The effect of inclination angle on the plastic deformation behavior of bicrystalline silver nanowires with Σ3 asymmetric tilt grain boundaries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yuan, Lin, E-mail: yuanlin@hit.edu.cn [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001 (China); National Key Laboratory for Precision Hot Processing of Metals, Harbin 150001 (China); Jing, Peng; Shan, Debin; Guo, Bin [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001 (China); National Key Laboratory for Precision Hot Processing of Metals, Harbin 150001 (China)

2017-01-15

Atomistic simulations were used to investigate the plastic deformation behavior of bicrystalline silver nanowires with Σ3 asymmetric tilt grain boundaries at 0.1 K. The calculated grain boundary energies of Σ3 asymmetric tilt grain boundaries corresponded well with the energies measured in experiments and predicted by the theoretical description. The Σ3 asymmetric tilt grain boundaries with low inclination angles were composed of a replication of twin boundary segments separated by small ledges. The results demonstrated that the combination effect of Schmid factor and non-Schmid factors could explain dislocations emission into grain 1 only in models with low inclination angles (< 64.76°). At the latter stage of plastic deformation, free surfaces served as additional dislocation sources. Parallelly arranged operative slip systems were the fundamental features of plastic deformation. In addition, a number of stacking faults and multiple stacking faults were formed during plastic deformation. The hindrance of stacking faults to dislocation motion and the interactions between dislocations leaded to the observed strain hardening in nanowires with inclination angles at and above 29.50°. The low stacking fault energy of silver was responsible for the appearance of strain hardening. Dislocations emitted from grain 2 interacted with each other contributing to the observed strain hardening. Grain boundaries were completely eliminated by successive emission of dislocations from grain boundaries in nanowires with an inclination angle of 35.26° and 54.74°. A detailed understanding of the relationship between strength and grain boundary structures as well as specific plastic deformation would push forward the application of nanocrystalline materials and provide insights into the synthesis of nanocrystalline materials with superior strength and ductility.

The combined effect of titanic carbide and aluminum phosphide on the refinement of primary silicon in Al-50Si alloy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dai Hongshang [Key Lab. of Liquid Structure and Heredity of Materials, Ministry of Education, Shandong Univ., Jinan (China); Liu Xiangfa [Key Lab. of Liquid Structure and Heredity of Materials, Ministry of Education, Shandong Univ., Jinan (China); Shandong Binzhou Bohai Piston Co., Ltd., Binzhou, SD (China)

2008-12-15

Two refinement methods for Al-50Si alloy are presented in this article: one way is using a newly developed Si-20P alloy at 1573 K: another technique is using the Si-20P alloy in company with Al-TiO{sub 2}-C mixture powder at 1473 K. Compared to the first method, the second one not only has better refinement effect on primary Si but also lower refinement temperature. These results are due to the combined effect of TiC and AlP on the refinement process, and the duplex TiC/AlP nucleus of primary silicon has been demonstrated using electron probe micro-analysis. Moreover, the reaction of Al-TiO{sub 2}-C mixture powder with increasing temperature was investigated using differential scanning calorimetry, which shows that the TiC particles are produced at about 1473 K. AlP particles combine with the in-situ TiC particles in the melt, which is the main reason for the formation of a duplex nucleus, and the disregistry between TiC and AlP in low-index planes is also discussed. (orig.)

Neurobasal media facilitates increased specificity of siRNA-mediated knockdown in primary cerebellar cultures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gustafsson, Julie Ry; Katsioudi, Georgia; Issazadeh-Navikas, Shohreh

2016-01-01

be effectively grown in Neurobasal™ media. NEW METHOD: We tested the efficiency of siRNA from the Accell range from Dharmacon™ when delivered in Neurobasal™ media in contrast to the recommended Accell Delivery media provided by the manufacturer. RESULTS: We observed a more specific knockdown of target...... in Neurobasal™ media, than in Accell Delivery media when using cerebellar granule neurons. Transfection efficiency and cell viability was comparable between the two media. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS: Delivery of siRNA in Neurobasal™ media facilitates increased specificity of the knockdown compared...... to delivery in Accell Delivery media. The off-target effect observed in Accell Delivery media was not a secondary biological response to downregulation of target, but rather a mixture of specific and non-specific off-target effects. CONCLUSIONS: Specific knockdown of target can be achieved in primary...

Evolution of a novel Si-18Mn-16Ti-11P alloy in Al-Si melt and its influence on microstructure and properties of high-Si Al-Si alloy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiao-Lu Zhou

Full Text Available A novel Si-18Mn-16Ti-11P master alloy has been developed to refine primary Si to 14.7 ± 1.3 μm, distributed uniformly in Al-27Si alloy. Comparing with traditional Cu-14P and Al-3P, Si-18Mn-16Ti-11P provided a much better refining effect, with in-situ highly active AlP. The refined Al-27Si alloy exhibited a CTE of 16.25 × 10−6/K which is slightly higher than that of Sip/Al composites fabricated by spray deposition. The UTS and elongation of refined Al-27Si alloy were increased by 106% and 235% comparing with those of unrefined alloy. It indicates that the novel Si-18Mn-16Ti-11P alloy is more suitable for high-Si Al-Si alloys and may be a candidate for refining hypereutectic Al-Si alloy for electronic packaging applications. Moreover, studies showed that TiP is the only P-containing phase in Si-18Mn-16Ti-11P master alloy. A core-shell reaction model was established to reveal mechanism of the transformation of TiP to AlP in Al-Si melts. The transformation is a liquid-solid diffusion reaction driven by chemical potential difference and the reaction rate is controlled by diffusion. It means sufficient holding time is necessary for Si-18Mn-16Ti-11P master alloy to achieve better refining effect. Keywords: Hypereutectic Al-Si alloy, Primary Si, Refinement, AlP, Thermal expansion behavior, Si-18Mn-16Ti-11P master alloy

Silicon Effects on Properties of Melt Infiltrated SiC/SiC Composites

Science.gov (United States)

Bhatt, Ramakrishna T.; Gyekenyesi, John Z.; Hurst, Janet B.

2000-01-01

Silicon effects on tensile and creep properties, and thermal conductivity of Hi-Nicalon SiC/SiC composites have been investigated. The composites consist of 8 layers of 5HS 2-D woven preforms of BN/SiC coated Hi-Nicalon fiber mats and a silicon matrix, or a mixture of silicon matrix and SiC particles. The Hi-Nicalon SiC/silicon and Hi-Nicalon SiC/SiC composites contained about 24 and 13 vol% silicon, respectively. Results indicate residual silicon up to 24 vol% has no significant effect on creep and thermal conductivity, but does decrease the primary elastic modulus and stress corresponding to deviation from linear stress-strain behavior.

Effect of Adding Elements on Microstructure of Mg-3Si Alloy

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CUI Bin

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The microstructure of alloy Mg-3Si(mass fraction/%, same as below after successive additions with different elements of Zn, Nd, Gd and Y was observed and the microstructure evolution was investigated by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The results show the primary Mg2Si particles co-exist with eutectic Mg2Si particles in binary alloy Mg-Si. With minor addition of Zn element, only primary Mg2Si can be found in ternary Mg-3Si-3Zn system while eutectic Mg2Si particles disappear. In quaternary alloy Mg-2.0Nd-3.0Zn-3.0Si, the addition of Nd element can effectively refine the primary Mg2Si particles and form some Mg41Nd5 particles. After continuous adding of Gd and Y elements into quaternary system, Gd5Si3 and YSi particles increase significantly in the alloy Mg-8.0Gd-4.0Y-2.0Nd-3.0Zn-3.0Si, while volume fraction of primary Mg2Si decrease significantly. Thermo-Calc calculation predicts that the Gibbs free energy for primary particles Gd5Si3, YSi is lower, and therefore Gd, Y atom and Si are more likely to form compounds. In Mg-8Gd-4Y-2Nd-3Zn-3Si alloy, room temperature Gibbs free energy for primary particles Mg2Si, Gd5Si3, YSi is -9.56×104, -8.72×104, -2.83×104J/mol, respectively, and the mass fraction of these particles is 8.07%, 5.27%, 1.40% respectively.

Primary design of Si cooling arm structure in ICF cryogenic target

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Yong; Yi Yong; Tang Changhuan; Zhang Jicheng

2013-01-01

According to the requirement of the cryogenic target system to the Si cooling arm structure, the Si cooling arm was primarily designed based on the USA National Ignition Facility (NIF) target. A new three-dimensional model of Si cooling arm was developed by SolidWorks software, and the simulation and analysis of Si cooling arm in aspect of mechanical property, thermal response and assembly were made based on the model. A law about the effect of the arm length of Si cooling arm and the width and the length of bifurcation on Si cooling arm was achieved. The research may provide the theoretical foundation and reference for the further improvement of cryogenic target. (authors)

Resonant behavior of the barrier of YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7} grain boundary Josephson junctions fabricated on bicrystalline substrates with different geometries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Navacerrada, M.A., E-mail: mdelosangeles.navacerrada@upm.es [Grupo de Acustica Arquitectonica, Escuela Tecnica Superior de Arquitectura, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Avenida Juan de Herrera 4, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Lucia, M.L.; Sanchez-Quesada, F. [Departamento Fisica Aplicada III (Electricidad y Electronica), Facultad de Cc. Fisicas, Universidad Complutense, Avenida Complutense s/n, 28040 Madrid (Spain)

2012-12-14

We have analyzed a resonant behavior in the dielectric constant associated to the barrier of YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7} (YBCO) grain boundary Josephson junctions (GBJJs) fabricated on a wide variety of bicrystalline substrates: 12 Degree-Sign [0 0 1] tilt asymmetric, 24 Degree-Sign [0 0 1] tilt asymmetric, 24 Degree-Sign [0 0 1] tilt symmetric, 24 Degree-Sign [1 0 0] tilt asymmetric, 45 Degree-Sign [1 0 0] tilt asymmetric and 24 Degree-Sign [0 0 1] tilt symmetric +45 Degree-Sign [1 0 0] tilt asymmetric bicrystals. The resonance analysis allows us to estimate a more appropriate value of the relative dielectric constant, and so a more adequate value for the length L of the normal N region assuming a SNINS model for the barrier. In this work, the L dependence on the critical current density Jc has been investigated. This analysis makes possible a single representation for all the substrate geometries independently on around which axes the rotation is produced to generate the grain boundary. On the other hand, no clear evidences exist on the origin of the resonance. The resonance frequency is in the order of 10{sup 11} Hz, pointing to a phonon dynamic influence on the resonance mechanism. Besides, its position is affected by the oxygen content of the barrier: a shift at low frequencies is observed when the misorientation angle increases.

Hydrophobically Modified siRNAs Silence Huntingtin mRNA in Primary Neurons and Mouse Brain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Julia F Alterman

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Applications of RNA interference for neuroscience research have been limited by a lack of simple and efficient methods to deliver oligonucleotides to primary neurons in culture and to the brain. Here, we show that primary neurons rapidly internalize hydrophobically modified siRNAs (hsiRNAs added directly to the culture medium without lipid formulation. We identify functional hsiRNAs targeting the mRNA of huntingtin, the mutation of which is responsible for Huntington's disease, and show that direct uptake in neurons induces potent and specific silencing in vitro. Moreover, a single injection of unformulated hsiRNA into mouse brain silences Htt mRNA with minimal neuronal toxicity. Thus, hsiRNAs embody a class of therapeutic oligonucleotides that enable simple and straightforward functional studies of genes involved in neuronal biology and neurodegenerative disorders in a native biological context.

Four-branched compounds coupled Si and iron-rich intermetallics in near eutectic Al-Si alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Yuying; Liu, Xiangfa; Jiang, Binggang; Bian, Xiufang

2007-01-01

Many four-branched compounds coupled Si and iron-rich intermetallics were observed in near eutectic Al-Si alloy modified with Al-P master alloy. Such four-branched compounds have never been reported before, but in our case it seems to be commonly observed. In this work the growth characterization of the four-branched compounds are scrutinized with a JXA-8800 electron microprobe (EPMA). More deep study of the formation of four-branched compounds is performed by SEM and TEM analysis. The characterization of the four-branched compounds is that of a primary silicon in the center with four iron-rich intermetallics around. Experimental results also show that the precipitation of primary silicon is the key factor for the formation of four-branched compounds. And WHS-theory explains the growth mechanism of the four-branched compounds. In detail, subsequent twinning within the primary silicon provides four-fold coordination sites on the surface, and then the α-Al(Fe,Mn)-Si phase nucleates on the surface of the primary silicon

Primary photoluminescence in as-neutron (electron) -irradiated n-type 6H-SiC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhong, Z.Q.; Wu, D.X.; Gong, M.; Wang, O.; Shi, S.L.; Xu, S.J.; Chen, X.D.; Ling, C.C.; Fung, S.; Beling, C.D.; Brauer, G.; Anwand, W.; Skorupa, W.

2006-01-01

Low-temperature photoluminescence spectroscopy has revealed a series of features labeled S 1 , S 2 , S 3 in n-type 6H-SiC after neutron and electron irradiation. Thermal annealing studies showed that the defects S 1 , S 2 , S 3 disappeared at 500 deg. C. However, the well-known D 1 center was only detected for annealing temperatures over 700 deg. C. This experimental observation not only indicated that the defects S 1 , S 2 , S 3 were a set of primary defects and the D 1 center was a kind of secondary defect, but also showed that the D 1 center and the E 1 , E 2 observed using deep level transient spectroscopy might not be the same type of defects arising from the same physical origin

Origin of Si(LMM) Auger Electron Emission from Silicon and Si-Alloys by keV Ar+ Ion Bombardment

Science.gov (United States)

Iwami, Motohiro; Kim, Su Chol; Kataoka, Yoshihide; Imura, Takeshi; Hiraki, Akio; Fujimoto, Fuminori

1980-09-01

Si(LMM) Auger electrons emitted from specimens of pure silicon and several Si-alloys (Ni-Si, Pd-Si and Cu-Si) under keV Ar+ ion bombardment, were examined. In the Auger spectra from all specimens studied there were four peaks at energies of 92, 86, 76 and 66 eV. The Auger signal intensity varied considerably with both the incident angle and the energy of the primary ion beam. It is proposed that the Auger electrons are emitted from silicon atoms (or ions) just beneath the specimen surface but free from the bulk network.

Primary Dendrite Arm Spacing and Trunk Diameter in Al-7-Weight-Percentage Si Alloy Directionally Solidified Aboard the International Space Station

Science.gov (United States)

Ghods, M.; Tewari, S. N.; Lauer, M.; Poirier, D. R.; Grugel, R. N.

2016-01-01

Under a NASA-ESA collaborative research project, three Al-7-weight-percentage Si samples (MICAST-6, MICAST-7 and MICAST 2-12) were directionally solidified aboard the International Space Station to determine the effect of mitigating convection on the primary dendrite array. The samples were approximately 25 centimeters in length with a diameter of 7.8 millimeter-diameter cylinders that were machined from [100] oriented terrestrially grown dendritic Al-7Si samples and inserted into alumina ampoules within the Sample Cartridge Assembly (SCA) inserts of the Low Gradient Furnace (LGF). The feed rods were partially remelted in space and directionally solidified to effect the [100] dendrite-orientation. MICAST-6 was grown at 5 microns per second for 3.75 centimeters and then at 50 microns per second for its remaining 11.2 centimeters of its length. MICAST-7 was grown at 20 microns per second for 8.5 centimeters and then at 10 microns per second for 9 centimeters of its remaining length. MICAST2-12 was grown at 40 microns per second for 11 centimeters. The thermal gradient at the liquidus temperature varied from 22 to 14 degrees Kelvin per centimeter during growth of MICAST-6, from 26 to 24 degrees Kelvin per centimeter for MICAST-7 and from 33 to 31 degrees Kelvin per centimeter for MICAST2-12. Microstructures on the transverse sections along the sample length were analyzed to determine nearest-neighbor spacing of the primary dendrite arms and trunk diameters of the primary dendrite-arrays. This was done along the lengths where steady-state growth prevailed and also during the transients associated with the speed-changes. The observed nearest-neighbor spacings during steady-state growth of the MICAST samples show a very good agreement with predictions from the Hunt-Lu primary spacing model for diffusion controlled growth. The observed primary dendrite trunk diameters during steady-state growth of these samples also agree with predictions from a coarsening-based model

New Primary Standards for Establishing SI Traceability for Moisture Measurements in Solid Materials

Science.gov (United States)

Heinonen, M.; Bell, S.; Choi, B. Il; Cortellessa, G.; Fernicola, V.; Georgin, E.; Hudoklin, D.; Ionescu, G. V.; Ismail, N.; Keawprasert, T.; Krasheninina, M.; Aro, R.; Nielsen, J.; Oğuz Aytekin, S.; Österberg, P.; Skabar, J.; Strnad, R.

2018-01-01

A European research project METefnet addresses a fundamental obstacle to improving energy-intensive drying process control: due to ambiguous reference analysis methods and insufficient methods for estimating uncertainty in moisture measurements, the achievable accuracy in the past was limited and measurement uncertainties were largely unknown. This paper reports the developments in METefnet that provide a sound basis for the SI traceability: four new primary standards for realizing the water mass fraction were set up, analyzed and compared to each other. The operation of these standards is based on combining sample weighing with different water vapor detection techniques: cold trap, chilled mirror, electrolytic and coulometric Karl Fischer titration. The results show that an equivalence of 0.2 % has been achieved between the water mass fraction realizations and that the developed methods are applicable to a wide range of materials.

Effects of electroacupuncture and electroacupuncture plus Tao Hong Si Wu Wan in treating primary dysmenorrhea.

Science.gov (United States)

Miao, Edwin Yong; Miao, Miranda Yi-mo; Kildea, Daniel George; Lao, Yi-Wen

2014-02-01

This study investigated the efficacies of electroacupuncture and electroacupuncture combined with Tao Hong Si Wu Wan in treating primary dysmenorrhea and compared the results with those obtained using conventional medical treatment. One treatment group, group 1, was administered Tao Hong Si Wu Wan (2625 mg) while the other, group 2, was administered a placebo (2625 mg) twice daily for 3 months. Electroacupuncture was used in both treatment groups: two sessions per menstrual cycle for three menstrual cycles. The reference group, group 3, was administered ibuprofen, 600 mg, twice daily, for five menstrual cycles. Uses of the herb, placebo and ibuprofen were blinded. A ridit analysis was used for testing and interpreting the effects of treatment. Pain intensity was determined using a qualitative grading method in a blinded manner. The ridit scores in groups 1 and 2 were significantly higher than those in reference group immediately after treatment and three months later. Twelve months after the treatment, group 1 had a higher ridit score than group 2. In comparison to the reference group, groups 1 and 2 achieved better menstrual pain relief both immediately and 3 months after treatment. In addition, group 1 had better long-term pain relief than group 2. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Origin of Si(LMM) Auger electron emission from silicon and Si-alloys by keV Ar/sup +/ ion bombardment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Iwami, M; Kim, S; Kataoka, Y; Imura, T; Hiraki, A [Osaka Univ., Suita (Japan). Faculty of Engineering

1980-09-01

Si(LMM) Auger electrons emitted from specimens of pure silicon and several Si-alloys (Ni-Si, Pd-Si and Cu-Si) under keV Ar/sup +/ ion bombardment, were examined. In the Auger spectra from all specimens studied there were four peaks at energies of 92, 86, 76 and 66 eV. The Auger signal intensity varied considerably with both the incident angle and the energy of the primary ion beam. It is proposed that the Auger electrons are emitted from silicon atoms (or ions) just beneath the specimen surface but free from the bulk network.

siRNA and innate immunity.

Science.gov (United States)

Robbins, Marjorie; Judge, Adam; MacLachlan, Ian

2009-06-01

Canonical small interfering RNA (siRNA) duplexes are potent activators of the mammalian innate immune system. The induction of innate immunity by siRNA is dependent on siRNA structure and sequence, method of delivery, and cell type. Synthetic siRNA in delivery vehicles that facilitate cellular uptake can induce high levels of inflammatory cytokines and interferons after systemic administration in mammals and in primary human blood cell cultures. This activation is predominantly mediated by immune cells, normally via a Toll-like receptor (TLR) pathway. The siRNA sequence dependency of these pathways varies with the type and location of the TLR involved. Alternatively nonimmune cell activation may also occur, typically resulting from siRNA interaction with cytoplasmic RNA sensors such as RIG1. As immune activation by siRNA-based drugs represents an undesirable side effect due to the considerable toxicities associated with excessive cytokine release in humans, understanding and abrogating this activity will be a critical component in the development of safe and effective therapeutics. This review describes the intracellular mechanisms of innate immune activation by siRNA, the design of appropriate sequences and chemical modification approaches, and suitable experimental methods for studying their effects, with a view toward reducing siRNA-mediated off-target effects.

Preparation of Al/Si functionally graded materials using ultrasonic separation method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhang Zhongtao

2008-08-01

Full Text Available Functionally graded materials (FGM have been widely used in many industries such as aerospace, energy and electronics. In this experimental study of fabricating FGM, an approach was developed to prepare Al/Si FGM using power ultrasonic separation method. Material sample with continuously changing composition and performance/properties was successfully produced. Results showed that the microstructure of the FGM sample transited, from its top to bottom, from the hypereutectic structure with a large quantity of primary Si gradually to the eutectic, and fi nally to the hypoeutectic with numerous primary Al dendrites. The distribution of primary Si and microhardness of the FGM sample also presented graded characteristics, resulting that the wear resistance of the FGM sample decreased from top to bottom. Preliminary discussion was made on the mechanism of the formation of Al/Si FGM.

New insights into siRNA amplification and RNAi.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Chi; Ruvkun, Gary

2012-08-01

In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), gene inactivation by RNA interference can achieve remarkable potency due to the amplification of initial silencing triggers by RNA-dependent RNA polymerases (RdRPs). RdRPs catalyze the biogenesis of an abundant species of secondary small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) using the target mRNA as template. The interaction between primary siRNAs derived from the exogenous double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) trigger and the target mRNA is required for the recruitment of RdRPs. Other genetic requirements for RdRP activities have not been characterized. Recent studies have identified the RDE-10/RDE-11 complex which interacts with the primary siRNA bound target mRNA and acts upstream of the RdRPs. rde-10 and rde-11 mutants show an RNAi defective phenotype because the biogenesis of secondary siRNAs is completely abolished. In addition, the RDE-10/RDE-11 complex plays a similar role in the endogenous RNAi pathway for the biogenesis of a subset of siRNAs targeting recently acquired, duplicated genes.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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.

Recent progress in Si thin film technology for solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Kuwano, Yukinori; Nakano, Shoichi; Tsuda, Shinya

1991-11-01

Progress in Si thin film technology 'specifically amorphous Si (a-Si) and polycrystalline Si (poly-Si) thin film' for solar cells is summarized here from fabrication method, material, and structural viewpoints. In addition to a-Si, primary results on poly-Si thin film research are discussed. Various applications for a-Si solar cells are mentioned, and consumer applications and a-Si solar cell photovoltaic systems are introduced. New product developments include see-through solar cells, solar cell roofing tiles, and ultra-light flexible solar cells. As for new systems, air conditioning equipment powered by solar cells is described. Looking to the future, the proposed GENESIS project is discussed.

Inhibition of Glomerular Mesangial Cell Proliferation by siPDGF-B- and siPDGFR-β-Containing Chitosan Nanoplexes.

Science.gov (United States)

Salva, Emine; Turan, Suna Özbaş; Akbuğa, Jülide

2017-05-01

Mesangioproliferative glomerulonephritis is a disease that has a high incidence in humans. In this disease, the proliferation of glomerular mesangial cells and the production of extracellular matrix are important. In recent years, the RNAi technology has been widely used in the treatment of various diseases due to its capability to inhibit the gene expression with high specificity and targeting. The objective of this study was to decrease mesangial cell proliferation by knocking down PDGF-B and its receptor, PDGFR-β. To be able to use small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) in the treatment of this disease successfully, it is necessary to develop appropriate delivery systems. Chitosan, which is a biopolymer, is used as a siRNA delivery system in kidney drug targeting. In order to deliver siRNA molecules targeted at PDGF-B and PDGFR-β, chitosan/siRNA nanoplexes were prepared. The in vitro characterization, transfection studies, and knockdown efficiencies were studied in immortalized and primary rat mesangial cells. In addition, the effects of chitosan nanoplexes on mesangial cell proliferation and migration were investigated. After in vitro transfection, the PDGF-B and PDGFR-β gene silencing efficiencies of PDGF-B and PDGFR-β targeting siRNA-containing chitosan nanoplexes were 74 and 71% in immortalized rat mesangial cells and 66 and 62% in primary rat mesangial cells, respectively. siPDGF-B- and siPDGFR-β-containing nanoplexes indicated a significant decrease in mesangial cell migration and proliferation. These results suggested that mesangial cell proliferation may be inhibited by silencing of the PDGF-B signaling pathway. Gene silencing approaches with chitosan-based gene delivery systems have promise for the efficient treatment of renal disease.

Corrosive sliding wear behavior of laser clad Mo2Ni3Si/NiSi intermetallic coating

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, X.D.; Wang, H.M.

2005-01-01

Many ternary metal silicides such as W 2 Ni 3 Si, Ti 2 Ni 3 Si and Mo 2 Ni 3 Si with the topologically closed-packed (TCP) hP12 MgZn 2 type Laves phase crystal structure are expected to have outstanding wear and corrosion resistance due to their inherent high hardness and sluggish temperature dependence and strong atomic bonds. In this paper, Mo 2 Ni 3 Si/NiSi intermetallic coating was fabricated on substrate of an austenitic stainless steel AISI321 by laser cladding using Ni-Mo-Si elemental alloy powders. Microstructure of the coating was characterized by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDS). Wear resistance of the coating is evaluated under corrosive sliding wear test condition. Influence of corrosion solutions on the wear resistance of the coating was studied and the wear mechanism was discussed based on observations of worn surface morphology. Results showed that the laser clad Mo 2 Ni 3 Si/NiSi composite coating have a fine microstructure of Mo 2 Ni 3 Si primary dendrites and the interdendritic Mo 2 Ni 3 Si/NiSi eutectics. The coating has excellent corrosive wear resistance compared with austenitic stainless steel AISI321 under acid, alkaline and saline corrosive environments

Influence of Li₂Sb Additions on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Al-20Mg₂Si Alloy.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Hong-Chen; Wang, Hui-Yuan; Chen, Lei; Zha, Min; Wang, Cheng; Li, Chao; Jiang, Qi-Chuan

2016-03-29

It is found that Li₂Sb compound can act as the nucleus of primary Mg₂Si during solidification, by which the particle size of primary Mg₂Si decreased from ~300 to ~15-25 μm. Owing to the synergistic effect of the Li₂Sb nucleus and adsorption-poisoning of Li atoms, the effect of complex modification of Li-Sb on primary Mg₂Si was better than that of single modification of Li or Sb. When Li-Sb content increased from 0 to 0.2 and further to 0.5 wt.%, coarse dendrite changed to defective truncated octahedron and finally to perfect truncated octahedral shape. With the addition of Li and Sb, ultimate compression strength (UCS) of Al-20Mg₂Si alloys increased from ~283 to ~341 MPa and the yield strength (YS) at 0.2% offset increased from ~112 to ~179 MPa while almost no change was seen in the uniform elongation. Our study offers a simple method to control the morphology and size of primary Mg₂Si, which will inspire developing new Al-Mg-Si alloys with improved mechanical properties.

Efficient and gentle siRNA delivery by magnetofection

Science.gov (United States)

Ensenauer, R; Hartl, D; Vockley, J; Roscher, AA; Fuchs, U

2015-01-01

Magnetic force combined with magnetic nanoparticles recently has shown potential for enhancing nucleic acid delivery. Achieving effective siRNA delivery into primary cultured cells is challenging. We compared the utility of magnetofection with lipofection procedures for siRNA delivery to primary and immortalized mammalian fibroblasts. Transfection efficiency and cell viability were analyzed by flow cytometry and effects of gene knockdown were quantified by real-time PCR. Lipofectamine 2000 and magnetofection achieved high transfection efficiencies comparable to similar gene silencing effects of about 80%; the cytotoxic effect of magnetofection, however, was significantly less. Magnetofection is a reliable and gentle alternative method with low cytotoxicity for siRNA delivery into difficult to transfect cells such as mammalian fibroblasts. These features are especially advantageous for functional end point analyses of gene silencing, e.g., on the metabolite level. PMID:20297946

The novel eutectic microstructures of Si-Mn-P ternary alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Yaping; Liu Xiangfa

2010-01-01

The microstructures of Si-Mn-P alloy manufactured by the technique of combining phosphorus transportation and alloy melting were investigated using electron probe micro-analyzer (EPMA). The phase compositions were determined by energy spectrum and the varieties of eutectic morphologies were discussed. It is found that there is no ternary compound but Si, MnP and MnSi 1.75-x could appear when the Si-Mn-P alloy's composition is proper. Microstructure is greatly refined by rapid solidification technique and the amount of eutectic phases change with faster cooling rates. Moreover, primary Si or MnP are surrounded firstly by the binary eutectic (Si + MnP) and then the ternary eutectic (Si + MnSi 1.75-x + MnP) which also exhibit binary structures due to divorced eutectic determined by the particularity of some Si-Mn-P alloys.

Effect of Si and Zr on the Microstructure and Properties of Al-Fe-Si-Zr Alloys

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Morozova

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The effects of Si and Zr on the microstructure, microhardness and electrical conductivity of Al-Fe-Si-Zr alloys were studied. An increase in the Zr content over 0.3 wt. % leads to the formation of primary Al3Zr inclusions and also decreases mechanical properties. Therefore, the Zr content should not be more than 0.3 wt. %, although the smaller content is insufficient for the strengthening by the secondary Al3Zr precipitates. The present results indicate that high content of Si significantly affects the hardness and electrical conductivity of the investigated alloys. However, the absence of Si led to the formation of harmful needle-shaped Al3Fe particles in the microstructure of the investigated alloys after annealing. Therefore, the optimum amount of Si was 0.25–0.50 wt. % due to the formation of the Al8Fe2Si phase with the preferable platelet morphology. The maximum microhardness and strengthening effects in Al-1% Fe-0.25% Si-0.3% Zr were observed after annealing at 400–450 °C due to the formation of nanosized coherent Al3Zr (L12 dispersoids. The effect of the increasing of the electrical conductivity can be explained by the decomposition of the solid solution. Thus, Al-1% Fe-0.25% Si-0.3% Zr alloy annealed at 450 °C has been studied in detail as the most attractive with respect to the special focus on transmission line applications.

Heterogeneous nucleation of Mg2Si on Sr11Sb10 nucleus in Mg–x(3.5, 5 wt.%)Si–1Al alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Hui-Yuan; Chen, Lei; Liu, Bo; Li, Xiao-Ran; Wang, Jin-Guo; Jiang, Qi-Chuan

2012-01-01

After combined additions of Sr and Sb, most primary Mg 2 Si crystals in Mg–3.5Si–1Al and Mg–5Si–1Al alloys transformed from equiaxed-dendritic shapes to octahedral morphologies; while eutectic phases also changed from Chinese script to short rod-shapes. The mechanisms of complex modification of Sr and Sb were attributed to the heterogeneous nucleation of primary Mg 2 Si on Sr 11 Sb 10 nucleus, together with change in growth manners caused by incorporation of Sb in Mg 2 Si crystals. -- Highlights: ► The Sr 11 Sb 10 is the heterogeneous nucleation of primary Mg 2 Si in Mg–3.5Si–1Al alloys. ► Some Sb atoms were incorporated by substituting Si which changed growth manners of primary Mg 2 Si. ► Primary Mg 2 Si transformed from equiaxed-dendritic to octahedral after modification. ► Eutectic phases changed from Chinese script to short rod-shapes after modification.

Effect of high power ultrasound on mechanical properties of Al-Si alloys

Science.gov (United States)

Srivastava, N.; Gupta, R.; Chaudhari, G. P.

2018-03-01

Effect of high power ultrasonic treatment on the solidification microstructures of Al-Si alloys containing varying content of solute Si (1, 2, 3 and 5 wt %) is investigated. Large variation in microstructures is seen and refinement of primary α-Al grains is observed. It is observed that increasing the weight percentage of solute along with ultrasonic treatment resulted in finer primary phase. By increasing the solute content from 1% to 5 wt.% in Al-Si alloys, hardness increased by about 38% without and 48% with ultrasonic treatment. Tensile strength of the alloys with ultrasonic treatment is higher as compared to those without ultrasonic treated.

First-principle study of the AlP/Si interfacial adhesion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dai Hongshang [Key Laboratory of Liquid Structure and Heredity of Materials, Ministry of Education, Shandong University, 73 Jingshi Road, Jinan 250061 (China); Du Jing [School of Science, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan 250101 (China); Wang Li; Peng Chuanxiao [Key Laboratory of Liquid Structure and Heredity of Materials, Ministry of Education, Shandong University, 73 Jingshi Road, Jinan 250061 (China); Liu Xiangfa, E-mail: xfliu@sdu.edu.c [Key Laboratory of Liquid Structure and Heredity of Materials, Ministry of Education, Shandong University, 73 Jingshi Road, Jinan 250061 (China); Shandong Binzhou Bohai Piston Co. Ltd., Binzhou 256602, Shandong (China)

2010-01-15

AlP is heterogeneous nucleation substrate of primary Si in hypereutectic Al-Si alloys, while studies on the nucleation mechanism at atomic level are absent. The pseudopotential-based DFT calculations have been carried out to investigate the atomic and electronic structure, bonding and adhesion of the AlP/Si interface. In total, eight geometries have been investigated, in which the interfacial stacking sequence is different. The favorable interfaces can be deduced for the reason that adhesive interface energies (W{sub ad}) are different, which cannot be obtained from the traditional mismatch theory. The interfacial density of states and Mulliken population are also investigated. It is found that the main bond between AlP and Si is covalent Al-Si or P-Si bond, accompanying some ionic characteristic.

Effects of Mn addition on microstructure and hardness of Al-12.6Si alloy

Science.gov (United States)

Biswas, Prosanta; Patra, Surajit; Mondal, Manas Kumar

2018-03-01

In this work, eutectic Al-12.6Si alloy with and without manganese (Mn) have been developed through gravity casting route. The effect of Mn concentration (0.0 wt.%, 1 wt%, 2 wt% and 3 wt%) on microstructural morphology and hardness property of the alloy has been investigated. The eutectic Al-12.6 Si alloy exhibits the presence of combine plate, needle and rod-like eutectic silicon phase with very sharp corners and coarser primary silicon particles within the α-Al phase. In addition of 1wt.% of Mn in the eutectic Al-12.6Si alloy, sharp corners of the primary Si and needle-like eutectic Si are became blunt and particles size is reduced. Further, increase in Mn concentration (2.0 wt.%) in the Al-12.6Si alloy, irregular plate shape Al6(Mn,Fe) intermetallics are formed inside the α-Al phase, but the primary and eutectic phase morphology is similar to the eutectic Al-12.6Si alloy. The volume fraction of Al6(Mn,Fe) increases and Al6(Mn,Fe) particles appear as like chain structure in the alloy with 3 wt.% Mn. An increase in Mn concentration in the Al-12.6Si alloys result in the increase in bulk hardness of the alloy as an effects of microstructure modification as well as the presence of harder Al6(Mn,Fe) phase in the developed alloy.

Molecular modeling of alkyl monolayers on the Si (100)-2 x 1 surface

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lee, M.V.; Guo, D.; Linford, M.R.; Zuilhof, H.

2004-01-01

Molecular modeling was used to simulate various surfaces derived from the addition of 1-alkenes and 1-alkynes to Si=Si dimers on the Si(100)-2 × 1 surface. The primary aim was to better understand the interactions between adsorbates on the surface and distortions of the underlying silicon crystal

Microstructural Analysis of AM50/Mg2Si Cast Magnesium Composites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Malik M.A.

2012-12-01

Full Text Available AM50/Mg2Si composites containing 5.7 wt. % and 9.9 wt. %. of Mg2Si reinforcing phase were prepared successfully by casting method. The microstructure of the cast AM50/Mg2Si magnesium matrix composites was investigated by light microscopy and X-ray diffractometry (XRD. The microstructure of these composites was characterized by the presence of α-phase (a solid solution of aluminium in magnesium, Mg17Al12 (γ-phase, Al8Mn5 and Mg2Si. It was demonstrated that the Mg2Si phase was formed mainly as primary dendrites and eutectic.

Application of the Raman technique to measure stress states in individual Si particles in a cast Al-Si alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harris, Stephen J.; O'Neill, Ann; Boileau, James; Donlon, William; Su, Xuming; Majumdar, B.S.

2007-01-01

While Raman spectroscopy is often used to measure stresses, the analyses are almost always limited to cases with simple stress states (uniaxial, equibiaxial). Recently we provided an experimental methodology to determine the full state of stress in Si wafers. Here we extend that methodology to interrogate stress states in Si particles embedded in an Al-Si alloy. Such determinations will ultimately be valuable for predicting ductility of cast Al, since a primary source of damage is cracking of eutectic Si particles. We combine electron back-scattered diffraction with the frequency shift, polarization and intensity of the Raman light to determine stress states. Stress states are measured both in the as-received residually stressed state and under in situ uniaxial loading. Comparison with finite element calculations shows good agreement. As an application of the technique, we show the determination of strength of an individual Si particle and compare the stress evolution with various models

Primary Dendrite Arm Spacings in Al-7Si Alloy Directionally Solidified on the International Space Station

Science.gov (United States)

Angart, Samuel; Lauer, Mark; Poirier, David; Tewari, Surendra; Rajamure, Ravi; Grugel, Richard

2015-01-01

Samples from directionally solidified Al- 7 wt. % Si have been analyzed for primary dendrite arm spacing (lambda) and radial macrosegregation. The alloy was directionally solidified (DS) aboard the ISS to determine the effect of mitigating convection on lambda and macrosegregation. Samples from terrestrial DS-experiments thermal histories are discussed for comparison. In some experiments, lambda was measured in microstructures that developed during the transition from one speed to another. To represent DS in the presence of no convection, the Hunt-Lu model was used to represent diffusion controlled growth under steady-state conditions. By sectioning cross-sections throughout the entire length of a solidified sample, lambda was measured and calculated using the model. During steady-state, there was reasonable agreement between the measured and calculated lambda's in the space-grown samples. In terrestrial samples, the differences between measured and calculated lambda's indicated that the dendritic growth was influenced by convection.

Ordering at Si(111)/o-Si and Si(111)/SiO2 Interfaces

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Robinson, I. K.; Waskiewicz, W. K.; Tung, R. T.

1986-01-01

X-ray diffraction has been used to measure the intensity profile of the two-dimensional rods of scattering from a single interface buried inside a bulk material. In both Si(111)/a-Si and Si(111)/SiO2 examples there are features in the perpendicular-momentum-transfer dependence which are not expec...... are not expected from an ideal sharp interface. The diffraction profiles are explained by models with partially ordered layers extending into the amorphous region. In the Si(111)/a-Si case there is clear evidence of stacking faults which are attributed to residual 7×7 reconstruction....

Fission-product SiC reaction in HTGR fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Montgomery, F.

1981-01-01

The primary barrier to release of fission product from any of the fuel types into the primary circuit of the HTGR are the coatings on the fuel particles. Both pyrolytic carbon and silicon carbide coatings are very effective in retaining fission gases under normal operating conditions. One of the possible performance limitations which has been observed in irradiation tests of TRISO fuel is chemical interaction of the SiC layer with fission products. This reaction reduces the thickness of the SiC layer in TRISO particles and can lead to release of fission products from the particles if the SiC layer is completely penetrated. The experimental section of this report describes the results of work at General Atomic concerning the reaction of fission products with silicon carbide. The discussion section describes data obtained by various laboratories and includes (1) a description of the fission products which have been found to react with SiC; (2) a description of the kinetics of silicon carbide thinning caused by fission product reaction during out-of-pile thermal gradient heating and the application of these kinetics to in-pile irradiation; and (3) a comparison of silicon carbide thinning in LEU and HEU fuels

Study of Si/Si, Si/SiO2, and metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) using positrons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leung, To Chi.

1991-01-01

A variable-energy positron beam is used to study Si/Si, Si/SiO 2 , and metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) structures. The capability of depth resolution and the remarkable sensitivity to defects have made the positron annihilation technique a unique tool in detecting open-volume defects in the newly innovated low temperature (300C) molecular-beam-epitaxy (MBE) Si/Si. These two features of the positron beam have further shown its potential role in the study of the Si/SiO 2 . Distinct annihilation characteristics has been observed at the interface and has been studied as a function of the sample growth conditions, annealing (in vacuum), and hydrogen exposure. The MOS structure provides an effective way to study the electrical properties of the Si/SiO 2 interface as a function of applied bias voltage. The annihilation characteristics show a large change as the device condition is changed from accumulation to inversion. The effect of forming gas (FG) anneal is studied using positron annihilation and the result is compared with capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements. The reduction in the number of interface states is found correlated with the changes in the positron spectra. The present study shows the importance of the positron annihilation technique as a non-contact, non-destructive, and depth-sensitive characterization tool to study the Si-related systems, in particular, the Si/SiO 2 interface which is of crucial importance in semiconductor technology, and fundamental understanding of the defects responsible for degradation of the electrical properties

Photoluminescence of Er-doped Si-SiO2 and Al-Si-SiO2 sputtered thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rozo, C.; Fonseca, L.F.; Jaque, D.; Sole, J.Garcia

2008-01-01

Er-doped Si-SiO 2 and Al-Si-SiO 2 films have been deposited by rf-sputtering being annealed afterwards. Annealing behavior of the Er 3+ : 4 I 13/2 → 4 I 15/2 emission of Er-doped Si-SiO 2 yields a maximum intensity for annealing at 700-800 deg. C. 4 I 13/2 → 4 I 15/2 peak emission for Er-doped Al-Si-SiO 2 at 1525 nm is shifted from that for Er-doped Si-SiO 2 at 1530 nm and the bandwidth increases from 29 to 42 nm. 4 I 13/2 → 4 I 15/2 emission decays present a fast decaying component related to Er ions coupled to Si nanoparticles, defects, or other ions, and a slow decaying component related to isolated Er ions. Excitation wavelength dependence and excitation power dependence for the 4 I 13/2 → 4 I 15/2 emission correspond with energy transfer from Si nanoparticles. Populating of the 4 I 11/2 level in Er-doped Si-SiO 2 involves branching and energy transfer upconversion involving two or more Er ions. Addition of Al reduces the populating of this level to an energy transfer upconversion involving two ions

Dielectric strength of SiO2 in a CMOS transistor structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soden, J.M.

1979-01-01

The distribution of experimental dielectric strengths of SiO 2 gate dielectric in a CMOS transistor structure is shown to be composed of a primary, statistically-normal distribution of high dielectric strength and a secondary distribution spread through the lower dielectric strength region. The dielectric strength was not significantly affected by high level (1 x 10 6 RADS (Si)) gamma radiation or high temperature (200 0 C) stress. The primary distribution breakdowns occurred at topographical edges, mainly at the gate/field oxide interface, and the secondary distribution breakdowns occurred at random locations in the central region of the gate

Nanocrystalline Si pathway induced unipolar resistive switching behavior from annealed Si-rich SiNx/SiNy multilayers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang, Xiaofan; Ma, Zhongyuan; Yang, Huafeng; Yu, Jie; Wang, Wen; Zhang, Wenping; Li, Wei; Xu, Jun; Xu, Ling; Chen, Kunji; Huang, Xinfan; Feng, Duan

2014-01-01

Adding a resistive switching functionality to a silicon microelectronic chip is a new challenge in materials research. Here, we demonstrate that unipolar and electrode-independent resistive switching effects can be realized in the annealed Si-rich SiN x /SiN y multilayers with high on/off ratio of 10 9 . High resolution transmission electron microscopy reveals that for the high resistance state broken pathways composed of discrete nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si) exist in the Si nitride multilayers. While for the low resistance state the discrete nc-Si regions is connected, forming continuous nc-Si pathways. Based on the analysis of the temperature dependent I-V characteristics and HRTEM photos, we found that the break-and-bridge evolution of nc-Si pathway is the origin of resistive switching memory behavior. Our findings provide insights into the mechanism of the resistive switching behavior in nc-Si films, opening a way for it to be utilized as a material in Si-based memories.

Nanocrystalline Si pathway induced unipolar resistive switching behavior from annealed Si-rich SiNx/SiNy multilayers

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Xiaofan; Ma, Zhongyuan; Yang, Huafeng; Yu, Jie; Wang, Wen; Zhang, Wenping; Li, Wei; Xu, Jun; Xu, Ling; Chen, Kunji; Huang, Xinfan; Feng, Duan

2014-09-01

Adding a resistive switching functionality to a silicon microelectronic chip is a new challenge in materials research. Here, we demonstrate that unipolar and electrode-independent resistive switching effects can be realized in the annealed Si-rich SiNx/SiNy multilayers with high on/off ratio of 109. High resolution transmission electron microscopy reveals that for the high resistance state broken pathways composed of discrete nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si) exist in the Si nitride multilayers. While for the low resistance state the discrete nc-Si regions is connected, forming continuous nc-Si pathways. Based on the analysis of the temperature dependent I-V characteristics and HRTEM photos, we found that the break-and-bridge evolution of nc-Si pathway is the origin of resistive switching memory behavior. Our findings provide insights into the mechanism of the resistive switching behavior in nc-Si films, opening a way for it to be utilized as a material in Si-based memories.

Effect of high-intensity ultrasonic irradiation on the modification of solidification microstructure in a Si-rich hypoeutectic Al-Si alloy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Das, A., E-mail: A.Das@swansea.ac.uk [Materials Research Centre, School of Engineering, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP (United Kingdom); Kotadia, H.R. [Brunel Centre for Advanced Solidification Technology, Brunel University, Uxbridge, UB8 3PH (United Kingdom)

2011-02-15

Effect of high-intensity ultrasound irradiation in modifying complex solidification microstructure is explored in a high Si containing Al-Si alloy and the origin of microstructural changes explained on the basis of nucleation and growth behaviour. Complete suppression of dendritic growth and dramatic refinement to globular morphology were observed for primary {alpha}-Al grains. Strong supportive evidence is presented towards enhanced and prolonged heterogeneous nucleation triggered by cavitation induced increase in the equilibrium melting point and effective dissipation of latent heat at the solidification front. Morphological evolution of eutectic Si and intermetallic particles is found to be dominated by coarsening and spherodisation from strong fluid flow in areas of intense cavitation near the ultrasonic radiator. Outside the region of direct energy transfer, Si particle morphology appears to be controlled predominantly by the imposed cooling conditions. Extremely fine and short Si-platelets observed in the intergranular spaces near the radiator are explained on the basis of probable rapid cooling of final liquid pockets of small volume and large surface area, rather than refinement through ultrasound.

Electronic states at Si-SiO2 interface introduced by implantation of Si in thermal SiO2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalnitsky, A.; Poindexter, E.H.; Caplan, P.J.

1990-01-01

Interface traps due to excess Si introduced into the Si-SiO 2 system by ion implantation are investigated. Implanted oxides are shown to have interface traps at or slightly above the Si conduction band edge with densities proportional to the density of off-stoichiometric Si at the Si-SiO 2 interface. Diluted oxygen annealing is shown to result in physical separation of interface traps and equilibrium substrate electrons, demonstrating that ''interface'' states are located within a 0.5 nm thick layer of SiO 2 . Possible charge trapping mechanisms are discussed and the effect of these traps on MOS transistor characteristics is described using a sheet charge model. (author)

Effect of Cooling Rate and Chemical Modification on the Tensile Properties of Mg-5wt% Si Alloy

Science.gov (United States)

Mirshahi, Farshid; Meratian, Mahmood; Zahrani, Mohsen Mohammadi; Zahrani, Ehsan Mohammadi

Hypereutectic Mg-Si alloys are a new class of light materials usable for aerospace and other advanced engineering applications. In this study, the effects of both cooling rate and bismuth modification on the micro structure and tensile properties of hypereutectic Mg-5wt% Si alloy were investigated. It was found that the addition of 0.5% Bi, altered the morphology of primary Mg2Si particles from bulky to polygonal shape and reduced their mean size from more than 70 μm to about 30 (am. Also, the tensile strength and elongation of the modified alloy increased about 10% and 20%, respectively, which should be ascribed to the modification of Mg2Si morphology and more uniform distribution of the primary particles. Moreover, an increase in tensile strength value with increase in cooling rate were observed which is attributed to finer micro structure of alloy in higher cooling rates. It was observed that Bi addition is significantly more effective in refining the morphology of primary Mg2Si particles than applying faster cooling rates.

Nonvolatile field effect transistors based on protons and Si/SiO2Si structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Warren, W.L.; Vanheusden, K.; Fleetwood, D.M.; Schwank, J.R.; Winokur, P.S.; Knoll, M.G.; Devine, R.A.B.

1997-01-01

Recently, the authors have demonstrated that annealing Si/SiO 2 /Si structures in a hydrogen containing ambient introduces mobile H + ions into the buried SiO 2 layer. Changes in the H + spatial distribution within the SiO 2 layer were electrically monitored by current-voltage (I-V) measurements. The ability to directly probe reversible protonic motion in Si/SiO 2 /Si structures makes this an exemplar system to explore the physics and chemistry of hydrogen in the technologically relevant Si/SiO 2 structure. In this work, they illustrate that this effect can be used as the basis for a programmable nonvolatile field effect transistor (NVFET) memory that may compete with other Si-based memory devices. The power of this novel device is its simplicity; it is based upon standard Si/SiO 2 /Si technology and forming gas annealing, a common treatment used in integrated circuit processing. They also briefly discuss the effects of radiation on its retention properties

Precipitation of amorphous SiO2 particles and their properties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Musić

2011-03-01

Full Text Available The experimental conditions were optimized for the synthesis of amorphous SiO2 particles by the reaction of neutralization of sodium silicate solution with H2SO4 solution. Amorphous SiO2 particles were characterized by XRD, FT-IR, FE-SEM, EDS and microelectrophoresis. The amorphous peak was located at 2θ = 21.8º in the XRD pattern. Primary SiO2 particles were ~ 15 to ~ 30 nm in size and they aggregated into bigger particles. Amorphous SiO2 particles showed a specific surface area up to 130 m²g-1, dependent on the parameters of the precipitation process. The EDS spectrum of amorphous SiO2 particles did not show contamination with sulfate or other ions, which cannot be excluded in traces. pHzpc =1.7 was obtained by microelectrophoresis.

