S. L.

2016-03-01

Ultrathin (∼2 nm) films of Co2FeSi ferromagnetic alloy were formed on silicon by solid-phase epitaxy and studied in situ. Experiments were carried out in an ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) using substrates of Si(1 1 1) single crystals covered with a 5 nm thick CaF2 barrier layer. The elemental and phase composition as well as the magnetic properties of the synthesized films were analyzed by photoelectron spectroscopy using synchrotron radiation and by magnetic linear dichroism in photoemission of Fe 3p and Co 3p electrons. The study shows that the synthesis of the Co2FeSi ferromagnetic alloy occurs in the temperature range of 200-400 °C. At higher temperatures, the films become island-like and lose their ferromagnetic properties, as the CaF2 barrier layer is unable to prevent a mass transfer between the film and the Si substrate, which violates the stoichiometry of the alloy.

Local Schottky contacts of embedded Ag nanoparticles in Al2O3/SiNx:H stacks on Si: a design to enhance field effect passivation of Si junctions.

PubMed

Ibrahim Elmi, Omar; Cristini-Robbe, Odile; Chen, Minyu; Wei, Bin; Bernard, Rémy; Okada, Etienne; Yarekha, Dmitri A; Ouendi, Saliha; Portier, Xavier; Gourbilleau, Fabrice; Xu, Tao; Stievenard, Didier

2018-04-26

This paper describes an original design leading to the field effect passivation of Si n+-p junctions. Ordered Ag nanoparticle (Ag-NP) arrays with optimal size and coverage fabricated by means of nanosphere lithography and thermal evaporation, were embedded in ultrathin-Al2O3/SiNx:H stacks on the top of implanted Si n+-p junctions, to achieve effective surface passivation. One way to characterize surface passivation is to use photocurrent, sensitive to recombination centers. We evidenced an improvement of photocurrent by a factor of 5 with the presence of Ag nanoparticles. Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations combining with semi-quantitative calculations demonstrated that such gain was mainly due to the enhanced field effect passivation through the depleted region associated with the Ag-NPs/Si Schottky contacts. © 2018 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Low-temperature diffusion assisted by femtosecond laser-induced modifications at Ni/SiC interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okada, Tatsuya; Tomita, Takuro; Ueki, Tomoyuki; Hashimoto, Takuya; Kawakami, Hiroki; Fuchikami, Yuki; Hisazawa, Hiromu; Tanaka, Yasuhiro

2018-01-01

We investigated low-temperature diffusion at the Ni/SiC interface with the assistance of femtosecond laser-induced modifications. Cross sections of the laser-irradiated lines of two different pulse energies — 0.84 and 0.60 J/cm2 in laser fluence — were compared before and after annealing at 673 K. At the laser fluence of 0.60 J/cm2, a single flat Ni-based particle was formed at the interface after annealing. The SiC crystal under the particle was defect-free. The present results suggest the potential application of femtosecond laser-induced modifications to the low-temperature fabrication of contacts at the interface without introducing crystal defects, e.g., dislocations and stacking faults, in SiC.

Highly conductive ultrathin Co films by high-power impulse magnetron sputtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jablonka, L.; Riekehr, L.; Zhang, Z.; Zhang, S.-L.; Kubart, T.

2018-01-01

Ultrathin Co films deposited on SiO2 with conductivities exceeding that of Cu are demonstrated. Ionized deposition implemented by high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) is shown to result in smooth films with large grains and low resistivities, namely, 14 µΩ cm at a thickness of 40 nm, which is close to the bulk value of Co. Even at a thickness of only 6 nm, a resistivity of 35 µΩ cm is obtained. The improved film quality is attributed to a higher nucleation density in the Co-ion dominated plasma in HiPIMS. In particular, the pulsed nature of the Co flux as well as shallow ion implantation of Co into SiO2 can increase the nucleation density. Adatom diffusion is further enhanced in the ionized process, resulting in a dense microstructure. These results are in contrast to Co deposited by conventional direct current magnetron sputtering where the conductivity is reduced due to smaller grains, voids, rougher interfaces, and Ar incorporation. The resistivity of the HiPIMS films is shown to be in accordance with models by Mayadas-Shatzkes and Sondheimer which consider grain-boundary and surface-scattering.

The Interface Influence in TiN/SiN x Multilayer Nanocomposite Under Irradiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uglov, V. V.; Safronov, I. V.; Kvasov, N. T.; Remnev, G. E.; Shimanski, V. I.

2018-01-01

The paper focuses on studying the kinetics of radiation-induced point defects formed in TiN/SiN x multilayer nanocomposites with account of their generation, diffusion recombination, and the influence of sinks functioning as interfaces. In order to describe the kinetics in nanocrystalline TiN and amorphous SiN x phases, a finite-difference method is used to solve the system of balance kinetic equations for absolute defect concentrations depending on the spatiotemporal variables. A model of the disclination-dislocation interface structure is used to study the absorption of radiation-induced point defects on the boundaries in created stress fields. It is shown that the interface effectively absorbs point defects in these phases of TiN/SiN x multilayer nanocomposite, thereby reducing their amount within the space between phases. This behavior of point defects partially explains a mechanism of the radiation resistance in this type of nanocomposites.

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

PubMed

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

2017-08-29

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

Internal Photoemission at Interfaces of ALD TaSiOx Insulating Layers Deposited on Si, InP and In0.53Ga0.47As

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Y Chou, H.; Afanas'ev, V. V.; Thoan, N. H.; Adelmann, C.; Lin, H. C.; Houssa, M.; Stesmans, A.

2012-10-01

Electrical analysis of interfaces of (100)Si, (100)InP, and (100)In0.53Ga0.47As with TaSiOx (Ta/Si≈1) films atomic-layer deposited using SiCl4, TaCl5, and H2O precursors suggests Ta silicate as a good insulating and surface passivating layer on all three semiconductors. However, when a positive voltage is applied to the top metal electrode in a metal/ TaSiOx /semiconductor configuration, considerable hysteresis of the capacitance-voltage curves, both at 300 and 77 K, is universally observed indicating electron injection and trapping in the insulator. To shed some light on the origin of this charge instability, we analyzed interface band alignment of the studied interfaces using the spectroscopies of internal photoemission and photoconductivity measurements. The latter reveals that independently of the semiconductor substrate material, TaSiOx layers exhibit a bandgap of only 4.5±0.1 eV, typical for a Ta2O5 network. The density of electron states associated with this narrow-gap network may account for the enhanced electron injection and trapping. Furthermore, while a sufficiently high energy barrier for electrons between Si and TaSiOx (3.1±0.1 eV) is found, much lower IPE thresholds are encountered at the (100)InP/TaSiOx and (100) In0.53Ga0.47As/TaSiOx interfaces, i.e., 2.4 and 2.0 eV, respectively. The lower barrier may be related by the formation of narrow-gap In-rich interlayers between AIIIBV semiconductors and TaSiOx.

Auger-electron diffraction in the low kinetic-energy range: The Si(111)7×7 surface reconstruction and Ge/Si interface formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Crescenzi, M.; Gunnella, R.; Bernardini, R.; de Marco, M.; Davoli, I.

1995-07-01

We have investigated the Auger-electron diffraction (AED) of the L2,3VV Auger line of the clean 7×7 reconstructed Si(111) surface and the Ge/Si interface formed after a few monolayers (ML) of Ge deposition. The experimental AED in the low kinetic-energy regime has been interpreted within the framework of a multiple-scattering theory. The comparison of the AED data taken using both the x-ray source and an electron source evidences that the incident beam plays a negligible role when the experimental conditions require the use of an angular detector. The evolution of the Ge/Si(111) interface is studied by monitoring the intensity anisotropy of the Auger peaks of the two elements at room temperature (RT) and at 400 °C annealing temperature of the substrate. The evolution of the growth mechanism underlying the Ge/Si interface formation has been studied by exploiting the very low electron escape depth of this technique (<=5 Å). While at RT two monolayers of Ge deposition appear uniform and amorphous, the successive annealing induces an intermixing and a recrystallization only in the first two layers of the interface without any further interdiffusion. Furthermore, a Stranski-Krastanow growth mode has been deduced after deposition of 4 ML of Ge on a clean Si sample kept at 400 °C.

Dynamics of Defects and Dopants in Complex Systems: Si and Oxide Surfaces and Interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirichenko, Taras; Yu, Decai; Banarjee, Sanjay; Hwang, Gyeong

2004-10-01

Fabrication of forthcoming nanometer scale electronic devices faces many difficulties including formation of extremely shallow and highly doped junctions. At present, ultra-low-energy ion implantation followed by high-temperature thermal annealing is most widely used to fabricate such ultra-shallow junctions. In the process, a great challenge lies in achieving precise control of redistribution and electrical activation of dopant impurities. Native defects (such as vacancies and interstitials) generated during implantation are known to be mainly responsible for the TED and also influence significantly the electrical activation/deactivation. Defect-dopant dynamics is rather well understood in crystalline Si and SiO2. However, little is known about their diffusion and annihilation (or precipitation) at the surfaces and interfaces, despite its growing importance in determining junction profiles as device dimensions get smaller. In this talk, we will present our density functional theory calculation results on the atomic and electronic structure and dynamical behavior of native defects and dopant-defect complexes in disordered/strained Si and oxide systems, such as i) clean and absorbent-modified Si(100) surface and subsurface layers, ii) amorphous-crystalline Si interfaces and iii) amorphous SiO2/Si interfaces. The fundamental understanding and data is essential in developing a comprehensive kinetic model for junction formation, which would contribute greatly in improving current process technologies.

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.

Interface and interaction of graphene layers on SiC(0001[combining macron]) covered with TiC(111) intercalation.

PubMed

Wang, Lu; Wang, Qiang; Huang, Jianmei; Li, Wei-Qi; Chen, Guang-Hui; Yang, Yanhui

2017-10-11

It is important to understand the interface and interaction between the graphene layer, titanium carbide [TiC(111)] interlayer, and silicon carbide [SiC(0001[combining macron])] substrates in epitaxial growth of graphene on silicon carbide (SiC) substrates. In this study, the fully relaxed interfaces which consist of up to three layers of TiC(111) coatings on the SiC(0001[combining macron]) as well as the graphene layers interactions with these TiC(111)/SiC(0001[combining macron]) were systematically studied using the density functional theory-D2 (DFT-D2) method. The results showed that the two layers of TiC(111) coating with the C/C-terminated interfaces were thermodynamically more favorable than one or three layers of TiC(111) on the SiC(0001[combining macron]). Furthermore, the bonding of the Ti-hollow-site stacked interfaces would be a stronger link than that of the Ti-Fcc-site stacked interfaces. However, the formation of the C/Ti/C and Ti/C interfaces implied that the first upper carbon layer can be formed on TiC(111)/SiC(0001[combining macron]) using the decomposition of the weaker Ti-C and C-Si interfacial bonds. When growing graphene layers on these TiC(111)/SiC(0001[combining macron]) substrates, the results showed that the interaction energy depended not only on the thickness of the TiC(111) interlayer, but also on the number of graphene layers. Bilayer graphene on the two layer thick TiC(111)/SiC(0001[combining macron]) was thermodynamically more favorable than a monolayer or trilayer graphene on these TiC(111)/SiC(0001[combining macron]) substrates. The adsorption energies of the bottom graphene layers with the TiC(111)/SiC(0001[combining macron]) substrates increased with the decrease of the interface vertical distance. The interaction energies between the bottom, second and third layers of graphene on the TiC(111)/SiC(0001[combining macron]) were significantly higher than that of the freestanding graphene layers. All of these findings provided

Electronic properties of Al xGa 1- xAs surface passivated by ultrathin silicon interface control layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adamowicz, B.; Miczek, M.; Ikeya, K.; Mutoh, M.; Saitoh, T.; Fujikura, H.; Hasegawa, H.

1999-03-01

The photoluminescence surface state spectroscopy (PLS 3) method was applied to a study of the surface state distribution ( NSS), effective surface recombination velocity ( Seff), electron ( EFn) and hole ( EFp) quasi-Fermi levels and band bending ( VS) on the Al 0.33Ga 0.67As surface air-exposed and passivated by the Si interface control layer (ICL) technique. Using the detailed measurements of the PL quantum efficiency for different excitation intensities, combined with the rigorous computer simulations of the bulk and surface recombination processes, the behavior and correlation among the surface characteristics under photo-excitation was determined. The present analysis indicated that forming of a Si 3N 4/Si ICL double layer (with a monolayer level control) on AlGaAs surface reduces the minimum interface state density down to 10 10 cm -2 eV -1 and surface recombination velocity to the range of 10 4 cm/s under low excitations.

A DFT study on NEA GaN photocathode with an ultrathin n-type Si-doped GaN cap layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, Sihao; Liu, Lei; Kong, Yike; Diao, Yu

2016-10-01

Due to the drawbacks of conventional negative electron affinity (NEA) GaN photocathodes activated by Cs or Cs/O, a new-type NEA GaN photocathodes with heterojunction surface dispense with Cs activation are proposed. This structure can be obtained through the coverage of an ultrathin n-type Si-doped GaN cap layer on the p-type Mg-doped GaN emission layer. The influences of the cap layer on the photocathode are calculated using DFT. This study indicates that the n-type cap layer can promote the photoemission characteristics of GaN photocathode and demonstrates the probability of the preparation of a NEA GaN photocathode with an n-type cap layer.

The Pr 2O 3/Si(0 0 1) interface studied by synchrotron radiation photo-electron spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmeißer, D.; Müssig, H.-J.

2003-10-01

Pr 2O 3 is currently under consideration as a potential replacement for SiO 2 as the gate-dielectric material for sub-0.1 μm complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology. We studied the Pr 2O 3/Si(0 0 1) interface by a non-destructive depth profiling using synchrotron radiation photoelectron spectroscopy. Our data suggests that there is no silicide formation at the interface. Based on reported results, a chemical reactive interface exists, consisting of a mixed Si-Pr oxide such as (Pr 2O 3) x(SiO 2) 1- x, i.e. as a silicate phase with variable silicon content. This pseudo-binary alloy at the interface offers large flexibility toward successful integration of Pr 2O 3 into future CMOS technologies.

Intensity analysis of XPS spectra to determine oxide uniformity - Application to SiO2/Si interfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vasquez, R. P.; Grunthaner, F. J.

1980-01-01

A simple method of determining oxide uniformity is derived which requires no knowlege of film thickness, escape depth, or film composition. The method involves only the measurement of oxide and substrate intensities and is illustrated by analysis of XPS spectral data for thin SiO2 films grown both thermally and by low-temperature chemical vapor deposition on monocrystalline Si. A region 20-30 A thick is found near the SiO2/Si interface on thermally oxidized samples which has an inelastic mean free path 35% less than that found in the bulk oxide. This is interpreted as being due to lattice mismatch resulting in a strained region which is structurally, but not stoichiometrically, distinct from the bulk oxide.

Ultra-thin MoS₂ coated Ag@Si nanosphere arrays as efficient and stable photocathode for solar-driven hydrogen production.

PubMed

Zhou, Qingwei; Su, Shaoqiang; Hu, Die; Lin, Lin; Yan, Zhibo; Gao, Xingsen; Zhang, Zhang; Liu, Junming

2018-01-02

Solar-driven photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting has recently attracted much attention. Silicon (Si) is an ideal light absorber for solar energy conversion. However, the poor stability and inefficient surface catalysis of Si photocathode for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) have been remained as the key challenges. Alternatively, MoS2 has been reported to exhibit the excellent catalysis performance if sufficient active sites for the HER are available. Here, ultra-thin MoS2 nanoflakes are directly synthesized to coat on the arrays of Ag-core Si-shell nanospheres (Ag@Si NSs) using the chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Due to the high surface area ratio and large curvature of these NSs, the as-grown MoS2 nanoflakes can accommodate more active sites. Meanwhile, the high-quality coating of MoS2 nanoflakes on the Ag@Si NSs protects the photocathode from damage during the PEC reaction. A high efficiency with a photocurrent of 33.3 mA cm-2 at a voltage of -0.4 V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode is obtained. The as-prepared nanostructure as hydrogen photocathode is evidenced to have high stability over 12 hour PEC performance. This work opens opportunities for composite photocathode with high activity and stability using cheap and stable co-catalysts. © 2017 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Growth and characterization of few unit-cell NbN superconducting films on 3C-SiC/Si substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, H. W.; Wang, C. L.; Huang, Y. R.; Chen, T. J.; Wang, M. J.

2017-11-01

Superconducting δ-NbN ultrathin film has become a key element in extremely sensitive detector applications in recent decades because of its excellent electronic properties. We have realized the epitaxial growth of ultrathin δ-NbN films on (100)-oriented 3C-SiC/Si substrates by dc reactive magnetron sputtering at 760 °C with a deposition rate of 0.054 nm s-1. High-resolution transmission electron microscope images confirm the excellent epitaxy of these films. Even with a thickness of 1.3 nm (˜3 unit cells), the δ-NbN film shows a superconducting transition above 8 K. Furthermore, our ultrathin δ-NbN films demonstrate a long Ginzburg-Landau superconducting coherent length ({ξ }{{G}{{L}}}(0)> 5 {{nm}}) with a critical current density of about 2.2 MA cm-2, and good stability in an ambient environment.

Interfaces in Si/Ge atomic layer superlattices on (001)Si: Effect of growth temperature and wafer misorientation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baribeau, J.-M.; Lockwood, D. J.; Syme, R. W. G.

1996-08-01

We have used x-ray diffraction, specular reflectivity, and diffuse scattering, complemented by Raman spectroscopy, to study the interfaces in a series of (0.5 nm Ge/2 nm Si)50 atomic layer superlattices on (001)Si grown by molecular beam epitaxy in the temperature range 150-650 °C. X-ray specular reflectivity revealed that the structures have a well-defined periodicity with interface widths of about 0.2-0.3 nm in the 300-590 °C temperature range. Offset reflectivity scans showed that the diffuse scattering peaks at values of perpendicular wave vector transfer corresponding to the superlattice satellite peaks, indicating that the interfaces are vertically correlated. Transverse rocking scans of satellite peaks showed a diffuse component corresponding to an interface corrugation of typical length scale of ˜0.5 μm. The wavelength of the undulations is a minimum along the miscut direction and is typically 30-40 times larger than the surface average terrace width assuming monolayer steps, independently of the magnitude of the wafer misorientation. The amplitude of the undulation evolves with growth temperature and is minimum for growth at ˜460 °C and peaks at ˜520 °C. Raman scattering showed the chemical abruptness of the interfaces at low growth temperatures and indicated a change in the growth mode near 450 °C.

(Zr,Ti)O2 interface structure in ZrO2-TiO2 nanolaminates with ultrathin periodicity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aita, C. R.; DeLoach, J. D.; Yakovlev, V. V.

2002-07-01

A mixed cation interfacial structure in ZrO2-TiO2 nanolaminate films with ultrathin bilayer periodicity grown by sputter deposition at 297 K was identified by x-ray diffraction and nonresonant Raman spectroscopy. This structure consists of an amorphous phase at a ZrO2-on-TiO2 bilayer interface, followed by an extensive crystalline monoclinic (Zr,Ti)O2 solid solution predicted by Vegard's law. Monoclinic (Zr,Ti)O2 has previously been reported only once, in bulk powder of a single composition (ZrTiO4) at high pressure. Its stabilization in the nanolaminates is explained by the Gibbs-Thomson effect. This complex interfacial structure is shown to be a means of accommodating chemical mixing in the absence of a driving force for heteroepitaxy.

Electron microscopy of AlN-SiC interfaces and solid solutions

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

Bentley, J.; Tanaka, S.; Davis, R.F.

In a 2H AlN-SiC solid solution grown by MBE on {alpha}(6H)-SiC (3{degrees} from [0001]), the epilayer contained a high density of basal faults related to {approximately}5 nm steps on the growth surface: no compositional inhomogeneity was detected by PEELS. In diffusion couples of polycrystalline, sintered AlN on SiC annealed at 1600 and 1700{degrees}C. 8H sialon [nominally (AlN){sub 2}Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}] formed at the interface of SiC and recrystallized epitactic AlN grains, and Si{sub 3}N{sub 4}-rich {beta}{prime} sialon particles formed in the SiC. No interdiffusion was detected by PEELS in diffusion couples of MBE-grown AlN on SiC annealed at 1700 andmore » 1850{degrees}C. Irregular epilayer thickness explains companion Auger depth profile results.« less

The influence of alloying on the phase formation sequence of ultra-thin nickel silicide films and on the inheritance of texture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geenen, F. A.; Solano, E.; Jordan-Sweet, J.; Lavoie, C.; Mocuta, C.; Detavernier, C.

2018-05-01

The controlled formation of silicide materials is an ongoing challenge to facilitate the electrical contact of Si-based transistors. Due to the ongoing miniaturisation of the transistor, the silicide is trending to ever-thinner thickness's. The corresponding increase in surface-to-volume ratio emphasises the importance of low-energetic interfaces. Intriguingly, the thickness reduction of nickel silicides results in an abrupt change in phase sequence. This paper investigates the sequence of the silicides phases and their preferential orientation with respect to the Si(001) substrate, for both "thin" (i.e., 9 nm) and "ultra-thin" (i.e., 3 nm) Ni films. Furthermore, as the addition of ternary elements is often considered in order to tailor the silicides' properties, additives of Al, Co, and Pt are also included in this study. Our results show that the first silicide formed is epitaxial θ-Ni2Si, regardless of initial thickness or alloyed composition. The transformations towards subsequent silicides are changed through the additive elements, which can be understood through solubility arguments and classical nucleation theory. The crystalline alignment of the formed silicides with the substrate significantly differs through alloying. The observed textures of sequential silicides could be linked through texture inheritance. Our study illustrates the nucleation of a new phase drive to reduce the interfacial energy at the silicide-substrate interface as well as at the interface with the silicide which is being consumed for these sub-10 nm thin films.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2017-12-01

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

The interface modification for GNWs/Si Schottky junction with PEI/PEIE interlayers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Quan; Liu, Xiangzhi; Luo, Wei; Shen, Jun; Wang, Yuefeng; Wei, Dapeng

2018-03-01

Polyethylenimine ethoxylated (PEIE) and polyethyl-enimine (PEI), the two kinds of interface buffer layer, are widely used in the organic light-emitting diodes and solar cells for band alignment adjustment. In this report, we carefully studied the influence of the inserting organic layer on the graphene nanowalls(GNWS)/Si junction quality and the photoresponse of the Schottky devices. We found that thinner layers of PEI could decrease the dark current and improve the photo-to-dark ratio to 105 for n-Si devices. The s-kink effect and degradation of open circuit voltage could be observed for thicker thickness and excessive doping. Relatively, PEIE with stable thin layer not only improve the rectifying characteristics of p-Si devices but also the incident photon conversion efficiency. The maximus IPCE could reach 44% and be adjusted to zero by the reverse bias. The tunneling inhibition for electrons can be alleviated by increasing the barrier height. Our results provide an attractive method to improve the efficiency of pristine GNWs/Si junction with interface doping and passivation.

First-principles study of the effects of Silicon doping on the Schottky barrier of TiSi2/Si interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Han; Silva, Eduardo; West, Damien; Sun, Yiyang; Restrepo, Oscar; Zhang, Shengbai; Kota, Murali

As scaling of semiconductor devices is pursued in order to improve power efficiency, quantum effects due to the reduced dimensions on devices have become dominant factors in power, performance, and area scaling. In particular, source/drain contact resistance has become a limiting factor in the overall device power efficiency and performance. As a consequence, techniques such as heavy doping of source and drain have been explored to reduce the contact resistance, thereby shrinking the width of depletion region and lowering the Schottky barrier height. In this work, we study the relation between doping in Silicon and the Schottky barrier of a TiSi2/Si interface with first-principles calculation. Virtual Crystal Approximation (VCA) is used to calculate the average potential of the interface with varying doping concentration, while the I-V curve for the corresponding interface is calculated with a generalized one-dimensional transfer matrix method. The relation between substitutional and interstitial Boron and Phosphorus dopant near the interface, and their effect on tuning the Schottky barrier is studied. These studies provide insight to the type of doping and the effect of dopant segregation to optimize metal-semiconductor interface resistance.

High-Performance Ultrathin Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Silicon Solar Cells via Solution-Processed Interface Modification.

PubMed

Zhang, Jie; Zhang, Yinan; Song, Tao; Shen, Xinlei; Yu, Xuegong; Lee, Shuit-Tong; Sun, Baoquan; Jia, Baohua

2017-07-05

Organic-inorganic hybrid solar cells based on n-type crystalline silicon and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) exhibited promising efficiency along with a low-cost fabrication process. In this work, ultrathin flexible silicon substrates, with a thickness as low as tens of micrometers, were employed to fabricate hybrid solar cells to reduce the use of silicon materials. To improve the light-trapping ability, nanostructures were built on the thin silicon substrates by a metal-assisted chemical etching method (MACE). However, nanostructured silicon resulted in a large amount of surface-defect states, causing detrimental charge recombination. Here, the surface was smoothed by solution-processed chemical treatment to reduce the surface/volume ratio of nanostructured silicon. Surface-charge recombination was dramatically suppressed after surface modification with a chemical, associated with improved minority charge-carrier lifetime. As a result, a power conversion efficiency of 9.1% was achieved in the flexible hybrid silicon solar cells, with a substrate thickness as low as ∼14 μm, indicating that interface engineering was essential to improve the hybrid junction quality and photovoltaic characteristics of the hybrid devices.

Barrier height modification and mechanism of carrier transport in Ni/in situ grown Si3N4/n-GaN Schottky contacts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karpov, S. Y.; Zakheim, D. A.; Lundin, W. V.; Sakharov, A. V.; Zavarin, E. E.; Brunkov, P. N.; Lundina, E. Y.; Tsatsulnikov, A. F.

2018-02-01

In situ growth of an ultra-thin (up to 2.5 nm) Si3N4 film on the top of n-GaN is shown to reduce remarkably the height of the barrier formed by deposition of Ni-based Schottky contact. The reduction is interpreted in terms of polarization dipole induced at the Si3N4/n-GaN interface and Fermi level pinning at the Ni/Si3N4 interface. Detailed study of temperature-dependent current-voltage characteristics enables identification of the electron transport mechanism in such Schottky diodes under forward bias: thermal/field electron emission over the barrier formed in n-GaN followed by tunneling through the Si3N4 film. At reverse bias and room temperature, the charge transfer is likely controlled by Poole-Frenkel ionization of deep traps in n-GaN. Tunneling exponents at forward and reverse biases and the height of the Ni/Si3N4 Schottky barrier are evaluated experimentally and compared with theoretical predictions.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2017-06-01

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

Electrical and physical characterizations of the effects of oxynitridation and wet oxidation at the interface of SiO2/4H-SiC(0001) and (000\\bar{1})

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shiomi, Hiromu; Kitai, Hidenori; Tsujimura, Masatoshi; Kiuchi, Yuji; Nakata, Daisuke; Ono, Shuichi; Kojima, Kazutoshi; Fukuda, Kenji; Sakamoto, Kunihiro; Yamasaki, Kimiyohi; Okumura, Hajime

2016-04-01

The effects of oxynitridation and wet oxidation at the interface of SiO2/4H-SiC(0001) and (000\\bar{1}) were investigated using both electrical and physical characterization methods. Hall measurements and split capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements revealed that the difference in field-effect mobility between wet oxide and dry oxynitride interfaces was mainly attributed to the ratio of the mobile electron density to the total induced electron density. The surface states close to the conduction band edge causing a significant trapping of inversion carriers were also evaluated. High-resolution Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (HR-RBS) analysis and high-resolution elastic recoil detection analysis (HR-ERDA) were employed to show the nanometer-scale compositional profile of the SiC-MOS interfaces for the first time. These analyses, together with cathode luminescence (CL) spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), suggested that the deviations of stoichiometry and roughness at the interface defined the effects of oxynitridation and wet oxidation at the interface of SiO2/4H-SiC(0001) and (000\\bar{1}).

Fe/Si(001) Ferromagnetic Layers: Reactivity, Local Atomic Structure and Magnetism

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

Lungu, G. A.; Costescu, R. M.; Husanu, M. A.

2011-10-03

Ultrathin ferromagnetic Fe layers on Si(001) have recently been synthesized using the molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) technique, and their structural and magnetic properties, as well as their interface reactivity have been investigated. The study was undertaken as function of the amount of Fe deposited and of substrate temperature. The interface reactivity was characterized by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). The surface structure was characterized by low-energy electron diffraction (LEED). The magnetism was investigated by magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE). A higher deposition temperature stabilizes a better surface ordering, but it also enhances Fe and Si interdiffusion and it therefore decreases the magnetism.more » Despite the rapid disappearance of the long range order with Fe deposition at room temperature, the material exhibits a significant uniaxial in-plane magnetic anisotropy. For the Fe deposition performed at high temperature (500 deg. C), a weak ferromagnetism is still observed, with saturation magnetization of about 10% of the value obtained previously. MOKE studies allowed inferring the main properties of the distinct formed layers.« less

Reduction of thermal conductivity in MnSi{sub 1.7} multi-layered thin films with artificially inserted Si interfaces

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

Kurosaki, Y., E-mail: yosuke.kurosaki.uy@hitachi.com; Yabuuchi, S.; Nishide, A.

We report a lowered lattice thermal conductivity in nm-scale MnSi{sub 1.7}/Si multilayers which were fabricated by controlling thermal diffusions of Mn and Si atoms. The thickness of the constituent layers is 1.5–5.0 nm, which is comparable to the phonon mean free path of both MnSi{sub 1.7} and Si. By applying the above nanostructures, we reduced the lattice thermal conductivity down to half that of bulk MnSi{sub 1.7}/Si composite materials. The obtained value of 1.0 W/K m is the experimentally observed minimum in MnSi{sub 1.7}-based materials without any heavy element doping and close to the minimum thermal conductivity. We attribute the reduced latticemore » thermal conductivity to phonon scattering at the MnSi{sub 1.7}/Si interfaces in the multilayers.« less

The influence of Si in Ni on the interface modification and the band alignment between Ni and alumina

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshitake, Michiko; Nemšák, Slavomír; Skála, Tomáš; Tsud, Nataliya; Matolín, Vladimír; Prince, Kevin C.

2018-06-01

The influence of a small amount of Si in a Ni single crystal on the interface formation between aluminum oxide and Ni has been investigated. The interface was formed by in-situ growth of the oxide by simultaneous supply of Al and oxygen onto Ni(1 1 1) in an ultrahigh vacuum chamber equipped with XPS apparatus. The oxide growth and the interface formation were compared between Si-containing Ni(1 1 1) and pure Ni(1 1 1). It was revealed that Si segregated on the surface of Ni and oxidized, forming an epitaxial thin alumino-silicate film. Valence band spectra demonstrated that the band offset between the oxide and Ni (energy level difference between the valence band top and the Fermi level) is different due to the oxidized Si segregation at the interface.

