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Sample records for fabricate thick aln

  1. In Situ Fabrication of AlN Coating by Reactive Plasma Spraying of Al/AlN Powder

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    Mohammed Shahien

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Reactive plasma spraying is a promising technology for the in situ formation of aluminum nitride (AlN coatings. Recently, it became possible to fabricate cubic-AlN-(c-AlN based coatings through reactive plasma spraying of Al powder in an ambient atmosphere. However, it was difficult to fabricate a coating with high AlN content and suitable thickness due to the coalescence of the Al particles. In this study, the influence of using AlN additive (h-AlN to increase the AlN content of the coating and improve the reaction process was investigated. The simple mixing of Al and AlN powders was not suitable for fabricating AlN coatings through reactive plasma spraying. However, it was possible to prepare a homogenously mixed, agglomerated and dispersed Al/AlN mixture (which enabled in-flight interaction between the powder and the surrounding plasma by wet-mixing in a planetary mill. Increasing the AlN content in the mixture prevented coalescence and increased the nitride content gradually. Using 30 to 40 wt% AlN was sufficient to fabricate a thick (more than 200 µm AlN coating with high hardness (approximately 1000 Hv. The AlN additive prevented the coalescence of Al metal and enhanced post-deposition nitriding through N2 plasma irradiation by allowing the nitriding species in the plasma to impinge on a larger Al surface area. Using AlN as a feedstock additive was found to be a suitable method for fabricating AlN coatings by reactive plasma spraying. Moreover, the fabricated coatings consist of hexagonal (h-AlN, c-AlN (rock-salt and zinc-blend phases and certain oxides: aluminum oxynitride (Al5O6N, cubic sphalerite Al23O27N5 (ALON and Al2O3. The zinc-blend c-AlN and ALON phases were attributed to the transformation of the h-AlN feedstock during the reactive plasma spraying. Thus, the zinc-blend c

  2. The influence of the AlN barrier thickness on the polarization Coulomb field scattering in AlN/GaN heterostructure field-effect transistors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lv, Yuanjie; Feng, Zhihong; Gu, Guodong; Han, Tingting; Yin, Jiayun; Liu, Bo; Cai, Shujun; Lin, Zhaojun; Ji, Ziwu; Zhao, Jingtao

    2014-01-01

    The electron mobility scattering mechanisms in AlN/GaN heterostuctures with 3 nm and 6 nm AlN barrier thicknesses were investigated by temperature-dependent Hall measurements. The effect of interface roughness (IFR) scattering on the electron mobility was found to be enhanced by increasing AlN barrier thickness. Moreover, using the measured capacitance-voltage and current-voltage characteristics of the fabricated heterostructure field-effect transistors (HFETs) with different Schottky areas on the two heterostuctures, the variations of electron mobility with different gate biases were investigated. Due to enhanced IFR scattering, the influence of polarization Coulomb field (PCF) scattering on electron mobility was found to decrease with increasing AlN barrier layer thickness. However, the PCF scattering remained an important scattering mechanism in the AlN/GaN HFETs.

  3. Fabrication and structural properties of AlN submicron periodic lateral polar structures and waveguides for UV-C applications

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    Alden, D. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695 (United States); Institut für Festkörperphysik, Technische Universität Berlin, Hardenbergstr. 36, 10623 Berlin (Germany); Guo, W.; Kaess, F.; Bryan, I.; Reddy, P.; Hernandez-Balderrama, Luis H.; Franke, A.; Collazo, R.; Sitar, Z. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695 (United States); Kirste, R.; Mita, S. [Adroit Materials, Inc., 2054 Kildaire Farm Rd., Suite 205, Cary, North Carolina 27518 (United States); Troha, T.; Zgonik, M. [Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana, Jadranska 19, 1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia); Bagal, A.; Chang, C.-H. [Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695 (United States); Hoffmann, A. [Institut für Festkörperphysik, Technische Universität Berlin, Hardenbergstr. 36, 10623 Berlin (Germany)

    2016-06-27

    Periodically poled AlN thin films with submicron domain widths were fabricated for nonlinear applications in the UV-VIS region. A procedure utilizing metalorganic chemical vapor deposition growth of AlN in combination with laser interference lithography was developed for making a nanoscale lateral polarity structure (LPS) with domain size down to 600 nm. The Al-polar and N-polar domains were identified by wet etching the periodic LPS in a potassium hydroxide solution and subsequent scanning electron microscopy (SEM) characterization. Fully coalesced and well-defined vertical interfaces between the adjacent domains were established by cross-sectional SEM. AlN LPSs were mechanically polished and surface roughness with a root mean square value of ∼10 nm over a 90 μm × 90 μm area was achieved. 3.8 μm wide and 650 nm thick AlN LPS waveguides were fabricated. The achieved domain sizes, surface roughness, and waveguides are suitable for second harmonic generation in the UVC spectrum.

  4. AlN nanoparticle-reinforced nanocrystalline Al matrix composites: Fabrication and mechanical properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Y.Q.; Cong, H.T.; Wang, W.; Sun, C.H.; Cheng, H.M.

    2009-01-01

    To improve the specific strength and stiffness of Al-based composites, AlN/Al nanoparticles were in-situ synthesized by arc plasma evaporation of Al in nitrogen atmosphere and consolidated by hot-pressing to fabricate AlN nanoparticle-reinforced nanocrystalline Al composites (0-39 vol.% AlN). Microstructure characterization shows that AlN nanoparticles homogeneously distribute in the matrix of Al nanocrystalline, which forms atomically bonded interfaces of AlN/Al. The hardness and the elastic modulus of the nanocomposite have been improved dramatically, up to 3.48 GPa and 142 GPa, respectively. Such improvement is believed to result from the grain refinement strengthening and the interface strengthening (load transfer) between the Al matrix and AlN nanoparticles

  5. A novel surface micromachining process to fabricate AlN unimorph suspensions and its application for RF resonators

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    Saravanan, S.; Saravanan, S.; Berenschot, Johan W.; Krijnen, Gijsbertus J.M.; Elwenspoek, Michael Curt

    2006-01-01

    A novel surface micromachining process is reported for aluminum nitride (AlN) thin films to fabricate piezoelectric unimorph suspension devices for micro actuator applications. Wet anisotropic etching of AlN thin film is used with a Cr metal mask layer in the microfabrication process. Tetra methyl

  6. Engineering of nearly strain-free ZnO films on Si(1 1 1) by tuning AlN buffer thickness

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Venkatachalapathy, Vishnukanthan; Galeckas, Augustinas; Lee, In-Hwan; Kuznetsov, Andrej Yu.

    2012-01-01

    ZnO properties were investigated as a function of AlN buffer layer thickness (0–100 nm) in ZnO/AlN/Si(1 1 1) structures grown by metal organic vapor phase epitaxy. A significant improvement of ZnO film crystallinity by tuning AlN buffer thickness was confirmed by x-ray diffraction, topography and photoluminescence measurements. An optimal AlN buffer layer thickness of 50 nm is defined, which allows for growth of nearly strain-free ZnO films. The presence of free excitons at 10 K suggests high crystal quality for all ZnO samples grown on AlN/Si(1 1 1) templates. The intensities of neutral and ionized donor bound exciton lines are found to correlate with the in-plane and out-of-plane strain in the films, respectively.

  7. Engineering of nearly strain-free ZnO films on Si(1 1 1) by tuning AlN buffer thickness

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    Venkatachalapathy, Vishnukanthan, E-mail: vishnukanthan.venkatachalapathy@smn.uio.no [Department of Physics/Centre for Materials Science and Nanotechnology, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1048 Blindern, NO-0316 Oslo (Norway); Galeckas, Augustinas [Department of Physics/Centre for Materials Science and Nanotechnology, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1048 Blindern, NO-0316 Oslo (Norway); Lee, In-Hwan [School of Advanced Materials Engineering, Research Centre for Advanced Materials Development (RCAMD), Chonbuk National University, Jeonju 561-756 (Korea, Republic of); Kuznetsov, Andrej Yu. [Department of Physics/Centre for Materials Science and Nanotechnology, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1048 Blindern, NO-0316 Oslo (Norway)

    2012-05-15

    ZnO properties were investigated as a function of AlN buffer layer thickness (0-100 nm) in ZnO/AlN/Si(1 1 1) structures grown by metal organic vapor phase epitaxy. A significant improvement of ZnO film crystallinity by tuning AlN buffer thickness was confirmed by x-ray diffraction, topography and photoluminescence measurements. An optimal AlN buffer layer thickness of 50 nm is defined, which allows for growth of nearly strain-free ZnO films. The presence of free excitons at 10 K suggests high crystal quality for all ZnO samples grown on AlN/Si(1 1 1) templates. The intensities of neutral and ionized donor bound exciton lines are found to correlate with the in-plane and out-of-plane strain in the films, respectively.

  8. Polarity inversion of AlN film grown on nitrided a-plane sapphire substrate with pulsed DC reactive sputtering

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    Marsetio Noorprajuda

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available The effect of oxygen partial pressure (PO2 on polarity and crystalline quality of AlN films grown on nitrided a-plane sapphire substrates by pulsed direct current (DC reactive sputtering was investigated as a fundamental study. The polarity inversion of AlN from nitrogen (−c-polarity to aluminum (+c-polarity occurred during growth at a high PO2 of 9.4×103 Pa owing to Al-O octahedral formation at the interface of nitrided layer and AlN sputtered film which reset the polarity of AlN. The top part of the 1300 nm-thick AlN film sputtered at the high PO2 was polycrystallized. The crystalline quality was improved owing to the high kinetic energy of Al sputtered atom in the sputtering phenomena. Thinner AlN films were also fabricated at the high PO2 to eliminate the polycrystallization. For the 200 nm-thick AlN film sputtered at the high PO2, the full width at half-maximum values of the AlN (0002 and (10−12 X-ray diffraction rocking curves were 47 and 637 arcsec, respectively.

  9. Impact of the AlN seeding layer thickness on GaN orientation on high index Si-substrates

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    Ravash, Roghaiyeh; Blaesing, Juergen; Veit, Peter; Hempel, Thomas; Dadgar, Armin; Christen, Juergen; Krost, Alois [Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg (Germany). FNW/IEP/AHE

    2010-07-01

    Silicon is considered to be a reasonable alternative to substrates such as sapphire and SiC, because of its low price and availability in large diameters. Because of spontaneous and strain induced piezoelectric polarization field along the c-axis, leading to the separation of electrons and holes in quantum wells reducing the recombination efficiency, c-axis oriented GaN-based light emitters have a low efficiency, especially in the longer wavelength region. In order to reduce or eliminate these polarization effects, semi-polar or non-polar GaN-heterostructure is favored. In this work we investigated the growth of GaN applying a low temperature AlN seeding layer with various thicknesses. The impact of the AlN seeding layer on GaN orientation using different Si substrate orientations (e. g. (211), (711), (410), (100)+4.5 off) were investigated by x-ray diffraction measurements in Bragg-Brentano geometry and X-ray pole figure measurements. We found that the thickness of the AlN seeding layer plays a significant role in obtaining different GaN textures. Applying a about 4 nm AlN seeding layer we achieved a single crystalline GaN epilayer on Si (211) with a 18 tilted c-axis orientation. Some of the samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy.

  10. Magnetic tunnel junctions with AlN and AlNxOy barriers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schwickert, M. M.; Childress, J. R.; Fontana, R. E.; Kellock, A. J.; Rice, P. M.; Ho, M. K.; Thompson, T. J.; Gurney, B. A.

    2001-01-01

    Nonoxide tunnel barriers such as AlN are of interest for magnetic tunnel junctions to avoid the oxidation of the magnetic electrodes. We have investigated the fabrication and properties of thin AlN-based barriers for use in low resistance magnetic tunnel junctions. Electronic, magnetic and structural data of tunnel valves of the form Ta (100 Aa)/PtMn (300 Aa)/CoFe 20 (20 Aa - 25 Aa)/barrier/CoFe 20 (10 - 20 Aa)/NiFe 16 (35 - 40 Aa)/Ta (100 Aa) are presented, where the barrier consists of AlN, AlN x O y or AlN/AlO x with total thicknesses between 8 and 15 Aa. The tunnel junctions were sputter deposited and then lithographically patterned down to 2 x 2μm 2 devices. AlN was deposited by reactive sputtering from an Al target with 20% - 35% N 2 in the Ar sputter gas at room temperature, resulting in stoichiometric growth of AlN x (x=0.50±0.05), as determined by RBS. TEM analysis shows that the as-deposited AlN barrier is crystalline. For AlN barriers and AlN followed by natural O 2 oxidation, we obtain tunnel magnetoresistance >10% with specific junction resistance R j down to 60Ωμm 2 . [copyright] 2001 American Institute of Physics

  11. Electrical properties of GaAs metal–oxide–semiconductor structure comprising Al2O3 gate oxide and AlN passivation layer fabricated in situ using a metal–organic vapor deposition/atomic layer deposition hybrid system

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    Takeshi Aoki

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a compressive study on the fabrication and optimization of GaAs metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS structures comprising a Al2O3 gate oxide, deposited via atomic layer deposition (ALD, with an AlN interfacial passivation layer prepared in situ via metal–organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD. The established protocol afforded self-limiting growth of Al2O3 in the atmospheric MOCVD reactor. Consequently, this enabled successive growth of MOCVD-formed AlN and ALD-formed Al2O3 layers on the GaAs substrate. The effects of AlN thickness, post-deposition anneal (PDA conditions, and crystal orientation of the GaAs substrate on the electrical properties of the resulting MOS capacitors were investigated. Thin AlN passivation layers afforded incorporation of optimum amounts of nitrogen, leading to good capacitance–voltage (C–V characteristics with reduced frequency dispersion. In contrast, excessively thick AlN passivation layers degraded the interface, thereby increasing the interfacial density of states (Dit near the midgap and reducing the conduction band offset. To further improve the interface with the thin AlN passivation layers, the PDA conditions were optimized. Using wet nitrogen at 600 °C was effective to reduce Dit to below 2 × 1012 cm−2 eV−1. Using a (111A substrate was also effective in reducing the frequency dispersion of accumulation capacitance, thus suggesting the suppression of traps in GaAs located near the dielectric/GaAs interface. The current findings suggest that using an atmosphere ALD process with in situ AlN passivation using the current MOCVD system could be an efficient solution to improving GaAs MOS interfaces.