Targeted transfection increases siRNA uptake and gene silencing of primary endothelial cells in vitro - A quantitative study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Asgeirsdottir, Sigridur A.; Talman, Eduard G.; de Graaf, Inge A.; Kamps, Jan A. A. M.; Satchell, Simon C.; Mathieson, Peter W.; Ruiters, Marcel H. J.; Molema, Grietje

2010-01-01

Applications of small-interfering RNA (siRNA) call for specific and efficient delivery of siRNA into particular cell types. We developed a novel, non-viral targeting system to deliver siRNA specifically into inflammation-activated endothelial cells. This was achieved by conjugating the cationic

V3Si multifilamentary superconductor with high overall Jc

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takeuchi, Takao; Inoue, Kiyoshi; Kosuge, Michio; Iijima, Yasuo; Watanabe, Kazuo

1994-01-01

V 3 Si is one of the A15-type superconducting compounds from which single crystals can be quite easily obtained due to the nature of the equilibrium phase diagram. Thus, the fundamental characteristics of A15 compounds (such as electronic structure and cubic-to-tetragonal structural transformation) have been studied with this compound. V 3 Si is, however, also promising in practical use as an alternative to Nb 3 Sn for high field magnets, since the upper critical field H c2 (4.2 K) is more than 20 T. Although the open-quotes bronze process,close quotes the established commercial process to produce Nb 3 Sn conductors, is also available for V 3 Si, the ternary section of the Cu-V-Si phase diagram indicates two diffusion paths are possible: One from the bronze with low Si content (Si 3 Si, and the other from the bronze with higher Si content to V 3 Si via V 5 Si 3 . The high Si bronze is likely to be advantageous in reducing the bronze volume fraction and hence achieving high overall critical current density J c . This is because the initially formed V 5 Si 3 is eventually converted to V 3 Si as long as the total proportion of V to Si in the composite (overall V/Si molar ratio) is kept around 3. However, long times at high temperatures are necessary for appreciable V 3 Si layer growth, thereby yielding grain growth of V 3 Si and lowering the J c of the V 3 Si compound and the overall J c accordingly. In the present study, in order to improve the overall J c , the authors have realized ∼1μm filament diameter by preparing a double-stacked Cu-8.5at.%Si/V composite. The primary bundle is sheathed with a Ta tube. The Si in the bronze inside the Ta is available only for the diffusion reaction, and the overall V/Si ratios is ∼3

Sub-barrier fusion of Si+Si systems

Science.gov (United States)

Colucci, G.; Montagnoli, G.; Stefanini, A. M.; Bourgin, D.; Čolović, P.; Corradi, L.; Courtin, S.; Faggian, M.; Fioretto, E.; Galtarossa, F.; Goasduff, A.; Haas, F.; Mazzocco, M.; Scarlassara, F.; Stefanini, C.; Strano, E.; Urbani, M.; Szilner, S.; Zhang, G. L.

2017-11-01

The near- and sub-barrier fusion excitation function has been measured for the system 30Si+30Si at the Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro of INFN, using the 30Si beam of the XTU Tandem accelerator in the energy range 47 - 90 MeV. A set-up based on a beam electrostatic deflector was used for detecting fusion evaporation residues. The measured cross sections have been compared to previous data on 28Si+28Si and Coupled Channels (CC) calculations have been performed using M3Y+repulsion and Woods-Saxon potentials, where the lowlying 2+ and 3- excitations have been included. A weak imaginary potential was found to be necessary to reproduce the low energy 28Si+28Si data. This probably simulates the effect of the oblate deformation of this nucleus. On the contrary, 30Si is a spherical nucleus, 30Si+30Si is nicely fit by CC calculations and no imaginary potential is needed. For this system, no maximum shows up for the astrophysical S-factor so that we have no evidence for hindrance, as confirmed by the comparison with CC calculations. The logarithmic derivative of the two symmetric systems highlights their different low energy trend. A difference can also be noted in the two barrier distributions, where the high-energy peak present in 28Si+28Si is not observed for 30Si+30Si, probably due to the weaker couplings in last case.

Sub-barrier fusion of Si+Si systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Colucci G.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The near- and sub-barrier fusion excitation function has been measured for the system 30Si+30Si at the Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro of INFN, using the 30Si beam of the XTU Tandem accelerator in the energy range 47 - 90 MeV. A set-up based on a beam electrostatic deflector was used for detecting fusion evaporation residues. The measured cross sections have been compared to previous data on 28Si+28Si and Coupled Channels (CC calculations have been performed using M3Y+repulsion and Woods-Saxon potentials, where the lowlying 2+ and 3− excitations have been included. A weak imaginary potential was found to be necessary to reproduce the low energy 28Si+28Si data. This probably simulates the effect of the oblate deformation of this nucleus. On the contrary, 30Si is a spherical nucleus, 30Si+30Si is nicely fit by CC calculations and no imaginary potential is needed. For this system, no maximum shows up for the astrophysical S-factor so that we have no evidence for hindrance, as confirmed by the comparison with CC calculations. The logarithmic derivative of the two symmetric systems highlights their different low energy trend. A difference can also be noted in the two barrier distributions, where the high-energy peak present in 28Si+28Si is not observed for 30Si+30Si, probably due to the weaker couplings in last case.

Nitric acid oxidation of Si (NAOS) method for low temperature fabrication of SiO{sub 2}/Si and SiO{sub 2}/SiC structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kobayashi, H., E-mail: koba771@ybb.ne.jp [Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Osaka University, and CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 8-1 Mihogaoka, Ibaraki, Osaka 567-0047 (Japan); Imamura, K.; Kim, W.-B.; Im, S.-S.; Asuha [Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Osaka University, and CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 8-1 Mihogaoka, Ibaraki, Osaka 567-0047 (Japan)

2010-07-15

We have developed low temperature formation methods of SiO{sub 2}/Si and SiO{sub 2}/SiC structures by use of nitric acid, i.e., nitric acid oxidation of Si (or SiC) (NAOS) methods. By use of the azeotropic NAOS method (i.e., immersion in 68 wt% HNO{sub 3} aqueous solutions at 120 deg. C), an ultrathin (i.e., 1.3-1.4 nm) SiO{sub 2} layer with a low leakage current density can be formed on Si. The leakage current density can be further decreased by post-metallization anneal (PMA) at 200 deg. C in hydrogen atmosphere, and consequently the leakage current density at the gate bias voltage of 1 V becomes 1/4-1/20 of that of an ultrathin (i.e., 1.5 nm) thermal oxide layer usually formed at temperatures between 800 and 900 deg. C. The low leakage current density is attributable to (i) low interface state density, (ii) low SiO{sub 2} gap-state density, and (iii) high band discontinuity energy at the SiO{sub 2}/Si interface arising from the high atomic density of the NAOS SiO{sub 2} layer. For the formation of a relatively thick (i.e., {>=}10 nm) SiO{sub 2} layer, we have developed the two-step NAOS method in which the initial and subsequent oxidation is performed by immersion in {approx}40 wt% HNO{sub 3} and azeotropic HNO{sub 3} aqueous solutions, respectively. In this case, the SiO{sub 2} formation rate does not depend on the Si surface orientation. Using the two-step NAOS method, a uniform thickness SiO{sub 2} layer can be formed even on the rough surface of poly-crystalline Si thin films. The atomic density of the two-step NAOS SiO{sub 2} layer is slightly higher than that for thermal oxide. When PMA at 250 deg. C in hydrogen is performed on the two-step NAOS SiO{sub 2} layer, the current-voltage and capacitance-voltage characteristics become as good as those for thermal oxide formed at 900 deg. C. A relatively thick (i.e., {>=}10 nm) SiO{sub 2} layer can also be formed on SiC at 120 deg. C by use of the two-step NAOS method. With no treatment before the NAOS method

Methodology Development for SiC Sensor Signal Modelling in the Nuclear Reactor Radiation Environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cetnar, J.; Krolikowski, I.P.

2013-06-01

This paper deals with SiC detector simulation methodology for signal formation by neutrons and induced secondary radiation as well as its inverse interpretation. The primary goal is to achieve the SiC capability of simultaneous spectroscopic measurements of neutrons and gamma-rays for which an appropriate methodology of the detector signal modelling and its interpretation must be adopted. The process of detector simulation is divided into two basically separate but actually interconnected sections. The first one is the forward simulation of detector signal formation in the field of the primary neutron and secondary radiations, whereas the second one is the inverse problem of finding a representation of the primary radiation, based on the measured detector signals. The applied methodology under development is based on the Monte Carlo description of radiation transport and analysis of the reactor physics. The methodology of SiC detector signal interpretation will be based on the existing experience in neutron metrology developed in the past for various neutron and gamma-ray detection systems. Since the novel sensors based on SiC are characterised by a new structure, yet to be finally designed, the methodology for particle spectroscopic fluence measurement must be developed while giving a productive feed back to the designing process of SiC sensor, in order to arrive at the best possible design. (authors)

Joining of SiC ceramics and SiC/SiC composites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rabin, B.H. [Idaho National Engineering Lab., Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

1996-08-01

This project has successfully developed a practical and reliable method for fabricating SiC ceramic-ceramic joints. This joining method will permit the use of SiC-based ceramics in a variety of elevated temperature fossil energy applications. The technique is based on a reaction bonding approach that provides joint interlayers compatible with SiC, and excellent joint mechanical properties at temperatures exceeding 1000{degrees}C. Recent emphasis has been given to technology transfer activities, and several collaborative research efforts are in progress. Investigations are focusing on applying the joining method to sintered {alpha}-SiC and fiber-reinforced SiC/SiC composites for use in applications such as heat exchangers, radiant burners and gas turbine components.

Recovery of hexagonal Si-IV nanowires from extreme GPa pressure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smith, Bennett E. [Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195 (United States); Zhou, Xuezhe; Roder, Paden B. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195 (United States); Abramson, Evan H. [Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195 (United States); Pauzauskie, Peter J., E-mail: peterpz@uw.edu [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195 (United States); Fundamental and Computational Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352 (United States)

2016-05-14

We use Raman spectroscopy in tandem with transmission electron microscopy and density functional theory simulations to show that extreme (GPa) pressure converts the phase of silicon nanowires from cubic (Si-I) to hexagonal (Si-IV) while preserving the nanowire's cylindrical morphology. In situ Raman scattering of the longitudinal transverse optical (LTO) mode demonstrates the high-pressure Si-I to Si-II phase transition near 9 GPa. Raman signal of the LTO phonon shows a decrease in intensity in the range of 9–14 GPa. Then, at 17 GPa, it is no longer detectable, indicating a second phase change (Si-II to Si-V) in the 14–17 GPa range. Recovery of exotic phases in individual silicon nanowires from diamond anvil cell experiments reaching 17 GPa is also shown. Raman measurements indicate Si-IV as the dominant phase in pressurized nanowires after decompression. Transmission electron microscopy and electron diffraction confirm crystalline Si-IV domains in individual nanowires. Computational electromagnetic simulations suggest that heating from the Raman laser probe is negligible and that near-hydrostatic pressure is the primary driving force for the formation of hexagonal silicon nanowires.

Preliminary study of the characteristics of a high Mg containing Al-Mg-Si alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan, F; McKay, B J; Fan, Z; Chen, M F

2012-01-01

An Al-20Mg-4Si high Mg containing alloy has been produced and its characteristics investigated. The as-cast alloy revealed primary Mg 2 Si particles evenly distributed throughout an α-Al matrix with a β-Al 3 Mg 2 fully divorced eutectic phase observed in interdendritic regions. The Mg 2 Si particles displayed octahedral, truncated octahedral, and hopper morphologies. Additions of Sb, Ti and Zr had a refining influence reducing the size of the Mg 2 Si from 52 ± 4 μm to 25 ± 0.1 μm, 35 ± 1 μm and 34 ± 1 μm respectively. HPDC tensile test samples could be produced with a 0.6 wt.% Mn addition which prevented die soldering. Solution heating for 1 hr was found to dissolve the majority of the Al 3 Mg 2 eutectic phase with no evidence of any effect on the primary Mg 2 Si. Preliminary results indicate that the heat treatment has a beneficial effect on the elongation and the UTS.

Effect of alumina on grain refinement of Al-Si hypereutectic alloys

Science.gov (United States)

Majhi, J.; Sahoo, S. K.; Patnaik, S. C.; Sarangi, B.; Sachan, N. K.

2018-03-01

The size, volume fraction and distribution of primary as well as eutectic silicon affect the mechanical properties of the Al-Si hypereutectic alloys. It is very difficult for the simultaneous refinement and modification of primary and secondary Si particles in hypereutectic Al-Si alloys through traditional processes. This paper explores the role of γ-Al2O3 nanoparticles on Si particles in the course of solidification in hypereutectic Al-Si alloys at particular pouring temperature. The present study involves incorporation of varying contents dispersed γ-Al2O3 nanoparticles into a molten base metal during stir casting and followed by solidification. It has been reported that the synthesized composites having good interfacial bonding (wetting) between the dispersed phase and the liquid matrix was achieved in order to provide improved mechanical properties of the composite. The cast product of hypereutectic Al-16Si alloy with the reinforcement of nanoparticles, illustrated a significant improvement in both wear behaviour and hardness. The dry sliding wear test has been performed on a group of specimens with varying parameters (different loads and sliding velocities) in a pin on disc wear testing machine. Moreover, the wear rate and specific wear rate also affected in different load and different sliding velocities. However in XRD analysis of the samples, the enhancement of wear resistance as well as hardness was due to the formation of brittle phases like SiO2, Al2O3 and Al-rich intermetallic compounds. The hardness value of the materials increases nearly 6% in addition to increase in the density of only 0.8%. As per literature, the large plate eutectic Si particles were modified in to the fine core particles and it acquires enough potential for various applications.

Multiscale tomographic analysis of heterogeneous cast Al-Si-X alloys.

Science.gov (United States)

Asghar, Z; Requena, G; Sket, F

2015-07-01

The three-dimensional microstructure of cast AlSi12Ni and AlSi10Cu5Ni2 alloys is investigated by laboratory X-ray computed tomography, synchrotron X-ray computed microtomography, light optical tomography and synchrotron X-ray computed microtomography with submicrometre resolution. The results obtained with each technique are correlated with the size of the scanned volumes and resolved microstructural features. Laboratory X-ray computed tomography is sufficient to resolve highly absorbing aluminides but eutectic and primary Si remain unrevealed. Synchrotron X-ray computed microtomography at ID15/ESRF gives better spatial resolution and reveals primary Si in addition to aluminides. Synchrotron X-ray computed microtomography at ID19/ESRF reveals all the phases ≥ ∼1 μm in volumes about 80 times smaller than laboratory X-ray computed tomography. The volumes investigated by light optical tomography and submicrometre synchrotron X-ray computed microtomography are much smaller than laboratory X-ray computed tomography but both techniques provide local chemical information on the types of aluminides. The complementary techniques applied enable a full three-dimensional characterization of the microstructure of the alloys at length scales ranging over six orders of magnitude. © 2015 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2015 Royal Microscopical Society.

Study on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Hypereutectic Al-18Si Alloy Modified with Al-3B.

Science.gov (United States)

Gong, Chunjie; Tu, Hao; Wu, Changjun; Wang, Jianhua; Su, Xuping

2018-03-20

An hypereutectic Al-18Si alloy was modified via an Al-3B master alloy. The effect of the added Al-3B and the modification temperature on the microstructure, tensile fracture morphologies, and mechanical properties of the alloy were investigated using an optical microscope, Image-Pro Plus 6.0, a scanning electron microscope, and a universal testing machine. The results show that the size of the primary Si and its fraction decreased at first, and then increased as an additional amount of Al-3B was added. When the added Al-3B reached 0.2 wt %, the fraction of the primary Si in the Al-18Si alloy decreased with an increase in temperature. Compared with the unmodified Al-18Si alloy, the tensile strength and elongation of the alloy modified at 850 °C with 0.2 wt % Al-3B increased by 25% and 81%, respectively. The tensile fracture of the modified Al-18Si alloy exhibited partial ductile fracture characteristics, but there were more areas with ductile characteristics compared with that of the unmodified Al-18Si alloy.

Study of SiPM as a potential photodetector for scintillator readout

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herbert, D.J.; D'Ascenzo, N.; Belcari, N.; Del Guerra, A.; Morsani, F.; Saveliev, V.

2006-01-01

The Silicon PhotoMultiplier (SiPM) APD represents an interesting advance in photodetection and could soon be a rival to traditional PMTs in many applications. The SiPM is effectively a densely packed 2D array of Geiger-mode APD microcells, each having individual resistive quenching and multiplexed outputs. In this way the SiPM acts as a linear, high-gain photodetector for moderate photon flux (N photon cells ). The Metal-Resistor-Silicon (MRS) structure SiPM, produced by CPTA Russia, has been characterised and tested for scintillator light detection in medical applications such as PET. We present a summary of measurements of the device's primary operating characteristics and results of the application to scintillator readout

Modeling of Eutectic Formation in Al-Si Alloy Using A Phase-Field Method

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Ebrahimi Z.

2017-12-01

Full Text Available We have utilized a phase-field model to investigate the evolution of eutectic silicon in Al-Si alloy. The interfacial fluctuations are included into a phase-field model of two-phase solidification, as stochastic noise terms and their dominant role in eutectic silicon formation is discussed. We have observed that silicon spherical particles nucleate on the foundation of primary aluminum phase and their nucleation continues on concentric rings, through the Al matrix. The nucleation of silicon particles is attributed to the inclusion of fluctuations into the phase-field equations. The simulation results have shown needle-like, fish-bone like and flakes of silicon phase by adjusting the noise coefficients to larger values. Moreover, the role of primary Al phase on nucleation of silicon particles in Al-Si alloy is elaborated. We have found that the addition of fluctuations plays the role of modifiers in our simulations and is essential for phase-field modeling of eutectic growth in Al-Si system. The simulated finger-like Al phases and spherical Si particles are very similar to those of experimental eutectic growth in modified Al-Si alloy.

Unidirectional solidification of a Nbss/Nb5Si3 in-situ composite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, X.P.; Ding, X.; Zhang, J.; Fu, H.Z.; Guan, P.; Kusabiraki, K.

2005-01-01

The directionally solidified specimens of Nb-13.52 Si-22.60 Ti-6.88 Hf-2.54 Cr-2.24 Al alloy were prepared in an electron beam floating zone melting furnace at the withdrawing rate of 0.1, 0.3, 0.6, 1.0, 2.4 and 6.0 mm/min. All the primary Nb solid solution (Nb ss ) columns, Nb ss + (Nb) 3 Si/(Nb) 5 Si 3 eutectic colonies and divorced (Nb) 3 Si/(Nb) 5 Si 3 plates or chains align well along the longitudinal axis of the specimens. With increasing of the withdrawing rate, the microstructure is gradually refined, and the amount of Nb ss + (Nb) 3 Si/(Nb) 5 Si 3 eutectic colonies increases. Both the room temperature ultimate tensile strength σ b and fracture toughness K Q are improved for the directionally solidified specimens. The tensile fracture occurs in a cleavage way. (orig.)

Microstructure and Mechanical Property of SiCf/SiC and Cf/SiC Composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, S P; Cho, K S; Lee, H U; Lee, J K; Bae, D S; Byun, J H

2011-01-01

The mechanical properties of SiC based composites reinforced with different types of fabrics have been investigated, in conjunction with the detailed analyses of their microstructures. The thermal shock properties of SiC f /SiC composites were also examined. All composites showed a dense morphology in the matrix region. Carbon coated PW-SiC f /SiC composites had a good fracture energy, even if their strength was lower than that of PW-C f /SiC composites. SiC f /SiC composites represented a great reduction of flexural strength at the thermal shock temperature difference of 300 deg. C.

SiC Seeded Crystal Growth

Science.gov (United States)

Glass, R. C.; Henshall, D.; Tsvetkov, V. F.; Carter, C. H., Jr.

1997-07-01

The availability of relatively large (30 mm) SiC wafers has been a primary reason for the renewed high level of interest in SiC semiconductor technology. Projections that 75 mm SiC wafers will be available in 2 to 3 years have further peaked this interest. Now both 4H and 6H polytypes are available, however, the micropipe defects that occur to a varying extent in all wafers produced to date are seen by many as preventing the commercialization of many types of SiC devices, especially high current power devices. Most views on micropipe formation are based around Frank's theory of a micropipe being the hollow core of a screw dislocation with a huge Burgers vector (several times the unit cell) and with the diameter of the core having a direct relationship with the magnitude of the Burgers vector. Our results show that there are several mechanisms or combinations of these mechanisms which cause micropipes in SiC boules grown by the seeded sublimation method. Additional considerations such as polytype variations, dislocations and both impurity and diameter control add to the complexity of producing high quality wafers. Recent results at Cree Research, Inc., including wafers with micropipe densities of less than 1 cm - 2 (with 1 cm2 areas void of micropipes), indicate that micropipes will be reduced to a level that makes high current devices viable and that they may be totally eliminated in the next few years. Additionally, efforts towards larger diameter high quality substrates have led to production of 50 mm diameter 4H and 6H wafers for fabrication of LEDs and the demonstration of 75 mm wafers. Low resistivity and semi-insulating electrical properties have also been attained through improved process and impurity control. Although challenges remain, the industry continues to make significant progress towards large volume SiC-based semiconductor fabrication.

Influence of microstructure on hydrothermal corrosion of chemically vapor processed SiC composite tubes

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Daejong; Lee, Ho Jung; Jang, Changheui; Lee, Hyeon-Geun; Park, Ji Yeon; Kim, Weon-Ju

2017-08-01

Multi-layered SiC composites consisting of monolithic SiC and a SiCf/SiC composite are one of the accident tolerant fuel cladding concepts in pressurized light water reactors. To evaluate the integrity of the SiC fuel cladding under normal operating conditions of a pressurized light water reactor, the hydrothermal corrosion behavior of multi-layered SiC composite tubes was investigated in the simulated primary water environment of a pressurized water reactor without neutron fluence. The results showed that SiC phases with good crystallinity such as Tyranno SA3 SiC fiber and monolithic SiC deposited at 1200 °C had good corrosion resistance. However, the SiC phase deposited at 1000 °C had less crystallinity and severely dissolved in water, particularly the amorphous SiC phase formed along grain boundaries. Dissolved hydrogen did not play a significant role in improving the hydrothermal corrosion resistance of the CVI-processed SiC phases containing amorphous SiC, resulting in a significant weight loss and reduction of hoop strength of the multi-layered SiC composite tubes after corrosion.

Magnetron-sputter epitaxy of β-FeSi2(220)/Si(111) and β-FeSi2(431)/Si(001) thin films at elevated temperatures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Hongfei; Tan Chengcheh; Chi Dongzhi

2012-01-01

β-FeSi 2 thin films have been grown on Si(111) and Si(001) substrates by magnetron-sputter epitaxy at 700 °C. On Si(111), the growth is consistent with the commonly observed orientation of [001]β-FeSi 2 (220)//[1-10]Si(111) having three variants, in-plane rotated 120° with respect to one another. However, on Si(001), under the same growth conditions, the growth is dominated by [-111]β-FeSi 2 (431)//[110]Si(001) with four variants, which is hitherto unknown for growing β-FeSi 2 . Photoelectron spectra reveal negligible differences in the valance-band and Fe2p core-level between β-FeSi 2 grown on Si(111) and Si(001) but an apparent increased Si-oxidization on the surface of β-FeSi 2 /Si(001). This phenomenon is discussed and attributed to the Si-surface termination effect, which also suggests that the Si/Fe ratio on the surface of β-FeSi 2 (431)/Si(001) is larger than that on the surface of β-FeSi 2 (220)/Si(111).

SiC Nanoparticles Toughened-SiC/MoSi2-SiC Multilayer Functionally Graded Oxidation Protective Coating for Carbon Materials at High Temperatures

Science.gov (United States)

Abdollahi, Alireza; Ehsani, Naser; Valefi, Zia; Khalifesoltani, Ali

2017-05-01

A SiC nanoparticle toughened-SiC/MoSi2-SiC functionally graded oxidation protective coating on graphite was prepared by reactive melt infiltration (RMI) at 1773 and 1873 K under argon atmosphere. The phase composition and anti-oxidation behavior of the coatings were investigated. The results show that the coating was composed of MoSi2, α-SiC and β-SiC. By the variations of Gibbs free energy (calculated by HSC Chemistry 6.0 software), it could be suggested that the SiC coating formed at low temperatures by solution-reprecipitation mechanism and at high temperatures by gas-phase reactions and solution-reprecipitation mechanisms simultaneously. SiC nanoparticles could improve the oxidation resistance of SiC/MoSi2-SiC multiphase coating. Addition of SiC nanoparticles increases toughness of the coating and prevents spreading of the oxygen diffusion channels in the coating during the oxidation test. The mass loss and oxidation rate of the SiC nanoparticle toughened-SiC/MoSi2-SiC-coated sample after 10-h oxidation at 1773 K were only 1.76% and 0.32 × 10-2 g/cm3/h, respectively.

Reliability implications of defects in high temperature annealed Si/SiO2/Si structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Warren, W.L.; Fleetwood, D.M.; Shaneyfelt, M.R.; Winokur, P.S.; Devine, R.A.B.; Mathiot, D.; Wilson, I.H.; Xu, J.B.

1994-01-01

High-temperature post-oxidation annealing of poly-Si/SiO 2 /Si structures such as metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors and metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors is known to result in enhanced radiation sensitivity, increased 1/f noise, and low field breakdown. The authors have studied the origins of these effects from a spectroscopic standpoint using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and atomic force microscopy. One result of high temperature annealing is the generation of three types of paramagnetic defect centers, two of which are associated with the oxide close to the Si/SiO 2 interface (oxygen-vacancy centers) and the third with the bulk Si substrate (oxygen-related donors). In all three cases, the origin of the defects may be attributed to out-diffusion of O from the SiO 2 network into the Si substrate with associated reduction of the oxide. The authors present a straightforward model for the interfacial region which assumes the driving force for O out-diffusion is the chemical potential difference of the O in the two phases (SiO 2 and the Si substrate). Experimental evidence is provided to show that enhanced hole trapping and interface-trap and border-trap generation in irradiated high-temperature annealed Si/SiO 2 /Si systems are all related either directly, or indirectly, to the presence of oxygen vacancies

Fabrication and Mechanical Properties of SiCw(p/SiC-Si Composites by Liquid Si Infiltration using Pyrolysed Rice Husks and SiC Powders as Precursors

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Dan Zhu

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Dense silicon carbide (SiC matrix composites with SiC whiskers and particles as reinforcement were prepared by infiltrating molten Si at 1550 °C into porous preforms composed of pyrolysed rice husks (RHs and extra added SiC powder in different ratios. The Vickers hardness of the composites showed an increase from 18.6 to 21.3 GPa when the amount of SiC added in the preforms was 20% (w/w, and then decreased to 17.3 GPa with the increase of SiC added in the preforms up to 80% (w/w. The values of flexural strength of the composites initially decreased when 20% (w/w SiC was added in the preform and then increased to 587 MPa when the SiC concentration reached 80% (w/w. The refinement of SiC particle sizes and the improvement of the microstructure in particle distribution of the composites due to the addition of external SiC played an effective role in improving the mechanical properties of the composites.

Improvement in mechanical properties of hypereutectic Al-Si-Cu alloys through sono-solidified

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Yoshiki Tsunekawa

2014-07-01

Full Text Available For the wider applications, it is necessary to improve the ductility as well as the strength and wear-resistance of hypereutectic Al-Si-Cu alloys, which are typical light-weight wear-resistant materials. An increase in the amounts of primary silicon particles causes the modified wear-resistance of hypereutectic Al-Si-Cu alloys, but leads to the poor strength and ductility. It is known that dual phase steels composed of hetero-structure have succeeded in bringing contradictory mechanical properties of high strength and ductility concurrently. In order to apply the idea of hetero-structure to hypereutectic Al-Si-Cu alloys for the achievement of high strength and ductility along with wear resistance, ultrasonic irradiation of the molten metal during the solidification, which is called sono-solidification, was carried out from its molten state to just above the eutectic temperature. The sono-solidified Al-17Si-4Cu alloy is composed of hetero-structure, which are, hard primary silicon particles, soft non-equilibrium a -Al phase and the eutectic region. Rheo-casting was performed at just above the eutectic temperature with sono-solidified slurry to shape a disk specimen. After the rheo-casting with modified sonosolidified slurry held for 45 s at 570 篊, the quantitative optical microscope observation exhibits that the microstructure is composed of 18area% of hard primary silicon particles and 57area% of soft a -Al phase. In contrast, there exist only 5 area% of primary silicon particles and no a -Al phase in rheo-cast specimen with normally solidified slurry. Hence the tensile tests of T6 treated rheo-cast specimens with modified sono-solidified slurry exhibit improved strength and 5% of elongation, regardless of having more than 3 times higher amounts of primary silicon particles compared to that of rheo-cast specimen with normally solidified slurry.

3 to 15 keV Ar+ induced Auger electron emission from Si and Ar

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kempf, J.; Kaus, G.

1977-01-01

Ar + induced Auger electrons from Si and Ar were investigated at bombardment energies between 3-15 keV and target currents of a few μA. The Auger electron yields were compared with secondary ion yields of Si and Ar by simultaneous SIMS-AES measurements. In the ion induced Auger spectra of Si five Auger peaks and in the Ar spectra three Auger peaks were observed. The ion induced Auger electron yield of Si and Ar were found to be strongly dependent upon the primary ion energy. 'Bulk like' and 'atomic like' Auger transitions of ion induced Auger electrons of Si were observed. (orig.) [de

Evaluation of damage accumulation behavior and strength anisotropy of NITE SiC/SiC composites by acoustic emission, digital image correlation and electrical resistivity monitoring

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nozawa, Takashi; Ozawa, Kazumi; Asakura, Yuuki; Kohyama, Akira; Tanigawa, Hiroyasu

2014-01-01

Understanding the cracking process of the composites is essential to establish the design basis for practical applications. This study aims to investigate the damage accumulation process and its anisotropy for nano-infiltration transient eutectic sintered (NITE) SiC/SiC composites by various characterization techniques such as the acoustic emission (AE), digital image correlation (DIC) and electrical resistivity (ER) measurements. Cracking behavior below the proportional limit stress (PLS) was specifically addressed. Similar to the other generic SiC/SiC composites, the 1st AE event was identified below the PLS for NITE SiC/SiC composites with a dependency of fabric orientation. The DIC results support that the primary failure mode depending on fiber orientation affected more than the other minor modes did. Detailed AE waveform analysis by wavelet shows a potential to classify the failure behavior depending on architecture. Cracking below the PLS is a potential concern in component deign but the preliminary ER measurements imply that the impact of cracking below the PLS on composite function was limited

Oxygen flooding and sample cooling during depth profiling of HfSiON thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miwa, Shiro [Materials Analysis Center, Materials Laboratories, Sony Corporation, 4-16-1 Okata, Atsugi 243-0021 (Japan)], E-mail: Shiro.Miwa@jp.sony.com

2008-12-15

A combination of oxygen flooding and. Cs primary ion bombardment can suppress the enhancement of the secondary ion signal at the surface and at the interface of a thin HfSiON layer on a Si substrate. The surface concentration of both Cs and O during Cs primary ion bombardment with oxygen flooding was higher than that without oxygen flooding, as confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. When the sample was cooled to about -150 deg. C, the enhancement of the secondary ion signal could be suppressed at a lower oxygen pressure.

Microstructure of AlSi17Cu5 alloy after overheating over liquidus temperature

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J. Piątkowski

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The paper presents microstructure tests of alloy AlSi17Cu5. In order to disintegrate the primary grain of silicon the so-called time-temperature transformation TTT was applied which was based on overheating the liquid alloy way over the temperature Tliq., soaking in it for 30 minutes and casting it to a casting mould. It was found that such process causes the achievement of fine-crystalline structure and primary silicon crystals take up the form of pentahedra or frustums of pyramids. With the use of X-ray microanalysis and X-ray diffraction analysis the presence of intermetallic phases Al2Cu, Al4Cu9 which are the ingredients of eutectics α - AlCu - β and phase Al9Fe2Si which is a part of eutectic α - AlFeSi - β was confirmed.

Oscillations in the fusion of the Si + Si systems; Oscilaciones en la fusion de sistemas de Si + Si

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aguilera R, E F; Kolata, J J; DeYoung, P A; Vega, J J [ININ, 52045 Ocoyoacac, Estado de Mexico (Mexico)

1986-02-15

Excitation functions for the yields of all the residual nuclei from the {sup 28} Si + {sup 28,30} and {sup 30} Si + {sup 30} Si reactions have been measured via the {gamma}-ray technique for center of mass energies in the region within one and two times the Coulomb barrier.Thirteen elements were identified for the first reaction and ten for the other two. While no structure is shown by the data for the {sup 28} + {sup 28} Si reaction, we have found evidence for intermediate width structure in the 2{alpha} and the {alpha}pn channels in {sup 28} Si + {sup 30} Si and for broad structure in the total fusion cross sections for {sup 30} Si + {sup 30} Si. Calculations using a barrier penetration model with one free parameter reproduce the experimental results quite well. Evaporation model calculations indicate that the individual structure of the nuclei involved in the respective decay chains might have an important influence upon the deexcitation process at the energies relevant to our experiments. (Author)

Refinement of Mg2Si reinforcement in a commercial Al–20%Mg2Si in-situ composite with bismuth, antimony and strontium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nordin, Nur Azmah; Farahany, Saeed; Ourdjini, Ali; Abu Bakar, Tuty Asma; Hamzah, Esah

2013-01-01

Refinement by addition elements of Al–Mg 2 Si alloys is known to result in a change of primary Mg 2 Si morphology. In this paper, the effects of Bi, Sb and Sr on the characteristic parameters of Al–20%Mg 2 Si in-situ composite have been investigated by computer aided cooling curve thermal analysis and microstructural inspection. Size, density and aspect ratio measurements showed that additions of 0.4 wt.% Bi, 0.8 wt.% Sb and 0.01 wt.% Sr refined the Mg 2 Si reinforcement. Exceeding these concentrations, however, resulted in coarsening of Mg 2 Si particles with no change in the morphology. The results also showed that addition elements caused a decrease in the nucleation and growth temperatures of Mg 2 Si particles. The refining effect of Bi, Sb and Sr is likely to be related to the effect of oxide bifilms suspended in the composite melt as favored nucleation substrates for Mg 2 Si particles. - Highlight: • 0.4 wt.%, 0.8 wt.% and 0.01 wt.% is the optimum content for Bi, Sb and Sr addition. • Exceeding optimum concentration resulted in the coarsening of reinforcements. • Nucleation and growth temperatures decrease with addition of Bi, Sb and Sr. • The refining effect of Bi, Sb and Sr is likely to be related to the oxide bifilms

Analyses of the As doping of SiO{sub 2}/Si/SiO{sub 2} nanostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ruffino, Francesco; Miritello, Maria [CNR-IMM MATIS, via S. Sofia 64, 95123 Catania (Italy); Tomasello, Mario Vincenzo [Scuola Superiore di Catania, via San Nullo 5/i, 95123 Catania (Italy); De Bastiani, Riccardo; Grimaldi, Maria Grazia [Dipartimento di Fisica ed Astronomia, Universita di Catania, via S. Sofia 64, 95123 Catania (Italy); CNR-IMM MATIS, via S. Sofia 64, 95123 Catania (Italy); Nicotra, Giuseppe; Spinella, Corrado [Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche-Istituto per la Microelettronica e Microsistemi (CNR-IMM), VIII Strada 5, 95121 Catania (Italy)

2011-03-15

We illustrate the behaviour of As when it is confined, by the implantation technique, in a SiO{sub 2}(70nm)/Si(30nm)/SiO{sub 2}(70nm) multilayer and its spatial redistribution when annealing processes are performed. By Rutherford backscattering spectrometry and Z-contrast transmission electron microscopy we found an As accumulation at the Si/SiO{sub 2} interfaces and at the Si grain boundaries with no segregation of the As in the Si layer. Such an effect is in agreement with a model that assumes a traps distribution in the Si in the first 2-3 nm above the SiO{sub 2}/Si interfaces and along the Si grain boundaries. The traps concentration at the Si/SiO{sub 2} interfaces was estimated in 10{sup 14} traps/cm{sup 2}. The outlined results can open perspectives on the doping properties of As in Si nanocrystals, whose applications in nanoelectronics and optoelectronics are widely investigated (copyright 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Laser cladding Co-based alloy/SiCp composite coatings on IF steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Mingxi; He Yizhu; Sun Guoxiong

2004-01-01

Hardfacing coatings, made of Co-Cr-W-Ni-Si alloy + 20% SiCp, deposited by laser cladding on IF steel is introduced. Cross-section of such coatings has been examined to reveal their microstructure using optical microscope, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD). MM-200 type wear tester is used to examine wear resistance of the coatings. The results showed that SiCp is dissolved completely during laser cladding process under this conditions, the primary phase γ-Co dendrite and Si 2 W, CoWSi, Cr 3 Si, CoSi 2 formed by C, Si reacting with other elements existed in the coatings. There existed some crystallization morphologies in different regions, such as planar (at the interface), followed cellular and dendrite crystallization from interface to the surface. The direction of solidification changes from one direction perpendicular to interface to multi-directions at the central and upper regions of the clad. The results also showed that the wear resistance of the clad improved by adding SiCp

Effects of Al-Mn-Ti-P-Cu master alloy on microstructure and properties of Al-25Si alloy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xu Chunxiang

2013-09-01

Full Text Available To obtain a higher microstructural refining efficiency, and improve the properties and processing ability of hypereutectic Al-25Si alloy, a new environmentally friendly Al-20.6Mn-12Ti-0.9P-6.1Cu (by wt.% master alloy was fabricated; and its modification and strengthening mechanisms on the Al-25Si alloy were studied. The mechanical properties of the unmodified, modified and heat treated alloys were investigated. Results show that the optimal addition amount of the Al-20.6Mn-12Ti-0.9P-6.1Cu master alloy is 4wt.%. In this case, primary Si and eutectic Si as well as メ-Al phase were clearly refined, and this refining effect shows an excellent long residual action as it can be heat-retained for at least 5 h. After being T6 heat treated, the morphology of primary and eutectic Si in the Al-25Si alloys with the addition of 4wt.% Al-20.6Mn-12Ti-0.9P-6.1Cu alloy changes into particles and short rods. The average grain size of the primary and eutectic Si decreases from 250 レm (unmodified to 13.83 レm and 35 レm (unmodified to 7 レm; the メ-Al becomes obviously finer and the distribution of Si phases tends to be uniform and dispersed. Meanwhile, the tensile properties are improved obviously; the tensile strengths at room temperature and 300 ìC reach 241 MPa and 127 MPa, increased by 153.7% and 67.1%, respectively. In addition, the tensile fracture mechanism changes from brittle fracture for the alloy without modification to ductile fracture after modification. Modifying the morphology of Si phase and strengthening the matrix can effectively block the initiation and propagation of cracks, thus improving the strength of the hypereutectic Al-25Si alloy.

Nanocrystalline Si pathway induced unipolar resistive switching behavior from annealed Si-rich SiN{sub x}/SiN{sub y} multilayers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jiang, Xiaofan; Ma, Zhongyuan, E-mail: zyma@nju.edu.cn; Yang, Huafeng; Yu, Jie; Wang, Wen; Zhang, Wenping; Li, Wei; Xu, Jun; Xu, Ling; Chen, Kunji; Huang, Xinfan; Feng, Duan [National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Photonic Electronic Materials Sciences and Technology, School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093 (China)

2014-09-28

Adding a resistive switching functionality to a silicon microelectronic chip is a new challenge in materials research. Here, we demonstrate that unipolar and electrode-independent resistive switching effects can be realized in the annealed Si-rich SiN{sub x}/SiN{sub y} multilayers with high on/off ratio of 10{sup 9}. High resolution transmission electron microscopy reveals that for the high resistance state broken pathways composed of discrete nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si) exist in the Si nitride multilayers. While for the low resistance state the discrete nc-Si regions is connected, forming continuous nc-Si pathways. Based on the analysis of the temperature dependent I-V characteristics and HRTEM photos, we found that the break-and-bridge evolution of nc-Si pathway is the origin of resistive switching memory behavior. Our findings provide insights into the mechanism of the resistive switching behavior in nc-Si films, opening a way for it to be utilized as a material in Si-based memories.

Effect of Bi modification treatment on microstructure, tensile properties, and fracture behavior of cast Al-Mg2Si metal matrix composite

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Wu Xiaofeng

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Bi has a good modification effect on the hypoeutectic Al-Si alloy, and the morphology of eutectic Si changes from coarse acicular to fine fibrous. Based on the similarity between Mg2Si and Si phases in crystalline structure and crystallization process, the present study investigated the effects of different concentrations of Bi on the microstructure, tensile properties, and fracture behavior of cast Al-15wt.%Mg2Si in-situ metal matrix composite. The results show that the addition of the proper amount of Bi has a significant modification effect on both primary and eutectic Mg2Si in the Al-15wt.%Mg2Si composite. With an increase in Bi content from 0 to 1wt.%, the morphology of the primary Mg2Si is changed from irregular or dendritic to polyhedral shape; and its average particle size is significantly decreased from 70 to 6 μm. Moreover, the morphology of the eutectic Mg2Si phase is altered from flake-like to very short fibrous or dot-like. When the Bi addition exceeds 4.0wt.%, the primary Mg2Si becomes coarse again. However, the eutectic Mg2Si still exhibits the modified morphology. Tensile tests reveal that the Bi addition can improve the tensile strength and ductility of the material. Compared with those of the unmodified composite, the ultimate tensile strength and percentage elongation after fracture with 1.0wt.% Bi increase 51.2% and 100%, respectively. At the same time, the Bi addition changes the fracture behavior from brittle to ductile.

Durability Evaluation of a Thin Film Sensor System With Enhanced Lead Wire Attachments on SiC/SiC Ceramic Matrix Composites

Science.gov (United States)

Lei, Jih-Fen; Kiser, J. Douglas; Singh, Mrityunjay; Cuy, Mike; Blaha, Charles A.; Androjna, Drago

2000-01-01

An advanced thin film sensor system instrumented on silicon carbide (SiC) fiber reinforced SiC matrix ceramic matrix composites (SiC/SiC CMCs), was evaluated in a Mach 0.3 burner rig in order to determine its durability to monitor material/component surface temperature in harsh environments. The sensor system included thermocouples in a thin film form (5 microns thick), fine lead wires (75 microns diameter), and the bonds between these wires and the thin films. Other critical components of the overall system were the heavy, swaged lead wire cable (500 microns diameter) that contained the fine lead wires and was connected to the temperature readout, and ceramic attachments which were bonded onto the CMCs for the purpose of securing the lead wire cables, The newly developed ceramic attachment features a combination of hoops made of monolithic SiC or SiC/SiC CMC (which are joined to the test article) and high temperature ceramic cement. Two instrumented CMC panels were tested in a burner rig for a total of 40 cycles to 1150 C (2100 F). A cycle consisted of rapid heating to 1150 C (2100 F), a 5 minute hold at 1150 C (2100 F), and then cooling down to room temperature in 2 minutes. The thin film sensor systems provided repeatable temperature measurements for a maximum of 25 thermal cycles. Two of the monolithic SiC hoops debonded during the sensor fabrication process and two of the SiC/SiC CMC hoops failed during testing. The hoops filled with ceramic cement, however, showed no sign of detachment after 40 thermal cycle test. The primary failure mechanism of this sensor system was the loss of the fine lead wire-to-thin film connection, which either due to detachment of the fine lead wires from the thin film thermocouples or breakage of the fine wire.

Microstructure studies of interdiffusion behavior of U{sub 3}Si{sub 2}/Zircaloy-4 at 800 and 1000 °C

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

He, Lingfeng, E-mail: Lingfeng.He@inl.gov; Harp, Jason M., E-mail: Jason.Harp@inl.gov; Hoggan, Rita E.; Wagner, Adrian R.

2017-04-01

Fuel swelling during normal reactor operations could lead to unfavorable chemical interactions when in contact with its cladding. As new fuel types are developed, it is crucial to understand the interaction behavior between fuel and its cladding. Diffusion experiments between U{sub 3}Si{sub 2} and Zricaloy-4 (Zry-4) were conducted at 800 and 1000 °C up to 100 h. The microstructure of pristine U{sub 3}Si{sub 2} and U{sub 3}Si{sub 2}/Zry-4 interdiffusion products were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) system. The primary interdiffusion product observed at 800 °C is ZrSi{sub 2}, with secondary phases of U-Zr in the Zry-4, and Fe-Cr-W-Zr-Si phases at Zry-4/ZrSi{sub 2} interface and Fe-Cr-U-Si phases at ZrSi{sub 2}/U-Si interface. The primary interdiffusion products at 1000 °C were Zr{sub 2}Si, U-Zr-Fe-Ni, U, U-Zr, and a low melting point phase U{sub 6}Fe.

Defects induced by helium implantation in SiC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oliviero, E.; Barbot, J.F.; Declemy, A.; Beaufort, M.F.; Oliviero, E.

2008-01-01

SiC is one of the considered materials for nuclear fuel conditioning and for the fabrication of some core structures in future nuclear generation reactors. For the development of this advance technology, a fundamental research on this material is of prime importance. In particular, the implantation/irradiation effects have to be understood and controlled. It is with this aim that the structural alterations induced by implantation/irradiation in SiC are studied by different experimental techniques as transmission electron microscopy, helium desorption, X-ray diffraction and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry. In this work, the different types of defects induced by helium implantation in SiC, point or primary defects (obtained at low energy (∼100 eV) until spread defects (obtained at higher energy (until ∼2 MeV)) are exposed. The amorphization/recrystallization and swelling phenomena are presented too. (O.M.)

Strained Si/SiGe MOS transistor model

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Tatjana Pešić-Brđanin

2009-06-01

Full Text Available In this paper we describe a new model of surfacechannel strained-Si/SiGe MOSFET based on the extension of non-quasi-static (NQS circuit model previously derived for bulk-Si devices. Basic equations of the NQS model have been modified to account for the new physical parameters of strained-Si and relaxed-SiGe layers. From the comparisons with measurements, it is shown that a modified NQS MOS including steady-state self heating can accurately predict DC characteristics of Strained Silicon MOSFETs.

Effect of hydrogen on passivation quality of SiNx/Si-rich SiNx stacked layers deposited by catalytic chemical vapor deposition on c-Si wafers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thi, Trinh Cham; Koyama, Koichi; Ohdaira, Keisuke; Matsumura, Hideki

2015-01-01

We investigate the role of hydrogen content and fixed charges of catalytic chemical vapor deposited (Cat-CVD) SiN x /Si-rich SiN x stacked layers on the quality of crystalline silicon (c-Si) surface passivation. Calculated density of fixed charges is on the order of 10 12 cm −2 , which is high enough for effective field effect passivation. Hydrogen content in the films is also found to contribute significantly to improvement in passivation quality of the stacked layers. Furthermore, Si-rich SiN x films deposited with H 2 dilution show better passivation quality of SiN x /Si-rich SiN x stacked layers than those prepared without H 2 dilution. Effective minority carrier lifetime (τ eff ) in c-Si passivated by SiN x /Si-rich SiN x stacked layers is as high as 5.1 ms when H 2 is added during Si-rich SiN x deposition, which is much higher than the case of using Si-rich SiN x films prepared without H 2 dilution showing τ eff of 3.3 ms. - Highlights: • Passivation mechanism of Si-rich SiN x /SiN x stacked layers is investigated. • H atoms play important role in passivation quality of the stacked layer. • Addition of H 2 gas during Si-rich SiN x film deposition greatly enhances effective minority carrier lifetime (τ eff ). • For a Si-rich SiN x film with refractive index of 2.92, τ eff improves from 3.3 to 5.1 ms by H 2 addition

U-Mo/Al-Si interaction: Influence of Si concentration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allenou, J.; Palancher, H.; Iltis, X.; Cornen, M.; Tougait, O.; Tucoulou, R.; Welcomme, E.; Martin, Ph.; Valot, C.; Charollais, F.; Anselmet, M.C.; Lemoine, P.

2010-01-01

Within the framework of the development of low enriched nuclear fuels for research reactors, U-Mo/Al is the most promising option that has however to be optimised. Indeed at the U-Mo/Al interfaces between U-Mo particles and the Al matrix, an interaction layer grows under irradiation inducing an unacceptable fuel swelling. Adding silicon in limited content into the Al matrix has clearly improved the in-pile fuel behaviour. This breakthrough is attributed to an U-Mo/Al-Si protective layer around U-Mo particles appeared during fuel manufacturing. In this work, the evolution of the microstructure and composition of this protective layer with increasing Si concentrations in the Al matrix has been investigated. Conclusions are based on the characterization at the micrometer scale (X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive spectroscopy) of U-Mo7/Al-Si diffusion couples obtained by thermal annealing at 450 deg. C. Two types of interaction layers have been evidenced depending on the Si content in the Al-Si alloy: the threshold value is found at about 5 wt.% but obviously evolves with temperature. It has been shown that for Si concentrations ranging from 2 to 10 wt.%, the U-Mo7/Al-Si interaction is bi-layered and the Si-rich part is located close to the Al-Si for low Si concentrations (below 5 wt.%) and close to the U-Mo for higher Si concentrations. For Si weight fraction in the Al alloy lower than 5 wt.%, the Si-rich sub-layer (close to Al-Si) consists of U(Al, Si) 3 + UMo 2 Al 20 , when the other sub-layer (close to U-Mo) is silicon free and made of UAl 3 and U 6 Mo 4 Al 43 . For Si weight concentrations above 5 wt.%, the Si-rich part becomes U 3 (Si, Al) 5 + U(Al, Si) 3 (close to U-Mo) and the other sub-layer (close to Al-Si) consists of U(Al, Si) 3 + UMo 2 Al 20 . On the basis of these results and of a literature survey, a scheme is proposed to explain the formation of different types of ILs between U-Mo and Al-Si alloys (i.e. different protective layers).

Porous SiC/SiC composites development for industrial application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maeta, S.; Hinoki, T.

2014-01-01

Silicon carbide (SiC) is promising structural materials in nuclear fields due to an excellent irradiation resistance and low activation characteristics. Conventional SiC fibers reinforced SiC matrix (SiC/SiC composites) fabricated by liquid phase sintering (LPS-SiC/SiC composites) have been required high cost and long processing time. And microstructure and mechanical property data of finally obtained LPS-SiC/SiC composites are easily scattered, because quality of the composites depend on personal skill. Thus, conventional LPS-SiC/SiC composites are inadequate for industrial use. In order to overcome these issues, the novel “porous SiC/SiC composites” have been developed by means of liquid phase sintering fabrication process. The composites consist of porous SiC matrix and SiC fibers without conventional carbon interfacial layer. The composites don’t have concerns of the degradation interfacial layer at the severe accident. Porous SiC/SiC composites preform was prepared with a thin sheet shape of SiC, sintering additives and carbon powder mixture by tape casting process which was adopted because of productive and high yielding rate fabrication process. The preform was stacked with SiC fibers and sintered in hot-press at the high temperature in argon environment. The sintered preform was decarburized obtain porous matrix structure by heat-treatment in air. Moreover, mechanical property data scattering of the obtained porous SiC/SiC composites decreased. In the flexural test, the porous SiC/SiC composites showed pseudo-ductile behavior with sufficient strength even after heat treatment at high temperature in air. From these conclusions, it was proven that porous SiC/SiC composites were reliable material at severe environment such as high temperature in air, by introducing tape casting fabrication process that could produce reproducible materials with low cost and simple way. Therefore development of porous SiC/SiC composites for industrial application was

Biomorphous SiSiC/Al-Si ceramic composites manufactured by squeeze casting: microstructure and mechanical properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zollfrank, C.; Travitzky, N.; Sieber, H.; Greil, P. [Department of Materials Science, Glass and Ceramics, University of Erlangen-Nuernberg (Germany); Selchert, T. [Advanced Ceramics Group, Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg (Germany)

2005-08-01

SiSiC/Al-Si composites were fabricated by pressure-assisted infiltration of an Al-Si alloy into porous biocarbon preforms derived from the rattan palm. Al-Si alloy was found in the pore channels of the biomorphous SiSiC preform, whereas SiC and carbon were present in the struts. The formation of a detrimental Al{sub 4}C{sub 3}-phase was not observed in the composites. A bending strength of 200 MPa was measured. The fractured surfaces showed pull-out of the Al-alloy. (Abstract Copyright [2005], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Effects of Heat Treatment on the Microstructures and High Temperature Mechanical Properties of Hypereutectic Al-14Si-Cu-Mg Alloy Manufactured by Liquid Phase Sintering Process

Science.gov (United States)

Heo, Joon-Young; Gwon, Jin-Han; Park, Jong-Kwan; Lee, Kee-Ahn

2018-05-01

Hypereutectic Al-Si alloy is an aluminum alloy containing at least 12.6 wt.% Si. It is necessary to evenly control the primary Si particle size and distribution in hypereutectic Al-Si alloy. In order to achieve this, there have been attempts to manufacture hypereutectic Al-Si alloy through a liquid phase sintering. This study investigated the microstructures and high temperature mechanical properties of hypereutectic Al-14Si-Cu-Mg alloy manufactured by liquid phase sintering process and changes in them after T6 heat treatment. Microstructural observation identified large amounts of small primary Si particles evenly distributed in the matrix, and small amounts of various precipitation phases were found in grain interiors and grain boundaries. After T6 heat treatment, the primary Si particle size and shape did not change significantly, but the size and distribution of CuAl2 ( θ) and AlCuMgSi ( Q) changed. Hardness tests measured 97.36 HV after sintering and 142.5 HV after heat treatment. Compression tests were performed from room temperature to 300 °C. The results represented that yield strength was greater after heat treatment (RT 300 °C: 351 93 MPa) than after sintering (RT 300 °C: 210 89 MPa). Fracture surface analysis identified cracks developing mostly along the interface between the primary Si particles and the matrix with some differences among temperature conditions. In addition, brittle fracture mode was found after T6 heat treatment.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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.