Gamma ray irradiated silicon nanowires: An effective model to investigate defects at the interface of Si/SiOx

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

Yin, Kui; Zhao, Yi; Liu, Liangbin

2014-01-20

The effect of gamma ray irradiation on silicon nanowires was investigated. Here, an additional defect emerged in the gamma-ray-irradiated silicon nanowires and was confirmed with electron spin resonance spectra. {sup 29}Si nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy showed that irradiation doses had influence on the Q{sup 4} unit structure. This phenomenon indicated that the unique core/shell structure of silicon nanowires might contribute to induce metastable defects under gamma ray irradiation, which served as a satisfactory model to investigate defects at the interface of Si/SiOx.

Interface investigation of solution processed high- κ ZrO2/Si MOS structure by DLTS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Arvind; Mondal, Sandip; Rao, Ksr Koteswara

The interfacial region is dominating due to the continuous downscaling and integration of high- k oxides in CMOS applications. The accurate characterization of high- k oxides/semiconductor interface has the significant importance towards its usage in memory and thin film devices. The interface traps at the high - k /semiconductor interface can be quantified by deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) with better accuracy in contrast to capacitance-voltage (CV) and conductance technique. We report the fabrication of high- k ZrO2 films on p-Si substrate by a simple and inexpensive sol-gel spin-coating technique. Further, the ZrO2/Si interface is characterized through DLTS. The flat-band voltage (VFB) and the density of slow interface states (oxide trapped charges) extracted from CV characteristics are 0.37 V and 2x10- 11 C/cm2, respectively. The activation energy, interface state density and capture cross-section quantified by DLTS are EV + 0.42 eV, 3.4x1011 eV- 1 cm- 2 and 5.8x10- 18 cm2, respectively. The high quality ZrO2 films own high dielectric constant 15 with low leakage current density might be an appropriate insulating layer in future electronic application. The low value of interface state density and capture cross-section are the indication of high quality interface and the defect present at the interface may not affect the device performance to a great extent. The DLTS study provides a broad understanding about the traps present at the interface of spin-coated ZrO2/Si.

Ionizing radiation effects on electrical and reliability characteristics of sputtered Ta2O5/Si interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rao, Ashwath; Verma, Ankita; Singh, B. R.

2015-06-01

This paper describes the effect of ionizing radiation on the interface properties of Al/Ta2O5/Si metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) capacitors using capacitance-voltage (C-V) and current-voltage (I-V) characteristics. The devices were irradiated with X-rays at different doses ranging from 100 rad to 1 Mrad. The leakage behavior, which is an important parameter for memory applications of Al/Ta2O5/Si MOS capacitors, along with interface properties such as effective oxide charges and interface trap density with and without irradiation has been investigated. Lower accumulation capacitance and shift in flat band voltage toward negative value were observed in annealed devices after exposure to radiation. The increase in interfacial oxide layer thickness after irradiation was confirmed by Rutherford Back Scattering measurement. The effect of post-deposition annealing on the electrical behavior of Ta2O5 MOS capacitors was also investigated. Improved electrical and interface properties were obtained for samples deposited in N2 ambient. The density of interface trap states (Dit) at Ta2O5/Si interface sputtered in pure argon ambient was higher compared to samples reactively sputtered in nitrogen-containing plasma. Our results show that reactive sputtering in nitrogen-containing plasma is a promising approach to improve the radiation hardness of Ta2O5/Si MOS devices.

The isotype ZnO/SiC heterojunction prepared by molecular beam epitaxy – A chemical inert interface with significant band discontinuities

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yufeng; Lin, Nanying; Li, Yaping; Wang, Xiaodan; Wang, Huiqiong; Kang, Junyong; Wilks, Regan; Bär, Marcus; Mu, Rui

2016-01-01

ZnO/SiC heterojunctions show great potential for various optoelectronic applications (e.g., ultraviolet light emitting diodes, photodetectors, and solar cells). However, the lack of a detailed understanding of the ZnO/SiC interface prevents an efficient and rapid optimization of these devices. Here, intrinsic (but inherently n-type) ZnO were deposited via molecular beam epitaxy on n–type 6H-SiC single crystalline substrates. The chemical and electronic structure of the ZnO/SiC interfaces were characterized by ultraviolet/x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and x-ray excited Auger electron spectroscopy. In contrast to the ZnO/SiC interface prepared by radio frequency magnetron sputtering, no willemite-like zinc silicate interface species is present at the MBE-ZnO/SiC interface. Furthermore, the valence band offset at the abrupt ZnO/SiC interface is experimentally determined to be (1.2 ± 0.3) eV, suggesting a conduction band offset of approximately 0.8 eV, thus explaining the reported excellent rectifying characteristics of isotype ZnO/SiC heterojunctions. These insights lead to a better comprehension of the ZnO/SiC interface and show that the choice of deposition route might offer a powerful means to tailor the chemical and electronic structures of the ZnO/SiC interface, which can eventually be utilized to optimize related devices. PMID:26976240

The role of high work-function metallic nanodots on the performance of a-Si:H solar cells: offering ohmic contact to light trapping.

PubMed

Kim, Jeehwan; Abou-Kandil, Ahmed; Fogel, Keith; Hovel, Harold; Sadana, Devendra K

2010-12-28

Addition of carbon into p-type "window" layers in hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) solar cells enhances short circuit currents and open circuit voltages by a great deal. However, a-Si:H solar cells with high carbon-doped "window" layers exhibit poor fill factors due to a Schottky barrier-like impedance at the interface between a-SiC:H windows and transparent conducting oxides (TCO), although they show maximized short circuit currents and open circuit voltages. The impedance is caused by an increasing mismatch between the work function of TCO and that of p-type a-SiC:H. Applying ultrathin high-work-function metals at the interface between the two materials results in an effective lowering of the work function mismatch and a consequent ohmic behavior. If the metal layer is sufficiently thin, then it forms nanodots rather than a continuous layer which provides light-scattering effect. We demonstrate 31% efficiency enhancement by using high-work-function materials for engineering the work function at the key interfaces to raise fill factors as well as photocurrents. The use of metallic interface layers in this work is a clear contrast to previous work where attempts were made to enhance the photocurrent using plasmonic metal nanodots on the solar cell surface.

Tuning back contact property via artificial interface dipoles in Si/organic hybrid solar cells

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

Wang, Dan; Department of Physics and Institute of Solid-state electronics physical, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211; Sheng, Jiang, E-mail: shengjiang@nimte.ac.cn

2016-07-25

Back contact property plays a key role in the charge collection efficiency of c-Si/poly(3,4-ethylthiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) hybrid solar cells (Si-HSCs), as an alternative for the high-efficiency and low-cost photovoltaic devices. In this letter, we utilize the water soluble poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO) to modify the Al/Si interface to be an Ohmic contact via interface dipole tuning, decreasing the work function of the Al film. This Ohmic contact improves the electron collection efficiency of the rear electrode, increasing the short circuit current density (J{sub sc}). Furthermore, the interface dipoles make the band bending downward to increase the total barrier height of built-in electricmore » field of the solar cell, enhancing the open circuit voltage (V{sub oc}). The PEO solar cell exhibits an excellent performance, 12.29% power conversion efficiency, a 25.28% increase from the reference solar cell without a PEO interlayer. The simple and water soluble method as a promising alternative is used to develop the interfacial contact quality of the rear electrode for the high photovoltaic performance of Si-HSCs.« less

Tight-binding analysis of Si and GaAs ultrathin bodies with subatomic wave-function resolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Yaohua P.; Povolotskyi, Michael; Kubis, Tillmann; Boykin, Timothy B.; Klimeck, Gerhard

2015-08-01

Empirical tight-binding (ETB) methods are widely used in atomistic device simulations. Traditional ways of generating the ETB parameters rely on direct fitting to bulk experiments or theoretical electronic bands. However, ETB calculations based on existing parameters lead to unphysical results in ultrasmall structures like the As-terminated GaAs ultrathin bodies (UTBs). In this work, it is shown that more transferable ETB parameters with a short interaction range can be obtained by a process of mapping ab initio bands and wave functions to ETB models. This process enables the calibration of not only the ETB energy bands but also the ETB wave functions with corresponding ab initio calculations. Based on the mapping process, ETB models of Si and GaAs are parameterized with respect to hybrid functional calculations. Highly localized ETB basis functions are obtained. Both the ETB energy bands and wave functions with subatomic resolution of UTBs show good agreement with the corresponding hybrid functional calculations. The ETB methods can then be used to explain realistically extended devices in nonequilibrium that cannot be tackled with ab initio methods.

Interface-induced multiferroism by design in complex oxide superlattices

DOE PAGES

Guo, Hangwen; Wang, Zhen; Dong, Shuai; ...

2017-05-19

Interfaces between materials present unique opportunities for the discovery of intriguing quantum phenomena. Here, we explore the possibility that, in the case of superlattices, if one of the layers is made ultrathin, unexpected properties can be induced between the two bracketing interfaces. We pursue this objective by combining advanced growth and characterization techniques with theoretical calculations. Using prototype La 2/3Sr 1/3MnO 3 (LSMO)/BaTiO 3 (BTO) superlattices, we observe a structural evolution in the LSMO layers as a function of thickness. Atomic-resolution EM and spectroscopy reveal an unusual polar structure phase in ultrathin LSMO at a critical thickness caused by interfacingmore » with the adjacent BTO layers, which is confirmed by first principles calculations. Most important is the fact that this polar phase is accompanied by reemergent ferromagnetism, making this system a potential candidate for ultrathin ferroelectrics with ferromagnetic ordering. Monte Carlo simulations illustrate the important role of spin–lattice coupling in LSMO. These results open up a conceptually intriguing recipe for developing functional ultrathin materials via interface-induced spin–lattice coupling.« less

Investigation of interface property in Al/SiO2/ n-SiC structure with thin gate oxide by illumination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2017-04-01

The reverse tunneling current of Al/SiO2/ n-SiC structure employing thin gate oxide is introduced to examine the interface property by illumination. The gate current at negative bias decreases under blue LED illumination, yet increases under UV lamp illumination. Light-induced electrons captured by interface states may be emitted after the light sources are off, leading to the recovery of gate currents. Based on transient characteristics of gate current, the extracted trap level is close to the light energy for blue LED, indicating that electron capture induced by lighting may result in the reduction of gate current. Furthermore, bidirectional C- V measurements exhibit a positive voltage shift caused by electron trapping under blue LED illumination, while a negative voltage shift is observed under UV lamp illumination. Distinct trapping and detrapping behaviors can be observed from variations in I- V and C- V curves utilizing different light sources for 4H-SiC MOS capacitors with thin insulators.

(001) 3C SiC/Ni contact interface: In situ XPS observation of annealing induced Ni2Si formation and the resulting barrier height changes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tengeler, Sven; Kaiser, Bernhard; Chaussende, Didier; Jaegermann, Wolfram

2017-04-01

The electronic states of the (001) 3C SiC/Ni interface prior and post annealing are investigated via an in situ XPS interface experiment, allowing direct observation of the induced band bending and the transformation from Schottky to ohmic behaviour for the first time. A single domain (001) 3C SiC sample was prepared via wet chemical etching. Nickel was deposited on the sample in multiple in situ deposition steps via RF sputtering, allowing observation of the 3C SiC/Ni interface formation. Over the course of the experiments, an upward band bending of 0.35 eV was observed, along with defect induced Fermi level pinning. This indicates a Schottky type contact behaviour with a barrier height of 0.41 eV. The subsequent annealing at 850 °C for 5 min resulted in the formation of a Ni2Si layer and a reversal of the band bending to 0.06 eV downward. Thus explaining the ohmic contact behaviour frequently reported for annealed n-type 3C SiC/Ni contacts.

Isolated Spin Qubits in SiC with a High-Fidelity Infrared Spin-to-Photon Interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christle, David J.; Klimov, Paul V.; de las Casas, Charles F.; Szász, Krisztián; Ivády, Viktor; Jokubavicius, Valdas; Ul Hassan, Jawad; Syväjärvi, Mikael; Koehl, William F.; Ohshima, Takeshi; Son, Nguyen T.; Janzén, Erik; Gali, Ádám; Awschalom, David D.

2017-04-01

The divacancies in SiC are a family of paramagnetic defects that show promise for quantum communication technologies due to their long-lived electron spin coherence and their optical addressability at near-telecom wavelengths. Nonetheless, a high-fidelity spin-photon interface, which is a crucial prerequisite for such technologies, has not yet been demonstrated. Here, we demonstrate that such an interface exists in isolated divacancies in epitaxial films of 3C-SiC and 4H-SiC. Our data show that divacancies in 4H-SiC have minimal undesirable spin mixing, and that the optical linewidths in our current sample are already similar to those of recent remote entanglement demonstrations in other systems. Moreover, we find that 3C-SiC divacancies have a millisecond Hahn-echo spin coherence time, which is among the longest measured in a naturally isotopic solid. The presence of defects with these properties in a commercial semiconductor that can be heteroepitaxially grown as a thin film on Si shows promise for future quantum networks based on SiC defects.

Surface and Interface Study of PdCr/SiC Schottky Diode Gas Sensor Annealed at 425 C

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, Liang-Yu; Hunter, Gary W.; Neudeck, Philip G.; Knight, Dak

1998-01-01

The surface and interface properties of Pd(sub 0.9)Cr(sub 0.1/SiC Schottky diode gas sensor both before and after annealing are investigated using Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS). At room temperature the alloy reacted with SiC and formed Pd(sub x)Si only in a very narrow interfacial region. After annealing for 250 hours at 425 deg. C, the surface of the Schottky contact area has much less silicon and carbon contamination than that found on the surface of an annealed Pd/SiC structure. Pd(sub x)Si formed at a broadened interface after annealing, but a significant layer of alloy film is still free of silicon and carbon. The chromium concentration with respect to palladium is quite uniform down to the deep interface region. A stable catalytic surface and a clean layer of Pd(sub 0.9)Cr(sub 0.1) film are likely responsible for significantly improved device sensitivity.

Surface and Interface Properties of PdCr/SiC Schottky Diode Gas Sensor Annealed at 425 C

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, Liang-Yu; Hunter, Gary W.; Neudeck, Philip G.; Knight, Dak

1998-01-01

The surface and interface properties of Pd(0.9,)Cr(0.1)/SiC Schottky diode gas sensors both before and after annealing are investigated using Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). At room temperature the alloy reacted with SiC and formed Pd,Si only in a very narrow interfacial region. After annealing for 250 h ,It 425 C, the surface of the Schottky contact area his much less silicon and carbon contamination than that found on the surface of an annealed Pd/SiC structure. Palladium silicides (Pd(x)Si) formed at a broadened interface after annealing, but a significant layer of alloy film is still free of silicon and carbon. The chromium concentration with respect to palladium is quite uniform down to the deep interface region. A stable catalytic surface and a clean layer of Pd(0.9)Cr(0.1) film are likely responsible for significantly improved device sensitivity.

Surface and Interface Properties of PdCr/SiC Schottky Diode Gas Sensor Annealed at 425 C

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, Liang-Yu; Hunter, Gary W.; Neudeck, Philip G.; Knight, Dak

1998-01-01

The surface and interface properties of Pd(0.9)Cr(0.1)/SiC Schottky diode gas sensors both before and after annealing are investigated using Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS). At room temperature the alloy reacted with SiC and formed Pd(x)Si only in a very narrow interfacial region. After annealing for 250 hours at 425 C, the surface of the Schottky contact area has much less silicon and carbon contamination than that found on the surface of an annealed Pd/SiC structure. Palladium silicides (Pd(x)Si) formed at a broadened interface after annealing, but a significant layer of alloy film is still free of silicon and carbon. The chromium concentration with respect to palladium is quite uniform down to the deep interface region. A stable catalytic surface and a clean layer of Pd(0.9)Cr(0.1) film are likely responsible for significantly improved device sensitivity.

Electrically detected magnetic resonance of carbon dangling bonds at the Si-face 4H-SiC/SiO2 interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gruber, G.; Cottom, J.; Meszaros, R.; Koch, M.; Pobegen, G.; Aichinger, T.; Peters, D.; Hadley, P.

2018-04-01

SiC based metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) have gained a significant importance in power electronics applications. However, electrically active defects at the SiC/SiO2 interface degrade the ideal behavior of the devices. The relevant microscopic defects can be identified by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) or electrically detected magnetic resonance (EDMR). This helps to decide which changes to the fabrication process will likely lead to further increases of device performance and reliability. EDMR measurements have shown very similar dominant hyperfine (HF) spectra in differently processed MOSFETs although some discrepancies were observed in the measured g-factors. Here, the HF spectra measured of different SiC MOSFETs are compared, and it is argued that the same dominant defect is present in all devices. A comparison of the data with simulated spectra of the C dangling bond (PbC) center and the silicon vacancy (VSi) demonstrates that the PbC center is a more suitable candidate to explain the observed HF spectra.

Water at Interfaces.

PubMed

Björneholm, Olle; Hansen, Martin H; Hodgson, Andrew; Liu, Li-Min; Limmer, David T; Michaelides, Angelos; Pedevilla, Philipp; Rossmeisl, Jan; Shen, Huaze; Tocci, Gabriele; Tyrode, Eric; Walz, Marie-Madeleine; Werner, Josephina; Bluhm, Hendrik

2016-07-13

The interfaces of neat water and aqueous solutions play a prominent role in many technological processes and in the environment. Examples of aqueous interfaces are ultrathin water films that cover most hydrophilic surfaces under ambient relative humidities, the liquid/solid interface which drives many electrochemical reactions, and the liquid/vapor interface, which governs the uptake and release of trace gases by the oceans and cloud droplets. In this article we review some of the recent experimental and theoretical advances in our knowledge of the properties of aqueous interfaces and discuss open questions and gaps in our understanding.

A high-resolution core-level photoemission study of the Au/4H-SiC(0001)-([Formula: see text]) interface.

PubMed

Stoltz, D; Stoltz, S E; Johansson, L S O

2007-07-04

We present a systematic study of different reconstructions obtained after deposition of Au on the [Formula: see text]-4H-SiC(0001) surface. For 1-2 monolayers (ML) Au and annealing temperature T(anneal)∼675 °C, a 3 × 3 reconstruction was observed. For 4 ML Au and T(anneal)∼650 °C, a [Formula: see text] reconstruction appeared, while 5 ML Au annealed at 700 °C reconstructed to give a [Formula: see text] pattern. From the Si 2p and Au 4f core-level components, we propose interface models, depending on the amount of Au on the surface and the annealing temperature. For 1-4 ML Au annealed at 650-675 °C, gold diffuses under the topmost Si into the SiC and forms a silicide. An additional Si component in our Si 2p spectra is related to the interface between the silicide and SiC. For 5 ML Au annealed at 700 °C, silicide is also formed at the surface, covering unreacted Au on top of the SiC substrate. The interface Si component is also observed in the Si 2p spectra of this surface. The key role in [Formula: see text]-4H-SiC(0001) interface formation is played by diffusion and the silicon-richness of the surface.

Interface thermal resistance of nanostructured FeCoCu film and Si substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nikolaenko, Yuri M.; Medvedev, Yuri V.; Genenko, Yuri A.; Ghafari, Mohammad; Hahn, Horst

2006-05-01

Results of measurement of thermal resistance (RFS ) of film substrate interface of 10 nm (Fe1-x Cox )1-y Cuy film on Si substrate with 50 nm SiO2 sublayer are presented. The estimated magnitude is two orders greater then RFS of epitaxial manganite films on StTiO3 substrate with and without sublayer. The significant increase of RFS is explained by granular structure of film with average size of grain about 10 nm. In this case the additional thermal barier in the film-substrate interface is appeared. It provides the change of regime of phonons propagation from ballistic to diffusion one. The principle possibility of variation of RFS in wide range as a task of nanotechnology is discussed.

Doped Si nanoparticles with conformal carbon coating and cyclized-polyacrylonitrile network as high-capacity and high-rate lithium-ion battery anodes.

PubMed

Xie, Ming; Piper, Daniela Molina; Tian, Miao; Clancey, Joel; George, Steven M; Lee, Se-Hee; Zhou, Yun

2015-09-11

Doped Si nanoparticles (SiNPs) with conformal carbon coating and cyclized-polyacrylonitrile (PAN) network displayed capacities of 3500 and 3000 mAh g(-1) at C/20 and C/10, respectively. At 1 C, the electrode preserves a specific discharge capacity of ∼1500 mAh g(-1) for at least 60 cycles without decay. Al2O3 atomic layer deposition (ALD) helps improve the initial Coulombic efficiency (CE) to 85%. The dual coating of conformal carbon and cyclized-PAN help alleviate volume change and facilitate charge transfer. Ultra-thin Al2O3 ALD layers help form a stable solid electrolyte interphase interface.

Arrays of ultrathin silicon solar microcells

DOEpatents

Rogers, John A.; Rockett, Angus A.; Nuzzo, Ralph; Yoon, Jongseung; Baca, Alfred

2015-08-11

Provided are solar cells, photovoltaics and related methods for making solar cells, wherein the solar cell is made of ultrathin solar grade or low quality silicon. In an aspect, the invention is a method of making a solar cell by providing a solar cell substrate having a receiving surface and assembling a printable semiconductor element on the receiving surface of the substrate via contact printing. The semiconductor element has a thickness that is less than or equal to 100 .mu.m and, for example, is made from low grade Si.

Arrays of ultrathin silicon solar microcells

DOEpatents

Rogers, John A; Rockett, Angus A; Nuzzo, Ralph; Yoon, Jongseung; Baca, Alfred

2014-03-25

Provided are solar cells, photovoltaics and related methods for making solar cells, wherein the solar cell is made of ultrathin solar grade or low quality silicon. In an aspect, the invention is a method of making a solar cell by providing a solar cell substrate having a receiving surface and assembling a printable semiconductor element on the receiving surface of the substrate via contact printing. The semiconductor element has a thickness that is less than or equal to 100 .mu.m and, for example, is made from low grade Si.

Highly efficient ultrathin-film amorphous silicon solar cells on top of imprinted periodic nanodot arrays

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

Yan, Wensheng, E-mail: yws118@gmail.com; Gu, Min, E-mail: mgu@swin.edu.au; Tao, Zhikuo

2015-03-02

The addressing of the light absorption and conversion efficiency is critical to the ultrathin-film hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) solar cells. We systematically investigate ultrathin a-Si:H solar cells with a 100 nm absorber on top of imprinted hexagonal nanodot arrays. Experimental evidences are demonstrated for not only notable silver nanodot arrays but also lower-cost ITO and Al:ZnO nanodot arrays. The measured external quantum efficiency is explained by the simulation results. The J{sub sc} values are 12.1, 13.0, and 14.3 mA/cm{sup 2} and efficiencies are 6.6%, 7.5%, and 8.3% for ITO, Al:ZnO, and silver nanodot arrays, respectively. Simulated optical absorption distribution shows high lightmore » trapping within amorphous silicon layer.« less

Theoretical prediction of a self-forming gallium oxide layer at an n-type GaN/SiO2 interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chokawa, Kenta; Narita, Tetsuo; Kikuta, Daigo; Kachi, Tetsu; Shiozaki, Koji; Shiraishi, Kenji

2018-03-01

We examine the energy band diagram at the n-type GaN (n-GaN)/SiO2 interface and show that electron transfer from n-GaN to SiO2 leads to the formation of negatively charged oxygen vacancies in the SiO2, resulting in the self-formation of an n-GaN/Ga2O3/SiO2 structure. On the other hand, it is difficult to automatically form Ga2O3 at a p-type GaN (p-GaN)/SiO2 interface. This electron-transfer-induced self-formation of Ga2O3 causes an interface dipole, which leads to band bending, resulting in an increase in the conduction band offset between GaN and SiO2. Accordingly, by using this self-forming phenomenon, GaN MOSFETs with lower leakage current can be realized.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2018-01-01

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

Sustainable Interfaces between Si Anodes and Garnet Electrolytes for Room-Temperature Solid-State Batteries.

PubMed

Chen, Cheng; Li, Quan; Li, Yiqiu; Cui, Zhonghui; Guo, Xiangxin; Li, Hong

2018-01-17

Solid-state batteries (SSBs) have seen a resurgence of research interests in recent years for their potential to offer high energy density and excellent safety far beyond current commercialized lithium-ion batteries. The compatibility of Si anodes and Ta-doped Li 7 La 3 Zr 2 O 12 (Li 6.4 La 3 Zr 1.4 Ta 0.6 O 12 , LLZTO) solid electrolytes and the stability of the Si anode have been investigated. It is found that Si layer anodes thinner than 180 nm can maintain good contact with the LLZTO plate electrolytes, leading the Li/LLZTO/Si cells to exhibit excellent cycling performance with a capacity retention over 85% after 100 cycles. As the Si layer thickness is increased to larger than 300 nm, the capacity retention of Li/LLZTO/Si cells becomes 77% after 100 cycles. When the thickness is close to 900 nm, the cells can cycle only for a limited number of times because of the destructive volume change at the interfaces. Because of the sustainable Si/LLZTO interfaces with the Si layer anodes with a thickness of 180 nm, full cells with the LiFePO 4 cathodes show discharge capacities of 120 mA h g -1 for LiFePO 4 and 2200 mA h g -1 for the Si anodes at room temperature. They cycle 100 times with a capacity retention of 72%. These results indicate that the combination between the Si anodes and the garnet electrolytes is a promising strategy for constructing high-performance SSBs.

SFG analysis of the molecular structures at the surfaces and buried interfaces of PECVD ultralow-dielectric constant pSiCOH

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xiaoxian; Myers, John N.; Huang, Huai; Shobha, Hosadurga; Chen, Zhan; Grill, Alfred

2016-02-01

PECVD deposited porous SiCOH with ultralow dielectric constant has been successfully integrated as the insulator in advanced interconnects to decrease the RC delay. The effects of NH3 plasma treatment and the effectiveness of the dielectric repair on molecular structures at the surface and buried interface of a pSiCOH film deposited on top of a SiCNH film on a Si wafer were fully characterized using sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy (SFG), supplemented by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. After exposure to NH3 plasma for 18 s, about 40% of the methyl groups were removed from the pSiCOH surface, and the average orientation of surface methyl groups tilted more towards the surface. The repair method used here effectively repaired the molecular structures at the pSiCOH surface but did not totally recover the entire plasma-damaged layer. Additionally, simulated SFG spectra with various average orientations of methyl groups at the SiCNH/pSiCOH buried interface were compared with the experimental SFG spectra collected using three different laser input angles to determine the molecular structural information at the SiCNH/pSiCOH buried interface after NH3 plasma treatment and repair. The molecular structures including the coverage and the average orientation of methyl groups at the buried interface were found to be unchanged by NH3 plasma treatment and repair.

Light Coupling and Trapping in Ultrathin Cu(In,Ga)Se2 Solar Cells Using Dielectric Scattering Patterns.

PubMed

van Lare, Claire; Yin, Guanchao; Polman, Albert; Schmid, Martina

2015-10-27

We experimentally demonstrate photocurrent enhancement in ultrathin Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGSe) solar cells with absorber layers of 460 nm by nanoscale dielectric light scattering patterns printed by substrate conformal imprint lithography. We show that patterning the front side of the device with TiO2 nanoparticle arrays results in a small photocurrent enhancement in almost the entire 400-1200 nm spectral range due to enhanced light coupling into the cell. Three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain simulations are in good agreement with external quantum efficiency measurements. Patterning the Mo/CIGSe back interface using SiO2 nanoparticles leads to strongly enhanced light trapping, increasing the efficiency from 11.1% for a flat to 12.3% for a patterned cell. Simulations show that optimizing the array geometry could further improve light trapping. Including nanoparticles at the Mo/CIGSe interface leads to substantially reduced parasitic absorption in the Mo back contact. Parasitic absorption in the back contact can be further reduced by fabricating CIGSe cells on top of a SiO2-patterned In2O3:Sn (ITO) back contact. Simulations show that these semitransparent cells have similar spectrally averaged reflection and absorption in the CIGSe active layer as a Mo-based patterned cell, demonstrating that the absorption losses in the Mo can be partially turned into transmission through the semitransparent geometry.

Interface Trap Profiles in 4H- and 6H-SiC MOS Capacitors with Nitrogen- and Phosphorus-Doped Gate Oxides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiao, C.; Ahyi, A. C.; Dhar, S.; Morisette, D.; Myers-Ward, R.

2017-04-01

We report results on the interface trap density ( D it) of 4H- and 6H-SiC metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitors with different interface chemistries. In addition to pure dry oxidation, we studied interfaces formed by annealing thermal oxides in NO or POCl3. The D it profiles, determined by the C- ψ s method, show that, although the as-oxidized 4H-SiC/SiO2 interface has a much higher D it profile than 6H-SiC/SiO2, after postoxidation annealing (POA), both polytypes maintain comparable D it near the conduction band edge for the gate oxides incorporated with nitrogen or phosphorus. Unlike most conventional C- V- or G- ω-based methods, the C- ψ s method is not limited by the maximum probe frequency, therefore taking into account the "fast traps" detected in previous work on 4H-SiC. The results indicate that such fast traps exist near the band edge of 6H-SiC also. For both polytypes, we show that the total interface trap density ( N it) integrated from the C- ψ s method is several times that obtained from the high-low method. The results suggest that the detected fast traps have a detrimental effect on electron transport in metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) channels.

Static and low frequency noise characterization of ultra-thin body InAs MOSFETs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karatsori, T. A.; Pastorek, M.; Theodorou, C. G.; Fadjie, A.; Wichmann, N.; Desplanque, L.; Wallart, X.; Bollaert, S.; Dimitriadis, C. A.; Ghibaudo, G.

2018-05-01

A complete static and low frequency noise characterization of ultra-thin body InAs MOSFETs is presented. Characterization techniques, such as the well-known Y-function method established for Si MOSFETs, are applied in order to extract the electrical parameters and study the behavior of these research grade devices. Additionally, the Lambert-W function parameter extraction methodology valid from weak to strong inversion is also used in order to verify its applicability in these experimental level devices. Moreover, a low-frequency noise characterization of the UTB InAs MOSFETs is presented, revealing carrier trapping/detrapping in slow oxide traps and remote Coulomb scattering as origin of 1/f noise, which allowed for the extraction of the oxide trap areal density. Finally, Lorentzian-like noise is also observed in the sub-micron area devices and attributed to both Random Telegraph Noise from oxide individual traps and g-r noise from the semiconductor interface.

Effect of hydration of sugar groups on adsorption of Quillaja bark saponin at air/water and Si/water interfaces.