  12. Atomic layer deposition of AlN for thin membranes using trimethylaluminum and H2/N2 plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goerke, Sebastian; Ziegler, Mario; Ihring, Andreas; Dellith, Jan; Undisz, Andreas; Diegel, Marco; Anders, Solveig; Huebner, Uwe; Rettenmayr, Markus; Meyer, Hans-Georg

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • AlN films grown at 150 °C by ALD using trimethylaluminum and H 2 /N 2 -plasma. • Nearly stoichiometric AlN films (ratio Al:N = 0.938), polycrystalline by XRD/TEM. • Refractive index of n = 1.908 and low thermal conductivity of κ = 1.66 W/(m K). • Free-standing AlN membranes mechanically stable and buckling free (tensile strain). • Membrane patterning by focused ion beam etching possible. - Abstract: Aluminum nitride (AlN) thin films with thicknesses from 20 to 100 nm were deposited on silicon, amorphous silica, silicon nitride, and vitreous carbon by plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PE-ALD). Trimethylaluminum (TMA) and a H 2 /N 2 plasma mixture were used as precursors. We investigated the influence of deposition temperature and plasma parameters on the growth characteristics and the film properties of AlN. Stable PE-ALD growth conditions were obtained from 150 °C to the highest tested temperature of 300 °C. The growth rate, refractive index, and thickness homogeneity on 4″ wafers were determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry. X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) were carried out to analyze crystallinity and composition of the films. Furthermore, the thermal conductivity and the film stress were determined. The stress was sufficiently low to fabricate mechanically stable free-standing AlN membranes with lateral dimensions of up to 2.2 × 2.2 mm 2 . The membranes were patterned with focused ion beam etching. Thus, these AlN membranes qualify as dielectric support material for a variety of potential applications

  13. Surface micromachined fabrication of piezoelectric ain unimorph suspension devices for rf resonator applications

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Saravanan, S.; Saravanan, S.; Berenschot, Johan W.; Krijnen, Gijsbertus J.M.; Elwenspoek, Michael Curt

    We report a surface micromachining process for aluminum nitride (AlN) thin films to fabricate piezoelectric unimorph suspension devices for actuator applications. Polysilicon is used as a structural layer. Highly c-axis oriented AlN thin films 1 /spl mu/m thick are deposited by rf reactive

  14. Effects of AlN Coating Layer on High Temperature Characteristics of Langasite SAW Sensors

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    Lin Shu

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available High temperature characteristics of langasite surface acoustic wave (SAW devices coated with an AlN thin film have been investigated in this work. The AlN films were deposited on the prepared SAW devices by mid-frequency magnetron sputtering. The SAW devices coated with AlN films were measured from room temperature to 600 °C. The results show that the SAW devices can work up to 600 °C. The AlN coating layer can protect and improve the performance of the SAW devices at high temperature. The SAW velocity increases with increasing AlN coating layer thickness. The temperature coefficients of frequency (TCF of the prepared SAW devices decrease with increasing thickness of AlN coating layers, while the electromechanical coupling coefficient (K2 of the SAW devices increases with increasing AlN film thickness. The K2 of the SAW devices increases by about 20% from room temperature to 600 °C. The results suggest that AlN coating layer can not only protect the SAW devices from environmental contamination, but also improve the K2 of the SAW devices.

  15. Production of AlN films: ion nitriding versus PVD coating

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Figueroa, U.; Salas, O.; Oseguera, J.

    2004-01-01

    The properties of AlN render this material very attractive for optical, electronic, and tribological applications; thus, a great interest exists for the production of thin AlN films on a variety of substrates. Many methods have been developed for this purpose where two processes stand out: plasma-assisted nitriding (PAN) and PVD coating. In the present paper, we compare the processing advantages and disadvantages of both methods in terms of the characteristics of the layers formed. AlN production by ion nitriding is very sensitive to presputtering cleaning and working pressure. Layers several micrometers thick can be produced in a few hours, which are formed by a fine mixture of Al+AlN. The surface morphology of the layers is rather rough. On the other hand, formation of PVD AlN coatings by DC reactive magnetron sputtering is more readily performed and better controlled than in ion nitriding. PVD results in macroscopically smoother AlN films and with similar thickness than the ion nitrided layers but produced in shorter processing times. The morphology of the PVD AlN layers is columnar with a fairly flat surface. Mechanisms for the formation of both types of AlN layers are proposed. One of the main differences between the two processes that explain the different AlN layer morphologies is the energy of the particles that arrive at the substrate. Considering only the processing advantages and the morphology of the AlN layers formed, PVD performs better than PAN processing

  16. Superconducting NbN single-photon detectors on GaAs with an AlN buffer layer

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    Schmidt, Ekkehart; Merker, Michael; Ilin, Konstantin; Siegel, Michael [Institut fuer Mikro- und Nanoelektronische Systeme (IMS), Karlsruher Institut fuer Technologie, Hertzstrasse 16, 76187 Karlsruhe (Germany)

    2015-07-01

    GaAs is the material of choice for photonic integrated circuits. It allows the monolithic integration of single-photon sources like quantum dots, waveguide based optical circuits and detectors like superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) onto one chip. The growth of high quality NbN films on GaAs is challenging, due to natural occurring surface oxides and the large lattice mismatch of about 27%. In this work, we try to overcome these problems by the introduction of a 10 nm AlN buffer layer. Due to the buffer layer, the critical temperature of 6 nm thick NbN films was increased by about 1.5 K. Furthermore, the critical current density at 4.2 K of NbN flim deposited onto GaAs with AlN buffer is 50% higher than of NbN film deposited directly onto GaAs substrate. We successfully fabricated NbN SNSPDs on GaAs with a AlN buffer layer. SNSPDs were patterned using electron-beam lithography and reactive-ion etching techniques. Results on the study of detection efficiency and jitter of a NbN SNSPD on GaAs, with and without AlN buffer layer will be presented and discussed.

  17. Microstructure and mechanical properties of stress-tailored piezoelectric AlN thin films for electro-acoustic devices

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    Reusch, Markus, E-mail: markus.reusch@iaf.fraunhofer.de [Laboratory for Compound Semiconductor Microsystems, IMTEK - Department of Microsystems Engineering, University of Freiburg, Georges-Koehler-Allee 103, 79110 Freiburg (Germany); Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics, Tullastrasse 72, 79108 Freiburg (Germany); Cherneva, Sabina [Institute of Mechanics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., Bl. 4, 1113 Sofia (Bulgaria); Lu, Yuan; Žukauskaitė, Agnė; Kirste, Lutz; Holc, Katarzyna [Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics, Tullastrasse 72, 79108 Freiburg (Germany); Datcheva, Maria [Institute of Mechanics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., Bl. 4, 1113 Sofia (Bulgaria); Stoychev, Dimitar [Institute of Physical Chemistry, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., Bl. 11, 1113 Sofia (Bulgaria); Lebedev, Vadim [Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics, Tullastrasse 72, 79108 Freiburg (Germany); Ambacher, Oliver [Laboratory for Compound Semiconductor Microsystems, IMTEK - Department of Microsystems Engineering, University of Freiburg, Georges-Koehler-Allee 103, 79110 Freiburg (Germany); Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics, Tullastrasse 72, 79108 Freiburg (Germany)

    2017-06-15

    Highlights: • Sputtered AlN thin films with minimized intrinsic stress gradient. • Gradual increase of N{sub 2} concentration during film growth. • No degradation of AlN film properties by changing process conditions. • 2D Raman mapping of nanoindentation area. - Abstract: Nanoindentation measurements along with atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and residual stress analyses on the basis of Raman measurements have been performed to characterize stress-tailored AlN thin films grown using reactive RF magnetron sputtering. The intrinsic stress gradient caused by the growing in-plane grain size along film thickness was minimized by increasing the N{sub 2} concentration in the Ar/N{sub 2} gas mixture during the growth process. The increase of N{sub 2} concentration did not degrade the device-relevant material properties such as crystallographic orientation, surface morphology, piezoelectric response, or indentation modulus. Due to comparable crystallographic film properties for all investigated samples it was concluded that mainly the AlN crystallites contribute to the mechanical film properties such as indentation modulus and hardness, while the film stress or grain boundaries had only a minor influence. Therefore, by tailoring the stress gradient in the AlN films, device performance, fabrication yield, and the design flexibility of electro-acoustic devices can be greatly improved.

  18. Electrical characteristics of AlO sub x N sub y prepared by oxidation of sub-10-nm-thick AlN films for MOS gate dielectric applications

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    Jeon, S H; Kim, H S; Noh, D Y; Hwang, H S

    2000-01-01

    In this research, the feasibility of ultrathin AlO sub x N sub y prepared by oxidation of sub 100-A-thick AlN thin films for metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) gate dielectric applications was investigated. Oxidation of 51-A-and 98-A-thick as-deposited AlN at 800 .deg. C was used to form 72-A-and 130-A-thick AlO sub x N sub y , respectively. Based on the capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements of the MOS capacitor, the dielectric constants of 72 A-thick and 130 A-thick Al-oxynitride were 5.15 and 7, respectively. The leakage current of Al-oxynitride at low field was almost the same as that of thermal SiO sub 2. based on the CV data, the interface state density of Al-oxynitride was relatively higher than that of SiO sub 2. Although process optimization is still necessary, the Al-oxynitride exhibits some possibility for future MOS gate dielectric applications.

  19. Electrical characteristics of AlO{sub x}N{sub y} prepared by oxidation of sub-10-nm-thick AlN films for MOS gate dielectric applications

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    Jeon, Sang Hun; Jang, Hyeon Woo; Kim, Hyun Soo; Noh, Do Young; Hwang, Hyun Sang [Kwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Kwangju (Korea, Republic of)

    2000-12-01

    In this research, the feasibility of ultrathin AlO{sub x}N{sub y} prepared by oxidation of sub 100-A-thick AlN thin films for metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) gate dielectric applications was investigated. Oxidation of 51-A-and 98-A-thick as-deposited AlN at 800 .deg. C was used to form 72-A-and 130-A-thick AlO{sub x}N{sub y}, respectively. Based on the capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements of the MOS capacitor, the dielectric constants of 72 A-thick and 130 A-thick Al-oxynitride were 5.15 and 7, respectively. The leakage current of Al-oxynitride at low field was almost the same as that of thermal SiO{sub 2}. based on the CV data, the interface state density of Al-oxynitride was relatively higher than that of SiO{sub 2}. Although process optimization is still necessary, the Al-oxynitride exhibits some possibility for future MOS gate dielectric applications.

  20. Epitaxial growth of AlN on single crystal Mo substrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Okamoto, Koichiro; Inoue, Shigeru; Nakano, Takayuki; Kim, Tae-Won; Oshima, Masaharu; Fujioka, Hiroshi

    2008-01-01

    We have grown AlN films on single-crystalline Mo(110), (100), and (111) substrates using a low temperature pulsed laser deposition (PLD) growth technique and investigated their structural properties. Although c-axis oriented AlN films grow on Mo(100), the films contain 30 o rotated domains due to the difference in the rotational symmetry between AlN(0001) and Mo(100). AlN films with only poor crystalline quality grow on Mo(111) substrates, probably due to the poor surface morphology and high reactivity of the substrates. On the other hand, single crystal AlN films grow epitaxially on Mo(110) substrates with an in-plane relationship of AlN[11-20] // Mo[001]. Reflection high-energy electron diffraction or electron backscattered diffraction analysis has revealed that neither in-plane 30 deg. rotated domains nor cubic phase domains exist in the AlN films. X-ray reflectivity measurements have revealed that the heterointerface between AlN and Mo prepared by PLD at 450 deg. C is quite abrupt. These results indicate that PLD epitaxial growth of AlN on single crystal Mo substrates is quite promising for the fabrication of future high frequency filter devices

  1. Epitaxial growth of AlN on single crystal Mo substrates

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    Okamoto, Koichiro; Inoue, Shigeru [Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 153-8505 (Japan); Nakano, Takayuki; Kim, Tae-Won [Kanagawa Academy of Science and Technology (KAST) KSP east 301, 3-2-1 Sakado, Takatsu-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, 213-0012 (Japan); Oshima, Masaharu [Department of Applied Chemistry, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8656 (Japan); Fujioka, Hiroshi [Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 153-8505 (Japan); Kanagawa Academy of Science and Technology (KAST) KSP east 301, 3-2-1 Sakado, Takatsu-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, 213-0012 (Japan)], E-mail: hfujioka@iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp

    2008-06-02

    We have grown AlN films on single-crystalline Mo(110), (100), and (111) substrates using a low temperature pulsed laser deposition (PLD) growth technique and investigated their structural properties. Although c-axis oriented AlN films grow on Mo(100), the films contain 30{sup o} rotated domains due to the difference in the rotational symmetry between AlN(0001) and Mo(100). AlN films with only poor crystalline quality grow on Mo(111) substrates, probably due to the poor surface morphology and high reactivity of the substrates. On the other hand, single crystal AlN films grow epitaxially on Mo(110) substrates with an in-plane relationship of AlN[11-20] // Mo[001]. Reflection high-energy electron diffraction or electron backscattered diffraction analysis has revealed that neither in-plane 30 deg. rotated domains nor cubic phase domains exist in the AlN films. X-ray reflectivity measurements have revealed that the heterointerface between AlN and Mo prepared by PLD at 450 deg. C is quite abrupt. These results indicate that PLD epitaxial growth of AlN on single crystal Mo substrates is quite promising for the fabrication of future high frequency filter devices.

  2. C-axis orientated AlN films deposited using deep oscillation magnetron sputtering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lin, Jianliang; Chistyakov, Roman

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • Highly orientated AlN films were deposited by DOMS technique. • Controlled ion flux bombardment improved the texture and crystalline quality. • Excessive ion bombardment showed a detrimental effect on the c-axis orientation growth. • Improved c-axis alignment accompanied with stress relaxation with increasing film thickness. - Abstract: Highly c-axis orientated aluminum nitride (AlN) films were deposited on silicon (100) substrates by reactive deep oscillation magnetron sputtering (DOMS). No epitaxial favored bond layer and substrate heating were applied for assisting texture growth. The effects of the peak target current density (varied from 0.39 to 0.8 Acm"−"2) and film thickness (varied from 0.25 to 3.3 μm) on the c-axis orientation, microstructure, residual stress and mechanical properties of the AlN films were investigated by means of X-ray diffraction rocking curve methodology, transmission electron microscopy, optical profilometry, and nanoindentation. All AlN films exhibited a preferred orientation and compressive residual stresses. At similar film thicknesses, an increase in the peak target current density to 0.53 Acm"−"2 improved the orientation. Further increasing the peak target current density to above 0.53 Acm"−"2 showed limited contribution to the texture development. The study also showed that an increase in the thickness of the AlN films deposited by DOMS improved the c-axis alignment accompanied with a reduction in the residual stress.