Total Ionizing Dose Effects of Si Vertical Diffused MOSFET with SiO2 and Si3N4/SiO2 Gate Dielectrics

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Jiongjiong Mo

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The total ionizing dose irradiation effects are investigated in Si vertical diffused MOSFETs (VDMOSs with different gate dielectrics including single SiO2 layer and double Si3N4/SiO2 layer. Radiation-induced holes trapping is greater for single SiO2 layer than for double Si3N4/SiO2 layer. Dielectric oxidation temperature dependent TID effects are also studied. Holes trapping induced negative threshold voltage shift is smaller for SiO2 at lower oxidation temperature. Gate bias during irradiation leads to different VTH shift for different gate dielectrics. Single SiO2 layer shows the worst negative VTH at VG=0 V, while double Si3N4/SiO2 shows negative VTH shift at VG=-5 V, positive VTH shift at VG=10 V, and negligible VTH shift at VG=0 V.

Microstructure and tribological properties of NiMo/Mo2Ni3Si intermetallic 'in-situ' composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gui Yongliang; Song Chunyan; Yang Li; Qin Xiaoling

2011-01-01

Research highlights: → Wear resistant NiMo/Mo 2 Ni 3 Si intermetallic 'in-situ' composites was fabricated successfully with Mo-Ni-Si powder blends as the starting materials. Microstructure of the NiMo/Mo 2 Ni 3 Si composites consists of Mo 2 Ni 3 Si primary dendrites, binary intermetallic phase NiMo and small amount of Ni/NiMo eutectics structure. The NiMo/Mo 2 Ni 3 Si composites exhibited high hardness and outstanding tribological properties under room-temperature dry-sliding wear test conditions which were attributed to the covalent-dominant strong atomic bonds and excellent combination of strength and ductility and toughness. - Abstract: Wear resistant NiMo/Mo 2 Ni 3 Si intermetallic 'in-situ' composites with a microstructure of ternary metal silicide Mo 2 Ni 3 Si primary dendritic, the long strip-like NiMo intermetallic phase, and a small amount of Ni/NiMo eutectics structure were designed and fabricated using molybdenum, nickel and silicon elemental powders. Friction and wear properties of NiMo/Mo 2 Ni 3 Si composites were evaluated under different contact load at room-temperature dry-sliding wear test conditions. Microstructure, worn surface morphologies and subsurface microstructure were characterized by OM, XRD, SEM and EDS. Results indicate that NiMo/Mo 2 Ni 3 Si composites have low fiction coefficient, excellent wear resistance and sluggish wear-load dependence. The dominant wear mechanisms of NiMo/Mo 2 Ni 3 Si composites are soft abrasion and slightly superficial oxidative wear.

The influence of Ni addition and hot-extrusion on the microstructure and tensile properties of Al–15%Mg2Si composite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Emamy, M.; Khodadadi, M.; Honarbakhsh Raouf, A.; Nasiri, N.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Ni content on the microstructure and tensile properties of Al–Mg 2 Si composite. ► Ni changed the size of primary Mg 2 Si from 42 μm to 17 μm. ► Higher UTS and elongation values obtained by addition of 5 wt% Ni. ► Fracture behavior changed from brittle to ductile by Ni addition and extrusion. - Abstract: The effects of nickel addition and hot-extrusion on the microstructure and tensile properties of in situ Al–15%Mg 2 Si composite specimens have been investigated. Al–15%Mg 2 Si composite ingots were prepared by an in situ process and different amounts of nickel (0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, 3.0 and 5.0 wt% Ni) were added to the remelted composite. Optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated that Ni addition changes the morphology of both primary and eutectic Mg 2 Si phases and decreases the size of primary Mg 2 Si particles from 42 μm to 17 μm. Hot-extrusion was found to be powerful in breaking the eutectic network and changing the size and morphology of pseudo-eutectic Mg 2 Si phase. The results obtained from tensile testing revealed that both Ni addition and hot-extrusion process improve ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and elongation values. Fracture surface examinations revealed a transition from brittle fracture mode in as-cast composite to ductile fracture in hot-extruded composite after Ni addition. This can be attributed to the changes in size and morphology of primary and eutectic Mg 2 Si phases and also the formation of more and finer α-Al phase

Nanocatalytic growth of Si nanowires from Ni silicate coated SiC nanoparticles on Si solar cell.

Science.gov (United States)

Parida, Bhaskar; Choi, Jaeho; Ji, Hyung Yong; Park, Seungil; Lim, Gyoungho; Kim, Keunjoo

2013-09-01

We investigated the nanocatalytic growth of Si nanowires on the microtextured surface of crystalline Si solar cell. 3C-SiC nanoparticles have been used as the base for formation of Ni silicate layer in a catalytic reaction with the Si melt under H2 atmosphere at an annealing temperature of 1100 degrees C. The 10-nm thick Ni film was deposited after the SiC nanoparticles were coated on the microtextured surface of the Si solar cell by electron-beam evaporation. SiC nanoparticles form a eutectic alloy surface of Ni silicate and provide the base for Si supersaturation as well as the Ni-Si alloy layer on Si substrate surface. This bottom reaction mode for the solid-liquid-solid growth mechanism using a SiC nanoparticle base provides more stable growth of nanowires than the top reaction mode growth mechanism in the absence of SiC nanoparticles. Thermally excited Ni nanoparticle forms the eutectic alloy and provides collectively excited electrons at the alloy surface, which reduces the activation energy of the nanocatalytic reaction for formation of nanowires.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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.

Intergranular oxidation of austenistic stainless steels in steam at 6000C

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hersubeno, Johannes Baptista de la Salle.

1981-11-01

The oxidation kinetics of a 17.13 bicrystalline and polycrystalline stainless steel was determined at 600 0 C in the presence of steam. The appearance, structure and composition of the oxides at the grain boundaries were particularly studied [fr

DICER-LIKE2 plays a primary role in transitive silencing of transgenes in Arabidopsis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sizolwenkosi Mlotshwa

2008-03-01

Full Text Available Dicer-like (DCL enzymes play a pivotal role in RNA silencing in plants, processing the long double-stranded RNA (dsRNA that triggers silencing into the primary short interfering RNAs (siRNAs that mediate it. The siRNA population can be augmented and silencing amplified via transitivity, an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RDR-dependent pathway that uses the target RNA as substrate to generate secondary siRNAs. Here we report that Arabidopsis DCL2-but not DCL4-is required for transitivity in cell-autonomous, post-transcriptional silencing of transgenes. An insertion mutation in DCL2 blocked sense transgene-induced silencing and eliminated accumulation of the associated RDR-dependent siRNAs. In hairpin transgene-induced silencing, the dcl2 mutation likewise eliminated accumulation of secondary siRNAs and blocked transitive silencing, but did not block silencing mediated by primary siRNAs. Strikingly, in all cases, the dcl2 mutation eliminated accumulation of all secondary siRNAs, including those generated by other DCL enzymes. In contrast, mutations in DCL4 promoted a dramatic shift to transitive silencing in the case of the hairpin transgene and enhanced silencing induced by the sense transgene. Suppression of hairpin and sense transgene silencing by the P1/HC-Pro and P38 viral suppressors was associated with elimination of secondary siRNA accumulation, but the suppressors did not block processing of the stem of the hairpin transcript into primary siRNAs. Thus, these viral suppressors resemble the dcl2 mutation in their effects on siRNA biogenesis. We conclude that DCL2 plays an essential, as opposed to redundant, role in transitive silencing of transgenes and may play a more important role in silencing of viruses than currently thought.

Improvement in mechanical properties of hypereutectic Al-Si-Cu alloys through sono-solidiifed slurry

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Yoshiki Tsunekawa; Shinpei Suetsugu; Masahiro Okumiya; Naoki Nishikawa; Yoshikazu Genma

2014-01-01

For the wider applications, it is necessary to improve the ductility as wel as the strength and wear-resistance of hypereutectic Al-Si-Cu aloys, which are typical light-weight wear-resistant materials. An increase in the amounts of primary silicon particles causes the modiifed wear-resistance of hypereutectic Al-Si-Cu aloys, but leads to the poor strength and ductility. It is known that dual phase steels composed of hetero-structure have succeeded in bringing contradictory mechanical properties of high strength and ductility concurrently. In order to apply the idea of hetero-structure to hypereutectic Al-Si-Cu alloys for the achievement of high strength and ductility along with wear resistance, ultrasonic irradiation of the molten metal during the solidiifcation, which is caled sono-solidiifcation, was carried out from its molten state to just above the eutectic temperature. The sono-solidiifed Al-17Si-4Cu aloy is composed of hetero-structure, which are, hard primary silicon particles, soft non-equilibriuma-Al phase and the eutectic region. Rheo-casting was performed at just above the eutectic temperature with sono-solidiifed slurry to shape a disk specimen. After the rheo-casting with modiifed sono-solidiifed slurry held for 45 s at 570 ºC, the quantitative optical microscope observation exhibits that the microstructure is composed of 18area% of hard primary silicon particles and 57area% of softa-Al phase. In contrast, there exist only 5 area% of primary silicon particles and noa-Al phase in rheo-cast specimen with normaly solidiifed slurry. Hence the tensile tests of T6 treated rheo-cast specimens with modified sono-solidified slurry exhibit improved strength and 5% of elongation, regardless of having more than 3 times higher amounts of primary silicon particles compared to that of rheo-cast specimen with normaly solidiifed slurry.

Interfacial characterization of CVI-SiC/SiC composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, W.; Kohyama, A.; Noda, T.; Katoh, Y.; Hinoki, T.; Araki, H.; Yu, J.

2002-01-01

The mechanical properties of the interfaces of two families of chemical vapor infiltration SiC/SiC composites, advanced Tyranno-SA and Hi-Nicalon fibers reinforced SiC/SiC composites with various carbon and SiC/C interlayers, were investigated by single fiber push-out/push-back tests. Interfacial debonding and fibers sliding mainly occurred adjacent to the first carbon layer on the fibers. The interfacial debonding strengths and frictional stresses for both Tyranno-SA/SiC and Hi-Nicalon/SiC composites were correlated with the first carbon layer thickness. Tyranno-SA/SiC composites exhibited much larger interfacial frictional stresses compared to Hi-Nicalon/SiC composites. This was assumed to be mainly contributed by the rather rough surface of the Tyranno-SA fiber

Research on a Micro-Nano Si/SiGe/Si Double Heterojunction Electro-Optic Modulation Structure

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Song Feng

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The electro-optic modulator is a very important device in silicon photonics, which is responsible for the conversion of optical signals and electrical signals. For the electro-optic modulator, the carrier density of waveguide region is one of the key parameters. The traditional method of increasing carrier density is to increase the external modulation voltage, but this way will increase the modulation loss and also is not conducive to photonics integration. This paper presents a micro-nano Si/SiGe/Si double heterojunction electro-optic modulation structure. Based on the band theory of single heterojunction, the barrier heights are quantitatively calculated, and the carrier concentrations of heterojunction barrier are analyzed. The band and carrier injection characteristics of the double heterostructure structure are simulated, respectively, and the correctness of the theoretical analysis is demonstrated. The micro-nano Si/SiGe/Si double heterojunction electro-optic modulation is designed and tested, and comparison of testing results between the micro-nano Si/SiGe/Si double heterojunction micro-ring electro-optic modulation and the micro-nano Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI micro-ring electro-optic modulation, Free Spectrum Range, 3 dB Bandwidth, Q value, extinction ratio, and other parameters of the micro-nano Si/SiGe/Si double heterojunction micro-ring electro-optic modulation are better than others, and the modulation voltage and the modulation loss are lower.

siRNA Transfection and EMSA Analyses on Freshly Isolated Human Villous Cytotrophoblasts.

Science.gov (United States)

Lokossou, Adjimon Gatien; Toufaily, Chirine; Vargas, Amandine; Barbeau, Benoit

2016-09-20

Human primary villous cytotrophoblasts are a very useful source of primary cells to study placental functions and regulatory mechanisms, and to comprehend diseases related to pregnancy. In this protocol, human primary villous cytotrophoblasts freshly isolated from placentas through a standard DNase/trypsin protocol are microporated with small interfering RNA (siRNA). This approach provided greater efficiency for siRNA transfection when compared to a lipofection-based method. Transfected cells can subsequently be analyzed by standard Western blot within a time frame of 3-4 days post-transfection. In addition, using cultured primary villous cytotrophoblasts, Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay (EMSA) analysis was optimized and performed on extracts from days 1 to 4. The use of these cultured primary cells and the protocol described allow for an evaluation of the implication of specific genes and transcription factors in the process of villous cytotrophoblast differentiation into a syncytiotrophoblast-like cell layer. However, the limited time span allowable in culture precludes the use of methods requiring more time, such as generation of a stable cell population. Therefore testing of this cell population requires highly optimized gene transfer protocols.

Low dose irradiation performance of SiC interphase SiC/SiC composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Snead, L.L.; Lowden, R.A.; Strizak, J.; More, K.L.; Eatherly, W.S.; Bailey, J.; Williams, A.M.; Osborne, M.C.; Shinavski, R.J.

1998-01-01

Reduced oxygen Hi-Nicalon fiber reinforced composite SiC materials were densified with a chemically vapor infiltrated (CVI) silicon carbide (SiC) matrix and interphases of either 'porous' SiC or multilayer SiC and irradiated to a neutron fluence of 1.1 x 10 25 n m -2 (E>0.1 MeV) in the temperature range of 260 to 1060 C. The unirradiated properties of these composites are superior to previously studied ceramic grade Nicalon fiber reinforced/carbon interphase materials. Negligible reduction in the macroscopic matrix microcracking stress was observed after irradiation for the multilayer SiC interphase material and a slight reduction in matrix microcracking stress was observed for the composite with porous SiC interphase. The reduction in strength for the porous SiC interfacial material is greatest for the highest irradiation temperature. The ultimate fracture stress (in four point bending) following irradiation for the multilayer SiC and porous SiC interphase materials was reduced by 15% and 30%, respectively, which is an improvement over the 40% reduction suffered by irradiated ceramic grade Nicalon fiber materials fabricated in a similar fashion, though with a carbon interphase. The degradation of the mechanical properties of these composites is analyzed by comparison with the irradiation behavior of bare Hi-Nicalon fiber and Morton chemically vapor deposited (CVD) SiC. It is concluded that the degradation of these composites, as with the previous generation ceramic grade Nicalon fiber materials, is dominated by interfacial effects, though the overall degradation of fiber and hence composite is reduced for the newer low-oxygen fiber. (orig.)

Carbon redistribution and precipitation in high temperature ion-implanted strained Si/SiGe/Si multi-layered structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gaiduk, Peter; Hansen, John Lundsgaard; Nylandsted Larsen, Arne

2014-01-01

Graphical abstract Carbon depth profiles after high temperature implantation in strained Si/SiGe/Si multilayered system and induced structural defects.......Graphical abstract Carbon depth profiles after high temperature implantation in strained Si/SiGe/Si multilayered system and induced structural defects....

High-dose MeV electron irradiation of Si-SiO2 structures implanted with high doses Si+

Science.gov (United States)

Kaschieva, S.; Angelov, Ch; Dmitriev, S. N.

2018-03-01

The influence was studied of 22-MeV electron irradiation on Si-SiO2 structures implanted with high-fluence Si+ ions. Our earlier works demonstrated that Si redistribution is observed in Si+-ion-implanted Si-SiO2 structures (after MeV electron irradiation) only in the case when ion implantation is carried out with a higher fluence (1016 cm-2). We focused our attention on the interaction of high-dose MeV electron irradiation (6.0×1016 cm-2) with n-Si-SiO2 structures implanted with Si+ ions (fluence 5.4×1016 cm-2 of the same order magnitude). The redistribution of both oxygen and silicon atoms in the implanted Si-SiO2 samples after MeV electron irradiation was studied by Rutherford back-scattering (RBS) spectroscopy in combination with a channeling technique (RBS/C). Our results demonstrated that the redistribution of oxygen and silicon atoms in the implanted samples reaches saturation after these high doses of MeV electron irradiation. The transformation of amorphous SiO2 surface into crystalline Si nanostructures (after MeV electron irradiation) was evidenced by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Silicon nanocrystals are formed on the SiO2 surface after MeV electron irradiation. The shape and number of the Si nanocrystals on the SiO2 surface depend on the MeV electron irradiation, while their size increases with the dose. The mean Si nanocrystals height is 16-20 nm after irradiation with MeV electrons at the dose of 6.0×1016 cm-2.

Applications of Si/SiGe heterostructures to CMOS devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sidek, R.M.

1999-03-01

For more than two decades, advances in MOSFETs used in CMOS VLSI applications have been made through scaling to ever smaller dimensions for higher packing density, faster circuit speed and lower power dissipation. As scaling now approaches nanometer regime, the challenge for further scaling becomes greater in terms of technology as well as device reliability. This work presents an alternative approach whereby non-selectively grown Si/SiGe heterostructure system is used to improve device performance or to relax the technological challenge. SiGe is considered to be of great potential because of its promising properties and its compatibility with Si, the present mainstream material in microelectronics. The advantages of introducing strained SiGe in CMOS technology are examined through two types of device structure. A novel structure has been fabricated in which strained SiGe is incorporated in the source/drain of P-MOSFETs. Several advantages of the Si/SiGe source/drain P-MOSFETs over Si devices are experimentally, demonstrated for the first time. These include reduction in off-state leakage and punchthrough susceptibility, degradation of parasitic bipolar transistor (PBT) action, suppression of CMOS latchup and suppression of PBT-induced breakdown. The improvements due to the Si/SiGe heterojunction are supported by numerical simulations. The second device structure makes use of Si/SiGe heterostructure as a buried channel to enhance the hole mobility of P-MOSFETs. The increase in the hole mobility will benefit the circuit speed and device packing density. Novel fabrication processes have been developed to integrate non-selective Si/SiGe MBE layers into self-aligned PMOS and CMOS processes based on Si substrate. Low temperature processes have been employed including the use of low-pressure chemical vapor deposition oxide and plasma anodic oxide. Low field mobilities, μ 0 are extracted from the transfer characteristics, Id-Vg of SiGe channel P-MOSFETs with various Ge

Chemical leaching of rapidly solidified Al-Si binary alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamauchi, I.; Takahara, K.; Tanaka, T.; Matsubara, K.

2005-01-01

Various particulate precursors of Al 100-x Si x (x = 5-12) alloys were prepared by a rapid solidification process. The rapidly solidified structures of the precursors were examined by XRD, DSC and SEM. Most of Si atoms were dissolved into the α-Al(fcc) phase by rapid solidification though the solubility of Si in the α-Al phase is negligibly small in conventional solidification. In the case of 5 at.% Si alloy, a single α-Al phase was only formed. The amount of the primary Si phase increased with increase of Si content for the alloys beyond 8 at.% Si. Rapid solidification was effective to form super-saturated α-Al precursors. These precursors were chemically leached by using a basic solution (NaOH) or a hydrochloric acid (HCl) solution. All Al atoms were removed by a HCl solution as well as a NaOH solution. Granules of the Si phase were newly formed during leaching. The specific surface area was about 50-70 m 2 /g independent of Si content. The leaching behavior in both solutions was slightly different. In the case of a NaOH solution, the shape of the precursor often degenerated after leaching. On the other hand, it was retained after leaching by a HCl solution. Fine Si particles precipitated in the α-Al phase by annealing of as-rapidly solidified precursors at 773 K for 7.2 x 10 3 s. In this case, it was difficult to obtain any products by NaOH leaching, but a few of Si particles were obtained by HCl leaching. Precipitated Si particles were dissolved by the NaOH solution. The X-ray diffraction patterns of leached specimens showed broad lines of the Si phase and its lattice constant was slightly larger than that of the pure Si phase. The microstructures of the leached specimens were examined by transmission electron microscopy. It showed that the leached specimens had a skeletal structure composed of slightly elongated particles of the Si phase and quite fine pores. The particle size was about 30-50 nm. It was of comparable order with that evaluated by Scherer

Irradiation effect on Nite-SiC/SiC composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hinoki, T.; Choi, Y.B.; Kohyama, A.; Ozawa, K.

2007-01-01

Full text of publication follows: Silicon carbide (SiC) and SiC composites are significantly attractive materials for nuclear application in particular due to exceptional low radioactivity, excellent high temperature mechanical properties and chemical stability. Despite of the excellent potential of SiC/SiC composites, the prospect of industrialization has not been clear mainly due to the low productivity and the high material cost. Chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) method can produce the excellent SiC/SiC composites with highly crystalline and excellent mechanical properties. It has been reported that the high purity SiC/SiC composites reinforced with highly crystalline fibers and fabricated by CVI method is very stable to neutron irradiation. However the production cost is high and it is difficult to fabricate thick and dense composites by CVI method. The novel processing called Nano-powder Infiltration and Transient Eutectic Phase (NITE) Processing has been developed based on the liquid phase sintering (LPS) process modification. The NITE processing can achieve both the excellent material quality and the low processing cost. The productivity of the processing is also excellent, and various kinds of shape and size of SiC/SiC composites can be produced by the NITE processing. The NITE processing can form highly crystalline matrix, which is requirement for nuclear application. The objective of this work is to understand irradiation effect of the NITESiC/SiC composites. The SiC/SiC composites used were reinforced with high purity SiC fibers, Tyranno TM SA and fabricated by the NITE method. The NITE-SiC/SiC composite bars and reference monolithic SiC bars fabricated by CVI and NITE were irradiated at up to 1.0 dpa and 600-1000 deg. C at JMTR, Japan. Mechanical properties of non-irradiated and irradiated NITESiC/ SiC composites bars were evaluated by tensile tests. Monolithic SiC bars were evaluated by flexural tests. The fracture surface was examined by SEM. Ultimate

Stability analysis of SiO2/SiC multilayer coatings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fu Zhiqiang; Jean-Charles, R.

2006-01-01

The stability behaviours of SiC coatings and SiO 2 /SiC coatings in helium with little impurities are studied by HSC Chemistry 4.1, the software for analysis of Chemical reaction and equilibrium in multi-component complex system. It is found that in helium with a low partial pressure of oxidative impurities under different total pressure, the key influence factor controlling T cp of SiC depends is the partial pressure of oxidative impurities; T cp of SiC increases with the partial pressure of oxidative impurities. In helium with a low partial pressure of different impurities, the key influence factor of T cs of SiO 2 are both the partial pressure of impurities and the amount of impurities for l mol SiO 2 ; T cs of SiO 2 increases with the partial pressure of oxidative impurities at the same amount of the impurities for 1 mol SiO 2 while it decreases with the amount of the impurities for 1 mm SiO 2 at the same partial pressure of the impurities. The influence of other impurities on T cp of SiC in He-O 2 is studied and it is found that CO 2 , H 2 O and N-2 increase T cp of SiC in He-O 2 while H 2 , CO and CH 4 decrease T cp of SiC He-O 2 . When there exist both oxidative impurities and reductive impurities, their effect on T cs of SiO 2 can be suppressed by the other. In HTR-10 operation atmosphere, SiO 2 /SiC coatings can keep stable status at higher temperature than SiC coatings, so SiO 2 /SiC coatings is more suitable to improve the oxidation resistance of graphite in HTR-10 operation atmosphere compared with SiC coatings. (authors)

Si-O-Si bond-angle distribution in vitreous silica from first-principles 29Si NMR analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mauri, Francesco; Pasquarello, Alfredo; Pfrommer, Bernd G.; Yoon, Young-Gui; Louie, Steven G.

2000-01-01

The correlation between 29 Si chemical shifts and Si-O-Si bond angles in SiO 2 is determined within density-functional theory for the full range of angles present in vitreous silica. This relation closely reproduces measured shifts of crystalline polymorphs. The knowledge of the correlation allows us to reliably extract from the experimental NMR spectrum the mean (151 degree sign ) and the standard deviation (11 degree sign ) of the Si-O-Si angular distribution of vitreous silica. In particular, we show that the Mozzi-Warren Si-O-Si angular distribution is not consistent with the NMR data. This analysis illustrates the potential of our approach for structural determinations of silicate glasses. (c) 2000 The American Physical Society

Refinement of Mg{sub 2}Si reinforcement in a commercial Al–20%Mg{sub 2}Si in-situ composite with bismuth, antimony and strontium

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nordin, Nur Azmah; Farahany, Saeed, E-mail: saeedfarahany@gmail.com; Ourdjini, Ali; Abu Bakar, Tuty Asma; Hamzah, Esah

2013-12-15

Refinement by addition elements of Al–Mg{sub 2}Si alloys is known to result in a change of primary Mg{sub 2}Si morphology. In this paper, the effects of Bi, Sb and Sr on the characteristic parameters of Al–20%Mg{sub 2}Si in-situ composite have been investigated by computer aided cooling curve thermal analysis and microstructural inspection. Size, density and aspect ratio measurements showed that additions of 0.4 wt.% Bi, 0.8 wt.% Sb and 0.01 wt.% Sr refined the Mg{sub 2}Si reinforcement. Exceeding these concentrations, however, resulted in coarsening of Mg{sub 2}Si particles with no change in the morphology. The results also showed that addition elements caused a decrease in the nucleation and growth temperatures of Mg{sub 2}Si particles. The refining effect of Bi, Sb and Sr is likely to be related to the effect of oxide bifilms suspended in the composite melt as favored nucleation substrates for Mg{sub 2}Si particles. - Highlight: • 0.4 wt.%, 0.8 wt.% and 0.01 wt.% is the optimum content for Bi, Sb and Sr addition. • Exceeding optimum concentration resulted in the coarsening of reinforcements. • Nucleation and growth temperatures decrease with addition of Bi, Sb and Sr. • The refining effect of Bi, Sb and Sr is likely to be related to the oxide bifilms.

Interfacial microstructure of NiSi x/HfO2/SiO x/Si gate stacks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gribelyuk, M.A.; Cabral, C.; Gusev, E.P.; Narayanan, V.

2007-01-01

Integration of NiSi x based fully silicided metal gates with HfO 2 high-k gate dielectrics offers promise for further scaling of complementary metal-oxide- semiconductor devices. A combination of high resolution transmission electron microscopy and small probe electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis has been applied to study interfacial reactions in the undoped gate stack. NiSi was found to be polycrystalline with the grain size decreasing from top to bottom of NiSi x film. Ni content varies near the NiSi/HfO x interface whereby both Ni-rich and monosilicide phases were observed. Spatially non-uniform distribution of oxygen along NiSi x /HfO 2 interface was observed by dark field Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy and EELS. Interfacial roughness of NiSi x /HfO x was found higher than that of poly-Si/HfO 2 , likely due to compositional non-uniformity of NiSi x . No intermixing between Hf, Ni and Si beyond interfacial roughness was observed

Feasibility study of a SiC sandwich neutron spectrometer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Jian, E-mail: caepwujian@163.com [Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900, Sichuan Province (China); Lei, Jiarong, E-mail: jiarong_lei@163.com [Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900, Sichuan Province (China); Jiang, Yong; Chen, Yu; Rong, Ru; Zou, Dehui; Fan, Xiaoqiang [Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang 621900, Sichuan Province (China); Chen, Gang; Li, Li; Bai, Song [Nanjing Electronic Devices Institute, Nanjing 210016 (China)

2013-04-21

Semiconductor sandwich neutron spectrometers are suitable for in-pile measurements of fast reactor spectra thanks to their compact and relatively simple design. We have assembled and tested a sandwich neutron spectrometer based on 4H-silicon carbide (4H-SiC) Schottky diodes. The SiC diodes detect neutrons via neutron-induced charged particles (tritons and alpha particles) produced by {sup 6}Li(n,α){sup 3}H reaction. {sup 6}LiF neutron converter layers are deposited on the front surface of Schottky diodes by magnetron sputtering. The responses of SiC diodes to charged particles were investigated with an {sup 241}Am alpha source. A sandwich neutron spectrometer was assembled with two SiC Schottky diodes selected based on the charged-particle-response experimental results. The low-energy neutron response of the sandwich spectrometer was measured in the neutron field of the Chinese Fast Burst Reactor-II (CFBR-II). Spectra of alpha particles and tritons from {sup 6}Li(n,α){sup 3}H reaction were obtained with two well-resolved peaks. The energy resolution of the sum spectrum was 8.8%. The primary experimental results confirmed the 4H-SiC sandwich neutron spectrometer's feasibility. -- Highlights: ► Sandwich neutron spectrometer employing 4H-SiC as a detecting material has been developed for the first time. ► {sup 6}LiF neutron converter has been deposited on the surface of 4H-SiC Schottky diode. ► Preliminary testing results obtained with the 4H-SiC sandwich neutron spectrometer are presented.

High-throughput screening of effective siRNAs using luciferase-linked chimeric mRNA.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shen Pang

Full Text Available The use of siRNAs to knock down gene expression can potentially be an approach to treat various diseases. To avoid siRNA toxicity the less transcriptionally active H1 pol III promoter, rather than the U6 promoter, was proposed for siRNA expression. To identify highly efficacious siRNA sequences, extensive screening is required, since current computer programs may not render ideal results. Here, we used CCR5 gene silencing as a model to investigate a rapid and efficient screening approach. We constructed a chimeric luciferase-CCR5 gene for high-throughput screening of siRNA libraries. After screening approximately 900 shRNA clones, 12 siRNA sequences were identified. Sequence analysis demonstrated that most (11 of the 12 sequences of these siRNAs did not match those identified by available siRNA prediction algorithms. Significant inhibition of CCR5 in a T-lymphocyte cell line and primary T cells by these identified siRNAs was confirmed using the siRNA lentiviral vectors to infect these cells. The inhibition of CCR5 expression significantly protected cells from R5 HIV-1JRCSF infection. These results indicated that the high-throughput screening method allows efficient identification of siRNA sequences to inhibit the target genes at low levels of expression.

Luminescence properties of Si-capped β-FeSi{sub 2} nanodots epitaxially grown on Si(001) and (111) substrates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Amari, Shogo; Ichikawa, Masakazu [Department of Applied Physics, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656 (Japan); Nakamura, Yoshiaki, E-mail: nakamura@ee.es.osaka-u.ac.jp [Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, 1-3 Machikaneyama-cho, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-8531 (Japan); PRESTO, JST, 4-1-8 Honcho Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012 (Japan)

2014-02-28

We studied the luminescence properties of Si-capped β-FeSi{sub 2} nanodots (NDs) epitaxially grown on Si substrates by using photoluminescence (PL) and electroluminescence (EL) spectroscopies. Codepositing Fe and Si on ultrathin SiO{sub 2} films induced the self-assembly of epitaxial β-FeSi{sub 2} NDs. The PL spectra of the Si/β-FeSi{sub 2} NDs/Si structure depended on the crystal orientation of the Si substrate. These structures exhibited a broad PL peak near 0.8 eV on both Si(001) and (111) substrates. The PL intensity depended on the shape of the β-FeSi{sub 2} NDs. For the flat NDs, which exhibited higher PL intensity, we also recorded EL spectra. We explained the luminescence properties of these structures by the presence of nanostructured Si offering radiative electronic states in the Si cap layers, generated by nano-stressors for upper Si layer: the strain-relaxed β-FeSi{sub 2} NDs.

Thermal shock properties of 2D-SiCf/SiC composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Sang Pill; Lee, Jin Kyung; Son, In Soo; Bae, Dong Su; Kohyama, Akira

2012-01-01

This paper dealt with the thermal shock properties of SiC f /SiC composites reinforced with two dimensional SiC fabrics. SiC f /SiC composites were fabricated by a liquid phase sintering process, using a commercial nano-size SiC powder and oxide additive materials. An Al 2 O 3 –Y 2 O 3 –SiO 2 powder mixture was used as a sintering additive for the consolidation of SiC matrix region. In this composite system, Tyranno SA SiC fabrics were also utilized as a reinforcing material. The thermal shock test for SiC f /SiC composites was carried out at the elevated temperature. Both mechanical strength and microstructure of SiC f /SiC composites were investigated by means of optical microscopy, SEM and three point bending test. SiC f /SiC composites represented a dense morphology with a porosity of about 8.2% and a flexural strength of about 160 MPs. The characterization of SiC f /SiC composites was greatly affected by the history of cyclic thermal shock. Especially, SiC f /SiC composites represented a reduction of flexural strength at the thermal shock temperature difference higher than 800 °C.

SiC/SiC Cladding Materials Properties Handbook

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Snead, Mary A. [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States); Katoh, Yutai [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Koyanagi, Takaaki [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Singh, Gyanender P. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2017-08-01

When a new class of material is considered for a nuclear core structure, the in-pile performance is usually assessed based on multi-physics modeling in coordination with experiments. This report aims to provide data for the mechanical and physical properties and environmental resistance of silicon carbide (SiC) fiber–reinforced SiC matrix (SiC/SiC) composites for use in modeling for their application as accidenttolerant fuel cladding for light water reactors (LWRs). The properties are specific for tube geometry, although many properties can be predicted from planar specimen data. This report presents various properties, including mechanical properties, thermal properties, chemical stability under normal and offnormal operation conditions, hermeticity, and irradiation resistance. Table S.1 summarizes those properties mainly for nuclear-grade SiC/SiC composites fabricated via chemical vapor infiltration (CVI). While most of the important properties are available, this work found that data for the in-pile hydrothermal corrosion resistance of SiC materials and for thermal properties of tube materials are lacking for evaluation of SiC-based cladding for LWR applications.

Semisolid casting with ultrasonically melt-treated billets of Al-7mass%Si alloys

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yoshiki Tsunekawa

2012-02-01

Full Text Available The demand for high performance cast aluminum alloy components is often disturbed by increasing impurity elements, such as iron accumulated from recycled scraps. It is strongly required that coarse plate-like iron compound of モ-Al5FeSi turns into harmless form without the need for applying refining additives or expensive virgin ingots. The microstructural modification of Al-7mass%Si alloy billets with different iron contents was examined by applying ultrasonic vibration during the solidification. Ultrasonically melt-treated billets were thixocast right after induction heating up to the semisolid temperature of 583 ìC, the microstructure and tensile properties were evaluated in the thixocast components. Globular primary メ-Al is required to fill up a thin cavity in thixocasting, so that the microstructural modification by ultrasonic melt-treatment was firstly confirmed in the billets. With ultrasonic melt-treatment in the temperature range of 630 ìC to 605 ìC, the primary メ-Al transforms itself from dendrite into fine globular in morphology. The coarse plate-like モ-Al5FeSi compound becomes markedly finer compared with those in non-treated billets. Semisolid soaking up to 583 ìC, does not appreciably affect the size of モ-Al5FeSi compounds; however, it affects the solid primary メ-Al morphology to be more globular, which is convenient for thixocasting. After thixocasting with preheated billets, eutectic silicon plates are extremely refined due to the rapid solidification arising from low casting temperature. The tensile strength of thixocast samples with different iron contents does not change much even at 2mass% of iron, when thixocast with ultrasonically melt-treated billets. However, thixocast Al-7mass%Si-2mass%Fe alloy with non-treated billets exhibits an inferior strength of 80 MPa, compared with 180 MPa with ultrasonically melt-treated billets. The elongation is also improved by about a factor of two in thixocastings with

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

Science.gov (United States)

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.

Gene expression profiles in BCL11B-siRNA treated malignant T cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Grabarczyk Piotr

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Downregulation of the B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL/lymphoma11B (BCL11B gene by small interfering RNA (siRNA leads to growth inhibition and apoptosis of the human T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL cell line Molt-4. To further characterize the molecular mechanism, a global gene expression profile of BCL11B-siRNA -treated Molt-4 cells was established. The expression profiles of several genes were further validated in the BCL11B-siRNA -treated Molt-4 cells and primary T-ALL cells. Results 142 genes were found to be upregulated and 109 genes downregulated in the BCL11B-siRNA -treated Molt-4 cells by microarray analysis. Among apoptosis-related genes, three pro-apoptotic genes, TNFSF10, BIK, BNIP3, were upregulated and one anti-apoptotic gene, BCL2L1 was downregulated. Moreover, the expression of SPP1 and CREBBP genes involved in the transforming growth factor (TGF-β pathway was down 16-fold. Expression levels of TNFSF10, BCL2L1, SPP1, and CREBBP were also examined by real-time PCR. A similar expression pattern of TNFSF10, BCL2L1, and SPP1 was identified. However, CREBBP was not downregulated in the BLC11B-siRNA -treated Molt-4 cells. Conclusion BCL11B-siRNA treatment altered expression profiles of TNFSF10, BCL2L1, and SPP1 in both Molt-4 T cell line and primary T-ALL cells.

Microstructure formation and in situ phase identification from undercooled Co-61.8 at.% Si melts solidified on an electromagnetic levitator and an electrostatic levitator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li Mingjun [National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Materials Research Institute for Sustainable Development, 2266-98 Shimo-Shidami, Moriyama, Nagoya, Aichi 463-8560 (Japan); Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Tsukuba Space Centre, ISS Science Project Office, 2-1-1 Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8505 (Japan)], E-mail: li.mingjun@aist.go.jp; Nagashio, Kosuke [Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Sagamihara Campus, 3-1-1 Yoshinodai, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 229-8510 (Japan); Ishikawa, Takehiko [Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Tsukuba Space Centre, ISS Science Project Office, 2-1-1 Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8505 (Japan); Mizuno, Akitoshi; Adachi, Masayoshi; Watanabe, Masahito [Department of Physics, Gakushuin University, 1-5-1 Mejiro, Toshima, Tokyo 171-8588 (Japan); Yoda, Shinichi [Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Tsukuba Space Centre, ISS Science Project Office, 2-1-1 Sengen, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8505 (Japan); Kuribayashi, Kazuhiko [Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Sagamihara Campus, 3-1-1 Yoshinodai, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 229-8510 (Japan); Katayama, Yoshinori [Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), 1-1-1 Kouto, Mikazuki, Sayo, Hyogo 679-5148 (Japan)

2008-06-15

Co-61.8 at.% Si (CoSi-CoSi{sub 2}) eutectic alloys were solidified on an electromagnetic levitator (EML) and an electrostatic levitator (ESL) at different undercooling levels. The results indicated that there is only a single recalescence event at low undercooling with the CoSi intermetallic compound as primary phase, which is independent of processing facilities, on either an EML or an ESL. The microstructure, however, is strongly dependent on the processing facility. The interior melt flow behavior in the sphere solidified at the EML differs substantially from that at the ESL, thus yielding different microstructures. On high undercooling, double recalescence takes place regardless of levitation condition. In situ X-ray diffraction of alloys solidified on the EML demonstrates that the CoSi{sub 2} compound becomes the primary phase upon the first recalescence, and the CoSi intermetallic phase crystallizes during the second recalescence. In addition to phase identification, real-time diffraction patterns can also provide additional evidence of the fragmentation of the primary phase and the ripening feature in the subsequent cooling process in the semisolid state. The phase competition between the CoSi and CoSi{sub 2} compounds is discussed when considering the nucleation barrier. The low interfacial energy of the CoSi{sub 2} phase favors a preferential nucleation event over the CoSi phase, which also plays a critical role in non-reciprocity nucleation and thus yields a double recalescence profile at high undercooling.

Sintering Behavior of Spark Plasma Sintered SiC with Si-SiC Composite Nanoparticles Prepared by Thermal DC Plasma Process

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Yeon-Tae; Naik, Gautam Kumar; Lim, Young-Bin; Yoon, Jeong-Mo

2017-11-01

The Si-coated SiC (Si-SiC) composite nanoparticle was prepared by non-transferred arc thermal plasma processing of solid-state synthesized SiC powder and was used as a sintering additive for SiC ceramic formation. Sintered SiC pellet was prepared by spark plasma sintering (SPS) process, and the effect of nano-sized Si-SiC composite particles on the sintering behavior of micron-sized SiC powder was investigated. The mixing ratio of Si-SiC composite nanoparticle to micron-sized SiC was optimized to 10 wt%. Vicker's hardness and relative density was increased with increasing sintering temperature and holding time. The relative density and Vicker's hardness was further increased by reaction bonding using additional activated carbon to the mixture of micron-sized SiC and nano-sized Si-SiC. The maximum relative density (97.1%) and Vicker's hardness (31.4 GPa) were recorded at 1800 °C sintering temperature for 1 min holding time, when 0.2 wt% additional activated carbon was added to the mixture of SiC/Si-SiC.

Positron Annihilation Study of Ion-irradiated Si

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shin, Jung Ki; Kwon, Jun Hyun; Lee, Jong Yong

2009-01-01

Structural parts like a spaceship, satellite and solar cell are composed of metal alloy or semiconductor materials. Especially, Si is used as a primary candidate alloy. But, manned and robotic missions to the Earth's moon and Mars are exposed to a continuous flux of Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR) and occasional, but intense, fluxes of Solar Energetic Particles. These natural radiations impose hazards to manned exploration. Irradiation of cosmic particle induces various changes in the mechanical and physical properties of device steels. It is, therefore, important to investigate radiation damage to the component materials in semiconductor. The evolution of radiation-induced defects leads to degradation of the mechanical properties. One of them includes irradiation embrittlement, which can cause a loss of ductility and further increase the probability of a brittle fracture. It can be more dangerous in the space. Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy(PALS) have been applied to investigate the production of vacancy-type defects for Ion-irradiated Si wafer penetrated by H, He, O and Fe ions. Then, we carried out a comparison with an un-irradiated Si wafer

Effect of Si and Co on the crystallization of Al-Ni-RE amorphous alloys

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, S.H. [Key Lab of Liquid structure and Heredity of Materials, Ministry of Education, South Campus of Shandong University, Jinan 250061 (China); Bian, X.F. [Key Lab of Liquid structure and Heredity of Materials, Ministry of Education, South Campus of Shandong University, Jinan 250061 (China)], E-mail: xfbian@sdu.edu.cn

2008-04-03

Crystallization of Al{sub 83}Ni{sub 10}Si{sub 2}Ce{sub 5}, Al{sub 85}Ni{sub 10}Ce{sub 5}, Al{sub 87}Ni{sub 7}Nd{sub 6} and Al{sub 87}Ni{sub 5}Co{sub 2}Nd{sub 6} amorphous alloys has been studied by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The multiple transition metal (TM) (containing metalloid element) have significant effect on the crystallization behavior. A small addition of Si transforms a eutectic crystallization (Al{sub 85}Ni{sub 10}Ce{sub 5}) to a primary crystallization (Al{sub 83}Ni{sub 10}Si{sub 2}Ce{sub 5}); while a small addition of Co transforms a primary crystallization (Al{sub 87}Ni{sub 7}Nd{sub 6}) to a eutectic crystallization (Al{sub 87}Ni{sub 5}Co{sub 2}Nd{sub 6}). In addition, the activation energies for crystallization (E{sub a}) are obtained to be 191, 290, 221 and 166 kJ/mol for the Al{sub 83}Ni{sub 10}Si{sub 2}Ce{sub 5}, Al{sub 85}Ni{sub 10}Ce{sub 5}, Al{sub 87}Ni{sub 5}Co{sub 2}Nd{sub 6} and Al{sub 87}Ni{sub 7}Nd{sub 6} amorphous alloys based on the Kissinger method, respectively. It is found that the primary crystallization of fcc-Al is characteristic of a lower E{sub a}, as compared with eutectic crystallization.

Electrical properties of Si/Si1-xGex/Si inverted modulation doped structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sadeghzadeh, M.A.

1998-12-01

This thesis is a report of experimental investigations of growth strategy and electrical properties of Si/Si 1-x Ge x /Si inverted Modulation Doped (MD) structures grown by solid source Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE). If the grown Si layer is B-doped at some distance (as spacer) before or after the alloy layer, this remote doping induces the formation of a quasi Two Dimensional Hole Gas (2-DHG) near to the inverted (SiGe on Si) or normal (Si on SiGe) heterointerfaces of the Si/Si 1-x Ge x /Si quantum well, respectively. The latter arrangement is the well known 'normal' MD structure but the former one is the so-called 'inverted' MD structure which is of great interest for Field Effect Transistor (FET) applications. A reproducible growth strategy was employed by the use of a thick (400nm) Si cap for inverted MD structures with Ge composition in the range of 16-23%. Boron segregation and cap surface charges are significant in these inverted structures with small ( 20nm) spacer layers, respectively. It was demonstrated by secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) that boron segregation, which causes a reduction in the effective spacer dimension, can be suppressed by growth interruption after boron doping. The enhancement in hole sheet density with increasing Si cap layer thickness, is attributed to a reduction in the influence of positive surface charges in these structures. Top-gated devices were fabricated using these structures and the hole sheet density could be varied by applying a voltage to the metal-semiconductor gate, and the maximum Hall mobility of 5550 cm 2 V -1 s -1 with 4.2x10 11 cm -2 was measured (at 1.6K) in these structures. Comparison of measured Hall mobility (at 4.2K) as a function of hole sheet density in normal and inverted MD structures implies that both 2-DHG confined at normal and/or inverted structures are subjected to very similar interface charge, roughness, and alloy scattering potentials. Low temperatures magnetotransport measurements (down to

Abrupt GaP/Si hetero-interface using bistepped Si buffer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ping Wang, Y., E-mail: yanping.wang@insa-rennes.fr; Kuyyalil, J.; Nguyen Thanh, T.; Almosni, S.; Bernard, R.; Tremblay, R.; Da Silva, M.; Létoublon, A.; Rohel, T.; Tavernier, K.; Le Corre, A.; Cornet, C.; Durand, O. [UMR FOTON, CNRS, INSA Rennes, Rennes F-35708 (France); Stodolna, J.; Ponchet, A. [CEMES-CNRS, Université de Toulouse, 29 rue Jeanne Marvig, BP 94347, 31055 Toulouse Cedex 04 (France); Bahri, M.; Largeau, L.; Patriarche, G. [Laboratoire de Photonique et Nanostructures, CNRS UPR 20, Route de Nozay, Marcoussis 91460 (France); Magen, C. [LMA, INA-ARAID, and Departamento de Física de la Materia Condensada, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50018 Zaragoza (Spain)

2015-11-09

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. 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.

Abrupt GaP/Si hetero-interface using bistepped Si buffer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ping Wang, Y.; Kuyyalil, J.; Nguyen Thanh, T.; Almosni, S.; Bernard, R.; Tremblay, R.; Da Silva, M.; Létoublon, A.; Rohel, T.; Tavernier, K.; Le Corre, A.; Cornet, C.; Durand, O.; Stodolna, J.; Ponchet, A.; Bahri, M.; Largeau, L.; Patriarche, G.; Magen, C.

2015-01-01

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. 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

Synthesis and structural property of Si nanosheets connected to Si nanowires using MnCl{sub 2}/Si powder source

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meng, Erchao [Graduate School of Science and Technology, Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johuku, Naka-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 432-8561 (Japan); Ueki, Akiko [Toyota Central R& D Labs., Inc., 41-1 Yokomichi, Nagakute, Aichi 480-1192 (Japan); Meng, Xiang [Graduate School of Science and Technology, Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johuku, Naka-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 432-8561 (Japan); Suzuki, Hiroaki [Graduate School of Engineering, Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johuku, Naka-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 432-8561 (Japan); Itahara, Hiroshi [Toyota Central R& D Labs., Inc., 41-1 Yokomichi, Nagakute, Aichi 480-1192 (Japan); Tatsuoka, Hirokazu, E-mail: tatsuoka.hirokazu@shizuoka.ac.jp [Graduate School of Integrated Science and Technology, Shizuoka University, 3-5-1 Johuku, Naka-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 432-8561 (Japan)

2016-08-15

Graphical abstract: Si nanosheets connected to Si nanowires synthesized using a MnCl{sub 2}/Si powder source with an Au catalyst avoid the use of air-sensitive SiH{sub 4} or SiCl{sub 4}. It was evident from these structural features of the nanosheets (leaf blade) with nanowires (petiole) that the nanosheets were formed by the twin-plane reentrant-edge mechanism. The feature of the observed lattice fringes of the Si(111) nanosheets was clearly explained by the interference with the extra diffraction spots that arose due to the reciprocal lattice streaking effect. - Highlights: • New Si nanosheets connected to Si nanowires were synthesized using MnCl{sub 2}/Si powders. • The synthesis method has benefits in terms of avoiding air sensitive SiH{sub 4} or SiCl{sub 4}. • Structural property and electron diffraction of the Si nanosheets were clarified. • Odd lattice fringes of the Si nanosheets observed by HRTEM were clearly explained. - Abstract: Si nanosheets connected to Si nanowires were synthesized using a MnCl{sub 2}/Si powder source with an Au catalyst. The synthesis method has benefits in terms of avoiding conventionally used air-sensitive SiH{sub 4} or SiCl{sub 4}. The existence of the Si nanosheets connected to the Si<111> nanowires, like sprouts or leaves with petioles, was observed, and the surface of the nanosheets was Si{111}. The nanosheets were grown in the growth direction of <211> perpendicular to that of the Si nanowires. It was evident from these structural features of the nanosheets that the nanosheets were formed by the twin-plane reentrant-edge mechanism. The feature of the observed lattice fringes, which do not appear for Si bulk crystals, of the Si(111) nanosheets obtained by high resolution transmission electron microscopy was clearly explained due to the extra diffraction spots that arose by the reciprocal lattice streaking effect.

Sintering Behavior of Spark Plasma Sintered SiC with Si-SiC Composite Nanoparticles Prepared by Thermal DC Plasma Process.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Yeon-Tae; Naik, Gautam Kumar; Lim, Young-Bin; Yoon, Jeong-Mo

2017-11-25

The Si-coated SiC (Si-SiC) composite nanoparticle was prepared by non-transferred arc thermal plasma processing of solid-state synthesized SiC powder and was used as a sintering additive for SiC ceramic formation. Sintered SiC pellet was prepared by spark plasma sintering (SPS) process, and the effect of nano-sized Si-SiC composite particles on the sintering behavior of micron-sized SiC powder was investigated. The mixing ratio of Si-SiC composite nanoparticle to micron-sized SiC was optimized to 10 wt%. Vicker's hardness and relative density was increased with increasing sintering temperature and holding time. The relative density and Vicker's hardness was further increased by reaction bonding using additional activated carbon to the mixture of micron-sized SiC and nano-sized Si-SiC. The maximum relative density (97.1%) and Vicker's hardness (31.4 GPa) were recorded at 1800 °C sintering temperature for 1 min holding time, when 0.2 wt% additional activated carbon was added to the mixture of SiC/Si-SiC.

Formation, structure, and phonon confinement effect of nanocrystalline Si1-xGex in SiO2-Si-Ge cosputtered films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Y.M.; Wu, X.L.; Siu, G.G.; Huang, G.S.; Shen, J.C.; Hu, D.S.