PubMed

Wojciechowski, Kamil; Orczyk, Marta; Marcinkowski, Kuba; Kobiela, Tomasz; Trapp, Marcus; Gutberlet, Thomas; Geue, Thomas

2014-05-01

Adsorption of a natural glycoside surfactant Quillaja bark saponin ("QBS", Sigma Aldrich 84510) was studied at the air/water and Si/water interfaces using a combination of surface pressure (SP), surface dilatational rheology, neutron reflectivity (NR), Infra-Red Attenuated Total Reflection Spectroscopy (IR ATR) and Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM). The adsorbed layers formed at the air/water interface are predominantly elastic, with the dilatational surface storage modulus reaching the maximum value of E'=184 mN/m. The NR results point to a strong hydration of the adsorbed layers (about 65% hydration, corresponding to about 60 molecules of water per one QBS molecule), most likely related to the presence of multiple sugar groups constituting the glycone part of the QBS molecules. With a layer thickness of 19 Å, the adsorbed amount obtained from NR seems largely underestimated in comparison to the value obtained from the surface tension isotherm. While this high extent of hydration does not prevent formation of dense and highly elastic layers at the air-water surface, QBS adsorption at the Si/water interface is much weaker. The adsorption isotherm of QBS on Si obtained from the QCM study reflects much lower affinity of highly hydrated and negatively charged saponin molecules to the Si/water interface. We postulate that at the air/water interface, QBS adsorbs through the triterpene aglycone moiety. In contrast, weak hydrogen bonding between the glycone part and the surface silanol groups of Si is responsible for QBS adsorption on more polar Si/water interface. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Exploitation of a Self-limiting Process for Reproducible Formation of Ultrathin Ni(1-x)Pt(x) Silicide Films

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

Z Zhang; B Yang; Y Zhu

This letter reports on a process scheme to obtain highly reproducible Ni{sub 1-x}Pt{sub x} silicide films of 3-6 nm thickness formed on a Si(100) substrate. Such ultrathin silicide films are readily attained by sputter deposition of metal films, metal stripping in wet chemicals, and final silicidation by rapid thermal processing. This process sequence warrants an invariant amount of metal intermixed with Si in the substrate surface region independent of the initial metal thickness, thereby leading to a self-limiting formation of ultrathin silicide films. The crystallographic structure, thickness, uniformity, and morphological stability of the final silicide films depend sensitively on themore » initial Pt fraction.« less

New ultrathin film heterostructure for low-e application by sputtering technique: a theoretical and experimental study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruíz-Robles, M. A.; Abundiz-Cisneros, N.; Bender-Pérez, C. E.; Gutiérrez-Lazos, C. D.; Fundora-Cruz, A.; Solís-Pomar, F.; Pérez-Tijerina, E.

2018-03-01

The design and optical characterization by UV–vis transmittance of ultrathin low-emissivity (low-e) windows by reactive sputtering are reported. Two heterostructures on a glass substrate were considered for the low-e windows. The first heterostructure is Si3N4/TiO2/ZnO/Ag/SnO2/Si3N4 and the second is Si3N4/Ag/Si3N4. The transmittance and reflectance of these heterostructures were simulated to determine the required thickness of each layer. The first heterostructure exhibited maximum transmittance of 85% at 550 nm, slightly higher than the one determined by simulation and less than 50% transmittance in the near-infrared region (900 nm). The second heterostructure exhibited transmittance greater than 86% at 550 nm and <50% transmittance in the near-infrared region. In addition, we found that the bandwidth and maximum position of the transmittance depend on the Si3N4 layer thickness. Specifically, the thickness of the first Si3N4 layer allows the modulation of the transmittance bandwidth and the thickness of the second Si3N4 layer allows the modulation of the maximum position. The low-e windows were protected by the deposition of an ultrathin film of NiCr alloy (Ni 80%, Cr 20%) that preserved the optical characteristics and decreased the maximum of the transmittance only by 3%.

Theory of Interface States at Silicon / Transition - - Silicide Interfaces.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lim, Hunhwa

The Si/NiSi(,2)(111) interface is of both fundamental and techno- logical interest: From the fundamental point of view, it is the best characterized of all semiconductor/metal interfaces, with two well-determined geometries (A and B) involving nearly perfect bonding. (This is because Si and NiSi(,2) have nearly the same lattice spacing.) Consequently, a theoretical treatment of this system makes sense--as it would not for messier systems--and one can have some confidence that the theoretical predictions are relevant to experimental observa- tions. From the technological point of view, Si/NiSi(,2) is representative of the class of semiconductor/metal interfaces that are currently of greatest interest in regard to electronic devices--Si/transition -metal-silicide interfaces. The calculations of this dissertation are for the intrinsic interface states of Si/NiSi(,2)-A geometry. These calculations also provide a foundation for later studies of defects at this interface, and for studies of other related systems, such as CoSi(,2). The calculations employ empirical tight-binding Hamiltonians for both Si and NiSi(,2) (with the parameters fitted to prior calculations of the bulk band structures, which appear to be in agreement with the available experimental data on bulk Si and NiSi(,2)). They also employ Green's function techniques--in particular, the subspace Hamiltonian technique. Our principal results are the following: (1) Interface state disper- sion curves are predicted along the symmetry lines (')(GAMMA)(')M, (')M(')K and (')K(')(GAMMA) of the surface Brillouin zone. (2) A prominent band of interface states is found which disperses downward from an energy within the Si band gap to an energy below the Si valence band edge E(,(upsilon)) as the planar wavevector (')k increases from (')(GAMMA) ((')k = 0) to (')M or (')K (symmetry points at boundary of the surface Brillouin zone). This band of inter- face states should be observable. It produces a peak in the surface

Ultra-thin g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} nanosheets wrapped silicon nanowire array for improved chemical stability and enhanced photoresponse

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

Wang, Beibei; Yu, Hongtao; Quan, Xie, E-mail: quanxie@dlut.edu.cn

2014-11-15

Highlights: • g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4}, as an oxygen free and metal free protective material for Si, was proposed. • g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} nanosheets wrapped Si nanowire array was synthesized. • SiNW/g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} exhibited enhancement of photoelectrochemical stability and photocurrent. - Abstract: In order to inhibit the oxidation of Si materials in aqueous solution, Si nanowire array was wrapped by ultra-thin g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} nanosheets via an electrophoresis process. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy images showed that g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} nanosheets were evenly distributed on the surface of Si nanowire array. X-ray diffraction patterns indicated that Si nanowiremore » array/g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} nanosheets were composed of Si (4 0 0 crystal plane) and g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} (0 0 2 and 1 0 0 crystal planes). The cyclic voltammetry curves revealed that the corrosion of Si nanowire array was restrained under the protection of g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} nanosheets. Furthermore, the photocurrent density of Si nanowire array/g-C{sub 3}N{sub 4} nanosheets increased by nearly 3 times compared to that of bare Si nanowire array due to the effective charge separation caused by the built-in electric field at the interface. This work will facilitate the applications of Si materials in aqueous solution, such as solar energy harvest and photocatalytic pollution control.« less

Layered host-guest long-afterglow ultrathin nanosheets: high-efficiency phosphorescence energy transfer at 2D confined interface.

PubMed

Gao, Rui; Yan, Dongpeng

2017-01-01

Tuning and optimizing the efficiency of light energy transfer play an important role in meeting modern challenges of minimizing energy loss and developing high-performance optoelectronic materials. However, attempts to fabricate systems giving highly efficient energy transfer between luminescent donor and acceptor have achieved limited success to date. Herein, we present a strategy towards phosphorescence energy transfer at a 2D orderly crystalline interface. We first show that new ultrathin nanosheet materials giving long-afterglow luminescence can be obtained by assembling aromatic guests into a layered double hydroxide host. Furthermore, we demonstrate that co-assembly of these long-lived energy donors with an energy acceptor in the same host generates an ordered arrangement of phosphorescent donor-acceptor pairs spatially confined within the 2D nanogallery, which affords energy transfer efficiency as high as 99.7%. Therefore, this work offers an alternative route to develop new types of long-afterglow nanohybrids and efficient light transfer systems with potential energy, illumination and sensor applications.

1D Co2.18Ni0.82Si2O5(OH)4 architectures assembled by ultrathin nanoflakes for high-performance flexible solid-state asymmetric supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Junhong; Zheng, Mingbo; Run, Zhen; Xia, Jing; Sun, Mengjun; Pang, Huan

2015-07-01

1D Co2.18Ni0.82Si2O5(OH)4 architectures assembled by ultrathin nanoflakes are synthesized for the first time by a hydrothermal method. We present a self-reacting template method to synthesize 1D Co2.18Ni0.82Si2O5(OH)4 architectures using Ni(SO4)0.3(OH)1.4 nanobelts. A high-performance flexible asymmetric solid-state supercapacitor can be successfully fabricated based on the 1D Co2.18Ni0.82Si2O5(OH)4 architectures and graphene nanosheets. Interestingly, the as-assembled 1D Co2.18Ni0.82Si2O5(OH)4 architectures//Graphene nanosheets asymmetric solid-state supercapacitor can achieve a maximum energy density of 0.496 mWh cm-3, which is higher than most of reported solid state supercapacitors. Additionally, the device shows high cycle stability for 10,000 cycles. These features make the 1D Co2.18Ni0.82Si2O5(OH)4 architectures as one of the most promising candidates for high-performance energy storage devices.

Application of high-quality SiO2 grown by multipolar ECR source to Si/SiGe MISFET

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sung, K. T.; Li, W. Q.; Li, S. H.; Pang, S. W.; Bhattacharya, P. K.

1993-01-01

A 5 nm-thick SiO2 gate was grown on an Si(p+)/Si(0.8)Ge(0.2) modulation-doped heterostructure at 26 C with an oxygen plasma generated by a multipolar electron cyclotron resonance source. The ultrathin oxide has breakdown field above 12 MV/cm and fixed charge density about 3 x 10 exp 10/sq cm. Leakage current as low as 1/micro-A was obtained with the gate biased at 4 V. The MISFET with 0.25 x 25 sq m gate shows maximum drain current of 41.6 mA/mm and peak transconductance of 21 mS/mm.

An Ultrathin Nanoporous Membrane Evaporator.

PubMed

Lu, Zhengmao; Wilke, Kyle L; Preston, Daniel J; Kinefuchi, Ikuya; Chang-Davidson, Elizabeth; Wang, Evelyn N

2017-10-11

Evaporation is a ubiquitous phenomenon found in nature and widely used in industry. Yet a fundamental understanding of interfacial transport during evaporation remains limited to date owing to the difficulty of characterizing the heat and mass transfer at the interface, especially at high heat fluxes (>100 W/cm 2 ). In this work, we elucidated evaporation into an air ambient with an ultrathin (≈200 nm thick) nanoporous (≈130 nm pore diameter) membrane. With our evaporator design, we accurately monitored the temperature of the liquid-vapor interface, reduced the thermal-fluidic transport resistance, and mitigated the clogging risk associated with contamination. At a steady state, we demonstrated heat fluxes of ≈500 W/cm 2 across the interface over a total evaporation area of 0.20 mm 2 . In the high flux regime, we showed the importance of convective transport caused by evaporation itself and that Fick's first law of diffusion no longer applies. This work improves our fundamental understanding of evaporation and paves the way for high flux phase-change devices.

Atomic insight into tribochemical wear mechanism of silicon at the Si/SiO2 interface in aqueous environment: Molecular dynamics simulations using ReaxFF reactive force field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wen, Jialin; Ma, Tianbao; Zhang, Weiwei; Psofogiannakis, George; van Duin, Adri C. T.; Chen, Lei; Qian, Linmao; Hu, Yuanzhong; Lu, Xinchun

2016-12-01

In this work, the atomic mechanism of tribochemical wear of silicon at the Si/SiO2 interface in aqueous environment was investigated using ReaxFF molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Two types of Si atom removal pathways were detected in the wear process. The first is caused by the destruction of stretched Si-O-Si bonds on the Si substrate surface and is assisted by the attachment of H atoms on the bridging oxygen atoms of the bonds. The other is caused by the rupture of Si-Si bonds in the stretched Si-Si-O-Si bond chains at the interface. Both pathways effectively remove Si atoms from the silicon surface via interfacial Si-O-Si bridge bonds. Our simulations also demonstrate that higher pressures applied to the silica phase can cause more Si atoms to be removed due to the formation of increased numbers of interfacial Si-O-Si bridge bonds. Besides, water plays a dual role in the wear mechanism, by oxidizing the Si substrate surface as well as by preventing the close contact of the surfaces. This work shows that the removal of Si atoms from the substrate is a result of both chemical reaction and mechanical effects and contributes to the understanding of tribochemical wear behavior in the microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and Si chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process.

Dielectric discontinuity at interfaces in the atomic-scale limit: permittivity of ultrathin oxide films on silicon.

PubMed

Giustino, Feliciano; Umari, Paolo; Pasquarello, Alfredo

2003-12-31

Using a density-functional approach, we study the dielectric permittivity across interfaces at the atomic scale. Focusing on the static and high-frequency permittivities of SiO2 films on silicon, for oxide thicknesses from 12 A down to the atomic scale, we find a departure from bulk values in accord with experiment. A classical three-layer model accounts for the calculated permittivities and is supported by the microscopic polarization profile across the interface. The local screening varies on length scales corresponding to first-neighbor distances, indicating that the dielectric transition is governed by the chemical grading. Silicon-induced gap states are shown to play a minor role.

Flexible interfaces between Si anodes and composite electrolytes consisting of poly(propylene carbonates) and garnets for solid-state batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huo, Hanyu; Sun, Jiyang; chen, Cheng; Meng, Xianglu; He, Minghui; Zhao, Ning; Guo, Xiangxin

2018-04-01

Flexible interfaces between Si anodes and composite electrolytes consisting of poly(propylene carbonates) (PPCs) and garnets have been fabricated. The solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) of PPC/garnet/LiTFSI show the conductivity of 4.2 × 10-4 S cm-1 at room temperature. Their combination with the Si layer anodes allows great alleviation of internal stress resulting from the large volume variation during lithiation and delithiation process of Si anodes. As a result, the Si/SPE/Li cells exhibit 2520 mAh g-1, 2260 mAh g-1, 1902 mAh g-1, 1342 mAh g-1 at 0.1 C, 0.2 C, 0.5 C, and 1 C, respectively. Furthermore, with such compatible and stable interfaces of Si/SPE and the LiFePO4 cathodes in solid-state batteries, the specific capacity of 2296 mAh g-1 in terms of Si is obtained, which remains 82.6% after 100 cycles at room temperature and 0.1 C. The results here indicate that constructing of flexible interfaces between Si anodes and SPEs is a promising strategy to develop high performance solid-state batteries.

Flexural resonance mechanism of thermal transport across graphene-SiO2 interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ong, Zhun-Yong; Qiu, Bo; Xu, Shanglong; Ruan, Xiulin; Pop, Eric

2018-03-01

Understanding the microscopic mechanism of heat dissipation at the dimensionally mismatched interface between a two-dimensional (2D) crystal and its substrate is crucial for the thermal management of devices based on 2D materials. Here, we study the lattice contribution to thermal (Kapitza) transport at graphene-SiO2 interfaces using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and non-equilibrium Green's functions (NEGF). We find that 78 percent of the Kapitza conductance is due to sub-20 THz flexural acoustic modes, and that a resonance mechanism dominates the interfacial phonon transport. MD and NEGF estimate the classical Kapitza conductance to be hK ≈ 10 to 16 MW K-1 m-2 at 300 K, respectively, consistent with existing experimental observations. Taking into account quantum mechanical corrections, this value is approximately 28% lower at 300 K. Our calculations also suggest that hK scales as T2 at low temperatures (T < 100 K) due to the linear frequency dependence of phonon transmission across the graphene-SiO2 interface at low frequencies. Our study sheds light on the role of flexural acoustic phonons in heat dissipation from graphene to its substrate.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2018-02-01

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

Ultra-thin, light-trapping silicon solar cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Landis, Geoffrey A.

1989-01-01

Design concepts for ultra-thin (2 to 10 microns) high efficiency single-crystal silicon cells are discussed. Light trapping allows more light to be absorbed at a given thickness, or allows thinner cells of a given Jsc. Extremely thin cells require low surface recombination velocity at both surfaces, including the ohmic contacts. Reduction of surface recombination by growth of heterojunctions of ZnS and GaP on Si has been demonstrated. The effects of these improvements on AM0 efficiency is shown. The peak efficiency increases, and the optimum thickness decreases. Cells under 10 microns thickness can retain almost optimum power. The increase of absorptance due to light trapping is considered. This is not a problem if the light-trapping cells are sufficiently thin. Ultra-thin cells have high radiation tolerance. A 2 microns thick light-trapping cell remains over 18 percent efficient after the equivalent of 20 years in geosynchronous orbit. Including a 50 microns thick coverglass, the thin cells had specific power after irradiation over ten times higher than the baseline design.

Realisation of magnetically and atomically abrupt half-metal/semiconductor interface: Co2FeSi0.5Al0.5/Ge(111)

PubMed Central

Nedelkoski, Zlatko; Kuerbanjiang, Balati; Glover, Stephanie E.; Sanchez, Ana M.; Kepaptsoglou, Demie; Ghasemi, Arsham; Burrows, Christopher W.; Yamada, Shinya; Hamaya, Kohei; Ramasse, Quentin M.; Hasnip, Philip J.; Hase, Thomas; Bell, Gavin R.; Hirohata, Atsufumi; Lazarov, Vlado K.

2016-01-01

Halfmetal-semiconductor interfaces are crucial for hybrid spintronic devices. Atomically sharp interfaces with high spin polarisation are required for efficient spin injection. In this work we show that thin film of half-metallic full Heusler alloy Co2FeSi0.5Al0.5 with uniform thickness and B2 ordering can form structurally abrupt interface with Ge(111). Atomic resolution energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy reveals that there is a small outdiffusion of Ge into specific atomic planes of the Co2FeSi0.5Al0.5 film, limited to a very narrow 1 nm interface region. First-principles calculations show that this selective outdiffusion along the Fe-Si/Al atomic planes does not change the magnetic moment of the film up to the very interface. Polarized neutron reflectivity, x-ray reflectivity and aberration-corrected electron microscopy confirm that this interface is both magnetically and structurally abrupt. Finally, using first-principles calculations we show that this experimentally realised interface structure, terminated by Co-Ge bonds, preserves the high spin polarization at the Co2FeSi0.5Al0.5/Ge interface, hence can be used as a model to study spin injection from half-metals into semiconductors. PMID:27869132

Effects of Interface Coating and Nitride Enhancing Additive on Properties of Hi-Nicalon SiC Fiber Reinforced Reaction-Bonded Silicon Nitride Composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bhatt, Ramakrishana T.; Hull, David R.; Eldridge, Jeffrey I.; Babuder, Raymond

2000-01-01

Strong and tough Hi-Nicalon SiC fiber reinforced reaction-bonded silicon nitride matrix composites (SiC/ RBSN) have been fabricated by the fiber lay-up approach. Commercially available uncoated and PBN, PBN/Si-rich PBN, and BN/SiC coated SiC Hi-Nicalon fiber tows were used as reinforcement. The composites contained approximately 24 vol % of aligned 14 micron diameter SiC fibers in a porous RBSN matrix. Both one- and two-dimensional composites were characterized. The effects of interface coating composition, and the nitridation enhancing additive, NiO, on the room temperature physical, tensile, and interfacial shear strength properties of SiC/RBSN matrix composites were evaluated. Results indicate that for all three coated fibers, the thickness of the coatings decreased from the outer periphery to the interior of the tows, and that from 10 to 30 percent of the fibers were not covered with the interface coating. In the uncoated regions, chemical reaction between the NiO additive and the SiC fiber occurs causing degradation of tensile properties of the composites. Among the three interface coating combinations investigated, the BN/SiC coated Hi-Nicalon SiC fiber reinforced RBSN matrix composite showed the least amount of uncoated regions and reasonably uniform interface coating thickness. The matrix cracking stress in SiC/RBSN composites was predicted using a fracture mechanics based crack bridging model.

Ultrathin Shape Change Smart Materials.

PubMed

Xu, Weinan; Kwok, Kam Sang; Gracias, David H

2018-02-20

With the discovery of graphene, significant research has focused on the synthesis, characterization, and applications of ultrathin materials. Graphene has also brought into focus other ultrathin materials composed of organics, polymers, inorganics, and their hybrids. Together, these ultrathin materials have unique properties of broad significance. For example, ultrathin materials have a large surface area and high flexibility which can enhance conformal contact in wearables and sensors leading to improved sensitivity. When porous, the short transverse diffusion length in these materials allows rapid mass transport. Alternatively, when impermeable, these materials behave as an ultrathin barrier. Such controlled permeability is critical in the design of encapsulation and drug delivery systems. Finally, ultrathin materials often feature defect-free and single-crystal-like two-dimensional atomic structures resulting in superior mechanical, optical, and electrical properties. A unique property of ultrathin materials is their low bending rigidity, which suggests that they could easily be bent, curved, or folded into 3D shapes. In this Account, we review the emerging field of 2D to 3D shape transformations of ultrathin materials. We broadly define ultrathin to include materials with a thickness below 100 nm and composed of a range of organic, inorganic, and hybrid compositions. This topic is important for both fundamental and applied reasons. Fundamentally, bending and curving of ultrathin films can cause atomistic and molecular strain which can alter their physical and chemical properties and lead to new 3D forms of matter which behave very differently from their planar precursors. Shape change can also lead to new 3D architectures with significantly smaller form factors. For example, 3D ultrathin materials would occupy a smaller space in on-chip devices or could permeate through tortuous media which is important for miniaturized robots and smart dust applications. Our

Employing Si solar cell technology to increase efficiency of ultra-thin Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells.

PubMed

Vermang, Bart; Wätjen, Jörn Timo; Fjällström, Viktor; Rostvall, Fredrik; Edoff, Marika; Kotipalli, Ratan; Henry, Frederic; Flandre, Denis

2014-10-01

Reducing absorber layer thickness below 500 nm in regular Cu(In,Ga)Se 2 (CIGS) solar cells decreases cell efficiency considerably, as both short-circuit current and open-circuit voltage are reduced because of incomplete absorption and high Mo/CIGS rear interface recombination. In this work, an innovative rear cell design is developed to avoid both effects: a highly reflective rear surface passivation layer with nano-sized local point contact openings is employed to enhance rear internal reflection and decrease the rear surface recombination velocity significantly, as compared with a standard Mo/CIGS rear interface. The formation of nano-sphere shaped precipitates in chemical bath deposition of CdS is used to generate nano-sized point contact openings. Evaporation of MgF 2 coated with a thin atomic layer deposited Al 2 O 3 layer, or direct current magnetron sputtering of Al 2 O 3 are used as rear surface passivation layers. Rear internal reflection is enhanced substantially by the increased thickness of the passivation layer, and also the rear surface recombination velocity is reduced at the Al 2 O 3 /CIGS rear interface. (MgF 2 /)Al 2 O 3 rear surface passivated ultra-thin CIGS solar cells are fabricated, showing an increase in short circuit current and open circuit voltage compared to unpassivated reference cells with equivalent CIGS thickness. Accordingly, average solar cell efficiencies of 13.5% are realized for 385 nm thick CIGS absorber layers, compared with 9.1% efficiency for the corresponding unpassivated reference cells.

Employing Si solar cell technology to increase efficiency of ultra-thin Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells

PubMed Central

Vermang, Bart; Wätjen, Jörn Timo; Fjällström, Viktor; Rostvall, Fredrik; Edoff, Marika; Kotipalli, Ratan; Henry, Frederic; Flandre, Denis

2014-01-01

Reducing absorber layer thickness below 500 nm in regular Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) solar cells decreases cell efficiency considerably, as both short-circuit current and open-circuit voltage are reduced because of incomplete absorption and high Mo/CIGS rear interface recombination. In this work, an innovative rear cell design is developed to avoid both effects: a highly reflective rear surface passivation layer with nano-sized local point contact openings is employed to enhance rear internal reflection and decrease the rear surface recombination velocity significantly, as compared with a standard Mo/CIGS rear interface. The formation of nano-sphere shaped precipitates in chemical bath deposition of CdS is used to generate nano-sized point contact openings. Evaporation of MgF2 coated with a thin atomic layer deposited Al2O3 layer, or direct current magnetron sputtering of Al2O3 are used as rear surface passivation layers. Rear internal reflection is enhanced substantially by the increased thickness of the passivation layer, and also the rear surface recombination velocity is reduced at the Al2O3/CIGS rear interface. (MgF2/)Al2O3 rear surface passivated ultra-thin CIGS solar cells are fabricated, showing an increase in short circuit current and open circuit voltage compared to unpassivated reference cells with equivalent CIGS thickness. Accordingly, average solar cell efficiencies of 13.5% are realized for 385 nm thick CIGS absorber layers, compared with 9.1% efficiency for the corresponding unpassivated reference cells. PMID:26300619

Mechanisms of the micro-crack generation in an ultra-thin AlN/GaN superlattice structure grown on Si(110) substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

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

Shen, X. Q., E-mail: xq-shen@aist.go.jp; Takahashi, T.; Ide, T.

2015-09-28

We investigate the generation mechanisms of micro-cracks (MCs) in an ultra-thin AlN/GaN superlattice (SL) structure grown on Si(110) substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. The SL is intended to be used as an interlayer (IL) for relaxing tensile stress and obtaining high-quality crack-free GaN grown on Si substrates. It is found that the MCs can be generated by two different mechanisms, where large mismatches of the lattice constant (LC) and the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) play key roles in the issue. Different MC configurations (low-density and high-density MCs) are observed, which are considered to be formed during the differentmore » growth stages (SL growth and cooling down processes) due to the LC and the CTE effects. In-situ and ex-situ experimental results support the mechanism interpretations of the MCs generation. The mechanism understanding makes it possible to optimize the SL IL structure for growing high-quality crack-free GaN films on Si substrates for optical and electronic device applications.« less

Stress analysis of ultra-thin silicon chip-on-foil electronic assembly under bending

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wacker, Nicoleta; Richter, Harald; Hoang, Tu; Gazdzicki, Pawel; Schulze, Mathias; Angelopoulos, Evangelos A.; Hassan, Mahadi-Ul; Burghartz, Joachim N.

2014-09-01

In this paper we investigate the bending-induced uniaxial stress at the top of ultra-thin (thickness \\leqslant 20 μm) single-crystal silicon (Si) chips adhesively attached with the aid of an epoxy glue to soft polymeric substrate through combined theoretical and experimental methods. Stress is first determined analytically and numerically using dedicated models. The theoretical results are validated experimentally through piezoresistive measurements performed on complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) transistors built on specially designed chips, and through micro-Raman spectroscopy investigation. Stress analysis of strained ultra-thin chips with CMOS circuitry is crucial, not only for the accurate evaluation of the piezoresistive behavior of the built-in devices and circuits, but also for reliability and deformability analysis. The results reveal an uneven bending-induced stress distribution at the top of the Si-chip that decreases from the central area towards the chip's edges along the bending direction, and increases towards the other edges. Near these edges, stress can reach very high values, facilitating the emergence of cracks causing ultimate chip failure.

Engineering epitaxial γ-Al2O3 gate dielectric films on 4H-SiC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanner, Carey M.; Toney, Michael F.; Lu, Jun; Blom, Hans-Olof; Sawkar-Mathur, Monica; Tafesse, Melat A.; Chang, Jane P.

2007-11-01

The formation of epitaxial γ-Al2O3 thin films on 4H-SiC was found to be strongly dependent on the film thickness. An abrupt interface was observed in films up to 200 Å thick with an epitaxial relationship of γ-Al2O3(111)‖4H-SiC(0001) and γ-Al2O3(44¯0)‖4H-SiC(112¯0). The in-plane alignment between the film and the substrate is nearly complete for γ-Al2O3 films up to 115 Å thick, but quickly diminishes in thicker films. The films are found to be slightly strained laterally in tension; the strain increases with thickness and then decreases in films thicker than 200 Å, indicating strain relaxation which is accompanied by increased misorientation. By controlling the structure of ultrathin Al2O3 films, metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors with Al2O3 gate dielectrics on 4H-SiC were found to have a very low leakage current density, suggesting suitability of Al2O3 for SiC device integration.

Visualizing buried silicon atoms at the Cd-Si(111)-7 ×7 interface with localized electrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tao, Min-Long; Xiao, Hua-Fang; Sun, Kai; Tu, Yu-Bing; Yuan, Hong-Kuan; Xiong, Zu-Hong; Wang, Jun-Zhong; Xue, Qi-Kun

2017-09-01

We report the atomic-scale imaging of the buried Cd-Si(111)-7 ×7 interface with a low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The Cd(0001) films grown on Si(111)-7 ×7 reveal the electronic growth mode, and manifest a series of quantum-well states. In the low-bias STM images, not only the 7 ×7 reconstruction but also individual Si adatoms buried by thick Cd islands are clearly visible. The two successive layers of Cd islands exhibit the distinct contrasts due to the quantum size effect. Moreover, we found a small gap appeared at Fermi level owing to the Anderson localization induced by interface scattering. The perfect transparency of Cd films can be attributed to the anisotropic electron motion, i.e., lateral electron localization and transverse motion like free-electron.

Ultrathin Nanocrystalline Diamond Films with Silicon Vacancy Color Centers via Seeding by 2 nm Detonation Nanodiamonds.

PubMed

Stehlik, Stepan; Varga, Marian; Stenclova, Pavla; Ondic, Lukas; Ledinsky, Martin; Pangrac, Jiri; Vanek, Ondrej; Lipov, Jan; Kromka, Alexander; Rezek, Bohuslav

2017-11-08

Color centers in diamonds have shown excellent potential for applications in quantum information processing, photonics, and biology. Here we report chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth of nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) films as thin as 5-6 nm with photoluminescence (PL) from silicon-vacancy (SiV) centers at 739 nm. Instead of conventional 4-6 nm detonation nanodiamonds (DNDs), we prepared and employed hydrogenated 2 nm DNDs (zeta potential = +36 mV) to form extremely dense (∼1.3 × 10 13 cm -2 ), thin (2 ± 1 nm), and smooth (RMS roughness < 0.8 nm) nucleation layers on an Si/SiO x substrate, which enabled the CVD growth of such ultrathin NCD films in two different and complementary microwave (MW) CVD systems: (i) focused MW plasma with an ellipsoidal cavity resonator and (ii) pulsed MW plasma with a linear antenna arrangement. Analytical ultracentrifuge, infrared and Raman spectroscopies, atomic force microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy are used for detailed characterization of the 2 nm H-DNDs and the nucleation layer as well as the ultrathin NCD films. We also demonstrate on/off switching of the SiV center PL in the NCD films thinner than 10 nm, which is achieved by changing their surface chemistry.

Near interface traps in SiO{sub 2}/4H-SiC metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors monitored by temperature dependent gate current transient measurements

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

Fiorenza, Patrick; La Magna, Antonino; Vivona, Marilena

This letter reports on the impact of gate oxide trapping states on the conduction mechanisms in SiO{sub 2}/4H-SiC metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs). The phenomena were studied by gate current transient measurements, performed on n-channel MOSFETs operated in “gate-controlled-diode” configuration. The measurements revealed an anomalous non-steady conduction under negative bias (V{sub G} > |20 V|) through the SiO{sub 2}/4H-SiC interface. The phenomenon was explained by the coexistence of a electron variable range hopping and a hole Fowler-Nordheim (FN) tunnelling. A semi-empirical modified FN model with a time-depended electric field is used to estimate the near interface traps in the gate oxide (N{sub trap} ∼ 2 × 10{supmore » 11} cm{sup −2}).« less

The role of chemical structure on the magnetic and electronic properties of Co{sub 2}FeAl{sub 0.5}Si{sub 0.5}/Si(111) interface

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

Kuerbanjiang, Balati; Nedelkoski, Zlatko; Ghasemi, Arsham

2016-04-25

We show that Co{sub 2}FeAl{sub 0.5}Si{sub 0.5} film deposited on Si(111) has a single crystal structure and twin related epitaxial relationship with the substrate. Sub-nanometer electron energy loss spectroscopy shows that in a narrow interface region there is a mutual inter-diffusion dominated by Si and Co. Atomic resolution aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy reveals that the film has B2 ordering. The film lattice structure is unaltered even at the interface due to the substitutional nature of the intermixing. First-principles calculations performed using structural models based on the aberration corrected electron microscopy show that the increased Si incorporation in the filmmore » leads to a gradual decrease of the magnetic moment as well as significant spin-polarization reduction. These effects can have significant detrimental role on the spin injection from the Co{sub 2}FeAl{sub 0.5}Si{sub 0.5} film into the Si substrate, besides the structural integrity of this junction.« less

Synthesis of nanocrystalline α - Zn 2SiO 4 at ZnO-porous silicon interface: Phase transition study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, R. G.; Singh, Fouran; Mehra, R. M.; Kanjilal, D.; Agarwal, V.