  3. C-axis orientated AlN films deposited using deep oscillation magnetron sputtering

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lin, Jianliang, E-mail: Jianliang.lin@swri.org [Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238 (United States); Chistyakov, Roman [Zpulser LLC, Mansfield, MA 02048 (United States)

    2017-02-28

    Highlights: • Highly <0001> orientated AlN films were deposited by DOMS technique. • Controlled ion flux bombardment improved the <0001> texture and crystalline quality. • Excessive ion bombardment showed a detrimental effect on the c-axis orientation growth. • Improved c-axis alignment accompanied with stress relaxation with increasing film thickness. - Abstract: Highly <0001> c-axis orientated aluminum nitride (AlN) films were deposited on silicon (100) substrates by reactive deep oscillation magnetron sputtering (DOMS). No epitaxial favored bond layer and substrate heating were applied for assisting texture growth. The effects of the peak target current density (varied from 0.39 to 0.8 Acm{sup −2}) and film thickness (varied from 0.25 to 3.3 μm) on the c-axis orientation, microstructure, residual stress and mechanical properties of the AlN films were investigated by means of X-ray diffraction rocking curve methodology, transmission electron microscopy, optical profilometry, and nanoindentation. All AlN films exhibited a <0001> preferred orientation and compressive residual stresses. At similar film thicknesses, an increase in the peak target current density to 0.53 Acm{sup −2} improved the <0001> orientation. Further increasing the peak target current density to above 0.53 Acm{sup −2} showed limited contribution to the texture development. The study also showed that an increase in the thickness of the AlN films deposited by DOMS improved the c-axis alignment accompanied with a reduction in the residual stress.

  4. Effects of AlN nucleation layers on the growth of AlN films using high temperature hydride vapor phase epitaxy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Balaji, M.; Claudel, A.; Fellmann, V.; Gélard, I.; Blanquet, E.; Boichot, R.; Pierret, A.

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Growth of AlN Nucleation layers and its effect on high temperature AlN films quality were investigated. ► AlN nucleation layers stabilizes the epitaxial growth of AlN and improves the surface morphology of AlN films. ► Increasing growth temperature of AlN NLs as well as AlN films improves the structural quality and limits the formation of cracks. - Abstract: AlN layers were grown on c-plane sapphire substrates with AlN nucleation layers (NLs) using high temperature hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HT-HVPE). Insertion of low temperature NLs, as those typically used in MOVPE process, prior to the high temperature AlN (HT-AlN) layers has been investigated. The NLs surface morphology was studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and NLs thickness was measured by X-ray reflectivity. Increasing nucleation layer deposition temperature from 650 to 850 °C has been found to promote the growth of c-oriented epitaxial HT-AlN layers instead of polycrystalline layers. The growth of polycrystalline layers has been related to the formation of dis-oriented crystallites. The density of such disoriented crystallites has been found to decrease while increasing NLs deposition temperature. The HT-AlN layers have been characterized by X-ray diffraction θ − 2θ scan and (0 0 0 2) rocking curve measurement, Raman and photoluminescence spectroscopies, AFM and field emission scanning electron microscopy. Increasing the growth temperature of HT-AlN layers from 1200 to 1400 °C using a NL grown at 850 °C improves the structural quality as well as the surface morphology. As a matter of fact, full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of 0 0 0 2 reflections was improved from 1900 to 864 arcsec for 1200 °C and 1400 °C, respectively. Related RMS roughness also found to decrease from 10 to 5.6 nm.

  5. Microstructural analysis in the depth direction of a heteroepitaxial AlN thick film grown on a trench-patterned template by nanobeam X-ray diffraction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shida, K.; Takeuchi, S.; Tohei, T.; Miyake, H.; Hiramatsu, K.; Sumitani, K.; Imai, Y.; Kimura, S.; Sakai, A.

    2018-04-01

    This work quantitatively assessed the three-dimensional distribution of crystal lattice distortions in an epitaxial AlN thick film grown on a trench-patterned template, using nanobeam X-ray diffraction. Position-dependent ω-2θ-φ mapping clearly demonstrated local tilting, spacing and twisting of lattice planes as well as fluctuations in these phenomena on a sub-micrometer scale comparable to the pitch of the trench-and-terrace patterning. Analysis of the crystal lattice distortion in the depth direction was performed using a newly developed method in which the X-ray nanobeam diffracted from the sample surface to specific depths can be selectively detected by employing a Pt wire profiler. This technique generated depth-resolved ω-2θ-φ maps confirming that fluctuations in lattice plane tilting and spacing greatly depend on the dislocation distribution and the history of the AlN epitaxial growth on the trench-patterned structure. It was also found that both fluctuations were reduced on approaching the AlN surface and, in particular, were sharply reduced at specific depths in the terrace regions. These sharp reductions are attributed to the formation of sacrificial zones with degraded crystal quality around the trenches and possibly lead to raising the crystal quality near the surface of the AlN film.

  6. Lattice damage induced by Tb-implanted AlN crystalline films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu Fei; Hu Hui; Rizzi, A.

    2002-01-01

    AlN films with thickness from 100 to 1000 nm were grown on SiC substrate by MBE. AlN crystalline films were doped by implantation with 160 keV Tb ions to fluences of 5x10 14 , 1.5x10 15 , 3x10 15 and 6x10 15 ions/cm 2 , respectively. The damage profiles in AlN films induced by Tb implantation were investigated using RBS/channeling technique. A procedure developed by Feldman and Rodgers was used to extract damage profile by considering the dechanneling mechanism of multiple. The comparison of the extracted profile with TRIM prediction shows a significant difference in the shape and in the position of damage profile. The damage profile in AlN film is similar as Tb distribution. The RBS/channeling of Tb-implanted AlN film before and after 950 deg. C annealing treatments show a good consistency, which indicate that high temperature annealing cannot result in a significant change in both crystal damage and in Tb distribution

  7. Hydride vapor phase epitaxy of high structural perfection thick AlN layers on off-axis 6H-SiC

    Science.gov (United States)

    Volkova, Anna; Ivantsov, Vladimir; Leung, Larry

    2011-01-01

    The employment of more than 10 μm thick AlN epilayers on SiC substrates for AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) substantially raises their performance in high-power energy-efficient amplifiers for 4G wireless mobile stations. In this paper, structural properties and surface morphology of thick AlN epilayers deposited by hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) on off-axis conductive 6H-SiC substrates are reported. The epilayers were examined in detail by high-resolution X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Nomarski differential interference contrast (DIC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and selective wet chemical etching. At optimal substrate preparation and growth conditions, a full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of the XRD rocking curve (RC) for the symmetric (00.2) reflex was very close to that of the substrate (less than 40 arcsec) suggesting low screw dislocation density in the epilayer (˜10 6 cm -2) and small in-plane tilt misorientation. Reciprocal space mapping around asymmetric reflexes and measured lattice parameters indicated a fully relaxed state of the epilayers. The unit-cell-high stepped areas of the epilayers with 0.5 nm root mean square (RMS) roughness over 1×1 μm 2 scan were alternated with step-bunching instabilities up to 350 nm in height. Low warp of the substrates makes them suitable for precise epitaxy of HEMT structures.

  8. Fabrication of AlN thin films on different substrates at ambient temperature

    CERN Document Server

    Cai, W X; Wu, P H; Yang, S Z; Ji, Z M

    2002-01-01

    Aluminium nitride (AlN) is very useful as a barrier in superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) device or as an insulating layer in many other applications. At ambient temperature, we deposit AlN thin films onto different substrates (such as MgO, LaAlO sub 3 and Si) by using radio-frequency magnetron sputtering and pure Al target. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and PHI-scan patterns show that the films grown on MgO substrates are excellent epitaxial films with (101) orientation of a hexagonal lattice. A possible structure of the interface between the film and the substrate is suggested and discussed.

  9. Growth of AlN films and their characterization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jain, Rakesh B.; Gao, Ying; Zhang, Jianping; Qhaleed Fareed, R.S.; Gaska, Remis [Sensor Electronic Technology, Inc., 1195 Atlas Rd., Columbia, SC 29209 (United States); Li, Jiawei; Arjunan, Arulchakkravarthi; Yang, Jinwei; Asif Khan, M. [Department of Electrical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208 (United States); Kuokstis, Edmundas [MTMI, Vilnius University, Vilnius (Lithuania)

    2006-06-15

    Single crystal AlN layers have been produced by migration enhanced metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MEMOCVD), hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) and their combination. The growth was carried out on 2'' basal plane sapphire substrates. In MEMOCVD, the duration and waveforms of precursors were varied to achieve better surface mobility and thus better atomic incorporation. It resulted in superior layer quality templates with the narrowest (002) X-ray rocking curve full width half maximum (FWHM). Such high quality AlN templates were used as seeds for subsequent HVPE growth. Thick films with thickness ranging from 1-25 {mu}m have been grown by HVPE with growth rates as high as 200 {mu}m/min, highest ever reported. Films grown by the two methods have been extensively characterized by Nomarski microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), high-resolution X-ray diffractometry (HRXRD), and photoluminescence (PL). (copyright 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

  10. Impact of barrier thickness on transistor performance in AlN/GaN high electron mobility transistors grown on free-standing GaN substrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deen, David A.; Storm, David F.; Meyer, David J.; Bass, Robert; Binari, Steven C.; Gougousi, Theodosia; Evans, Keith R.

    2014-01-01

    A series of six ultrathin AlN/GaN heterostructures with varied AlN thicknesses from 1.5–6 nm have been grown by molecular beam epitaxy on free-standing hydride vapor phase epitaxy GaN substrates. High electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) were fabricated from the set in order to assess the impact of barrier thickness and homo-epitaxial growth on transistor performance. Room temperature Hall characteristics revealed mobility of 1700 cm 2 /V s and sheet resistance of 130 Ω/□ for a 3 nm thick barrier, ranking amongst the lowest room-temperature sheet resistance values reported for a polarization-doped single heterostructure in the III-Nitride family. DC and small signal HEMT electrical characteristics from submicron gate length HEMTs further elucidated the effect of the AlN barrier thickness on device performance.

  11. Impact of barrier thickness on transistor performance in AlN/GaN high electron mobility transistors grown on free-standing GaN substrates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Deen, David A., E-mail: david.deen@alumni.nd.edu; Storm, David F.; Meyer, David J.; Bass, Robert; Binari, Steven C. [Electronics Science and Technology Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375-5347 (United States); Gougousi, Theodosia [Physics Department, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland 21250 (United States); Evans, Keith R. [Kyma Technologies, Raleigh, North Carolina 27617 (United States)

    2014-09-01

    A series of six ultrathin AlN/GaN heterostructures with varied AlN thicknesses from 1.5–6 nm have been grown by molecular beam epitaxy on free-standing hydride vapor phase epitaxy GaN substrates. High electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) were fabricated from the set in order to assess the impact of barrier thickness and homo-epitaxial growth on transistor performance. Room temperature Hall characteristics revealed mobility of 1700 cm{sup 2}/V s and sheet resistance of 130 Ω/□ for a 3 nm thick barrier, ranking amongst the lowest room-temperature sheet resistance values reported for a polarization-doped single heterostructure in the III-Nitride family. DC and small signal HEMT electrical characteristics from submicron gate length HEMTs further elucidated the effect of the AlN barrier thickness on device performance.

  12. Effects of GaN/AlGaN/Sputtered AlN nucleation layers on performance of GaN-based ultraviolet light-emitting diodes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Hongpo; Zhou, Shengjun; Liu, Xingtong; Gao, Yilin; Gui, Chengqun; Liu, Sheng

    2017-03-01

    We report on the demonstration of GaN-based ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (UV LEDs) emitting at 375 nm grown on patterned sapphire substrate (PSS) with in-situ low temperature GaN/AlGaN nucleation layers (NLs) and ex-situ sputtered AlN NL. The threading dislocation (TD) densities in GaN-based UV LEDs with GaN/AlGaN/sputtered AlN NLs were determined by high-resolution X-ray diffraction (XRD) and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (TEM), which revealed that the TD density in UV LED with AlGaN NL was the highest, whereas that in UV LED with sputtered AlN NL was the lowest. The light output power (LOP) of UV LED with AlGaN NL was 18.2% higher than that of UV LED with GaN NL owing to a decrease in the absorption of 375 nm UV light in the AlGaN NL with a larger bandgap. Using a sputtered AlN NL instead of the AlGaN NL, the LOP of UV LED was further enhanced by 11.3%, which is attributed to reduced TD density in InGaN/AlInGaN active region. In the sputtered AlN thickness range of 10-25 nm, the LOP of UV LED with 15-nm-thick sputtered AlN NL was the highest, revealing that optimum thickness of the sputtered AlN NL is around 15 nm.

  13. Berkovich Nanoindentation on AlN Thin Films

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jian Sheng-Rui

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Berkovich nanoindentation-induced mechanical deformation mechanisms of AlN thin films have been investigated by using atomic force microscopy (AFM and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (XTEM techniques. AlN thin films are deposited on the metal-organic chemical-vapor deposition (MOCVD derived Si-doped (2 × 1017 cm−3 GaN template by using the helicon sputtering system. The XTEM samples were prepared by means of focused ion beam (FIB milling to accurately position the cross-section of the nanoindented area. The hardness and Young’s modulus of AlN thin films were measured by a Berkovich nanoindenter operated with the continuous contact stiffness measurements (CSM option. The obtained values of the hardness and Young’s modulus are 22 and 332 GPa, respectively. The XTEM images taken in the vicinity regions just underneath the indenter tip revealed that the multiple “pop-ins” observed in the load–displacement curve during loading are due primarily to the activities of dislocation nucleation and propagation. The absence of discontinuities in the unloading segments of load–displacement curve suggests that no pressure-induced phase transition was involved. Results obtained in this study may also have technological implications for estimating possible mechanical damages induced by the fabrication processes of making the AlN-based devices.