2004-01-01

Using magnetron cosputtering of SiO 2 , Ge, and Si targets, Si-based SiO 2 :Ge:Si films were fabricated for exploring the influence of Si target proportion (P Si ) and annealing temperature (Ta) on formation, local structure, and phonon properties of nanocrystalline Si 1-x Ge x (nc-Si 1-x Ge x ). At low P Si and Ta higher than 800 deg. C, no nc-Si 1-x Ge x but a kind of composite nanocrystal consisting of a Ge core, GeSi shell, and amorphous Si outer shell is formed in the SiO 2 matrix. At moderate P Si , nc-Si 1-x Ge x begins to be formed at Ta=800 deg. C and coexists with nc-Ge at Ta=1100 deg. C. At high P Si , it was disclosed that both optical phonon frequency and lattice spacing of nc-Si 1-x Ge x increase with raising Ta. The possible origin of this phenomenon is discussed by considering three factors, the phonon confinement, strain effect, and composition variation of nc-Si 1-x Ge x . This work will be helpful in understanding the growth process of ternary GeSiO films and beneficial to further investigations on optical properties of nc-Ge 1-x Si x in the ternary matrix

Si/SiGe heterointerfaces in one-, two-, and three-dimensional nanostructures: their impact on SiGe light emission

Science.gov (United States)

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

Experimental and thermodynamic assessments of substitutions in the AlFeSi, FeMnSi, FeSiZr and AlCaFeSi systems (65 wt % Si) - solidification simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gueneau, C.; Ansara, I.

1994-01-01

The substitutions of Al Si, Fe Mn and Fe Zr in some intermetallic compounds of the Al-Fe-Si, Fe-Mn-Si and Fe-Si-Zr systems are modelled in the Si-rich corner using a two sublattice model. The solidification paths of the studied alloys are determined at equilibrium. The ascalculated phase volume fractions of the alloys are compared to the experimental ones. Finally, a solidification simulation using the Gulliver-Scheil's model is performed in order to explain the formation of some precipitates experimentally observed. (authors). 14 figs., 19 refs

Ultrathin SiO{sub 2} layer formed by the nitric acid oxidation of Si (NAOS) method to improve the thermal-SiO{sub 2}/Si interface for crystalline Si solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matsumoto, Taketoshi; Nakajima, Hiroki; Irishika, Daichi; Nonaka, Takaaki; Imamura, Kentaro; Kobayashi, Hikaru, E-mail: h.kobayashi@sanken.osaka-u.ac.jp

2017-02-15

Highlights: • The density of interface states at the SiO{sub 2}/Si interface is decreased by NAOS. • The minority carrier lifetime is increased by the NAOS treatment. • Great interfacial properties of the NAOS layer are kept after thermal oxidation. - Abstract: A combination of the nitric acid oxidation of Si (NAOS) method and post-thermal oxidation is found to efficiently passivate the SiO{sub 2}/n-Si(100) interface. Thermal oxidation at 925 °C and annealing at 450 °C in pure hydrogen atmosphere increases the minority carrier lifetime by three orders of magnitude, and it is attributed to elimination of Si dangling bond interface states. Fabrication of an ultrathin, i.e., 1.1 nm, NAOS SiO{sub 2} layer before thermal oxidation and H{sub 2} annealing further increases the minority carrier lifetime by 30% from 8.6 to 11.1 ms, and decreased the interface state density by 10% from 6.9 × 10{sup 9} to 6.3 × 10{sup 9}eV{sup −1} cm{sup −2}. After thermal oxidation at 800 °C, the SiO{sub 2} layer on the NAOS-SiO{sub 2}/Si(100) structure is 2.26 nm thick, i.e., 0.24 nm thicker than that on the Si(100) surface, while after thermal oxidation at 925 °C, it is 4.2 nm thick, i.e., 0.4 nm thinner than that on Si(100). The chemical stability results from the higher atomic density of a NAOS SiO{sub 2} layer than that of a thermal oxide layer as reported in Ref. [28] (Asuha et al., 2002). Higher minority carrier lifetime in the presence of the NAOS layer indicates that the NAOS-SiO{sub 2}/Si interface with a low interface state density is preserved after thermal oxidation, which supports out-diffusion oxidation mechanism, by which a thermal oxide layer is formed on the NAOS SiO{sub 2} layer.

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

2004-01-01

(Ba,Sr)TiO 3 (BST) thin films were deposited by ion sputtering on both bare and oxidized Si. Spectroscopic ellipsometry results have shown that a SiO 2 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 SiO 2 on Si or 3.5 nm SiO 2 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 SiO 2 . Using the conductance method, capacitance-voltage measurements show a decrease in the interface trap density D it of an order of magnitude for oxidized Si substrates with a thicker SiO 2 underlayer. Further reduction of D it was achieved for the capacitors grown on oxidized Si and annealed in forming gas after metallization

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

Science.gov (United States)

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.

Mechanical behavior of SiCf/SiC composites with alternating PyC/SiC multilayer interphases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, Haijiao; Zhou, Xingui; Zhang, Wei; Peng, Huaxin; Zhang, Changrui

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Superior combination of flexural strength and fracture toughness of the 3D SiC/SiC composite was achieved by interface tailoring. ► Resulted composite possesses a much higher flexural strength and fracture toughness than its counterparts in literatures. ► Mechanisms that PyC/SiC multilayer coatings improve the mechanical properties were illustrated. -- Abstract: In order to tailor the fiber–matrix interface of continuous silicon carbide fiber reinforced silicon carbide (SiC f /SiC) composites for improved fracture toughness, alternating pyrolytic carbon/silicon carbide (PyC/SiC) multilayer coatings were applied to the KD-I SiC fibers using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. Three dimensional (3D) KD-I SiC f /SiC composites reinforced by these coated fibers were fabricated using a precursor infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP) process. The interfacial characteristics were determined by the fiber push-out test and microstructural examination using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The effect of interface coatings on composite mechanical properties was evaluated by single-edge notched beam (SENB) test and three-point bending test. The results indicate that the PyC/SiC multilayer coatings led to an optimum interfacial bonding between fibers and matrix and greatly improved the fracture toughness of the composites.

Oscillations in the fusion of the Si + Si systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aguilera R, E.F.; Kolata, J.J.; DeYoung, P.A.; Vega, J.J.

1986-02-01

Excitation functions for the yields of all the residual nuclei from the 28 Si + 28,30 and 30 Si + 30 Si reactions have been measured via the γ-ray technique for center of mass energies in the region within one and two times the Coulomb barrier.Thirteen elements were identified for the first reaction and ten for the other two. While no structure is shown by the data for the 28 + 28 Si reaction, we have found evidence for intermediate width structure in the 2α and the αpn channels in 28 Si + 30 Si and for broad structure in the total fusion cross sections for 30 Si + 30 Si. Calculations using a barrier penetration model with one free parameter reproduce the experimental results quite well. Evaporation model calculations indicate that the individual structure of the nuclei involved in the respective decay chains might have an important influence upon the deexcitation process at the energies relevant to our experiments. (Author)

The constitution of alloys in the Al-rich corner of the Al-Si-Sm ternary system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Markoli, B.; Spaic, S.; Zupanic, F.

2001-01-01

The constitution of alloys and the liquidus surface in the Al-rich corner of the Al-Si-Sm ternary system were determined by the examination of controlled heated and cooled specimens, as well as heat-treated specimens by means of optical and scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, differential thermal analysis and X-ray diffraction. The Al-rich corner of the Al-Si-Sm ternary system comprises five regions of primary crystallisation (α Al , β Si , Al 3 Sm, Al 2 Si 2 Sm and AlSiSm) with following characteristic invariant reaction sequences: ternary eutectic reaction L → α Al + β Si + Al 2 Si 2 Sm, and two liquidus transition reactions, i. e., L + Al 3 Sm → α Al + AlSiSm, and L + AlSiSm → α Al + Al 2 Si 2 Sm. Along with the position of ternary eutectic and both interstitial points in the Al-rich corner of the Al-Si-Sm ternary system, the temperatures for each reaction were determined. (orig.)

Set-up and methods for SiPM Photo-Detection Efficiency measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zappalà, G.; Acerbi, F.; Ferri, A.; Gola, A.; Paternoster, G.; Zorzi, N.; Piemonte, C.

2016-01-01

In this work, a compact set-up and three different methods to measure the Photo-Detection Efficiency (PDE) of Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) and Single-Photon Avalanche Diodes (SPADs) are presented. The methods, based on either continuous or pulsed light illumination, are discussed in detail and compared in terms of measurement precision and time. For the SiPM, these methods have the feature of minimizing the effect of both the primary and correlated noise on the PDE estimation. The PDE of SiPMs (produced at FBK, Trento, Italy) was measured in a range from UV to NIR, obtaining similar results with all the methods. Furthermore, the advantages of measuring, when possible, the PDE of SPADs (of the same technology and with the same layout of a single SiPM cell) instead of larger devices are also discussed and a direct comparison between measurement results is shown. Using a SPAD, it is possible to reduce the measurement complexity and uncertainty since the correlated noise sources are reduced with respect to the SiPM case.

Development of reaction-sintered SiC mirror for space-borne optics

Science.gov (United States)

Yui, Yukari Y.; Kimura, Toshiyoshi; Tange, Yoshio

2017-11-01

We are developing high-strength reaction-sintered silicon carbide (RS-SiC) mirror as one of the new promising candidates for large-diameter space-borne optics. In order to observe earth surface or atmosphere with high spatial resolution from geostationary orbit, larger diameter primary mirrors of 1-2 m are required. One of the difficult problems to be solved to realize such optical system is to obtain as flat mirror surface as possible that ensures imaging performance in infrared - visible - ultraviolet wavelength region. This means that homogeneous nano-order surface flatness/roughness is required for the mirror. The high-strength RS-SiC developed and manufactured by TOSHIBA is one of the most excellent and feasible candidates for such purpose. Small RS-SiC plane sample mirrors have been manufactured and basic physical parameters and optical performances of them have been measured. We show the current state of the art of the RS-SiC mirror and the feasibility of a large-diameter RS-SiC mirror for space-borne optics.

Structure of MnSi on SiC(0001)

Science.gov (United States)

Meynell, S. A.; Spitzig, A.; Edwards, B.; Robertson, M. D.; Kalliecharan, D.; Kreplak, L.; Monchesky, T. L.

2016-11-01

We report on the growth and magnetoresistance of MnSi films grown on SiC(0001) by molecular beam epitaxy. The growth resulted in a textured MnSi(111) film with a predominantly [1 1 ¯0 ] MnSi (111 )∥[11 2 ¯0 ] SiC(0001) epitaxial relationship, as demonstrated by transmission electron microscopy, reflection high energy electron diffraction, and atomic force microscopy. The 500 ∘C temperature required to crystallize the film leads to a dewetting of the MnSi layer. Although the sign of the lattice mismatch suggested the films would be under compressive stress, the films acquire an in-plane tensile strain likely driven by the difference in thermal expansion coefficients between the film and substrate during annealing. As a result, the magnetoresistive response demonstrates that the films possess a hard-axis out-of-plane magnetocrystalline anisotropy.

Laser-controlled stress of Si nanocrystals in a free-standing Si /SiO2 superlattice

Science.gov (United States)

Khriachtchev, Leonid; Räsänen, Markku; Novikov, Sergei

2006-01-01

We report laser manipulations with stress at the nanoscale level. The continuous-wave Ar+ laser radiation melts Si nanocrystals in a free-standing Si /SiO2 superlattice. Silicon crystallization from the liquid phase leads to a compressive stress, which can be accurately tuned in the 3GPa range using laser annealing below the Si melting temperature and then recovered by laser annealing above the melting temperature. This allows investigations of various phenomena as a function of stress and makes a case of Si-nanocrystal memory with very long retention time, which can be written, erased, and read by optical means.

Laser-controlled stress of Si nanocrystals in a free-standing Si/SiO2 superlattice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khriachtchev, Leonid; Raesaenen, Markku; Novikov, Sergei

2006-01-01

We report laser manipulations with stress at the nanoscale level. The continuous-wave Ar + laser radiation melts Si nanocrystals in a free-standing Si/SiO 2 superlattice. Silicon crystallization from the liquid phase leads to a compressive stress, which can be accurately tuned in the 3 GPa range using laser annealing below the Si melting temperature and then recovered by laser annealing above the melting temperature. This allows investigations of various phenomena as a function of stress and makes a case of Si-nanocrystal memory with very long retention time, which can be written, erased, and read by optical means

Isotopic effects in sub-barrier fusion of Si + Si systems

Science.gov (United States)

Colucci, G.; Montagnoli, G.; Stefanini, A. M.; Esbensen, H.; Bourgin, D.; Čolović, P.; Corradi, L.; Faggian, M.; Fioretto, E.; Galtarossa, F.; Goasduff, A.; Grebosz, J.; Haas, F.; Mazzocco, M.; Scarlassara, F.; Stefanini, C.; Strano, E.; Szilner, S.; Urbani, M.; Zhang, G. L.

2018-04-01

Background: Recent measurements of fusion cross sections for the 28Si+28Si system revealed a rather unsystematic behavior; i.e., they drop faster near the barrier than at lower energies. This was tentatively attributed to the large oblate deformation of 28Si because coupled-channels (CC) calculations largely underestimate the 28Si+28Si cross sections at low energies, unless a weak imaginary potential is applied, probably simulating the deformation. 30Si has no permanent deformation and its low-energy excitations are of a vibrational nature. Previous measurements of this system reached only 4 mb, which is not sufficient to obtain information on effects that should show up at lower energies. Purpose: The aim of the present experiment was twofold: (i) to clarify the underlying fusion dynamics by measuring the symmetric case 30Si+30Si in an energy range from around the Coulomb barrier to deep sub-barrier energies, and (ii) to compare the results with the behavior of 28Si+28Si involving two deformed nuclei. Methods: 30Si beams from the XTU tandem accelerator of the Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro of the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare were used, bombarding thin metallic 30Si targets (50 μ g /cm2) enriched to 99.64 % in mass 30. An electrostatic beam deflector allowed the detection of fusion evaporation residues (ERs) at very forward angles, and angular distributions of ERs were measured. Results: The excitation function of 30Si+30Si was measured down to the level of a few microbarns. It has a regular shape, at variance with the unusual trend of 28Si+28Si . The extracted logarithmic derivative does not reach the LCS limit at low energies, so that no maximum of the S factor shows up. CC calculations were performed including the low-lying 2+ and 3- excitations. Conclusions: Using a Woods-Saxon potential the experimental cross sections at low energies are overpredicted, and this is a clear sign of hindrance, while the calculations performed with a M3Y + repulsion

[Diagnostic test scale SI5: Assessment of sacroiliac joint dysfunction].

Science.gov (United States)

Acevedo González, Juan C; Quintero Oliveros, Silvia

2015-01-01

Sacroiliac joint dysfunction is a known cause of low back pain. We think that a diagnostic score scale (SI5) may be performed to assess diagnostic utility of clinical signs of sacroiliac joint dysfunction. The primary aim of the present study was to conduct the pilot study of our new diagnostic score scale, the SI5, for sacroiliac joint syndrome. We reviewed the literature on clinical characteristics, diagnostic tests and imaging most commonly used in diagnosing sacroiliac joint dysfunction. Our group evaluated the diagnostic utility of these aspects and we used those considered most representative to develop the SI5 diagnostic scale. The SI5 scale was applied to 22 patients with low back pain; afterwards, the standard test for diagnosing this pathology (selective blockage of the SI joint) was also performed on these patients. The sensitivity and specificity for each sign were also assessed and the diagnostic scale called SI5 was then proposed, based on these data. The most sensitive clinical tests for diagnosing SI joint dysfunction were 2 patient-reported clinical characteristics, the Laguerre Test, sacroiliac rocking test and Yeomans test (greater than 80% sensitivity). The tests with greatest diagnostic specificity (>80%) were the Lewitt test, Piedallu test and Gillet test. The proposed SI5 test score scale showed sensitivity of 73% and specificity of 71%. Sacroiliac joint syndrome has been shown to produce low back pain frequently; however, the diagnostic value of examination tests for sacroiliac joint pain has been questioned by other authors. The pilot study on the SI5 diagnostic score scale showed good sensitivity and specificity. However, the process of statistical validation of the SI5 needs to be continued. Copyright © 2014 Sociedad Española de Neurocirugía. Published by Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

Self-aligned indium–gallium–zinc oxide thin-film transistors with SiNx/SiO2/SiNx/SiO2 passivation layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Rongsheng; Zhou, Wei; Zhang, Meng; Kwok, Hoi-Sing

2014-01-01

Self-aligned top-gate amorphous indium–gallium–zinc oxide (a-IGZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs) with SiN x /SiO 2 /SiN x /SiO 2 passivation layers are developed in this paper. The resulting a-IGZO TFT exhibits high reliability against bias stress and good electrical performance including field-effect mobility of 5 cm 2 /Vs, threshold voltage of 2.5 V, subthreshold swing of 0.63 V/decade, and on/off current ratio of 5 × 10 6 . With scaling down of the channel length, good characteristics are also obtained with a small shift of the threshold voltage and no degradation of subthreshold swing. The proposed a-IGZO TFTs in this paper can act as driving devices in the next generation flat panel displays. - Highlights: • Self-aligned top-gate indium–gallium–zinc oxide thin-film transistor is proposed. • SiN x /SiO 2 /SiN x /SiO 2 passivation layers are developed. • The source/drain areas are hydrogen-doped by CHF3 plasma. • The devices show good electrical performance and high reliability against bias stress

Synthesis and characterization of laminated Si/SiC composites

Science.gov (United States)

Naga, Salma M.; Kenawy, Sayed H.; Awaad, Mohamed; Abd El-Wahab, Hamada S.; Greil, Peter; Abadir, Magdi F.

2012-01-01

Laminated Si/SiC ceramics were synthesized from porous preforms of biogenous carbon impregnated with Si slurry at a temperature of 1500 °C for 2 h. Due to the capillarity infiltration with Si, both intrinsic micro- and macrostructure in the carbon preform were retained within the final ceramics. The SEM micrographs indicate that the final material exhibits a distinguished laminar structure with successive Si/SiC layers. The produced composites show weight gain of ≈5% after heat treatment in air at 1300 °C for 50 h. The produced bodies could be used as high temperature gas filters as indicated from the permeability results. PMID:25685404

Synthesis and characterization of laminated Si/SiC composites

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Salma M. Naga

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Laminated Si/SiC ceramics were synthesized from porous preforms of biogenous carbon impregnated with Si slurry at a temperature of 1500 °C for 2 h. Due to the capillarity infiltration with Si, both intrinsic micro- and macrostructure in the carbon preform were retained within the final ceramics. The SEM micrographs indicate that the final material exhibits a distinguished laminar structure with successive Si/SiC layers. The produced composites show weight gain of ≈5% after heat treatment in air at 1300 °C for 50 h. The produced bodies could be used as high temperature gas filters as indicated from the permeability results.

Propagation of misfit dislocations from buffer/Si interface into Si

Science.gov (United States)

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.

Tailoring of SiC nanoprecipitates formed in Si

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Velisa, G., E-mail: gihan.velisa@cea.fr [CEA, DEN, Service de Recherches de Métallurgie Physique, Laboratoire JANNUS, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Horia Hulubei National Institute for Physics and Nuclear Engineering, P.O. Box MG-6, 077125 Magurele (Romania); Trocellier, P. [CEA, DEN, Service de Recherches de Métallurgie Physique, Laboratoire JANNUS, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Thomé, L. [Centre de Spectrométrie Nucléaire et de Spectrométrie de Masse, UMR8609, Bât. 108, 91405 Orsay (France); Vaubaillon, S. [CEA, INSTN, UEPTN, Laboratoire JANNUS, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Miro, S.; Serruys, Y.; Bordas, É. [CEA, DEN, Service de Recherches de Métallurgie Physique, Laboratoire JANNUS, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Meslin, E. [CEA, DEN, Service de Recherches de Métallurgie Physique, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Mylonas, S. [Centre de Spectrométrie Nucléaire et de Spectrométrie de Masse, UMR8609, Bât. 108, 91405 Orsay (France); Coulon, P.E. [Ecole Polytechnique, Laboratoire des Solides Irradiés, CEA/DSM/IRAMIS-CNRS, 91128 Palaiseau Cedex (France); Leprêtre, F.; Pilz, A.; Beck, L. [CEA, DEN, Service de Recherches de Métallurgie Physique, Laboratoire JANNUS, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette (France)

2013-07-15

The SiC synthesis through single-beam of C{sup +}, and simultaneous-dual-beam of C{sup +} and Si{sup +} ion implantations into a Si substrate heated at 550 °C has been studied by means of three complementary analytical techniques: nuclear reaction analysis (NRA), Raman, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It is shown that a broad distribution of SiC nanoprecipitates is directly formed after simultaneous-dual-beam (520-keV C{sup +} and 890-keV Si{sup +}) and single-beam (520-keV C{sup +}) ion implantations. Their shape appear as spherical (average size ∼4–5 nm) and they are in epitaxial relationship with the silicon matrix.

Uniform Si nano-dot fabrication using reconstructed structure of Si(110)

Science.gov (United States)

Yano, Masahiro; Uozumi, Yuki; Yasuda, Satoshi; Asaoka, Hidehito

2018-06-01

Si nano-dot (ND) formation on Si(110) is observed by means of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). The initial Si-NDs are Si crystals that are continuous from the substrate and grow during the oxide layer desorption. The NDs fabricated on the flat surface of Si(110)-1 × 1 are surrounded by four types of facets with almost identical appearance probabilities. An increase in the size of the NDs increases the variety of its morphology. In contrast, most Si-NDs fabricated on straight-stepped surface of Si(110)-16 × 2 reconstructed structure are surrounded by only a single type of facet, namely the \\text{Si}(17,15,1)-2 × 1 plane. An appearance probability of the facet in which the base line is along the step of Si(110)-16 × 2 exceeds 75%. This finding provides a fabrication technique of uniformed structural Si-NDs by using the reconstructed structure of Si(110).

Neutron tolerance of advanced SiC-fiber/CVI-SiC composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Katoh, Y.; Kohyama, A.; Snead, L.L.; Hinoki, T.; Hasegawa, A.

2003-01-01

Fusion blankets employing a silicon carbide (SiC) fiber-reinforced SiC matrix composite (SiC/SiC composite) as the structural material provide attractive features represented by high cycle efficiency and extremely low induced radioactivity. Recent advancement in processing and utilization techniques and application studies in ceramic gas turbine and advanced transportation systems, SiC/SiC composites are steadily getting matured as industrial materials. Reference SiC/SiC composites for fusion structural applications have been produced by a forced-flow chemical vapor infiltration (FCVI) method using conventional and advanced near-stoichiometric SiC fibers and extensively evaluated primarily in Japan-US collaborative JUPITER program. In this work, effect of neutron irradiation at elevated temperatures on mechanical property of these composites is characterized. Unlike in conventional SiC/SiC composites, practically no property degradation was identified in advanced composites with a thin carbon interphase by a neutron fluence level of approximately 8dpa at 800C. (author)

High thermal conductivity SiC/SiC composites for fusion applications -- 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kowbel, W.; Tsou, K.T.; Withers, J.C.; Youngblood, G.E.

1998-01-01

This report covers material presented at the IEA/Jupiter Joint International Workshop on SiC/SiC Composites for Fusion Structural Applications held in conjunction with ICFRM-8, Sendai, Japan, Oct. 23--24, 1997. An unirradiated SiC/SiC composite made with MER-developed CVR SiC fiber and a hybrid PIP/CVI SiC matrix exhibited room temperature transverse thermal conductivity of 45 W/mK. An unirradiated SiC/SiC composite made from C/C composite totally CVR-converted to a SiC/SiC composite exhibited transverse thermal conductivity values of 75 and 35 W/mK at 25 and 1000 C, respectively. Both types of SiC/SiC composites exhibited non-brittle failure in flexure testing

Passivation of defect states in Si and Si/SiO2 interface states by cyanide treatment: improvement of characteristics of pin-junction amorphous Si and crystalline Si-based metal-oxide-semiconductor junction solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujiwara, N.; Fujinaga, T.; Niinobe, D.; Maida, O.; Takahashi, M.; Kobayashi, H.

2003-01-01

Defect states in Si can be passivated by cyanide treatment which simply involves immersion of Si materials in KCN solutions, followed by rinse. When the cyanide treatment is applied to pin-junction amorphous Si [a-Si] solar cells, the initial conversion efficiency increases. When the crown-ether cyanide treatment using a KCN solution of xylene containing 18-crown-6 is performed on i-a-Si films, decreases in the photo- and dark current densities with the irradiation time are prevented. The cyanide treatment can also passivate interface states present at Si/SiO 2 interfaces, leading to an increase in the conversion efficiency of 2 / Si (100)> solar cells.. Si-CN bonds formed by the reaction of defect states with cyanide ions have a high bond energy of about 4.5 eV and hence heat treatment at 800 0 C does not rupture the bonds, making thermal stability of the cyanide treatment.. When the cyanide treatment is applied to ultrathin SiO 2 /Si structure, the leakage current density is markedly decreased (Authors)

Enhanced blue responses in nanostructured Si solar cells by shallow doping

Science.gov (United States)

Cheon, Sieun; Jeong, Doo Seok; Park, Jong-Keuk; Kim, Won Mok; Lee, Taek Sung; Lee, Heon; Kim, Inho

2018-03-01

Optimally designed Si nanostructures are very effective for light trapping in crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells. However, when the lateral feature size of Si nanostructures is comparable to the junction depth of the emitter, dopant diffusion in the lateral direction leads to excessive doping in the nanostructured emitter whereby poor blue responses arise in the external quantum efficiency (EQE). The primary goal of this study is to find the correlation of emitter junction depth and carrier collection efficiency in nanostructured c-Si solar cells in order to enhance the blue responses. We prepared Si nanostructures of nanocone shape by colloidal lithography, with silica beads of 520 nm in diameter, followed by a reactive ion etching process. c-Si solar cells with a standard cell architecture of an Al back surface field were fabricated varying the emitter junction depth. We varied the emitter junction depth by adjusting the doping level from heavy doping to moderate doping to light doping and achieved greatly enhanced blue responses in EQE from 47%-92% at a wavelength of 400 nm. The junction depth analysis by secondary ion mass-spectroscopy profiling and the scanning electron microscopy measurements provided us with the design guide of the doping level depending on the nanostructure feature size for high efficiency nanostructured c-Si solar cells. Optical simulations showed us that Si nanostructures can serve as an optical resonator to amplify the incident light field, which needs to be considered in the design of nanostructured c-Si solar cells.

Investigations of the corrosion behaviour of the Si-containing stainless steel 1.4361 with combined surface analysis, electrochemistry and radionuclide technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maar-Stumm, M.

1990-03-01

The present work aimed at detailed information on the corrosion behaviour and particularly the corrosion mechanism of the steel 1.4361 in concentrated nitric acid by use of a combination of electrochemical methods, radionuclide technique and surface analysis. For comparison steel samples corroded by other methods were investigated by surface analysis, too. At the beginning of the corrosion in nitric acid Fe and Ni are dissolved preferentially. Cr and Si are enriched in the surface region. A primary corrosion layer is formed which is equivalent to the oxidic overlayer of atmospherically oxidized samples. It consists of the oxides of chromium and iron mixed up with glass-like SiO 2 . Ni does not contribute to the formation of the oxidic overlayer. On top of this primary corrosion layer there is an isolating gel-like SiO 2 -layer with a thickness depending on strength and duration of the corrosive attack. Its mechanical stability decreases with increasing layer thickness. At the boundary to the primary corrosion layer this gel-like SiO 2 -layer is closed, mechanically stable and conducting. Samples corroded under the standardized conditions of the Huey-test show a similar structure of the overlayer with the exception that the primary corrosion layer consists only of glass-like SiO 2 . The combination of several methods revealed detailed information about mass loss and structure of the overlayer at different electrode potentials. (orig./MM) [de

The dependence of the interface and shape on the constrained growth of nc-Si in a-SiN sub x /a-Si:H/a-SiN sub x structures

CERN Document Server

Zhang Li; Wang Li; Li Wei; Xu Jun; Huang Xin Fan; Chen Kun Ji

2002-01-01

Size-controlled nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si) has been prepared from a-SiN sub x /a-Si:H/a-SiN sub x ('a' standing for amorphous) structures by thermal annealing. Transmission electron microscope analyses show that the lateral size of the nc-Si is controlled by the annealing conditions and the a-Si sublayer thickness. The deviation of the nc-Si grain size distribution decreases with the a-Si sublayer thickness, so thinner a-Si sublayers are favourable for obtaining uniform nc-Si grains. In the a-Si:H (10 nm) sample annealed at 1000 deg. C for 30 min, an obvious bi-modal size distribution of nc-Si grains appears, but no obvious bi-modal size distribution is found in other samples with thinner a-Si:H sublayers. On the basis of the experimental results, we discuss the process of transition from the sphere-like shape to the disc-like shape in the growth model of the nc-Si crystallization. The critical thickness of the a-Si sublayer for the constrained crystallization can be determined by the present model. More...

Rapid-rate paired associative stimulation over the primary somatosensory cortex.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Philemon Tsang

Full Text Available Rapid-rate paired associative stimulation (rPAS involves repeat pairing of peripheral nerve stimulation and Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS pulses at a 5 Hz frequency. RPAS over primary motor cortex (M1 operates with spike-timing dependent plasticity such that increases in corticospinal excitability occur when the nerve and TMS pulse temporally coincide in cortex. The present study investigates the effects of rPAS over primary somatosensory cortex (SI which has not been performed to date. In a series of experiments, rPAS was delivered over SI and M1 at varying timing intervals between the nerve and TMS pulse based on the latency of the N20 somatosensory evoked potential (SEP component within each participant (intervals for SI-rPAS: N20, N20-2.5 ms, N20 + 2.5 ms, intervals for M1-rPAS: N20, N20+5 ms. Changes in SI physiology were measured via SEPs (N20, P25, N20-P25 and SEP paired-pulse inhibition, and changes in M1 physiology were measured with motor evoked potentials and short-latency afferent inhibition. Measures were obtained before rPAS and at 5, 25 and 45 minutes following stimulation. Results indicate that paired-pulse inhibition and short-latency afferent inhibition were reduced only when the SI-rPAS nerve-TMS timing interval was set to N20-2.5 ms. SI-rPAS over SI also led to remote effects on motor physiology over a wider range of nerve-TMS intervals (N20-2.5 ms - N20+2.5 ms during which motor evoked potentials were increased. M1-rPAS increased motor evoked potentials and reduced short-latency afferent inhibition as previously reported. These data provide evidence that, similar to M1, rPAS over SI is spike-timing dependent and is capable of exerting changes in SI and M1 physiology.

Gas leak tightness of SiC/SiC composites at elevated temperature

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hayasaka, Daisuke, E-mail: hayasaka@oasis.muroran-it.ac.jp [OASIS, Muroran Institute of Technology, Muroran, Hokkaido (Japan); Graduate School of Engineering, Muroran Institute of Technology, Muroran, Hokkaido (Japan); Park, Joon-Soo. [OASIS, Muroran Institute of Technology, Muroran, Hokkaido (Japan); Kishimoto, Hirotatsu [OASIS, Muroran Institute of Technology, Muroran, Hokkaido (Japan); Graduate School of Engineering, Muroran Institute of Technology, Muroran, Hokkaido (Japan); Kohyama, Akira [OASIS, Muroran Institute of Technology, Muroran, Hokkaido (Japan)

2016-11-01

Highlights: • NITE-SiC/SiC has extremely densified microstructure compared with other SiC/SiC composite like CVI. • Excellent helium and hydrogen gas-leak tightness of SiC/SiC composites by DEMO-NITE method from prototype industrialization production line was presented. • The excellence against stainless steel and Zircaloy at elevated temperature, together with generic excellent properties of SiC will be inevitable for innovative blanket and divertors for DEMO- and power- fusion reactors. - Abstract: SiC/SiC composite materials are attractive candidates for high heat flux components and blanket of fusion reactor, mainly due to their high temperature properties, radiation damage tolerance and low induced radioactivity. One of the challenges for SiC/SiC application in fusion reactors is to satisfy sufficient gas leak tightness of hydrogen and helium isotopes. Although many efforts have been carried-out, SiC/SiC composites by conventional processes have not been successful to satisfy the requirements, except SiC/SiC composites by NITE-methods. Toward the early realization of SiC/SiC components into fusion reactor systems process development of NITE-process has been continued. Followed to the brief introduction of recently developed DEMO-NITE process, baseline properties and hydrogen and helium gas leak tightness is presented. SiC/SiC claddings with 10 mm in diameter and 1 mm in wall thickness are tested by gas leak tightness system developed. The leak tightness measurements are done room temperature to 400 °C. Excellent gas leak tightness equivalent or superior to Zircaloy claddings for light water fission reactors is confirmed. The excellent gas leak tightness suggests nearly perfect suppression of large gas leak path in DEMO-NITE SiC/SiC.

Advanced Optoelectronic Devices based on Si Quantum Dots/Si Nanowires Hetero-structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, J; Zhai, Y Y; Cao, Y Q; Chen, K J

2017-01-01

Si quantum dots are currently extensively studied since they can be used to develop many kinds of optoelectronic devices. In this report, we review the fabrication of Si quantum dots (Si QD) /Si nanowires (Si NWs) hetero-structures by deposition of Si QDs/SiO 2 or Si QDs/SiC multilayers on Si NWs arrays. The electroluminescence and photovoltaic devices based on the formed hetero-structures have been prepared and the improved performance is confirmed. It is also found that the surface recombination via the surface defects states on the Si NWs, especially the ones obtained by the long-time etching, may deteriorate the device properties though they exhibit the better anti-reflection characteristics. The possible surface passivation approaches are briefly discussed. (paper)

Low-temperature magnetotransport in Si/SiGe heterostructures on 300 mm Si wafers

Science.gov (United States)

Scappucci, Giordano; Yeoh, L.; Sabbagh, D.; Sammak, A.; Boter, J.; Droulers, G.; Kalhor, N.; Brousse, D.; Veldhorst, M.; Vandersypen, L. M. K.; Thomas, N.; Roberts, J.; Pillarisetty, R.; Amin, P.; George, H. C.; Singh, K. J.; Clarke, J. S.

Undoped Si/SiGe heterostructures are a promising material stack for the development of spin qubits in silicon. To deploy a qubit into high volume manufacturing in a quantum computer requires stringent control over substrate uniformity and quality. Electron mobility and valley splitting are two key electrical metrics of substrate quality relevant for qubits. Here we present low-temperature magnetotransport measurements of strained Si quantum wells with mobilities in excess of 100000 cm2/Vs fabricated on 300 mm wafers within the framework of advanced semiconductor manufacturing. These results are benchmarked against the results obtained in Si quantum wells deposited on 100 mm Si wafers in an academic research environment. To ensure rapid progress in quantum wells quality we have implemented fast feedback loops from materials growth, to heterostructure FET fabrication, and low temperature characterisation. On this topic we will present recent progress in developing a cryogenic platform for high-throughput magnetotransport measurements.

The constitution of alloys in the Al-rich corner of the Al-Si-Sm ternary system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Markoli, B.; Spaic, S. [Ljubljana Univ. (Slovenia). Faculty of Natural Science and Engineering; Zupanic, F. [Maribor Univ. (Slovenia). Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

2001-09-01

The constitution of alloys and the liquidus surface in the Al-rich corner of the Al-Si-Sm ternary system were determined by the examination of controlled heated and cooled specimens, as well as heat-treated specimens by means of optical and scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, differential thermal analysis and X-ray diffraction. The Al-rich corner of the Al-Si-Sm ternary system comprises five regions of primary crystallisation ({alpha}{sub Al}, {beta}{sub Si}, Al{sub 3}Sm, Al{sub 2}Si{sub 2}Sm and AlSiSm) with following characteristic invariant reaction sequences: ternary eutectic reaction L {yields} {alpha}{sub Al} + {beta}{sub Si} + Al{sub 2}Si{sub 2}Sm, and two liquidus transition reactions, i. e., L + Al{sub 3}Sm {yields} {alpha}{sub Al} + AlSiSm, and L + AlSiSm {yields} {alpha}{sub Al} + Al{sub 2}Si{sub 2}Sm. Along with the position of ternary eutectic and both interstitial points in the Al-rich corner of the Al-Si-Sm ternary system, the temperatures for each reaction were determined. (orig.)

Si-to-Si wafer bonding using evaporated glass

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Reus, Roger De; Lindahl, M.

1997-01-01

Anodic bonding of Si to Si four inch wafers using evaporated glass was performed in air at temperatures ranging from 300°C to 450°C. Although annealing of Si/glass structures around 340°C for 15 minutes eliminates stress, the bonded wafer pairs exhibit compressive stress. Pull testing revealed...

siRNAmod: A database of experimentally validated chemically modified siRNAs.

Science.gov (United States)

Dar, Showkat Ahmad; Thakur, Anamika; Qureshi, Abid; Kumar, Manoj

2016-01-28

Small interfering RNA (siRNA) technology has vast potential for functional genomics and development of therapeutics. However, it faces many obstacles predominantly instability of siRNAs due to nuclease digestion and subsequently biologically short half-life. Chemical modifications in siRNAs provide means to overcome these shortcomings and improve their stability and potency. Despite enormous utility bioinformatics resource of these chemically modified siRNAs (cm-siRNAs) is lacking. Therefore, we have developed siRNAmod, a specialized databank for chemically modified siRNAs. Currently, our repository contains a total of 4894 chemically modified-siRNA sequences, comprising 128 unique chemical modifications on different positions with various permutations and combinations. It incorporates important information on siRNA sequence, chemical modification, their number and respective position, structure, simplified molecular input line entry system canonical (SMILES), efficacy of modified siRNA, target gene, cell line, experimental methods, reference etc. It is developed and hosted using Linux Apache MySQL PHP (LAMP) software bundle. Standard user-friendly browse, search facility and analysis tools are also integrated. It would assist in understanding the effect of chemical modifications and further development of stable and efficacious siRNAs for research as well as therapeutics. siRNAmod is freely available at: http://crdd.osdd.net/servers/sirnamod.

Development of SiC/SiC composite for fusion application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kohyama, A.; Katoh, Y.; Snead, L.L.; Jones, R.H.

2001-01-01

The recent efforts to develop SiC/SiC composite materials for fusion application under the collaboration with Japan and the USA are provided, where material performance with and without radiation damage has been greatly improved. One of the accomplishments is development of the high performance reaction sintering process. Mechanical and thermal conductivity are improved extensively by process modification and optimization with inexpensive fabrication process. The major efforts to make SiC matrix by CVI, PIP and RS methods are introduced together with the representing baseline properties. The resent results on mechanical properties of SiC/SiC under neutron irradiation are quite positive. The composites with new SiC fibers, Hi-Nicalon Type-S, did not exhibit mechanical property degradation up to 10 dpa. Based on the materials data recently obtained, a very preliminary design window is provided and the future prospects of SiC/SiC technology integration is provided. (author)

Growth of CoSi2 on Si(001) by reactive deposition epitaxy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lim, C.W.; Shin, C.-S.; Gall, D.; Zuo, J.M.; Petrov, I.; Greene, J.E.

2005-01-01

CaF 2 -structure CoSi 2 layers were formed on Si(001) by reactive deposition epitaxy (RDE) and compared with CoSi 2 layers obtained by conventional solid phase growth (SPG). In both sets of experiments, Co was deposited by ultrahigh-vacuum magnetron sputtering and CoSi 2 formed at 600 deg. C. However, in the case of RDE, CoSi 2 formation occurred during Co deposition while for SPG, Co was deposited at 25 deg. C and silicidation took place during subsequent annealing. X-ray diffraction pole figures and transmission electron microscopy results demonstrate that RDE CoSi 2 layers are epitaxial with a cube-on-cube relationship (001) CoSi 2 parallel (001) Si and [100] CoSi 2 parallel[100] Si . In contrast, SPG films are polycrystalline with an average grain size of ≅1000 A and a mixed 111/002/022/112 orientation. We attribute the striking difference to rapid Co diffusion into the Si(001) substrate during RDE for which the high Co/Si reactivity gives rise to a flux-limited reaction resulting in the direct formation of the disilicide phase. In contrast, sequential nucleation and transformation among increasingly Si-rich phases--from orthorhombic Co 2 Si to cubic CoSi to CoSi 2 --during SPG results in polycrystalline layers with a complex texture

Modification and aging precipitation behavior of hypereutectic Al-21wt.%Si alloy treated by P+Ce combination

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liu Pei

2014-11-01

Full Text Available In the present study, the tested hypereutectic Al-21wt.%Si alloys were prepared by modifying the melt using different proportions of P and Ce, and then applying T6 heat treatment. The modification effects and mechanism of P+Ce complex modifier on the Si phase of hypereutectic Al-21wt.%Si alloy were studied, and the aging precipitation behavior after modification was characterized by means of tensile strength measurement, OM, SEM and TEM analysis. The results show that the massive primary silicon phase particles are significantly refined after modification, while the needle-like eutectic silicon crystals become fibrous and short. It was found that the mechanism of phosphorus modification on the primary silicon can be attributed to heterogeneous nucleation of AlP, while the modification mechanism of Ce can be explained by adsorbing-twinning theory. In the aged microstructure of the modified hypereutectic Al-21wt.%Si alloy, there existed some strengthening phases such as Al4Cu9, Al2Cu, AlCu3, and Al57Mn12. The P+Ce complex modifier not only affected the size of primary silicon and eutectic silicon, but also the aging behavior of alloys under the heat treatment process. When Al-21wt.%Si alloy was modified using 0.08%wt.P + 0.6wt.% Ce, the aging precipitates were dispersed uniformly in the alloy, and its mechanical properties at room and elevated temperatures are optimized (Rm = 287.6 MPa at RT, Rm = 210 MPa at 300 ℃.

Microscopic and macroscopic characterization of the charging effects in SiC/Si nanocrystals/SiC sandwiched structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, Jie; Xu, Jun; Wang, Yuefei; Cao, Yunqing; Li, Wei; Yu, Linwei; Chen, Kunji

2014-01-01

Microscopic charge injection into the SiC/Si nanocrystals/SiC sandwiched structures through a biased conductive AFM tip is subsequently characterized by both electrostatic force microscopy and Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM). The charge injection and retention characteristics are found to be affected by not only the band offset at the Si nanocrystals/SiC interface but also the doping type of the Si substrate. On the other hand, capacitance–voltage (C–V) measurements investigate the macroscopic charging effect of the sandwiched structures with a thicker SiC capping layer, where the charges are injected from the Si substrates. The calculated macroscopic charging density is 3–4 times that of the microscopic one, and the possible reason is the underestimation of the microscopic charging density caused by the averaging effect and detection delay in the KPFM measurements. (paper)

Comparative study of SiC- and Si-based photovoltaic inverters

Science.gov (United States)

Ando, Yuji; Oku, Takeo; Yasuda, Masashi; Shirahata, Yasuhiro; Ushijima, Kazufumi; Murozono, Mikio

2017-01-01

This article reports comparative study of 150-300 W class photovoltaic inverters (Si inverter, SiC inverter 1, and SiC inverter 2). In these sub-kW class inverters, the ON-resistance was considered to have little influence on the efficiency. The developed SiC inverters, however, have exhibited an approximately 3% higher direct current (DC)-alternating current (AC) conversion efficiency as compared to the Si inverter. Power loss analysis indicated a reduction in the switching and reverse recovery losses of SiC metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors used for the DC-AC converter is responsible for this improvement. In the SiC inverter 2, an increase of the switching frequency up to 100 kHz achieved a state-of-the-art combination of the weight (1.25 kg) and the volume (1260 cm3) as a 150-250 W class inverter. Even though the increased switching frequency should cause the increase of the switching losses, the SiC inverter 2 exhibited an efficiency comparable to the SiC inverter 1 with a switching frequency of 20 kHz. The power loss analysis also indicated a decreased loss of the DC-DC converter built with SiC Schottky barrier diodes led to the high efficiency for its increased switching frequency. These results clearly indicated feasibility of SiC devices even for sub-kW photovoltaic inverters, which will be available for the applications where compactness and efficiency are of tremendous importance.

Influence of SiC coating thickness on mechanical properties of SiCf/SiC composite

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Haijiao; Zhou, Xingui; Zhang, Wei; Peng, Huaxin; Zhang, Changrui

2013-11-01

Silicon carbide (SiC) coatings with varying thickness (ranging from 0.14 μm to 2.67 μm) were deposited onto the surfaces of Type KD-I SiC fibres with native carbonaceous surface using chemical vapour deposition (CVD) process. Then, two dimensional SiC fibre reinforced SiC matrix (2D SiCf/SiC) composites were fabricated using polymer infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP) process. Influences of the fibre coating thickness on mechanical properties of SiC fibre and SiCf/SiC composite were investigated using single-filament test and three-point bending test. The results indicated that flexural strength of the composites initially increased with the increasing CVD SiC coating thickness and reached a peak value of 363 MPa at the coating thickness of 0.34 μm. Further increase in the coating thickness led to a rapid decrease in the flexural strength of the composites. The bending modulus of composites showed a monotonic increase with increasing coating thickness. A chemical attack of hydrogen or other ions (e.g. a C-H group) on the surface of SiC fibres during the coating process, owing to the formation of volatile hydrogen, lead to an increment of the surface defects of the fibres. This was confirmed by Wang et al. [35] in their work on the SiC coating of the carbon fibre. In the present study, the existing ˜30 nm carbon on the surface of KD-I fibre [36] made the fibre easy to be attacked. Deposition of non-stoichiometric SiC, causing a decrease in strength. During the CVD process, a small amount of free silicon or carbon always existed [35]. The existence of free silicon, either disordered the structure of SiC and formed a new source of cracks or attacked the carbon on fibre surface resulting in properties degeneration of the KD-I fibre. The effect of residual stress. The different thermal expansion coefficient between KD-I SiC fibre and CVD SiC coating, which are 3 × 10-6 K-1 (RT ˜ 1000 °C) and 4.6 × 10-6 K-1 (RT ˜ 1000 °C), respectively, could cause residual stress

Conversion of wood flour/SiO2/phenolic composite to porous SiC ceramic containing SiC whiskers

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Li Zhong

2013-01-01

Full Text Available A novel wood flour/SiO2/phenolic composite was chosen to be converted into porous SiC ceramic containing SiC whiskers via carbothermal reduction. At 1550°C the composite is converted into porous SiC ceramic with pore diameters of 10~40μm, and consisting of β-SiC located at the position of former wood cell walls. β-SiC wire-like whiskers of less than 50 nm in diameter and several tens to over 100 μm in length form within the pores. The surface of the resulting ceramic is coated with β-SiC necklace-like whiskers with diameters of 1~2μm.

Solid nano-in-nanoparticles for potential delivery of siRNA.

Science.gov (United States)

Amsalem, Orit; Nassar, Taher; Benhamron, Sandrine; Lazarovici, Philip; Benita, Simon; Yavin, Eylon

2017-07-10

siRNA-based therapeutics possess great potential to treat a wide variety of genetic disorders. However, they suffer from low cellular uptake and short half-lives in blood circulation; issues that remain to be addressed. This work is, to the best of our knowledge, the first to report the production of solid nano-in-nanoparticles, termed double nano carriers (DNCs) by means of the innovative technology of nano spray drying. DNCs (with a median size of 580-770nm) were produced by spraying at low temperatures (50°C) to prevent damage to heat-sensitive biomacromolecules like siRNA. DNCs consisting of Poly (d,l-lactide-co-glycolide) used as a wall material, encapsulating 20% human serum albumin primary nanoparticles (PNPs) loaded with siRNA, were obtained as a dry nanoparticulate powder with smooth spherical surfaces and a unique inner morphology. Incubation of pegylated or non-pegylated DNCs under sink conditions at 37°C, elicited a controlled release profile of the siRNA for up to 12 or 24h, respectively, with a minimal burst effect. Prolonged incubation of pegylated DNCs loaded with active siRNA (anti EGFR) in an A549 epithelial cell culture monolayer did not induce any apparent cytotoxicity. A slow degradation of the internalized DNCs by the cells was also observed resulting in the progressive release of the siRNA for up to 6days, as corroborated by laser confocal microscopy. The structural integrity and silencing activity of the double encapsulated siRNA were fully preserved, as demonstrated by HPLC, gel electrophoresis, and potent RNAi activity of siRNA extracted from DNCs. These results demonstrate the potential use of DNCs as a nano drug delivery system for systemic administration and controlled release of siRNA and potentially other sensitive bioactive macromolecules. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Amplitude and timing properties of a Geiger discharge in a SiPM cell

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Popova, E., E-mail: elenap73@mail.ru [National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute), 115409, Kashirskoe Shosse 31 (Russian Federation); Buzhan, P.; Pleshko, A. [National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute), 115409, Kashirskoe Shosse 31 (Russian Federation); Vinogradov, S. [University of Liverpool and Cockcroft Institute, Sci-Tech Daresbury, Keckwick Lane, Warrington WA4 4AD, Cheshire (United Kingdom); P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninskiy Prospect 53, Moscow 119991 (Russian Federation); Stifutkin, A.; Ilyin, A. [National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute), 115409, Kashirskoe Shosse 31 (Russian Federation); Besson, D. [National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute), 115409, Kashirskoe Shosse 31 (Russian Federation); Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045-2151 (United States); Mirzoyan, R. [Max-Planck-Institute for Physics, Föhringer Ring 6, 80805 München (Germany)

2015-07-01

The amplitude and timing properties of a Geiger discharge in a stand-alone SiPM cell have been investigated in detail. Use of a single stand-alone SiPM cell allows us to perform measurements with better accuracy than the multicell structure of conventional SiPMs. We have studied the dependence of the output charge and amplitude from an SiPM cell illuminated by focused light vs the number of primary photoelectrons. We propose a SPICE model which explains the amplitude over saturation (when the SiPM's amplitude is greater than the sum over all cells) characteristics of SiPM signals for more than one initial photoelectrons. The time resolutions of a SiPM cell have been measured for the case of single (SPTR) and multiphoton light pulses. The Full Width Half Max (FWHM) for SPTR has been found to be at the level of 30 ps for focused and 40 ps for unfocused light (100 μm cell size). - Highlights: • A stand-alone SiPM cell has been investigated in detail. • Amplitude and time properties have been measured with femtosecond 660 nm laser. • SPICE model for a Geiger discharge development has been proposed. • SPTR for a stand-alone 100 μm size SiPM cell has been found to be 40 ps FWHM.

Tunable Synthesis of SiC/SiO2 Heterojunctions via Temperature Modulation

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Wei Li

2018-05-01

Full Text Available A large-scale production of necklace-like SiC/SiO2 heterojunctions was obtained by a molten salt-mediated chemical vapor reaction technique without a metallic catalyst or flowing gas. The effect of the firing temperature on the evolution of the phase composition, microstructure, and morphology of the SiC/SiO2 heterojunctions was studied. The necklace-like SiC/SiO2 nanochains, several centimeters in length, were composed of SiC/SiO2 core-shell chains and amorphous SiO2 beans. The morphologies of the as-prepared products could be tuned by adjusting the firing temperature. In fact, the diameter of the SiO2 beans decreased, whereas the diameter of the SiC fibers and the thickness of the SiO2 shell increased as the temperature increased. The growth mechanism of the necklace-like structure was controlled by the vapor-solid growth procedure and the modulation procedure via a molten salt-mediated chemical vapor reaction process.

Infrared Spectra and Structures of SiH{sub 2}-(CH{sub 2}){sub 2} and CH{sub 2}=CH-SiH{sub 3} Intermediates Prepared in Reactions of Laser-ablated Silicon Atoms with Ethane

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cho, Han-Gook [Incheon National University, Incheon (Korea, Republic of); Andrews, Lester [University of Virginia, Charlottesville (United States)

2016-03-15

SiH{sub 2}-(CH{sub 2}){sub 2} and CH{sub 2}=CH-SiH{sub 3} were observed in the matrix IR spectra following reactions of laser-ablated Si atoms with ethane on the basis of correlation with computed frequencies. Evidently photon energy is required for the formation of the cyclic Si compound. These Si complexes are similar to the primary products in the previous studies of group 4 metals, in line with the previous results that s{sup 2}p{sup 2} and s{sup 2}d{sup 2} electronic configurations yield similar products. The relatively long C–C bond in the cyclic Si product reflects the structural strain, and the short C-Si and C-C bonds of CH{sub 3}CH=SiH{sub 2} and CH{sub 2}=CH-SiH{sub 3} show that they are true double bonds in line with the natural bond orders. Reactions of transition-metal atoms with small alkanes and halomethanes have been studied in a series of recent investigations. High oxidation-state products (methylidenes and methylidynes) along with insertion complexes were identified in the matrix spectra. It is interesting whether or not Si, a group 14 metalloid, undergoes similar reactions with larger hydrocarbons to provide higher oxidation-state compounds.