2011-05-01

Thermal annealing induced formation of nanocrystalline Zinc silicate (α-Zn 2SiO 4) at the interface of ZnO-porous silicon (PSi) nanocomposites is reported. The PSi templates were formed by electrochemical anodization of p-type (100) Si and ZnO crystallites were deposited on the PSi surface by a Sol-gel spin coating process. The formation of α-Zn 2SiO 4 is confirmed by glancing angle X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy studies. The presence of intense yellow-green emission also confirms the formation of α-Zn 2SiO 4. The mechanism of silicate phase formation at the ZnO-PSi interface and the origin of various photoluminescence (PL) bands are discussed in view of its potential applications in advanced optoelectronic devices.

A Chemical and Structural Study of the A1N-Si Interface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

George, T.; Beye, R.

1997-01-01

Samples of A1N grown on silicon [111] subtrates were examined using electron enery loss spectroscopy (EELS) and selected area diffraction (SAD) with high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to determine the source of out-of-place tilts and in-plane rotations of the A1N crystallites at the Si interface.

Band alignments at Ga2O3 heterojunction interfaces with Si and Ge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gibbon, J. T.; Jones, L.; Roberts, J. W.; Althobaiti, M.; Chalker, P. R.; Mitrovic, Ivona Z.; Dhanak, V. R.

2018-06-01

Amorphous Ga2O3 thin films were deposited on p-type (111) and (100) surfaces of silicon and (100) germanium by atomic layer deposition (ALD). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to investigate the band alignments at the interfaces using the Kraut Method. The valence band offsets were determined to be 3.49± 0.08 eV and 3.47± 0.08 eV with Si(111) and Si(100) respectively and 3.51eV± 0.08 eV with Ge(100). Inverse photoemission spectroscopy (IPES) was used to investigate the conduction band of a thick Ga2O3 film and the band gap of the film was determined to be 4.63±0.14 eV. The conduction band offsets were found to be 0.03 eV and 0.05eV with Si(111) and Si(100) respectively, and 0.45eV with Ge(100). The results indicate that the heterojunctions of Ga2O3 with Si(100), Si(111) and Ge(100) are all type I heterojunctions.

Interface-state density estimation of n-type nanocrystalline FeSi2/p-type Si heterojunctions fabricated by pulsed laser deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nopparuchikun, Adison; Promros, Nathaporn; Sittimart, Phongsaphak; Onsee, Peeradon; Duangrawa, Asanlaya; Teakchaicum, Sakmongkon; Nogami, Tomohiro; Yoshitake, Tsuyoshi

2017-09-01

By utilizing pulsed laser deposition (PLD), heterojunctions comprised of n-type nanocrystalline (NC) FeSi2 thin films and p-type Si substrates were fabricated at room temperature in this study. Both dark and illuminated current density-voltage (J-V) curves for the heterojunctions were measured and analyzed at room temperature. The heterojunctions demonstrated a large reverse leakage current as well as a weak near-infrared light response. Based on the analysis of the dark forward J-V curves, at the V value  ⩽  0.2 V, we show that a carrier recombination process was governed at the heterojunction interface. When the V value was  >  0.2 V, the probable mechanism of carrier transportation was a space-charge limited-current process. Both the measurement and analysis for capacitance-voltage-frequency (C-V-f ) and conductance-voltage-frequency (G-V-f ) curves were performed in the applied frequency (f ) range of 50 kHz-2 MHz at room temperature. From the C-V-f and G-V-f curves, the density of interface states (N ss) for the heterojunctions was computed by using the Hill-Coleman method. The N ss values were 9.19  ×  1012 eV-1 cm-2 at 2 MHz and 3.15  ×  1014 eV-1 cm-2 at 50 kHz, which proved the existence of interface states at the heterojunction interface. These interface states are the probable cause of the degraded electrical performance in the heterojunctions. Invited talk at 5th Thailand International Nanotechnology Conference (Nano Thailand-2016), 27-29 November 2016, Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.

Crystal orientation induced spin Rabi beat oscillations of point defects at the c-Si(111)/ SiO 2 interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paik, Seoyoung; Lee, Sang-Yun; Boehme, Christoph

2011-03-01

Spin-dependent electronic transitions such as certain charge carrier recombination and transport processes in semiconductors are usually governed by the Pauli blockade within pairs of two paramagnetic centers. One implication of this is that the manipulation of spin states, e.g. by magnetic resonant excitation, can produce changes to electric currents of the given semiconductor material. If both spins are changed at the same time, quantum beat effects such as beat oscillation between resonantly induced spin Rabi nutation becomes detectable through current measurements. Here, we report on electrically detected spin Rabi beat oscillation caused by pairs of 31 P donor states and Pb interface defects at the phosphorous doped Si(111)/ Si O2 interface. Due to the g-factor anisotropy of the Pb center we can tune the intra pair Larmor frequency difference (so called Larmor separation) through orientation of the sample with regard to the external magnetic field. As the Larmor separation governs the spin Rabi beat oscillation, we show experimentally how the crystal orientation can influence the beat effect.

Characterization of SiO2/SiC interface states and channel mobility from MOSFET characteristics including variable-range hopping at cryogenic temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshioka, Hironori; Hirata, Kazuto

2018-04-01

The characteristics of SiC MOSFETs (drain current vs. gate voltage) were measured at 0.14-350 K and analyzed considering variable-range hopping conduction through interface states. The total interface state density was determined to be 5.4×1012 cm-2 from the additional shift in the threshold gate voltage with a temperature change. The wave-function size of interface states was determined from the temperature dependence of the measured hopping current and was comparable to the theoretical value. The channel mobility was approximately 100 cm2V-1s-1 and was almost independent of temperature.

Disorder-controlled superconductivity at YBa2Cu3O7/SrTiO3 interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia-Barriocanal, J.; Perez-Muñoz, A. M.; Sefrioui, Z.; Arias, D.; Varela, M.; Leon, C.; Pennycook, S. J.; Santamaria, J.

2013-06-01

We examine the effect of interface disorder in suppressing superconductivity in coherently grown ultrathin YBa2Cu3O7 (YBCO) layers on SrTiO3 (STO) in YBCO/STO superlattices. The termination plane of the STO is TiO2 and the CuO chains are missing at the interface. Disorder (steps) at the STO interface cause alterations of the stacking sequence of the intracell YBCO atomic layers. Stacking faults give rise to antiphase boundaries which break the continuity of the CuO2 planes and depress superconductivity. We show that superconductivity is directly controlled by interface disorder outlining the importance of pair breaking and localization by disorder in ultrathin layers.

Temperature dependent relaxation of interface-states in graphene on SiO2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Anil Kumar; Gupta, Anjan Kumar

2018-04-01

We have studied the evolution of resistance relaxation with temperature in graphene field effect transistor on SiO2. At room temperature, piranha-cleaned-SiO2 devices show slow resistance relaxation while IPA-cleaned-SiO2 devices do not. With cooling the former devices show a decrease in magnitude and time constant of the slow relaxation and it becomes negligible at 250K. Relaxation study at elevated temperature of the IPA-cleaned devices show a gate voltage polarity dependent time constant with respect to the charge neutrality point but it remains almost independent of temperature. The magnitude of relaxation increases with temperature. Further, after annealing at elevated temperature, we found that the relaxation times become independent of gate voltage polarity and its magnitude becomes very small. These observations are discussed using increase in diffusion of interface-species with temperature.

Band line-up determination at p- and n-type Al/4H-SiC Schottky interfaces using photoemission spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohlscheen, J.; Emirov, Y. N.; Beerbom, M. M.; Wolan, J. T.; Saddow, S. E.; Chung, G.; MacMillan, M. F.; Schlaf, R.

2003-09-01

The band lineup of p- and n-type 4H-SiC/Al interfaces was determined using x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS). Al was deposited in situ on ex situ cleaned SiC substrates in several steps starting at 1.2 Å up to 238 Å nominal film thickness. Before growth and after each growth step, the sample surface was characterized in situ by XPS. The analysis of the spectral shifts indicated that during the initial deposition stages the Al films react with the ambient surface contamination layer present on the samples after insertion into vacuum. At higher coverage metallic Al clusters are formed. The band lineups were determined from the analysis of the core level peak shifts and the positions of the valence bands maxima (VBM) depending on the Al overlayer thickness. Shifts of the Si 2p and C 1s XPS core levels occurred to higher (lower) binding energy for the p-(n-)type substrates, which was attributed to the occurrence of band bending due to Fermi-level equilibration at the interface. The hole injection barrier at the p-type interface was determined to be 1.83±0.1 eV, while the n-type interface revealed an electron injection barrier of 0.98±0.1 eV. Due to the weak features in the SiC valence bands measured by XPS, the VBM positions were determined using the Si 2p peak positions. This procedure required the determination of the Si 2p-to-VBM binding energy difference (99.34 eV), which was obtained from additional measurements.

Interface engineering of high-Mg-content MgZnO/BeO/Si for p-n heterojunction solar-blind ultraviolet photodetectors

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

Liang, H. L.; Mei, Z. X.; Zhang, Q. H.

2011-05-30

High-quality wurtzite MgZnO film was deposited on Si(111) substrate via a delicate interface engineering using BeO, by which solar-blind ultraviolet photodetectors were fabricated on the n-MgZnO(0001)/p-Si(111) heterojunction. A thin Be layer was deposited on clean Si surface with subsequent in situ oxidation processes, which provides an excellent template for high-Mg-content MgZnO growth. The interface controlling significantly improves the device performance, as the photodetector demonstrates a sharp cutoff wavelength at 280 nm, consistent with the optical band gap of the epilayer. Our experimental results promise potential applications of this technique in integration of solar-blind ultraviolet optoelectronic device with Si microelectronic technologies.

Ge nanocrystals embedded in ultrathin Si3N4 multilayers with SiO2 barriers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bahariqushchi, R.; Gundogdu, Sinan; Aydinli, A.

2017-04-01

Multilayers of germanium nanocrystals (NCs) embedded in thin films of silicon nitride matrix separated with SiO2 barriers have been fabricated using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). SiGeN/SiO2 alternating bilayers have been grown on quartz and Si substrates followed by post annealing in Ar ambient from 600 to 900 °C. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) as well as Raman spectroscopy show good crystallinity of Ge confined to SiGeN layers in samples annealed at 900 °C. Strong compressive stress for SiGeN/SiO2 structures were observed through Raman spectroscopy. Size, as well as NC-NC distance were controlled along the growth direction for multilayer samples by varying the thickness of bilayers. Visible photoluminescence (PL) at 2.3 and 3.1 eV with NC size dependent intensity is observed and possible origin of PL is discussed.

Nano-Photonic Structures for Light Trapping in Ultra-Thin Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells

PubMed Central

Pathi, Prathap; Peer, Akshit; Biswas, Rana

2017-01-01

Thick wafer-silicon is the dominant solar cell technology. It is of great interest to develop ultra-thin solar cells that can reduce materials usage, but still achieve acceptable performance and high solar absorption. Accordingly, we developed a highly absorbing ultra-thin crystalline Si based solar cell architecture using periodically patterned front and rear dielectric nanocone arrays which provide enhanced light trapping. The rear nanocones are embedded in a silver back reflector. In contrast to previous approaches, we utilize dielectric photonic crystals with a completely flat silicon absorber layer, providing expected high electronic quality and low carrier recombination. This architecture creates a dense mesh of wave-guided modes at near-infrared wavelengths in the absorber layer, generating enhanced absorption. For thin silicon (<2 μm) and 750 nm pitch arrays, scattering matrix simulations predict enhancements exceeding 90%. Absorption approaches the Lambertian limit at small thicknesses (<10 μm) and is slightly lower (by ~5%) at wafer-scale thicknesses. Parasitic losses are ~25% for ultra-thin (2 μm) silicon and just 1%–2% for thicker (>100 μm) cells. There is potential for 20 μm thick cells to provide 30 mA/cm2 photo-current and >20% efficiency. This architecture has great promise for ultra-thin silicon solar panels with reduced material utilization and enhanced light-trapping. PMID:28336851

Nano-photonic structures for light trapping in ultra-thin crystalline silicon solar cells

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

Pathi, Prathap; Peer, Akshit; Biswas, Rana

Thick wafer-silicon is the dominant solar cell technology. It is of great interest to develop ultra-thin solar cells that can reduce materials usage, but still achieve acceptable performance and high solar absorption. Accordingly, we developed a highly absorbing ultra-thin crystalline Si based solar cell architecture using periodically patterned front and rear dielectric nanocone arrays which provide enhanced light trapping. The rear nanocones are embedded in a silver back reflector. In contrast to previous approaches, we utilize dielectric photonic crystals with a completely flat silicon absorber layer, providing expected high electronic quality and low carrier recombination. This architecture creates a densemore » mesh of wave-guided modes at near-infrared wavelengths in the absorber layer, generating enhanced absorption. For thin silicon (<2 μm) and 750 nm pitch arrays, scattering matrix simulations predict enhancements exceeding 90%. Absorption approaches the Lambertian limit at small thicknesses (<10 μm) and is slightly lower (by ~5%) at wafer-scale thicknesses. Parasitic losses are ~25% for ultra-thin (2 μm) silicon and just 1%–2% for thicker (>100 μm) cells. There is potential for 20 μm thick cells to provide 30 mA/cm2 photo-current and >20% efficiency. Furthermore, this architecture has great promise for ultra-thin silicon solar panels with reduced material utilization and enhanced light-trapping.« less

Nano-Photonic Structures for Light Trapping in Ultra-Thin Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells.

PubMed

Pathi, Prathap; Peer, Akshit; Biswas, Rana

2017-01-13

Thick wafer-silicon is the dominant solar cell technology. It is of great interest to develop ultra-thin solar cells that can reduce materials usage, but still achieve acceptable performance and high solar absorption. Accordingly, we developed a highly absorbing ultra-thin crystalline Si based solar cell architecture using periodically patterned front and rear dielectric nanocone arrays which provide enhanced light trapping. The rear nanocones are embedded in a silver back reflector. In contrast to previous approaches, we utilize dielectric photonic crystals with a completely flat silicon absorber layer, providing expected high electronic quality and low carrier recombination. This architecture creates a dense mesh of wave-guided modes at near-infrared wavelengths in the absorber layer, generating enhanced absorption. For thin silicon (<2 μm) and 750 nm pitch arrays, scattering matrix simulations predict enhancements exceeding 90%. Absorption approaches the Lambertian limit at small thicknesses (<10 μm) and is slightly lower (by ~5%) at wafer-scale thicknesses. Parasitic losses are ~25% for ultra-thin (2 μm) silicon and just 1%-2% for thicker (>100 μm) cells. There is potential for 20 μm thick cells to provide 30 mA/cm² photo-current and >20% efficiency. This architecture has great promise for ultra-thin silicon solar panels with reduced material utilization and enhanced light-trapping.

Nano-photonic structures for light trapping in ultra-thin crystalline silicon solar cells

DOE PAGES

Pathi, Prathap; Peer, Akshit; Biswas, Rana

2017-01-13

Thick wafer-silicon is the dominant solar cell technology. It is of great interest to develop ultra-thin solar cells that can reduce materials usage, but still achieve acceptable performance and high solar absorption. Accordingly, we developed a highly absorbing ultra-thin crystalline Si based solar cell architecture using periodically patterned front and rear dielectric nanocone arrays which provide enhanced light trapping. The rear nanocones are embedded in a silver back reflector. In contrast to previous approaches, we utilize dielectric photonic crystals with a completely flat silicon absorber layer, providing expected high electronic quality and low carrier recombination. This architecture creates a densemore » mesh of wave-guided modes at near-infrared wavelengths in the absorber layer, generating enhanced absorption. For thin silicon (<2 μm) and 750 nm pitch arrays, scattering matrix simulations predict enhancements exceeding 90%. Absorption approaches the Lambertian limit at small thicknesses (<10 μm) and is slightly lower (by ~5%) at wafer-scale thicknesses. Parasitic losses are ~25% for ultra-thin (2 μm) silicon and just 1%–2% for thicker (>100 μm) cells. There is potential for 20 μm thick cells to provide 30 mA/cm2 photo-current and >20% efficiency. Furthermore, this architecture has great promise for ultra-thin silicon solar panels with reduced material utilization and enhanced light-trapping.« less

Influence of annealing environment on the ALD-Al2O3/4H-SiC interface studied through XPS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Usman, Muhammad; Arshad, Muhammad; Saveda Suvanam, Sethu; Hallén, Anders

2018-03-01

The instability of Al2O3/4H-SiC interface at various process temperatures and ambient is investigated by the annealing of Al2O3/4H-SiC in low vacuum conditions as well as in N2 environments. Atomic layer deposited Al2O3 on a 4H-SiC substrate with 3, 6 and 10 nm of thicknesses is treated at 300, 500, 700 and 900 °C under the vacuum level of 10-1 torr. The as-deposited and annealed structures are analyzed using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It is hypothesized that the minute quantity of oxygen present in low vacuum conditions diffuses through thin layers of Al2O3 and helps in forming SiO2 at the interface even at low temperatures (i.e. 300 °C), which plays a pivotal role in determining the electrical properties of the interface. It is also proved that the absence of oxygen in the ambient prevents the formation of SiO2 at low temperatures. Additionally, it is observed that Al-OH is present in as-deposited layers, which gradually reduces after annealing. However, at around 700 °C, the concentration of oxygen in the whole structure increases to maximum and reduces at 900 °C.

Fabrication of poly-crystalline Si-based Mie resonators via amorphous Si on SiO2 dewetting.

PubMed

Naffouti, Meher; David, Thomas; Benkouider, Abdelmalek; Favre, Luc; Ronda, Antoine; Berbezier, Isabelle; Bidault, Sebastien; Bonod, Nicolas; Abbarchi, Marco

2016-02-07

We report the fabrication of Si-based dielectric Mie resonators via a low cost process based on solid-state dewetting of ultra-thin amorphous Si on SiO2. We investigate the dewetting dynamics of a few nanometer sized layers annealed at high temperature to form submicrometric Si-particles. Morphological and structural characterization reveal the polycrystalline nature of the semiconductor matrix as well as rather irregular morphologies of the dewetted islands. Optical dark field imaging and spectroscopy measurements of the single islands reveal pronounced resonant scattering at visible frequencies. The linewidth of the low-order modes can be ∼20 nm in full width at half maximum, leading to a quality factor Q exceeding 25. These values reach the state-of-the-art ones obtained for monocrystalline Mie resonators. The simplicity of the dewetting process and its cost-effectiveness opens the route to exploiting it over large scales for applications in silicon-based photonics.

Ultrathin Lutetium Oxide Film as an Epitaxial Hole-Blocking Layer for Crystalline Bismuth Vanadate Water Splitting Photoanodes

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Wenrui; Yan, Danhua; Tong, Xiao; ...

2018-01-08

Here a novel ultrathin lutetium oxide (Lu 2O 3) interlayer is integrated with crystalline bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) thin film photoanodes to facilitate carrier transport through atomic-scale interface control. The epitaxial Lu 2O 32O 3

Nanoscale charge transfer and diffusion at the MoS2/SiO2 interface by atomic force microscopy: contact injection versus triboelectrification.

PubMed

Xu, Rui; Ye, Shili; Xu, Kunqi; Lei, Le; Hussain, Sabir; Zheng, Zhiyue; Pang, Fei; Xing, Shuya; Liu, Xinmeng; Ji, Wei; Cheng, Zhihai

2018-08-31

Understanding the process of charge generation, transfer, and diffusion between two-dimensional (2D) materials and their supporting substrates is very important for potential applications of 2D materials. Compared with the systematic studies of triboelectric charging in a bulk sample, a fundamental understanding of the triboelectrification of the 2D material/insulator system is rather limited. Here, the charge transfer and diffusion of both the SiO 2 surface and MoS 2 /SiO 2 interface through contact electrification and frictional electrification are investigated systematically in situ by scanning Kelvin probe microscopy and dual-harmonic electrostatic force microscopy. Different from the simple static charge transfer between SiO 2 and the PtSi alloy atomic force microscope (AFM) tip, the charge transfer between the tip and the MoS 2 /SiO 2 system is complicated. Triboelectric charges, generated by contact or frictional electrification with the AFM tip, are trapped at the MoS 2 /SiO 2 interface and act as floating gates. The local charge discharge processes can be obtained by monitoring the surface potential. The charge decay time (τ) of the MoS 2 /SiO 2 interface is one (or two) orders of magnitude larger than the decay time τ of the SiO 2 surface. This work facilitates an understanding of the triboelectric and de-electrification of the interface between 2D materials and substrates. In addition to the charge transfer and diffusion, we demonstrate the nanopatterns of surface and interfacial charges, which have great potential for the application of self-assembly of charged nanostructures.

Thermal transport across metal silicide-silicon interfaces: An experimental comparison between epitaxial and nonepitaxial interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Ning; Feser, Joseph P.; Sadasivam, Sridhar; Fisher, Timothy S.; Wang, Tianshi; Ni, Chaoying; Janotti, Anderson

2017-02-01

Silicides are used extensively in nano- and microdevices due to their low electrical resistivity, low contact resistance to silicon, and their process compatibility. In this work, the thermal interface conductance of TiSi2, CoSi2, NiSi, and PtSi are studied using time-domain thermoreflectance. Exploiting the fact that most silicides formed on Si(111) substrates grow epitaxially, while most silicides on Si(100) do not, we study the effect of epitaxy, and show that for a wide variety of interfaces there is no dependence of interface conductance on the detailed structure of the interface. In particular, there is no difference in the thermal interface conductance between epitaxial and nonepitaxial silicide/silicon interfaces, nor between epitaxial interfaces with different interface orientations. While these silicide-based interfaces yield the highest reported interface conductances of any known interface with silicon, none of the interfaces studied are found to operate close to the phonon radiation limit, indicating that phonon transmission coefficients are nonunity in all cases and yet remain insensitive to interfacial structure. In the case of CoSi2, a comparison is made with detailed computational models using (1) full-dispersion diffuse mismatch modeling (DMM) including the effect of near-interfacial strain, and (2) an atomistic Green' function (AGF) approach that integrates near-interface changes in the interatomic force constants obtained through density functional perturbation theory. Above 100 K, the AGF approach significantly underpredicts interface conductance suggesting that energy transport does not occur purely by coherent transmission of phonons, even for epitaxial interfaces. The full-dispersion DMM closely predicts the experimentally observed interface conductances for CoSi2, NiSi, and TiSi2 interfaces, while it remains an open question whether inelastic scattering, cross-interfacial electron-phonon coupling, or other mechanisms could also account for

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

PubMed

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

2014-02-01

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

Formation of atomically smooth epitaxial metal films on a chemically reactive interface: Mg on Si(111)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Özer, Mustafa M.; Weitering, Hanno H.

2013-07-01

Deposition of Mg on Si(111)7 × 7 produces an epitaxial magnesium silicide layer. Under identical annealing conditions, the thickness of this Mg2Si(111) layer increases with deposition amount, reaching a maximum of 4 monolayer (ML) and decreasing to ˜3 ML at higher Mg coverage. Excess Mg coalesces into atomically flat, crystalline Mg(0001) films. This surprising growth mode can be attributed to the accidental commensurability of the Mg(0001), Si(111), and Mg2Si(111) interlayer spacing and the concurrent minimization of in-plane Si mass transfer and domain-wall energies. The commensurability of the interlayer spacing defines a highly unique solid-phase epitaxial growth process capable of producing trilayer structures with atomically abrupt interfaces and atomically smooth surface morphologies.

Defect-free erbium silicide formation using an ultrathin Ni interlayer.

PubMed

Choi, Juyun; Choi, Seongheum; Kang, Yu-Seon; Na, Sekwon; Lee, Hoo-Jeong; Cho, Mann-Ho; Kim, Hyoungsub

2014-08-27

An ultrathin Ni interlayer (∼1 nm) was introduced between a TaN-capped Er film and a Si substrate to prevent the formation of surface defects during thermal Er silicidation. A nickel silicide interfacial layer formed at low temperatures and incurred uniform nucleation and the growth of a subsequently formed erbium silicide film, effectively inhibiting the generation of recessed-type surface defects and improving the surface roughness. As a side effect, the complete transformation of Er to erbium silicide was somewhat delayed, and the electrical contact property at low annealing temperatures was dominated by the nickel silicide phase with a high Schottky barrier height. After high-temperature annealing, the early-formed interfacial layer interacted with the growing erbium silicide, presumably forming an erbium silicide-rich Er-Si-Ni mixture. As a result, the electrical contact property reverted to that of the low-resistive erbium silicide/Si contact case, which warrants a promising source/drain contact application for future high-performance metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors.

Signature of a highly spin polarized resonance state at Co2MnSi(0 0 1)/Ag(0 0 1) interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lidig, Christian; Minár, Jan; Braun, Jürgen; Ebert, Hubert; Gloskovskii, Andrei; Kronenberg, Alexander; Kläui, Mathias; Jourdan, Martin

2018-04-01

We investigated interfaces of halfmetallic Co2MnSi(1 0 0) Heusler thin films with Ag(1 0 0), Cr(1 0 0), Cu and Al layers relevant for spin valves by high energy x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (HAXPES). Experiments on Co2MnSi samples with an Ag(1 0 0) interface showed a characteristic spectral shoulder feature close to the Fermi edge, which is strongly diminished or suppressed at Co2MnSi (1 0 0) interfaces with the other metallic layers. This feature is found to be directly related to the Co2MnSi(1 0 0) layer, as reflected by control experiments with reference non-magnetic films, i.e. without the Heusler layer. By comparison with HAXPES calculations, the shoulder feature is identified as originating from an interface state related to a highly spin polarized surface resonance of Co2MnSi (1 0 0).

Oxidation of SiC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cooper, James A.

1997-03-01

SiC is a wide band gap hexagonal anisotropic semiconductor which is attractive for use in high voltage, high temperature, or high power applications. SiC is also the only compound semiconductor that can be thermally oxidized to form SiO_2, making it possible to construct many conventional MOS devices in this material. The electrical quality of the SiO_2/SiC interface is far from ideal, however, and considerable research is presently directed to understanding and improving this interface. Electrical characterization of the SiC MOS interface is complicated by the wide band gap, since most interface states are energetically too far removed from the conduction or valence bands to respond to electrical stimulation at room temperature. Moreover, very little information is yet available on the properties of the MOS interface on the 4H polytype of SiC (preferred because of it's higher bulk electron mobility) or on interfaces on crystalline surfaces perpendicular to the basal plane (where an equal number of Si and C atoms are present). Finally, electron mobilities in inversion layers on 4H-SiC reported to date are anomolously low, especially in consideration of the relatively high bulk mobilities in this polytype. In this talk we will discuss MOS characterization techniques for wide band gap semiconductors and review the current understanding of the physics of the MOS interface on thermally oxidized SiC.

Influence of interface layer preparation on the electrical and spectral characteristics of GaN/Si solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shugurov, K. U.; Mozharov, A. M.; Sapunov, G. A.; Fedorov, V. V.; Bolshakov, A. D.; Mukhin, I. S.

2018-03-01

Volt-ampere and spectral characteristics of GaN/Si solar cell samples differing in interface layer preparation are obtained and analyzed. External quantum efficiency curves are experimentally determined via excitation with a 532 nm incident radiation wavelength. It is demonstrated that interface preparation has a significant influence on photovoltaic characteristics of the studied samples.

Deciphering Molecular Mechanisms of Interface Buildup and Stability in Porous Si/Eumelanin Hybrids

PubMed Central

Pinna, Elisa; Melis, Claudio; Antidormi, Aleandro; Cardia, Roberto; Sechi, Elisa; Cappellini, Giancarlo; Colombo, Luciano

2017-01-01

Porous Si/eumelanin hybrids are a novel class of organic–inorganic hybrid materials that hold considerable promise for photovoltaic applications. Current progress toward device setup is, however, hindered by photocurrent stability issues, which require a detailed understanding of the mechanisms underlying the buildup and consolidation of the eumelanin–silicon interface. Herein we report an integrated experimental and computational study aimed at probing interface stability via surface modification and eumelanin manipulation, and at modeling the organic–inorganic interface via formation of a 5,6-dihydroxyindole (DHI) tetramer and its adhesion to silicon. The results indicated that mild silicon oxidation increases photocurrent stability via enhancement of the DHI–surface interaction, and that higher oxidation states in DHI oligomers create more favorable conditions for the efficient adhesion of growing eumelanin. PMID:28753933

Atomic layer deposition and post-growth thermal annealing of ultrathin MoO3 layers on silicon substrates: Formation of surface nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Hongfei; Yang, Ren Bin; Yang, Weifeng; Jin, Yunjiang; Lee, Coryl J. J.

2018-05-01

Ultrathin MoO3 layers have been grown on Si substrates at 120 °C by atomic layer deposition (ALD) using molybdenum hexacarbonyl [Mo(CO)6] and ozone (O3) as the Mo- and O-source precursors, respectively. The ultrathin films were further annealed in air at Tann = 550-750 °C for 15 min. Scanning-electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy have been employed to evaluate the morphological and elemental properties as well as their evolutions upon annealing of the thin films. They revealed an interfacial SiOx layer in between the MoO3 layer and the Si substrate; this SiOx layer converted into SiO2 during the annealing; and the equivalent thickness of the MoO3 (SiO2) layer decreased (increased) with the increase in Tann. Particles with diameters smaller than 50 nm emerged at Tann = 550 °C and their sizes (density) were reduced (increased) by increasing Tann to 650 °C. A further increase of Tann to 750 °C resulted in telephone-cord-like MoO3 structures, initiated from isolated particles on the surface. These observations have been discussed and interpreted based on temperature-dependent atomic interdiffusions, surface evaporations, and/or melting of MoO3, which shed new light on ALD MoO3 towards its electronic applications.

Plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy growth and effect of varying buffer thickness on the formation of ultra-thin In{sub 0.17}Al{sub 0.83}N/GaN heterostructure on Si(111)

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

Chowdhury, Subhra, E-mail: subhra1109@gmail.com; Biswas, Dhrubes; Department of E and E C E, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302

2015-02-23

This work reports on the detailed plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PAMBE) growth of ultra-thin In{sub 0.17}Al{sub 0.83}N/GaN heterostructures on Si(111) substrate with three different buffer thickness (600 nm, 400 nm, and 200 nm). Growth through critical optimization of growth conditions is followed by the investigation of impact of varying buffer thickness on the formation of ultra-thin 1.5 nm, In{sub 0.17}Al{sub 0.83}N–1.25 nm, GaN–1.5 nm, In{sub 0.17}Al{sub 0.83}N heterostructure, in terms of threading dislocation (TD) density. Analysis reveals a drastic reduction of TD density from the order 10{sup 10 }cm{sup −2} to 10{sup 8 }cm{sup −2} with increasing buffer thickness resulting smooth ultra-thin active region for thick buffer structure.more » Increasing strain with decreasing buffer thickness is studied through reciprocal space mapping analysis. Surface morphology through atomic force microscopy analysis also supports our study by observing an increase of pits and root mean square value (0.89 nm, 1.2 nm, and 1.45 nm) with decreasing buffer thickness which are resulted due to the internal strain and TDs.« less

Thickness-dependence of optical constants for Ta2O5 ultrathin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Dong-Xu; Zheng, Yu-Xiang; Cai, Qing-Yuan; Lin, Wei; Wu, Kang-Ning; Mao, Peng-Hui; Zhang, Rong-Jun; Zhao, Hai-bin; Chen, Liang-Yao

2012-09-01

An effective method for determining the optical constants of Ta2O5 thin films deposited on crystal silicon (c-Si) using spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) measurement with a two-film model (ambient-oxide-interlayer-substrate) was presented. Ta2O5 thin films with thickness range of 1-400 nm have been prepared by the electron beam evaporation (EBE) method. We find that the refractive indices of Ta2O5 ultrathin films less than 40 nm drop with the decreasing thickness, while the other ones are close to those of bulk Ta2O5. This phenomenon was due to the existence of an interfacial oxide region and the surface roughness of the film, which was confirmed by the measurement of atomic force microscopy (AFM). Optical properties of ultrathin film varying with the thickness are useful for the design and manufacture of nano-scaled thin-film devices.

Effect of Dielectric Interface on the Performance of MoS2 Transistors.

PubMed

Li, Xuefei; Xiong, Xiong; Li, Tiaoyang; Li, Sichao; Zhang, Zhenfeng; Wu, Yanqing

2017-12-27

Because of their wide bandgap and ultrathin body properties, two-dimensional materials are currently being pursued for next-generation electronic and optoelectronic applications. Although there have been increasing numbers of studies on improving the performance of MoS 2 field-effect transistors (FETs) using various methods, the dielectric interface, which plays a decisive role in determining the mobility, interface traps, and thermal transport of MoS 2 FETs, has not been well explored and understood. In this article, we present a comprehensive experimental study on the effect of high-k dielectrics on the performance of few-layer MoS 2 FETs from 300 to 4.3 K. Results show that Al 2 O 3 /HfO 2 could boost the mobility and drain current. Meanwhile, MoS 2 transistors with Al 2 O 3 /HfO 2 demonstrate a 2× reduction in oxide trap density compared to that of the devices with the conventional SiO 2 substrate. Also, we observe a negative differential resistance effect on the device with 1 μm-channel length when using conventional SiO 2 as the gate dielectric due to self-heating, and this is effectively eliminated by using the Al 2 O 3 /HfO 2 gate dielectric. This dielectric engineering provides a highly viable route to realizing high-performance transition metal dichalcogenide-based FETs.

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

PubMed

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

2017-05-24

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

Surface passivation investigation on ultra-thin atomic layer deposited aluminum oxide layers for their potential application to form tunnel layer passivated contacts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xin, Zheng; Ling, Zhi Peng; Nandakumar, Naomi; Kaur, Gurleen; Ke, Cangming; Liao, Baochen; Aberle, Armin G.; Stangl, Rolf

2017-08-01

The surface passivation performance of atomic layer deposited ultra-thin aluminium oxide layers with different thickness in the tunnel layer regime, i.e., ranging from one atomic cycle (∼0.13 nm) to 11 atomic cycles (∼1.5 nm) on n-type silicon wafers is studied. The effect of thickness and thermal activation on passivation performance is investigated with corona-voltage metrology to measure the interface defect density D it(E) and the total interface charge Q tot. Furthermore, the bonding configuration variation of the AlO x films under various post-deposition thermal activation conditions is analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Additionally, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrene sulfonate) is used as capping layer on ultra-thin AlO x tunneling layers to further reduce the surface recombination current density to values as low as 42 fA/cm2. This work is a useful reference for using ultra-thin ALD AlO x layers as tunnel layers in order to form hole selective passivated contacts for silicon solar cells.

Phonon Transport at Crystalline Si/Ge Interfaces: The Role of Interfacial Modes of Vibration

PubMed Central

Gordiz, Kiarash; Henry, Asegun

2016-01-01

We studied the modal contributions to heat conduction at crystalline Si and crystalline Ge interfaces and found that more than 15% of the interface conductance arises from less than 0.1% of the modes in the structure. Using the recently developed interface conductance modal analysis (ICMA) method along with a new complimentary methodology, we mapped the correlations between modes, which revealed that a small group of interfacial modes, which exist between 12–13 THz, exhibit extremely strong correlation with other modes in the system. It is found that these interfacial modes (e.g., modes with large eigen vectors for interfacial atoms) are enabled by the degree of anharmonicity near the interface, which is higher than in the bulk, and therefore allows this small group of modes to couple to all others. The analysis sheds light on the nature of localized vibrations at interfaces and can be enlightening for other investigations of localization. PMID:26979787

Ultra-thin alumina and silicon nitride MEMS fabricated membranes for the electron multiplication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prodanović, V.; Chan, H. W.; Graaf, H. V. D.; Sarro, P. M.

2018-04-01

In this paper we demonstrate the fabrication of large arrays of ultrathin freestanding membranes (tynodes) for application in a timed photon counter (TiPC), a novel photomultiplier for single electron detection. Low pressure chemical vapour deposited silicon nitride (Si x N y ) and atomic layer deposited alumina (Al2O3) with thicknesses down to only 5 nm are employed for the membrane fabrication. Detailed characterization of structural, mechanical and chemical properties of the utilized films is carried out for different process conditions and thicknesses. Furthermore, the performance of the tynodes is investigated in terms of secondary electron emission, a fundamental attribute that determines their applicability in TiPC. Studied features and presented fabrication methods may be of interest for other MEMS application of alumina and silicon nitride as well, in particular where strong ultra-thin membranes are required.

Preparation of ITO/SiOx/n-Si solar cells with non-decline potential field and hole tunneling by magnetron sputtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, H. W.; Yang, J.; Li, Y. H.; Xu, F.; Xu, J.; Ma, Z. Q.

2015-03-01

Complete photo-generated minority carrier's quantum tunneling device under AM1.5 illumination is fabricated by depositing tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) on n-type silicon to form a structure of ITO/SiOx/n-Si heterojunction. The work function difference between ITO and n-Si materials essentially acts as the origin of built-in-field. Basing on the measured value of internal potential (Vbi = 0.61 V) and high conversion efficiency (9.27%), we infer that this larger photo-generated holes tunneling occurs when a strong inversion layer at the c-Si surface appears. Also, the mixed electronic states in the ultra-thin intermediate region between ITO and n-Si play a defect-assisted tunneling.

Effect of water layer at the SiO2/graphene interface on pentacene morphology.

PubMed

Chhikara, Manisha; Pavlica, Egon; Matković, Aleksandar; Gajić, Radoš; Bratina, Gvido

2014-10-07

Atomic force microscopy has been used to examine early stages of pentacene growth on exfoliated single-layer graphene transferred to SiO2 substrates. We have observed 2D growth with mean height of 1.5 ± 0.2 nm on as-transferred graphene. Three-dimensional islands of pentacene with an average height of 11 ± 2 nm were observed on graphene that was annealed at 350 °C prior to pentacene growth. Compellingly similar 3D morphology has been observed on graphene transferred onto SiO2 that was treated with hexamethyldisilazane prior to the transfer of graphene. On multilayer graphene we have observed 2D growth, regardless of the treatment of SiO2. We interpret this behavior of pentacene molecules in terms of the influence of the dipolar field that emerges from the water monolayer at the graphene/SiO2 interface on the surface energy of graphene.

Modulating the Surface State of SiC to Control Carrier Transport in Graphene/SiC.

PubMed

Jia, Yuping; Sun, Xiaojuan; Shi, Zhiming; Jiang, Ke; Liu, Henan; Ben, Jianwei; Li, Dabing

2018-05-28

Silicon carbide (SiC) with epitaxial graphene (EG/SiC) shows a great potential in the applications of electronic and photoelectric devices. The performance of devices is primarily dependent on the interfacial heterojunction between graphene and SiC. Here, the band structure of the EG/SiC heterojunction is experimentally investigated by Kelvin probe force microscopy. The dependence of the barrier height at the EG/SiC heterojunction to the initial surface state of SiC is revealed. Both the barrier height and band bending tendency of the heterojunction can be modulated by controlling the surface state of SiC, leading to the tuned carrier transport behavior at the EG/SiC interface. The barrier height at the EG/SiC(000-1) interface is almost ten times that of the EG/SiC(0001) interface. As a result, the amount of carrier transport at the EG/SiC(000-1) interface is about ten times that of the EG/SiC(0001) interface. These results offer insights into the carrier transport behavior at the EG/SiC heterojunction by controlling the initial surface state of SiC, and this strategy can be extended in all devices with graphene as the top layer. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Electron tunneling through atomically flat and ultrathin hexagonal boron nitride

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Gwan-Hyoung; Yu, Young-Jun; Lee, Changgu; Dean, Cory; Shepard, Kenneth L.; Kim, Philip; Hone, James

2011-12-01

Electron tunneling through atomically flat and ultrathin hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) on gold-coated mica was investigated using conductive atomic force microscopy. Low-bias direct tunneling was observed in mono-, bi-, and tri-layer h-BN. For all thicknesses, Fowler-Nordheim tunneling (FNT) occurred at high bias, showing an increase of breakdown voltage with thickness. Based on the FNT model, the barrier height for tunneling (3.07 eV) and dielectric strength (7.94 MV/cm) of h-BN are obtained; these values are comparable to those of SiO2.

Ultrathin, transferred layers of thermally grown silicon dioxide as biofluid barriers for biointegrated flexible electronic systems.

PubMed

Fang, Hui; Zhao, Jianing; Yu, Ki Jun; Song, Enming; Farimani, Amir Barati; Chiang, Chia-Han; Jin, Xin; Xue, Yeguang; Xu, Dong; Du, Wenbo; Seo, Kyung Jin; Zhong, Yiding; Yang, Zijian; Won, Sang Min; Fang, Guanhua; Choi, Seo Woo; Chaudhuri, Santanu; Huang, Yonggang; Alam, Muhammad Ashraful; Viventi, Jonathan; Aluru, N R; Rogers, John A

2016-10-18

Materials that can serve as long-lived barriers to biofluids are essential to the development of any type of chronic electronic implant. Devices such as cardiac pacemakers and cochlear implants use bulk metal or ceramic packages as hermetic enclosures for the electronics. Emerging classes of flexible, biointegrated electronic systems demand similar levels of isolation from biofluids but with thin, compliant films that can simultaneously serve as biointerfaces for sensing and/or actuation while in contact with the soft, curved, and moving surfaces of target organs. This paper introduces a solution to this materials challenge that combines (i) ultrathin, pristine layers of silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ) thermally grown on device-grade silicon wafers, and (ii) processing schemes that allow integration of these materials onto flexible electronic platforms. Accelerated lifetime tests suggest robust barrier characteristics on timescales that approach 70 y, in layers that are sufficiently thin (less than 1 μm) to avoid significant compromises in mechanical flexibility or in electrical interface fidelity. Detailed studies of temperature- and thickness-dependent electrical and physical properties reveal the key characteristics. Molecular simulations highlight essential aspects of the chemistry that governs interactions between the SiO 2 and surrounding water. Examples of use with passive and active components in high-performance flexible electronic devices suggest broad utility in advanced chronic implants.

Ultrathin, transferred layers of thermally grown silicon dioxide as biofluid barriers for biointegrated flexible electronic systems

PubMed Central

Fang, Hui; Yu, Ki Jun; Song, Enming; Farimani, Amir Barati; Chiang, Chia-Han; Jin, Xin; Xu, Dong; Du, Wenbo; Seo, Kyung Jin; Zhong, Yiding; Yang, Zijian; Won, Sang Min; Fang, Guanhua; Choi, Seo Woo; Chaudhuri, Santanu; Huang, Yonggang; Alam, Muhammad Ashraful; Viventi, Jonathan; Aluru, N. R.; Rogers, John A.

2016-01-01

Materials that can serve as long-lived barriers to biofluids are essential to the development of any type of chronic electronic implant. Devices such as cardiac pacemakers and cochlear implants use bulk metal or ceramic packages as hermetic enclosures for the electronics. Emerging classes of flexible, biointegrated electronic systems demand similar levels of isolation from biofluids but with thin, compliant films that can simultaneously serve as biointerfaces for sensing and/or actuation while in contact with the soft, curved, and moving surfaces of target organs. This paper introduces a solution to this materials challenge that combines (i) ultrathin, pristine layers of silicon dioxide (SiO2) thermally grown on device-grade silicon wafers, and (ii) processing schemes that allow integration of these materials onto flexible electronic platforms. Accelerated lifetime tests suggest robust barrier characteristics on timescales that approach 70 y, in layers that are sufficiently thin (less than 1 μm) to avoid significant compromises in mechanical flexibility or in electrical interface fidelity. Detailed studies of temperature- and thickness-dependent electrical and physical properties reveal the key characteristics. Molecular simulations highlight essential aspects of the chemistry that governs interactions between the SiO2 and surrounding water. Examples of use with passive and active components in high-performance flexible electronic devices suggest broad utility in advanced chronic implants. PMID:27791052

Polarity compensation in ultra-thin films of complex oxides: The case of a perovskite nickelate

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

Middey, S.; Rivero, P.; Meyers, D.

2014-10-29

In this study, we address the fundamental issue of growth of perovskite ultra-thin films under the condition of a strong polar mismatch at the heterointerface exemplified by the growth of a correlated metal LaNiO 3 on the band insulator SrTiO 3 along the pseudo cubic [111] direction. While in general the metallic LaNiO 3 film can effectively screen this polarity mismatch, we establish that in the ultra-thin limit, films are insulating in nature and require additional chemical and structural reconstruction to compensate for such mismatch. A combination of in-situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction recorded during the growth, X-ray diffraction, andmore » synchrotron based resonant X-ray spectroscopy reveal the formation of a chemical phase La 2Ni 2O 5 (Ni 2+) for a few unit-cell thick films. First-principles layer-resolved calculations of the potential energy across the nominal LaNiO 3/SrTiO 3 interface confirm that the oxygen vacancies can efficiently reduce the electric field at the interface.« less

Mechanism of phosphorus passivation of near-interface oxide traps in 4H–SiC MOS devices investigated by CCDLTS and DFT calculation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jayawardena, Asanka; Shen, X.; Mooney, P. M.; Dhar, Sarit

2018-06-01

Interfacial charge trapping in 4H–SiC MOS capacitors with P doped SiO2 or phospho-silicate glass (PSG) as a gate dielectric has been investigated with temperature dependent capacitance–voltage measurements and constant capacitance deep level transient spectroscopy (CCDLTS) measurements. The measurements indicate that P doping in the dielectric results in significant reduction of near-interface electron traps that have energy levels within 0.5 eV of the 4H–SiC conduction band edge. Extracted trap densities confirm that the phosphorus induced near-interface trap reduction is significantly more effective than interfacial nitridation, which is typically used for 4H–SiC MOSFET processing. The CCDLTS measurements reveal that the two broad near-interface trap peaks, named ‘O1’ and ‘O2’, with activation energies around 0.15 eV and 0.4 eV below the 4H–SiC conduction band that are typically observed in thermal oxides on 4H–SiC, are also present in PSG devices. Previous atomic scale ab initio calculations suggested these O1 and O2 traps to be carbon dimers substituted for oxygen dimers (CO=CO) and interstitial Si (Sii) in SiO2, respectively. Theoretical considerations in this work suggest that the presence of P in the near-interfacial region reduces the stability of the CO=CO defects and reduces the density of Sii defects through the network restructuring. Qualitative comparison of results in this work and reported work suggest that the O1 and O2 traps in SiO2/4H–SiC MOS system negatively impact channel mobility in 4H–SiC MOSFETs.

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

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

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

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

The (2×2) reconstructions on the surface of cobalt silicides: Atomic configuration at the annealed Co/Si(111) interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kotlyar, V. G.; Alekseev, A. A.; Olyanich, D. A.; Utas, T. V.; Zotov, A. V.; Saranin, A. A.

2017-08-01

We have used scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and ab initio total-energy calculations to characterize surface and interfacial structure of Co-Si(111) system. It has been found experimentally that two different types of the (2×2) surface structures occur. The coexistence of two phases is demonstrated by the example of STM image of the surface formed at the early stages of cobalt silicide formation under moderate annealing temperatures (500 °C). The measured height difference between the adjacent (2×2) reconstructed patches equal to about 1.0 Å (as determined from the filled-state STM images). In addition, the shift of the atomic rows by half of the row spacing is observed. Two adatom models of the (2×2) surface structures are developed. According to our data, these structures are assigned to CaF2-type CoSi2 and CsCl-type CoSi with a (2×2) array of Si adatoms on their surfaces. If the latter is the case, it has а coherent double interface CoSi/CoSi2/Si(111) with a two-layer CoSi2. Both of these interfaces are characterized by the eightfold cobalt coordination and incorporate a grown-in stacking fault.

Inductively and capacitively coupled plasmas at interface: A comparative study towards highly efficient amorphous-crystalline Si solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Yingnan; Ong, Thiam Min Brian; Levchenko, I.; Xu, Shuyan

2018-01-01

A comparative study on the application of two quite different plasma-based techniques to the preparation of amorphous/crystalline silicon (a-Si:H/c-Si) interfaces for solar cells is presented. The interfaces were fabricated and processed by hydrogen plasma treatment using the conventional plasma-enhanced chemical vacuum deposition (PECVD) and inductively coupled plasma chemical vapour deposition (ICP-CVD) methods The influence of processing temperature, radio-frequency power, treatment duration and other parameters on interface properties and degree of surface passivation were studied. It was found that passivation could be improved by post-deposition treatment using both ICP-CVD and PECVD, but PECVD treatment is more efficient for the improvement on passivation quality, whereas the minority carrier lifetime increased from 1.65 × 10-4 to 2.25 × 10-4 and 3.35 × 10-4 s after the hydrogen plasma treatment by ICP-CVD and PECVD, respectively. In addition to the improvement of carrier lifetimes at low temperatures, low RF powers and short processing times, both techniques are efficient in band gap adjustment at sophisticated interfaces.

An XPS study on the chemical bond structure at the interface between SiO{sub x}N{sub y} and N doped polyethylene terephthalate

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

Ding Wanyu; Key Laboratory of Materials Modification by Laser, Ion and Electron Beams, Ministry of Education, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024; Li Li

2013-03-14

The super-thin silicon oxynitride (SiO{sub x}N{sub y}) films were deposited onto the N doped polyethylene terephthalate (PET) surface. Varying the N doping parameters, the different chemical bond structures were obtained at the interface between the SiO{sub x}N{sub y} film and the PET surface. X-ray photoelectron spectra results showed that at the initial stage of SiO{sub x}N{sub y} film growth, the C=N bonds could be broken and C-N-Si crosslink bonds could be formed at the interface of SiO{sub x}N{sub y}/PET, which C=N bonds could be formed onto the PET surface during the N doping process. At these positions, the SiO{sub x}N{submore » y} film could be crosslinked well onto the PET surface. Meanwhile, the doped N could crosslink the [SiO{sub 4}] and [SiN{sub 4}] tetrahedrons, which could easily form the dense layer structure at the initial stage of SiO{sub x}N{sub y} film growth, instead of the ring and/or chain structures of [SiO{sub 4}] tetrahedrons crosslinked by O. Finally, from the point of applying SiO{sub x}N{sub y}/PET complex as the substrate, the present work reveals a simple way to crosslink them, as well as the crosslink model and physicochemical mechanism happened at the interface of complex.« less

[Color selection of ultrathin veneers in clinic].

PubMed

Feng, Sun

2016-12-01

Ultrathin veneer is a new therapeutic technology developed from minimally invasive theories. Ultrathin veneer alters the unwanted shape and color of a tooth through minimal or lack of preparation. The color of tooth after restoration is mixed with the natural color of tooth, the original color of veneer, and the color of bonding material because of ultrathin (approximately 0.2 mm) veneer. Thus, the color is affected by numerous variations. Full considerations are required for creating designs. The author summarizes clinical points and provides suggestions for ultrathin veneer in color.

Study on influences of TiN capping layer on time-dependent dielectric breakdown characteristic of ultra-thin EOT high-k metal gate NMOSFET with kMC TDDB simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Hao; Yang, Hong; Luo, Wei-Chun; Xu, Ye-Feng; Wang, Yan-Rong; Tang, Bo; Wang, Wen-Wu; Qi, Lu-Wei; Li, Jun-Feng; Yan, Jiang; Zhu, Hui-Long; Zhao, Chao; Chen, Da-Peng; Ye, Tian-Chun

2016-08-01

The thickness effect of the TiN capping layer on the time dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) characteristic of ultra-thin EOT high-k metal gate NMOSFET is investigated in this paper. Based on experimental results, it is found that the device with a thicker TiN layer has a more promising reliability characteristic than that with a thinner TiN layer. From the charge pumping measurement and secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) analysis, it is indicated that the sample with the thicker TiN layer introduces more Cl passivation at the IL/Si interface and exhibits a lower interface trap density. In addition, the influences of interface and bulk trap density ratio N it/N ot are studied by TDDB simulations through combining percolation theory and the kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) method. The lifetime reduction and Weibull slope lowering are explained by interface trap effects for TiN capping layers with different thicknesses. Project supported by the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. SS2015AA010601), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 61176091 and 61306129), and the Opening Project of Key Laboratory of Microelectronics Devices & Integrated Technology, Institute of MicroElectronics of Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Soft Ultrathin Electronics Innervated Adaptive Fully Soft Robots.

PubMed

Wang, Chengjun; Sim, Kyoseung; Chen, Jin; Kim, Hojin; Rao, Zhoulyu; Li, Yuhang; Chen, Weiqiu; Song, Jizhou; Verduzco, Rafael; Yu, Cunjiang

2018-03-01

Soft robots outperform the conventional hard robots on significantly enhanced safety, adaptability, and complex motions. The development of fully soft robots, especially fully from smart soft materials to mimic soft animals, is still nascent. In addition, to date, existing soft robots cannot adapt themselves to the surrounding environment, i.e., sensing and adaptive motion or response, like animals. Here, compliant ultrathin sensing and actuating electronics innervated fully soft robots that can sense the environment and perform soft bodied crawling adaptively, mimicking an inchworm, are reported. The soft robots are constructed with actuators of open-mesh shaped ultrathin deformable heaters, sensors of single-crystal Si optoelectronic photodetectors, and thermally responsive artificial muscle of carbon-black-doped liquid-crystal elastomer (LCE-CB) nanocomposite. The results demonstrate that adaptive crawling locomotion can be realized through the conjugation of sensing and actuation, where the sensors sense the environment and actuators respond correspondingly to control the locomotion autonomously through regulating the deformation of LCE-CB bimorphs and the locomotion of the robots. The strategy of innervating soft sensing and actuating electronics with artificial muscles paves the way for the development of smart autonomous soft robots. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Influence of SiO2 shell thickness on power conversion efficiency in plasmonic polymer solar cells with Au nanorod@SiO2 core-shell structures

PubMed Central

Zhang, Ran; Zhou, Yongfang; Peng, Ling; Li, Xue; Chen, Shufen; Feng, Xiaomiao; Guan, Yuqiao; Huang, Wei

2016-01-01

Locating core-shell metal nanoparticles into a photoactive layer or at the interface of photoactive layer/hole extraction layer is beneficial for fully employing surface plasmon energy, thus enhancing power conversion efficiency (PCE) in plasmonic organic photovoltaic devices (OPVs). Herein, we first investigated the influence of silica shell thickness in Au nanorods (NRs)@SiO2 core-shell structures on OPV performances by inserting them into poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(4-styrenesulfonate) and thieno[3,4-b]thiophene/benzodithiophene (PTB7) interface, and amazedly found that a 2–3 nm silica shell onto Au NRs induces a highest short-circuit current density of 21.2 mA cm−2 and PCE of 9.55%. This is primarily due to an extremely strong local field and a much slower attenuation of localized surface plasmon resonance around ultrathin silica-coated Au NRs, with which the field intensity remains a high value in the active layer, thus sufficiently improves the absorption of PTB7. Our work provides a clear design concept on precise control of the shell of metal nanoparticles to realize high performances in plasmonic OPVs. PMID:27125309

Influence of SiO2 shell thickness on power conversion efficiency in plasmonic polymer solar cells with Au nanorod@SiO2 core-shell structures.

PubMed

Zhang, Ran; Zhou, Yongfang; Peng, Ling; Li, Xue; Chen, Shufen; Feng, Xiaomiao; Guan, Yuqiao; Huang, Wei

2016-04-29

Locating core-shell metal nanoparticles into a photoactive layer or at the interface of photoactive layer/hole extraction layer is beneficial for fully employing surface plasmon energy, thus enhancing power conversion efficiency (PCE) in plasmonic organic photovoltaic devices (OPVs). Herein, we first investigated the influence of silica shell thickness in Au nanorods (NRs)@SiO2 core-shell structures on OPV performances by inserting them into poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(4-styrenesulfonate) and thieno[3,4-b]thiophene/benzodithiophene (PTB7) interface, and amazedly found that a 2-3 nm silica shell onto Au NRs induces a highest short-circuit current density of 21.2 mA cm(-2) and PCE of 9.55%. This is primarily due to an extremely strong local field and a much slower attenuation of localized surface plasmon resonance around ultrathin silica-coated Au NRs, with which the field intensity remains a high value in the active layer, thus sufficiently improves the absorption of PTB7. Our work provides a clear design concept on precise control of the shell of metal nanoparticles to realize high performances in plasmonic OPVs.

Bandgap Shifting of an Ultra-Thin InGaAs/InP Quantum Well Infrared Photodetector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sengupta, D. K.; Gunapala, S. D.; Bandara, S. V.; Liu, J. K.; Luong, E.; Hong, W.; Mumolo, J.; Bae, Y.; Stillman, G. E.; Jackson, S. L.;

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bae, Choelhwyi; Lucovsky, Gerald

2004-11-01

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

Insight into the Near-Conduction Band States at the Crystallized Interface between GaN and SiN x Grown by Low-Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition.

PubMed

Liu, Xinyu; Wang, Xinhua; Zhang, Yange; Wei, Ke; Zheng, Yingkui; Kang, Xuanwu; Jiang, Haojie; Li, Junfeng; Wang, Wenwu; Wu, Xuebang; Wang, Xianping; Huang, Sen

2018-06-12

Constant-capacitance deep-level transient Fourier spectroscopy is utilized to characterize the interface between a GaN epitaxial layer and a SiN x passivation layer grown by low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD). A near-conduction band (NCB) state E LP ( E C - E T = 60 meV) featuring a very small capture cross section of 1.5 × 10 -20 cm -2 was detected at 70 K at the LPCVD-SiN x /GaN interface. A partially crystallized Si 2 N 2 O thin layer was detected at the interface by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Based on first-principles calculations of crystallized Si 2 N 2 O/GaN slabs, it was confirmed that the NCB state E LP mainly originates from the strong interactions between the dangling bonds of gallium and its vicinal atoms near the interface. The partially crystallized Si 2 N 2 O interfacial layer might also give rise to the very small capture cross section of the E LP owing to the smaller lattice mismatch between the Si 2 N 2 O and GaN epitaxial layer and a larger mean free path of the electron in the crystallized portion compared with an amorphous interfacial layer.

Temperature Controlled Electrostatic Disorder and Polymorphism in Ultrathin Films of α-Sexithiophene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoffman, Benjamin; Jafari, Sara; McAfee, Terry; Apperson, Aubrey; O'Connor, Brendan; Dougherty, Daniel

Competing phases in well-ordered alpha-sexithiophene (α-6T) are shown to contribute to electrostatic disorder observed by differences in surface potential between mono- and bi-layer crystallites. Ultrathin films are of key importance to devices in which charge transport occurs in the first several monolayers nearest to a dielectric interface (e.g. thin film transistors) and complex structures in this regime impact the general electrostatic landscape. This study is comprised of 1.5 ML sample crystals grown via organic molecular beam deposition onto a temperature controlled hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) passivated SiO2 substrate to produce well-ordered layer-by-layer type growth. Sample topography and surface potential were characterized simultaneously using Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy to then isolate contact potential differences by first and second layer α-6T regions. Films grown on 70° C, 120° C substrates are observed to have a bilayer with lower, higher potential than the monolayer, respectively. Resulting interlayer potential differences are a clear source of electrostatic disorder and are explained as subtle shifts in tilt-angles between layers relative to the substrate. These empirical results continue our understanding of how co-existing orientations contribute to the complex electrostatics influencing charge transport. NSF CAREER award DMR-1056861.

Computational Study of In-Plane Phonon Transport in Si Thin Films

PubMed Central

Wang, Xinjiang; Huang, Baoling

2014-01-01

We have systematically investigated the in-plane thermal transport in Si thin films using an approach based on the first-principles calculations and lattice dynamics. The effects of phonon mode depletion induced by the phonon confinement and the corresponding variation in interphonon scattering, which may be important for the thermal conductivities of ultra-thin films but are often neglected in precedent studies, are considered in this study. The in-plane thermal conductivities of Si thin films with different thicknesses have been predicted over a temperature range from 80 K to 800 K and excellent agreements with experimental results are found. The validities of adopting the bulk phonon properties and gray approximation of surface specularity in thin film studies have been clarified. It is found that in ultra-thin films, while the phonon depletion will reduce the thermal conductivity of Si thin films, its effect is largely offset by the reduction in the interphonon scattering rate. The contributions of different phonon modes to the thermal transport and isotope effects in Si films with different thicknesses under various temperatures are also analyzed. PMID:25228061

Suppression of superconductivity in epitaxial MgB2 ultrathin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Chen; Wang, Yue; Wang, Da; Zhang, Yan; Liu, Zheng-Hao; Feng, Qing-Rong; Gan, Zi-Zhao

2013-07-01

MgB2 ultrathin films have potential to make sensitive superconducting devices such as superconducting single-photon detectors working at relatively high temperatures. We have grown epitaxial MgB2 films in thicknesses ranging from about 40 nm to 6 nm by using the hybrid physical-chemical vapor deposition method and performed electrical transport measurements to study the thickness dependence of the superconducting critical temperature Tc. With reducing film thickness d, although a weak depression of the Tc has been observed, which could be attributed to an increase of disorder (interband impurity scattering) in the film, the Tc retains close to the bulk value of MgB2 (39 K), being about 35 K in the film of 6 nm thick. We show that this result, beneficial to the application of MgB2 ultrathin films and in accordance with recent theoretical calculations, is in contrast to previous findings in MgB2 films prepared by other methods such as co-evaporation and molecular-beam epitaxy, where a severe Tc suppression has been observed with Tc about one third of the bulk value in films of ˜5 nm thick. We discuss this apparent discrepancy in experiments and suggest that, towards the ultrathin limit, the different degrees of Tc suppression displayed in currently obtained MgB2 films by various techniques may arise from the different levels of disorder present in the film or different extents of proximity effect at the film surface or film-substrate interface.