  14. An AlN cantilever for a wake-up switch triggered by air pressure change

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaiho, Y; Itoh, T; Maeda, R; Takahashi, H; Matsumoto, K; Shimoyama, I; Tomimatsu, Y; Kobayashi, T

    2013-01-01

    This research reports an AlN cantilever with an air chamber for a wake-up switch triggered by air pressure change. The proposed sensor is designed to fulfil both high sensitivity and low power consumption. By combining an air chamber to the one side of the AlN cantilever surface, the barometric pressure change generates a piezoelectric voltage. Thus, a wake-up switch triggered by air pressure change can be achieved using an AlN cantilever. The size of the fabricated AlN cantilever was 2000 μm × 1000 μm × 2 μm. The sensitivity to static differential pressure was 11.5 mV/Pa at the range of −20 Pa to 20 Pa. We evaluated the response of the sensor, which was composed of the AlN cantilever and the chamber of 60 ml in volume, when air pressure change was applied. The output voltage increased with increasing the applied air pressure change. It was observed that the maximum output voltage of 50 mV was generated when the air pressure change was 13 Pa

  15. Magma transport in sheet intrusions of the Alnö carbonatite complex, central Sweden.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andersson, Magnus; Almqvist, Bjarne S G; Burchardt, Steffi; Troll, Valentin R; Malehmir, Alireza; Snowball, Ian; Kübler, Lutz

    2016-06-10

    Magma transport through the Earth's crust occurs dominantly via sheet intrusions, such as dykes and cone-sheets, and is fundamental to crustal evolution, volcanic eruptions and geochemical element cycling. However, reliable methods to reconstruct flow direction in solidified sheet intrusions have proved elusive. Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) in magmatic sheets is often interpreted as primary magma flow, but magnetic fabrics can be modified by post-emplacement processes, making interpretation of AMS data ambiguous. Here we present AMS data from cone-sheets in the Alnö carbonatite complex, central Sweden. We discuss six scenarios of syn- and post-emplacement processes that can modify AMS fabrics and offer a conceptual framework for systematic interpretation of magma movements in sheet intrusions. The AMS fabrics in the Alnö cone-sheets are dominantly oblate with magnetic foliations parallel to sheet orientations. These fabrics may result from primary lateral flow or from sheet closure at the terminal stage of magma transport. As the cone-sheets are discontinuous along their strike direction, sheet closure is the most probable process to explain the observed AMS fabrics. We argue that these fabrics may be common to cone-sheets and an integrated geology, petrology and AMS approach can be used to distinguish them from primary flow fabrics.

  16. SAP-like ultrafine-grained Al composites dispersion strengthened with nanometric AlN

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Balog, M.; Krizik, P.; Yan, M.; Simancik, F.; Schaffer, G.B.; Qian, M.

    2013-01-01

    This paper reports the development of novel Sinter-Aluminum-Pulver (SAP)-like Al–AlN nanocomposites via replacing the native Al 2 O 3 thin films on fine Al powder with a large volume fraction of in situ formed nanometric AlN dispersoids. Fine gas-atomized Al powder (d 50 =1.3 µm) compacts were first partially nitrided at 590 °C in flowing nitrogen, controlled by a small addition of Sn (0.3–0.4 wt%), and subsequently consolidated by hot direct extrusion. The resulting Al–AlN composites consisted of submicrometric Al grains reinforced with nanometric AlN dispersoids together with some nanometric Al 2 O 3 dispersoids. An Al–13 vol% AlN nanocomposite fabricated this way achieved exceptional ultimate tensile strength of 227 MPa, yield strength of 195 MPa and Young's modulus of 66 GPa at 300 °C, superior to typical SAP materials and coarse grained Al–AlN composites. In addition, the Al–13 vol% AlN nanocomposite exhibited good thermal stability up to 500 °C. The strengthening mechanism is discussed

  17. Electrochemical formation of AlN in molten LiCl-KCl-Li{sub 3}N systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Goto, Takuya [Department of Fundamental Energy Science, Graduate School of Energy Science, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8501 (Japan)]. E-mail: goto@energy.kyoto-u.ac.jp; Iwaki, Takayuki [Department of Fundamental Energy Science, Graduate School of Energy Science, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8501 (Japan); Ito, Yasuhiko [Department of Fundamental Energy Science, Graduate School of Energy Science, Kyoto University, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8501 (Japan)

    2005-01-30

    Electrochemical formation of aluminum nitride was investigated in molten LiCl-KCl-Li{sub 3}N systems at 723 K. When Al was anodically polarized at 1.0 V (versus Li{sup +}/Li), oxidation of nitride ions proceeded to form adsorbed nitrogen atoms, which reacted with the surface to form AlN film. The obtained nitrided film had a thickness of sub-micron order. The obtained nitrided layer consisted of two regions; the outer layer involving AlN and aluminum oxynitride and the inner layer involving metallic Al and AlN. When Al electrode was anodically polarized at 2.0 V, anodic dissolution of Al electrode occurred to give aluminum ions, which reacted with nitride ions in the melt to produce AlN particles (1-5 {mu}m of diameter) of wurtzite structure.

  18. Investigation of different mechanisms of GaN growth induced on AlN and GaN nucleation layers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tasco, V.; Campa, A.; Tarantini, I.; Passaseo, A.; Gonzalez-Posada, F.; Munoz, E.; Redondo-Cubero, A.; Lorenz, K.; Franco, N.

    2009-01-01

    The evolution of GaN growth on AlN and GaN nucleation layers is compared through morphological and structural analyses, including ion beam analysis. By using AlN nucleation layer grown at high temperature, improved crystalline quality is exhibited by 300 nm thin GaN epilayers. GaN (002) x-ray rocking curve as narrow as 168 arc sec and atomic-step surface morphology characterize such a thin GaN film on AlN. Defects are strongly confined into the first 50 nm of growth, whereas a fast laterally coherent growth is observed when increasing thickness, as an effect of high temperature AlN surface morphology and Ga adatom dynamics over this template

  19. Enhancing the piezoelectric properties of flexible hybrid AlN materials using semi-crystalline parylene

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jackson, Nathan; Mathewson, Alan

    2017-04-01

    Flexible piezoelectric materials are desired for numerous applications including biomedical, wearable, and flexible electronics. However, most flexible piezoelectric materials are not compatible with CMOS fabrication technology, which is desired for most MEMS applications. This paper reports on the development of a hybrid flexible piezoelectric material consisting of aluminium nitride (AlN) and a semi-crystalline polymer substrate. Various types of semi-crystalline parylene and polyimide materials were investigated as the polymer substrate. The crystallinity and surfaces of the polymer substrates were modified by micro-roughening and annealing in order to determine the effects on the AlN quality. The AlN crystallinity and piezoelectric properties decreased when the polymer surfaces were treated with O2 plasma. However, increasing the crystallinity of the parylene substrate prior to deposition of AlN caused enhanced c-axis (002) AlN crystallinity and piezoelectric response of the AlN. Piezoelectric properties of 200 °C annealed parylene-N substrate resulted in an AlN d 33 value of 4.87 pm V-1 compared to 2.17 pm V-1 for AlN on polyimide and 4.0 pm V-1 for unannealed AlN/parylene-N. The electrical response measurements to an applied force demonstrated that the parylene/AlN hybrid material had higher V pp (0.918 V) than commercial flexible piezoelectric material (PVDF) (V pp 0.36 V). The results in this paper demonstrate that the piezoelectric properties of a flexible AlN hybrid material can be enhanced by increasing the crystallinity of the polymer substrate, and the enhanced properties can function better than previous flexible piezoelectrics.

  20. Growth of high quality AlN films on CVD diamond by RF reactive magnetron sputtering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Liang-xian; Liu, Hao; Liu, Sheng; Li, Cheng-ming; Wang, Yi-chao; An, Kang; Hua, Chen-yi; Liu, Jin-long; Wei, Jun-jun; Hei, Li-fu; Lv, Fan-xiu

    2018-02-01

    A highly oriented AlN layer has been successfully grown along the c-axis on a polycrystalline chemical vapor deposited (CVD) diamond by RF reactive magnetron sputtering. Structural, morphological and mechanical properties of the heterostructure were investigated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Nano-indentation and Four-probe meter. A compact AlN film was demonstrated on the diamond layer, showing columnar grains and a low surface roughness of 1.4 nm. TEM results revealed a sharp AlN/diamond interface, which was characterized by the presence of a distinct 10 nm thick buffer layer resulting from the initial AlN growth stage. The FWHM of AlN (002) diffraction peak and its rocking curve are as low as 0.41° and 3.35° respectively, indicating a highly preferred orientation along the c-axis. AlN sputtered films deposited on glass substrates show a higher bulk resistivity (up to 3 × 1012 Ω cm), compared to AlN films deposited on diamond (∼1010 Ω cm). Finally, the film hardness and Young's modulus of AlN films on diamond are 25.8 GPa and 489.5 GPa, respectively.

  1. Effects of AlN on the densification and mechanical properties of pressureless-sintered SiC ceramics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qisong Li

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available In the present work, SiC ceramics was fabricated with AlN using B4C and C as sintering aids by a solid-state pressureless-sintered method. The effects of AlN contents on the densification, mechanical properties, phase compositions, and microstructure evolutions of as-obtained SiC ceramics were thoroughly investigated. AlN was found to promote further densification of the SiC ceramics due to its evaporation over 1800 °C, transportation, and solidification in the pores resulted from SiC grain coarsening. The highest relative density of 99.65% was achieved for SiC sample with 15.0 wt% AlN by the pressureless-sintered method at 2130 °C for 1 h in Ar atmosphere. Furthermore, the fracture mechanism for SiC ceramics containing AlN tended to transfer from single transgranular fracture mode to both transgranular fracture and intergranular fracture modes when the sample with 30.0 wt% AlN sintered at 1900 °C for 1 h in Ar. Also, SiC ceramics with 30.0 wt% AlN exhibited the highest fracture toughness of 5.23 MPa m1/2 when sintered at 1900 °C.

  2. The extraordinary role of the AlN interlayer in growth of AlN sputtered on Ti electrodes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tran, Tuan; Pandraud, G.; Tichelaar, F.D.; Nguyen, Duc Minh; Schellevis, H.; Sarro, P.M.

    2013-01-01

    The structure of AlN layers grown on Ti with and without an AlN interlayer between the Si substrate and the Ti layer is investigated. The AlN grains take over the orientation of the Ti columnar grains in both cases. Surprisingly, the Ti grains do not take over completely the orientations of the AlN

  3. Fabrication of thick superconducting films by decantation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julián Betancourt M.

    1991-07-01

    Full Text Available We have found superconducting behavior in thick films fabricated by decantation. In this paper we present the experimental method and results obtained using commercial copper substrates.

  4. Barrier effect of AlN film in flexible Cu(In,Ga)Se{sub 2} solar cells on stainless steel foil and solar cell

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Boyan; Li, Jianjun [Institute of Photo-electronic Thin Film Devices and Technology, Key Laboratory of Photo-electronic Thin Film Devices and Technology of Tianjin, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071 (China); Wu, Li [The MOE Key Laboratory of Weak-Light Nonlinear Photonics, School of Physics, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071 (China); Liu, Wei; Sun, Yun [Institute of Photo-electronic Thin Film Devices and Technology, Key Laboratory of Photo-electronic Thin Film Devices and Technology of Tianjin, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071 (China); Zhang, Yi, E-mail: yizhang@nankai.edu.cn [Institute of Photo-electronic Thin Film Devices and Technology, Key Laboratory of Photo-electronic Thin Film Devices and Technology of Tianjin, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071 (China)

    2015-04-05

    Highlights: • The adhension between AlN film and Mo are verygood. • AlN film can be effectively used as the barrier of flexible CIGS solar cell on SS substrate. • AlN film is suitable as the insulation barrier of flexible CIGS solar cell on SS substrate. - Abstract: The AlN film deposited by DC magnetron sputtering on stainless steel (SS) foils was used as the barrier in flexible Cu(In,Ga)Se{sub 2} (CIGS) solar cells on stainless steel foil and characterized comprehensively by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), I–V, and QE measurements study. The study of AlN as insulation barrier in the flexible CIGS solar cell showed that the adhesion strength between the SS foil and the deposited AlN film was very strong even after annealing at high temperature at 530 °C. More importantly, a high resistance of over 10 MΩ was remained with the film with thickness of around 200 nm after annealing. This indicates that the AlN film is suitable as an effective insulation barrier in flexible CIGS solar cells based on SS foil. In addition, the XRD and SEM results showed that the AlN film did not influence the crystal structure of the Mo film which was deposited upon the AlN layer and used as the electrical contact in CIGS solar cells. It was found that the AlN film contributed to an improved crystallinity of the Mo contact layer compared to the bare SS foil. The combined results of secondary ion mass spectrometry, I–V and EQE measurements of the corresponding flexible CIGS solar cells confirmed that 1 μm-thick AlN film could be used as an efficient barrier layer in CIGS solar cells on SS foil.

  5. Surface acoustic wave devices on AlN/3C–SiC/Si multilayer structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lin, Chih-Ming; Lien, Wei-Cheng; Riekkinen, Tommi; Senesky, Debbie G; Pisano, Albert P; Chen, Yung-Yu; Felmetsger, Valery V

    2013-01-01

    Surface acoustic wave (SAW) propagation characteristics in a multilayer structure including a piezoelectric aluminum nitride (AlN) thin film and an epitaxial cubic silicon carbide (3C–SiC) layer on a silicon (Si) substrate are investigated by theoretical calculation in this work. Alternating current (ac) reactive magnetron sputtering was used to deposit highly c-axis-oriented AlN thin films, showing the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the rocking curve of 1.36° on epitaxial 3C–SiC layers on Si substrates. In addition, conventional two-port SAW devices were fabricated on the AlN/3C–SiC/Si multilayer structure and SAW propagation properties in the multilayer structure were experimentally investigated. The surface wave in the AlN/3C–SiC/Si multilayer structure exhibits a phase velocity of 5528 m s −1 and an electromechanical coupling coefficient of 0.42%. The results demonstrate the potential of AlN thin films grown on epitaxial 3C–SiC layers to create layered SAW devices with higher phase velocities and larger electromechanical coupling coefficients than SAW devices on an AlN/Si multilayer structure. Moreover, the FWHM values of rocking curves of the AlN thin film and 3C–SiC layer remained constant after annealing for 500 h at 540 °C in air atmosphere. Accordingly, the layered SAW devices based on AlN thin films and 3C–SiC layers are applicable to timing and sensing applications in harsh environments. (paper)

  6. Improved performance of GaN based light emitting diodes with ex-situ sputtered AlN nucleation layers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shuo-Wei Chen

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available The crystal quality, electrical and optical properties of GaN based light emitting diodes (LEDs with ex-situ sputtered physical vapor deposition (PVD aluminum nitride (AlN nucleation layers were investigated. It was found that the crystal quality in terms of defect density and x-ray diffraction linewidth was greatly improved in comparison to LEDs with in-situ low temperature GaN nucleation layer. The light output power was 3.7% increased and the reverse bias voltage of leakage current was twice on LEDs with ex-situ PVD AlN nucleation layers. However, larger compressive strain was discovered in LEDs with ex-situ PVD AlN nucleation layers. The study shows the potential and constrain in applying ex-situ PVD AlN nucleation layers to fabricate high quality GaN crystals in various optoelectronics.