(113) Facets of Si-Ge/Si Islands; Atomic Scale Simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Kassem, Hassan

We have studied, by computer simulation, some static and vibrationnal proprieties of SiGe/Si islands. We have used a Valence Force Field combined to Monte Carlo technique to study the growth of Ge and SiGe on (001)Si substrates. We have focalised on the case of large pyramidal islands presenting (113) facets on the free (001)Si surface with various non uniform composition inside the islands. The deformation inside the islands and Raman spectroscopy are discussed.

Photoemission study on electrical dipole at SiO_2/Si and HfO_2/SiO_2 interfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujimura, Nobuyuki; Ohta, Akio; Ikeda, Mitsuhisa; Makihara, Katsunori; Miyazaki, Seiichi

2017-01-01

Electrical dipole at SiO_2/Si and HfO_2/SiO_2 interfaces have been investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) under monochromatized Al Kα radiation. From the analysis of the cut-off energy for secondary photoelectrons measured at each thinning step of a dielectric layer by wet-chemical etching, an abrupt potential change caused by electrical dipole at SiO_2/Si and HfO_2/SiO_2 interfaces has been clearly detected. Al-gate MOS capacitors with thermally-grown SiO_2 and a HfO_2/SiO_2 dielectric stack were fabricated to evaluate the Al work function from the flat band voltage shift of capacitance-voltage (C-V) characteristics. Comparing the results of XPS and C-V measurements, we have verified that electrical dipole formed at the interface can be directly measured by photoemission measurements. (author)

Effect of PS-PVD production throughput on Si nanoparticles for negative electrode of lithium ion batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Ohta, R.; Fukada, K.; Tashiro, T.; Dougakiuchi, M.; Kambara, M.

2018-03-01

Silicon nanoparticles (Si-NPs) have been produced by plasma spray physical vapor deposition at throughput as high as 1 kg h-1 (17 g min-1) and the effect on the battery performance is investigated. When the Si powder feed-rate is changed from 1 to 17 g min-1, although the average primary particle size increases to 50 nm, the cycle capacity of the batteries using these Si-NPs is improved slightly owing to their less agglomerated structure. In contrast, when Ni is added to Si feedstock, the cycle capacity is improved at 1 g min-1 due to modified Si-NP structure having SiNi2 interface. Whereas, the batteries with the Si-NP produced at 17 g min-1 shows significant decrease in the cycle capacity because of the excess Ni silicide formation that is resulted from the elevated co-condensation point and the increased reaction area at high throughputs despite the constant Ni concentration in the feedstock.

BSA Nanoparticles for siRNA Delivery: Coating Effects on Nanoparticle Properties, Plasma Protein Adsorption, and In Vitro siRNA Delivery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haran Yogasundaram

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Developing vehicles for the delivery of therapeutic molecules, like siRNA, is an area of active research. Nanoparticles composed of bovine serum albumin, stabilized via the adsorption of poly-L-lysine (PLL, have been shown to be potentially inert drug-delivery vehicles. With the primary goal of reducing nonspecific protein adsorption, the effect of using comb-type structures of poly(ethylene glycol (1 kDa, PEG units conjugated to PLL (4.2 and 24 kDa on BSA-NP properties, apparent siRNA release rate, cell viability, and cell uptake were evaluated. PEGylated PLL coatings resulted in NPs with ζ-potentials close to neutral. Incubation with platelet-poor plasma showed the composition of the adsorbed proteome was similar for all systems. siRNA was effectively encapsulated and released in a sustained manner from all NPs. With 4.2 kDa PLL, cellular uptake was not affected by the presence of PEG, but PEG coating inhibited uptake with 24 kDa PLL NPs. Moreover, 24 kDa PLL systems were cytotoxic and this cytotoxicity was diminished upon PEG incorporation. The overall results identified a BSA-NP coating structure that provided effective siRNA encapsulation while reducing ζ-potential, protein adsorption, and cytotoxicity, necessary attributes for in vivo application of drug-delivery vehicles.

Compositional and optical properties of SiO x films and (SiO x /SiO y ) junctions deposited by HFCVD

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

In this work, non-stoichiometric silicon oxide (SiO x ) films and (SiO x /SiO y ) junctions, as-grown and after further annealing, are characterized by different techniques. The SiO x films and (SiO x /SiO y ) junctions are obtained by hot filament chemical vapor deposition technique in the range of temperatures from 900°C to 1,150°C. Transmittance spectra of the SiO x films showed a wavelength shift of the absorption edge thus indicating an increase in the optical energy band gap, when the growth temperature decreases; a similar behavior is observed in the (SiO x /SiO y ) structures, which in turn indicates a decrease in the Si excess, as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) reveals, so that, the film and junction composition changes with the growth temperature. The analysis of the photoluminescence (PL) results using the quantum confinement model suggests the presence of silicon nanocrystal (Si-nc) embedded in a SiO x matrix. For the case of the as-grown SiO x films, the absorption and emission properties are correlated with quantum effects in Si-nc and defects. For the case of the as-grown (SiO x /SiO y ) junctions, only the emission mechanism related to some kinds of defects was considered, but silicon nanocrystal embedded in a SiO x matrix is present. After thermal annealing, a phase separation into Si and SiO2 occurs, as the FTIR spectra illustrates, which has repercussions in the absorption and emission properties of the films and junctions, as shown by the change in the A and B band positions on the PL spectra. These results lead to good possibilities for proposed novel applications in optoelectronic devices. PACS 61.05.-a; 68.37.Og; 61.05.cp; 78.55.-m; 68.37.Ps; 81.15.Gh PMID:25342935

Thermal Stability of siRNA Modulates Aptamer- conjugated siRNA Inhibition

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Alexey Berezhnoy

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Oligonucleotide aptamer-mediated in vivo cell targeting of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs is emerging as a useful approach to enhance the efficacy and reduce the adverse effects resulting from siRNA-mediated genetic interference. A current main impediment in aptamer-mediated siRNA targeting is that the activity of the siRNA is often compromised when conjugated to an aptamer, often requiring labor intensive and time consuming design and testing of multiple configurations to identify a conjugate in which the siRNA activity has not been significantly reduced. Here, we show that the thermal stability of the siRNA is an important parameter of siRNA activity in its conjugated form, and that siRNAs with lower melting temperature (Tm are not or are minimally affected when conjugated to the 3′ end of 2′F-pyrimidine-modified aptamers. In addition, the configuration of the aptamer-siRNA conjugate retains activity comparable with the free siRNA duplex when the passenger strand is co-transcribed with the aptamer and 3′ overhangs on the passenger strand are removed. The approach described in this paper significantly reduces the time and effort necessary to screening siRNA sequences that retain biological activity upon aptamer conjugation, facilitating the process of identifying candidate aptamer-siRNA conjugates suitable for in vivo testing.

An Isotope Study of Hydrogenation of poly-Si/SiOx Passivated Contacts for Si Solar Cells: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schnabel, Manuel; Nemeth, William; van de Loo, Bas, W.H.; Macco, Bart; Kessels, Wilhelmus, M.M.; Stradins, Paul; Young, David, L.

2017-06-26

For many years, the record Si solar cell efficiency stood at 25.0%. Only recently have several companies and institutes managed to produce more efficient cells, using passivated contacts of made doped poly-Si or a-Si:H and a passivating intrinsic interlayer in all cases. Common to these designs is the need to passivate the layer stack with hydrogen. In this contribution, we perform a systematic study of passivated contact passivation by hydrogen, using poly-Si/SiOx passivated contacts on n-Cz-Si, and ALD Al2O3 followed by a forming gas anneal (FGA) as the hydrogen source. We study p-type and n-type passivated contacts with implied Voc exceeding 690 and 720 mV, respectively, and perform either the ALD step or the FGA with deuterium instead of hydrogen in order to separate the two processes via SIMS. By examining the deuterium concentration at the SiOx in both types of samples, we demonstrate that the FGA supplies negligible hydrogen species to the SiOx, regardless of whether the FGA is hydrogenated or deuterated. Instead, it supplies the thermal energy needed for hydrogen species in the Al2O3 to diffuse there. Furthermore, the concentration of hydrogen species at the SiOx can saturate while implied Voc continues to increase, showing that the energy from the FGA is also required for hydrogen species already at the SiOx to find recombination-active defects to passivate.

Pseudomorphic GeSiSn, SiSn and Ge layers in strained heterostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Timofeev, V. A.; Nikiforov, A. I.; Tuktamyshev, A. R.; Mashanov, V. I.; Loshkarev, I. D.; Bloshkin, A. A.; Gutakovskii, A. K.

2018-04-01

The GeSiSn, SiSn layer growth mechanisms on Si(100) were investigated and the kinetic diagrams of the morphological GeSiSn, SiSn film states in the temperature range of 150 °C-450 °C at the tin content from 0% to 35% were built. The phase diagram of the superstructural change on the surface of Sn grown on Si(100) in the annealing temperature range of 0 °C-850 °C was established. The specular beam oscillations were first obtained during the SiSn film growth from 150 °C to 300 °C at the Sn content up to 35%. The transmission electron microscopy and x-ray diffractometry data confirm the crystal perfection and the pseudomorphic GeSiSn, SiSn film state, and also the presence of smooth heterointerfaces between GeSiSn or SiSn and Si. The photoluminescence for the multilayer periodic GeSiSn/Si structures in the range of 0.6-0.8 eV was detected. The blue shift with the excitation power increase is observed suggesting the presence of a type II heterostructure. The creation of tensile strained Ge films, which are pseudomorphic to the underlying GeSn layer, is confirmed by the results of the formation and analysis of the reciprocal space map in the x-ray diffractometry. The tensile strain in the Ge films reached the value in the range of 0.86%-1.5%. The GeSn buffer layer growth in the Sn content range from 8% to 12% was studied. The band structure of heterosystems based on pseudomorphic GeSiSn, SiSn and Ge layers was calculated and the valence and conduction band subband position dependences on the Sn content were built. Based on the calculation, the Sn content range in the GeSiSn, SiSn, and GeSn layers, which corresponds to the direct bandgap GeSiSn, SiSn, and Ge material, was obtained.

Density-functional theory molecular dynamics simulations of a-HfO2/a-SiO2/SiGe and a-HfO2/a-SiO2/Ge with a-SiO2 and a-SiO suboxide interfacial layers

Science.gov (United States)

Chagarov, Evgueni A.; Kavrik, Mahmut S.; Fang, Ziwei; Tsai, Wilman; Kummel, Andrew C.

2018-06-01

Comprehensive Density-Functional Theory (DFT) Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations were performed to investigate interfaces between a-HfO2 and SiGe or Ge semiconductors with fully-stoichiometric a-SiO2 or sub-oxide SiO interlayers. The electronic structure of the selected stacks was calculated with a HSE06 hybrid functional. Simulations were performed before and after hydrogen passivation of residual interlayer defects. For the SiGe substrate with Ge termination prior to H passivation, the stacks with a-SiO suboxide interlayer (a-HfO2/a-SiO/SiGe) demonstrate superior electronic properties and wider band-gaps than the stacks with fully coordinated a-SiO2 interlayers (a-HfO2/a-SiO2/SiGe). After H passivation, most of the a-HfO2/a-SiO2/SiGe defects are passivated. To investigate effect of random placement of Si and Ge atoms additional simulations with a randomized SiGe slab were performed demonstrating improvement of electronic structure. For Ge substrates, before H passivation, the stacks with a SiO suboxide interlayer (a-HfO2/a-SiO/Ge) also demonstrate wider band-gaps than the stacks with fully coordinated a-SiO2 interlayers (a-HfO2/a-SiO2/Ge). However, even for a-HfO2/a-SiO/Ge, the Fermi level is shifted close to the conduction band edge (CBM) consistent with Fermi level pinning. Again, after H passivation, most of the a-HfO2/a-SiO2/Ge defects are passivated. The stacks with fully coordinated a-SiO2 interlayers have much stronger deformation and irregularity in the semiconductor (SiGe or Ge) upper layers leading to multiple under-coordinated atoms which create band-edge states and decrease the band-gap prior to H passivation.

High-Rate Fabrication of a-Si-Based Thin-Film Solar Cells Using Large-Area VHF PECVD Processes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Deng, Xunming [University of Toledo; Fan, Qi Hua

2011-12-31

The University of Toledo (UT), working in concert with it’s a-Si-based PV industry partner Xunlight Corporation (Xunlight), has conducted a comprehensive study to develop a large-area (3ft x 3ft) VHF PECVD system for high rate uniform fabrication of silicon absorber layers, and the large-area VHF PECVD processes to achieve high performance a-Si/a-SiGe or a-Si/nc-Si tandem junction solar cells during the period of July 1, 2008 to Dec. 31, 2011, under DOE Award No. DE-FG36-08GO18073. The project had two primary goals: (i) to develop and improve a large area (3 ft × 3 ft) VHF PECVD system for high rate fabrication of > = 8 Å/s a-Si and >= 20 Å/s nc-Si or 4 Å/s a-SiGe absorber layers with high uniformity in film thicknesses and in material structures. (ii) to develop and optimize the large-area VHF PECVD processes to achieve high-performance a-Si/nc-Si or a-Si/a-SiGe tandem-junction solar cells with >= 10% stable efficiency. Our work has met the goals and is summarized in “Accomplishments versus goals and objectives”.

Gd-Ni-Si system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bodak, O.I.; Shvets, A.F.

1983-01-01

By X-ray phase analysis method isothermal cross section of phase diagram of the Gd-Ni-Si system at 870 K is studied. The existence of nine previously known compounds (GdNisub(6.72)Sisub(6.28), GdNi 10 Si 2 , GdNi 5 Si 3 , GdNi 4 Si, GdNi 2 Si 2 , GdNiSi 3 , GdNiSi 2 , Gd 3 Ni 6 Si 2 and GdNiSi) is confirmed and three new compounds (GdNisub(0.2)Sisub(1.8), Gdsub(2)Nisub(1-0.8)Sisub(1-1.2), Gd 5 NiSi 4 ) are found. On the base of Gd 2 Si 3 compound up to 0.15 at. Ni fractions, an interstitial solid solution is formed up to 0.25 at Ni fractions dissolution continues of substitution type. The Gd-Ni-Si system is similar to the Y-Ni-Si system

Comparative study on stress in AlGaN/GaN HEMT structures grown on 6H-SiC, Si and on composite substrates of the 6H-SiC/poly-SiC and Si/poly-SiC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guziewicz, M; Kaminska, E; Piotrowska, A; Golaszewska, K; Domagala, J Z; Poisson, M-A; Lahreche, H; Langer, R; Bove, P

2008-01-01

The stresses in GaN-based HEMT structures grown on both single crystal 6H SiC(0001) and Si(111) have been compared to these in the HEMT structures grown on new composite substrates engendered as a thin monocrystalline film attached to polycrystalline 3C-SiC substrate. By using HRXRD technique and wafer curvature method we show that stress of monocrystalline layer in composite substrates of the type mono-Si/poly-SiC is lower than 100 MPa and residual stress of epitaxial GaN buffer grown on the composite substrate does not exceed 0.31 GPa, but in the cases of single crystal SiC or Si substrates the GaN buffer stress is compressive in the range of -0.5 to -0.75 GPa. The total stress of the HEMT structure calculated from strains is consistent with the averaged stress of the multilayers stack measured by wafer curvature method. The averaged stress of HEMT structure grown on single crystals is higher than those in structures grown on composites substrates

3C-SiC nanocrystal growth on 10° miscut Si(001) surface

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Deokar, Geetanjali, E-mail: gitudeo@gmail.com [INSP, UPMC, CNRS UMR 7588, 4 place Jussieu, Paris F-75005 (France); D' Angelo, Marie; Demaille, Dominique [INSP, UPMC, CNRS UMR 7588, 4 place Jussieu, Paris F-75005 (France); Cavellin, Catherine Deville [INSP, UPMC, CNRS UMR 7588, 4 place Jussieu, Paris F-75005 (France); Faculté des Sciences et Technologie UPEC, 61 av. De Gaulle, Créteil F-94010 (France)

2014-04-01

The growth of 3C-SiC nano-crystal (NC) on 10° miscut Si(001) substrate by CO{sub 2} thermal treatment is investigated by scanning and high resolution transmission electron microscopies. The vicinal Si(001) surface was thermally oxidized prior to the annealing at 1100 °C under CO{sub 2} atmosphere. The influence of the atomic steps at the vicinal SiO{sub 2}/Si interface on the SiC NC growth is studied by comparison with the results obtained for fundamental Si(001) substrates in the same conditions. For Si miscut substrate, a substantial enhancement in the density of the SiC NCs and a tendency of preferential alignment of them along the atomic step edges is observed. The SiC/Si interface is abrupt, without any steps and epitaxial growth with full relaxation of 3C-SiC occurs by domain matching epitaxy. The CO{sub 2} pressure and annealing time effect on NC growth is analyzed. The as-prepared SiC NCs can be engineered further for potential application in optoelectronic devices and/or as a seed for homoepitaxial SiC or heteroepitaxial GaN film growth. - Highlights: • Synthesis of 3C-SiC nanocrystals epitaxied on miscut-Si using a simple technique • Evidence of domain matching epitaxy at the SiC/Si interface • SiC growth proceeds along the (001) plane of host Si. • Substantial enhancement of the SiC nanocrystal density due to the miscut • Effect of the process parameters (CO{sub 2} pressure and annealing duration)

SiGe layer thickness effect on the structural and optical properties of well-organized SiGe/SiO2 multilayers

Science.gov (United States)

Vieira, E. M. F.; Toudert, J.; Rolo, A. G.; Parisini, A.; Leitão, J. P.; Correia, M. R.; Franco, N.; Alves, E.; Chahboun, A.; Martín-Sánchez, J.; Serna, R.; Gomes, M. J. M.

2017-08-01

In this work, we report on the production of regular (SiGe/SiO2)20 multilayer structures by conventional RF-magnetron sputtering, at 350 °C. Transmission electron microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, raman spectroscopy, and x-ray reflectometry measurements revealed that annealing at a temperature of 1000 °C leads to the formation of SiGe nanocrystals between SiO2 thin layers with good multilayer stability. Reducing the nominal SiGe layer thickness (t SiGe) from 3.5-2 nm results in a transition from continuous SiGe crystalline layer (t SiGe ˜ 3.5 nm) to layers consisting of isolated nanocrystals (t SiGe ˜ 2 nm). Namely, in the latter case, the presence of SiGe nanocrystals ˜3-8 nm in size, is observed. Spectroscopic ellipsometry was applied to determine the evolution of the onset in the effective optical absorption, as well as the dielectric function, in SiGe multilayers as a function of the SiGe thickness. A clear blue-shift in the optical absorption is observed for t SiGe ˜ 2 nm multilayer, as a consequence of the presence of isolated nanocrystals. Furthermore, the observed near infrared values of n = 2.8 and k = 1.5 are lower than those of bulk SiGe compounds, suggesting the presence of electronic confinement effects in the nanocrystals. The low temperature (70 K) photoluminescence measurements performed on annealed SiGe/SiO2 nanostructures show an emission band located between 0.7-0.9 eV associated with the development of interface states between the formed nanocrystals and surrounding amorphous matrix.

Effect of irradiation on thermal expansion of SiCf/SiC composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Senor, D.J.; Trimble, D.J.; Woods, J.J.

1996-06-01

Linear thermal expansion was measured on five different SiC-fiber-reinforced/SiC-matrix (SiC f /SiC) composite types in the unirradiated and irradiated conditions. Two matrices were studied in combination with Nicalon CG reinforcement and a 150 nm PyC fiber/matrix interface: chemical vapor infiltrated (CVI) SiC and liquid-phase polymer impregnated precursor (PIP) SiC. Composites of PIP SiC with Tyranno and HPZ fiber reinforcement and a 150 nm PyC interface were also tested, as were PIP SiC composites with Nicalon CG reinforcement and a 150 nm BN fiber/matrix interface. The irradiation was conducted in the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II at a nominal temperature of 1,000 C to doses of either 33 or 43 dpa-SiC. Irradiation caused complete fiber/matrix debonding in the CVI SiC composites due to a dimensional stability mismatch between fiber and matrix, while the PIP SiC composites partially retained their fiber/matrix interface after irradiation. However, the thermal expansion of all the materials tested was found to be primarily dependent on the matrix and independent of either the fiber or the fiber/matrix interface. Further, irradiation had no significant effect on thermal expansion for either the CVI SiC or PIP SiC composites. In general, the thermal expansion of the CVI SiC composites exceeded that of the PIP SiC composites, particularly at elevated temperatures, but the expansion of both matrix types was less than chemical vapor deposited (CVD) β-SiC at all temperatures

Preparation of Ag@mSiO{sub 2} and Pt@mSiO{sub 2}nano composites using trioctylmethyl ammonium hydrogen phthalate (TOMAHP) ionic liquid as reaction medium

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Biswas, Sujoy, E-mail: sujoyb@barc.gov.in [Chemical Engineering Group, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085 (India); Dasgupta, Kinshuk [Materials Group, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085 (India); Bahadur, Jitendra [Solid State Physics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085 (India); Tewari, Raghavendra [Materials Group, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085 (India); Mazumder, Subhasish [Solid State Physics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 400085 (India)

2016-09-15

A novel one step green chemistry approach utilizing trioctylmethyl ammonium hydrogen phthalate (TOMAHP), task specific ionic liquid has been attempted for synthesis of Ag and Pt nanoparticles supported on silica (Ag@mSiO{sub 2} and Pt@mSiO{sub 2}). Structure, size distribution and morphology of these nano-composite particles were evaluated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), small angle neutron scattering (SANS) as well as small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) techniques. The XRD results show that Ag/Pt metal nanoparticles deposited on to SiO{sub 2} surface are face center cubic (fcc) in nature. The TEM and SAXS/SANS results show the morphology and size distributions of Ag and Pt nanoparticles loaded on to the surface of SiO{sub 2}. It has been found that Ag nanoparticles are well dispersed on to the SiO{sub 2} surface and are quite monodisperse in size, whereas Pt nanoparticles are quite polydisperse in size and forms aggregate or chain like structure on SiO{sub 2} surface containing primary nanoparticles of typical size range 3–7 nm. The stability of nanoparticles, which controls its dispersion on SiO{sub 2} substrate, has been discussed. - Graphical abstract: Mechanism for Ag@mSiO{sub 2} and Pt@mSiO{sub 2} nano composites in TOMAHP ionic liquid medium. - Highlights: • Novel methods for preparation of Pt@SiO{sub 2} and Ag@SiO{sub 2} nano composite in functionalized ionic liquid. • Pt@SiO{sub 2} and Ag@SiO{sub 2} nano composite are characterized using XRD, TEM as well as small angle x-ray scattering techniques. • The sizes of nano composite is <10 nm in size. • The method is simple one step, green chemical reduction method to prepare SiO{sub 2} support nano catalyst.

Surface modification of Al–Si alloy by excimer laser pulse processing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mahanty, S., E-mail: soumitro@iitk.ac.in; Gouthama

2016-04-15

The laser irradiation on Al-Si alloy sample is carried out by excimer laser in ambient conditions for 30 or 45 pulses. Microstructural investigation of laser treated sample is done by OM, SEM and TEM and the surface hardness is evaluated by Vickers micro indentation. Laser treated, samples suggested the dissolution of coarse primary Si and β-AlFeSi particle in α-Al matrix. The SEM/EDS study shows the enhancement of retained Si in α-Al matrix. The interface analysis of laser treated sample suggested the effected modified depth is ∼6 μm. TEM investigation shows the formation of nanocrystalline Si in size ∼2–15 nm. The cellular structures of size range ∼30–50 nm are observed after 45 pulses. The α-Al cells and Si precipitates sizes were considerably refined at higher number of pulses. The fine Si precipitates are found to be dispersed in the intercellular boundaries. An improvement in surface hardness from ∼1.6 to 1.8 is observed 30 and 45 pulse treatment, respectively. The mechanism involves for improvement in surface properties are non-equilibrium solidification, metastable phase formation and microstructural refinement. - Highlights: • Coarse Si and β phase intermetallic are melted and the constituent elements dispersed into the matrix during re-solidification. • The solid solubility of the Si at the surface enhanced after the laser treatment. • The Cellular structure with the size range ∼30–50 nm observed in α-Al after 45 laser pulses. • Si nano particles in size ∼ 2–15 nm were observed in the intercellular region. • Surface hardness increased after laser processing.

Residual stresses and mechanical properties of Si3N4/SiC multilayered composites with different SiC layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liua, S.; Lia, Y.; Chena, P.; Lia, W.; Gaoa, S.; Zhang, B.; Yeb, F.

2017-01-01

The effect of residual stresses on the strength, toughness and work of fracture of Si3N4/SiC multilayered composites with different SiC layers has been investigated. It may be an effective way to design and optimize the mechanical properties of Si3N4/SiC multilayered composites by controlling the properties of SiC layers. Si3N4/SiC multilayered composites with different SiC layers were fabricated by aqueous tape casting and pressureless sintering. Residual stresses were calculated by using ANSYS simulation, the maximum values of tensile and compressive stresses were 553.2MPa and −552.1MPa, respectively. Step-like fracture was observed from the fracture surfaces. Fraction of delamination layers increased with the residual stress, which can improve the reliability of the materials. Tensile residual stress was benefit to improving toughness and work of fracture, but the strength of the composites decreased. [es

Coating of Si3N4 fine particles with AlN by fluidized bed-CVD; Ryudoso CVD ho ni yoru Si3N4 biryushi no AlN hifuku

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chiba, S.; Oyama, Y. [Hokkaido National Industrial Research Institute, Sapporo (Japan); Harima, K.; Kondo, K.; Shinohara, K. [Hokkaido University, Sapporo (Japan)

1996-03-10

Agglomerates of 100-250 {mu}m consisting of Si3N4 primary particles of 0.76 {mu}m were made with a rotary vibrating sieve. Si3N4 fine particles were coated with AlN by gas phase reaction with AlCl3 and NH3 in some fluidized beds of the agglomerates. The cross sectional distribution of AlN in the agglomerate was measured by EPMA analysis. As a result, uniform deposition of AlN was obtained at a relatively low reaction temperature and low gas velocity. 4 refs., 3 figs.

Effect of germanium concentrations on tunnelling current calculation of Si/Si1-xGex/Si heterojunction bipolar transistor

Science.gov (United States)

Hasanah, L.; Suhendi, E.; Khairrurijal

2018-05-01

Tunelling current calculation on Si/Si1-xGex/Si heterojunction bipolar transistor was carried out by including the coupling between transversal and longitudinal components of electron motion. The calculation results indicated that the coupling between kinetic energy in parallel and perpendicular to S1-xGex barrier surface affected tunneling current significantly when electron velocity was faster than 1x105 m/s. This analytical tunneling current model was then used to study how the germanium concentration in base to Si/Si1-xGex/Si heterojunction bipolar transistor influenced the tunneling current. It is obtained that tunneling current increased as the germanium concentration given in base decreased.

Thermochemical instability effects in SiC-based fibers and SiC{sub f}/SiC composites

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Youngblood, G.E.; Henager, C.H.; Jones, R.H. [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA (United States)

1997-08-01

Thermochemical instability in irradiated SiC-based fibers with an amorphous silicon oxycarbide phase leads to shrinkage and mass loss. SiC{sub f}/SiC composites made with these fibers also exhibit mass loss as well as severe mechanical property degradation when irradiated at 800{degrees}C, a temperature much below the generally accepted 1100{degrees}C threshold for thermomechanical degradation alone. The mass loss is due to an internal oxidation mechanism within these fibers which likely degrades the carbon interphase as well as the fibers in SiC{sub f}/SiC composites even in so-called {open_quotes}inert{close_quotes} gas environments. Furthermore, the mechanism must be accelerated by the irradiation environment.

Determination of optimum Si excess concentration in Er-doped Si-rich SiO2 for optical amplification at 1.54 μm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Savchyn, Oleksandr; Coffey, Kevin R.; Kik, Pieter G.

2010-01-01

The presence of indirect Er 3+ excitation in Si-rich SiO 2 is demonstrated for Si-excess concentrations in the range of 2.5-37 at. %. The Si excess concentration providing the highest density of sensitized Er 3+ ions is demonstrated to be relatively insensitive to the presence of Si nanocrystals and is found to be ∼14.5 at. % for samples without Si nanocrystals (annealed at 600 deg. C) and ∼11.5 at. % for samples with Si nanocrystals (annealed at 1100 deg. C). The observed optimum is attributed to an increase in the density of Si-related sensitizers as the Si concentration is increased, with subsequent deactivation and removal of these sensitizers at high Si concentrations. The optimized Si excess concentration is predicted to generate maximum Er-related gain at 1.54 μm in devices based on Er-doped Si-rich SiO 2 .

Oxidation protection of multilayer CVD SiC/B/SiC coatings for 3D C/SiC composite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Yongsheng; Cheng Laifei; Zhang Litong; Wu Shoujun; Li Duo; Xu Yongdong

2007-01-01

A CVD boron coating was introduced between two CVD SiC coating layers. EDS and XRD results showed that the CVD B coating was a boron crystal without other impurity elements. SEM results indicated that the CVD B coating was a flake-like or column-like crystal with a compact cross-section. The crack width in the CVD SiC coating deposited on CVD B is smaller than that in a CVD SiC coating deposited on CVD SiC coating. After oxidation at 700 deg. C and 1000 deg. C, XRD results indicated that the coating was covered by product B 2 O 3 or B 2 O 3 .xSiO 2 film. The cracks were sealed as observed by SEM. There was a large amount of flake-like material on hybrid coating surface after oxidation at 1300 deg. C. Oxidation weight loss and residual flexural strength results showed that hybrid SiC/B/SiC multilayer coating provided better oxidation protection for C/SiC composite than a three layer CVD SiC coating at temperatures from 700 deg. C to 1000 deg. C for 600 min, but worse oxidation protection above 1000 deg. C due to the large amount of volatilization of B 2 O 3 or B 2 O 3 .xSiO 2

Improved mechanical properties of near-eutectic Al-Si piston alloy through ultrasonic melt treatment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jung, Jae-Gil; Lee, Sang-Hwa [Implementation Research Division, Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), Changwon 51508 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Jung-Moo, E-mail: jmoolee@kims.re.kr [Implementation Research Division, Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), Changwon 51508 (Korea, Republic of); Cho, Young-Hee [Implementation Research Division, Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), Changwon 51508 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Su-Hyeon [Metal Materials Division, Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), Changwon 51508 (Korea, Republic of); Yoon, Woon-Ha [Implementation Research Division, Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), Changwon 51508 (Korea, Republic of)

2016-07-04

The effects of ultrasonic melt treatment (UST) on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-12.2Si-3.3Cu-2.4Ni-0.8Mg-0.1Fe (wt%) piston alloy were systematically investigated. Rigid colonies consisting of primary Si, eutectic Si, Mg{sub 2}Si and various aluminides (ε-Al{sub 3}Ni, δ-Al{sub 3}CuNi, π-Al{sub 8}FeMg{sub 3}Si{sub 6}, γ-Al{sub 7}Cu{sub 4}Ni, Q-Al{sub 5}Cu{sub 2}Mg{sub 8}Si{sub 6} and θ-Al{sub 2}Cu) were observed in the as-cast alloys. The sizes of the secondary phases, eutectic cell and grain were significantly decreased by UST because of the enhanced nucleation of each phase under ultrasonic irradiation. The yield strength, tensile strength and elongation at 25 °C were significantly improved by UST mainly because of the refinement of the microstructures. Both tensile strength and elongation at 350 °C were also improved by UST despite the unchanged yield strength.

Residual stresses and mechanical properties of Si3N4/SiC multilayered composites with different SiC layers; Las tensiones residuales y las propiedades mecánicas de compuestos multicapa de Si3N4/SiC con diferentes capas de SiC

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liua, S.; Lia, Y.; Chena, P.; Lia, W.; Gaoa, S.; Zhang, B.; Yeb, F.

2017-11-01

The effect of residual stresses on the strength, toughness and work of fracture of Si3N4/SiC multilayered composites with different SiC layers has been investigated. It may be an effective way to design and optimize the mechanical properties of Si3N4/SiC multilayered composites by controlling the properties of SiC layers. Si3N4/SiC multilayered composites with different SiC layers were fabricated by aqueous tape casting and pressureless sintering. Residual stresses were calculated by using ANSYS simulation, the maximum values of tensile and compressive stresses were 553.2MPa and −552.1MPa, respectively. Step-like fracture was observed from the fracture surfaces. Fraction of delamination layers increased with the residual stress, which can improve the reliability of the materials. Tensile residual stress was benefit to improving toughness and work of fracture, but the strength of the composites decreased. [Spanish] Se ha investigado el efecto de las tensiones residuales en la resistencia, dureza y trabajo de fractura de los compuestos multicapa de Si3N4/SiC con diferentes capas de SiC. Puede ser una manera eficaz de diseñar y optimizar las propiedades mecánicas de los compuestos multicapa de Si3N4/SiC mediante el control de las propiedades de las capas de SiC. Los compuestos multicapa de Si3N4/SiC con diferentes capas de SiC se fabricaron por medio de colado en cinta en medio acuoso y sinterización sin presión. Las tensiones residuales se calcularon mediante el uso de la simulación ANSYS, los valores máximos de las fuerzas de tracción y compresión fueron 553,2 MPa y −552,1 MPa, respectivamente. Se observó una fractura escalonada a partir de las superficies de fractura. La fracción de capas de deslaminación aumenta con la tensión residual, lo que puede mejorar la fiabilidad de los materiales. La fuerza de tracción residual era beneficiosa para la mejora de la dureza y el trabajo de fractura, pero la resistencia de los compuestos disminuyó.

Circumferential tensile test method for mechanical property evaluation of SiC/SiC tube

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yu, Ju-Hyeon, E-mail: 15096018@mmm.muroran-it.ac.jp [Graduate School, Muroran Institute of Technology, 27-1, Muroran, Hokkaido (Japan); Kishimoto, Hirotatsu [Graduate School, Muroran Institute of Technology, 27-1, Muroran, Hokkaido (Japan); OASIS, Muroran Institute of Technology, 27-1, Muroran, Hokkaido (Japan); Park, Joon-soo [OASIS, Muroran Institute of Technology, 27-1, Muroran, Hokkaido (Japan); Nakazato, Naofumi [Graduate School, Muroran Institute of Technology, 27-1, Muroran, Hokkaido (Japan); Kohyama, Akira [OASIS, Muroran Institute of Technology, 27-1, Muroran, Hokkaido (Japan)

2016-11-01

Highlights: • NITE SiC/SiC cooling channel system to be a candidate of divertor system in future. • Hoop strength is one of the important factors for a tube. • This research studies the relationship between deformation and strain of SiC/SiC tube. - Abstract: SiC fiber reinforced/SiC matrix (SiC/SiC) composite is expected to be a candidate material for the first-wall, components in the blanket and divertor of fusion reactors in future. In such components, SiC/SiC composites need to be formed to be various shapes. SiC/SiC tubes has been expected to be employed for blanket and divertor after DEMO reactor, but there is not established mechanical investigation technique. Recent progress of SiC/SiC processing techniques is likely to realize strong, having gas tightness SiC/SiC tubes which will contribute for the development of fusion reactors. This research studies the relationship between deformation and strain of SiC/SiC tube using a circumferential tensile test method to establish a mechanical property investigation method of SiC/SiC tubes.

Dielectric Properties of SiCf/PyC/SiC Composites After Oxidation

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

SONG Huihui; ZHOU Wancheng; LUO Fa; QING Yuchang; CHEN Malin; LI Zhimin

2016-01-01

In this paper, the SiC fiber-reinforced SiC matrix composites with a 0.15mm thick pyrocarbon interphase (notedas SiCf/PyC/SiC) were prepared by chemical vapor infiltration (CVI). The SiCf/PyC/SiC were oxidized in air at 950℃ for 50h. The dielectric properties after this high temperature oxidation were investigated in X-band from room temperature (RT) to 700℃. Results suggested that:e' of the SiCf/PyC/SiC after oxidation increased at first then de-creased with temperature elevating;e" increased with temperature raising in the temperature range studied.

Photoelectric Properties of Si Doping Superlattice Structure on 6H-SiC(0001).

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Lianbi; Zang, Yuan; Hu, Jichao; Lin, Shenghuang; Chen, Zhiming

2017-05-25

The energy-band structure and visible photoelectric properties of a p/n-Si doping superlattice structure (DSL) on 6H-SiC were simulated by Silvaco-TCAD. The,n the Si-DSL structures with 40 nm-p-Si/50 nm-n-Si multilayers were successfully prepared on 6H-SiC(0001) Si-face by chemical vapor deposition. TEM characterizations of the p/n-Si DSL confirmed the epitaxial growth of the Si films with preferred orientation and the misfit dislocations with a Burgers vector of 1/3 at the p-Si/n-Si interface. The device had an obvious rectifying behavior, and the turn-on voltage was about 1.2 V. Under the visible illumination of 0.6 W/cm², the device demonstrated a significant photoelectric response with a photocurrent density of 2.1 mA/cm². Visible light operation of the Si-DSL/6H-SiC heterostructure was realized for the first time.

Photoelectric Properties of Si Doping Superlattice Structure on 6H-SiC(0001

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lianbi Li

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The energy-band structure and visible photoelectric properties of a p/n-Si doping superlattice structure (DSL on 6H-SiC were simulated by Silvaco-TCAD. The,n the Si-DSL structures with 40 nm-p-Si/50 nm-n-Si multilayers were successfully prepared on 6H-SiC(0001 Si-face by chemical vapor deposition. TEM characterizations of the p/n-Si DSL confirmed the epitaxial growth of the Si films with preferred orientation and the misfit dislocations with a Burgers vector of 1/3 <21-1> at the p-Si/n-Si interface. The device had an obvious rectifying behavior, and the turn-on voltage was about 1.2 V. Under the visible illumination of 0.6 W/cm2, the device demonstrated a significant photoelectric response with a photocurrent density of 2.1 mA/cm2. Visible light operation of the Si-DSL/6H-SiC heterostructure was realized for the first time.

Metallographic assessment of Al-12Si high-pressure die casting escalator steps.

Science.gov (United States)

Vander Voort, George Frederic; Suárez-Peña, Beatriz; Asensio-Lozano, Juan

2014-10-01

A microstructural characterization study was performed on high-pressure die cast specimens extracted from escalator steps manufactured from an Al-12 wt.% Si alloy designed for structural applications. Black and white, color light optical imaging and scanning electron microscopy techniques were used to conduct the microstructural analysis. Most regions in the samples studied contained globular-rosette primary α-Al grains surrounded by an Al-Si eutectic aggregate, while primary dendritic α-Al grains were present in the surface layer. This dendritic microstructure was observed in the regions where the melt did not impinge directly on the die surface during cavity filling. Consequently, microstructures in the surface layer were nonuniform. Utilizing physical metallurgy principles, these results were analyzed in terms of the applied pressure and filling velocity during high-pressure die casting. The effects of these parameters on solidification at different locations of the casting are discussed.

C-H and C-C activation of n -butane with zirconium hydrides supported on SBA15 containing N-donor ligands: [(≡SiNH-)(≡SiX-)ZrH2], [(≡SiNH-)(≡SiX-)2ZrH], and[(≡SiN=)(≡SiX-)ZrH] (X = -NH-, -O-). A DFT study

KAUST Repository

Pasha, Farhan Ahmad; Bendjeriou-Sedjerari, Anissa; Huang, Kuo-Wei; Basset, Jean-Marie

2014-01-01

: [(≡SiNH-)(≡SiO-)ZrH2] (A), [(≡SiNH-)2ZrH2] (B), [(≡SiNH-)(≡SiO-) 2ZrH] (C), [(≡SiNH-)2(≡SiO-)ZrH] (D), [(≡SiN=)(≡Si-O-)ZrH] (E), and [(≡SiN=)(≡SiNH-)ZrH] (F). The roles of these hydrides have been investigated in C-H/C-C bond activation and cleavage

Role of the SiO2 buffer layer thickness in the formation of Si/SiO2/nc-Ge/SiO2 structures by dry oxidation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kling, A.; Ortiz, M.I.; Prieto, A.C.; Rodriguez, A.; Rodriguez, T.; Jimenez, J.; Ballesteros, C.; Soares, J.C.

2006-01-01

Nanomemories, containing Ge-nanoparticles in a SiO 2 matrix, can be produced by dry thermal oxidation of a SiGe layer deposited onto a Si-wafer with a barrier SiO 2 layer on its top. Rutherford backscattering spectrometry has been used to characterize the kinetics of the oxidation process, the composition profile of the growing oxide, the Ge-segregation and its diffusion into the barrier oxide in samples with thin and thick barrier oxide layers. The Ge segregated during the oxidation of the SiGe layer diffuses into the barrier oxide. In the first case the diffusion through the thin oxide is enhanced by the proximity of the substrate that acts as a sink for the Ge, resulting in the formation of a low Ge concentration SiGe layer in the surface of the Si-wafer. In the second case, the Ge-diffusion progresses as slowly as in bulk SiO 2 . Since barrier oxide layers as thin as possible are favoured for device fabrication, the structures should be oxidized at lower temperatures and the initial SiGe layer thickness reduced to minimize the Ge-diffusion

Microstructure and properties of MoSi2-MoB and MoSi2-Mo5Si3 molybdenum silicides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schneibel, J.H.; Sekhar, J.A.

2003-01-01

MoSi 2 -based intermetallics containing different volume fractions of MoB or Mo 5 Si 3 were fabricated by hot-pressing MoSi 2 , MoB, and Mo 5 Si 3 powders in vacuum. Both classes of alloys contained approximately 5 vol.% of dispersed silica phase. Additions of MoB or Mo 5 Si 3 caused the average grain size to decrease. The decrease in the grain size was typically accompanied by an increase in flexure strength, a decrease in the room temperature fracture toughness, and a decrease in the hot strength (compressive creep strength) measured around 1200 deg. C, except when the Mo 5 Si 3 effectively became the major phase. Oxidation measurements on the two classes of alloys were carried out in air. Both classes of alloys were protected from oxidation by an in-situ adherent scale that formed on exposure to high temperature. The scale, although not analyzed in detail, is commonly recognized in MoSi 2 containing materials as consisting mostly of SiO 2 . The MoB containing materials showed an increase in the scale thickness and the cyclic oxidation rate at 1400 deg. C when compared with pure MoSi 2 . However, in contrast with the pure MoSi 2 material, oxidation at 1400 deg. C began with a weight loss followed by a weight gain and the formation of the protective silica layer. The Mo 5 Si 3 containing materials experienced substantial initial weight losses followed by regions of small weight changes. Overall, the MoB and Mo 5 Si 3 additions to MoSi 2 tended to be detrimental for the mechanical and oxidative properties

Mass Spectrometric Identification of Si-O-H(g) Species from the Reaction of Silica with Water Vapor at Atmospheric Pressure

Science.gov (United States)

Opila, Elizabeth J.; Fox, Dennis S.; Jacobson, Nathan S.

1997-01-01

A high-pressure sampling mass spectrometer was used to detect the volatile species formed from SiO2 at temperatures between 1200C and 1400C in a flowing water vapor/oxygen gas mixture at 1 bar total pressure. The primary vapor species identified was Si(OH)4. The fragment ion Si(OH)3+,' was observed in quantities 3 to 5 times larger than the parent ion Si(OH)4+. The Si(OH)3+ intensity was found to have a small temperature dependence and to increase with the water vapor partial pressure as expected. In addition, SiO(OH)+ believed to be a fragment of SiO(OH)2, was observed. These mass spectral results were compared to the behavior of silicon halides.

Oblique roughness replication in strained SiGe/Si multilayers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Holy, V.; Darhuber, A.A.; Stangl, J.; Bauer, G.; Nützel, J.-F.; Abstreiter, G.

1998-01-01

The replication of the interface roughness in SiGe/Si multilayers grown on miscut Si(001) substrates has been studied by means of x-ray reflectivity reciprocal space mapping. The interface profiles were found to be highly correlated and the direction of the maximal replication was inclined with

Transformation mechanism of n-butyl terminated Si nanoparticles embedded into Si1-xCx nanocomposites mixed with Si nanoparticles and C atoms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shin, J.W.; Oh, D.H.; Kim, T.W.; Cho, W.J.

2009-01-01

Bright-field transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images, high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) images, and fast-Fourier transformed electron-diffraction patterns showed that n-butyl terminated Si nanoparticles were aggregated. The formation of Si 1-x C x nanocomposites was mixed with Si nanoparticles and C atoms embedded in a SiO 2 layer due to the diffusion of C atoms from n-butyl termination shells into aggregated Si nanoparticles. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) images showed that the Si 1-x C x nanocomposites mixed with Si nanoparticles and C atoms existed in almost all regions of the SiO 2 layer. The formation mechanism of Si nanoparticles and the transformation mechanism of n-butyl terminated Si nanoparticles embedded into Si 1-x C x nanocomposites mixed with Si nanoparticles and C atoms are described on the basis of the TEM, HRTEM, and AFM results. These results can help to improve the understanding of the formation mechanism of Si nanoparticles.

Positron annihilation at the Si/SiO2 interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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/SiO 2 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 (S int ) is substantially modified. Temperature and annealing behavior, combined with known MOS physics, suggest strongly that S int depends directly on holes at interface states or traps at the Si/SiO 2 interface

The Effect of Water Mist Cooling of Casting Die on the Solidification, Microstructure and Properties of AlSi20 Alloy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Władysiak R.

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Unmodified AlSi20 alloy were casted at the research station, allowing for sequential multipoint cooling using a dedicated computer- controlled program. This method allows for the formation of the microstructure of hypereutectic AlSi20 alloy and also increases hardness. Primary silicon dendrites were found in the microstructure of cooled samples. Based on these dendrites, the formation of primary silicon particles is explained. Cooling of casting die with a water mist stream causes changes in solidification, which leads to expansion of the boundary layer with columnar crystals and shrinkage of the core zone with equiaxed crystals. It also causes more regular hardness distribution around pre-eutectic Si crystals, which can lead to tensile strength and machinability improvement.

Pressureless sintering of dense Si3N4 and Si3N4/SiC composites with nitrate additives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, J.Y.; Iseki, Takayoshi; Yano, Toyohiko

1996-01-01

The effect of aluminum and yttrium nitrate additives on the densification of monolithic Si 3 N 4 and a Si 3 N 4 /SiC composite by pressureless sintering was compared with that of oxide additives. The surfaces of Si 3 N 4 particles milled with aluminum and yttrium nitrates, which were added as methanol solutions, were coated with a different layer containing Al and Y from that of Si 3 N 4 particles milled with oxide additives. Monolithic Si 3 N 4 could be sintered to 94% of theoretical density (TD) at 1,500 C with nitrate additives. The sintering temperature was about 100 C lower than the case with oxide additives. After pressureless sintering at 1,750 C for 2 h in N 2 , the bulk density of a Si 3 N 4 /20 wt% SiC composite reached 95% TD with nitrate additives

Hardness and microstructural characteristics of rapidly solidified Al-8-16 wt.%Si alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uzun, O.; Karaaslan, T.; Gogebakan, M.; Keskin, M.

2004-01-01

Al-Si alloys with nominal composition of Al-8 wt.%Si, Al-12 wt.%Si, and Al-16 wt.%Si were rapidly solidified by using melt-spinning technique to examine the influence of the cooling rate/conditions on microstructure and mechanical properties. The microstructures of the rapidly solidified ribbons and ingot samples were investigated by the optical microscopy, electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The results showed that the structures of all melt-spun ribbons were completely composed of finely dispersed α-Al and eutectic Si phase, and primary silicon was not observed. The XRD analysis indicated that the solubility of Si in the α-Al matrix was greatly increased with rapid solidification. Additionally, mechanical properties of both conventionally cast (ingot) and melt-spun ribbons were examined by using Vickers indenter for one applied load (0.098 N). The hardness values of the melt-spun ribbons were about three times higher than those of ingot counterparts. The high hardness of the rapidly solidified state can be attributed to the supersaturated solid solutions. Besides, hardness values with different applied loads were measured for melt-spun ribbons. The results indicated that Vickers hardness values (H v ) of the ribbons depended on the applied load. Applying the concept of Hays-Kendall, the load independent hardness values were calculated as 694.0, 982.8 and 1186.8 MN/m 2 for Al-8 wt.%Si, Al-12 wt.%Si and Al-16 wt.%Si, respectively

Chemical vapor deposition of Si/SiC nano-multilayer thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weber, A.; Remfort, R.; Woehrl, N.; Assenmacher, W.; Schulz, S.

2015-01-01

Stoichiometric SiC films were deposited with the commercially available single source precursor Et_3SiH by classical thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) as well as plasma-enhanced CVD at low temperatures in the absence of any other reactive gases. Temperature-variable deposition studies revealed that polycrystalline films containing different SiC polytypes with a Si to carbon ratio of close to 1:1 are formed at 1000 °C in thermal CVD process and below 100 °C in the plasma-enhanced CVD process. The plasma enhanced CVD process enables the reduction of residual stress in the deposited films and offers the deposition on temperature sensitive substrates in the future. In both deposition processes the film thickness can be controlled by variation of the process parameters such as the substrate temperature and the deposition time. The resulting material films were characterized with respect to their chemical composition and their crystallinity using scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (XRD), atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction, grazing incidence X-ray diffraction, secondary ion mass spectrometry and Raman spectroscopy. Finally, Si/SiC multilayers of up to 10 individual layers of equal thickness (about 450 nm) were deposited at 1000 °C using Et_3SiH and SiH_4. The resulting multilayers features amorphous SiC films alternating with Si films, which feature larger crystals up to 300 nm size as measured by transmission electron microscopy as well as by XRD. XRD features three distinct peaks for Si(111), Si(220) and Si(311). - Highlights: • Stoichiometric silicon carbide films were deposited from a single source precursor. • Thermal as well as plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition was used. • Films morphology, crystallinity and chemical composition were characterized. • Silicon/silicon carbide multilayers of up to 10 individual nano-layers were deposited.

Formation of metallic Si and SiC nanoparticles from SiO2 particles by plasma-induced cathodic discharge electrolysis in chloride melt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tokushige, M.; Tsujimura, H.; Nishikiori, T.; Ito, Y.

2013-01-01

Silicon nanoparticles are formed from SiO 2 particles by conducting plasma-induced cathodic discharge electrolysis. In a LiCl–KCl melt in which SiO 2 particles were suspended at 450 °C, we obtained Si nanoparticles with diameters around 20 nm. During the electrolysis period, SiO 2 particles are directly reduced by discharge electrons on the surface of the melt just under the discharge, and the deposited Si atom clusters form Si nanoparticles, which leave the surface of the original SiO 2 particle due to free spaces caused by a molar volume difference between SiO 2 and Si. We also found that SiC nanoparticles can be obtained using carbon anode. Based on Faraday's law, the current efficiency for the formation of Si nanoparticles is 70%

Solidification of Magnesium (AM50A) / vol%. SiCp composite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, X; Hu, H

2012-01-01

Magnesium matrix composite is one of the advanced lightweight materials with high potential to be used in automotive and aircraft industries due to its low density and high specific mechanical properties. The magnesium composites can be fabricated by adding the reinforcements of fibers or/and particles. In the previous literature, extensive studies have been performed on the development of matrix grain structure of aluminum-based metal matrix composites. However, there is limited information available on the development of grain structure during the solidification of particulate-reinforced magnesium. In this work, a 5 vol.% SiC p particulate-reinforced magnesium (AM50A) matrix composite (AM50A/SiC p ) was prepared by stir casting. The solidification behavior of the cast AM50A/SiC p composite was investigated by computer-based thermal analysis. Optical and scanning electron microscopies (SEM) were employed to examine the occurrence of nucleation and grain refinement involved. The results indicate that the addition of SiC p particulates leads to a finer grain structure in the composite compared with the matrix alloy. The refinement of grain structure should be attributed to both the heterogeneous nucleation and the restricted primary crystal growth.