Formation of atomically ordered and chemically selective Si-O-Ti monolayer on Si0.5Ge0.5(110) for a MIS structure via H2O2(g) functionalization.

PubMed

Park, Sang Wook; Choi, Jong Youn; Siddiqui, Shariq; Sahu, Bhagawan; Galatage, Rohit; Yoshida, Naomi; Kachian, Jessica; Kummel, Andrew C

2017-02-07

Si 0.5 Ge 0.5 (110) surfaces were passivated and functionalized using atomic H, hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), and either tetrakis(dimethylamino)titanium (TDMAT) or titanium tetrachloride (TiCl 4 ) and studied in situ with multiple spectroscopic techniques. To passivate the dangling bonds, atomic H and H 2 O 2 (g) were utilized and scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) demonstrated unpinning of the surface Fermi level. The H 2 O 2 (g) could also be used to functionalize the surface for metal atomic layer deposition. After subsequent TDMAT or TiCl 4 dosing followed by a post-deposition annealing, scanning tunneling microscopy demonstrated that a thermally stable and well-ordered monolayer of TiO x was deposited on Si 0.5 Ge 0.5 (110), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy verified that the interfaces only contained Si-O-Ti bonds and a complete absence of GeO x . STS measurements confirmed a TiO x monolayer without mid-gap and conduction band edge states, which should be an ideal ultrathin insulating layer in a metal-insulator-semiconductor structure. Regardless of the Ti precursors, the final Ti density and electronic structure were identical since the Ti bonding is limited by the high coordination of Ti to O.

Connecting quantum dots and bionanoparticles in hybrid nanoscale ultra-thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tangirala, Ravisubhash; Hu, Yunxia; Zhang, Qingling; He, Jinbo; Russell, Thomas; Emrick, Todd

2008-03-01

Aldehyde-functionalized CdSe quantum dots and nanorods, and horse spleen ferritin bionanoparticles, were co-assembled at an oil-water interface. Reaction of the aldehydes with the surface-available amines on the ferritin particles enabled cross-linking at the interface, converting the assembled nanoparticles into robust ultra-thin films. The cross-linked capsules and sheets thus made by aldehyde-amine conjugation could be disrupted by addition of acid. Reductive amination chemistry could be performed to convert these degradable capsules and sheets into structures with irreversible cross-linking. Fluorescence confocal microscopy, scanning force microscopy and pendant drop tensiometry were used to characterize these hybrid nanoparticle-based materials, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed the presence of both the synthetic and naturally derived nanoparticles.

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

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

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

Strong Fermi-Level Pinning at Metal/n-Si(001) Interface Ensured by Forming an Intact Schottky Contact with a Graphene Insertion Layer.

PubMed

Yoon, Hoon Hahn; Jung, Sungchul; Choi, Gahyun; Kim, Junhyung; Jeon, Youngeun; Kim, Yong Soo; Jeong, Hu Young; Kim, Kwanpyo; Kwon, Soon-Yong; Park, Kibog

2017-01-11

We report the systematic experimental studies demonstrating that a graphene layer inserted at metal/n-Si(001) interface is efficient to explore interface Fermi-level pinning effect. It is confirmed that an inserted graphene layer prevents atomic interdiffusion to form an atomically abrupt Schottky contact. The Schottky barriers of metal/graphene/n-Si(001) junctions show a very weak dependence on metal work-function, implying that the metal Fermi-level is almost completely pinned at charge neutrality level close to the valence band edge of Si. The atomically impermeable and electronically transparent properties of graphene can be used generally to form an intact Schottky contact for all semiconductors.

Hydrogen interaction kinetics of Ge dangling bonds at the Si0.25Ge0.75/SiO2 interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stesmans, A.; Nguyen Hoang, T.; Afanas'ev, V. V.

2014-07-01

The hydrogen interaction kinetics of the GePb1 defect, previously identified by electron spin resonance (ESR) as an interfacial Ge dangling bond (DB) defect occurring in densities ˜7 × 1012 cm-2 at the SiGe/SiO2 interfaces of condensation grown (100)Si/a-SiO2/Ge0.75Si0.25/a-SiO2 structures, has been studied as function of temperature. This has been carried out, both in the isothermal and isochronal mode, through defect monitoring by capacitance-voltage measurements in conjunction with ESR probing, where it has previously been demonstrated the defects to operate as negative charge traps. The work entails a full interaction cycle study, comprised of analysis of both defect passivation (pictured as GePb1-H formation) in molecular hydrogen (˜1 atm) and reactivation (GePb1-H dissociation) in vacuum. It is found that both processes can be suitably described separately by the generalized simple thermal (GST) model, embodying a first order interaction kinetics description based on the basic chemical reactions GePb1 + H2 → GePb1H + H and GePb1H → GePb1 + H, which are found to be characterized by the average activation energies Ef = 1.44 ± 0.04 eV and Ed = 2.23 ± 0.04 eV, and attendant, assumedly Gaussian, spreads σEf = 0.20 ± 0.02 eV and σEd = 0.15 ± 0.02 eV, respectively. The substantial spreads refer to enhanced interfacial disorder. Combination of the separately inferred kinetic parameters for passivation and dissociation results in the unified realistic GST description that incorporates the simultaneous competing action of passivation and dissociation, and which is found to excellently account for the full cycle data. For process times ta ˜ 35 min, it is found that even for the optimum treatment temperature ˜380 °C, only ˜60% of the GePb1 system can be electrically silenced, still far remote from device grade level. This ineffectiveness is concluded, for the major part, to be a direct consequence of the excessive spreads in the activation energies, ˜2

Metal-semiconductor interfacial reactions - Ni/Si system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cheung, N. W.; Grunthaner, P. J.; Grunthaner, F. J.; Mayer, J. W.; Ullrich, B. M.

1981-01-01

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and channeling measurements with MeV He-4(+) ions have been used to probe the structure of the interface in the Ni/Si system. It is found that reactions occur where Ni is deposited on Si at 10 to the -10th torr: Si atoms are displaced from lattice sites, the Ni atoms are in an Si-rich environment, and the Ni/Si interface is graded in composition. Composition gradients are present at both interfaces in the Si/Ni2/Si/Ni system. For the Ni-Si system, cooling the substrate to 100 K slows down the reaction rate. The temperature dependence of the interfacial reactivity indicates the kinetic nature of metal-semiconductor interfaces.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamaguchi, Yuichiro; Shouji, Masatsugu; Suda, Yoshiyuki

2012-11-01

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

Preparation of ITO/SiO{sub x}/n-Si solar cells with non-decline potential field and hole tunneling by magnetron sputtering

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

Du, H. W.; Yang, J.; Li, Y. H.

2015-03-02

Complete photo-generated minority carrier's quantum tunneling device under AM1.5 illumination is fabricated by depositing tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) on n-type silicon to form a structure of ITO/SiO{sub x}/n-Si heterojunction. The work function difference between ITO and n-Si materials essentially acts as the origin of built-in-field. Basing on the measured value of internal potential (V{sub bi} = 0.61 V) and high conversion efficiency (9.27%), we infer that this larger photo-generated holes tunneling occurs when a strong inversion layer at the c-Si surface appears. Also, the mixed electronic states in the ultra-thin intermediate region between ITO and n-Si play a defect-assisted tunneling.

Electrostatically Directed Self-Assembly of Ultrathin Supramolecular Polymer Microcapsules

PubMed Central

Parker, Richard M; Zhang, Jing; Zheng, Yu; Coulston, Roger J; Smith, Clive A; Salmon, Andrew R; Yu, Ziyi; Scherman, Oren A; Abell, Chris

2015-01-01

Supramolecular self-assembly offers routes to challenging architectures on the molecular and macroscopic scale. Coupled with microfluidics it has been used to make microcapsules—where a 2D sheet is shaped in 3D, encapsulating the volume within. In this paper, a versatile methodology to direct the accumulation of capsule-forming components to the droplet interface using electrostatic interactions is described. In this approach, charged copolymers are selectively partitioned to the microdroplet interface by a complementary charged surfactant for subsequent supramolecular cross-linking via cucurbit[8]uril. This dynamic assembly process is employed to selectively form both hollow, ultrathin microcapsules and solid microparticles from a single solution. The ability to dictate the distribution of a mixture of charged copolymers within the microdroplet, as demonstrated by the single-step fabrication of distinct core–shell microcapsules, gives access to a new generation of innovative self-assembled constructs. PMID:26213532

siGnum: graphical user interface for EMG signal analysis.

PubMed

Kaur, Manvinder; Mathur, Shilpi; Bhatia, Dinesh; Verma, Suresh

2015-01-01

Electromyography (EMG) signals that represent the electrical activity of muscles can be used for various clinical and biomedical applications. These are complicated and highly varying signals that are dependent on anatomical location and physiological properties of the muscles. EMG signals acquired from the muscles require advanced methods for detection, decomposition and processing. This paper proposes a novel Graphical User Interface (GUI) siGnum developed in MATLAB that will apply efficient and effective techniques on processing of the raw EMG signals and decompose it in a simpler manner. It could be used independent of MATLAB software by employing a deploy tool. This would enable researcher's to gain good understanding of EMG signal and its analysis procedures that can be utilized for more powerful, flexible and efficient applications in near future.

Effective passivation of silicon surfaces by ultrathin atomic-layer deposited niobium oxide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Macco, B.; Bivour, M.; Deijkers, J. H.; Basuvalingam, S. B.; Black, L. E.; Melskens, J.; van de Loo, B. W. H.; Berghuis, W. J. H.; Hermle, M.; Kessels, W. M. M. Erwin

2018-06-01

This letter reports on effective surface passivation of n-type crystalline silicon by ultrathin niobium oxide (Nb2O5) films prepared by atomic layer deposition (ALD) and subjected to a forming gas anneal at 300 °C. A champion recombination parameter J0 of 20 fA/cm2 and a surface recombination velocity Seff of 4.8 cm/s have been achieved for ultrathin films of 1 nm. The surface pretreatment was found to have a strong impact on the passivation. Good passivation can be achieved on both HF-treated c-Si surfaces and c-Si surfaces with a wet-chemically grown interfacial silicon oxide layer. On HF-treated surfaces, a minimum film thickness of 3 nm is required to achieve a high level of surface passivation, whereas the use of a wet chemically-grown interfacial oxide enables excellent passivation even for Nb2O5 films of only 1 nm. This discrepancy in passivation between both surface types is attributed to differences in the formation and stoichiometry of interfacial silicon oxide, resulting in different levels of chemical passivation. On both surface types, the high level of passivation of ALD Nb2O5 is aided by field-effect passivation originating from a high fixed negative charge density of 1-2 × 1012 cm-3. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the passivation level provided by 1 nm of Nb2O5 can be further enhanced through light-soaking. Finally, initial explorations show that a low contact resistivity can be obtained using Nb2O5-based contacts. Together, these properties make ALD Nb2O5 a highly interesting building block for high-efficiency c-Si solar cells.

Positron annihilation in SiO 2-Si studied by a pulsed slow positron beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suzuki, R.; Ohdaira, T.; Uedono, A.; Kobayashi, Y.

2002-06-01

Positron and positronium (Ps) behavior in SiO 2-Si have been studied by means of positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) and age-momentum correlation (AMOC) spectroscopy with a pulsed slow positron beam. The PALS study of SiO 2-Si samples, which were prepared by a dry-oxygen thermal process, revealed that the positrons implanted in the Si substrate and diffused back to the interface do not contribute to the ortho-Ps long-lived component, and the lifetime spectrum of the interface has at least two components. From the AMOC study, the momentum distribution of the ortho-Ps pick-off annihilation in SiO 2, which shows broader momentum distribution than that of crystalline Si, was found to be almost the same as that of free positron annihilation in SiO 2. A varied interface model was proposed to interpret the results of the metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) experiments. The narrow momentum distribution found in the n-type MOS with a negative gate bias voltage could be attributed to Ps formation and rapid spin exchange in the SiO 2-Si interface. We have developed a two-dimensional positron lifetime technique, which measures annihilation time and pulse height of the scintillation gamma-ray detector for each event. Using this technique, the positronium behavior in a porous SiO 2 film, grown by a sputtering method, has been studied.

Thickness-dependent change in the valence band offset of the SiO{sub 2}/Si interface studied using synchrotron-radiation photoemission spectroscopy

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

Toyoda, S., E-mail: toyoda.satoshi.4w@kyoto-u.ac.jp; Oshima, M.

2016-08-28

We have studied the thickness-dependent change in the valence band offset (VBO) of the SiO{sub 2}/Si(001) interface using synchrotron-radiation photoemission spectroscopy with soft and hard X-rays. The SiO{sub 2}-film thickness (T{sub ox}) and X-ray irradiation time (t{sub irrad}) were systematically parameterized to distinguish between the “intrinsic” T{sub ox} effects in the VBOs and the “extrinsic” differential charging phenomena in SiO{sub 2} films on Si substrates. The results revealed that at a spontaneous time (t{sub irrad} ≈ 5 s) that suppresses the differential charging phenomena as much as possible, the experimental VBO abruptly increases as a function of T{sub ox} and graduallymore » saturates to the traditional VBO value range determined by the internal photoemission and photoconduction measurements. This effect is not attributed to the differential charging phenomena, but rather it is attributed to the “intrinsic” T{sub ox}-dependent change in the VBO. The two possible physical behaviors include electronic polarization and image charge. We have derived the electronic polarization contribution from experimental data by carefully describing the effects of the long-range image charges based on the classical dielectric-screening model.« less

Atomic structure and potential energy of β-Si3N4/diamond interface in the process of detachment: A first-principles study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Naichao; Chen, Yingchao; Ai, Jun; Li, Cheng; He, Ping; Ren, Jianxing; Zhu, Quanjun

2018-03-01

Peeling is regarded as a main technique barrier for the application of coating. Many factors affects the peeling of coating. Among them, the interfacial properties between coating and substrate plays a vital role. In this work, the β-Si3N4/diamond interface is conducted as the sample to study the changes in atomic structure and potential energy in the process of detachment by the first-principles calculations. The β-Si3N4/diamond (2 × 2) crystal unit is used as the calculated model. The detachment is simulated by moving up β-Si3N4 far from diamond by the 0.1 Å of each step. The results show that in the beginning of detachment, the bonds in the interface keep a constant length, rather than extension like spring. When the distance between β-Si3N4 and diamond reaches a certain distance, the interfacial bonds would suddenly break, and the elongated β-Si3N4 resumes its original statues indicating that the interface between two surfaces may exist a threshold value to control the peeling. When the external force is less than this threshold value, the peeling of coating would not occur. However, once the external force is greater than this one, the peeling would immediately present. The interface presents the brittle failure in the process of detachment, which is in good agreement with the experimental observation. Meanwhile, the different physical properties between van der Waals and quantum effects lead to the transient status in the process of detachment, where although the interfacial bonds are broken, the adhesive strength is still strong due to its low negative adsorption energy.

Ultrathin NiGe films prepared via catalytic solid-vapor reaction of Ni with GeH(4).

PubMed

Peter, Antony P; Opsomer, Karl; Adelmann, Christoph; Schaekers, Marc; Meersschaut, Johan; Richard, Olivier; Vaesen, Inge; Moussa, Alain; Franquet, Alexis; Zsolt, Tokei; Van Elshocht, Sven

2013-10-09

A low-temperature (225-300 °C) solid-vapor reaction process is reported for the synthesis of ultrathin NiGe films (∼6-23 nm) on 300 mm Si wafers covered with thermal oxide. The films were prepared via catalytic chemical vapor reaction of germane (GeH4) gas with physical vapor deposited (PVD) Ni films of different thickness (2-10 nm). The process optimization by investigating GeH4 partial pressure, reaction temperature, and time shows that low resistive, stoichiometric, and phase pure NiGe films can be formed within a broad window. NiGe films crystallized in an orthorhombic structure and were found to exhibit a smooth morphology with homogeneous composition as evidenced by glancing angle X-ray diffraction (GIXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and Rutherford back-scattering (RBS) analysis. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis shows that the NiGe layers exhibit a good adhesion without voids and a sharp interface on the thermal oxide. The NiGe films were found to be morphologically and structurally stable up to 500 °C and exhibit a resistivity value of 29 μΩ cm for 10 nm NiGe films.

Effects of the c-Si/a-SiO2 interfacial atomic structure on its band alignment: an ab initio study.

PubMed

Zheng, Fan; Pham, Hieu H; Wang, Lin-Wang

2017-12-13

The crystalline-Si/amorphous-SiO 2 (c-Si/a-SiO 2 ) interface is an important system used in many applications, ranging from transistors to solar cells. The transition region of the c-Si/a-SiO 2 interface plays a critical role in determining the band alignment between the two regions. However, the question of how this interface band offset is affected by the transition region thickness and its local atomic arrangement is yet to be fully investigated. Here, by controlling the parameters of the classical Monte Carlo bond switching algorithm, we have generated the atomic structures of the interfaces with various thicknesses, as well as containing Si at different oxidation states. A hybrid functional method, as shown by our calculations to reproduce the GW and experimental results for bulk Si and SiO 2 , was used to calculate the electronic structure of the heterojunction. This allowed us to study the correlation between the interface band characterization and its atomic structures. We found that although the systems with different thicknesses showed quite different atomic structures near the transition region, the calculated band offset tended to be the same, unaffected by the details of the interfacial structure. Our band offset calculation agrees well with the experimental measurements. This robustness of the interfacial electronic structure to its interfacial atomic details could be another reason for the success of the c-Si/a-SiO 2 interface in Si-based electronic applications. Nevertheless, when a reactive force field is used to generate the a-SiO 2 and c-Si/a-SiO 2 interfaces, the band offset significantly deviates from the experimental values by about 1 eV.

Transport properties of ultrathin black phosphorus on hexagonal boron nitride

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

Doganov, Rostislav A.; Özyilmaz, Barbaros; Department of Physics, National University of Singapore, 2 Science Drive 3, 117542 Singapore

2015-02-23

Ultrathin black phosphorus, or phosphorene, is a two-dimensional material that allows both high carrier mobility and large on/off ratios. Similar to other atomic crystals, like graphene or layered transition metal dichalcogenides, the transport behavior of few-layer black phosphorus is expected to be affected by the underlying substrate. The properties of black phosphorus have so far been studied on the widely utilized SiO{sub 2} substrate. Here, we characterize few-layer black phosphorus field effect transistors on hexagonal boron nitride—an atomically smooth and charge trap-free substrate. We measure the temperature dependence of the field effect mobility for both holes and electrons and explainmore » the observed behavior in terms of charged impurity limited transport. We find that in-situ vacuum annealing at 400 K removes the p-doping of few-layer black phosphorus on both boron nitride and SiO{sub 2} substrates and reduces the hysteresis at room temperature.« less

Near Edge X-Ray Absorption and X-Ray Photoelectron Diffraction Studies of the Structural Environment of Ge-Si Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castrucci, P.; Gunnella, R.; Pinto, N.; Bernardini, R.; de Crescenzi, M.; Sacchi, M.

Near edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), X-ray photoelectron diffraction (XPD) and Auger electron diffraction (AED) are powerful techniques for the qualitative study of the structural and electronic properties of several systems. The recent development of a multiple scattering approach to simulating experimental spectra opened a friendly way to the study of structural environments of solids and surfaces. This article reviews recent X-ray absorption experiments using synchrotron radiation which were performed at Ge L edges and core level electron diffraction measurements obtained using a traditional X-ray source from Ge core levels for ultrathin Ge films deposited on silicon substrates. Thermodynamics and surface reconstruction have been found to play a crucial role in the first stages of Ge growth on Si(001) and Si(111) surfaces. Both techniques show the occurrence of intermixing processes even for room-temperature-grown Ge/Si(001) samples and give a straightforward measurement of the overlayer tetragonal distortion. The effects of Sb as a surfactant on the Ge/Si(001) interface have also been investigated. In this case, evidence of layer-by-layer growth of the fully strained Ge overlayer with a reduced intermixing is obtained when one monolayer of Sb is predeposited on the surface.

Improved interface and electrical properties of atomic layer deposited Al2O3/4H-SiC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suvanam, Sethu Saveda; Usman, Muhammed; Martin, David; Yazdi, Milad. G.; Linnarsson, Margareta; Tempez, Agnès; Götelid, Mats; Hallén, Anders

2018-03-01

In this paper we demonstrate a process optimization of atomic layer deposited Al2O3 on 4H-SiC resulting in an improved interface and electrical properties. For this purpose the samples have been treated with two pre deposition surface cleaning processes, namely CP1 and CP2. The former is a typical surface cleaning procedure used in SiC processing while the latter have an additional weak RCA1 cleaning step. In addition to the cleaning and deposition, the effects of post dielectric annealing (PDA) at various temperatures in N2O ambient have been investigated. Analyses by scanning electron microscopy show the presence of structural defects on the Al2O3 surface after annealing at 500 and 800 °C. These defects disappear after annealing at 1100 °C, possibly due to densification of the Al2O3 film. Interface analyses have been performed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and time-of-flight medium energy ion scattering (ToF MEIS). Both these measurements show the formation of an interfacial SiOx (0 < x < 2) layer for both the CP1 and CP2, displaying an increased thickness for higher temperatures. Furthermore, the quality of the sub-oxide interfacial layer was found to depend on the pre deposition cleaning. In conclusion, an improved interface with better electrical properties is shown for the CP2 sample annealed at 1100 °C, resulting in lower oxide charges, strongly reduced flatband voltage and leakage current, as well as higher breakdown voltage.

Quasiparticle band offset at the (001) interface and band gaps in ultrathin superlattices of GaAs-AlAs heterojunctions

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

Zhang, S.B.; Cohen, M.L.; Louie, S.G.

1990-05-15

A newly developed first-principles quasiparticle theory is used to calculate the band offset at the (001) interface and band gaps in 1{times}1 and 2{times}2 superlattices of GaAs-AlAs heterojunctions. We find a sizable many-body contribution to the valence-band offset which is dominated by the many-body corrections to bulk GaAs and AlAs quasiparticle energies. The resultant offset {Delta}{ital E}{sub {ital v}}=0.53{plus minus}0.05 eV is in good agreement with the recent experimental values of 0.50--0.56 eV. Our calculated direct band gaps for ultrathin superlattices are also in good agreement with experiment. The {ital X}{sub 1{ital c}}-derived state at point {bar {Gamma}}, is however,more » above the {Gamma}{sub 1{ital c}}-derived state for both the 1{times}1 and 2{times}2 lattices, contrary to results obtained under the virtual-crystal approximation (a limiting case for the Kronig-Penny model) and some previous local-density-approximation (corrected) calculations. The differences are explained in terms of atomic-scale localizations and many-body effects. Oscillator strengths and the effects of disorder on the spectra are discussed.« less

Highly-Integrated CMOS Interface Circuits for SiPM-Based PET Imaging Systems.

PubMed

Dey, Samrat; Lewellen, Thomas K; Miyaoka, Robert S; Rudell, Jacques C

2012-01-01

Recent developments in the area of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) detectors using Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) have demonstrated the feasibility of higher resolution PET scanners due to a significant reduction in the detector form factor. The increased detector density requires a proportionally larger number of channels to interface the SiPM array with the backend digital signal processing necessary for eventual image reconstruction. This work presents a CMOS ASIC design for signal reducing readout electronics in support of an 8×8 silicon photomultiplier array. The row/column/diagonal summation circuit significantly reduces the number of required channels, reducing the cost of subsequent digitizing electronics. Current amplifiers are used with a single input from each SiPM cathode. This approach helps to reduce the detector loading, while generating all the necessary row, column and diagonal addressing information. In addition, the single current amplifier used in our Pulse-Positioning architecture facilitates the extraction of pulse timing information. Other components under design at present include a current-mode comparator which enables threshold detection for dark noise current reduction, a transimpedance amplifier and a variable output impedance I/O driver which adapts to a wide range of loading conditions between the ASIC and lines with the off-chip Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADCs).

Highly-Integrated CMOS Interface Circuits for SiPM-Based PET Imaging Systems

PubMed Central

Dey, Samrat; Lewellen, Thomas K.; Miyaoka, Robert S.; Rudell, Jacques C.

2013-01-01

Recent developments in the area of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) detectors using Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) have demonstrated the feasibility of higher resolution PET scanners due to a significant reduction in the detector form factor. The increased detector density requires a proportionally larger number of channels to interface the SiPM array with the backend digital signal processing necessary for eventual image reconstruction. This work presents a CMOS ASIC design for signal reducing readout electronics in support of an 8×8 silicon photomultiplier array. The row/column/diagonal summation circuit significantly reduces the number of required channels, reducing the cost of subsequent digitizing electronics. Current amplifiers are used with a single input from each SiPM cathode. This approach helps to reduce the detector loading, while generating all the necessary row, column and diagonal addressing information. In addition, the single current amplifier used in our Pulse-Positioning architecture facilitates the extraction of pulse timing information. Other components under design at present include a current-mode comparator which enables threshold detection for dark noise current reduction, a transimpedance amplifier and a variable output impedance I/O driver which adapts to a wide range of loading conditions between the ASIC and lines with the off-chip Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADCs). PMID:24301987

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yeh, Jyh-Jye

Synchrotron radiation photoemission spectroscopy was used to study Ni/Si and Au/Si interface properties on the atomic scale at room temperature, after high temperature annealing and after oxygen exposures. Room temperature studies of metal/Si interfaces provide background for an understanding of the interface structure after elevated temperature annealing. Oxidation studies of Si surfaces covered with metal overlayers yield insight about the effect of metal atoms in the Si oxidation mechanisms and are useful in the identification of subtle differences in bonding relations between atoms at the metal/Si interfaces. Core level and valence band spectra with variable surface sensitivities were used to study the interactions between metal, Si, and oxygen for metal coverages and oxide thickness in the monolayer region. Interface morphology at the initial stage of metal/Si interface formation and after oxidation was modeled on the basis of the evolutions of metal and Si signals at different probing depths in the photoemission experiment. Both Ni/Si and Au/Si interfaces formed at room temperature have a diffusive region at the interface. This is composed of a layer of metal-Si alloy, formed by Si outdiffusion into the metal overlayer, above a layer of interstitial metal atoms in the Si substrate. Different atomic structures of these two regions at Ni/Si interface can account for the two different growth orientations of epitaxial Ni disilicides on the Si(111) surface after thermal annealing. Annealing the Au/Si interface at high temperature depletes all the Au atoms except for one monolayer of Au on the Si(111) surface. These phenomena are attributed to differences in the metal-Si chemical bonding relations associated with specific atomic structures. After oxygen exposures, both the Ni disilicide surface and Au covered Si surfaces (with different coverages and surface orderings) show silicon in higher oxidation states, in comparison to oxidized silicon on a clean surface

Effects of the c-Si/a-SiO 2 interfacial atomic structure on its band alignment: an ab initio study

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

Zheng, Fan; Pham, Hieu H.; Wang, Lin-Wang

The crystalline-Si/amorphous-SiO 2 (c-Si/a-SiO 2) interface is an important system used in many applications, ranging from transistors to solar cells. The transition region of the c-Si/a-SiO 2 interface plays a critical role in determining the band alignment between the two regions. However, the question of how this interface band offset is affected by the transition region thickness and its local atomic arrangement is yet to be fully investigated. Here in this study, by controlling the parameters of the classical Monte Carlo bond switching algorithm, we have generated the atomic structures of the interfaces with various thicknesses, as well as containingmore » Si at different oxidation states. A hybrid functional method, as shown by our calculations to reproduce the GW and experimental results for bulk Si and SiO 2, was used to calculate the electronic structure of the heterojunction. This allowed us to study the correlation between the interface band characterization and its atomic structures. We found that although the systems with different thicknesses showed quite different atomic structures near the transition region, the calculated band offset tended to be the same, unaffected by the details of the interfacial structure. Our band offset calculation agrees well with the experimental measurements. This robustness of the interfacial electronic structure to its interfacial atomic details could be another reason for the success of the c-Si/a-SiO 2 interface in Si-based electronic applications. Nevertheless, when a reactive force field is used to generate the a-SiO 2 and c-Si/a-SiO 2 interfaces, the band offset significantly deviates from the experimental values by about 1 eV« less

Effects of the c-Si/a-SiO 2 interfacial atomic structure on its band alignment: an ab initio study

DOE PAGES

Zheng, Fan; Pham, Hieu H.; Wang, Lin-Wang

2017-11-13

The crystalline-Si/amorphous-SiO 2 (c-Si/a-SiO 2) interface is an important system used in many applications, ranging from transistors to solar cells. The transition region of the c-Si/a-SiO 2 interface plays a critical role in determining the band alignment between the two regions. However, the question of how this interface band offset is affected by the transition region thickness and its local atomic arrangement is yet to be fully investigated. Here in this study, by controlling the parameters of the classical Monte Carlo bond switching algorithm, we have generated the atomic structures of the interfaces with various thicknesses, as well as containingmore » Si at different oxidation states. A hybrid functional method, as shown by our calculations to reproduce the GW and experimental results for bulk Si and SiO 2, was used to calculate the electronic structure of the heterojunction. This allowed us to study the correlation between the interface band characterization and its atomic structures. We found that although the systems with different thicknesses showed quite different atomic structures near the transition region, the calculated band offset tended to be the same, unaffected by the details of the interfacial structure. Our band offset calculation agrees well with the experimental measurements. This robustness of the interfacial electronic structure to its interfacial atomic details could be another reason for the success of the c-Si/a-SiO 2 interface in Si-based electronic applications. Nevertheless, when a reactive force field is used to generate the a-SiO 2 and c-Si/a-SiO 2 interfaces, the band offset significantly deviates from the experimental values by about 1 eV« less

Coated Porous Si for High Performance On-Chip Supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grigoras, K.; Keskinen, J.; Grönberg, L.; Ahopelto, J.; Prunnila, M.

2014-11-01

High performance porous Si based supercapacitor electrodes are demonstrated. High power density and stability is provided by ultra-thin TiN coating of the porous Si matrix. The TiN layer is deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD), which provides sufficient conformality to reach the bottom of the high aspect ratio pores. Our porous Si supercapacitor devices exhibit almost ideal double layer capacitor characteristic with electrode volumetric capacitance of 7.3 F/cm3. Several orders of magnitude increase in power and energy density is obtained comparing to uncoated porous silicon electrodes. Good stability of devices is confirmed performing several thousands of charge/discharge cycles.

FABRICATION AND OPTOELECTRONIC PROPERTIES OF MgxZn1-xO ULTRATHIN FILMS BY LANGMUIR-BLODGETT TECHNOLOGY

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Dongyan; Feng, Qian; Jiang, Enying; He, Baozhu

2012-08-01

By transferring MgxZn1-xO sol and stearic acid onto a hydrophilic silicon wafer or glass plate, the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) multilayers of MgxZn1-xO (x:0, 0.2, 0.4) were deposited. After calcinations at 350°C for 0.5 h and at 500°C for 3 h, MgxZn1-xO ultrathin films were fabricated. The optimized parameters for monolayer formation and multilayer deposition were determined by the surface pressure-surface (Π-A) area and the transfer coefficient, respectively. The expended areas of stearic acid with MgxZn1-xO sols under Π-A isotherms inferred the interaction of stearic acid with MgxZn1-xO sols during the formation of monolayer at air-water interface. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to determine the crystal structures of MgxZn1-xO nanoparticles and ultrathin films. The surface morphologies of MgxZn1-xO ultrathin films were observed by scanning probe microscopy (AFM). And the optoelectronic properties of MgxZn1-xO were detected and discussed based on photoluminescence (PL) spectra.