  7. AlGaN-based deep-ultraviolet light-emitting diodes grown on high-quality AlN template using MOVPE

    KAUST Repository

    Yan, Jianchang; Wang, Junxi; Zhang, Yun; Cong, Peipei; Sun, Lili; Tian, Yingdong; Zhao, Chao; Li, Jinmin

    2015-01-01

    In this article, we report the growth of high-quality AlN film using metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy. Three layers of middle-temperature (MT) AlN were introduced during the high-temperature (HT) AlN growth. During the MT-AlN layer growth, aluminum and nitrogen sources were closed for 6 seconds after every 5-nm MT-AlN, while H2 carrier gas was always on. The threading dislocation density in an AlN epi-layer on a sapphire substrate was reduced by almost half. AlGaN-based deep-ultraviolet light-emitting diodes were further fabricated based on the AlN/sapphire template. At 20 mA driving current, the emitted peak wavelength is 284.5 nm and the light output power exceeds 3 mW.

  8. AlGaN-based deep-ultraviolet light-emitting diodes grown on high-quality AlN template using MOVPE

    KAUST Repository

    Yan, Jianchang

    2015-03-01

    In this article, we report the growth of high-quality AlN film using metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy. Three layers of middle-temperature (MT) AlN were introduced during the high-temperature (HT) AlN growth. During the MT-AlN layer growth, aluminum and nitrogen sources were closed for 6 seconds after every 5-nm MT-AlN, while H2 carrier gas was always on. The threading dislocation density in an AlN epi-layer on a sapphire substrate was reduced by almost half. AlGaN-based deep-ultraviolet light-emitting diodes were further fabricated based on the AlN/sapphire template. At 20 mA driving current, the emitted peak wavelength is 284.5 nm and the light output power exceeds 3 mW.

  9. Subtractive fabrication of ferroelectric thin films with precisely controlled thickness

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ievlev, Anton V.; Chyasnavichyus, Marius; Leonard, Donovan N.; Agar, Joshua C.; Velarde, Gabriel A.; Martin, Lane W.; Kalinin, Sergei V.; Maksymovych, Petro; Ovchinnikova, Olga S.

    2018-04-01

    The ability to control thin-film growth has led to advances in our understanding of fundamental physics as well as to the emergence of novel technologies. However, common thin-film growth techniques introduce a number of limitations related to the concentration of defects on film interfaces and surfaces that limit the scope of systems that can be produced and studied experimentally. Here, we developed an ion-beam based subtractive fabrication process that enables creation and modification of thin films with pre-defined thicknesses. To accomplish this we transformed a multimodal imaging platform that combines time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry with atomic force microscopy to a unique fabrication tool that allows for precise sputtering of the nanometer-thin layers of material. To demonstrate fabrication of thin-films with in situ feedback and control on film thickness and functionality we systematically studied thickness dependence of ferroelectric switching of lead-zirconate-titanate, within a single epitaxial film. Our results demonstrate that through a subtractive film fabrication process we can control the piezoelectric response as a function of film thickness as well as improve on the overall piezoelectric response versus an untreated film.

  10. AFM imaging and fractal analysis of surface roughness of AlN epilayers on sapphire substrates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dallaeva, Dinara, E-mail: dinara.dallaeva@yandex.ru [Brno University of Technology, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication, Physics Department, Technická 8, 616 00 Brno (Czech Republic); Ţălu, Ştefan [Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Department of AET, Discipline of Descriptive Geometry and Engineering Graphics, 103-105 B-dul Muncii Street, Cluj-Napoca 400641, Cluj (Romania); Stach, Sebastian [University of Silesia, Faculty of Computer Science and Materials Science, Institute of Informatics, Department of Biomedical Computer Systems, ul. Będzińska 39, 41-205 Sosnowiec (Poland); Škarvada, Pavel; Tománek, Pavel; Grmela, Lubomír [Brno University of Technology, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication, Physics Department, Technická 8, 616 00 Brno (Czech Republic)

    2014-09-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • We determined the complexity of 3D surface roughness of aluminum nitride layers. • We used atomic force microscopy and analyzed their fractal geometry. • We determined the fractal dimension of surface roughness of aluminum nitride layers. • We determined the dependence of layer morphology on substrate temperature. - Abstract: The paper deals with AFM imaging and characterization of 3D surface morphology of aluminum nitride (AlN) epilayers on sapphire substrates prepared by magnetron sputtering. Due to the effect of temperature changes on epilayer's surface during the fabrication, a surface morphology is studied by combination of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and fractal analysis methods. Both methods are useful tools that may assist manufacturers in developing and fabricating AlN thin films with optimal surface characteristics. Furthermore, they provide different yet complementary information to that offered by traditional surface statistical parameters. This combination is used for the first time for measurement on AlN epilayers on sapphire substrates, and provides the overall 3D morphology of the sample surfaces (by AFM imaging), and reveals fractal characteristics in the surface morphology (fractal analysis)

  11. Fabrication of ultrashort niobium variable-thickness bridges

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goto, T.

    1982-01-01

    A simple technique for the fabrication of niobium variable-thickness bridges of length approx.0.1 μm is described. The bridges are found to operate as ideal Josephson junctions over a wide temperature range

  12. Transparent field-effect transistors based on AlN-gate dielectric and IGZO-channel semiconductor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Besleaga, C.; Stan, G.E.; Pintilie, I.; Barquinha, P.; Fortunato, E.; Martins, R.

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • TFTs based on IGZO channel semiconductor and AlN gate dielectric were fabricated. • AlN films – a viable and cheap gate dielectric alternative for transparent TFTs. • Influence of gate dielectric layer thickness on TFTs electrical characteristics. • No degradation of AlN gate dielectric was observed during devices stress testing. - Abstract: The degradation of thin-film transistors (TFTs) caused by the self-heating effect constitutes a problem to be solved for the next generation of displays. Aluminum nitride (AlN) is a viable alternative for gate dielectric of TFTs due to its good thermal conductivity, matching coefficient of thermal expansion to indium–gallium–zinc-oxide, and excellent stability at high temperatures. Here, AlN thin films of different thicknesses were fabricated by a low temperature reactive radio-frequency magnetron sputtering process, using a low cost, metallic Al target. Their electrical properties have been thoroughly assessed. Furthermore, the 200 nm and 500 nm thick AlN layers have been integrated as gate-dielectric in transparent TFTs with indium–gallium–zinc-oxide as channel semiconductor. Our study emphasizes the potential of AlN thin films for transparent electronics, whilst the functionality of the fabricated field-effect transistors is explored and discussed.

  13. Transparent field-effect transistors based on AlN-gate dielectric and IGZO-channel semiconductor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Besleaga, C.; Stan, G.E.; Pintilie, I. [National Institute of Materials Physics, 405A Atomistilor, 077125 Magurele-Ilfov (Romania); Barquinha, P.; Fortunato, E. [CENIMAT/I3N, Departamento de Ciência dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and CEMOP-UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica (Portugal); Martins, R., E-mail: rm@uninova.pt [CENIMAT/I3N, Departamento de Ciência dos Materiais, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, and CEMOP-UNINOVA, 2829-516 Caparica (Portugal)

    2016-08-30

    Highlights: • TFTs based on IGZO channel semiconductor and AlN gate dielectric were fabricated. • AlN films – a viable and cheap gate dielectric alternative for transparent TFTs. • Influence of gate dielectric layer thickness on TFTs electrical characteristics. • No degradation of AlN gate dielectric was observed during devices stress testing. - Abstract: The degradation of thin-film transistors (TFTs) caused by the self-heating effect constitutes a problem to be solved for the next generation of displays. Aluminum nitride (AlN) is a viable alternative for gate dielectric of TFTs due to its good thermal conductivity, matching coefficient of thermal expansion to indium–gallium–zinc-oxide, and excellent stability at high temperatures. Here, AlN thin films of different thicknesses were fabricated by a low temperature reactive radio-frequency magnetron sputtering process, using a low cost, metallic Al target. Their electrical properties have been thoroughly assessed. Furthermore, the 200 nm and 500 nm thick AlN layers have been integrated as gate-dielectric in transparent TFTs with indium–gallium–zinc-oxide as channel semiconductor. Our study emphasizes the potential of AlN thin films for transparent electronics, whilst the functionality of the fabricated field-effect transistors is explored and discussed.

  14. Electrical and materials properties of AlN/ HfO{sub 2} high-k stack with a metal gate

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reid, Kimberly G. [Tokyo Electron U.S., 14338 FM 1826, Austin, TX 78737 (United States)], E-mail: kim@ireid.com; Dip, Anthony [Tokyo Electron U.S., 2400 Grove Blvd., Austin, TX 78747 (United States)], E-mail: anthony.dip@us.tel.com; Sasaki, Sadao [Tokyo Electron U.S. (United States)], E-mail: Sadao.sasaki@us.tel.com; Triyoso, Dina [Freescale Semiconductor Inc., 3501 Ed Bluestein Blvd, Austin, TX 78721 (United States)], E-mail: Dina.Triyoso@freescale.com; Samavedam, Sri [Freescale Semiconductor Inc., 3501 Ed Bluestein Blvd, Austin, TX 78721 (United States)], E-mail: Sri.Samavedam@freescale.com; Gilmer, David [SEMATECH 2706 Montopolis Drive, Austin, TX 78741 (United States)], E-mail: David.Gilmer@sematech.org; Gondran, Carolyn F.H. [Process Characterization Laboratory, ATDF/SEMATECH, 2706 Montopolis Drive, Austin, Texas 78741 (United States)], E-mail: Carolyn.Gondran@atdf.com

    2009-02-27

    In this study, aluminum nitride (AlN) was grown by molecular layer deposition on HfO{sub 2} that had been deposited on 200 mm Si (100) substrates. The AlN was grown on HfO{sub 2} using sequential exposures of trimethyl-aluminum and ammonia (NH{sub 3}) in a batch vertical furnace. Excellent thickness uniformity on test wafers from the top of the furnace to the bottom of the furnace (across the furnace load) was obtained. The equivalent oxide thickness was 16.5-18.8 A for the AlN/HfO{sub 2} stack on patterned device wafers with a molybdenum oxynitride metal gate with leakage current densities from low 10{sup -5} to mid 10{sup -6} A/cm{sup 2} at threshold voltage minus one volt. There was no change in the work function with the AlN cap on HfO{sub 2} with the MoN metal gate, even with a 1000 deg. C anneal.

  15. Surface state of GaN after rapid-thermal-annealing using AlN cap-layer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    El-Zammar, G., E-mail: georgio.elzammar@univ-tours.fr [Université François Rabelais, Tours, GREMAN, CNRS UMR 7347, 10 rue Thalès de Milet CS 97155, 37071 Tours Cedex 2 (France); Khalfaoui, W. [Université François Rabelais, Tours, GREMAN, CNRS UMR 7347, 10 rue Thalès de Milet CS 97155, 37071 Tours Cedex 2 (France); Oheix, T. [Université François Rabelais, Tours, GREMAN, CNRS UMR 7347, 10 rue Thalès de Milet CS 97155, 37071 Tours Cedex 2 (France); STMicroelectronics, 10 rue Thalès de Milet CS 97155, 37071 Tours Cedex 2 (France); Yvon, A.; Collard, E. [STMicroelectronics, 10 rue Thalès de Milet CS 97155, 37071 Tours Cedex 2 (France); Cayrel, F.; Alquier, D. [Université François Rabelais, Tours, GREMAN, CNRS UMR 7347, 10 rue Thalès de Milet CS 97155, 37071 Tours Cedex 2 (France)

    2015-11-15

    Graphical abstract: Surface state of a crack-free AlN cap-layer reactive sputtered on GaN and annealed at high temperature showing a smooth, pit-free surface. - Highlights: • We deposit a crystalline AlN layer by reactive magnetron sputtering on GaN. • We show the effect of deposition parameters of AlN by reactive magnetron sputtering on the quality of the grown layer. • We demonstrate the efficiency of double cap-layer for GaN protection during high temperature thermal treatments. • We show an efficient selective etch of AlN without damaging GaN surface. - Abstract: Critical issues need to be overcome to produce high performance Schottky diodes on gallium nitride (GaN). To activate dopant, high temperature thermal treatments are required but damage GaN surface where hexagonal pits appear and prevent any device processing. In this paper, we investigated the efficiency of cap-layers on GaN during thermal treatments to avoid degradation. Aluminum nitride (AlN) and silicon oxide (SiO{sub x}) were grown on GaN by direct current reactive magnetron sputtering and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, respectively. AlN growth parameters were studied to understand their effect on the grown layers and their protection efficiency. Focused ion beam was used to measure AlN layer thickness. Crystalline quality and exact composition were verified using X-ray diffraction and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Two types of rapid thermal annealing at high temperatures were investigated. Surface roughness and pits density were evaluated using atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Cap-layers wet etching was processed in H{sub 3}PO{sub 4} at 120 °C for AlN and in HF (10%) for SiO{sub x}. This work reveals effective protection of GaN during thermal treatments at temperatures as high as 1150 °C. Low surface roughness was obtained. Furthermore, no hexagonal pit was observed on the surface.

  16. Economical Fabrication of Thick-Section Ceramic Matrix Composites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Babcock, Jason; Ramachandran, Gautham; Williams, Brian; Benander, Robert

    2010-01-01

    A method was developed for producing thick-section [>2 in. (approx.5 cm)], continuous fiber-reinforced ceramic matrix composites (CMCs). Ultramet-modified fiber interface coating and melt infiltration processing, developed previously for thin-section components, were used for the fabrication of CMCs that were an order of magnitude greater in thickness [up to 2.5 in. (approx.6.4 cm)]. Melt processing first involves infiltration of a fiber preform with the desired interface coating, and then with carbon to partially densify the preform. A molten refractory metal is then infiltrated and reacts with the excess carbon to form the carbide matrix without damaging the fiber reinforcement. Infiltration occurs from the inside out as the molten metal fills virtually all the available void space. Densification to thick-section components required modification of the conventional process conditions, and the means by which the large amount of molten metal is introduced into the fiber preform. Modification of the low-temperature, ultraviolet-enhanced chemical vapor deposition process used to apply interface coatings to the fiber preform was also required to accommodate the high preform thickness. The thick-section CMC processing developed in this work proved to be invaluable for component development, fabrication, and testing in two complementary efforts. In a project for the Army, involving SiC/SiC blisk development, nominally 0.8 in. thick x 8 in. diameter (approx. 2 cm thick x 20 cm diameter) components were successfully infiltrated. Blisk hubs were machined using diamond-embedded cutting tools and successfully spin-tested. Good ply uniformity and extremely low residual porosity (41 ksi (approx. 283 MPa) flexural strength.