Formation of Si/Ge/Si heterostructures with quantum dots

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zinov'ev, V.A.; Dvurechenskij, A.V.; Novikov, P.L.

2003-01-01

It is present the Monte Carlo simulation of epitaxial embedding of faceted three-dimensional Ge islands (quantum dots) in a Si matrix. Under a Si flux these islands expand and undergo a shape change (from pyramidal to drop-like shape). The main expansion occurs at initial stage of embedding in Si (deposition of 1-2 monolayers). This change is controlled by surface diffusion. The shape of island can be preserved when one uses the higher Si fluxes. The reason of island conservation lies in blocking of Ge surface diffusion [ru

Metallization of ion beam synthesized Si/3C-SiC/Si layer systems by high-dose implantation of transition metal ions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lindner, J.K.N.; Wenzel, S.; Stritzker, B.

2001-01-01

The formation of metal silicide layers contacting an ion beam synthesized buried 3C-SiC layer in silicon by means of high-dose titanium and molybdenum implantations is reported. Two different strategies to form such contact layers are explored. The titanium implantation aims to convert the Si top layer of an epitaxial Si/SiC/Si layer sequence into TiSi 2 , while Mo implantations were performed directly into the SiC layer after selectively etching off all capping layers. Textured and high-temperature stable C54-TiSi 2 layers with small additions of more metal-rich silicides are obtained in the case of the Ti implantations. Mo implantations result in the formation of the high-temperature phase β-MoSi 2 , which also grows textured on the substrate. The formation of cavities in the silicon substrate at the lower SiC/Si interface due to the Si consumption by the growing silicide phase is observed in both cases. It probably constitutes a problem, occurring whenever thin SiC films on silicon have to be contacted by silicide forming metals independent of the deposition technique used. It is shown that this problem can be solved with ion beam synthesized contact layers by proper adjustment of the metal ion dose

Effects of atomic hydrogen on the selective area growth of Si and Si1-xGex thin films on Si and SiO2 surfaces: Inhibition, nucleation, and growth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schroeder, T.W.; Lam, A.M.; Ma, P.F.; Engstrom, J.R.

2004-01-01

Supersonic molecular beam techniques have been used to study the nucleation of Si and Si 1-x Ge x thin films on Si and SiO 2 surfaces, where Si 2 H 6 and GeH 4 have been used as sources. A particular emphasis of this study has been an examination of the effects of a coincident flux of atomic hydrogen. The time associated with formation of stable islands of Si or Si 1-x Ge x on SiO 2 surfaces--the incubation time--has been found to depend strongly on the kinetic energy of the incident molecular precursors (Si 2 H 6 and GeH 4 ) and the substrate temperature. After coalescence, thin film morphology has been found to depend primarily on substrate temperature, with smoother films being grown at substrate temperatures below 600 deg. C. Introduction of a coincident flux of atomic hydrogen has a large effect on the nucleation and growth process. First, the incubation time in the presence of atomic hydrogen has been found to increase, especially at substrate temperatures below 630 deg. C, suggesting that hydrogen atoms adsorbed on Si-like sites on SiO 2 can effectively block nucleation of Si. Unfortunately, in terms of promoting selective area growth, coincident atomic hydrogen also decreases the rate of epitaxial growth rate, essentially offsetting any increase in the incubation time for growth on SiO 2 . Concerning Si 1-x Ge x growth, the introduction of GeH 4 produces substantial changes in both thin film morphology and the rate nucleation of poly-Si 1-x Ge x on SiO 2 . Briefly, the addition of Ge increases the incubation time, while it lessens the effect of coincident hydrogen on the incubation time. Finally, a comparison of the maximum island density, the time to reach this density, and the steady-state polycrystalline growth rate strongly suggests that all thin films [Si, Si 1-x Ge x , both with and without H(g)] nucleate at special sites on the SiO 2 surface, and grow primarily via direct deposition of adatoms on pre-existing islands

Anomalous defect processes in Si implanted amorphous SiO2, II

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujita, Tetsuo; Fukui, Minoru; Okada, Syunji; Shimizu-Iwayama, Tsutomu; Hioki, Tatsumi; Itoh, Noriaki

1994-01-01

Aanomalous features of the defects in Si implanted amorphous SiO 2 are reported. The numbers of E 1 prime centers and B 2 centers are found to increase monotonically with implanted Si dose, in contrast to the saturating feature of these numbers in Ar implanted samples. Moreover, when H ions are implanted in amorphous SiO 2 predamaged by Si implantation, both of the density and the number of E 1 prime centers increase and they reach a constant value at a small H dose. We point out that these anomalies can be explained in terms of the difference in the cross-section for defect annihilation in the specimens implanted with Si ions and other ions, in accordance with the homogeneous model proposed by Devine and Golanski. We consider that the main mechanism of defect annihilation is the recombination of an E 1 prime center and an interstitial O, which is stabilized by an implanted Si, reducing the cross-section in Si-implanted specimens. ((orig.))

Structural and electrical evaluation for strained Si/SiGe on insulator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Dong; Ii, Seiichiro; Ikeda, Ken-ichi; Nakashima, Hideharu; Ninomiya, Masaharu; Nakamae, Masahiko; Nakashima, Hiroshi

2006-01-01

Three strained Si/SiGe on insulator wafers having different Ge fractions were evaluated using dual-metal-oxide-semiconductor (dual-MOS) deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) methods. The interface of SiGe/buried oxide (BOX) shows roughness less than 1 nm by high resolution TEM observation. The interface states densities (D it ) of SiGe/BOX are approximately 1 x 10 12 cm -2 eV -1 , which is approximately one order of magnitude higher than that of Si/BOX in a Si on insulator wafer measured as reference by the same method of dual-MOS DLTS. The high D it of SiGe/BOX is not due to interface roughness but due to Ge atoms. The threading dislocations were also clearly observed by TEM and were analyzed

Effect of Ti and Si interlayer materials on the joining of SiC ceramics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jung, Yang Il; Park, Jung Hwan; Kim, Hyun Gil; Park, Dong Jun; Park, Jeong Yong; Kim, Weon Ju [LWR Fuel Technology Division, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-08-15

SiC-based ceramic composites are currently being considered for use in fuel cladding tubes in light-water reactors. The joining of SiC ceramics in a hermetic seal is required for the development of ceramic-based fuel cladding tubes. In this study, SiC monoliths were diffusion bonded using a Ti foil interlayer and additional Si powder. In the joining process, a very low uniaxial pressure of ∼0.1 MPa was applied, so the process is applicable for joining thin-walled long tubes. The joining strength depended strongly on the type of SiC material. Reaction-bonded SiC (RB-SiC) showed a higher joining strength than sintered SiC because the diffusion reaction of Si was promoted in the former. The joining strength of sintered SiC was increased by the addition of Si at the Ti interlayer to play the role of the free Si in RB-SiC. The maximum joint strength obtained under torsional stress was ∼100 MPa. The joint interface consisted of TiSi{sub 2}, Ti{sub 3}SiC{sub 2}, and SiC phases formed by a diffusion reaction of Ti and Si.

On the line intensity ratios of prominent Si II, Si III, and Si IV multiplets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Djenize, S.; Sreckovic, A.; Bukvic, S.

2010-01-01

Line intensities of singly, doubly and triply ionized silicon (Si II, Si III, and Si IV, respectively) belonging to the prominent higher multiplets, are of interest in laboratory and astrophysical plasma diagnostics. We measured these line intensities in the emission spectra of pulsed helium discharge. The Si II line intensity ratios in the 3s3p 22 D-3s 2 4p 2 P o , 3s 2 3d 2 D-3s 2 4f 2 F o , and 3s 2 4p 2 P o -3s 2 4d 2 D transitions, the Si III line intensity ratios in the 3s3d 3 D-3s4p 3 P o , 3s4p 3 P o -3s4d 3 D, 3s4p 3 P o -3s5s 3 S, 3s4s 3 S-3s4p 3 P o , and 3s4f 3 F o -3s5g 3 G transitions, and the Si IV line intensity ratios in the 4p 2 P o -4d 2 D and 4p 2 P o -5s 2 S transitions were obtained in a helium plasma at an electron temperature of about 17,000 ± 2000 K. Line shapes were recorded using a spectrograph and an ICCD camera as a highly-sensitive detection system. The silicon atoms were evaporated from a Pyrex discharge tube designed for the purpose. They represent impurities in the optically thin helium plasma at the silicon ionic wavelengths investigated. The line intensity ratios obtained were compared with those available in the literature, and with values calculated on the basis of available transition probabilities. The experimental data corresponded well with line intensity ratios calculated using the transition probabilities obtained from a Multi Configuration Hartree-Fock approximation for Si III and Si IV spectra. We recommend corrections of some Si II transition probabilities.

Mushroom-free selective epitaxial growth of Si, SiGe and SiGe:B raised sources and drains

Science.gov (United States)

Hartmann, J. M.; Benevent, V.; Barnes, J. P.; Veillerot, M.; Lafond, D.; Damlencourt, J. F.; Morvan, S.; Prévitali, B.; Andrieu, F.; Loubet, N.; Dutartre, D.

2013-05-01

We have evaluated various Cyclic Selective Epitaxial Growth/Etch (CSEGE) processes in order to grow "mushroom-free" Si and SiGe:B Raised Sources and Drains (RSDs) on each side of ultra-short gate length Extra-Thin Silicon-On-Insulator (ET-SOI) transistors. The 750 °C, 20 Torr Si CSEGE process we have developed (5 chlorinated growth steps with four HCl etch steps in-between) yielded excellent crystalline quality, typically 18 nm thick Si RSDs. Growth was conformal along the Si3N4 sidewall spacers, without any poly-Si mushrooms on top of unprotected gates. We have then evaluated on blanket 300 mm Si(001) wafers the feasibility of a 650 °C, 20 Torr SiGe:B CSEGE process (5 chlorinated growth steps with four HCl etch steps in-between, as for Si). As expected, the deposited thickness decreased as the total HCl etch time increased. This came hands in hands with unforeseen (i) decrease of the mean Ge concentration (from 30% down to 26%) and (ii) increase of the substitutional B concentration (from 2 × 1020 cm-3 up to 3 × 1020 cm-3). They were due to fluctuations of the Ge concentration and of the atomic B concentration [B] in such layers (drop of the Ge% and increase of [B] at etch step locations). Such blanket layers were a bit rougher than layers grown using a single epitaxy step, but nevertheless of excellent crystalline quality. Transposition of our CSEGE process on patterned ET-SOI wafers did not yield the expected results. HCl etch steps indeed helped in partly or totally removing the poly-SiGe:B mushrooms on top of the gates. This was however at the expense of the crystalline quality and 2D nature of the ˜45 nm thick Si0.7Ge0.3:B recessed sources and drains selectively grown on each side of the imperfectly protected poly-Si gates. The only solution we have so far identified that yields a lesser amount of mushrooms while preserving the quality of the S/D is to increase the HCl flow during growth steps.

Unimodal primary sensory cortices are directly connected by long-range horizontal projections in the rat sensory cortex

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jimmy eStehberg

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Research based on functional imaging and neuronal recordings in the barrel cortex subdivision of primary somatosensory cortex (SI of the adult rat has revealed novel aspects of structure-function relationships in this cortex. Specifically, it has demonstrated that single whisker stimulation evokes subthreshold neuronal activity that spreads symmetrically within gray matter from the appropriate barrel area, crosses cytoarchitectural borders of SI and reaches deeply into other unimodal primary cortices such as primary auditory (AI and primary visual (VI. It was further demonstrated that this spread is supported by a spatially matching underlying diffuse network of border-crossing, long-range projections that could also reach deeply into AI and VI. Here we seek to determine whether such a network of border-crossing, long-range projections is unique to barrel cortex or characterizes also other primary, unimodal sensory cortices and therefore could directly connect them. Using anterograde (BDA and retrograde (CTb tract-tracing techniques, we demonstrate that such diffuse horizontal networks directly and mutually connect VI, AI and SI. These findings suggest that diffuse, border-crossing axonal projections connecting directly primary cortices are an important organizational motif common to all major primary sensory cortices in the rat. Potential implications of these findings for topics including cortical structure-function relationships, multisensory integration, functional imaging and cortical parcellation are discussed.

Ni-Si oxide as an inducing crystallization source for making poly-Si

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meng, Zhiguo; Liu, Zhaojun; Li, Juan; Wu, Chunya; Xiong, Shaozhen [Institute of Photo-electronics, Nankai University, Tianjin (China); Zhao, Shuyun; Wong, Man; Kwok, Hoi Sing [Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong (China)

2010-04-15

Nickel silicon oxide mixture was sputtered on a-Si with Ni-Si alloy target with Ni:Si weight ratio of 1:9 and used as a new inducing source for metal induced lateral crystallization (MILC). The characteristics of the resulted poly-Si materials induced by Ni-Si oxide with different thickness were nearly the same. This means the metal induced crystallization with this new inducing source has wide processing tolerance to make MILC poly-Si. Besides, it reduced the residual Ni content in the resulted poly-Si film. The transfer characteristic curve of poly-Si TFT and a TFT-OLED display demo made with this kind of new inducing source were also presented in this paper. (copyright 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Assessment of AlSi21CuNi Alloy’s Quality with Use of ATND Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pezda J.

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Majority of combustion engines is produced (poured from Al-Si alloys with low thermal expansion coefficient, so called piston silumins. Hypereutectic alloys normally contain coarse, primary angular Si particles together with eutectic Si phase. The structure and mechanical properties of these alloys are highly dependent upon cooling rate, composition, modification and heat-treatment operations. In the paper one depicts use of the ATND method (thermal-voltage-derivative analysis and regression analysis to assessment of quality of the AlSi21CuNi alloy modified with Cu-P on stage of its preparation, in aspect of obtained mechanical properties (R0,02, Rm, A5, HB. Obtained dependencies enable prediction of mechanical properties of the investigated alloy in laboratory conditions, using values of characteristic points from curves of the ATND method.

Alpha-particle irradiation induced defects in SiO2 films of Si-SiO2 structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koman, B.P.; Gal'chynskyy, O.V.; Kovalyuk, R.O.; Shkol'nyy, A.K.

1996-01-01

The aim of the work was to investigate alpha-particle irradiation induced defects in Si-SiO 2 structures by means of the thermostimulated discharge currents (TSDC) analysis. The object of investigation were (p-Si)-SiO 2 structures formed by a combined oxidation of the industrial p-Si wafers in dry and wet oxygen at temperature of 1150 C. The TSD currents were investigated in the temperature range between 90 and 500 K under linear heating rate. Pu 238 isotopes were the source of alpha-particles with an energy of 4-5 MeV and a density of 5.10 7 s -1 cm -2 . The TSD current curves show two peculiar maxima at about 370 and 480 K. Alpha-particle irradiation doesn't affect the general shape of the TSDC curves but leads to a shift of the maximum at 370 K and reduces the total electret charge which is accumulated in the Si-SiO 2 structures during polarization. The energy distribution function of the defects which are involved in SiO 2 polarization has been calculated. It showes that defects with activation energies of about 0.8 and 1.0 eV take part in forming the electret state, and these activation energies have certain energy distributions. It has been found that the TSDC maximum at 370 K has space charge nature and is caused by migration of hydrogen ions. In irradiated samples hydrogen and natrium ions localize on deeper trapping centres induced by alpha-particle irradiation. (orig.)

Manufacturing and characterization of porous SiC for flow channel inserts in dual-coolant blanket designs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bereciartu, Ainhoa; Ordas, Nerea; Garcia-Rosales, Carmen; Morono, Alejandro; Malo, Marta; Hodgson, Eric R.; Abella, Jordi; Sedano, Luis

2011-01-01

SiC is the primary candidate for the flow channel inserts in dual-coolant blanket concepts. Porous SiC ceramics are attractive candidates for this non-structural application, since they can satisfy the required properties through a low cost manufacturing route, compared to SiC f /SiC. This work shows first results of the manufacturing of porous SiC ceramics prepared with different amounts of Y 2 O 3 and Al 2 O 3 as sintering additives. C powders were used as pore-formers by their burnout during oxidation after sintering. Comparison of microstructure, porosity, flexural strength, thermal and electrical conductivity and corrosion under Pb-15.7Li of porous SiC without and with sintering additives is presented. The addition of 2.5 wt.% of Y 2 O 3 and Al 2 O 3 improves the mechanical properties, and reduces the thermal and electrical conductivity down to reasonable values. Preliminary corrosion tests under Pb-15.7 Li at 500 deg. C show that the absence of a dense coating on porous SiC leads to poor corrosion behavior.

Ge nanobelts with high compressive strain fabricated by secondary oxidation of self-assembly SiGe rings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lu, Weifang; Li, Cheng; Lin, Guangyang

2015-01-01

Curled Ge nanobelts were fabricated by secondary oxidation of self-assembly SiGe rings, which were exfoliated from the SiGe stripes on the insulator. The Ge-rich SiGe stripes on insulator were formed by hololithography and modified Ge condensation processes of Si0.82Ge0.18 on SOI substrate. Ge...... nanobelts under a residual compressive strain of 2% were achieved, and the strain should be higher before partly releasing through bulge islands and breakage of the curled Ge nanobelts during the secondary oxidation process. The primary factor leading to compressive strain is thermal shrinkage of Ge...... nanobelts, which extrudes to Ge nanobelts in radial and tangent directions during the cooling process. This technique is promising for application in high-mobility Ge nano-scale transistors...

Interfacial stability of CoSi2/Si structures grown by molecular beam epitaxy

Science.gov (United States)

George, T.; Fathauer, R. W.

1992-01-01

The stability of CoSi2/Si interfaces was examined in this study using columnar silicide structures grown on (111) Si substrates. In the first set of experiments, Co and Si were codeposited using MBE at 800 C and the resulting columnar silicide layer was capped by epitaxial Si. Deposition of Co on the surface of the Si capping layer at 800 C results in the growth of the buried silicide columns. The buried columns grow by subsurface diffusion of the deposited Co, suppressing the formation of surface islands of CoSi2. The column sidewalls appear to be less stable than the top and bottom interfaces, resulting in preferential lateral growth and ultimately in the coalescence of the columns to form a continuous buried CoSi2 layer. In the second set of experiments, annealing of a 250 nm-thick buried columnar layer at 1000 C under a 100 nm-thick Si capping layer results in the formation of a surface layer of CoSi2 with a reduction in the sizes of the CoSi2 columns. For a sample having a thicker Si capping layer the annealing leads to Ostwald ripening producing buried equiaxed columns. The high CoSi2/Si interfacial strain could provide the driving force for the observed behavior of the buried columns under high-temperature annealing.

Hybrid Integrated Si/SiN Platforms for Wideband Optical Processing

Science.gov (United States)

2017-05-08

annealing process, makes the process prone to dopant redistribution, that hinderers the SiN deposition after full Si device fabrication. To resolve...with 220 nm of crystalline Si. In parallel, a Si die goes through a wet oxidation process to grow 5 μm of thermal oxide. In the next step, 400 nm of... annealing methods. As a figure of merit in hydrophilic bonding, we monitored the surface roughness and bonding strength of a thin oxide layer to

Formation mechanism of SiC in C-Si system by ion irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hishita, Shunichi; Aizawa, Takashi; Suehara, Shigeru; Haneda, Hajime

2003-01-01

The irradiation effects of 2 MeV He + , Ne + , and Ar + ions on the film structure of the C-Si system were investigated with RHEED and XPS. The ion dose dependence of the SiC formation was kinetically analyzed. The SiC formation at moderate temperature was achieved by 2 MeV ion irradiation when the thickness of the initial carbon films was appropriate. The evolution process of the SiC film thickness consisted of the 3 stages. The first stage was the steep increase of the SiC, and was governed by the inelastic collision. The second was the gentle increase of the SiC, and was governed by the diffusion. The last was the decrease of the SiC, and was caused by the sputtering. The formation mechanism of the SiC was discussed. (author)

Simulation of electron transmittance and tunnel current in n{sup +} Poly-Si/HfSiO{sub x}N/Trap/SiO{sub 2}/Si(100) capacitors using analytical and numerical approaches

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Noor, Fatimah A., E-mail: fatimah@fi.itb.ac.id; Iskandar, Ferry; Abdullah, Mikrajuddin; Khairurrijal [Physics of Electronic Materials Research Division Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institut Teknologi Bandung Jalan Ganesa 10, Bandung 40132 (Indonesia)

2015-04-16

In this paper, we discuss the electron transmittance and tunneling current in high-k-based-MOS capacitors with trapping charge by including the off-diagonal effective-mass tensor elements and the effect of coupling between transverse and longitudinal energies represented by an electron velocity in the gate. The HfSiO{sub x}N/SiO{sub 2} dual ultrathin layer is used as the gate oxide in an n{sup +} poly- Si/oxide/Si capacitor to replace SiO{sub 2}. The main problem of using HfSiO{sub x}N is the charge trapping formed at the HfSiO{sub x}N/SiO{sub 2} interface that can influence the performance of the device. Therefore, it is important to develop a model taking into account the presence of electron traps at the HfSiO{sub x}N/SiO{sub 2} interface in the electron transmittance and tunneling current. The transmittance and tunneling current in n{sup +} poly- Si/HfSiO{sub x}N/trap/SiO2/Si(100) capacitors are calculated by using Airy wavefunctions and a transfer matrix method (TMM) as analytical and numerical approaches, respectively. The transmittance and tunneling current obtained from the Airy wavefunction are compared to those computed by the TMM. The effects of the electron velocity on the transmittance and tunneling current are also discussed.

Switching Performance Evaluation of Commercial SiC Power Devices (SiC JFET and SiC MOSFET) in Relation to the Gate Driver Complexity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pittini, Riccardo; Zhang, Zhe; Andersen, Michael A. E.

2013-01-01

and JFETs. The recent introduction of SiC MOSFET has proved that it is possible to have highly performing SiC devices with a minimum gate driver complexity; this made SiC power devices even more attractive despite their device cost. This paper presents an analysis based on experimental results...... of the switching losses of various commercially available Si and SiC power devices rated at 1200 V (Si IGBTs, SiC JFETs and SiC MOSFETs). The comparison evaluates the reduction of the switching losses which is achievable with the introduction of SiC power devices; this includes analysis and considerations...

Effect of PECVD SiNx/SiOy Nx –Si interface property on surface passivation of silicon wafer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

2016-01-01

It is studied in this paper that the electrical characteristics of the interface between SiO y N x /SiN x stack and silicon wafer affect silicon surface passivation. The effects of precursor flow ratio and deposition temperature of the SiO y N x layer on interface parameters, such as interface state density Di t and fixed charge Q f , and the surface passivation quality of silicon are observed. Capacitance–voltage measurements reveal that inserting a thin SiO y N x layer between the SiN x and the silicon wafer can suppress Q f in the film and D it at the interface. The positive Q f and D it and a high surface recombination velocity in stacks are observed to increase with the introduced oxygen and minimal hydrogen in the SiO y N x film increasing. Prepared by deposition at a low temperature and a low ratio of N 2 O/SiH 4 flow rate, the SiO y N x /SiN x stacks result in a low effective surface recombination velocity (S eff ) of 6 cm/s on a p-type 1 Ω·cm–5 Ω·cm FZ silicon wafer. The positive relationship between S eff and D it 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. (paper)

Linking climate, gross primary productivity, and site index across forests of the western United States

Science.gov (United States)

Aaron R. Weiskittel; Nicholas L. Crookston; Philip J. Radtke

2011-01-01

Assessing forest productivity is important for developing effective management regimes and predicting future growth. Despite some important limitations, the most common means for quantifying forest stand-level potential productivity is site index (SI). Another measure of productivity is gross primary production (GPP). In this paper, SI is compared with GPP estimates...

Hydrogen and oxygen behaviors on Porous-Si surfaces observed using a scanning ESD ion microscope

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Itoh, Yuki; Ueda, Kazuyuki

2004-01-01

A scanning electron-stimulated desorption (ESD) ion microscope (SESDIM) measured the 2-D images of hydrogen and oxygen distribution on solid surfaces. A primary electron beam at 600 eV, with a pulse width of 220 ns, resulted in ion yields of H + and O + . This SESDIM is applied to the surface analysis of Porous-Si (Po-Si) partially covered with SiN films. During the heating of a specimen of the Po-Si at 800 deg. C under ultra-high-vacuum (UHV) conditions, the components of the surface materials were moved or diffused by thermal decomposition accompanied by a redistribution of hydrogen and oxygen. After cyclic heating of above 800 deg. C, the dynamic behaviors of H + and O + accompanied by the movements of the SiN layers were observed as images of H + and O + . This was because the H + and O + ions have been identified as composite materials by their kinetic energies

Preparation and Characterization of SiO2/SiCN Core-shell Ceramic Microspheres

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ZHANG Hai-yuan

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The SiO2/PSN core-shell microspheres were prepared via an emulsion reaction combined with the polymer-derived ceramics (PDCs method using polysilazane (PSN in situ polymerization on the surface of SiO2 modified by silane coupling agents MPS, followed by pyrolysis process to obtain SiO2/SiCN core-shell ceramic microspheres. The effects of raw mass ratio, curing time and pyrolysis temperature on the formation and the morphology of core-shell microspheres were studied. The morphology, chemical composition and phase transformation were characterized by SEM, EDS, TEM, FT-IR and XRD. The results show that after reaction for 4h at 200℃, SiO2 completely coated PSN forms a core-shell microsphere with rough surface when the mass ratio of SiO2 and PSN is 1:4; when pyrolysis temperature is at 800-1200℃, amorphous SiO2/SiCN core-shell ceramic microspheres are prepared; at 1400℃, the amorphous phase partially crystallizes to produce SiO2, SiC and Si3N4 phase.

Effects of combined additions of Sr and AlTiB grain refiners in hypoeutectic Al-Si foundry alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, L.; Dahle, A.K.

2006-01-01

Strontium is the most widely used and a very effective element for modifying the morphology of eutectic silicon, while Ti and B are commonly present in the commercial grain refiners used for Al-Si alloys. Systematic studies on the effects of combined additions of Sr and different AlTiB grain refiners on the Al + Si eutectic and primary aluminium solidification have been performed. While slight coarsening of both eutectic Si and primary aluminium grains occurs during holding, no obvious interactions are observed between Sr and AlTiB grain refiners when the addition level of grain refiners is low. As a result, a well-modified and grain refined structure was obtained. However, strong negative interactions between Sr and Al1.5Ti1.5B were observed as the addition level of the grain refiner increases. It was found that these interactions have a much more profound impact on the eutectic solidification than the primary Al solidification. The melt treated with combined additions of Sr and Al1.5Ti1.5B still shows good grain refinement efficiency even after losing its modification completely. The mechanism responsible for such negative interactions is further discussed

Effects of combined additions of Sr and AlTiB grain refiners in hypoeutectic Al-Si foundry alloys

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lu, L. [CSIRO Minerals, P.O. Box 883, Kenmore, Qld. 4069 (Australia)]. E-mail: Liming.Lu@csiro.au; Dahle, A.K. [CRC for Cast Metals Manufacturing, Division of Materials, School of Engineering, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld. 4072 (Australia)

2006-11-05

Strontium is the most widely used and a very effective element for modifying the morphology of eutectic silicon, while Ti and B are commonly present in the commercial grain refiners used for Al-Si alloys. Systematic studies on the effects of combined additions of Sr and different AlTiB grain refiners on the Al + Si eutectic and primary aluminium solidification have been performed. While slight coarsening of both eutectic Si and primary aluminium grains occurs during holding, no obvious interactions are observed between Sr and AlTiB grain refiners when the addition level of grain refiners is low. As a result, a well-modified and grain refined structure was obtained. However, strong negative interactions between Sr and Al1.5Ti1.5B were observed as the addition level of the grain refiner increases. It was found that these interactions have a much more profound impact on the eutectic solidification than the primary Al solidification. The melt treated with combined additions of Sr and Al1.5Ti1.5B still shows good grain refinement efficiency even after losing its modification completely. The mechanism responsible for such negative interactions is further discussed.

The Effect of Si Morphology on Machinability of Al-Si Alloys

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammet Uludağ

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Many of the cast parts require some sort of machining like milling, drilling to be used as a finished product. In order to improve the wear properties of Al alloys, Si is added. The solubility of Si in Al is quite low and it has a crystallite type structure. It behaves as particulate metal matrix composite which makes it an attractive element. Thus, the wear and machinability properties of these type of alloys depend on the morphology of Si in the matrix. In this work, Sr was added to alter the morphology of Si in Al-7Si and Al-12Si. Cylindrical shaped samples were cast and machinability characteristics of Sr addition was studied. The relationship between microstructure and machinability was evaluated.

Comparative study of anisotropic superconductivity in CaAlSi and CaGaSi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tamegai, T.; Uozato, K.; Kasahara, S.; Nakagawa, T.; Tokunaga, M.

2005-01-01

In order to get some insight into the origin of the anomalous angular dependence of H c2 in a layered intermetallic compound CaAlSi, electronic, superconducting, and structural properties are compared between CaAlSi and CaGaSi. The angular dependence of H c2 in CaGaSi is well described by the anisotropic GL model. Parallel to this finding, the pronounced lattice modulation accompanying the superstructure along the c-axis in CaAlSi is absent in CaGaSi. A relatively large specific heat jump at the superconducting transition in CaAlSi compared with CaGaSi indicates the presence of strong electron-phonon coupling in CaAlSi, which may cause the superstructure and the anomalous angular dependence of H c2

Si/Fe flux ratio influence on growth and physical properties of polycrystalline β-FeSi2 thin films on Si(100) surface

Science.gov (United States)

Tarasov, I. A.; Visotin, M. A.; Aleksandrovsky, A. S.; Kosyrev, N. N.; Yakovlev, I. A.; Molokeev, M. S.; Lukyanenko, A. V.; Krylov, A. S.; Fedorov, A. S.; Varnakov, S. N.; Ovchinnikov, S. G.

2017-10-01

This work investigates the Si/Fe flux ratio (2 and 0.34) influence on the growth of β-FeSi2 polycrystalline thin films on Si(100) substrate at 630 °C. Lattice deformations for the films obtained are confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). The volume unit cell deviation from that of β-FeSi2 single crystal are 1.99% and 1.1% for Si/Fe =2 and Si/Fe =0.34, respectively. Absorption measurements show that the indirect transition ( 0.704 eV) of the Si/Fe =0.34 sample changes to the direct transition with a bandgap value of 0.816 eV for the sample prepared at Si/Fe =2. The absorption spectrum of the Si/Fe =0.34 sample exhibits an additional peak located below the bandgap energy value with the absorption maximum of 0.36 eV. Surface magneto-optic Kerr effect (SMOKE) measurements detect the ferromagnetic behavior of the β-FeSi2 polycrystalline films grown at Si/Fe =0.34 at T=10 K, but no ferromagnetism was observed in the samples grown at Si/Fe =2. Theoretical calculations refute that the cell deformation can cause the emergence of magnetization and argue that the origin of the ferromagnetism, as well as the lower absorption peak, is β-FeSi2 stoichiometry deviations. Raman spectroscopy measurements evidence that the film obtained at Si/Fe flux ratio equal to 0.34 has the better crystallinity than the Si/Fe =2 sample.

Improved thermal stability and hole mobilities in a strained-Si/strained-Si1-yGe y/strained-Si heterostructure grown on a relaxed Si1-xGe x buffer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gupta, Saurabh; Lee, Minjoo L.; Isaacson, David M.; Fitzgerald, Eugene A.

2005-01-01

A dual channel heterostructure consisting of strained-Si/strained-Si 1-y Ge y on relaxed Si 1-x Ge x (y > x), provides a platform for fabricating metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) with high hole mobilities (μ eff ) which depend directly on Ge concentration and strain in the strained-Si 1-y Ge y layer. Ge out-diffuses from the strained-Si 1-y Ge y layer into relaxed Si 1-x Ge x during high temperature processing, reducing peak Ge concentration and strain in the strained-Si 1-y Ge y layer and degrades hole μ eff in these dual channel heterostructures. A heterostructure consisting of strained-Si/strained-Si 1-y Ge y /strained-Si, referred to as a trilayer heterostructure, grown on relaxed Si 1-x Ge x has much reduced Ge out-flux from the strained-Si 1-y Ge y layer and retains higher μ eff after thermal processing. Improved hole μ eff over similar dual channel heterostructures is also observed in this heterostructure. This could be a result of preventing the hole wavefunction tunneling into the low μ eff relaxed Si 1-x Ge x layer due to the additional valence band offset provided by the underlying strained-Si layer. A diffusion coefficient has been formulated and implemented in a finite difference scheme for predicting the thermal budget of the strained SiGe heterostructures. It shows that the trilayer heterostructures have superior thermal budgets at higher Ge concentrations. Ring-shaped MOSFETs were fabricated on both platforms and subjected to various processing temperatures in order to compare the extent of μ eff reduction with thermal budget. Hole μ eff enhancements are retained to a much higher extent in a trilayer heterostructure after high temperature processing as compared to a dual channel heterostructure. The improved thermal stability and hole μ eff of a trilayer heterostructure makes it an ideal platform for fabricating high μ eff MOSFETs that can be processed over higher temperatures without significant losses in hole �

Rod-like β-FeSi2 phase grown on Si (111) substrate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han Ming; Tanaka, Miyoko; Takeguchi, Masaki; Furuya, Kazuo

2004-01-01

Pure Fe with coverage of 0.5-2.0 nm was deposited on Si (111) 7x7 surfaces by reactive deposition epitaxy (RDE) in an integrated ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) system. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed that the as-deposited epitaxial phase exhibits rod-like and equilateral triangular morphology. The as-deposited phase was identified as c-FeSi 2 by electron diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. It was found that there exists lattice distortion in epitaxial c-FeSi 2 phase. Upon annealing at 1073 K, the metastable c-FeSi 2 transforms into equilibrium β-FeSi 2 phase, the latter inherits completely the morphology of c-FeSi 2 phase. Based on RDE and subsequent annealing, a new fabrication technique to grow rod-like semiconducting β-FeSi 2 on a Si substrate has been proposed in the present work

Spin-Hall effect and emergent antiferromagnetic phase transition in n-Si

Science.gov (United States)

Lou, Paul C.; Kumar, Sandeep

2018-04-01

Spin current experiences minimal dephasing and scattering in Si due to small spin-orbit coupling and spin-lattice interactions is the primary source of spin relaxation. We hypothesize that if the specimen dimension is of the same order as the spin diffusion length then spin polarization will lead to non-equilibrium spin accumulation and emergent phase transition. In n-Si, spin diffusion length has been reported up to 6 μm. The spin accumulation in Si will modify the thermal transport behavior of Si, which can be detected with thermal characterization. In this study, we report observation of spin-Hall effect and emergent antiferromagnetic phase transition behavior using magneto-electro-thermal transport characterization. The freestanding Pd (1 nm)/Ni80Fe20 (75 nm)/MgO (1 nm)/n-Si (2 μm) thin film specimen exhibits a magnetic field dependent thermal transport and spin-Hall magnetoresistance behavior attributed to Rashba effect. An emergent phase transition is discovered using self-heating 3ω method, which shows a diverging behavior at 270 K as a function of temperature similar to a second order phase transition. We propose that spin-Hall effect leads to the spin accumulation and resulting emergent antiferromagnetic phase transition. We propose that the length scale for Rashba effect can be equal to the spin diffusion length and two-dimensional electron gas is not essential for it. The emergent antiferromagnetic phase transition is attributed to the site inversion asymmetry in diamond cubic Si lattice.

Thermal Treatment, Sliding Wear and Saline Corrosion of Al In Situ Reinforced with Mg2Si and Ex Situ Reinforced with TiC Particles

Science.gov (United States)

Lekatou, A. G.; Poulia, A.; Mavros, H.; Karantzalis, A. E.

2018-02-01

The main objective of this work is to produce a composite consisting of (a) a cast heat-treatable Al-Mg-Si alloy with high contents of Mg for corrosion resistance and Si to offset the Mg-due poor castability (in situ hypoeutectic Mg2Si/Al composite) and (b) TiC particles at high enough volume fractions (≤ 15%), in order to achieve a satisfactory combination of wear and corrosion performance. TiCp/Al-7Mg-5Si (wt.%) composites were produced by flux-assisted casting followed by solution and aging heat treatment. Solution treatment led to a relatively uniform dispersion and shape rounding of Mg2Si precipitates and Si particles. TiC particle addition resulted in refinement of primary Al, modification of the Mg2Si Chinese script morphology and refinement/spheroidization of primary Mg2Si. Heat treatment combined with TiC addition notably improved the sliding wear resistance of Al-7Mg-5Si. A wear mechanism has been proposed. The TiC/Al interfaces remained intact of corrosion during potentiodynamic polarization of the heat-treated materials in 3.5 wt.% NaCl. Different main forms of localized corrosion in 3.5 wt.% NaCl were identified for each TiC content (0, 5, 15 vol.%), depending on specific degradation favoring microstructural features (topology/size/interface wetting) at each composition.

Passivation of surface-nanostructured f-SiC and porous SiC

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ou, Haiyan; Lu, Weifang; Ou, Yiyu

The further enhancement of photoluminescence from nanostructured fluorescent silicon carbide (f-SiC) and porous SiC by using atomic layer deposited (ALD) Al2O3 is studied in this paper.......The further enhancement of photoluminescence from nanostructured fluorescent silicon carbide (f-SiC) and porous SiC by using atomic layer deposited (ALD) Al2O3 is studied in this paper....

Reduced Pressure-Chemical Vapour Deposition of Si/SiGe heterostructures for nanoelectronics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hartmann, J.M.; Andrieu, F.; Lafond, D.; Ernst, T.; Bogumilowicz, Y.; Delaye, V.; Weber, O.; Rouchon, D.; Papon, A.M.; Cherkashin, N.

2008-01-01

We have first of all quantified the impact of pressure on Si and SiGe growth kinetics. Definite growth rate and Ge concentration increases with the pressure have been evidenced at low temperatures (650-750 deg. C). By contrast, the high temperature (950-1050 deg. C) Si growth rate either increases or decreases with pressure (gaseous precursor depending). We have then described the selective epitaxial growth process we use to form Si or Si 0.7 Ge 0.3 :B raised sources and drains on ultra-thin patterned Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) substrates. We have afterwards presented the specifics of SiGe virtual substrates and of the tensile-strained Si layers grown on top (used as templates for the elaboration of tensily strained-SOI wafers). The tensile strain, which can be tailored from 1.3 up to 3 GPa, leads to an electron mobility gain by a factor of 2 in n-Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors (MOSFETs) built on top. High Ge content SiGe virtual substrates can also be used for the elaboration of compressively strained Ge channels, with impressive hole mobility gains (x9) compared to bulk Si. After that, we have described the main structural features of thick Ge layers grown directly on Si (that can be used as donor wafers for the elaboration of GeOI wafers or as the active medium of near infrared photo-detectors). Finally, we have shown how Si/SiGe multilayers can be used for the formation of high performance 3D devices such as multi-bridge channel or nano-beam gate-all-around FETs, the SiGe sacrificial layers being removed thanks to plasma dry etching, wet etching or in situ gaseous HCl etching

Photon counting with a FDIRC Cherenkov prototype readout by SiPM arrays

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marrocchesi, P.S., E-mail: marrocchesi@pi.infn.it [Department of Physical Sciences, Earth and Environment, Via Roma 56, I-53100 Siena (Italy); INFN Sezione di Pisa, Largo Bruno Pontecorvo 3, I-56127 Pisa (Italy); Bagliesi, M.G. [Department of Physical Sciences, Earth and Environment, Via Roma 56, I-53100 Siena (Italy); Basti, A. [Department of Physics, University of Pisa, Largo Bruno Pontecorvo 3, I-56127 Pisa (Italy); INFN Sezione di Pisa, Largo Bruno Pontecorvo 3, I-56127 Pisa (Italy); Bigongiari, G.; Bonechi, S.; Brogi, P. [Department of Physical Sciences, Earth and Environment, Via Roma 56, I-53100 Siena (Italy); INFN Sezione di Pisa, Largo Bruno Pontecorvo 3, I-56127 Pisa (Italy); Checchia, C.; Collazuol, G. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Padova, Padova, Italy, and INFN-Padova, 35131 Padova (Italy); Maestro, P. [Department of Physical Sciences, Earth and Environment, Via Roma 56, I-53100 Siena (Italy); INFN Sezione di Pisa, Largo Bruno Pontecorvo 3, I-56127 Pisa (Italy); Morsani, F. [INFN Sezione di Pisa, Largo Bruno Pontecorvo 3, I-56127 Pisa (Italy); Piemonte, C. [Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK), I-38122 Trento (Italy); Stolzi, F.; Suh, J.E; Sulaj, A. [Department of Physical Sciences, Earth and Environment, Via Roma 56, I-53100 Siena (Italy); INFN Sezione di Pisa, Largo Bruno Pontecorvo 3, I-56127 Pisa (Italy)

2017-02-11

A prototype of a Focused Internal Reflection Cherenkov, equipped with 16 arrays of NUV-SiPM, was tested at CERN SPS in March 2015 with beams of relativistic ions at 13, 19 and 30 GeV/n obtained from fragmentation of an Ar primary beam. The detector, designed to identify cosmic nuclei, features a Fused Silica radiator bar optically connected to a cylindrical mirror of the same material and an imaging focal plane of dimensions ∼4 cm×3 cm covered with a total of 1024 SiPM photosensors. Thanks to the outstanding performance of the SiPM arrays, the detector could be operated in photon counting mode as a fully digital device. The Cherenkov pattern was recorded together with the total number of detected photoelectrons increasing as Z{sup 2} as a function of the atomic number Z of the beam particle. In this paper, we report on the characterization and test of the SiPM arrays and the performance of the Cherenkov prototype for the charge identification of the beam particles.

Si/SiC heterojunction optically controlled transistor with charge compensation layer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pu Hongbin

2016-01-01

Full Text Available A novel n-SiC/p-Si/n-Si optically controlled transistor with charge compensation layer has been studied in the paper. The performance of the device is simulated using Silvaco Atlas tools, which indicates excellent performances of the device in both blocking state and conducting state. The device also has a good switching characteristic with 0.54μs as rising time and 0.66μs as falling time. With the charge compensation layer, the breakdown voltage and the spectral response intensity of the device are improved by 90V and 33A/W respectively. Compared with optically controlled transistor without charge compensation layer, the n-SiC/p-Si/n-Si optically controlled transistor with charge compensation layer has a better performance.

Characterization of SiC–SiC composites for accident tolerant fuel cladding

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Deck, C.P., E-mail: Christian.Deck@ga.com; Jacobsen, G.M.; Sheeder, J.; Gutierrez, O.; Zhang, J.; Stone, J.; Khalifa, H.E.; Back, C.A.

2015-11-15

Silicon carbide (SiC) is being investigated for accident tolerant fuel cladding applications due to its high temperature strength, exceptional stability under irradiation, and reduced oxidation compared to Zircaloy under accident conditions. An engineered cladding design combining monolithic SiC and SiC–SiC composite layers could offer a tough, hermetic structure to provide improved performance and safety, with a failure rate comparable to current Zircaloy cladding. Modeling and design efforts require a thorough understanding of the properties and structure of SiC-based cladding. Furthermore, both fabrication and characterization of long, thin-walled SiC–SiC tubes to meet application requirements are challenging. In this work, mechanical and thermal properties of unirradiated, as-fabricated SiC-based cladding structures were measured, and permeability and dimensional control were assessed. In order to account for the tubular geometry of the cladding designs, development and modification of several characterization methods were required.

EFFECT OF THE Si POWDER ADDITIONS ON THE PROPERTIES OF SiC COMPOSITES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

GUOGANG XU

2012-09-01

Full Text Available By means of transient plastic phase process, the SiC silicon carbide kiln furniture materials were produced through adding Si powder to SiC materials. At the condition of the same additions of SiO2 powder, the effect of the Si powder additions on properties of silicon carbide materials after sintered at 1450°C for 3 h in air atmosphere was studied by means of SEM and other analysis methods. The results showed that silicon powder contributes to both sintering by liquid state and plastic phase combination to improve the strength of samples. When the Si powder additions is lower than 3.5 %, the density and strength of samples increase and porosity decrease with increasing Si powder additions. However when the Si powder additions is higher than 3.5 %, the density and strength of samples decrease and porosity increase with increasing Si powder additions. With increasing of Si additions, the residual strength of sample after thermal shocked increased and linear change rate decreased, and get to boundary value when Si additions is 4.5 %. The results also indicated that at the same sintering temperature, the sample with 3.5 % silicon powder has maximum strength.

An siRNA-based functional genomics screen for the identification of regulators of ciliogenesis and ciliopathy genes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wheway, Gabrielle; Schmidts, Miriam; Mans, Dorus A; Szymanska, Katarzyna; Nguyen, Thanh-Minh T; Racher, Hilary; Phelps, Ian G; Toedt, Grischa; Kennedy, Julie; Wunderlich, Kirsten A; Sorusch, Nasrin; Abdelhamed, Zakia A; Natarajan, Subaashini; Herridge, Warren; van Reeuwijk, Jeroen; Horn, Nicola; Boldt, Karsten; Parry, David A; Letteboer, Stef J F; Roosing, Susanne; Adams, Matthew; Bell, Sandra M; Bond, Jacquelyn; Higgins, Julie; Morrison, Ewan E; Tomlinson, Darren C; Slaats, Gisela G; van Dam, Teunis J P; Huang, Lijia; Kessler, Kristin; Giessl, Andreas; Logan, Clare V; Boyle, Evan A; Shendure, Jay; Anazi, Shamsa; Aldahmesh, Mohammed; Al Hazzaa, Selwa; Hegele, Robert A; Ober, Carole; Frosk, Patrick; Mhanni, Aizeddin A; Chodirker, Bernard N; Chudley, Albert E; Lamont, Ryan; Bernier, Francois P; Beaulieu, Chandree L; Gordon, Paul; Pon, Richard T; Donahue, Clem; Barkovich, A James; Wolf, Louis; Toomes, Carmel; Thiel, Christian T; Boycott, Kym M; McKibbin, Martin; Inglehearn, Chris F; Stewart, Fiona; Omran, Heymut; Huynen, Martijn A; Sergouniotis, Panagiotis I; Alkuraya, Fowzan S; Parboosingh, Jillian S; Innes, A Micheil; Willoughby, Colin E; Giles, Rachel H; Webster, Andrew R; Ueffing, Marius; Blacque, Oliver; Gleeson, Joseph G; Wolfrum, Uwe; Beales, Philip L; Gibson, Toby; Doherty, Dan; Mitchison, Hannah M; Roepman, Ronald; Johnson, Colin A

Defects in primary cilium biogenesis underlie the ciliopathies, a growing group of genetic disorders. We describe a whole-genome siRNA-based reverse genetics screen for defects in biogenesis and/or maintenance of the primary cilium, obtaining a global resource. We identify 112 candidate ciliogenesis

Formation of Al15Mn3Si2 Phase During Solidification of a Novel Al-12%Si-4%Cu-1.2%Mn Heat-Resistant Alloy and Its Thermal Stability

Science.gov (United States)

Suo, Xiaojing; Liao, Hengcheng; Hu, Yiyun; Dixit, Uday S.; Petrov, Pavel

2018-02-01

The formation of Al15Mn3Si2 phase in Al-12Si-4Cu-1.2Mn (wt.%) alloy during solidification was investigated by adopting CALPHAD method and microstructural observation by optical microscopy, SEM-EDS, TEM-EDS/SAD and XRD analysis; SEM fixed-point observation method was applied to evaluate its thermal stability. As-cast microstructural observation consistently demonstrates the solidification sequence of the studied alloy predicted by phase diagram calculation. Based on the phase diagram calculation, SEM-EDS, TEM-EDS/SAD and XRD analysis, as well as evidences on Al-Si-Mn-Fe compounds from the literature, the primary and eutectic Mn-rich phases with different morphologies in the studied alloy are identified to be Al15Mn3Si2 that has a body-centered cubic (BCC) structure with a lattice constant of a = 1.352 nm. SEM fixed-point observation and XRD analysis indicate that Al15Mn3Si2 phase has more excellent thermal stability at high temperature than that of CuAl2 phase and can serve as the major strengthening phase in heat-resistant aluminum alloy that has to face a high-temperature working environment. Results of tension test show that addition of Mn can improve the strength of Al-Si-Cu alloy, especially at elevated temperature.

Readout electronics for the SiPM tracking plane in the NEXT-1 prototype

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herrero, V.; Toledo, J.; Català, J.M.; Esteve, R.; Gil, A.; Lorca, D.; Monzó, J.M.; Sanchis, F.; Verdugo, A.

2012-01-01

NEXT is a new experiment to search for neutrinoless double beta decay using a 100 kg radio-pure high-pressure gaseous xenon TPC with electroluminescence readout. A large-scale prototype with a SiPM tracking plane has been built. The primary electron paths can be reconstructed from time-resolved measurements of the light that arrives to the SiPM plane. Our approach is to measure how many photons have reached each SiPM sensor each microsecond with a gated integrator. We have designed and tested a 16-channel front-end board that includes the analog paths and a digital section. Each analog path consists of three different stages: a transimpedance amplifier, a gated integrator and an offset and gain control stage. Measurements show good linearity and the ability to detect single photoelectrons.

Readout electronics for the SiPM tracking plane in the NEXT-1 prototype

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Herrero, V. [Instituto de Instrumentacion para Imagen Molecular I3M (Centro mixto CSIC-Universitat Politecnica de Valencia-CIEMAT), 46022 Valencia (Spain); Toledo, J., E-mail: jtoledo@eln.upv.es [Instituto de Instrumentacion para Imagen Molecular I3M (Centro mixto CSIC-Universitat Politecnica de Valencia-CIEMAT), 46022 Valencia (Spain); Catala, J.M.; Esteve, R. [Instituto de Instrumentacion para Imagen Molecular I3M (Centro mixto CSIC-Universitat Politecnica de Valencia-CIEMAT), 46022 Valencia (Spain); Gil, A.; Lorca, D. [Instituto de Fisica Corpuscular (CSIC-Universidad de Valencia), 46980 Valencia (Spain); Monzo, J.M.; Sanchis, F. [Instituto de Instrumentacion para Imagen Molecular I3M (Centro mixto CSIC-Universitat Politecnica de Valencia-CIEMAT), 46022 Valencia (Spain); Verdugo, A. [CIEMAT-Centro de Investigaciones Energeticas, Medioambientales y Tecnologicas, Madrid (Spain)

2012-12-11

NEXT is a new experiment to search for neutrinoless double beta decay using a 100 kg radio-pure high-pressure gaseous xenon TPC with electroluminescence readout. A large-scale prototype with a SiPM tracking plane has been built. The primary electron paths can be reconstructed from time-resolved measurements of the light that arrives to the SiPM plane. Our approach is to measure how many photons have reached each SiPM sensor each microsecond with a gated integrator. We have designed and tested a 16-channel front-end board that includes the analog paths and a digital section. Each analog path consists of three different stages: a transimpedance amplifier, a gated integrator and an offset and gain control stage. Measurements show good linearity and the ability to detect single photoelectrons.

A simplified biomolecule attachment strategy for biosensing using a porous Si oxide interferometer

Science.gov (United States)

Perelman, Loren A.; Schwartz, Michael P.; Wohlrab, Aaron M.; VanNieuwenhze, Michael S.; Sailor, Michael J.