Si-H induced synthesis of Si/Cu2O nanowire arrays for photoelectrochemical water splitting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Shaoyang; She, Guangwei; Li, Shengyang; Mu, Lixuan; Shi, Wensheng

2018-01-01

We report a facile and low-cost method to synthesize Si/Cu2O heterojunction nanowire arrays, without SiOx, at the Si/Cu2O interface. The reductive Si-H bonds on the surface of Si nanowires plays a key role in situ by reducing Cu(II) ions to Cu2O nanocubes and avoiding the SiOx interface layer. Different pH values would vary the electrochemical potential of reactions and as a result, different products would be formed. Utilized as a photoanode for water splitting, Si/Cu2O nanowire arrays exhibit good photoelectrochemical performance.

Change in equilibrium position of misfit dislocations at the GaN/sapphire interface by Si-ion implantation into sapphire—I. Microstructural characterization

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

Lee, Sung Bo, E-mail: bolee@snu.ac.kr; Han, Heung Nam, E-mail: hnhan@snu.ac.kr; Lee, Dong Nyung

Much research has been done to reduce dislocation densities for the growth of GaN on sapphire, but has paid little attention to the elastic behavior at the GaN/sapphire interface. In this study, we have examined effects of the addition of Si to a sapphire substrate on its elastic property and on the growth of GaN deposit. Si atoms are added to a c-plane sapphire substrate by ion implantation. The ion implantation results in scratches on the surface, and concomitantly, inhomogeneous distribution of Si. The scratch regions contain a higher concentration of Si than other regions of the sapphire substrate surface,more » high-temperature GaN being poorly grown there. However, high-temperature GaN is normally grown in the other regions. The GaN overlayer in the normally-grown regions is observed to have a lower TD density than the deposit on the bare sapphire substrate (with no Si accommodated). As compared with the film on an untreated, bare sapphire, the cathodoluminescence defect density decreases by 60 % for the GaN layer normally deposited on the Si-ion implanted sapphire. As confirmed by a strain mapping technique by transmission electron microscopy (geometric phase analysis), the addition of Si in the normally deposited regions forms a surface layer in the sapphire elastically more compliant than the GaN overlayer. The results suggest that the layer can largely absorb the misfit strain at the interface, which produces the overlayer with a lower defect density. Our results highlight a direct correlation between threading-dislocation density in GaN deposits and the elastic behavior at the GaN/sapphire interface, opening up a new pathway to reduce threading-dislocation density in GaN deposits.« less

Colored ultra-thin hybrid photovoltaics with high quantum efficiency for decorative PV applications (Presentation Recording)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, L. Jay

2015-10-01

This talk will describe an approach to create architecturally compatible and decorative thin-film-based hybrid photovoltaics [1]. Most current solar panels are fabricated via complex processes using expensive semiconductor materials, and they are rigid and heavy with a dull, black appearance. As a result of their non-aesthetic appearance and weight, they are primarily installed on rooftops to minimize their negative impact on building appearance. Recently we introduced dual-function solar cells based on ultra-thin dopant-free amorphous silicon embedded in an optical cavity that not only efficiently extract the photogenerated carriers but also display distinctive colors with the desired angle-insensitive appearances [1,2]. The angle-insensitive behavior is the result of an interesting phase cancellation effect in the optical cavity with respect to angle of light propagation [3]. In order to produce the desired optical effect, the semiconductor layer should be ultra-thin and the traditional doped layers need to be eliminated. We adopted the approach of employing charge transport/blocking layers used in organic solar cells to meet this demand. We showed that the ultra-thin (6 to 31 nm) undoped amorphous silicon/organic hybrid solar cell can transmit desired wavelength of light and that most of the absorbed photons in the undoped a-Si layer contributed to the extracted electric charges. This is because the a-Si layer thickness is smaller than the charge diffusion length, therefore the electron-hole recombination is strongly suppressed in such ultra-thin layer. Reflective colored PVs can be made in a similar fashion. Light-energy-harvesting colored signage was demonstrated. Furthermore, a cascaded photovoltaics scheme based on tunable spectrum splitting can be employed to increase power efficiency by absorbing a broader band of light energy. Our work provides a guideline for optimizing a photoactive layer thickness in high efficiency hybrid PV design, which can be

Enhanced Performance of Gate-First p-Channel Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors with Polycrystalline Silicon/TiN/HfSiON Stacks Fabricated by Physical Vapor Deposition Based In situ Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kitano, Naomu; Horie, Shinya; Arimura, Hiroaki; Kawahara, Takaaki; Sakashita, Shinsuke; Nishida, Yukio; Yugami, Jiro; Minami, Takashi; Kosuda, Motomu; Hosoi, Takuji; Shimura, Takayoshi; Watanabe, Heiji

2007-12-01

We demonstrated the use of an in situ metal/high-k fabrication method for improving the performance of metal-insulator-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MISFETs). Gate-first pMISFETs with polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si)/TiN/HfSiON stacks were fabricated by techniques based on low-damage physical vapor deposition, in which high-quality HfSiON dielectrics were formed by the interface reaction between an ultrathin metal-Hf layer (0.5 nm thick) and a SiO2 underlayer, and TiN electrodes were continuously deposited on the gate dielectrics without exposure to air. Gate-first pMISFETs with high carrier mobility and a low threshold voltage (Vth) were realized by reducing the carbon impurity in the gate stacks and improving the Vth stability against thermal treatment. As a result, we obtained superior current drivability (Ion = 350 μA/μm at Ioff = 200 pA/μm), which corresponds to a 13% improvement over that of conventional chemical vapor deposition-based metal/high-k devices.

Optimization of ion-atomic beam source for deposition of GaN ultrathin films.

PubMed

Mach, Jindřich; Šamořil, Tomáš; Kolíbal, Miroslav; Zlámal, Jakub; Voborny, Stanislav; Bartošík, Miroslav; Šikola, Tomáš

2014-08-01

We describe the optimization and application of an ion-atomic beam source for ion-beam-assisted deposition of ultrathin films in ultrahigh vacuum. The device combines an effusion cell and electron-impact ion beam source to produce ultra-low energy (20-200 eV) ion beams and thermal atomic beams simultaneously. The source was equipped with a focusing system of electrostatic electrodes increasing the maximum nitrogen ion current density in the beam of a diameter of ≈15 mm by one order of magnitude (j ≈ 1000 nA/cm(2)). Hence, a successful growth of GaN ultrathin films on Si(111) 7 × 7 substrate surfaces at reasonable times and temperatures significantly lower (RT, 300 °C) than in conventional metalorganic chemical vapor deposition technologies (≈1000 °C) was achieved. The chemical composition of these films was characterized in situ by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy and morphology ex situ using Scanning Electron Microscopy. It has been shown that the morphology of GaN layers strongly depends on the relative Ga-N bond concentration in the layers.

First-principles study of twin grain boundaries in epitaxial BaSi{sub 2} on Si(111)

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

Baba, Masakazu; Suemasu, Takashi, E-mail: suemasu@bk.tsukuba.ac.jp; Kohyama, Masanori

2016-08-28

Epitaxial films of BaSi{sub 2} on Si(111) for solar cell applications possess three epitaxial variants and exhibit a minority carrier diffusion length (ca. 9.4 μm) much larger than the domain size (ca. 0.2 μm); thus, the domain boundaries (DBs) between the variants do not act as carrier recombination centers. In this work, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to observe the atomic arrangements around the DBs in BaSi{sub 2} epitaxial films on Si(111), and the most stable atomic configuration was determined by first-principles calculations based on density functional theory to provide possible interface models. Bright-field TEM along the a-axis of BaSi{sub 2}more » revealed that each DB was a twin boundary between two different epitaxial variants, and that Ba{sup (II)} atoms form hexagons containing central Ba{sup (I)} atoms in both the bulk and DB regions. Four possible interface models containing Ba{sup (I)}-atom interface layers were constructed, each consistent with TEM observations and distinguished by the relationship between the Si tetrahedron arrays in the two domains adjacent across the interface. This study assessed the structural relaxation of initial interface models constructed from surface slabs terminated by Ba{sup (I)} atoms or from zigzag surface slabs terminated by Si tetrahedra and Ba{sup (II)} atoms. In these models, the interactions or relative positions between Si tetrahedra appear to dominate the relaxation behavior and DB energies. One of the four interface models whose relationship between first-neighboring Si tetrahedra across the interface was the same as that in the bulk was particularly stable, with a DB energy of 95 mJ/m{sup 2}. There were no significant differences in the partial densities of states and band gaps between the bulk and DB regions, and it was therefore concluded that such DBs do not affect the minority carrier properties of BaSi{sub 2}.« less

Ultrathin Ferroelectric Films: Growth, Characterization, Physics and Applications.

PubMed

Wang, Ying; Chen, Weijin; Wang, Biao; Zheng, Yue

2014-09-11

Ultrathin ferroelectric films are of increasing interests these years, owing to the need of device miniaturization and their wide spectrum of appealing properties. Recent advanced deposition methods and characterization techniques have largely broadened the scope of experimental researches of ultrathin ferroelectric films, pushing intensive property study and promising device applications. This review aims to cover state-of-the-art experimental works of ultrathin ferroelectric films, with a comprehensive survey of growth methods, characterization techniques, important phenomena and properties, as well as device applications. The strongest emphasis is on those aspects intimately related to the unique phenomena and physics of ultrathin ferroelectric films. Prospects and challenges of this field also have been highlighted.

Ultrathin Ferroelectric Films: Growth, Characterization, Physics and Applications

PubMed Central

Wang, Ying; Chen, Weijin; Wang, Biao; Zheng, Yue

2014-01-01

Ultrathin ferroelectric films are of increasing interests these years, owing to the need of device miniaturization and their wide spectrum of appealing properties. Recent advanced deposition methods and characterization techniques have largely broadened the scope of experimental researches of ultrathin ferroelectric films, pushing intensive property study and promising device applications. This review aims to cover state-of-the-art experimental works of ultrathin ferroelectric films, with a comprehensive survey of growth methods, characterization techniques, important phenomena and properties, as well as device applications. The strongest emphasis is on those aspects intimately related to the unique phenomena and physics of ultrathin ferroelectric films. Prospects and challenges of this field also have been highlighted. PMID:28788196

Interface morphology of Mo/Si multilayer systems with varying Mo layer thickness studied by EUV diffuse scattering.

PubMed

Haase, Anton; Soltwisch, Victor; Braun, Stefan; Laubis, Christian; Scholze, Frank

2017-06-26

We investigate the influence of the Mo-layer thickness on the EUV reflectance of Mo/Si mirrors with a set of unpolished and interface-polished Mo/Si/C multilayer mirrors. The Mo-layer thickness is varied in the range from 1.7 nm to 3.05 nm. We use a novel combination of specular and diffuse intensity measurements to determine the interface roughness throughout the multilayer stack and do not rely on scanning probe measurements at the surface only. The combination of EUV and X-ray reflectivity measurements and near-normal incidence EUV diffuse scattering allows to reconstruct the Mo layer thicknesses and to determine the interface roughness power spectral density. The data analysis is conducted by applying a matrix method for the specular reflection and the distorted-wave Born approximation for diffuse scattering. We introduce the Markov-chain Monte Carlo method into the field in order to determine the respective confidence intervals for all reconstructed parameters. We unambiguously detect a threshold thickness for Mo in both sample sets where the specular reflectance goes through a local minimum correlated with a distinct increase in diffuse scatter. We attribute that to the known appearance of an amorphous-to-crystallization transition at a certain thickness threshold which is altered in our sample system by the polishing.

Cells Recognize and Prefer Bone-like Hydroxyapatite: Biochemical Understanding of Ultrathin Mineral Platelets in Bone.

PubMed

Liu, Cuilian; Zhai, Halei; Zhang, Zhisen; Li, Yaling; Xu, Xurong; Tang, Ruikang

2016-11-09

Hydroxyapatite (HAP) nanocrystallites in all types of bones are distinguished by their ultrathin characteristics, which are uniaxially oriented with fibrillar collagen to uniquely expose the (100) faces. We speculate that living organisms prefer the specific crystal morphology and orientation of HAP because of the interactions between cells and crystals at the mineral-cell interface. Here, bone-like platy HAP (p-HAP) and two different rod-like HAPs were synthesized to investigate the ultrathin mineral modulating effect on cell bioactivity and bone generation. Cell viability and osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were significantly promoted by the platy HAP with (100) faces compared to rod-like HAPs with (001) faces as the dominant crystal orientation, which indicated that MSCs can recognize the crystal face and prefer the (100) HAP faces. This face-specific preference is dependent on the selective adsorption of fibronectin (FN), a plasma protein that plays a central role in cell adhesion, on the HAP surface. This selective adsorption is further confirmed by molecule dynamics (MD) simulation. Our results demonstrate that it is an intelligent choice for cells to use ultrathin HAP with a large (100) face as a basic building block in the hierarchical structure of bone, which is crucial to the promotion of MSCs osteoinductions during bone formation.

Novel self-organization mechanism in ultrathin liquid films: theory and experiment.

PubMed

Trice, Justin; Favazza, Christopher; Thomas, Dennis; Garcia, Hernando; Kalyanaraman, Ramki; Sureshkumar, Radhakrishna

2008-07-04

When an ultrathin metal film of thickness h (<20 nm) is melted by a nanosecond pulsed laser, the film temperature is a nonmonotonic function of h and achieves its maximum at a certain thickness h*. This is a consequence of the h and time dependence of energy absorption and heat flow. Linear stability analysis and nonlinear dynamical simulations that incorporate such intrinsic interfacial thermal gradients predict a characteristic pattern length scale Lambda that decreases for h>h*, in contrast to the classical spinodal dewetting behavior where Lambda increases monotonically as h2. These predictions agree well with experimental observations for Co and Fe films on SiO2.

SiN-assisted polarization-insensitive multicore fiber to silicon photonics interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poulopoulos, Giannis N.; Kalavrouziotis, Dimitrios; Mitchell, Paul; Macdonald, John R.; Bakopoulos, Paraskevas; Avramopoulos, Hercules

2015-06-01

We demonstrate a polarization-insensitive coupler interfacing multicore-fiber (MCF) to silicon waveguides. It comprises a 3D glass fanout transforming the circular MCF core-arrangement to linear and performing initial tapering, followed by a Spot-Size-Converter on the silicon chip. Glass waveguides are formed of multiple overlapped modification elements and appropriate offsetting thereof yields tapers with symmetric cross-section. The Spot-Size-Converter is an inverselytapered silicon waveguide with a tapered polymer overcladding where light is initially coupled, whereas phase-matching gradually shifts it towards the silicon core. Co-design of the glass fanout and Spot-Size-Converter obtains theoretical loss below 1dB for the overall Si-to-MCF transition in both polarizations.

Influence of C or In buffer layer on photoluminescence behaviour of ultrathin ZnO film

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

Saravanan, K., E-mail: saravanan@igcar.gov.in; Jayalakshmi, G.; Krishnan, R.

We study the effect of the indium or carbon buffer layer on the photoluminescence (PL) property of ZnO ultrathin films deposited on a Si(100) substrate. The surface morphology of the films obtained using scanning tunnelling microscopy shows spherical shaped ZnO nanoparticles of size ∼8 nm in ZnO/C/Si and ∼22 nm in ZnO/Si samples, while the ZnO/In/Si sample shows elliptical shaped ZnO particles. Further, the ZnO/C/Si sample shows densely packed ZnO nanoparticles in comparison with other samples. Strong band edge emission has been observed in the presence of In or C buffer layer, whereas the ZnO/Si sample exhibits poor PL emission. The influencemore » of C and In buffer layers on the PL behaviour of ZnO films is studied in detail using temperature dependent PL measurements in the range of 4 K–300 K. The ZnO/C/Si sample exhibits a multi-fold enhancement in the PL emission intensity with well-resolved free and bound exciton emission lines. Our experimental results imply that the ZnO films deposited on the C buffer layer showed higher particle density and better exciton emission desired for optoelectronic applications.« less

Characterization of Interface State in Silicon Carbide Metal Oxide Semiconductor Capacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kao, Wei-Chieh

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

Parameter Space of Atomic Layer Deposition of Ultrathin Oxides on Graphene

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) of ultrathin aluminum oxide (AlOx) films was systematically studied on supported chemical vapor deposition (CVD) graphene. We show that by extending the precursor residence time, using either a multiple-pulse sequence or a soaking period, ultrathin continuous AlOx films can be achieved directly on graphene using standard H2O and trimethylaluminum (TMA) precursors even at a high deposition temperature of 200 °C, without the use of surfactants or other additional graphene surface modifications. To obtain conformal nucleation, a precursor residence time of >2s is needed, which is not prohibitively long but sufficient to account for the slow adsorption kinetics of the graphene surface. In contrast, a shorter residence time results in heterogeneous nucleation that is preferential to defect/selective sites on the graphene. These findings demonstrate that careful control of the ALD parameter space is imperative in governing the nucleation behavior of AlOx on CVD graphene. We consider our results to have model system character for rational two-dimensional (2D)/non-2D material process integration, relevant also to the interfacing and device integration of the many other emerging 2D materials. PMID:27723305

Perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions with Mn-modified ultrathin MnGa layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suzuki, K. Z.; Miura, Y.; Ranjbar, R.; Bainsla, L.; Ono, A.; Sasaki, Y.; Mizukami, S.

2018-02-01

Perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions (p-MTJs) with a MgO barrier and a 1-nm-thick MnGa electrode were investigated by inserting several monolayers (MLs) of Mn. The tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) ratio systematically increased when increasing the Mn layer thickness with a maximum of 18 (38.4)% at 300 (5) K for a Mn layer thickness of 0.6-0.8 nm. This ratio is five times higher compared to that without the Mn layer. The perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) field and the PMA constant of the ultrathin MnGa layer also increased up to 62-90 kOe and 6.2-11.3 Merg/cm3, respectively, with an increase in the Mn interlayer thickness, even for the ultrathin regime of the MnGa layer. For p-MTJs showing a high TMR and PMA, electron microscopy indicated the presence of 3-4 MLs of Mn at the MnGa/MgO interface; thus, the Mn modification enhanced the TMR as well as improved the PMA. This may be a promising finding to develop a Mn-based free layer for spin-transfer-torque devices for high-recording-density magnetoresistive random access memory and a sub-THz oscillator/detector.

Comparison of Cyclic Hysteresis Behavior between Cross-Ply C/SiC and SiC/SiC Ceramic-Matrix Composites

PubMed Central

Li, Longbiao

2016-01-01

In this paper, the comparison of cyclic hysteresis behavior between cross-ply C/SiC and SiC/SiC ceramic-matrix composites (CMCs) has been investigated. The interface slip between fibers and the matrix existed in the matrix cracking mode 3 and mode 5, in which matrix cracking and interface debonding occurred in the 0° plies are considered as the major reason for hysteresis loops of cross-ply CMCs. The hysteresis loops of cross-ply C/SiC and SiC/SiC composites corresponding to different peak stresses have been predicted using present analysis. The damage parameter, i.e., the proportion of matrix cracking mode 3 in the entire matrix cracking modes of the composite, and the hysteresis dissipated energy increase with increasing peak stress. The damage parameter and hysteresis dissipated energy of C/SiC composite under low peak stress are higher than that of SiC/SiC composite; However, at high peak stress, the damage extent inside of cross-ply SiC/SiC composite is higher than that of C/SiC composite as more transverse cracks and matrix cracks connect together. PMID:28787861

Comparison of Cyclic Hysteresis Behavior between Cross-Ply C/SiC and SiC/SiC Ceramic-Matrix Composites.

PubMed

Li, Longbiao

2016-01-19

In this paper, the comparison of cyclic hysteresis behavior between cross-ply C/SiC and SiC/SiC ceramic-matrix composites (CMCs) has been investigated. The interface slip between fibers and the matrix existed in the matrix cracking mode 3 and mode 5, in which matrix cracking and interface debonding occurred in the 0° plies are considered as the major reason for hysteresis loops of cross-ply CMCs. The hysteresis loops of cross-ply C/SiC and SiC/SiC composites corresponding to different peak stresses have been predicted using present analysis. The damage parameter, i.e. , the proportion of matrix cracking mode 3 in the entire matrix cracking modes of the composite, and the hysteresis dissipated energy increase with increasing peak stress. The damage parameter and hysteresis dissipated energy of C/SiC composite under low peak stress are higher than that of SiC/SiC composite; However, at high peak stress, the damage extent inside of cross-ply SiC/SiC composite is higher than that of C/SiC composite as more transverse cracks and matrix cracks connect together.

Field-dependent magnetization of BiFeO 3 in ultrathin La 0.7Sr 0.3MnO 3/BiFeO 3 superlattice

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

Fitzsimmons, Michael R.; Jia, Quanxi X.; Singh, Surendra

2015-12-02

We report the observation of field-induced magnetization of BiFeO 3 (BFO) in an ultrathin La 0.7Sr 0.3MnO 3 (LSMO)/BFO superlattice using polarized neutron reflectivity (PNR). The depth dependent structure and magnetic characterization of subnano layer thick (thickness ~ 0.7 nm each) LSMO/BFO hetrostructure is carried out using X-ray reflectivity and PNR techniques. Our PNR results indicate parallel alignment of magnetization as well as enhancement in magnetic moment across LSMO/BFO interfaces. The study showed an increase in average magnetization on increasing applied magnetic field at 10K. As a result, we observed a saturation magnetization of 110 ± 15 kA/m (~0.8 μmore » B/Fe) for ultrathin BFO layer (~2 unit cell) sandwiched between ultrathin LSMO layers (~ 2 unit cell).« less

Chemical structure of interfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grunthaner, F. J.

1985-01-01

The interfacial structure of silicon/dielectric and silicon/metal systems is particularly amenable to analysis using a combination of surface spectroscopies together with a variety of chemical structures of Si/SiO2, Si/SiO2Si3N4, Si/Si2N2O, Si/SiO2/Al, and Si/Native Oxide interfaces using high resolution (0.350 eV FWHM) X ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The general structure of these dielectric interfaces entails a monolayer chemical transition layer at the Si/dielectric boundary. Amorphous Si substrates show a wide variety of hydrogenated Si and Si(OH) sub x states that are not observed in thermal oxidation of single crystal material. Extended SiO2 layers greater than 8 A in thickness are shown to be stoichiometric SiO2, but to exhibit a wide variety of local network structures. In the nitrogen containing systems, an approach to stoichiometric oxynitride compounds with interesting impurity and electron trapping properties are seen. In native oxides, substantial topographical nonuniformity in oxide thickness and composition are found. Analysis of metal/oxide interfacial layers is accomplished by analytical removal of the Si substrate by UHV XeF2 dry etching methods.

The 2√{3}×2√{3}R30 surface reconstruction of alkali/Si(1 1 1):B semiconducting surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tournier-Colletta, C.; Chaput, L.; Tejeda, A.; Cardenas, L. A.; Kierren, B.; Malterre, D.; Fagot-Revurat, Y.; Fèvre, P. Le; Bertran, F.; Taleb-Ibrahimi, A.

2013-02-01

The surface structure of alkali doped Si(1 1 1):B ultra-thin films has been studied by low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). A comparative study of K/Si(1 1 1)-3 × 1 and K/Si(1 1 1):B-2√{3}×2√{3}R30 interfaces allowed us to determine the saturation coverage to be 0.5 monolayer in the later case. The 2√{3}-surface reconstruction is shown to be a common property of pure K, Rb, Cs materials and K0.4Rb0.6 alloys but progressively disappears if Rb is replaced by Ca. Taking into account the existence of two distinct boron sites in the ratio 1/3 as seen from B-1s core levels spectra, LAPW-DFT calculations have been carried out in order to optimize the atomic structure. As a result, alkali adatoms are shown to form trimers leading to a large modulation of the Sisbnd B bonds accompanied by an inhomogeneous doping of the dangling bonds in agreement with voltage dependent STM images.

Oxygen impurity effects at metal/silicide interfaces - Formation of silicon oxide and suboxides in the Ni/Si system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grunthaner, P. J.; Grunthaner, F. J.; Scott, D. M.; Nicolet, M.-A.; Mayer, J. W.

1981-01-01

The effect of implanted oxygen impurities on the Ni/Ni2Si interface is investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, He-4(+) backscattering and O(d, alpha)-16 N-14 nuclear reactions. Oxygen dosages corresponding to concentrations of 1, 2, and 3 atomic percent were implanted into Ni films evaporated on Si substrates. The oxygen, nickel, and silicon core lines were monitored as a function of time during in situ growth of the Ni silicide to determine the chemical nature of the diffusion barrier which forms in the presence of oxygen impurities. Analysis of the Ni, Si, and O core levels demonstrates that the formation of SiO2 is responsible for the Ni diffusion barrier rather than Ni oxide or mixed oxides, such as Ni2SiO4. It is determined that 2.2 x 10 to the 16th O/qu cm is sufficient to prevent Ni diffusion under UHV annealing conditions.

Semiconductor/dielectric interface engineering and characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lucero, Antonio T.

The focus of this dissertation is the application and characterization of several, novel interface passivation techniques for III-V semiconductors, and the development of an in-situ electrical characterization. Two different interface passivation techniques were evaluated. The first is interface nitridation using a nitrogen radical plasma source. The nitrogen radical plasma generator is a unique system which is capable of producing a large flux of N-radicals free of energetic ions. This was applied to Si and the surface was studied using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Ultra-thin nitride layers could be formed from 200-400° C. Metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors (MOSCAPs) were fabricated using this passivation technique. Interface nitridation was able to reduce leakage current and improve the equivalent oxide thickness of the devices. The second passivation technique studied is the atomic layer deposition (ALD) diethylzinc (DEZ)/water treatment of sulfur treated InGaAs and GaSb. On InGaAs this passivation technique is able to chemically reduce higher oxidation states on the surface, and the process results in the deposition of a ZnS/ZnO interface passivation layer, as determined by XPS. Capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements of MOSCAPs made on p-InGaAs reveal a large reduction in accumulation dispersion and a reduction in the density of interfacial traps. The same technique was applied to GaSb and the process was studied in an in-situ half-cycle XPS experiment. DEZ/H2O is able to remove all Sb-S from the surface, forming a stable ZnS passivation layer. This passivation layer is resistant to further reoxidation during dielectric deposition. The final part of this dissertation is the design and construction of an ultra-high vacuum cluster tool for in-situ electrical characterization. The system consists of three deposition chambers coupled to an electrical probe station. With this setup, devices can be processed and subsequently electrically characterized

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

Recent Advances in Ultrathin Two-Dimensional Nanomaterials.

PubMed

Tan, Chaoliang; Cao, Xiehong; Wu, Xue-Jun; He, Qiyuan; Yang, Jian; Zhang, Xiao; Chen, Junze; Zhao, Wei; Han, Shikui; Nam, Gwang-Hyeon; Sindoro, Melinda; Zhang, Hua

2017-05-10

Since the discovery of mechanically exfoliated graphene in 2004, research on ultrathin two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials has grown exponentially in the fields of condensed matter physics, material science, chemistry, and nanotechnology. Highlighting their compelling physical, chemical, electronic, and optical properties, as well as their various potential applications, in this Review, we summarize the state-of-art progress on the ultrathin 2D nanomaterials with a particular emphasis on their recent advances. First, we introduce the unique advances on ultrathin 2D nanomaterials, followed by the description of their composition and crystal structures. The assortments of their synthetic methods are then summarized, including insights on their advantages and limitations, alongside some recommendations on suitable characterization techniques. We also discuss in detail the utilization of these ultrathin 2D nanomaterials for wide ranges of potential applications among the electronics/optoelectronics, electrocatalysis, batteries, supercapacitors, solar cells, photocatalysis, and sensing platforms. Finally, the challenges and outlooks in this promising field are featured on the basis of its current development.

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

PubMed

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

2018-01-17

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

The reduction of critical H implantation dose for ion cut by incorporating B-doped SiGe/Si superlattice into Si substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xue, Zhongying; Chen, Da; Jia, Pengfei; Wei, Xing; Di, Zengfeng; Zhang, Miao

2016-11-01

An approach to achieve Si or SiGe film exfoliation with as low as 3 × 1016/cm2 H implantation dose was investigated. Two intrinsic Si0.75Ge0.25/Si samples, merged with B-doped Si0.75Ge0.25 layer and B-doped Si0.75Ge0.25/Si superlattice (SL) layer respectively, were used to study the formation of crack after 3 × 1016/cm2 H implantation and annealing. For the sample into which B doped Si0.75Ge0.25 layer is incorporated, only few discrete cracks are observed along both sides of the B doped Si0.75Ge0.25 layer; on the contrary, a continuous (100) oriented crack is formed in the B-doped Si0.75Ge0.25/Si SL layer, which means ion cut can be achieved using this material with 3 × 1016/cm2 H implantation. As the SIMS profiles confirm that hydrogen tends to be trapped at B-doped SiGe/Si interface, the formation of continuous crack in SL layer can be ascribed to the more efficient hydrogen trapping by the multiple B-doped SiGe/Si interfaces.

Fundamental limits of ultrathin metasurfaces

PubMed Central

Arbabi, Amir; Faraon, Andrei

2017-01-01

We present a set of universal relations which relate the local transmission, reflection, and polarization conversion coefficients of a general class of non-magnetic passive ultrathin metasurfaces. We show that these relations are a result of equal forward and backward scattering by single layer ultrathin metasurfaces, and they lead to confinement of the transmission, reflection, and polarization conversion coefficients to limited regions of the complex plane. Using these relations, we investigate the effect of the presence of a substrate, and show that the maximum polarization conversion efficiency for a transmissive metasurface decreases as the refractive index contrast between the substrate and cladding layer increases. Furthermore, we demonstrate that a single layer reflective metasurface can achieve full 2π phase shift coverage without altering the polarization if it is illuminated from the higher refractive index material. We also discuss two approaches for achieving asymmetric scattering from metasurfaces, and realizing metasurfaces which overcome the performance limitations of single layer ultrathin metasurfaces. PMID:28262739

Spatially and momentum resolved energy electron loss spectra from an ultra-thin PrNiO{sub 3} layer

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

Kinyanjui, M. K., E-mail: michael.kinyanjui@uni-ulm.de; Kaiser, U.; Benner, G.