  17. First-principles molecular dynamics investigation of thermal and mechanical stability of the TiN(001)/AlN and ZrN(001)/AlN heterostructures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ivashchenko, V.I.; Veprek, S.; Turchi, P.E.A.; Shevchenko, V.I.; Leszczynski, J.; Gorb, L.; Hill, F.

    2014-01-01

    First-principles quantum molecular dynamics investigations of TiN(001)/AlN and ZrN(001)/AlN heterostructures with one and two monolayers (1 ML and 2 ML) of AlN interfacial layers were carried out in the temperature range of 0–1400 K with subsequent static relaxation. It is shown that the epitaxially stabilized cubic B1-AlN interfacial layers are preserved in all TiN(001)/AlN heterostructures over the whole temperature range. In the ZrN(001)/AlN heterostructures, the B1-AlN(001) interfacial layer exists at 0 K, but it transforms into a distorted one at 10 K consisting of tetrahedral AlN 4 , octahedral AlN 6 , and AlN 5 units. The thermal stability of the interfaces was investigated by studying the phonon dynamic stability of the B1-AlN phase with different lattice parameters. The calculations showed that the B1-AlN interface should be unstable in ZrN(001)/AlN heterostructures and nanocomposites, and in those based on transition metal nitrides with lattice parameters larger than 4.4 Å. Electronic band structure calculations showed that energy gap forms around the Fermi energy for all interfaces. The formation of the interfacial AlN layer in TiN and ZrN crystals reduces their ideal tensile and shear strengths. Upon tensile load, decohesion occurs between Ti (Zr) and N atoms adjacent to the 1 ML AlN interfacial layer, whereas in the case of 2 ML AlN it occurs inside the TiN and ZrN slabs. The experimentally reported strength enhancement in the TiN/AlN and ZrN/AlN heterostructures is attributed to impeding effect of the interfacial layer on the plastic flow. - Highlights: • First-principles quantum molecular dynamics studies were conducted. • TiN- and ZrN-based heterostructures with one and two AlN interfacial layers. • Stability and structural transformation between 0 and 1400 K have been calculated. • Stress–strain relationships and ideal strengths determined. • Systems which may form stable superhard heterostructures are identified

  18. Respiration and Heartbeat Measurement for Sleep Monitoring Using a Flexible AlN Piezoelectric Film Sensor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nan BU

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available Respiratory and heartbeat monitoring during sleep provides basic physiological information for diagnosis of sleep disorders. This paper proposes a new method for non-invasive and unconstrained measurement of respiration and heartbeat during sleep. A flexible piezoelectric film sensor made of aluminum nitride (AlN material is used for signal acquisition. The total thickness of this sensor is less than 40 μm; the thin thickness makes it imperceptible when integrated into a bed. In addition, the AlN film sensor has good sensitivity, so that pressure fluctuation due to respiration and heartbeat can be measured when a subject is lying on this sensor. The pressure fluctuation measured can be further separated into signals corresponding to respiration and heartbeat, respectively. In the proposed method, the signal separation is achieved using an algorithm based on empirical mode decomposition (EMD. From the experimental results, it was found that respiration and heartbeat signals can be successfully obtained with the proposed method.

  19. Oblique-angle sputtered AlN nanocolumnar layer as a buffer layer in GaN-based LED

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Lung-Chien; Tien, Ching-Ho; Liao, Wei-Chian; Luo, Yi-Min

    2011-01-01

    This work presents an aluminum nitride (AlN) nanocolumnar layer sputtered at various oblique angles and its application as a buffer layer for GaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that are fabricated on sapphire substrates. The OA-AlN nanocolumnar layer has a diameter of about 30-60 nm. The GaN-based LED structure is perpendicularly extended from the OA-AlN nanocolumnar layer. Then, the nanocolumnar structure is merged into p-GaN layer to form a mesa structure with a diameter of about 200-600 nm on the surface of the GaN-based LED. Moreover, optical characteristics of the LED were studied using photoluminescence, along with the blue-shifts observed as well. - Research highlights: → An AlN nanocolumnar buffer layer prepared by oblique-angle (OA) deposition. → GaN-based LED structures were grown on a sapphire substrate with an AlN nanocolumnar buffer layer. → The OA-AlN nanocolumnar layer has a diameter of about 30-60 nm.

  20. First-principles molecular dynamics investigation of thermal and mechanical stability of the TiN(001)/AlN and ZrN(001)/AlN heterostructures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ivashchenko, V.I., E-mail: ivash@ipms.kiev.ua [Institute of Problems of Material Science, National Academy of Science of Ukraine, Krzhyzhanosky str. 3, 03142 Kyiv (Ukraine); Veprek, S., E-mail: stan.veprek@lrz.tum.de [Department of Chemistry, Technical University Munich, Lichtenbergstrasse 4, D-85747 Garching (Germany); Turchi, P.E.A. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (L-352), P.O. Box 808, Livermore, CA 94551 (United States); Shevchenko, V.I. [Institute of Problems of Material Science, National Academy of Science of Ukraine, Krzhyzhanosky str. 3, 03142 Kyiv (Ukraine); Leszczynski, J. [Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Interdisciplinary Center for Nanotoxicity, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS 39217 (United States); Gorb, L. [Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Interdisciplinary Center for Nanotoxicity, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS 39217 (United States); U.S. Army ERDC, Vicksburg, MS 39180 (United States); Hill, F. [U.S. Army ERDC, Vicksburg, MS 39180 (United States)

    2014-08-01

    First-principles quantum molecular dynamics investigations of TiN(001)/AlN and ZrN(001)/AlN heterostructures with one and two monolayers (1 ML and 2 ML) of AlN interfacial layers were carried out in the temperature range of 0–1400 K with subsequent static relaxation. It is shown that the epitaxially stabilized cubic B1-AlN interfacial layers are preserved in all TiN(001)/AlN heterostructures over the whole temperature range. In the ZrN(001)/AlN heterostructures, the B1-AlN(001) interfacial layer exists at 0 K, but it transforms into a distorted one at 10 K consisting of tetrahedral AlN{sub 4}, octahedral AlN{sub 6}, and AlN{sub 5} units. The thermal stability of the interfaces was investigated by studying the phonon dynamic stability of the B1-AlN phase with different lattice parameters. The calculations showed that the B1-AlN interface should be unstable in ZrN(001)/AlN heterostructures and nanocomposites, and in those based on transition metal nitrides with lattice parameters larger than 4.4 Å. Electronic band structure calculations showed that energy gap forms around the Fermi energy for all interfaces. The formation of the interfacial AlN layer in TiN and ZrN crystals reduces their ideal tensile and shear strengths. Upon tensile load, decohesion occurs between Ti (Zr) and N atoms adjacent to the 1 ML AlN interfacial layer, whereas in the case of 2 ML AlN it occurs inside the TiN and ZrN slabs. The experimentally reported strength enhancement in the TiN/AlN and ZrN/AlN heterostructures is attributed to impeding effect of the interfacial layer on the plastic flow. - Highlights: • First-principles quantum molecular dynamics studies were conducted. • TiN- and ZrN-based heterostructures with one and two AlN interfacial layers. • Stability and structural transformation between 0 and 1400 K have been calculated. • Stress–strain relationships and ideal strengths determined. • Systems which may form stable superhard heterostructures are identified.

  1. Zigzag and Helical AlN Layer Prepared by Glancing Angle Deposition and Its Application as a Buffer Layer in a GaN-Based Light-Emitting Diode

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lung-Chien Chen

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available This study investigates an aluminum nitride (AlN nanorod structure sputtered by glancing angle deposition (GLAD and its application as a buffer layer for GaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs that are fabricated on sapphire substrates. The ray tracing method is adopted with a three-dimensional model in TracePro software. Simulation results indicate that the zigzag AlN nanorod structure is an optimal buffer layer in a GaN-based LED. Furthermore, the light output power of a GaN-based LED with a zigzag AlN nanorod structure improves to as much as 28.6% at a forward current of 20 mA over that of the GaN-based LED with a normal AlN buffer layer.

  2. Dense and high-stability Ti2AlN MAX phase coatings prepared by the combined cathodic arc/sputter technique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zhenyu; Liu, Jingzhou; Wang, Li; Li, Xiaowei; Ke, Peiling; Wang, Aiying

    2017-02-01

    Ti2AlN belongs to a family of ternary nano-laminate alloys known as the MAX phases, which exhibit a unique combination of metallic and ceramic properties. In the present work, the dense and high-stability Ti2AlN coating has been successfully prepared through the combined cathodic arc/sputter deposition, followed by heat post-treatment. It was found that the as-deposited Ti-Al-N coating behaved a multilayer structure, where (Ti, N)-rich layer and Al-rich layer grew alternately, with a mixed phase constitution of TiN and TiAlx. After annealing at 800 °C under vacuum condition for 1.5 h, although the multilayer structure still was found, part of multilayer interfaces became indistinct and disappeared. In particular, the thickness of the Al-rich layer decreased in contrast to that of as-deposited coating due to the inner diffusion of the Al element. Moreover, the Ti2AlN MAX phase emerged as the major phase in the annealed coatings and its formation mechanism was also discussed in this study. The vacuum thermal analysis indicated that the formed Ti2AlN MAX phase exhibited a high-stability, which was mainly benefited from the large thickness and the dense structure. This advanced technique based on the combined cathodic arc/sputter method could be extended to deposit other MAX phase coatings with tailored high performance like good thermal stability, high corrosion and oxidation resistance etc. for the next protective coating materials.

  3. Ferromagnetic properties of Mn-doped AlN

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, H.; Bao, H.Q.; Song, B.; Wang, W.J.; Chen, X.L.; He, L.J.; Yuan, W.X.

    2008-01-01

    Mn-doped AlN polycrystalline powders with a wurtzite structure were synthesized by solid-state reactions. A red-orange band at 600 nm, due to Mn 3+ incorporated into the AlN lattice, is observed in the photoluminescence (PL) spectrum at room temperature (RT). Magnetic measurements show the samples possess hysteresis loops up to 300 K, indicating that the obtained powders are ferromagnetic at around RT. The Mn concentration-induced RT ferromagnetism is less than 1 at%. Our results confirm that the RT ferromagnetism can be realized in Mn-doped AlN

  4. Comparative study of initial growth stage in PVT growth of AlN on SiC and on native AlN substrates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Epelbaum, B.M.; Heimann, P.; Bickermann, M.; Winnacker, A. [Department of Materials Science 6, University of Erlangen-Nuernberg, Martensstr. 7, 91058 Erlangen (Germany)

    2005-05-01

    The main issue in homoepitaxial growth of aluminum nitride (AlN) on native seed substrates appears to be aluminum oxynitride poisoning of seed surface leading to polycrystalline growth at 1750-1850 C. This is well below the lowest growth temperature appropriate for physical vapor transport (PVT) of bulk AlN, which is about 2150 C. Contrary, heteroepitaxial growth of AlN on SiC is relatively easy to achieve because of natural formation of a thin molten layer on the seed surface and VLS growth of AlN via the molten buffer layer. The most critical issue of AlN growth on SiC is cracking of the grown layer upon cooling as a result of different thermal expansion. Optimization of seeded growth process can be achieved by proper choice of SiC seed orientation and by use of ultra-pure starting material. (copyright 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

  5. Fabrication and characterization of MEMS-based PZT/PZT bimorph thick film vibration energy harvesters

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Xu, Ruichao; Lei, Anders; Dahl-Petersen, Christian

    2012-01-01

    We describe the fabrication and characterization of a significantly improved version of a microelectromechanical system-based PZT/PZT thick film bimorph vibration energy harvester with an integrated silicon proof mass; the harvester is fabricated in a fully monolithic process. The main advantage...... yield of 98%. The robust fabrication process allowed a high pressure treatment of the screen printed PZT thick films prior to sintering. The high pressure treatment improved the PZT thick film performance and increased the harvester power output to 37.1 μW at 1 g root mean square acceleration. We also...... characterize the harvester performance when only one of the PZT layers is used while the other is left open or short circuit....

  6. Electronic structures of the F-terminated AlN nanoribbons

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Using the first-principles calculations, electronic properties for the F-terminated AlN nanoribbons with both zigzag and armchair edges are studied. The results show that both the zigzag and armchair AlN nanoribbons are semiconducting and nonmagnetic, and the indirect band gap of the zigzag AlN nanoribbons and the ...

  7. ALnS2:RE (A=K, Rb; Ln=La, Gd, Lu, Y): New optical materials family

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jarý, V.; Havlák, L.; Bárta, J.; Mihóková, E.; Buryi, M.; Nikl, M.

    2016-01-01

    In the presented review paper, new potentially interesting material family, RE-doped ternary sulfides ALnS 2 (RE=Ce, Pr, Sm, Eu, Tb, Tm; A=Rb, K; Ln=La, Gd, Lu, Y) is discussed. Their synthesis is described and the structural and optical properties, characterized by methods of X-ray diffraction, time-resolved luminescence spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance, are summarized and reviewed especially with respect to the influence of their composition. All samples discussed were synthesized in the form of transparent crystalline hexagonal platelets by chemical reaction under the flow of hydrogen sulfide. Their luminescence characteristics, including absorption, radioluminescence, photoluminescence excitation and emission spectra and decay kinetics, were measured and evaluated in a broad temperature (8–800 K) and concentration (0.002–20% of dopants) range. The application potential of mentioned compounds in the field of white LED solid state lightings or X-ray phosphors is thoroughly discussed. - Highlights: • RE-doped ALnS 2 (A=K, Rb; Ln=La, Gd, Lu, Y) were synthesized. • Their optical characteristics are summarized. • Concentration and temperature dependences of luminescence features investigated. • EPR technique is employed to explain Eu 2+ incorporation into KLuS 2 host. • The application potential in white LED and X-ray phosphors is discussed.