2008-01-01

A simple strategy for linking biomolecules to porous Si surfaces and detecting peptide/drug binding is described. Porous Si is prepared using an electrochemical etch and then thermally oxidized by heating in ambient atmosphere. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) is then non-covalently adsorbed to the inner pore walls of the porous Si oxide (PSiO2) matrix. The BSA layer is used as a linker for covalent attachment of the peptide Ac-L-Lysine-D-Alanine-D-Alanine (KAA) using published bioconjugation chemistry. BSA-coated surfaces functionalized with KAA display specificity for the glycopeptide vancomycin while resisting adsorption of non-specific reagents. While the biomolecule attachment strategy reported here is used to bind peptides, the scheme can be generalized to the linking of any primary amine-containing molecule to PSiO2 surfaces. PMID:18458749

Irradiation project of SiC/SiC fuel pin 'INSPIRE': Status and future plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kohyama, Akira; Kishimoto, Hirotatsu

2015-01-01

After the March 11 Disaster in East-Japan, Research and Development towards Ensuring Nuclear Safety Enhancement for LWR becomes a top priority R and D in nuclear energy policy of Japan. The role of high temperature non-metallic materials, such as SiC/SiC, is becoming important for the advanced nuclear reactor systems. SiC fibre reinforced SiC composite has been recognised to be the most attractive option for the future, now, METI fund based project, INSPIRE, has been launched as 5-year termed project at OASIS in Muroran Institute of Technology aiming at early realisation of this system. INSPIRE is the irradiation project of SiC/SiC fuel pins aiming to accumulate material, thermal, irradiation effect data of NITE-SiC/SiC in BWR environment. Nuclear fuel inserted SiC/SiC fuel pins are planned to be installed in the Halden reactor. The project includes preparing the NITE-SiC/SiC tubes, joining of end caps, preparation of rigs to control the irradiation environment to BWR condition and the instruments to measure the condition of rigs and pins in operation. Also, basic neutron irradiation data will be accumulated by SiC/SiC coupon samples currently under irradiation in BR2. The output from this project may present the potentiality of NITE-SiC/SiC fuel cladding with the first stage fuel-cladding interaction. (authors)

Reliability study of ultra-thin gate oxides on strained-Si/SiGe MOS structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Varzgar, John B.; Kanoun, Mehdi; Uppal, Suresh; Chattopadhyay, Sanatan; Tsang, Yuk Lun; Escobedo-Cousins, Enrique; Olsen, Sarah H.; O'Neill, Anthony; Hellstroem, Per-Erik; Edholm, Jonas; Ostling, Mikael; Lyutovich, Klara; Oehme, Michael; Kasper, Erich

2006-01-01

The reliability of gate oxides on bulk Si and strained Si (s-Si) has been evaluated using constant voltage stressing (CVS) to investigate their breakdown characteristics. The s-Si architectures exhibit a shorter life time compared to that of bulk Si, which is attributed to higher bulk oxide charges (Q ox ) and increased surface roughness in the s-Si structures. The gate oxide in the s-Si structure exhibits a hard breakdown (HBD) at 1.9 x 10 4 s, whereas HBD is not observed in bulk Si up to a measurement period of 1.44 x 10 5 s. The shorter lifetime of the s-Si gate oxide is attributed to a larger injected charge (Q inj ) compared to Q inj in bulk Si. Current-voltage (I-V) measurements for bulk Si samples at different stress intervals show an increase in stress induced leakage current (SILC) of two orders in the low voltage regime from zero stress time to up to 5 x 10 4 s. In contrast, superior performance enhancements in terms of drain current, maximum transconductance and effective channel mobility are observed in s-Si MOSFET devices compared to bulk Si. The results from this study indicate that further improvement in gate oxide reliability is needed to exploit the sustained performance enhancement of s-Si devices over bulk Si

Electrochemical characteristics of nc-Si/SiC composite for anode electrode of lithium ion batteries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jeon, Bup Ju; Lee, Joong Kee

2014-01-01

Graphical abstract: Cycling performances and coulombic efficiencies of the nc-Si/SiC composite anodes at different CH 4 /SiH 4 mole ratios. -- Highlights: • Our work has focused on irreversible discharge capacity and capacity retention of nc-Si/SiC composite particles. • Particles comprised a mixed construction of nc-Si/SiC structure with dual phases. • The SiC phase acted as retarding media, leading to enhanced cycle stability. -- Abstract: nc-Si/SiC composite particles were prepared as an anode material for lithium ion batteries using a plasma jet with DC arc discharge. The composition of the nc-Si/SiC composite particles was controlled by setting the mole ratio of CH 4 and SiH 4 precursor gases. X-ray diffraction, TEM images, and Raman shift analyses revealed that the synthesized nc-Si/SiC composite particles comprised a construction of nano-nocaled structure with crystalline phases of active silicon, highly disordered amorphous carbon of graphite and crystalline phases of β-SiC. In the experimental range examined, the nc-Si/SiC composite particles showed good coulombic efficiency in comparison with particles high Si–Si bonding content due to the interplay of particles with a small proportion of carbon and the buffering effect against volume expansion by structural stabilization, and played a role as retarding media for the rapid electrochemical reactions of the SiC crystal against lithium

Electrochemical characteristics of nc-Si/SiC composite for anode electrode of lithium ion batteries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jeon, Bup Ju [Department of Energy Resources, Shinhan University, 233-1, Sangpae-dong, Dongducheon, Gyeonggi-do, 483-777 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Joong Kee, E-mail: leejk@kist.re.kr [Advanced Energy Materials Processing Laboratory, Center for Energy Convergence Research, Green City Technology Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarangno 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 136-791 (Korea, Republic of)

2014-03-25

Graphical abstract: Cycling performances and coulombic efficiencies of the nc-Si/SiC composite anodes at different CH{sub 4}/SiH{sub 4} mole ratios. -- Highlights: • Our work has focused on irreversible discharge capacity and capacity retention of nc-Si/SiC composite particles. • Particles comprised a mixed construction of nc-Si/SiC structure with dual phases. • The SiC phase acted as retarding media, leading to enhanced cycle stability. -- Abstract: nc-Si/SiC composite particles were prepared as an anode material for lithium ion batteries using a plasma jet with DC arc discharge. The composition of the nc-Si/SiC composite particles was controlled by setting the mole ratio of CH{sub 4} and SiH{sub 4} precursor gases. X-ray diffraction, TEM images, and Raman shift analyses revealed that the synthesized nc-Si/SiC composite particles comprised a construction of nano-nocaled structure with crystalline phases of active silicon, highly disordered amorphous carbon of graphite and crystalline phases of β-SiC. In the experimental range examined, the nc-Si/SiC composite particles showed good coulombic efficiency in comparison with particles high Si–Si bonding content due to the interplay of particles with a small proportion of carbon and the buffering effect against volume expansion by structural stabilization, and played a role as retarding media for the rapid electrochemical reactions of the SiC crystal against lithium.

Synthesis of SiC decorated carbonaceous nanorods and its hierarchical composites Si@SiC@C for high-performance lithium ion batteries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Chundong [School of Optical and Electronic Information, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074 (China); Center of Super-Diamond and Advanced Films (COSDAF), Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR (China); Li, Yi, E-mail: liyi@suda.edu.cn [College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou (China); Center of Super-Diamond and Advanced Films (COSDAF), Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR (China); Ostrikov, Kostya [School of Chemistry, Physics and Mechanical Engineering, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland 4000 (Australia); Plasma Nanoscience, Industrial Innovation Program, CSIRO Manufacturing Flagship, Lindfield, New South Wales 2070 (Australia); Yang, Yonggang [College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University, Suzhou (China); Zhang, Wenjun, E-mail: apwjzh@cityu.edu.hk [Center of Super-Diamond and Advanced Films (COSDAF), Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR (China)

2015-10-15

SiC- based nanomaterials possess superior electric, thermal and mechanical properties. However, due to the tricky synthesis process, which needs to be carried out under high temperature with multi-step reaction procedures, the further application is dramatically limited. Herein, a simple as well as a controllable approach is proposed for synthesis of SiC- based nanostructures under low temperature. Phenyl-bridged polysilsesquioxane was chosen as the starting material to react with magnesium at 650 °C, following which SiC@C nanocomposites were finally obtained, and it maintains the original bent rod-like architecture of polysilsesquioxanes. The possible formation process for the nanocomposites can proposed as well. The electrochemical behaviour of nanocomposites was accessed, verifying that the synthesized SiC@C nanocomposites deliver good electrochemical performance. Moreover, SiC@C also shows to be a promising scaffold in supporting Si thin film electrode in achieving stable cycling performance in lithium ion batteries. - Highlights: • SiC@C bent nanorods were synthesized with a magnesium reaction approach. • Carbon nanorod spines studded with ultrafine β-SiC nanocrystallines was realized. • The synthesized SiC@C keeps the original rod-like structure of polysilsesquioxanes. • The possible formation process for the nanocomposites was analysed and proposed. • Si@SiC@C nanocomposites reveal good electrochemical performance in LIBs.

Progress in blanket designs using SiCf/SiC composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giancarli, L.; Golfier, H.; Nishio, S.; Raffray, R.; Wong, C.; Yamada, R.

2002-01-01

This paper summarizes the most recent design activities concerning the use of SiC f /SiC composite as structural material for fusion power reactor breeding blanket. Several studies have been performed in the past. The most recent proposals are the TAURO blanket concept in the European Union, the ARIES-AT concept in the US, and DREAM concept in Japan. The first two concepts are self-cooled lithium-lead blankets, while DREAM is an helium-cooled beryllium/ceramic blanket. Both TAURO and ARIES-AT blankets are essentially formed by a SiC f /SiC box acting as a container for the lithium-lead which has the simultaneous functions of coolant, tritium breeder, neutron multiplier and, finally, tritium carrier. The DREAM blanket is characterized by small modules using pebble beds of Be as neutron multiplier material, of Li 2 O (or other lithium ceramics) as breeder material and of SiC as shielding material. The He coolant path includes a flow through the pebble beds and a porous partition wall. For each blanket, this paper describes the main design features and performances, the most recent design improvements, and the proposed manufacturing routes in order to identify specific issues and requirements for the future R and D on SiC f /SiC

Gas-source molecular beam epitaxy of Si(111) on Si(110) substrates by insertion of 3C-SiC(111) interlayer for hybrid orientation technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bantaculo, Rolando, E-mail: rolandobantaculo@yahoo.com; Saitoh, Eiji; Miyamoto, Yu; Handa, Hiroyuki; Suemitsu, Maki

2011-11-01

A method to realize a novel hybrid orientations of Si surfaces, Si(111) on Si(110), has been developed by use of a Si(111)/3C-SiC(111)/Si(110) trilayer structure. This technology allows us to use the Si(111) portion for the n-type and the Si(110) portion for the p-type channels, providing a solution to the current drive imbalance between the two channels confronted in Si(100)-based complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology. The central idea is to use a rotated heteroepitaxy of 3C-SiC(111) on Si(110) substrate, which occurs when a 3C-SiC film is grown under certain growth conditions. Monomethylsilane (SiH{sub 3}-CH{sub 3}) gas-source molecular beam epitaxy (GSMBE) is used for this 3C-SiC interlayer formation while disilane (Si{sub 2}H{sub 6}) is used for the top Si(111) layer formation. Though the film quality of the Si epilayer leaves a lot of room for betterment, the present results may suffice to prove its potential as a new technology to be used in the next generation CMOS devices.

Magnetic ordering of YPd{sub 2}Si-type HoNi{sub 2}Si and ErNi{sub 2}Si compounds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morozkin, A.V., E-mail: morozkin@tech.chem.msu.ru [Department of Chemistry, Moscow State University, Leninskie Gory, House 1, Building 3, GSP-2, Moscow, 119992 (Russian Federation); Isnard, O. [CNRS, Insitut. Néel, 25 Rue Des Martyrs BP166 x, F-38042 Grenoble (France); Université Grenoble Alpes, Inst. Néel, F-38042 Grenoble (France); Nirmala, R. [Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600 036 (India); Quezado, S.; Malik, S.K. [Departamento de Física Teórica e Experimental, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal 59082-970 (Brazil)

2016-12-01

Magnetic properties of YPd{sub 2}Si-type HoNi{sub 2}Si and ErNi{sub 2}Si were investigated via neutron diffraction and magnetisation measurements. HoNi{sub 2}Si and ErNi{sub 2}Si show ferromagnetic-like ordering at T{sub C} of 9 K and 7 K, respectively. The paramagnetic Weiss temperatures are 9 K and 11 K and the effective magnetic moments are 10.76 μ{sub B}/fu and 9.79 μ{sub B}/fu for HoNi{sub 2}Si and ErNi{sub 2}Si compounds, respectively. The HoNi{sub 2}Si and ErNi{sub 2}Si are soft ferromagnets with saturation magnetization of 8.1 μ{sub B}/fu and 7.5 μ{sub B}/fu, respectively at 2 K and in field of 140 kOe. The isothermal magnetic entropy change, ΔS{sub m}, has a maximum value of −15.6 J/kg·K at 10 K for HoNi{sub 2}Si and −13.9 J/kg·K at 6 K for ErNi{sub 2}Si for a field change of 50 kOe. Neutron diffraction study in zero applied field shows mixed ferromagnetic-antiferromagnetic ordering of HoNi{sub 2}Si at ~9 K and its magnetic structure is a sum of a-axis ferromagnetic F{sub a}, b-axis antiferromagnetic AF{sub b} and c-axis antiferrromagnetic AF{sub c} components of Pn′a2{sub 1}′={1, m_x′/[1/2, 1/2, 1/2], 2_y′/[0, 1/2, 0], m_z/[1/2, 0, 1/2]} magnetic space group and propagation vector K{sub 0}=[0, 0, 0]. The holmium magnetic moment reaches a value of 9.23(9) μ{sub B} at 1.5 K and the unit cell of HoNi{sub 2}Si undergoes isotropic contraction around the temperature of magnetic transition. - Graphical abstract: HoNi{sub 2}Si: mixed ferro-antiferromagnet (F{sub a}+AF{sub b}+AF{sub c}){sup K0} with Pn′a2{sub 1}′ magnetic space group and K{sub 0}=[0, 0, 0] propagation vector below 10 K. - Highlights: • Ferro-antiferromagnetic ordering is observed in HoNi{sub 2}Si at 9 K and in ErNi{sub 2}Si at 7 K. • HoNi{sub 2}Si is soft ferromagnet with ΔS{sub m} of −15.6 J/kg·K at 10 K in field of 0–50 kOe. • ErNi{sub 2}Si is soft ferromagnet with ΔS{sub m} of −13.9 J/kg·K at 6 K in field of 0–50 kOe. • HoNi{sub 2}Si shows mixed F�

Compósitos SiCf /SiC utilizados em sistemas de proteção térmica SiCf /SiC composites for thermal protection systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Florian

2005-09-01

Full Text Available Compósitos de carbeto de silício (SiC reforçado com fibras de carbeto de silício (SiCf são materiais candidatos em potencial para utilização em sistemas de proteção térmica em altas temperaturas devido principalmente à boa condutividade térmica na direção da fibra e muito baixa condutividade térmica na direção transversal à fibra, alta dureza, estabilidade térmica e à corrosão por oxidação. O compósito SiCf/SiC possui uma matriz de SiC reforçada com fibras contínuas policristalinas de SiC e é obtido por reações de conversão em altas temperaturas e atmosfera controlada, utilizando o compósito carbono/carbono como precursor. O processo de Reação Química em Vapor (CVR foi utilizado para a fabricação de compósitos SiCf/SiC com alta pureza na fase de SiC-beta. O compósito precursor de carbono/carbono foi fabricado com fibra de carbono não estabilizada e matriz carbonosa derivada da resina fenólica na forma de carbono isotrópico. O compósito convertido exibiu uma densidade de 1,75 g/cm³, com 40% de porosidade aberta e resistência à flexão de 80 MPa medida por ensaio flexão em 4 pontos. A área especifica medida pela técnica de BET é dependente da temperatura de conversão e das condições inicias do precursor de carbono, podendo chegar a 18 m²/g.Composites based on silicon carbide are potential candidate materials for thermal protection systems mainly due to its good thermal conductivity in fiber direction and very low transversal thermal conductivity, high hardness, corrosion and thermal resistance. SiCf/SiC composite presents a SiC matrix reinforced with SiC polycrystalline continuous fibers. The composite was obtained by conversion reactions at high temperature and controlled atmosphere from a carbon/carbon composite precursor. The CVR process was used to fabricate SiC /SiC composite with crystalline high-purity beta-SiC from a carbon-carbon precursor fabricated with non-stabilized carbon fiber and

The Leakage Current Improvement of a Ni-Silicided SiGe/Si Junction Using a Si Cap Layer and the PAI Technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chang Jian-Guang; Wu Chun-Bo; Ji Xiao-Li; Ma Hao-Wen; Yan Feng; Shi Yi; Zhang Rong

2012-01-01

We investigate the leakage current of ultra-shallow Ni-silicided SiGe/Si junctions for 45 nm CMOS technology using a Si cap layer and the pre-amorphization implantation (PAI) process. It is found that with the conventional Ni silicide method, the leakage current of a p + (SiGe)—n(Si) junction is large and attributed to band-to-band tunneling and the generation-recombination process. The two leakage contributors can be suppressed quite effectively when a Si cap layer is added in the Ni silicide method. The leakage reduction is about one order of magnitude and could be associated with the suppression of the agglomeration of the Ni germano-silicide film. In addition, the PAI process after the application of a Si cap layer has little effect on improving the junction leakage but reduces the sheet resistance of the silicide film. As a result, the novel Ni silicide method using a Si cap combined with PAI is a promising choice for SiGe junctions in advanced technology. (cross-disciplinary physics and related areas of science and technology)

Narrow photoluminescence peak from Ge(Si) islands embedded between tensile-strained Si layers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shaleev, Mikhail; Novikov, Alexey; Baydakova, Nataliya; Yablonskiy, Artem; Drozdov, Yuriy; Lobanov, Dmitriy; Krasilnik, Zakhary [Institute for Physics of Microstructures, Russian Academy of Sciences, GSP-105, 603950 Nizhny Novgorod (Russian Federation); Kuznetsov, Oleg [Physical-Technical Research Institute, Nizhny Novgorod State University, pr. Gagarina 23, 603950 Nizhny Novgorod (Russian Federation)

2011-03-15

The influence of thickness of the strained Si layers, measurement temperature and optical pumping power on width of the photoluminescence line from Ge(Si) self-assembled nanoislands grown on relaxed SiGe/Si(001) buffer layers and embedded between tensile-stained Si layers was studied. This line appears due to the II-type optical transition between the holes localized in islands and the electrons confined in tensile-strained Si layers under and above the islands. The possibility of tuning the photoluminescence line width by changing the strained Si layer thicknesses under and above the islands is showed. The decrease of the photoluminescence line width from Ge(Si) islands down to values comparable with width of the PL line from InAs/GaAs quantum dots was achieved due to the quantum confinement of electrons in thin strained Si layers and taking into account of the higher diffusion-induced smearing of strained Si layer above the islands. (copyright 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

The structure modification of Si-SiO2 irradiated by Fe+ ion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jin Tao; Ma Zhongquan; Guo Qi

1992-01-01

The effect of the iron ion implantation on the oxide surface and SiO 2 -Si interface of MOS structure was studied by X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy (XPS), and the chemical states of compounds formed were examined. The results obtained show that in the surface layers of SiO 2 the pure Si micro-regions are formed under the implantation and the interface layers of SiO 2 the pure Si micro-regions are formed under the implantation and the interface thickness is almost doubled that leads to failure of MOS capacitors. The physical and chemical mechanisms of MOS structure change by Fe + ion implantation are also discussed and analyzed

Electroplating chromium on CVD SiC and SiCf-SiC advanced cladding via PyC compatibility coating

Science.gov (United States)

Ang, Caen; Kemery, Craig; Katoh, Yutai

2018-05-01

Electroplating Cr on SiC using a pyrolytic carbon (PyC) bond coat is demonstrated as an innovative concept for coating of advanced fuel cladding. The quantification of coating stress, SEM morphology, XRD phase analysis, and debonding test of the coating on CVD SiC and SiCf-SiC is shown. The residual tensile stress (by ASTM B975) of electroplated Cr is > 1 GPa prior to stress relaxation by microcracking. The stress can remove the PyC/Cr layer from SiC. Surface etching of ∼20 μm and roughening to Ra > 2 μm (by SEM observation) was necessary for successful adhesion. The debonding strength (by ASTM D4541) of the coating on SiC slightly improved from 3.6 ± 1.4 MPa to 5.9 ± 0.8 MPa after surface etching or machining. However, this improvement is limited due to the absence of an interphase, and integrated CVI processing may be required for further advancement.

High-performance a -Si/c-Si heterojunction photoelectrodes for photoelectrochemical oxygen and hydrogen evolution

KAUST Repository

Wang, Hsin Ping; Sun, Ke; Noh, Sun Young; Kargar, Alireza; Tsai, Meng Lin; Huang, Ming Yi; Wang, Deli; He, Jr-Hau

2015-01-01

Amorphous Si (a-Si)/crystalline Si (c-Si) heterojunction (SiHJ) can serve as highly efficient and robust photoelectrodes for solar fuel generation. Low carrier recombination in the photoelectrodes leads to high photocurrents and photovoltages

A novel restraint spraying-Conform process for manufacturing hypereutectic Al-Si alloy with enhanced properties

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Y. G.; Yang, H.; Zhang, B. Q.; Liu, Y. L.; Yin, J. C.; Wei, W.; Zhong, Y.

2017-02-01

A novel restraint spraying-Conform (RS-C) process, which directly combines spraying with Conform to process metals in one step, has been proposed. Al-20Si alloy selected as experimental material was successfully fabricated by the RS-C process. The microstructures were dominated with fine and uniform primary silicon phases. The tensile strength and elongation to failure of the Al-20Si alloy were 204 MPa and 7.2% respectively after the RS-C process. The wear resistance of the processed Al-20Si alloy was increased significantly, about 1.7 times over the as-cast ingot. The experimental results indicate that RS-C is a promising near net shape forming technology.

Luminescence of solar cells with a-Si:H/c-Si heterojunctions

Science.gov (United States)

Zhigunov, D. M.; Il'in, A. S.; Forsh, P. A.; Bobyl', A. V.; Verbitskii, V. N.; Terukov, E. I.; Kashkarov, P. K.

2017-05-01

We have studied the electroluminescence (EL) and photoluminescence (PL) of solar cells containing a-Si:H/c-Si heterojunctions. It is established that both the EL and PL properties of these cells are determined by the radiative recombination of nonequilibrium carriers in crystalline silicon (c-Si). The external EL energy yield (efficiency) of solar cells with a-Si:H/c-Si heterojunctions at room temperature amounts to 2.1% and exceeds the value reached in silicon diode structures. This large EL efficiency can be explained by good passivation of the surface of crystalline silicon and the corresponding increase in lifetime of minority carrier s in these solar cells.

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Windisch, C.F. Jr.; Jones, R.H. [Pacific Northwest National Lab., Richland, WA (United States); Snead, L.L. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)

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 are in progress to evaluate the stability of these materials.

Fermi surfaces of YRu2Si2 and LaRu2Si2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Settai, R.; Ikezawa, H.; Toshima, H.; Takashita, M.; Ebihara, T.; Sugawara, H.; Kimura, T.; Motoki, K.; Onuki, Y.

1995-01-01

We have measured the de Haas-van Alphen effect of YRu 2 Si 2 and LaRu 2 Si 2 to clarify the Fermi surfaces and cyclotron masses. Main hole-Fermi surfaces of both compounds with a distorted ellipsoid shape are similar, occupying about half of the Brillouin zone. The small hole-Fermi surfaces with the shape of a rugby ball are three in number for LaRu 2 Si 2 , and one for YRu 2 Si 2 . An electron-Fermi surface consists of a doughnut like shape for LaRu 2 Si 2 , while a cylinder along the [001] direction and a multiply-connected shape exist for YRu 2 Si 2 . The cyclotron masses of YRu 2 Si 2 are a little larger than those of LaRu 2 Si 2 . ((orig.))

Thickness dependent formation and properties of GdSi2/Si(100) interfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peto, G.; Molnar, G.; Dozsa, L.; Horvath, Z.E.; Horvath, Zs.J.; Zsoldos, E.; Dimitriadis, C.A.; Papadimitriou, L.

2005-01-01

Epitaxial and polycrystalline orthorhombic GdSi 2 films were grown on Si(100) substrates by solid phase reaction between Si and Gd films at different thicknesses of the Gd film. The most important property of these GdSi 2 /Si interfaces was defect formation. This was investigated by studying the properties of the Schottky barriers by means of current voltage and capacitance-voltage characteristics, deep level transient spectroscopy by double crystal X-ray diffractometry, and transmission electron microscopy. Epitaxial growth of the silicide layer ensured a relatively low interface defect density (about 10 10 cm -2 ), while the non-epitaxial growth induced defects of a much higher density (about 10 12 cm -2 ). The defects generated during the silicide formation are located within a depth of about 10 nm from the GdSi 2 /Si interface. (orig.)

On formation of silicon nanocrystals under annealing SiO2 layers implanted with Si ions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kachurin, G.A.; Yanovskaya, S.G.; Volodin, V.A.; Kesler, V.G.; Lejer, A.F.; Ruault, M.-O.

2002-01-01

Raman scattering, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and photoluminescence have been used to study the formation of silicon nanocrystals in SiO 2 implanted with Si ions. Si clusters have been formed at once in the postimplanted layers, providing the excessive Si concentration more ∼ 3 at. %. Si segregation with Si-Si 4 bonds formation is enhanced as following annealing temperature increase, however, the Raman scattering by Si clusters diminishes. The effect is explained by a transformation of the chain-like Si clusters into compact phase nondimensional structures. Segregation of Si nanoprecipitates had ended about 1000 deg C, but the strong photoluminescence typical for Si nanocrystals manifested itself only after 1100 deg C [ru

Implantation of P ions in SiO2 layers with embedded Si nanocrystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kachurin, G.A.; Cherkova, S.G.; Volodin, V.A.; Kesler, V.G.; Gutakovsky, A.K.; Cherkov, A.G.; Bublikov, A.V.; Tetelbaum, D.I.

2004-01-01

The effect of 10 13 -10 16 cm -2 P ions implantation and of subsequent annealing on Si nanocrystals (Si-ncs), formed preliminarily in SiO 2 layers by the ion-beam synthesis, has been studied. Photoluminescence (PL), Raman spectroscopy, high resolution electron microscopy (HREM), X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and optical absorption were used for characterizations. The low fluence implantations have shown even individual displacements in Si-ncs quench their PL. Restoration of PL from partly damaged Si-ncs proceeds at annealing less than 1000 deg. C. In the low fluence implanted and annealed samples an increased Si-ncs PL has been found and ascribed to the radiation-induced shock crystallization of stressed Si nanoprecipitates. Annealing at temperatures under 1000 deg. C are inefficient when P ion fluences exceed 10 14 cm -2 , thus becoming capable to amorphize Si-ncs. High crystallization temperature of the amorphized Si-ncs is attributed to a counteraction of their shell layers. After implantation of the highest P fluences an enhanced recovery of PL was found from P concentration over 0.1 at.%. Raman spectroscopy and HREM showed an increased Si-ncs number in such layers. The effect resembles the impurity-enhanced crystallization, known for heavily doped bulk Si. This effect, along with the data obtained by XPS, is considered as an indication P atoms are really present inside the Si-ncs. However, no evidence of free electrons appearance has been observed. The fact is explained by an increased interaction of electrons with the donor nuclei in Si-ncs

Investigation into solubility and diffusion in SiC-NbC, SiC-TiC, SiC-ZrC systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Safaraliev, G.K.; Tairov, Yu.M.; Tsvetkov, V.F.; Shabanov, Sh.Sh.

1991-01-01

An investigation is carried out which demonstrates solid-phase interaction between SiC and NbC, TiC and ZrC monocrystals. The monocrystals are subjected to hot pressing in SiC powder with dispersity of 5x10 -6 m. The pressing temperature is 2270-2570 K and pressure is varied in the range of 20-40 MPa. Element composition and the distribution profile in a thin layer near the boundary of SiC-NbC, SiC-TiC and SiC-ZrC are investigated by the Anger spectroscopy method. The obtained results permit to make the conclusion in the possibility of solid solution formation in investigated systems

Materials and devices for quantum information processing in Si/SiGe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sailer, Juergen

2010-12-15

In this thesis, we cover and discuss the complete way from material science, the fabrication of two-dimensional electron systems (2DES) in Si/SiGe heterostructures in molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), to quantum effects in few-electron devices based on these samples. We applied and compared two different approaches for the creation of pseudo-substrates that are as smooth, relaxed and defect free as possible. In the 'graded buffer' concept, starting from pure Si, the Ge content of the SiGe alloy is slowly and linearly increased until the desired Ge content is reached. In contrast, in the so-called 'low-temperature Si' concept, the SiGe alloy is deposited directly with the final Ge content, but onto a layer of highly defective Si. In terms of crystal defects, the 'graded buffer' turned out to be superior in comparison to the 'low-temperature Si' concept at the expense of a significantly higher material consumption. By continued optimization of the growth process, aiming at reducing the influence of the impurity, it nevertheless became possible to improve the charge carrier mobility from a mere 2000 cm{sup 2}/(Vs) to a record mobility exceeding 100 000 cm{sup 2}/(Vs). Within this work, we extended our MBE system with an electron beam evaporator for nuclear spin free {sup 28}Si. Together with the already existing effusion cell for {sup 70}Ge we were able to realize first 2DES in a nuclear spin free environment after successfully putting it to operation. The highest mobility 2DES in a nuclear spin free environment which have been realized in this thesis exhibited electron mobilities of up to 55 000 cm{sup 2}/(Vs). Quantum effects in Si/SiGe have been investigated in two- and zero-dimensional nanostructures. A remarkable phenomenon in the regime of the integer quantum Hall effect in Si/SiGe 2DES has been discovered and researched. For applications in quantum information processing and for the creation of qubits it is mandatory to

Structure and chemistry of passivated SiC/SiO{sub 2} interfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Houston Dycus, J.; Xu, Weizong; LeBeau, James M. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7907 (United States); Lichtenwalner, Daniel J.; Hull, Brett; Palmour, John W. [Power Devices R& D, Wolfspeed, A Cree Company, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709 (United States)

2016-05-16

Here, we report on the chemistry and structure of 4H-SiC/SiO{sub 2} interfaces passivated either by nitric oxide annealing or Ba deposition. Using aberration corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy and spectroscopy, we find that Ba and N remain localized at SiC/SiO{sub 2} interface after processing. Further, we find that the passivating species can introduce significant changes to the near-interface atomic structure of SiC. Specifically, we quantify significant strain for nitric oxide annealed sample where Si dangling bonds are capped by N. In contrast, strain is not observed at the interface of the Ba treated samples. Finally, we place these results in the context of field effect mobility.

Self-aligned indium–gallium–zinc oxide thin-film transistors with SiN{sub x}/SiO{sub 2}/SiN{sub x}/SiO{sub 2} passivation layers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Rongsheng, E-mail: rschen@ust.hk; Zhou, Wei; Zhang, Meng; Kwok, Hoi-Sing

2014-08-01

Self-aligned top-gate amorphous indium–gallium–zinc oxide (a-IGZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs) with SiN{sub x}/SiO{sub 2}/SiN{sub x}/SiO{sub 2} passivation layers are developed in this paper. The resulting a-IGZO TFT exhibits high reliability against bias stress and good electrical performance including field-effect mobility of 5 cm{sup 2}/Vs, threshold voltage of 2.5 V, subthreshold swing of 0.63 V/decade, and on/off current ratio of 5 × 10{sup 6}. With scaling down of the channel length, good characteristics are also obtained with a small shift of the threshold voltage and no degradation of subthreshold swing. The proposed a-IGZO TFTs in this paper can act as driving devices in the next generation flat panel displays. - Highlights: • Self-aligned top-gate indium–gallium–zinc oxide thin-film transistor is proposed. • SiN{sub x}/SiO{sub 2}/SiN{sub x}/SiO{sub 2} passivation layers are developed. • The source/drain areas are hydrogen-doped by CHF3 plasma. • The devices show good electrical performance and high reliability against bias stress.

Chemical compatibility issues associated with use of SiC/SiC in advanced reactor concepts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wilson, Dane F. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2015-09-01

Silicon carbide/silicon carbide (SiC/SiC) composites are of interest for components that will experience high radiation fields in the High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor (HTGR), the Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR), the Sodium Fast Reactor (SFR), or the Fluoride-cooled High-temperature Reactor (FHR). In all of the reactor systems considered, reactions of SiC/SiC composites with the constituents of the coolant determine suitability of materials of construction. The material of interest is nuclear grade SiC/SiC composites, which consist of a SiC matrix [high-purity, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) SiC or liquid phase-sintered SiC that is crystalline beta-phase SiC containing small amounts of alumina-yttria impurity], a pyrolytic carbon interphase, and somewhat impure yet crystalline beta-phase SiC fibers. The interphase and fiber components may or may not be exposed, at least initially, to the reactor coolant. The chemical compatibility of SiC/SiC composites in the three reactor environments is highly dependent on thermodynamic stability with the pure coolant, and on reactions with impurities present in the environment including any ingress of oxygen and moisture. In general, there is a dearth of information on the performance of SiC in these environments. While there is little to no excess Si present in the new SiC/SiC composites, the reaction of Si with O₂ cannot be ignored, especially for the FHR, in which environment the product, SiO₂, can be readily removed by the fluoride salt. In all systems, reaction of the carbon interphase layer with oxygen is possible especially under abnormal conditions such as loss of coolant (resulting in increased temperature), and air and/ or steam ingress. A global outline of an approach to resolving SiC/SiC chemical compatibility concerns with the environments of the three reactors is presented along with ideas to quickly determine the baseline compatibility performance of SiC/SiC.

Manufacturing and characterization of porous SiC for flow channel inserts in dual-coolant blanket designs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bereciartu, Ainhoa [CEIT and Tecnun (University of Navarra), Manuel de Lardizabal 15, 20018 San Sebastian (Spain); Ordas, Nerea, E-mail: nordas@ceit.es [CEIT and Tecnun (University of Navarra), Manuel de Lardizabal 15, 20018 San Sebastian (Spain); Garcia-Rosales, Carmen [CEIT and Tecnun (University of Navarra), Manuel de Lardizabal 15, 20018 San Sebastian (Spain); Morono, Alejandro; Malo, Marta; Hodgson, Eric R. [CIEMAT, Avenida Complutense 22, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Abella, Jordi [Institut Quimic de Sarria, University Ramon Llull, Via Augusta 390, 08017 Barcelona (Spain); Sedano, Luis [CIEMAT, Avenida Complutense 22, 28040 Madrid (Spain)

2011-10-15

SiC is the primary candidate for the flow channel inserts in dual-coolant blanket concepts. Porous SiC ceramics are attractive candidates for this non-structural application, since they can satisfy the required properties through a low cost manufacturing route, compared to SiC{sub f}/SiC. This work shows first results of the manufacturing of porous SiC ceramics prepared with different amounts of Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} and Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} as sintering additives. C powders were used as pore-formers by their burnout during oxidation after sintering. Comparison of microstructure, porosity, flexural strength, thermal and electrical conductivity and corrosion under Pb-15.7Li of porous SiC without and with sintering additives is presented. The addition of 2.5 wt.% of Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} and Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} improves the mechanical properties, and reduces the thermal and electrical conductivity down to reasonable values. Preliminary corrosion tests under Pb-15.7 Li at 500 deg. C show that the absence of a dense coating on porous SiC leads to poor corrosion behavior.

Heteroepitaxial growth of SiC films by carbonization of polyimide Langmuir-Blodgett films on Si

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Goloudina S.I.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available High quality single crystal SiC films were prepared by carbonization of polyimide Langmuir-Blodgett films on Si substrate. The films formed after annealing of the polyimide films at 1000°C, 1100°C, 1200°C were studied by Fourier transform-infrared (FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD, Raman spectroscopy, transmission electon microscopy (TEM, transmission electron diffraction (TED, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM. XRD study and HRTEM cross-section revealed that the crystalline SiC film begins to grow on Si (111 substrate at 1000°C. According to the HRTEM cross-section image five planes in 3C-SiC (111 film are aligned with four Si(111 planes at the SiC/Si interface. It was shown the SiC films (35 nm grown on Si(111 at 1200°C have mainly cubic 3C-SiC structure with a little presence of hexagonal polytypes. Only 3C-SiC films (30 nm were formed on Si (100 substrate at the same temperature. It was shown the SiC films (30-35 nm are able to cover the voids in Si substrate with size up to 10 μm.

Purity and radioactive decay behaviour of industrial 2D-reinforced SiCf/SiC composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scholz, H.W.; Zucchetti, M.; Casteleyn, K.; Adelhelm, C.

1994-01-01

Ceramic matrix composites based on SiC with continuous fibres (SiC f /SiC) are considered promising structural materials for future fusion devices. It was still to clarify, whether impurities in industrial SiC f /SiC could jeopardise radiological advantages. Experimental impurity analyses revealed a two-dimensionally reinforced SiC f /SiC with the matrix produced by CVI as very pure. Chemo-spectrometric methods were combined with radioactivation methods (CPAA, NAA). A quantification of the main constituents Si, C and O was added. Calculations with the FISPACT-2.4 code and EAF-2 library identified elements detrimental for different low-activation criteria. For the neutron exposure, EEF reactor-study first wall and blanket conditions were simulated. The calculated SiC f /SiC included 48 trace elements. Even under conservative assumptions, all low-activation limits of European interest are fulfilled. Exclusively the hands-on recycling limit for the First Wall can intrinsically not be satisfied with SiC. The theoretical goal of a SiC f /SiC depleted of 28 Si (isotopic tailoring) is critically discussed. ((orig.))

Transformation of sludge Si to nano-Si/SiOx structure by oxygen inward diffusion as precursor for high performance anodes in lithium ion batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Hua, Qiqi; Dai, Dongyang; Zhang, Chengzhi; Han, Fei; Lv, Tiezheng; Li, Xiaoshan; Wang, Shijie; Zhu, Rui; Liao, Haojie; Zhang, Shiguo

2018-05-01

Although several Si/C composite structures have been proposed for high-performance lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), they have still suffered from expensive and complex processes of nano-Si production. Herein, a simple, controllable oxygen inward diffusion was utilized to transform Si sludge obtained from the photovoltaic (PV) industry into the nano-Si/SiOx structure as a result of the high diffusion efficiency of O inside Si and high surface area of the sludge. After further process, a yolk/shell Si/C structure was obtained as an anode material for LIBs. This composite demonstrated an excellent cycling stability, with a high reversible capacity (˜ 1250 mAh/g for 500 cycles), by void space originally left by the SiOx accommodate inner Si expansion. We believe this is a rather simple way to convert the waste Si into a valuable nano-Si for LIB applications.

Carrier recombination in tailored multilayer Si/Si{sub 1−x}Ge{sub x} nanostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mala, S.A. [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07102 (United States); Tsybeskov, L., E-mail: tsybesko@njit.edu [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07102 (United States); Lockwood, D.J.; Wu, X.; Baribeau, J.-M. [National Research Council, Ottawa, ON, Canada KIA 0R6 (Canada)

2014-11-15

Photoluminescence (PL) measurements were performed in Si/Si{sub 1−x}Ge{sub x} nanostructures with a single Si{sub 0.92}Ge{sub 0.08} nanometer-thick layer incorporated into Si/Si{sub 0.6}Ge{sub 0.4} cluster multilayers. Under pulsed laser excitation, the PL decay associated with the Si{sub 0.92}Ge{sub 0.08} nano-layer is found to be nearly a 1000 times faster compared to that in Si/Si{sub 0.6}Ge{sub 0.4} cluster multilayers. A model considering Si/SiGe hetero-interface composition and explaining the fast and slow time-dependent recombination rates is proposed.

Structural and photoluminescence properties of Si-based nanosheet bundles rooted on Si substrates

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Peiling; Tamaki, Ryo; Kusazaki, Shinya; Atsumi, Nanae; Saito, Yuya; Kumazawa, Yuki; Ahsan, Nazmul; Okada, Yoshitaka; Ishida, Akihiro; Tatsuoka, Hirokazu

2018-04-01

Si-based nanosheet bundles were synthesized by the extraction of Ca atoms from CaSi2 microwalls grown on Si substrates by inositol hexakisphosphate solution or thermal treatment in FeCl2 vapor. The structural and photoluminescence properties of the Si-based nanosheet bundles were examined. The photoluminescence emissions in the visible region were clearly observed, and the temperature and excitation intensity dependences of the emissions were characterized. The observed Si-based nanosheets consist of thin Si layers, and a superlattice-like layered structural model is proposed to describe the Si-based nanosheet bundle structures and their photoluminescence property. The photoluminescence property of the nanosheets significantly depends on their treatment process. The luminescence mechanism of the nanosheets was discussed.

An optically controlled SiC lateral power transistor based on SiC/SiCGe super junction structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pu Hongbin; Cao Lin; Ren Jie; Chen Zhiming; Nan Yagong

2010-01-01

An optically controlled SiC/SiCGe lateral power transistor based on superjunction structure has been proposed, in which n-SiCGe/p-SiC superjunction structure is employed to improve device figure of merit. Performance of the novel optically controlled power transistor was simulated using Silvaco Atlas tools, which has shown that the device has a very good response to the visible light and the near infrared light. The optoelectronic responsivities of the device at 0.5 μm and 0.7 μm are 330 mA/W and 76.2 mA/W at 2 V based voltage, respectively. (semiconductor devices)

An optically controlled SiC lateral power transistor based on SiC/SiCGe super junction structure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pu Hongbin; Cao Lin; Ren Jie; Chen Zhiming; Nan Yagong, E-mail: puhongbin@xaut.edu.c [Xi' an University of Technology, Xi' an 710048 (China)

2010-04-15

An optically controlled SiC/SiCGe lateral power transistor based on superjunction structure has been proposed, in which n-SiCGe/p-SiC superjunction structure is employed to improve device figure of merit. Performance of the novel optically controlled power transistor was simulated using Silvaco Atlas tools, which has shown that the device has a very good response to the visible light and the near infrared light. The optoelectronic responsivities of the device at 0.5 {mu}m and 0.7 {mu}m are 330 mA/W and 76.2 mA/W at 2 V based voltage, respectively. (semiconductor devices)

Si/C and H coadsorption at 4H-SiC{0001} surfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wachowicz, E., E-mail: elwira@ifd.uni.wroc.pl [Institute of Experimental Physics, University of Wrocław, Plac M. Borna 9, PL-50-204 Wrocław (Poland); Interdisciplinary Centre for Mathematical and Computational Modelling, University of Warsaw, Pawińskiego 5a, PL-02-106 Warsaw (Poland)

2016-06-15

Highlights: • Si on C-terminated and C on Si-terminated surface adsorb in the H{sub 3} hollow site. • The preferred adsorption site is in contrary to the stacking order of bulk crystal. • The presence of hydrogen increases the adsorption energy of Si/C. • Hydrogen weakens the bonds between the adsorbed Si or C and the surface. • Carbon adsorbs on top of the surface carbon on the C-terminated surface. • With both C and H on Si-terminated surface the surface state vanishes. - Abstract: Density functional theory (DFT) study of adsorption of 0.25 monolayer of either Si or C on 4H-SiC{0001} surfaces is presented. The adsorption in high-symmetry sites on both Si- and C-terminated surfaces was examined and the influence of the preadsorbed 0.25 ML of hydrogen on the Si/C adsorption was considered. It was found out that for Si on C-terminated surface and C on Si-terminated the most favourable is threefolded adsorption site on both clean and H-precovered surface. This is contrary to the bulk crystal stacking order which would require adsorption on top of the topmost surface atom. In those cases, the presence of hydrogen weakens the bonding of the adsorbate. Carbon on the C-terminated surface, only binds on-top of the surface atom. The C−C bond-length is almost the same for the clean surface and for one with H and equals to ∼1.33 Å which is shorter by ∼0.2 than in diamond. The analysis of the electronic structure changes under adsorption is also presented.

Fluorocarbon based atomic layer etching of Si_3N_4 and etching selectivity of SiO_2 over Si_3N_4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Chen; Metzler, Dominik; Oehrlein, Gottlieb S.; Lai, Chiukin Steven; Hudson, Eric A.

2016-01-01

Angstrom-level plasma etching precision is required for semiconductor manufacturing of sub-10 nm critical dimension features. Atomic layer etching (ALE), achieved by a series of self-limited cycles, can precisely control etching depths by limiting the amount of chemical reactant available at the surface. Recently, SiO_2 ALE has been achieved by deposition of a thin (several Angstroms) reactive fluorocarbon (FC) layer on the material surface using controlled FC precursor flow and subsequent low energy Ar"+ ion bombardment in a cyclic fashion. Low energy ion bombardment is used to remove the FC layer along with a limited amount of SiO_2 from the surface. In the present article, the authors describe controlled etching of Si_3N_4 and SiO_2 layers of one to several Angstroms using this cyclic ALE approach. Si_3N_4 etching and etching selectivity of SiO_2 over Si_3N_4 were studied and evaluated with regard to the dependence on maximum ion energy, etching step length (ESL), FC surface coverage, and precursor selection. Surface chemistries of Si_3N_4 were investigated by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) after vacuum transfer at each stage of the ALE process. Since Si_3N_4 has a lower physical sputtering energy threshold than SiO_2, Si_3N_4 physical sputtering can take place after removal of chemical etchant at the end of each cycle for relatively high ion energies. Si_3N_4 to SiO_2 ALE etching selectivity was observed for these FC depleted conditions. By optimization of the ALE process parameters, e.g., low ion energies, short ESLs, and/or high FC film deposition per cycle, highly selective SiO_2 to Si_3N_4 etching can be achieved for FC accumulation conditions, where FC can be selectively accumulated on Si_3N_4 surfaces. This highly selective etching is explained by a lower carbon consumption of Si_3N_4 as compared to SiO_2. The comparison of C_4F_8 and CHF_3 only showed a difference in etching selectivity for FC depleted conditions. For FC accumulation conditions

Electrical properties of SiO{sub 2}/SiC interfaces on 2°-off axis 4H-SiC epilayers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vivona, M., E-mail: marilena.vivona@imm.cnr.it [CNR-IMM, Strada VIII, n. 5 – Zona Industriale, I-95121 Catania (Italy); Fiorenza, P. [CNR-IMM, Strada VIII, n. 5 – Zona Industriale, I-95121 Catania (Italy); Sledziewski, T.; Krieger, M. [Friedrich-Alexander-University (FAU) Erlangen-Nuremberg, Department of Physics, Staudtstrasse 7/Bld. A3, D-91058 Erlangen (Germany); Chassagne, T.; Zielinski, M. [NOVASiC, Savoie Technolac, BP267, F-73375 Le Bourget-du-Lac Cedex (France); Roccaforte, F. [CNR-IMM, Strada VIII, n. 5 – Zona Industriale, I-95121 Catania (Italy)

2016-02-28

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Processing and electrical characterization of MOS capacitors fabricated on 4H-SiC epilayers grown on 2°-off axis heavily doped substrates. • Excellent characteristics of the SiO{sub 2}/4H-SiC interface in terms of flatness, interface state density and oxide reliability. • Electrical behavior of the MOS devices comparable with that obtained for the state-of-the-art of 4°-off axis 4H-SiC material. • Demonstration of the maturity of the 2°-off axis material for application in 4H-SiC MOSFET device technology. - Abstract: In this paper, the electrical properties of the SiO{sub 2}/SiC interface on silicon carbide (4H-SiC) epilayers grown on 2°-off axis substrates were studied. After epilayer growth, chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) allowed to obtain an atomically flat surface with a roughness of 0.14 nm. Metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitors, fabricated on this surface, showed an interface state density of ∼1 × 10{sup 12} eV{sup −1} cm{sup −2} below the conduction band, a value which is comparable to the standard 4°-off-axis material commonly used for 4H-SiC MOS-based device fabrication. Moreover, the Fowler–Nordheim and time-zero-dielectric breakdown analyses confirmed an almost ideal behavior of the interface. The results demonstrate the maturity of the 2°-off axis material for 4H-SiC MOSFET device fabrication.

Unraveling the role of SiC or Si substrates in water vapor incorporation in SiO 2 films thermally grown using ion beam analyses

Science.gov (United States)

Corrêa, S. A.; Soares, G. V.; Radtke, C.; Stedile, F. C.

2012-02-01

The incorporation of water vapor in SiO 2 films thermally grown on 6H-SiC(0 0 0 1) and on Si (0 0 1) was investigated using nuclear reaction analyses. Water isotopically enriched in deuterium ( 2H or D) and in 18O was used. The dependence of incorporated D with the water annealing temperature and initial oxide thickness were inspected. The D amount in SiO 2/SiC structures increases continuously with temperature and with initial oxide thickness, being incorporated in the surface, bulk, and interface regions of SiO 2 films. However, in SiO 2/Si, D is observed mostly in near-surface regions of the oxide and no remarkable dependence with temperature or initial oxide thickness was observed. At any annealing temperature, oxygen from water vapor was incorporated in all depths of the oxide films grown on SiC, in contrast with the SiO 2/Si.

Radiation-hardened bulk Si-gate CMOS microprocessor family

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stricker, R.E.; Dingwall, A.G.F.; Cohen, S.; Adams, J.R.; Slemmer, W.C.

1979-01-01

RCA and Sandia Laboratories jointly developed a radiation-hardened bulk Si-gate CMOS technology which is used to fabricate the CDP-1800 series microprocessor family. Total dose hardness of 1 x 10 6 rads (Si) and transient upset hardness of 5 x 10 8 rads (Si)/sec with no latch up at any transient level was achieved. Radiation-hardened parts manufactured to date include the CDP-1802 microprocessor, the CDP-1834 ROM, the CDP-1852 8-bit I/O port, the CDP-1856 N-bit 1 of 8 decoder, and the TCC-244 256 x 4 Static RAM. The paper is divided into three parts. In the first section, the basic fundamentals of the non-hardened C 2 L technology used for the CDP-1800 series microprocessor parts is discussed along with the primary reasons for hardening this technology. The second section discusses the major changes in the fabrication sequence that are required to produce radiation-hardened devices. The final section details the electrical performance characteristics of the hardened devices as well as the effects of radiation on device performance. Also included in this section is a discussion of the TCC-244 256 x 4 Static RAM designed jointly by RCA and Sandia Laboratories for this application

Sensing performance of plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition SiC-SiO2-SiC horizontal slot waveguides

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pandraud, G.; Margallo-Balbas, E.; Sarro, P.M.

2012-01-01

We have studied, for the first time, the sensing capabilities of plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) SiC-SiO2-SiC horizontal slot waveguides. Optical propagation losses were measured to be 23.9 dB?cm for the quasi-transverse magnetic mode. To assess the potential of this device as a

High resolution investigation of the 30Si(þ, þ)30Si reaction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Walinga, J.; Rinsvelt, H.A. van; Endt, P.M.

The differential cross section for elastic scattering of protons on 30Si was measured with surface barrier counters at four angles. Thirty-six 30Si(þ, γ)31P resonances are known in the Ep=1–2MeV region. Fifteen of these were also observed in the 30Si(þ, þ)30Si reaction, with natural widths varying

Construction and characterization of spherical Si solar cells combined with SiC electric power inverter

Science.gov (United States)

Oku, Takeo; Matsumoto, Taisuke; Hiramatsu, Kouichi; Yasuda, Masashi; Shimono, Akio; Takeda, Yoshikazu; Murozono, Mikio

2015-02-01

Spherical silicon (Si) photovoltaic solar cell systems combined with an electric power inverter using silicon carbide (SiC) field-effect transistor (FET) were constructed and characterized, which were compared with an ordinary Si-based converter. The SiC-FET devices were introduced in the direct current-alternating current (DC-AC) converter, which was connected with the solar panels. The spherical Si solar cells were used as the power sources, and the spherical Si panels are lighter and more flexible compared with the ordinary flat Si solar panels. Conversion efficiencies of the spherical Si solar cells were improved by using the SiC-FET.