2015-05-18

We present an experimental approach which allows for the acquisition of spectra from ultra-thin films at high spatial, momentum, and energy resolutions. Spatially and momentum (q) resolved electron energy loss spectra have been obtained from a 12 nm ultra-thin PrNiO{sub 3} layer using a nano-beam electron diffraction based approach which enabled the acquisition of momentum resolved spectra from individual, differently oriented nano-domains and at different positions of the PrNiO{sub 3} thin layer. The spatial and wavelength dependence of the spectral excitations are obtained and characterized after the analysis of the experimental spectra using calculated dielectric and energy loss functions. The presentedmore » approach makes a contribution towards obtaining momentum-resolved spectra from nanostructures, thin film, heterostructures, surfaces, and interfaces.« less

Interaction transfer of silicon atoms forming Co silicide for Co/√(3)×√(3)R30°-Ag/Si(111) and related magnetic properties

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

Chang, Cheng-Hsun-Tony; Fu, Tsu-Yi; Tsay, Jyh-Shen, E-mail: jstsay@phy.ntnu.edu.tw

Combined scanning tunneling microscopy, Auger electron spectroscopy, and surface magneto-optic Kerr effect studies were employed to study the microscopic structures and magnetic properties for ultrathin Co/√(3)×√(3)R30°-Ag/Si(111). As the annealing temperature increases, the upward diffusion of Si atoms and formation of Co silicides occurs at temperature above 400 K. Below 600 K, the √(3)×√(3)R30°-Ag/Si(111) surface structure persists. We propose an interaction transferring mechanism of Si atoms across the √(3)×√(3)R30°-Ag layer. The upward transferred Si atoms react with Co atoms to form Co silicide. The step height across the edge of the island, a separation of 0.75 nm from the analysis of the 2 × 2 structure,more » and the calculations of the normalized Auger signal serve as strong evidences for the formation of CoSi{sub 2} at the interface. The interaction transferring mechanism for Si atoms enhances the possibility of interactions between Co and Si atoms. The smoothness of the surface is advantage for that the easy axis of magnetization for Co/√(3)×√(3)R30°-Ag/Si(111) is in the surface plane. This provides a possible way of growing flat magnetic layers on silicon substrate with controllable silicide formation and shows potential applications in spintronics devices.« less

Ultrathin Polymer Films, Patterned Arrays, and Microwells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Mingdi

2002-05-01

The ability to control and tailor the surface and interface properties of materials is important in microelectronics, cell growth control, and lab-on-a-chip devices. Modification of material surfaces with ultrathin polymer films is attractive due to the availability of a variety of polymers either commercially or by synthesis. We have developed two approaches to the attachment of ultrathin polymer films on solid substrates. In the first method, a silane-functionalized perfluorophenyl azide (PFPA-silane) was synthesized and used to covalently immobilize polymer thin films on silicon wafers. Silanization of the wafer surface with the PFPA-silane introduced a monolayer of azido groups which in turn covalently attached the polymer film by way of photochemically initiated insertion reactions. The thickness of the film could be adjusted by the type and the molecular weight of the polymer. The method is versatile due to the general C-H and/or N-H insertion reactions of crosslinker; and therefore, no specific reactive functional groups on the polymers are required. Using this method, a new type of microwell array was fabricated from covalently immobilized polymer thin films on flat substrates. The arrays were characterized with AFM, XPS, and TOF-SIMS. The second method describes the attachment of polymer thin films on solid substrates via UV irradiation. The procedure consisted of spin-coating a polymer film and irradiating the film with UV light. Following solvent extraction, a thin film remained. The thickness of the film, from a few to over a hundred nanometers, was controlled by varying solution concentration and the molecular weight of the polymer.

Electrochemical Corrosion Properties of Commercial Ultra-Thin Copper Foils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yen, Ming-Hsuan; Liu, Jen-Hsiang; Song, Jenn-Ming; Lin, Shih-Ching

2017-08-01

Ultra-thin electrodeposited Cu foils have been developed for substrate thinning for mobile devices. Considering the corrosion by residual etchants from the lithography process for high-density circuit wiring, this study investigates the microstructural features of ultra-thin electrodeposited Cu foils with a thickness of 3 μm and their electrochemical corrosion performance in CuCl2-based etching solution. X-ray diffraction and electron backscatter diffraction analyses verify that ultra-thin Cu foils exhibit a random texture and equi-axed grains. Polarization curves show that ultra-thin foils exhibit a higher corrosion potential and a lower corrosion current density compared with conventional (220)-oriented foils with fan-like distributed fine-elongated columnar grains. Chronoamperometric results also suggest that ultra-thin foils possess superior corrosion resistance. The passive layer, mainly composed of CuCl and Cu2O, forms and dissolves in sequence during polarization.

Comparisons of Damage Evolution between 2D C/SiC and SiC/SiC Ceramic-Matrix Composites under Tension-Tension Cyclic Fatigue Loading at Room and Elevated Temperatures

PubMed Central

Li, Longbiao

2016-01-01

In this paper, comparisons of damage evolution between 2D C/SiC and SiC/SiC ceramic-matrix composites (CMCs) under tension–tension cyclic fatigue loading at room and elevated temperatures have been investigated. Fatigue hysteresis loops models considering multiple matrix cracking modes in 2D CMCs have been developed based on the damage mechanism of fiber sliding relative to the matrix in the interface debonded region. The relationships between the fatigue hysteresis loops, fatigue hysteresis dissipated energy, fatigue peak stress, matrix multiple cracking modes, and interface shear stress have been established. The effects of fiber volume fraction, fatigue peak stress and matrix cracking mode proportion on fatigue hysteresis dissipated energy and interface debonding and sliding have been analyzed. The experimental fatigue hysteresis dissipated energy of 2D C/SiC and SiC/SiC composites at room temperature, 550 °C, 800 °C, and 1100 °C in air, and 1200 °C in vacuum corresponding to different fatigue peak stresses and cycle numbers have been analyzed. The interface shear stress degradation rate has been obtained through comparing the experimental fatigue hysteresis dissipated energy with theoretical values. Fatigue damage evolution in C/SiC and SiC/SiC composites has been compared using damage parameters of fatigue hysteresis dissipated energy and interface shear stress degradation rate. It was found that the interface shear stress degradation rate increases at elevated temperature in air compared with that at room temperature, decreases with increasing loading frequency at room temperature, and increases with increasing fatigue peak stress at room and elevated temperatures. PMID:28773966

Two-dimensional ZnO ultrathin nanosheets decorated with Au nanoparticles for effective photocatalysis

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

Hu, Jin; You, Ning; Yu, Zhe

Two-dimensional (2D) materials, especially the inorganic 2D nanosheets (NSs), are of particular interest due to their unique structural and electronic properties, which are favorable for photoelectronic applications such as photocatalysis. Here, we design and fabricate the ultrathin 2D ZnO NSs decorated with Au nanoparticles (AuNPs), though molecular modelling 2D hydrothermal growth and followed by surface modification are used as an effective photocatalyst for photocatalytic organic dye degradation and hydrogen production. The ultrathin 2D nature enables ultrahigh atom ratio near surface to proliferate the active sites, and the Au plasmon plays a promoting role in the visible-light absorption and photogenerated chargemore » separation, thus integrating the synergistic benefits to boost the redox reactions at catalyst/electrolyte interface. The AuNPs-decorated ZnO NSs yield the impressive photocatalytic activities such as the dye degradation rate constant of 7.69 × 10{sup −2} min{sup −1} and the hydrogen production rate of 350 μmol h{sup −1} g{sup −1}.« less

Photoconductivity of Macroporous and Nonporous Silicon with Ultrathin Oxide Layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konin, K. P.; Goltvyansky, Yu. V.; Karachevtseva, L. A.; Karas, M. I.; Morozovs'ka, D. V.

2018-06-01

The photoconductivity of macroporous silicon with ultrathin oxide layers of 2.7-30 nm in thickness at short-wave optical excitation was studied. The following feature was revealed: a nonmonotonic change in the photoconductivity as a function of the oxide thickness. At a minimum thickness, the photoconductivity is negative; in the interval 6.8-15 nm, it is very much suppressed; at 15-30 nm, it is positive. Suppression of photoconductivity over a wide thickness range indicates an abnormally high concentration of traps and capture centers for charge carriers of both signs. Such a change in the photoconductivity corresponds to the known results on the continuous morphological rearrangement of the oxide in the thickness range from 6-7 nm to 12-15 nm from the coesite-like (4-membered SiO4 tetrahedra rings) to the tridymite-like (6-membered SiO4 tetrahedra rings). The suppression of photoconductivity in the intermediate range probably demonstrates the collective, antisynergetic action of these coexisting oxide forms on the nonequilibrium charge carriers. These coexisting oxide forms manifest themselves as an unusual collective defect.

Suppression of surface segregation of the phosphorous δ-doping layer by insertion of an ultra-thin silicon layer for ultra-shallow Ohmic contacts on n-type germanium

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

Yamada, Michihiro; Uematsu, Masashi; Itoh, Kohei M., E-mail: kitoh@appi.keio.ac.jp

2015-09-28

We demonstrate the formation of abrupt phosphorus (P) δ-doping profiles in germanium (Ge) by the insertion of ultra-thin silicon (Si) layers. The Si layers at the δ-doping region significantly suppress the surface segregation of P during the molecular beam epitaxial growth of Ge and high-concentration active P donors are confined within a few nm of the initial doping position. The current-voltage characteristics of the P δ-doped layers with Si insertion show excellent Ohmic behaviors with low enough resistivity for ultra-shallow Ohmic contacts on n-type Ge.

High resolution thickness measurements of ultrathin Si:P monolayers using weak localization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hagmann, Joseph A.; Wang, Xiqiao; Namboodiri, Pradeep; Wyrick, Jonathan; Murray, Roy; Stewart, M. D.; Silver, Richard M.; Richter, Curt A.

2018-01-01

The key building blocks for the fabrication of devices based on the deterministic placement of dopants in silicon using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) hydrogen lithography are the formation of well-defined dopant delta-layers and the overgrowth of high quality crystalline Si. To develop these capabilities, it is of critical importance to quantify dopant movement in the sub-nanometer regime. To this end, we investigate Si:P delta-layer samples produced by fully exposing a Si surface to PH3 prior to Si encapsulation with dramatically different levels of dopant confinement. We examine the effect of delta layer confinement on the weak localization signal in parallel and perpendicular magnetic fields and extract the delta-layer thickness from fits to the Hikami-Larkin-Nagaoka equation. We find good agreement with secondary ion mass spectroscopy measurements and demonstrate the applicability of this method in the sub-nanometer thickness regime. Our analysis serves as detailed instruction for the determination of the conducting layer thickness of a Si:P delta-layer by means of a high-throughput, nondestructive electrical transport measurement.

Ultrathin nanosheets of CrSiTe 3. A semiconducting two-dimensional ferromagnetic material

DOE PAGES

Lin, Ming -Wei; Zhung, Houlong L.; Yan, Jiaqiang; ...

2015-11-27

Finite range ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism in two-dimensional (2D) systems within an isotropic Heisenberg model at non-zero temperature were originally proposed to be impossible. However, recent theoretical studies using an Ising model have recently shown that 2D magnetic crystals can exhibit magnetism. Experimental verification of existing 2D magnetic crystals in this system has remained elusive. In this work we for the first time exfoliate the CrSiTe 3, a bulk ferromagnetic semiconductor, to mono- and few-layer 2D crystals onto a Si/SiO 2 substrate. The Raman spectra show the good stability and high quality of the exfoliated flakes, consistent with the computed phononmore » spectra of 2D CrSiTe 3, giving a strong evidence for the existence of 2D CrSiTe 3 crystals. When the thickness of the CrSiTe 3 crystals is reduced to few-layers, we observed a clear change in resistivity at 80~120 K, consistent with the theoretical calculations on the Curie temperature (Tc) of ~80 K for the magnetic ordering of 2D CrSiTe 3 crystals. As a result, the ferromagnetic mono- and few-layer 2D CrSiTe 3 indicated here should enable numerous applications in nano-spintronics.« less

Synthesis of Ultrathin Si Nanosheets from Natural Clays for Lithium-Ion Battery Anodes.

PubMed

Ryu, Jaegeon; Hong, Dongki; Choi, Sinho; Park, Soojin

2016-02-23

Two-dimensional Si nanosheets have been studied as a promising candidate for lithium-ion battery anode materials. However, Si nanosheets reported so far showed poor cycling performances and required further improvements. In this work, we utilize inexpensive natural clays for preparing high quality Si nanosheets via a one-step simultaneous molten salt-induced exfoliation and chemical reduction process. This approach produces high purity mesoporous Si nanosheets in high yield. As a control experiment, two-step process (pre-exfoliated silicate sheets and subsequent chemical reduction) cannot sustain their original two-dimensional structure. In contrast, one-step method results in a production of 5 nm-thick highly porous Si nanosheets. Carbon-coated Si nanosheet anodes exhibit a high reversible capacity of 865 mAh g(-1) at 1.0 A g(-1) with an outstanding capacity retention of 92.3% after 500 cycles. It also delivers high rate capability, corresponding to a capacity of 60% at 20 A g(-1) compared to that of 2.0 A g(-1). Furthermore, the Si nanosheet electrodes show volume expansion of only 42% after 200 cycles.

Local atomic and electronic structure of oxide/GaAs and SiO2/Si interfaces using high-resolution XPS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

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

1979-01-01

The chemical structures of thin SiO2 films, thin native oxides of GaAs (20-30 A), and the respective oxide-semiconductor interfaces, have been investigated using high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Depth profiles of these structures have been obtained using argon ion bombardment and wet chemical etching techniques. The chemical destruction induced by the ion profiling method is shown by direct comparison of these methods for identical samples. Fourier transform data-reduction methods based on linear prediction with maximum entropy constraints are used to analyze the discrete structure in oxides and substrates. This discrete structure is interpreted by means of a structure-induced charge-transfer model.

Si/SiGe heterointerfaces in one-, two-, and three-dimensional nanostructures: their impact on SiGe light emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lockwood, David; Wu, Xiaohua; Baribeau, Jean-Marc; Mala, Selina; Wang, Xialou; Tsybeskov, Leonid

2016-03-01

Fast optical interconnects together with an associated light emitter that are both compatible with conventional Si-based complementary metal-oxide- semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuit technology is an unavoidable requirement for the next-generation microprocessors and computers. Self-assembled Si/Si1-xGex nanostructures, which can emit light at wavelengths within the important optical communication wavelength range of 1.3 - 1.55 μm, are already compatible with standard CMOS practices. However, the expected long carrier radiative lifetimes observed to date in Si and Si/Si1-xGex nanostructures have prevented the attainment of efficient light-emitting devices including the desired lasers. Thus, the engineering of Si/Si1-xGex heterostructures having a controlled composition and sharp interfaces is crucial for producing the requisite fast and efficient photoluminescence (PL) at energies in the range 0.8-0.9 eV. In this paper we assess how the nature of the interfaces between SiGe nanostructures and Si in heterostructures strongly affects carrier mobility and recombination for physical confinement in three dimensions (corresponding to the case of quantum dots), two dimensions (corresponding to quantum wires), and one dimension (corresponding to quantum wells). The interface sharpness is influenced by many factors such as growth conditions, strain, and thermal processing, which in practice can make it difficult to attain the ideal structures required. This is certainly the case for nanostructure confinement in one dimension. However, we demonstrate that axial Si/Ge nanowire (NW) heterojunctions (HJs) with a Si/Ge NW diameter in the range 50 - 120 nm produce a clear PL signal associated with band-to-band electron-hole recombination at the NW HJ that is attributed to a specific interfacial SiGe alloy composition. For three-dimensional confinement, the experiments outlined here show that two quite different Si1-xGex nanostructures incorporated into a Si0.6Ge0.4 wavy

Comparison of Fatigue Life Between C/SiC and SiC/SiC Ceramic-Matrix Composites at Room and Elevated Temperatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Longbiao, Li

2016-10-01

In this paper, the comparison of fatigue life between C/SiC and SiC/SiC ceramic-matrix composites (CMCs) at room and elevated temperatures has been investigated. An effective coefficient of the fiber volume fraction along the loading direction (ECFL) was introduced to describe the fiber architecture of preforms. Under cyclic fatigue loading, the fibers broken fraction was determined by combining the interface wear model and fibers statistical failure model at room temperature, and interface/fibers oxidation model, interface wear model and fibers statistical failure model at elevated temperatures in the oxidative environments. When the broken fibers fraction approaches to the critical value, the composites fatigue fracture. The fatigue life S-N curves and fatigue limits of cross-ply, 2D and 3D C/SiC and SiC/SiC composites at room temperature, 550 °C in air, 750 °C in dry and humid condition, 800 °C in air, 1000 °C in argon and air, 1100 °C, 1300 °C and 1500 °C in vacuum, have been predicted. At room temperature, the fatigue limit of 2D C/SiC composite with ECFL of 20 % lies between 0.78 and 0.8 tensile strength; and the fatigue limit of 2D SiC/SiC composite with ECFL of 20 % lies between 0.75 and 0.85 tensile strength. The fatigue limit of 2D C/SiC composite increases to 0.83 tensile strength with ECFL increasing from 20 to 22.5 %, and the fatigue limit of 3D C/SiC composite is 0.85 tensile strength with ECFL of 37 %. The fatigue performance of 2D SiC/SiC composite is better than that of 2D C/SiC composite at elevated temperatures in oxidative environment.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Hyoungsub

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

Dynamics of ultra-thin polystyrene with and without a (artificial) dead layer studied by resonance enhanced dynamic light scattering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vianna, S. D. B.; Lin, F. Y.; Plum, M. A.; Duran, H.; Steffen, W.

2017-05-01

Using non-invasive, marker-free resonance enhanced dynamic light scattering, the dynamics of capillary waves on ultrathin polystyrene films' coupling to the viscoelastic and mechanical properties have been studied. The dynamics of ultrathin polymer films is still debated. In particular the question of what influence either the solid substrate and/or the fluid-gas interface has on the dynamics and the mechanical properties of films of glass forming liquids as polymers is in the focus of the present research. As a consequence, e.g., viscosity close to interfaces and thus the average viscosity of very thin films are prone to change. This study is focused on atactic, non-entangled polystyrene thin films on the gold surface. A slow dynamic mode was observed with Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann temperature dependence, slowing down with decreasing film thickness. We tentatively attribute this relaxation mode to overdamped capillary waves because of its temperature dependence and the dispersion with a wave vector which was found. No signs of a more mobile layer at the air/polymer interface or of a "dead layer" at the solid/polymer interface were found. Therefore we investigated the influence of an artificially created dead layer on the capillary wave dynamics by introducing covalently bound polystyrene polymer brushes as anchors. The dynamics was slowed down to a degree more than expected from theoretical work on the increase of density close to the solid liquid interface—instead of a "dead layer" of 2 nm, the interaction seems to extend more than 10 nm into the polymer.

Inducing electric polarization in ultrathin insulating layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinez-Castro, Jose; Piantek, Marten; Persson, Mats; Serrate, David; Hirjibehedin, Cyrus F.

Studies of ultrathin polar oxide films have attracted the interest of researchers for a long time due to their different properties compared to bulk materials. However they present several challenges such as the difficulty in the stabilization of the polar surfaces and the limited success in tailoring their properties. Moreover, recently developed Van der Waals materials have shown that the stacking of 2D-layers trigger new collective states thanks to the interaction between layers. Similarly, interface phenomena emerge in polar oxides, like induced ferroelectricity. This represents a promising way for the creation of new materials with customized properties that differ from those of the isolated layers. Here we present a new approach for the fabrication and study of atomically thin insulating films. We show that the properties of insulating polar layers of sodium chloride (NaCl) can be engineered when they are placed on top of a charge modulated template of copper nitride (Cu2N). STM studies carried out in ultra-high vacuum and at low temperatures over NaCl/Cu2N/Cu(001) show that we are able to build up and stabilize interfaces of polar surface at the limit of one atomic layer showing new properties not present before at the atomic scale.

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

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

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

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

Terahertz carpet cloak based on ultrathin metasurface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Minggui; Yang, Quanlong; Zhang, Xueqian; Li, Yanfeng; Gu, Jianqiang; Han, Jiaguang; Zhang, Weili

2018-01-01

Ultrathin metasurfaces with local phase compensation deliver new schemes to cloaking devices. We demonstrate a remarkable large size carpet cloak realized by an ultrathin metasurface at terahertz frequencies. The metasurface cloak is constructed by periodically arranging 12 different elements. The reflected wave front is perfectly reconstructed by an ultrathin metasurface cloak, which perform well under both intensity-sensitive and phase-sensitive detectors. The invisibility is verified when the cloak is placed on a reflecting triangular surface (bump). The multi-step discrete phase design method would greatly simplify the design process and is probable to achieve large-dimension cloaks, for applications in radar and antenna systems as a thin and easy-to-fabricate solution for radio and terahertz frequencies.

Epitaxial growth of GaSb on V-grooved Si (001) substrates with an ultrathin GaAs stress relaxing layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Qiang; Lai, Billy; Lau, Kei May

2017-10-01

We report epitaxial growth of GaSb nano-ridge structures and planar thin films on V-groove patterned Si (001) substrates by leveraging the aspect ratio trapping technique. GaSb was deposited on {111} Si facets of the V-shaped trenches using metal-organic chemical vapor deposition with a 7 nm GaAs growth initiation layer. Transmission electron microscopy analysis reveals the critical role of the GaAs layer in providing a U-shaped surface for subsequent GaSb epitaxy. A network of misfit dislocations was uncovered at the GaSb/GaAs hetero-interface. We studied the evolution of the lattice relaxation as the growth progresses from closely pitched GaSb ridges to coalesced thin films using x-ray diffraction. The omega rocking curve full-width-at-half-maximum of the resultant GaSb thin film is among the lowest values reported by molecular beam epitaxy, substantiating the effectiveness of the defect necking mechanism. These results thus present promising opportunities for the heterogeneous integration of devices based on 6.1 Å family compound semiconductors.

Reactive Nanoparticles Compatibilized Immiscible Polymer Blends: Synthesis of Reactive SiO2 with Long Poly(methyl methacrylate) Chains and the in Situ Formation of Janus SiO2 Nanoparticles Anchored Exclusively at the Interface.

PubMed

Wang, Hengti; Fu, Zhiang; Zhao, Xuewen; Li, Yongjin; Li, Jingye

2017-04-26

The exclusive location of compatibilizers at the interface of immiscible binary polymer blends to bridge the neighboring phases is the most important issue for fabricating desirable materials with synergistic properties. However, the positional stability of the compatibilizers at the interface remains a challenge in both scientific and technical points of view due to the intrinsic flexibility of compatibilizer molecules against aggressive processing conditions. Herein, taking the typical immiscible poly vinylidene fluoride (PVDF)/polylactic acid (PLLA) blend as an example, we demonstrate a novel approach, termed as the interfacial nanoparticle compatibilization (IPC) mechanism, to overcome the challenges by packing nanoparticles thermodynamically at the interface through melt reactive blending. Specifically, we have first synthesized nanosilica with both reactive epoxide groups and long poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) tails, called reactive PMMA-graft-SiO 2 (Epoxy-MSiO 2 ), and then incorporated the Epoxy-MSiO 2 into the PVDF/PLLA (50/50, w/w) blends by melt blending. PLLA was in situ grafted onto SiO 2 by the reaction of the carboxylic acid groups with epoxide groups on the surface of SiO 2 . Therefore, the reacted SiO 2 particles were exclusively located at the interface by the formation of the Janus-faced silica hybrid nanoparticles (JSNp) with pregrafted PMMA tails entangled with PVDF molecular chains in the PVDF phase and the in situ grafted PLLA chains embedded in the PLLA phase. Such JSNp with a distinct hemisphere, functioning as compatibilizer, can not only suppress coalescence of PVDF domains by its steric repulsion but also enhance interfacial adhesion via the selective interactions with the corresponding miscible phase. The interfacial location of JSNp is very stable even under the severe shear field and annealing in the melt. This IPC mechanism paves a new possibility to use the various types of nanoparticles as both effective compatibilizers and

Interfacial, Electrical, and Band Alignment Characteristics of HfO2/Ge Stacks with In Situ-Formed SiO2 Interlayer by Plasma-Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Yan-Qiang; Wu, Bing; Wu, Di; Li, Ai-Dong

2017-05-01

In situ-formed SiO2 was introduced into HfO2 gate dielectrics on Ge substrate as interlayer by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD). The interfacial, electrical, and band alignment characteristics of the HfO2/SiO2 high-k gate dielectric stacks on Ge have been well investigated. It has been demonstrated that Si-O-Ge interlayer is formed on Ge surface during the in situ PEALD SiO2 deposition process. This interlayer shows fantastic thermal stability during annealing without obvious Hf-silicates formation. In addition, it can also suppress the GeO2 degradation. The electrical measurements show that capacitance equivalent thickness of 1.53 nm and a leakage current density of 2.1 × 10-3 A/cm2 at gate bias of Vfb + 1 V was obtained for the annealed sample. The conduction (valence) band offsets at the HfO2/SiO2/Ge interface with and without PDA are found to be 2.24 (2.69) and 2.48 (2.45) eV, respectively. These results indicate that in situ PEALD SiO2 may be a promising interfacial control layer for the realization of high-quality Ge-based transistor devices. Moreover, it can be demonstrated that PEALD is a much more powerful technology for ultrathin interfacial control layer deposition than MOCVD.

Interfacial, Electrical, and Band Alignment Characteristics of HfO2/Ge Stacks with In Situ-Formed SiO2 Interlayer by Plasma-Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition.

PubMed

Cao, Yan-Qiang; Wu, Bing; Wu, Di; Li, Ai-Dong

2017-12-01

In situ-formed SiO 2 was introduced into HfO 2 gate dielectrics on Ge substrate as interlayer by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD). The interfacial, electrical, and band alignment characteristics of the HfO 2 /SiO 2 high-k gate dielectric stacks on Ge have been well investigated. It has been demonstrated that Si-O-Ge interlayer is formed on Ge surface during the in situ PEALD SiO 2 deposition process. This interlayer shows fantastic thermal stability during annealing without obvious Hf-silicates formation. In addition, it can also suppress the GeO 2 degradation. The electrical measurements show that capacitance equivalent thickness of 1.53 nm and a leakage current density of 2.1 × 10 -3 A/cm 2 at gate bias of V fb  + 1 V was obtained for the annealed sample. The conduction (valence) band offsets at the HfO 2 /SiO 2 /Ge interface with and without PDA are found to be 2.24 (2.69) and 2.48 (2.45) eV, respectively. These results indicate that in situ PEALD SiO 2 may be a promising interfacial control layer for the realization of high-quality Ge-based transistor devices. Moreover, it can be demonstrated that PEALD is a much more powerful technology for ultrathin interfacial control layer deposition than MOCVD.

Self-Powered, High-Speed and Visible-Near Infrared Response of MoO(3-x)/n-Si Heterojunction Photodetector with Enhanced Performance by Interfacial Engineering.

PubMed

Zhao, Chuanxi; Liang, Zhimin; Su, Mingze; Liu, Pengyi; Mai, Wenjie; Xie, Weiguang

2015-11-25

Photodetectors with a wide spectrum response are important components for sensing, imaging, and other optoelectronic applications. A molybdenum oxide (MoO(3-x))/Si heterojunction has been applied as solar cells with great success, but its potential in photodetectors has not been explored yet. Herein, a self-powered, high-speed heterojunction photodetector fabricated by coating an n-type Si hierarchical structure with an ultrathin hole-selective layer of molybdenum oxide (MoO(3-x)) is first investigated. Excellent and stable photoresponse performance is obtained by using a methyl group passivated interface. The heterojunction photodetector demonstrated high sensitivity to a wide spectrum from 300 to 1100 nm. The self-powered photodetector shows a high detectivity of (∼6.29 × 10(12) cmHz(1/2) W(-1)) and fast response time (1.0 μs). The excellent photodetecting performance is attributed to the enhanced interfacial barrier height and three-dimensional geometry of Si nanostructures, which is beneficial for efficient photocarrier collection and transportation. Finally, our devices show excellent long-term stability in air for 6 months with negligible performance degradation. The thermal evaporation method for large-scale fabrication of MoO(3-x)/n-Si photodetectors makes it suitable for self-powered, multispectral, and high-speed response photodetecting applications.

Scanning and transmission electron microscopy study of the microstructural changes occurring in aluminium matrix composites reinforced with SiC particles during casting and welding: interface reactions

PubMed

Urena; Gomez De Salazar JM; Gil; Escalera; Baldonedo

1999-11-01

Processing of aluminium matrix composites (AMCs), especially those constituted by a reactive system such as Al-SiC, presents great difficulties which limit their potential applications. The interface reactivity between SiC and molten Al generates an aluminium carbide which degrades the composite properties. Scanning and transmission electron microscopes equipped with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopes are essential tools for determining the structure and chemistry of the Al-SiC interfaces in AMCs and changes occurring during casting and arc welding. In the present work, an aluminium-copper alloy (AA2014) reinforced with three different percentages of SiC particles was subjected to controlled remelting tests, at temperatures in the range 750-900 degrees C for 10 and 30 min. Arc welding tests using a tungsten intert gas with power inputs in the range 850-2000 W were also carried out. The results of these studies showed that during remelting there is preferential SiC particle consumption with formation of Al4C3 by interface reaction between the solid SiC particle and the molten aluminium matrix. The formation of Al4C3 by the same mechanism has also been detected in molten pools of arc welded composites. However, in this case there was formation of an almost continuous layer of Al4C3, which protects the particle against further consumption, and formation of aciculate aluminium carbide on the top weld. Both are formed by fusion and dissolution of the SiC in molten aluminium followed by reaction and precipitation of the Al4C3 during cooling.

Transparent ohmic contacts for solution-processed, ultrathin CdTe solar cells

DOE PAGES

Kurley, J. Matthew; Panthani, Matthew G.; Crisp, Ryan W.; ...

2016-12-19

Recently, solution-processing became a viable route for depositing CdTe for use in photovoltaics. Ultrathin (~500 nm) solar cells have been made using colloidal CdTe nanocrystals with efficiencies exceeding 12% power conversion efficiency (PCE) demonstrated by using very simple device stacks. Further progress requires an effective method for extracting charge carriers generated during light harvesting. Here, we explored solution-based methods for creating transparent Ohmic contacts to the solution-deposited CdTe absorber layer and demonstrated molecular and nanocrystal approaches to Ohmic hole-extracting contacts at the ITO/CdTe interface. Furthermore, we used scanning Kelvin probe microscopy to further show how the above approaches improved carriermore » collection by reducing the potential drop under reverse bias across the ITO/CdTe interface. Other methods, such as spin-coating CdTe/A 2CdTe 2 (A = Na, K, Cs, N 2H 5), can be used in conjunction with current/light soaking to improve PCE further.« less

Microstructure and property of directionally solidified Ni-Si hypereutectic alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Chunjuan; Tian, Lulu; Zhang, Jun; Yu, Shengnan; Liu, Lin; Fu, Hengzhi

2016-03-01

This paper investigates the influence of the solidification rate on the microstructure, solid/liquid interface, and micro-hardness of the directionally solidified Ni-Si hypereutectic alloy. Microstructure of the Ni-Si hypereutectic alloy is refined with the increase of the solidification rate. The Ni-Si hypereutectic composite is mainly composed of α-Ni matrix, Ni-Ni3Si eutectic phase, and metastable Ni31Si12 phase. The solid/liquid interface always keeps planar interface no matter how high the solidification rate is increased. This is proved by the calculation in terms of M-S interface stability criterion. Moreover, the Ni-Si hypereutectic composites present higher micro-hardness as compared with that of the pure Ni3Si compound. This is caused by the formation of the metastable Ni31Si12 phase and NiSi phase during the directional solidification process.

Impact of oxide thickness on the density distribution of near-interface traps in 4H-SiC MOS capacitors