  8. Compatibility of AlN ceramics with molten lithium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yoneoka, Toshiaki; Sakurai, Toshiharu; Sato, Toshihiko; Tanaka, Satoru [Tokyo Univ., Department of Quantum Engineering and Systems Science, Tokyo (Japan)

    2002-04-01

    AlN ceramics were a candidate for electrically insulating materials and facing materials against molten breeder in a nuclear fusion reactor. In the nuclear fusion reactor, interactions of various structural materials with solid and liquid breeder materials as well as coolant materials are important. Therefore, corrosion tests of AlN ceramics with molten lithium were performed. AlN specimens of six kinds, different in sintering additives and manufacturing method, were used. AlN specimens were immersed into molten lithium at 823 K. Duration for the compatibility tests was about 2.8 Ms (32 days). Specimens with sintering additive of Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} by about 5 mass% formed the network structure of oxide in the crystals of AlN. It was considered that the corrosion proceeded by reduction of the oxide network and the penetration of molten lithium through the reduced pass of this network. For specimens without sintering additive, Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} containing by about 1.3% in raw material was converted to fine oxynitride particles on grain boundary or dissolved in AlN crystals. After immersion into lithium, these specimens were found to be sound in shape but reduced in electrical resistivity. These degradation of the two types specimens were considered to be caused by the reduction of oxygen components. On the other hand, a specimen sintered using CaO as sintering additive was finally became appreciably high purity. This specimen showed good compatibility for molten lithium at least up to 823 K. It was concluded that the reduction of oxygen concentration in AlN materials was essential in order to improve the compatibility for molten lithium. (author)

  9. Low-temperature atomic layer epitaxy of AlN ultrathin films by layer-by-layer, in-situ atomic layer annealing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shih, Huan-Yu; Lee, Wei-Hao; Kao, Wei-Chung; Chuang, Yung-Chuan; Lin, Ray-Ming; Lin, Hsin-Chih; Shiojiri, Makoto; Chen, Miin-Jang

    2017-01-03

    Low-temperature epitaxial growth of AlN ultrathin films was realized by atomic layer deposition (ALD) together with the layer-by-layer, in-situ atomic layer annealing (ALA), instead of a high growth temperature which is needed in conventional epitaxial growth techniques. By applying the ALA with the Ar plasma treatment in each ALD cycle, the AlN thin film was converted dramatically from the amorphous phase to a single-crystalline epitaxial layer, at a low deposition temperature of 300 °C. The energy transferred from plasma not only provides the crystallization energy but also enhances the migration of adatoms and the removal of ligands, which significantly improve the crystallinity of the epitaxial layer. The X-ray diffraction reveals that the full width at half-maximum of the AlN (0002) rocking curve is only 144 arcsec in the AlN ultrathin epilayer with a thickness of only a few tens of nm. The high-resolution transmission electron microscopy also indicates the high-quality single-crystal hexagonal phase of the AlN epitaxial layer on the sapphire substrate. The result opens a window for further extension of the ALD applications from amorphous thin films to the high-quality low-temperature atomic layer epitaxy, which can be exploited in a variety of fields and applications in the near future.

  10. Fabrication of surface micromachined ain piezoelectric microstructures and its potential apllication to rf resonators

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Saravanan, S.; Saravanan, S.; Berenschot, Johan W.; Krijnen, Gijsbertus J.M.; Elwenspoek, Michael Curt

    2005-01-01

    We report on a novel microfabrication method to fabricate aluminum nitride (AlN) piezoelectric microstructures down to 2 microns size by a surface micromachining process. Highly c-axis oriented AlN thin films are deposited between thin Cr electrodes on polysilicon structural layers by rf reactive

  11. Frequency characteristics of the MIM thick film capacitors fabricated by laser micro-cladding electronic pastes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cao Yu; Li Xiangyou [Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Sci and Tech, 430074 Wuhan, Hubei (China); Zeng Xiaoyan [Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Sci and Tech, 430074 Wuhan, Hubei (China)], E-mail: xyzeng@mail.hust.edu.cn

    2008-05-25

    With rapid development of the electronic industry, how to respond the market requests quickly, shorten R and D prototyping fabrication period, and reduce the cost of the electronic devices have become a challenge work, which need flexible manufacturing methods. In this work, two direct write processing methods, direct material deposition by microPen and Nd:YAG laser micro-cladding, are integrated with CAD/CAM technology for the hybrid fabrication of passive electronic components. Especially, the metal-insulator-metal (MIM) type thick film capacitors are fabricated on ceramic substrates by this method. A basic two-step procedure of laser micro-cladding electronic pastes (LMCEPs) process for the thick film pattern preparation is presented. For a better understanding of the MIM thick film capacitor characterization, equivalent circuit models at low-frequency and high-frequency domains are introduced, respectively. The frequency characteristics tests up to 1.8 GHz of capacitance stability, equivalent series resistance (ESR), equivalent series inductance (ESL) and impendence are performed, and the results show good DC voltage stability (<2.48%), good frequency stability (<2.6%) and low dissipation factor (<0.6%) of the MIM thick film capacitors, which may get application to megahertz regions. The further developments of the LMCEP process for fabricating MIM thick film capacitors are also investigated.

  12. Frequency characteristics of the MIM thick film capacitors fabricated by laser micro-cladding electronic pastes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cao Yu; Li Xiangyou; Zeng Xiaoyan

    2008-01-01

    With rapid development of the electronic industry, how to respond the market requests quickly, shorten R and D prototyping fabrication period, and reduce the cost of the electronic devices have become a challenge work, which need flexible manufacturing methods. In this work, two direct write processing methods, direct material deposition by microPen and Nd:YAG laser micro-cladding, are integrated with CAD/CAM technology for the hybrid fabrication of passive electronic components. Especially, the metal-insulator-metal (MIM) type thick film capacitors are fabricated on ceramic substrates by this method. A basic two-step procedure of laser micro-cladding electronic pastes (LMCEPs) process for the thick film pattern preparation is presented. For a better understanding of the MIM thick film capacitor characterization, equivalent circuit models at low-frequency and high-frequency domains are introduced, respectively. The frequency characteristics tests up to 1.8 GHz of capacitance stability, equivalent series resistance (ESR), equivalent series inductance (ESL) and impendence are performed, and the results show good DC voltage stability (<2.48%), good frequency stability (<2.6%) and low dissipation factor (<0.6%) of the MIM thick film capacitors, which may get application to megahertz regions. The further developments of the LMCEP process for fabricating MIM thick film capacitors are also investigated

  13. Design and Optimization of AlN based RF MEMS Switches

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hasan Ziko, Mehadi; Koel, Ants

    2018-05-01

    Radio frequency microelectromechanical system (RF MEMS) switch technology might have potential to replace the semiconductor technology in future communication systems as well as communication satellites, wireless and mobile phones. This study is to explore the possibilities of RF MEMS switch design and optimization with aluminium nitride (AlN) thin film as the piezoelectric actuation material. Achieving low actuation voltage and high contact force with optimal geometry using the principle of piezoelectric effect is the main motivation for this research. Analytical and numerical modelling of single beam type RF MEMS switch used to analyse the design parameters and optimize them for the minimum actuation voltage and high contact force. An analytical model using isotropic AlN material properties used to obtain the optimal parameters. The optimized geometry of the device length, width and thickness are 2000 µm, 500 µm and 0.6 µm respectively obtained for the single beam RF MEMS switch. Low actuation voltage and high contact force with optimal geometry are less than 2 Vand 100 µN obtained by analytical analysis. Additionally, the single beam RF MEMS switch are optimized and validated by comparing the analytical and finite element modelling (FEM) analysis.

  14. Ferromagnetism in Cr-doped passivated AlN nanowires

    KAUST Repository

    Kanoun, Mohammed; Goumri-Said, Souraya; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo

    2014-01-01

    We apply first principles calculations to predict the effect of Cr doping on the electronic and magnetic properties of passivated AlN nanowires. We compare the energetics of the possible dopant sites and demonstrate the favorable configuration ferromagnetic ordering. The charge density of the pristine passivated AlN nanowires is used to elucidate the bonding character. Spin density maps demonstrate an induced spin polarization for N atoms next to dopant atoms, though most of the magnetism is carried by the Cr atoms. Cr-doped AlN nanowires turn out to be interesting for spintronic devices. © 2014 the Partner Organisations.

  15. Catalytic effect of Al and AlN interlayer on the growth and properties of containing carbon films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhou, Bing; Liu, Zhubo; Tang, Bin; Rogachev, A.V.

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • DLC and CN x bilayers with Al (AlN) interlayer were fabricated by cathode arc technique. • Complete diffusion of Al and C atoms occurs at the interface of Al/DLC (CN x ) bilayer. • Al/CN x bilayer presents a higher content of Csp 3 /Csp 2 bonds. • The hardness of Al/DLC bilayer decreases but increases for the other bilayers. • Morphology of the bilayers was explained by growth mechanism of DLC and surface state of substrate. - Abstract: Diamond-like carbon (DLC) and carbon nitride (CN x ) bilayer films with Al and AlN interlayer were fabricated by pulse cathode arc technique. The structure, composition, morphology and mechanical properties of the films were investigated by Raman, Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Knoop sclerometer and surface profilometer. The results indicated that the complete diffusion between C and Al atoms occurs in the Al/DLC and Al/CN x bilayer. Al interlayer induces the increase of the size and ordering of Csp 2 clusters in the films but AlN interlayer increases the disordering degree of Csp 2 clusters. XPS results showed that a higher content of Csp 3 /Csp 2 bonds presents in the Al/CN x bilayer, and Al and AlN interlayer decreases the atomic ratio of N/C. AFM with phase contrast mode illustrated the morphologic characteristics of the bilayer films. All the bilayers show a nano-structural surface. The morphology changes of the bilayer were well explained by the surface state of the substrate and the growth mechanism of DLC films. The hardness of Al/DLC bilayer decreases but it increases for the other bilayers compared to the corresponding DLC (CN x ) monolayer. The internal stress of the bilayer is significantly lower than that of the monolayer except for the AlN/CN x bilayer. These studies could make the difference at the time of choosing a suitable functional film for certain application

  16. Fabrication of Fully Inkjet-Printed Vias and SIW Structures on Thick Polymer Substrates

    KAUST Repository

    Kim, Sangkil; Shamim, Atif; Georgiadis, Apostolos; Aubert, Herve; Tentzeris, Manos M.

    2016-01-01

    In this paper, a novel fully inkjet-printed via fabrication technology and various inkjet-printed substrate-integrated waveguide (SIW) structures on thick polymer substrates are presented. The electrical properties of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) are thoroughly studied up to 8 GHz utilizing the T-resonator method, and inkjet-printable silver nanoparticle ink on PMMA is characterized. A long via fabrication process up to 1 mm utilizing inkjet-printing technology is demonstrated, and its characteristics are presented for the first time. The inkjet-printed vias on 0.8-mm-thick substrate have a resistance of ∼ 0.2~ Ω . An equivalent circuit model of the inkjet-printed stepped vias is also discussed. An inkjet-printed microstrip-to-SIW interconnect and an SIW cavity resonator utilizing the proposed inkjet-printed via fabrication process are also presented. The design of the components and the fabrication steps are discussed, and the measured performances over the microwave frequency range of the prototypes are presented.

  17. Fabrication of Fully Inkjet-Printed Vias and SIW Structures on Thick Polymer Substrates

    KAUST Repository

    Kim, Sangkil

    2016-02-11

    In this paper, a novel fully inkjet-printed via fabrication technology and various inkjet-printed substrate-integrated waveguide (SIW) structures on thick polymer substrates are presented. The electrical properties of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) are thoroughly studied up to 8 GHz utilizing the T-resonator method, and inkjet-printable silver nanoparticle ink on PMMA is characterized. A long via fabrication process up to 1 mm utilizing inkjet-printing technology is demonstrated, and its characteristics are presented for the first time. The inkjet-printed vias on 0.8-mm-thick substrate have a resistance of ∼ 0.2~ Ω . An equivalent circuit model of the inkjet-printed stepped vias is also discussed. An inkjet-printed microstrip-to-SIW interconnect and an SIW cavity resonator utilizing the proposed inkjet-printed via fabrication process are also presented. The design of the components and the fabrication steps are discussed, and the measured performances over the microwave frequency range of the prototypes are presented.

  18. AlN piezoelectric films for sensing and actuation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tran, A.T.

    2014-01-01

    Aluminum Nitride (AlN) is explored as a thin film material for piezoelectric MEMS applications. A pulse DC reactive sputtering technique is used to deposit the AlN thin films and process parameters are optimized to obtain good crystallinity and high c-axis orientation films. A CMOS compatible

  19. Analysis and Comparison of Thickness and Bending Measurements from Fabric Touch Tester (FTT and Standard Methods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Musa Atiyyah Binti Haji

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Fabric Touch Tester (FTT is a relatively new device from SDL Atlas to determine touch properties of fabrics. It simultaneously measures 13 touch-related fabric physical properties in four modules that include bending and thickness measurements. This study aims to comparatively analyze the thickness and bending measurements made by the FTT and the common standard methods used in the textile industry. The results obtained with the FTT for 11 different fabrics were compared with that of standard methods. Despite the different measurement principle, a good correlation was found between the two methods used for the assessment of thickness and bending. As FTT is a new tool for textile comfort measurement and no standard yet exists, these findings are essential to determine the reliability of the measurements and how they relate to the well-established standard methods.

  20. Development of Field-Controlled Smart Optic Materials (ScN, AlN) with Rare Earth Dopants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Hyun-Jung; Park, Yeonjoon; King, Glen C.; Choi, Sang H.

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this investigation is to develop the fundamental materials and fabrication technology for field-controlled spectrally active optics that are essential for industry, NASA, and DOD applications such as: membrane optics, filters for LIDARs, windows for sensors, telescopes, spectroscopes, cameras, flat-panel displays, etc. ScN and AlN thin films were fabricated on c-axis Sapphire (0001) or quartz substrate with the RF and DC magnetron sputtering. The crystal structure of AlN in fcc (rocksalt) and hcp (wurtzite) were controlled. Advanced electrical characterizations were performed, including I-V and Hall Effect Measurement. ScN film has a free carrier density of 5.8 x 10(exp 20)/per cubic centimeter and a conductivity of 1.1 x 10(exp 3) per centimeter. The background ntype conductivity of as-grown ScN has enough free electrons that can readily interact with the photons. The high density of free electrons and relatively low mobility indicate that these films contain a high level of shallow donors as well as deep levels. Also, the UV-Vis spectrum of ScN and AlN thin films with rare earth elements (Er or Ho) were measured at room temperature. Their optical band gaps were estimated to be about 2.33eV and 2.24eV, respectively, which are obviously smaller than that of undoped thin film ScN (2.4eV). The red-shifted absorption onset gives direct evidence for the decrease of band gap (Eg) and the energy broadening of valence band states are attributable to the doping. As the doped elements enter the ScN crystal lattices, the localized band edge states form at the doped sites with a reduction of Eg. Using a variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometer, the decrease in refractive index with applied field is observed with a smaller shift in absorption coefficient.