Targeted delivery of siRNA to macrophages for anti-inflammatory treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Sang-Soo; Ye, Chunting; Kumar, Priti; Chiu, Isaac; Subramanya, Sandesh; Wu, Haoquan; Shankar, Premlata; Manjunath, N

2010-05-01

Inflammation mediated by tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and the associated neuronal apoptosis characterizes a number of neurologic disorders. Macrophages and microglial cells are believed to be the major source of TNF-alpha in the central nervous system (CNS). Here, we show that suppression of TNF-alpha by targeted delivery of small interfering RNA (siRNA) to macrophage/microglial cells dramatically reduces lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced neuroinflammation and neuronal apoptosis in vivo. Because macrophage/microglia express the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AchR) on their surface, we used a short AchR-binding peptide derived from the rabies virus glycoprotein (RVG) as a targeting ligand. This peptide was fused to nona-D-arginine residues (RVG-9dR) to enable siRNA binding. RVG-9dR was able to deliver siRNA to induce gene silencing in macrophages and microglia cells from wild type, but not AchR-deficient mice, confirming targeting specificity. Treatment with anti-TNF-alpha siRNA complexed to RVG-9dR achieved efficient silencing of LPS-induced TNF-alpha production by primary macrophages and microglia cells in vitro. Moreover, intravenous injection with RVG-9dR-complexed siRNA in mice reduced the LPS-induced TNF-alpha levels in blood as well as in the brain, leading to a significant reduction in neuronal apoptosis. These results demonstrate that RVG-9dR provides a tool for siRNA delivery to macrophages and microglia and that suppression of TNF-alpha can potentially be used to suppress neuroinflammation in vivo.

Removal of C and SiC from Si and FeSi during ladle refining and solidification

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klevan, Ole Svein

1997-12-31

The utilization of solar energy by means of solar cells requires the Si to be very pure. The purity of Si is important for other applications as well. This thesis mainly studies the total removal of carbon from silicon and ferrosilicon. The decarburization includes removal of SiC particles by stirring and during casting in addition to reduction of dissolved carbon by gas purging. It was found that for three commercial qualities of FeSi75, Refined, Gransil, and Standard lumpy, the refined quality is lowest in carbon, followed by Gransil and Standard. A decarburization model was developed that shows the carbon removal by oxidation of dissolved carbon to be a slow process at atmospheric pressure. Gas stirring experiments have shown that silicon carbide particles are removed by transfer to the ladle wall. The casting method of ferrosilicon has a strong influence on the final total carbon content in the commercial alloy. Shipped refined FeSi contains about 100 ppm total carbon, while the molten alloy contains roughly 200 ppm. The total carbon out of the FeSi-furnace is about 1000 ppm. It is suggested that low values of carbon could be obtained on an industrial scale by injection of silica combined with the use of vacuum. Also, the casting system could be designed to give low carbon in part of the product. 122 refs., 50 figs., 24 tabs.

Positron annihilation spectroscopy of the interface between nanocrystalline Si and SiO2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pi, X.D.; Coleman, P.G.; Harding, R.; Davies, G.; Gwilliam, R.M.; Sealy, B.J.

2003-01-01

Positron annihilation spectroscopy has been employed to study changes in the interface region between nanocrystalline Si and SiO 2 , following annealing between 400 deg. C and 900 deg. C in nitrogen or oxygen. With the support of photoluminescence spectroscopy we find that nitrogen and oxygen are trapped in voids at the interface at low temperatures. At temperatures above 700 deg. C both nitrogen and oxygen react with Si nanocrystals, and the resulting volume increase introduces stress in the SiO 2 matrix which is relaxed by the shrinkage of its intrinsic open volume. Oxygen appears to enhance Si diffusion in SiO 2 so that the agglomeration of Si nanocrystals occurs more readily during annealing in oxygen than in nitrogen

Heteroepitaxy of zinc-blende SiC nano-dots on Si substrate by organometallic ion beam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsumoto, T.; Kiuchi, M.; Sugimoto, S.; Goto, S.

2006-01-01

The self-assembled SiC nano-dots were fabricated on Si(111) substrate at low-temperatures using the organometallic ion beam deposition technique. The single precursor of methylsilicenium ions (SiCH 3 + ) with the energy of 100 eV was deposited on Si(111) substrate at 500, 550 and 600 deg. C. The characteristics of the self-assembled SiC nano-dots were analyzed by reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED), Raman spectroscopy and atomic force microscope (AFM). The RHEED patterns showed that the crystal structure of the SiC nano-dots formed on Si(111) substrate was zinc-blende SiC (3C-SiC) and it was heteroepitaxy. The self-assembled SiC nano-dots were like a dome in shape, and their sizes were the length of 200-300 nm and the height of 10-15 nm. Despite the low-temperature of 500 deg. C as SiC crystallization the heteroepitaxial SiC nano-dots were fabricated on Si(111) substrate using the organometallic ion beam

Electrical resistivity and thermal conductivity of SiC/Si ecoceramics prepared from sapele wood biocarbon

Science.gov (United States)

Parfen'eva, L. S.; Orlova, T. S.; Smirnov, B. I.; Smirnov, I. A.; Misiorek, H.; Mucha, J.; Jezowski, A.; Gutierrez-Pardo, A.; Ramirez-Rico, J.

2012-10-01

Samples of β-SiC/Si ecoceramics with a silicon concentration of ˜21 vol % have been prepared using a series of consecutive procedures (carbonization of sapele wood biocarbon, synthesis of high-porosity biocarbon with channel-type pores, infiltration of molten silicon into empty channels of the biocarbon, formation of β-SiC, and retention of residual silicon in channels of β-SiC). The electrical resistivity ρ and thermal conductivity κ of the β-SiC/Si ecoceramic samples have been measured in the temperature range 5-300 K. The values of ρ{Si/chan}( T) and κ{Si/chan}( T) have been determined for silicon Sichan located in β-SiC channels of the synthesized β-SiC/Si ecoceramics. Based on the performed analysis of the obtained results, the concentration of charge carriers (holes) in Sichan has been estimated as p ˜ 1019 cm-3. The factors that can be responsible for such a high value of p have been discussed. The prospects for practical application of β-SiC/Si ecoceramics have been considered.

Ordered GeSi nanorings grown on patterned Si (001 substrates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ma Yingjie

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract An easy approach to fabricate ordered pattern using nanosphere lithography and reactive iron etching technology was demonstrated. Long-range ordered GeSi nanorings with 430 nm period were grown on patterned Si (001 substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. The size and shape of rings were closely associated with the size of capped GeSi quantum dots and the Si capping processes. Statistical analysis on the lateral size distribution shows that the high growth temperature and the long-term annealing can improve the uniformity of nanorings. PACS code1·PACS code2·more Mathematics Subject Classification (2000 MSC code1·MSC code2·more

White photoluminescence from Si/SiO{sub 2} nanostructured film

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Duong, P.H.; Ngan, N.T.T.; Tuan, C.A. [Institute of Materials Science, Vietnamese Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet, Hanoi (Viet Nam); Huy, P.T. [International Training Institute of Materials Science, Hanoi University of Technology, 1 Dai Co Viet, Hanoi (Viet Nam); Itoh, T. [Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka (Japan)

2008-12-15

We present in this work the results of PL measurement of Si-NC embedded in Si/SiO{sub 2} multilayer system. A very intense broad luminescence band was observed in the sample under illumination in vacuum by UV laser line. The PL intensity enhancement and quenching effect observed in different ambients can be attributed to the energy exchange from NC to MO. The storage of the annealed sample in vacuum for a long time drastically changed the PL properties of Si-NC. The origin of these phenomena will be discussed. (copyright 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Status and prospects for SiC-SiC composite materials development for fusion applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharafat, S.; Jones, R.H.; Kohyama, A.; Fenici, P.

1995-01-01

Silicon carbide (SiC) composites are very attractive for fusion applications because of their low afterheat and low activation characteristics coupled with excellent high temperature properties. These composites are relatively new materials that will require material development as well as evaluation of hermiticity, thermal conductivity, radiation stability, high temperature strength, fatigue, thermal shock, and joining techniques. The radiation stability of SiC-SiC composites is a critical aspect of their application as fusion components and recent results will be reported. Many of the non-fusion specific issues are under evaluation by other ceramic composite development programs, such as the US national continuous fiber ceramic composites.The current development status of various SiC-SiC composites research and development efforts is given. Effect of neutron irradiation on the properties of SiC-SiC composite between 500 and 1200 C are reported. Novel high temperature properties specific to ceramic matrix composite (CMC) materials are discussed. The chemical stability of SiC is reviewed briefly. Ongoing research and development efforts for joining CMC materials including SiC-SiC composites are described. In conclusion, ongoing research and development efforts show extremely promising properties and behavior for SiC-SiC composites for fusion applications. (orig.)

Si K-edge XANES study of SiOxCyHz amorphous polymeric materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chaboy, J.; Barranco, A.; Yanguas-Gil, A.; Yubero, F.; Gonzalez-Elipe, A. R.

2007-01-01

This work reports on x-ray absorption spectroscopy study at the Si K edge of several amorphous SiO x C y H z polymers prepared by plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor deposition with different C/O ratios. SiO 2 and SiC have been used as reference materials. The comparison of the experimental Si K-edge x-ray absorption near-edge structure spectra with theoretical computations based on multiple scattering theory has allowed us to monitor the modification of the local coordination around Si as a function of the overall C/O ratio in this kind of materials

High-performance a -Si/c-Si heterojunction photoelectrodes for photoelectrochemical oxygen and hydrogen evolution

KAUST Repository

Wang, Hsin Ping

2015-05-13

Amorphous Si (a-Si)/crystalline Si (c-Si) heterojunction (SiHJ) can serve as highly efficient and robust photoelectrodes for solar fuel generation. Low carrier recombination in the photoelectrodes leads to high photocurrents and photovoltages. The SiHJ was designed and fabricated into both photoanode and photocathode with high oxygen and hydrogen evolution efficiency, respectively, by simply coating of a thin layer of catalytic materials. The SiHJ photoanode with sol-gel NiOx as the catalyst shows a current density of 21.48 mA/cm2 at the equilibrium water oxidation potential. The SiHJ photocathode with 2 nm sputter-coated Pt catalyst displays excellent hydrogen evolution performance with an onset potential of 0.640 V and a solar to hydrogen conversion efficiency of 13.26%, which is the highest ever reported for Si-based photocathodes. © 2015 American Chemical Society.

Microstructural optimization of high temperature SiC/SiC composites by nite process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimoda, K.; Park, J.S.; Hinoki, T.; Kohyama, A.

2007-01-01

Full text of publication follows: SiC/SiC composites are one of the promising structural materials for future fusion reactor because of the excellent potentiality in thermal and mechanical properties under very severe environment including high temperature and high energy neutron bombardment. For fusion-grade SiC/SiC composites, high-crystallinity and near-stoichiometric characteristic are required to keep excellent stability against neutron irradiation. The realization of the reactor will be strongly depend on optimization of SiC/SiC composites microstructure, particularly in regard to the materials and processes used for the fiber, interphase and matrix constituents. One of the important accomplishments is the new process, called nano-particle infiltration and transient eutectic phase (NITE) process developed in our group. The microstructure of NITE-SiC/SiC composites, such as fiber volume fraction, porosity and type of pores, can be controlled precisely by the selection of sintering temperature/applied stress history. The objective of this study is to investigate thermal stability and mechanical properties of NITE-SiC/SiC composites at high-temperature. Two kinds of highly-densified SiC/SiC composites with the difference of fiber volume fraction were prepared, and were subjected to exposure tests from 1000 deg. C to 1500 deg. C in an argon-oxygen gas mixture with an oxygen partial pressure of 0.1 Pa. The thermal stability of the composites was characterized through mass change and TEM/SEM observation. The in-situ tensile tests at 1300 deg. C and 1500 deg. C were carried out in the same atmosphere. Most of SiC/SiC composites, even for the advanced CVI-SiC/SiC composites with multi-layered SiC/C inter-phases, underwent reduction in the maximum strength by about 20% at 1300 deg. C. In particular, this reduction was attributed to a slight burnout of the carbon interphase due to oxygen impurities in test atmosphere. However, there was no significant degradation for

Microstructural optimization of high temperature SiC/SiC composites by nite process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shimoda, K. [Kyoto Univ., Graduate School of Energy Science (Japan); Park, J.S. [Kyoto Univ., Institute of Advanced Energy (Japan); Hinoki, T.; Kohyama, A. [Kyoto Univ., lnstitute of Advanced Energy, Gokasho, Uji (Japan)

2007-07-01

Full text of publication follows: SiC/SiC composites are one of the promising structural materials for future fusion reactor because of the excellent potentiality in thermal and mechanical properties under very severe environment including high temperature and high energy neutron bombardment. For fusion-grade SiC/SiC composites, high-crystallinity and near-stoichiometric characteristic are required to keep excellent stability against neutron irradiation. The realization of the reactor will be strongly depend on optimization of SiC/SiC composites microstructure, particularly in regard to the materials and processes used for the fiber, interphase and matrix constituents. One of the important accomplishments is the new process, called nano-particle infiltration and transient eutectic phase (NITE) process developed in our group. The microstructure of NITE-SiC/SiC composites, such as fiber volume fraction, porosity and type of pores, can be controlled precisely by the selection of sintering temperature/applied stress history. The objective of this study is to investigate thermal stability and mechanical properties of NITE-SiC/SiC composites at high-temperature. Two kinds of highly-densified SiC/SiC composites with the difference of fiber volume fraction were prepared, and were subjected to exposure tests from 1000 deg. C to 1500 deg. C in an argon-oxygen gas mixture with an oxygen partial pressure of 0.1 Pa. The thermal stability of the composites was characterized through mass change and TEM/SEM observation. The in-situ tensile tests at 1300 deg. C and 1500 deg. C were carried out in the same atmosphere. Most of SiC/SiC composites, even for the advanced CVI-SiC/SiC composites with multi-layered SiC/C inter-phases, underwent reduction in the maximum strength by about 20% at 1300 deg. C. In particular, this reduction was attributed to a slight burnout of the carbon interphase due to oxygen impurities in test atmosphere. However, there was no significant degradation for

Growth of CNTs on Fe-Si catalyst prepared on Si and Al coated Si substrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Teng, F-Y; Ting, J-M; Sharma, Sahendra P; Liao, Kun-Hou

2008-01-01

In this paper we report the effect of Al interlayers on the growth characteristics of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) using as-deposited and plasma etched Fe-Si catalyst films as the catalysts. Al interlayers having various thicknesses ranging from 2 to 42 nm were deposited on Si substrates prior to the deposition of Fe-Si catalysts. It was found that the Al interlayer diffuses into the Fe-Si catalyst during the plasma etching prior to the CNT growth, leading to the swelling and amorphization of the catalyst. This allows enhanced carbon diffusion in the catalyst and therefore a faster growth rate of the resulting CNTs. It was also found that use of an Al interlayer having a thickness of ∼3 ± 1 nm is most effective. Due to the effectiveness of this, the normally required catalyst etching is no longer needed for the growth of CNTs

Growth of CNTs on Fe-Si catalyst prepared on Si and Al coated Si substrates.

Science.gov (United States)

Teng, F-Y; Ting, Jyh-Ming; Sharma, Sahendra P; Liao, Kun-Hou

2008-03-05

In this paper we report the effect of Al interlayers on the growth characteristics of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) using as-deposited and plasma etched Fe-Si catalyst films as the catalysts. Al interlayers having various thicknesses ranging from 2 to 42 nm were deposited on Si substrates prior to the deposition of Fe-Si catalysts. It was found that the Al interlayer diffuses into the Fe-Si catalyst during the plasma etching prior to the CNT growth, leading to the swelling and amorphization of the catalyst. This allows enhanced carbon diffusion in the catalyst and therefore a faster growth rate of the resulting CNTs. It was also found that use of an Al interlayer having a thickness of ∼3 ± 1 nm is most effective. Due to the effectiveness of this, the normally required catalyst etching is no longer needed for the growth of CNTs.

The influence of cooling rate and Fe/Cr content on the evolution of Fe-rich compounds in a secondary Al-Si-Cu diecasting alloy

Science.gov (United States)

Fabrizi, A.; Timelli, G.

2016-03-01

This study investigates the morphological evolution of primary α-Al(Fe,Mn,Cr)Si phase in a secondary Al-Si-Cu alloy with respect to the initial Fe and Cr contents as well as to the cooling rate. The solidification experiments have been designed in order to cover a wide range of cooling rates, and the Fe and Cr contents have been varied over two levels. Metallographic and image analysis techniques have been used to quantitatively examine the microstructural changes occurring at different experimental conditions. The morphological evolution of the α-Fe phase has been also analysed by observing deep etched samples. By changing the cooling rate, α-Al15(Fe,Mn,Cr)3Si2 dodecahedron crystals, as well as Chinese- script, branched structures and dendrites form, while primary coarse β-Al5(Fe,Mn)Si needles appear in the alloy with the highest Fe content at low cooling rates.

Wafer-scale high-throughput ordered arrays of Si and coaxial Si/Si(1-x)Ge(x) wires: fabrication, characterization, and photovoltaic application.

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Caofeng; Luo, Zhixiang; Xu, Chen; Luo, Jun; Liang, Renrong; Zhu, Guang; Wu, Wenzhuo; Guo, Wenxi; Yan, Xingxu; Xu, Jun; Wang, Zhong Lin; Zhu, Jing

2011-08-23

We have developed a method combining lithography and catalytic etching to fabricate large-area (uniform coverage over an entire 5-in. wafer) arrays of vertically aligned single-crystal Si nanowires with high throughput. Coaxial n-Si/p-SiGe wire arrays are also fabricated by further coating single-crystal epitaxial SiGe layers on the Si wires using ultrahigh vacuum chemical vapor deposition (UHVCVD). This method allows precise control over the diameter, length, density, spacing, orientation, shape, pattern and location of the Si and Si/SiGe nanowire arrays, making it possible to fabricate an array of devices based on rationally designed nanowire arrays. A proposed fabrication mechanism of the etching process is presented. Inspired by the excellent antireflection properties of the Si/SiGe wire arrays, we built solar cells based on the arrays of these wires containing radial junctions, an example of which exhibits an open circuit voltage (V(oc)) of 650 mV, a short-circuit current density (J(sc)) of 8.38 mA/cm(2), a fill factor of 0.60, and an energy conversion efficiency (η) of 3.26%. Such a p-n radial structure will have a great potential application for cost-efficient photovoltaic (PV) solar energy conversion. © 2011 American Chemical Society

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

Science.gov (United States)

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.

Formation of AlFeSi phase in AlSi12 alloy with Ce addition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Kores

2012-04-01

Full Text Available The influence of cerium addition on the solidification sequence and microstructure constituents of the Al-Si alloys with 12,6 mass % Si was examined. The solidification was analyzed by a simple thermal analysis. The microstructures were examined with conventional light and scanning electron microscopy. Ternary AlSiCe phase was formed in the Al-Si alloys with added cerium during the solidification process. AlSiCe and β-AlFeSi phases solidified together in the region that solidified the last. Cerium addition influenced on the morphology of the α-AlFeSi phase solidification.

Crystallization behavior of Li2O-SiO2, Na2O-SiO2 and Na2O-CaO-SiO2 glasses; Li2O-SiO2, Na2O-SiO2, Na2O-CaO-SiO2 kei glass no kessho sekishutsu kyodo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tsutsumi, K.; Otake, J.; Nagasaka, T.; Hino, M. [Tohoku University, Sendai (Japan)

1998-06-01

It has been known that crystallization of mold powder is effective on the disturbance of heat transfer between mold and solidified shell in production of middle carbon steel slabs in continuous casting process. But it has not yet been made clear which composition of mold powder is the most suitable for crystallization. The crystallization behavior of Li2O-SiO2, Na2O-SiO2 and Na2O-CaO-SiO2 glasses was observed by differential thermal analysis (DTA) and hot-thermocouple methods with DTA in the present work. As a result, addition of alkaline metal and alkaline earth metal oxides to SiO2 increased the critical cooling rate for glass formation in binary system of Li2O-SiO2 and Na2O-SiO2 and Li2O-SiO2 system crystallized easier than Na2O-SiO2 system. In ternary system of Na2O-CaO-SiO2, addition of Na2O hurried the critical cooling rate at CaO/SiO2=0.93 mass ratio, but the rate was almost constant in the composition range of more than 15 mass% Na2O. The slag of CaO/SiO2=0.93 made the rate faster than the slag of CaO/SiO2=0.47 at constant content of 10mass% Na2O. 17 refs., 10 figs., 3 tabs.

Gate-stack engineering for self-organized Ge-dot/SiO2/SiGe-shell MOS capacitors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei-Ting eLai

2016-02-01

Full Text Available We report the first-of-its-kind, self-organized gate-stack heterostructure of Ge-dot/SiO2/SiGe-shell on Si fabricated in a single step through the selective oxidation of a SiGe nano-patterned pillar over a Si3N4 buffer layer on a Si substrate. Process-controlled tunability of the Ge-dot size (7.5−90 nm, the SiO2 thickness (3−4 nm, and as well the SiGe-shell thickness (2−15 nm has been demonstrated, enabling a practically-achievable core building block for Ge-based metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS devices. Detailed morphologies, structural, and electrical interfacial properties of the SiO2/Ge-dot and SiO2/SiGe interfaces were assessed using transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, and temperature-dependent high/low-frequency capacitance-voltage measurements. Notably, NiGe/SiO2/SiGe and Al/SiO2/Ge-dot/SiO2/SiGe MOS capacitors exhibit low interface trap densities of as low as 3-5x10^11 cm^-2·eV^-1 and fixed charge densities of 1-5x10^11 cm^-2, suggesting good-quality SiO2/SiGe-shell and SiO2/Ge-dot interfaces. In addition, the advantage of having single-crystalline Si1-xGex shell (x > 0.5 in a compressive stress state in our self-aligned gate-stack heterostructure has great promise for possible SiGe (or Ge MOS nanoelectronic and nanophotonic applications.

Thermally induced formation of SiC nanoparticles from Si/C/Si multilayers deposited by ultra-high-vacuum ion beam sputtering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chung, C-K; Wu, B-H

2006-01-01

A novel approach for the formation of SiC nanoparticles (np-SiC) is reported. Deposition of Si/C/Si multilayers on Si(100) wafers by ultra-high-vacuum ion beam sputtering was followed by thermal annealing in vacuum for conversion into SiC nanoparticles. The annealing temperature significantly affected the size, density, and distribution of np-SiC. No nanoparticles were formed for multilayers annealed at 500 0 C, while a few particles started to appear when the annealing temperature was increased to 700 0 C. At an annealing temperature of 900 0 C, many small SiC nanoparticles, of several tens of nanometres, surrounding larger submicron ones appeared with a particle density approximately 16 times higher than that observed at 700 0 C. The higher the annealing temperature was, the larger the nanoparticle size, and the higher the density. The higher superheating at 900 0 C increased the amount of stable nuclei, and resulted in a higher particle density compared to that at 700 0 C. These particles grew larger at 900 0 C to reduce the total surface energy of smaller particles due to the higher atomic mobility and growth rate. The increased free energy of stacking defects during particle growth will limit the size of large particles, leaving many smaller particles surrounding the large ones. A mechanism for the np-SiC formation is proposed in this paper

Effects of Complex Modification by Sr-Sb on the Microstructures and Mechanical Properties of Al-18 wt % Mg₂Si-4.5Cu Alloys.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Youhong; Ma, Shaoming; Wang, Huiyuan; Chen, Lei; Gao, Ke; Ma, Yinlong; Liu, Baochang

2016-03-04

This research was carried out to investigate the influence of Sr-Sb on the microstructures and mechanical properties of Al-18 wt % Mg₂Si-4.5Cu alloys. After the addition of 0.2 wt % Sr-Sb, the morphologies of primary Mg₂Si transformed from equiaxed dendrite to cube in as-cast alloys and the average size of primary Mg₂Si decreased from ~50 to ~20 μm. The shape of eutectic Mg₂Si changed from Chinese script to short rod. After extrusion and T6 heat treatment, the ultimate tensile strength of modified alloy at room temperature (RT) and 100 °C increased respectively from 229 to 288 MPa, and from 231 to 272 MPa. The elongation-to-failure only slightly improved from 2.9% to 3.8% and from 3.3% to 3.7% at RT and 100 °C, respectively. The tensile fracture surface revealed a transition from brittle fracture to ductile fracture after modifying by 0.2 wt % Sr-Sb.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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.

NIMROD Simulations of the HIT-SI and HIT-SI3 Devices

Science.gov (United States)

Morgan, Kyle; Jarboe, Tom; Hossack, Aaron; Chandra, Rian; Everson, Chris

2017-10-01

The Helicity Injected Torus with Steady Inductive helicity injection (HIT-SI) experiment uses a set of inductively driven helicity injectors to apply non-axisymmetric current drive on the edge of the plasma, driving an axisymmetric spheromak equilibrium in a central confinement volume. Significant improvements have been made to extended MHD modeling of HIT-SI, with both the resolution of disagreement at high injector frequencies in HIT-SI in addition to successes with the new upgraded HIT-SI3 device. Previous numerical studies of HIT-SI, using a zero-beta eMHD model, focused on operations with a drive frequency of 14.5 kHz, and found reduced agreement with both the magnetic profile and current amplification at higher frequencies (30-70 kHz). HIT-SI3 has three helicity injectors which are able to operate with different mode structures of perturbations through the different relative temporal phasing of the injectors. Simulations that allow for pressure gradients have been performed in the parameter regimes of both devices using the NIMROD code and show improved agreement with experimental results, most notably capturing the observed Shafranov-shift due to increased beta observed at higher finj in HIT-SI and the variety of toroidal perturbation spectra available in HIT-SI3. This material is based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Fusion Energy Sciences under Award Number DE-FG02- 96ER54361.

Non-switching to switching transferring mechanism investigation for Ag/SiO x /p-Si structure with SiO x deposited by HWCVD

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yanhong; Wang, Ruoying; Li, Zhongyue; Wang, Song; Huang, Yang; Peng, Wei

2018-04-01

We proposed and fabricated an Ag/SiO x /p-Si sandwich structure, in which amorphous SiO x films were deposited through hot wire chemical vapor deposition (HWCVD) using tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) as Si and O precursor. Experimental results indicate that the I–V properties of this structure transfer from non-switching to switching operation as the SiO x deposition temperature increased. The device with SiO x deposited at high deposition temperature exhibits typical bipolar switching properties, which can be potentially used in resistive switching random accessible memory (RRAM). The transferring mechanism from non-switching to switching can be ascribed to the change of structural and electronic properties of SiO x active layer deposited at different temperatures, as evidenced by analyzing FTIR spectrum and fitting its I–V characteristics curves. This work demonstrates a safe and practicable low-temperature device-grade SiO x film deposition technology by conducting HWCVD from TEOS.

SI Notes.

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, Robert A.

1983-01-01

Discusses legislation related to SI (International Systems of Units) in the United States. Indicates that although SI metric units have been officially recognized by law in the United States, U.S. Customary Units have never received a statutory basis. (JN)

A review of microstructural analysis on U3Si2-Al plate-type fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ti Zhongxin; Guo Yibai

1995-12-01

The microstructure of U 3 Si 2 -Al plate-type fuel, that is the microstructure of fuel particles, compatibility of the fuel particles and Al matrix, fuel particles distribution, dogbone area morphology, clad and meat thickness, bone quality of clad/frame and clad/fuel core, and the effect of these factors on products quality were comprehensively investigated and analyzed by means of optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX), image processing technique, etc.. The main results are as following: U-7.7%Si alloy contains two phases: primary U 3 Si 2 and small amount of USi (about 12%), free-uranium was not detected in fuel particles; the dogbone area is the key factor affecting fuel plate quality (1 ref., 16 figs., 4 tabs.)

Polarized luminescence of nc-Si-SiO x nanostructures on silicon substrates with patterned surface

Science.gov (United States)

Michailovska, Katerina; Mynko, Viktor; Indutnyi, Ivan; Shepeliavyi, Petro

2018-05-01

Polarization characteristics and spectra of photoluminescence (PL) of nc-Si-SiO x structures formed on the patterned and plane c-Si substrates are studied. The interference lithography with vacuum chalcogenide photoresist and anisotropic wet etching are used to form a periodic relief (diffraction grating) on the surface of the substrates. The studied nc-Si-SiO x structures were produced by oblique-angle deposition of Si monoxide in vacuum and the subsequent high-temperature annealing. The linear polarization memory (PM) effect in PL of studied structure on plane substrate is manifested only after the treatment of the structures in HF and is explained by the presence of elongated Si nanoparticles in the SiO x nanocolumns. But the PL output from the nc-Si-SiO x structure on the patterned substrate depends on how this radiation is polarized with respect to the grating grooves and is much less dependent on the polarization of the exciting light. The measured reflection spectra of nc-Si-SiO x structure on the patterned c-Si substrate confirmed the influence of pattern on the extraction of polarized PL.

The Degradation Behavior of SiCf/SiO2 Composites in High-Temperature Environment

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Xiang; Cao, Feng; Qing, Wang; Peng, Zhi-hang; Wang, Yi

2018-04-01

SiCf/SiO2 composites had been fabricated efficiently by Sol-Gel method. The oxidation behavior, thermal shock property and ablation behavior of SiCf/SiO2 composites was investigated. SiCf/SiO2 composites showed higher oxidation resistance in oxidation atmosphere, the flexural strength retention ratio was larger than 90.00%. After 1300 °C thermal shock, the mass retention ratio was 97.00%, and the flexural strength retention ratio was 92.60%, while after 1500 °C thermal shock, the mass retention ratio was 95.37%, and the flexural strength retention ratio was 83.34%. After 15 s ablation, the mass loss rate was 0.049 g/s and recession loss rate was 0.067 mm/s. The SiO2 matrix was melted in priority and becomes loosen and porous. With the ablation going on, the oxides were washed away by the shearing action of the oxyacetylene flame. The evaporation of SiO2 took away large amount of heat, which is also beneficial to the protection for SiCf/SiO2 composites.

Defect formation in heavily doped Si upon irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gubskaya, V.I.; Kuchinskii, P.V.; Lomako, V.M.

1981-01-01

The rates of the carrier removal and radiation defect introduction into n- and p-Si in the concentration range of 10 14 to 10 17 cm -3 upon 7-MeV-electron irradiation have been studied. The spectrum of the vacancy-type defects, defining the carrier removal rate in lightly doped crystals has been found. With doping level increase the carrier removal rate grows irrespective of conductivity type, and at n 0 , p 0 > 10 17 cm -3 is close to the total displacement number. At the same time a decrease in the introduction rate of the known vacancy-type defects is observed. x It is shown that a considerable growth of the carrier removal rate is defined neither by introduction of shallow compensating centers, nor by change in the primary defect charge state. It is suggested that at high doping impurity concentrations compensation in Si is due to the introduction of complexes doping impurity-interstitial or (impurity atom-interstitial) + vacancy, which give deep levels. (author)

High loading efficiency and sustained release of siRNA encapsulated in PLGA nanoparticles: quality by design optimization and characterization.

Science.gov (United States)

Cun, Dongmei; Jensen, Ditte Krohn; Maltesen, Morten Jonas; Bunker, Matthew; Whiteside, Paul; Scurr, David; Foged, Camilla; Nielsen, Hanne Mørck

2011-01-01

Poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide acid) (PLGA) is an attractive polymer for delivery of biopharmaceuticals owing to its biocompatibility, biodegradability and outstanding controlled release characteristics. The purpose of this study was to understand and define optimal parameters for preparation of small interfering RNA (siRNA)-loaded PLGA nanoparticles by the double emulsion solvent evaporation method and characterize their properties. The experiments were performed according to a 2(5-1) fractional factorial design based on five independent variables: The volume ratio between the inner water phase and the oil phase, the PLGA concentration, the sonication time, the siRNA load and the amount of acetylated bovine serum albumin (Ac-BSA) in the inner water phase added to stabilize the primary emulsion. The effects on the siRNA encapsulation efficiency and the particle size were investigated. The most important factors for obtaining an encapsulation efficiency as high as 70% were the PLGA concentration and the volume ratio whereas the size was mainly affected by the PLGA concentration. The viscosity of the oil phase was increased at high PLGA concentration, which explains the improved encapsulation by stabilization of the primary emulsion and reduction of siRNA leakage to the outer water phase. Addition of Ac-BSA increased the encapsulation efficiency at low PLGA concentrations. The PLGA matrix protected siRNA against nuclease degradation, provided a burst release of surface-localized siRNA followed by a triphasic sustained release for two months. These results enable careful understanding and definition of optimal process parameters for preparation of PLGA nanoparticles encapsulating high amounts of siRNA with immediate and long-term sustained release properties. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of Si implantation on the microstructure of silicon nanocrystals and surrounding SiO2 layer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ross, G.G.; Smirani, R.; Levitcharsky, V.; Wang, Y.Q.; Veilleux, G.; Saint-Jacques, R.G.

2005-01-01

Si nanocrystals (Si-nc) embedded in a SiO 2 layer have been characterized by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). For local Si concentration in excess 8 x 10 21 Si + /cm 3 , the size of the Si-nc was found to be ∼3 nm and comparatively homogeneous throughout the whole implanted layer. For local Si concentration in excess of ∼2.4 x 10 22 Si + /cm 3 , the Si-nc diameter ranges from ∼2 to ∼12 nm in the sample, the Si-nc in the middle region of the implanted layer being bigger than those near the surface and the bottom of the layer. Also, Si-nc are visible deeper than the implanted depth. Characterization by XPS shows that a large quantity of oxygen was depleted from the first ∼25 nm in this sample (also visible on TEM image) and most of the SiO 2 bonds have been replaced by Si-O bonds. Experimental and simulation results suggest that a local Si concentration in excess of ∼3 x 10 21 Si/cm 3 is required for the production of Si-nc

Chemically activated graphene/porous Si@SiO{sub x} composite as anode for lithium ion batteries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tao, Hua-Chao [College of Materials and Chemical Engineering, China Three Gorges University, 8 Daxue Road, Yichang, Hubei 443002 (China); Collaborative Innovation Center for Microgrid of New Energy, Hubei Province (China); Yang, Xue-Lin, E-mail: xlyang@ctgu.edu.cn [College of Materials and Chemical Engineering, China Three Gorges University, 8 Daxue Road, Yichang, Hubei 443002 (China); Collaborative Innovation Center for Microgrid of New Energy, Hubei Province (China); Zhang, Lu-Lu; Ni, Shi-Bing [College of Materials and Chemical Engineering, China Three Gorges University, 8 Daxue Road, Yichang, Hubei 443002 (China); Collaborative Innovation Center for Microgrid of New Energy, Hubei Province (China)

2014-10-15

Chemically activated graphene/porous Si@SiO{sub x} (CAG/Si@SiO{sub x}) composite has been synthesized via magnesiothemic reduction of mesoporous SiO{sub 2} (MCM-48) to porous Si@SiO{sub x} and dispersing in the suspension of chemically activated graphene oxide (CAGO) followed by thermal reduction. The porous Si@SiO{sub x} particles are well encapsulated in chemically activated graphene (CAG) matrix. The resulting CAG/Si@SiO{sub x} composite exhibits a high reversible capacity and excellent cycling stability up to 763 mAh g{sup −1} at a current density of 100 mA g{sup −1} after 50 cycles. The porous structure of CAG layer and Si@SiO{sub x} is beneficial to accommodate volume expansion of Si during discharge and charge process and the interconnected CAG improves the electronic conductivity of composite. - Highlights: • Chemically activated graphene encapsulated porous Si composite was prepared. • The graphene offers a continuous electrically conductive network. • The porous structure can accommodate volume expansion of Si-based materials. • The composite exhibits excellent lithium storage performance.

Preparation and Oxidation Resistance of Mo-Si-B Coating on Nb-Si Based Alloy Surface

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PANG Jie

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Mo-Si-B coating was prepared on Nb-Si alloys to improve the high-temperature oxidation. The influence of the halide activators (NaF and AlF3 on Si-B co-depositing to obtain Mo-Si-B coating on Nb-Si alloys was analyzed by thermochemical calculations. The results show that NaF proves to be more suitable than AlF3 to co-deposit Si and B. Then Mo-Si-B can be coated on Nb-Si based alloys using detonation gun spraying of Mo followed by Si and B co-deposition. The fabricated coatings consist of outer MoSi2 layer with fine boride phase and inner unreacted Mo layer. The mass gain of the Mo-Si-B coating is 1.52mg/cm2 after oxidation at 1250℃ for 100h. The good oxidation resistance results in a protective borosilicate scale formed on the coating.

The effect of SiC particle size on the properties of Cu–SiC composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Celebi Efe, G.; Zeytin, S.; Bindal, C.

2012-01-01

Graphical abstract: The relative densities of Cu–SiC composites sintered at 700 °C for 2 h are ranged from 97.3% to 91.8% for SiC with 1 μm particle size and 97.5% to 95.2% for SiC with 5 μm particle size, microhardness of composites ranged from 143 to 167 HV for SiC having 1 μm particle size and 156–182 HVN for SiC having 5 μm particle size and the electrical conductivity of composites changed between 85.9% IACS and 55.7% IACS for SiC with 1 μm particle size, 87.9% IACS and 65.2%IACS for SiC with 5 μm particle size. It was found that electrical conductivity of composites containing SiC with 5 μm particle size is better than that of Cu–SiC composites containing SiC with particle size of 1 μm. Highlights: ► In this research, the effect of SiC particle size on some properties of Cu–SiC composites were investigated. ► The mechanical properties were improved. ► The electrical properties were obtained at desirable level. -- Abstract: SiC particulate-reinforced copper composites were prepared by powder metallurgy (PM) method and conventional atmospheric sintering. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques were used to characterize the sintered composites. The effect of SiC content and particle size on the relative density, hardness and electrical conductivity of composites were investigated. The relative densities of Cu–SiC composites sintered at 700 °C for 2 h are ranged from 97.3% to 91.8% for SiC with 1 μm particle size and from 97.5% to 95.2% for SiC with 5 μm particle size. Microhardness of composites ranged from 143 to 167 HV for SiC having 1 μm particle size and from 156 to 182 HV for SiC having 5 μm particle size. The electrical conductivity of composites changed between 85.9% IACS and 55.7% IACS for SiC with 1 μm particle size, between 87.9% IACS and 65.2% IACS for SiC with 5 μm particle size.

Properties of SiMn slag as apozzolanic material in portland cement manufacture

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Frías, M.

2005-12-01

Full Text Available The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the behaviour of SiMn slag as a pozzolanic material in commercial Portland cement manufacture. This necessitated exploring different scientific and technical aspects to ensure a correct valuation. The results obtained revealed that silica and calcium are the main components of SiMn slag, whose pozzolanic activity occupies an intermediate position between silica fume and fly ash; it reduces heat of hydration and mortars made with cement containing SiMn slag exhibit compressive strength values similar to the figures for standard mortar. Consequently, the use of SiMn slag as an active addition to cement is feasible, inasmuch as the resulting product meets the requirements laid down in the present legislation.

El objetivo principal de este trabajo es evaluar el comportamiento de la escoria de SiMn como material puzolánico en la fabricación de cementos Portland comerciales. Para ello, resulta necesario investigar diferentes aspectos científicos y técnicos que conlleven a una correcta valorización de las mismas. Los resultados obtenidos en el presente trabajo han puesto de manifiesto que la escoria de SiMn presenta una naturaleza sílico-cálcica, actividad puzolúnica intermedia entre el humo de sílice y ceniza volante, reduce el calor de hidratación y los morteros con escoria de SiMn muestra alcanzan resistencias a compresión similares a las del mortero patrón. Por lo tanto, la utilización de la escoria de SiMn como adición activa al cemento es viable, cumpliendo con las exigencias recogidas en la norma vigente.

Structural and electronic properties of Si/SiO2 MOS structures with aligned 3C-SiC nanocrystals in the oxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pongracz, A.; Battistig, G.; Duecso, Cs.; Josepovits, K.V.; Deak, P.

2007-01-01

Our group previously proved that a simple reactive annealing in CO containing gas produces 3C-SiC nanocrystals, which are epitaxially and void-free aligned in the Si substrate. By a further thermal oxidation step, these nanocrystals can be lifted from the Si and incorporated into the SiO 2 matrix, thereby creating a promising structure for charge storage. In this work the structural and electrical properties of such systems with nanocrystalline SiC will be presented. Prototype MOS structures with 3C-SiC nanocrystals were produced for current-voltage and capacitance-voltage measurements. The results indicate that the high-temperature annealing did not damage the MOS structure, despite the fact that the CO annealing changed the electrical properties of the system. There was a positive charge accumulation and a reversible carrier injection observed in the structure. We assume that the positive charges originated from oxygen vacancies and the charge injection is related to the presence of SiC nanocrystals

High throughput production of nanocomposite SiO x powders by plasma spray physical vapor deposition for negative electrode of lithium ion batteries

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Keiichiro Homma

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Nanocomposite Si/SiO x powders were produced by plasma spray physical vapor deposition (PS-PVD at a material throughput of 480 g h−1. The powders are fundamentally an aggregate of primary ~20 nm particles, which are composed of a crystalline Si core and SiO x shell structure. This is made possible by complete evaporation of raw SiO powders and subsequent rapid condensation of high temperature SiO x vapors, followed by disproportionation reaction of nucleated SiO x nanoparticles. When CH4 was additionally introduced to the PS-PVD, the volume of the core Si increases while reducing potentially the SiO x shell thickness as a result of the enhanced SiO reduction, although an unfavorable SiC phase emerges when the C/Si molar ratio is greater than 1. As a result of the increased amount of Si active material and reduced source for irreversible capacity, half-cell batteries made of PS-PVD powders with C/Si = 0.25 have exhibited improved initial efficiency and maintenance of capacity as high as 1000 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles at the same time.

High throughput production of nanocomposite SiO x powders by plasma spray physical vapor deposition for negative electrode of lithium ion batteries.

Science.gov (United States)

Homma, Keiichiro; Kambara, Makoto; Yoshida, Toyonobu

2014-04-01

Nanocomposite Si/SiO x powders were produced by plasma spray physical vapor deposition (PS-PVD) at a material throughput of 480 g h -1 . The powders are fundamentally an aggregate of primary ∼20 nm particles, which are composed of a crystalline Si core and SiO x shell structure. This is made possible by complete evaporation of raw SiO powders and subsequent rapid condensation of high temperature SiO x vapors, followed by disproportionation reaction of nucleated SiO x nanoparticles. When CH 4 was additionally introduced to the PS-PVD, the volume of the core Si increases while reducing potentially the SiO x shell thickness as a result of the enhanced SiO reduction, although an unfavorable SiC phase emerges when the C/Si molar ratio is greater than 1. As a result of the increased amount of Si active material and reduced source for irreversible capacity, half-cell batteries made of PS-PVD powders with C/Si = 0.25 have exhibited improved initial efficiency and maintenance of capacity as high as 1000 mAh g -1 after 100 cycles at the same time.

Amorphization threshold in Si-implanted strained SiGe alloy layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simpson, T.W.; Love, D.; Endisch, E.; Goldberg, R.D.; Mitchell, I.V.; Haynes, T.E.; Baribeau, J.M.

1994-12-01

The authors have examined the damage produced by Si-ion implantation into strained Si 1-x Ge x epilayers. Damage accumulation in the implanted layers was monitored in situ by time-resolved reflectivity and measured by ion channeling techniques to determine the amorphization threshold in strained Si 1-x Ge x (x = 0.16 and 0.29) over the temperature range 30--110 C. The results are compared with previously reported measurements on unstrained Si 1-x Ge x , and with the simple model used to describe those results. They report here data which lend support to this model and which indicate that pre-existing strain does not enhance damage accumulation in the alloy layer

Surface topography regulates wnt signaling through control of primary cilia structure in mesenchymal stem cells

Science.gov (United States)

McMurray, R. J.; Wann, A. K. T.; Thompson, C. L.; Connelly, J. T.; Knight, M. M.

2013-01-01

The primary cilium regulates cellular signalling including influencing wnt sensitivity by sequestering β-catenin within the ciliary compartment. Topographic regulation of intracellular actin-myosin tension can control stem cell fate of which wnt is an important mediator. We hypothesized that topography influences mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) wnt signaling through the regulation of primary cilia structure and function. MSCs cultured on grooves expressed elongated primary cilia, through reduced actin organization. siRNA inhibition of anterograde intraflagellar transport (IFT88) reduced cilia length and increased active nuclear β-catenin. Conversely, increased primary cilia assembly in MSCs cultured on the grooves was associated with decreased levels of nuclear active β-catenin, axin-2 induction and proliferation, in response to wnt3a. This negative regulation, on grooved topography, was reversed by siRNA to IFT88. This indicates that subtle regulation of IFT and associated cilia structure, tunes the wnt response controlling stem cell differentiation. PMID:24346024

Elevated Temperature Properties of Commercially Available NITE-SiC/SiC Composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Y.B.; Hinoki, T.; Kohyama, A.

2007-01-01

Full text of publication follows: Continuous fiber-reinforced ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) have been expected as a new type of material having high fracture resistance up to a high temperature. In recent years, there have been extensive efforts in our research group to develop high performance SiC/SiC composites for energy applications, where improvements in mechanical properties and damage resistance by innovative new fabrication process with emphasis on interface improvement have been greatly accomplished. One of the most outstanding accomplishments is the Nano-powder Infiltration and Transient Eutectic (NITE) process using PyC coated Tyranno-SA fibers. For making SiC/SiC composites more attractive and competitive for high temperature structural components and for other industrial applications, one of the key issues is to demonstrate its reliability and safety under severe environments. Also to demonstrate the potential to produce SiC/SiC by NITE process from large scale production line at industries is very important. This paper provides fundamental database of mechanical properties and microstructure of Cera-NITE, the trade name of NITE-SiC/SiC composites. The mechanical properties were evaluated by uni-axial tensile test from room temperature to high temperatures. The tensile properties, including elastic modulus, PLS and ultimate tensile strength, are superior to those of other conventional SiC/SiC composites. The macroscopic observation of Cera-NITE indicated high density as planned with almost no-porosity and cracks. Furthermore, Cera-NITE showed outstanding microstructural uniformity. The characteristic variation coming from the sampling location was hardly observed.. Further information about database of properties and microstructure at evaluated temperature will be provided. (authors)

Mechanics of patterned helical Si springs on Si substrate.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, D L; Ye, D X; Khan, F; Tang, F; Lim, B K; Picu, R C; Wang, G C; Lu, T M

2003-12-01

The elastic response, including the spring constant, of individual Si helical-shape submicron springs, was measured using a tip-cantilever assembly attached to a conventional atomic force microscope. The isolated, four-turn Si springs were fabricated using oblique angle deposition with substrate rotation, also known as the glancing angle deposition, on a templated Si substrate. The response of the structures was modeled using finite elements, and it was shown that the conventional formulae for the spring constant required modifications before they could be used for the loading scheme used in the present experiment.

Effect of Sulfur on Liquidus Temperatures in the ZnO-"FeO"-Al2O3-CaO-SiO2-S System in Equilibrium with Metallic Iron

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Baojun; Hayes, Peter C.; Jak, Evgueni

2011-10-01

The phase equilibria in the ZnO-"FeO"-Al2O3-CaO-SiO2-S system have been determined experimentally in equilibrium with metallic iron. A pseudoternary section of the form ZnO-"FeO"-(Al2O3+CaO+SiO2) for CaO/SiO2 = 0.71 (weight), (CaO+SiO2)/Al2O3 = 5.0 (weight), and fixed 2.0 wt pct S concentration has been constructed. It was found that the addition of 2.0 wt pct S to the liquid extends the spinel primary phase field significantly and decreases the size of the wustite primary phase field. The liquidus temperature in the wustite primary phase field is decreased by approximately 80 K and the liquidus temperature in the spinel primary phase field is decreased by approximately 10 K with addition of 2.0 wt pct S in the composition range investigated. It was also found that iron-zinc sulfides are present in some samples in the spinel primary phase field, which are matte appearing at low zinc concentrations and sphalerite (Zn,Fe)S at higher zinc concentrations. The presence of sulfur in the slag has a minor effect on the partitioning of ZnO between the wustite and liquid phases but no effect on the partitioning of ZnO between the spinel and liquid phases.

Mobility-limiting mechanisms in single and dual channel strained Si/SiGe MOSFETs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olsen, S.H.; Dobrosz, P.; Escobedo-Cousin, E.; Bull, S.J.; O'Neill, A.G.

2005-01-01

Dual channel strained Si/SiGe CMOS architectures currently receive great attention due to maximum performance benefits being predicted for both n- and p-channel MOSFETs. Epitaxial growth of a compressively strained SiGe layer followed by tensile strained Si can create a high mobility buried hole channel and a high mobility surface electron channel on a single relaxed SiGe virtual substrate. However, dual channel n-MOSFETs fabricated using a high thermal budget exhibit compromised mobility enhancements compared with single channel devices, in which both electron and hole channels form in strained Si. This paper investigates the mobility-limiting mechanisms of dual channel structures. The first evidence of increased interface roughness due to the introduction of compressively strained SiGe below the tensile strained Si channel is presented. Interface corrugations degrade electron mobility in the strained Si. Roughness measurements have been carried out using AFM and TEM. Filtering AFM images allowed roughness at wavelengths pertinent to carrier transport to be studied and the results are in agreement with electrical data. Furthermore, the first comparison of strain measurements in the surface channels of single and dual channel architectures is presented. Raman spectroscopy has been used to study channel strain both before and after processing and indicates that there is no impact of the buried SiGe layer on surface macrostrain. The results provide further evidence that the improved performance of the single channel devices fabricated using a high thermal budget arises from improved surface roughness and reduced Ge diffusion into the Si channel

Implantation of P ions in SiO{sub 2} layers with embedded Si nanocrystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kachurin, G.A. E-mail: kachurin@isp.nsc.ru; Cherkova, S.G.; Volodin, V.A.; Kesler, V.G.; Gutakovsky, A.K.; Cherkov, A.G.; Bublikov, A.V.; Tetelbaum, D.I

2004-08-01

The effect of 10{sup 13}-10{sup 16} cm{sup -2} P ions implantation and of subsequent annealing on Si nanocrystals (Si-ncs), formed preliminarily in SiO{sub 2} layers by the ion-beam synthesis, has been studied. Photoluminescence (PL), Raman spectroscopy, high resolution electron microscopy (HREM), X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and optical absorption were used for characterizations. The low fluence implantations have shown even individual displacements in Si-ncs quench their PL. Restoration of PL from partly damaged Si-ncs proceeds at annealing less than 1000 deg. C. In the low fluence implanted and annealed samples an increased Si-ncs PL has been found and ascribed to the radiation-induced shock crystallization of stressed Si nanoprecipitates. Annealing at temperatures under 1000 deg. C are inefficient when P ion fluences exceed 10{sup 14} cm{sup -2}, thus becoming capable to amorphize Si-ncs. High crystallization temperature of the amorphized Si-ncs is attributed to a counteraction of their shell layers. After implantation of the highest P fluences an enhanced recovery of PL was found from P concentration over 0.1 at.%. Raman spectroscopy and HREM showed an increased Si-ncs number in such layers. The effect resembles the impurity-enhanced crystallization, known for heavily doped bulk Si. This effect, along with the data obtained by XPS, is considered as an indication P atoms are really present inside the Si-ncs. However, no evidence of free electrons appearance has been observed. The fact is explained by an increased interaction of electrons with the donor nuclei in Si-ncs.