  1. Enhancement of c-axis texture of AlN films by substrate implantation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, C.H.; Yeh, J.M.; Hwang, J.

    2005-01-01

    Highly oriented AlN films are successfully deposited on B + implanted Si(1 1 1) substrates in a radio frequency inductively coupled plasma (RF/ICP) system. The implanted energy and dose used for the B + implanted Si(1 1 1) substrates are 200 keV and 10 15 cm -2 , respectively. The c-axis texture of AlN films can be affected by RF gun power and ion implantation. Experimental results show that the full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of AlN(0 0 2) in the X-ray rocking curve measurements decreases with increasing RF gun power. The optimum condition is at 500 W, where the FWHM of the AlN films deposited on Si(1 1 1) with and without B + implantation are 2.77 and 3.17, respectively. In average, the FWHM of the AlN films on B + implanted Si(1 1 1) are less than those on Si(1 1 1) by a factor of ∼10%. The enhancement of c-axis of AlN films due to B + implantation is attributed to the reduction of AlN grains. Raman spectra also suggest that ion implantation plays a role in reducing the tensile stress in AlN films deposited on B + implanted Si(1 1 1)

  2. DLC and AlN thin films influence the thermal conduction of HPLED light

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsu, Ming Seng; Hsu, Ching Yao; Huang, Jen Wei; Shyu, Feng Lin

    2015-08-01

    Thermal dissipation had an important influence in the effect and life of light emitting diodes (LED) because it enables transfer the heat away from electric device to the aluminum plate that can be used for heat removal. In the industrial processing, the quality of the thermal dissipation decides by the gumming technique between the PCB and aluminum plate. In this study, we fabricated double layer ceramic thin films of diamond like carbon (DLC) and alumina nitride (AlN) by vacuum sputtering soldered the substrate of high power light emitting diodes (HPLED) light to check the heat conduction. The ceramic dielectric coatings were characterized by several subsequent analyses, especially the measurement of real work temperature. The X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) patterns reveal those ceramic phases were successfully grown onto the substrate. The work temperatures show DLC and AlN films coating had limited the heat transfer by the lower thermal conductivity of these ceramic films. Obviously, it hadn't transferred heat and limited work temperature of HPLED better than DLC thin film only.

  3. Potential of AlN nanostructures as hydrogen storage materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Qian; Sun, Qiang; Jena, Puru; Kawazoe, Yoshiyuki

    2009-03-24

    The capability of AlN nanostructures (nanocages, nanocones, nanotubes, and nanowires) to store hydrogen has been studied using gradient-corrected density functional theory. In contrast to bulk AlN, which has the wurtzite structure and four-fold coordination, the Al sites in AlN nanostructures are unsaturated and have two- and three-fold coordination. Each Al atom is capable of binding one H(2) molecule in quasi-molecular form, leading to 4.7 wt % hydrogen, irrespective of the topology of the nanostructures. With the exception of AlN nanotubes, energetics does not support the adsorption of additional hydrogen. The binding energies of hydrogen to these unsaturated metal sites lie in the range of 0.1-0.2 eV/H(2) and are ideal for applications under ambient thermodynamic conditions. Furthermore, these materials do not suffer from the clustering problem that often plagues metal-coated carbon nanostructures.

  4. Controlling of Nitriding Process on Reactive Plasma Spraying of Al Particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shahien, Mohammed; Yamada, Motohiro; Yasui, Toshiaki; Fukumoto, Masahiro

    2011-01-01

    Reactive plasma spraying (RPS) has been considered as a promising technology for in-situ formation of aluminum nitride (AlN) thermally sprayed coatings. To fabricate thick A lN coatings in RPS process, controlling and improving the in-flight nitriding reaction of Al particles is required. In this study, it was possible to control the nitriding reaction by using ammonium chloride (NH 4 Cl) powders. Thick and dense AlN coating (more than 300 μm thickness) was successfully fabricated with small addition of NH 4 Cl powders. Thus, addition of NH 4 Cl prevented the Al aggregation by changing the reaction pathway to a mild way with no explosive mode (relatively low heating rates) and it acts as a catalyst, nitrogen source and diluent agent.

  5. Control of two-dimensional growth of AlN and high Al-content AlGaN-based MQWs for deep-UV LEDs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Weihuang Yang

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available Dense and atomically flat AlN film with root-mean-square roughness value of 0.32 nm was grown on sapphire substrate at a relatively lower temperature by using a three-step epitaxy technique. On the basis of this AlN template, AlGaN-based multiple quantum wells (MQWs with atomically flat hetero-interfaces were epitaxially grown to suppress nonradiative recombination by introducing In as a surfactant during simultaneous source supply. As a result, single intense- and narrow-peaked photoluminescence was obtained from the MQWs. Finally, the deep ultraviolet light emitting diodes with well-behaved I-V characteristic and strong electroluminescence in the range of 256–312 nm were fabricated successfully.

  6. Wide-range frequency selectivity in an acoustic sensor fabricated using a microbeam array with non-uniform thickness

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shintaku, Hirofumi; Kotera, Hidetoshi; Kobayashi, Takayuki; Zusho, Kazuki; Kawano, Satoyuki

    2013-01-01

    In this study, we have demonstrated the fabrication of a microbeam array (MBA) with various thicknesses and investigated the suitability it for an acoustic sensor with wide-range frequency selectivity. For this, an MBA composed of 64 beams, with thicknesses varying from 2.99–142 µm, was fabricated by using single gray-scale lithography and a thick negative photoresist. The vibration of the beams in air was measured using a laser Doppler vibrometer; the resonant frequencies of the beams were measured to be from 11.5 to 290 kHz. Lastly, the frequency range of the MBA with non-uniform thickness was 10.9 times that of the MBA with uniform thickness. (paper)

  7. Fabrication and characterization of thick-film piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate ceramic resonators by tape-casting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qin, Lifeng; Sun, Yingying; Wang, Qing-Ming; Zhong, Youliang; Ou, Ming; Jiang, Zhishui; Tian, Wei

    2012-12-01

    In this paper, thick-film piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramic resonators with thicknesses down to tens of micrometers have been fabricated by tape-casting processing. PZT ceramic resonators with composition near the morphotropic phase boundary and with different dopants added were prepared for piezoelectric transducer applications. Material property characterization for these thick-film PZT resonators is essential for device design and applications. For the property characterization, a recently developed normalized electrical impedance spectrum method was used to determine the electromechanical coefficient and the complex piezoelectric, elastic, and dielectric coefficients from the electrical measurement of resonators using thick films. In this work, nine PZT thick-film resonators have been fabricated and characterized, and two different types of resonators, namely thickness longitudinal and transverse modes, were used for material property characterization. The results were compared with those determined by the IEEE standard method, and they agreed well. It was found that depending on the PZT formulation and dopants, the relative permittivities ε(T)(33)/ε(0) measured at 2 kHz for these thick-films are in the range of 1527 to 4829, piezoelectric stress constants (e(33) in the range of 15 to 26 C/m(2), piezoelectric strain constants (d(31)) in the range of -169 × 10(-12) C/N to -314 × 10(-12) C/N, electromechanical coupling coefficients (k(t)) in the range of 0.48 to 0.53, and k(31) in the range of 0.35 to 0.38. The characterization results shows tape-casting processing can be used to fabricate high-quality PZT thick-film resonators, and the extracted material constants can be used to for device design and application.

  8. AlN metal-semiconductor field-effect transistors using Si-ion implantation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okumura, Hironori; Suihkonen, Sami; Lemettinen, Jori; Uedono, Akira; Zhang, Yuhao; Piedra, Daniel; Palacios, Tomás

    2018-04-01

    We report on the electrical characterization of Si-ion implanted AlN layers and the first demonstration of metal-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MESFETs) with an ion-implanted AlN channel. The ion-implanted AlN layers with Si dose of 5 × 1014 cm-2 exhibit n-type characteristics after thermal annealing at 1230 °C. The ion-implanted AlN MESFETs provide good drain current saturation and stable pinch-off operation even at 250 °C. The off-state breakdown voltage is 2370 V for drain-to-gate spacing of 25 µm. These results show the great potential of AlN-channel transistors for high-temperature and high-power applications.

  9. Flexible-CMOS and biocompatible piezoelectric AlN material for MEMS applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jackson, Nathan; Keeney, Lynette; Mathewson, Alan

    2013-01-01

    The development of a CMOS compatible flexible piezoelectric material is desired for numerous applications and in particular for biomedical MEMS devices. Aluminum nitride (AlN) is the most commonly used CMOS compatible piezoelectric material, which is typically deposited on Si in order to enhance the c-axis (002) crystal orientation which gives AlN its high piezoelectric properties. This paper reports on the successful deposition of AlN on polyimide (PI-2611) material. The AlN deposited has a FWHM (002) value of 5.1° and a piezoelectric d 33 value of 1.12 pm V −1 , and SEM images show high quality columnar grains. The highly crystalline AlN material is due to the semi-crystalline properties of the polyimide film used. Cytotoxicity testing showed the AlN/polyimide material to be non-toxic to 3T3 cells and primary neurons. Surface properties of the AlN/polyimide film were evaluated as they have a significant effect on the adhesion of cells to the film. The results show neurons adhering to the AlN surface. The results of this paper show the characterization of a new flexible-CMOS and biocompatible AlN/polyimide material for MEMS devices with improved crystallinity and piezoelectric properties. (paper)

  10. Electronic structures, elastic properties, and minimum thermal conductivities of cermet M{sub 3}AlN

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Jin [Faculty of Materials and Energy, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715 (China); Key Laboratory of Liquid–Solid Structural Evolution and Processing of Materials, Ministry of Education, Shandong University, Jinan 250061 (China); Chen, ZhiQian, E-mail: chen_zq@swu.edu.cn [Faculty of Materials and Energy, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715 (China); Li, ChunMei; Li, Feng; Nie, ChaoYin [Faculty of Materials and Energy, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715 (China)

    2014-08-15

    The electronic structures and elastic anisotropies of cubic Ti{sub 3}AlN, Zr{sub 3}AlN, and Hf{sub 3}AlN are investigated by pseudopotential plane-wave method based on density functional theory. At the Fermi level, the electronic structures of these compounds are successive with no energy gap between conduct and valence bands, and exhibit metallicity in ground states. In valence band of each partial density of states, the different orbital electrons indicate interaction of corresponding atoms. In addition, the anisotropy of Hf{sub 3}AlN is found to be significantly different from that of Ti{sub 3}AlN and Zr{sub 3}AlN, which involve the differences in the bonding strength. It is notable that Hf{sub 3}AlN is a desired thermal barrier material with the lowest thermal conductivity at high temperature among the three compounds. - Graphical abstract: 1.Young's moduli of anti-perovskite Ti{sub 3}AlN, Zr{sub 3}AlN, and Hf{sub 3}AlN in full space. 2.Electron density differences on crystal planes (1 0 0), (2 0 0), and (1 1 0) of anti-perovskite Zr{sub 3}AlN. - Highlights: • We calculated three anti-perovskite cermets with first-principles theory. • We illustrated 3D Young modulus and found the anomalous anisotropy. • We explained the anomaly and calculated the minimum thermal conductivities.

  11. Controlling of Nitriding Process on Reactive Plasma Spraying of Al Particles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shahien, Mohammed [Graduate Student, Toyohashi University of Technology (Japan); Yamada, Motohiro; Yasui, Toshiaki; Fukumoto, Masahiro, E-mail: mo.shahien@yahoo.com [Toyohashi University of Technology (Japan)

    2011-10-29

    Reactive plasma spraying (RPS) has been considered as a promising technology for in-situ formation of aluminum nitride (AlN) thermally sprayed coatings. To fabricate thick A lN coatings in RPS process, controlling and improving the in-flight nitriding reaction of Al particles is required. In this study, it was possible to control the nitriding reaction by using ammonium chloride (NH{sub 4}Cl) powders. Thick and dense AlN coating (more than 300 {mu}m thickness) was successfully fabricated with small addition of NH{sub 4}Cl powders. Thus, addition of NH{sub 4}Cl prevented the Al aggregation by changing the reaction pathway to a mild way with no explosive mode (relatively low heating rates) and it acts as a catalyst, nitrogen source and diluent agent.

  12. Direct fabrication of integrated 3D Au nanobox arrays by sidewall deposition with controllable heights and thicknesses

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cha, Nam-Goo; Lee, Bong Kuk; Kanki, Teruo; Lee, Hea Yeon; Kawai, Tomoji; Tanaka, Hidekazu, E-mail: h-tanaka@sanken.osaka-u.ac.j [Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Osaka University, 8-1 Mihogaoka, Ibaraki, Osaka 567-0047 (Japan)

    2009-09-30

    This paper provides a unique strategy for controlling integrated hollow nanostructure arrays such as boxes or pillars at the nanometer scale. The key merit of this technique is that it can overcome resolution limits by sidewall deposition and deposit various materials using a sputtering method. The sputtering method can be replaced by other dry deposition techniques such as pulsed laser deposition (PLD) for complex functional materials. Furthermore, it can produce low-cost large-area fabrication and high reproducibility using the NIL (nanoimprint lithograph) process. The fabrication method consists of a sequence of bilayer spin-coating, UV-NIL, RIE (reactive ion etching), sputtering, ion milling and piranha cleaning processes. By changing the deposition time and molds, various thicknesses and shapes can be fabricated, respectively. Furthermore, the fabricated Au box nanostructure has a bending zone of the top layer and a {approx}17 nm undercut of the bottom layer as observed by SEM (scanning electron microscope). The sidewall thickness was changed from 12 to 61 nm by controlling the deposition time, and was investigated to understand the relationship with blanket thicknesses and geometric effects. The calculated sidewall thickness matched well with experimental results. Using smaller hole-patterned molds, integrated nanobox arrays, with inner squares measuring {approx}160 nm, and nanopillar arrays, with inside pores measuring {approx}65 nm, were fabricated under the same conditions.

  13. Fabrication of AlN-TiC/Al composites by gas injection processing

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    YU Huashun; CHEN Hongmei; MA Rendian; MIN Guanghui

    2006-01-01

    The fabrication of AlN-TiC/Al composites by carbon-and nitrogen-containing gas injection into Al-Mg-Ti melts was studied. It was shown that AlN and TiC particles could be formed by the in situ reaction of mixture gas (N2+C2H2+NH3) with Al-Mg-Ti melts. The condition for the formation of AlN was that the treatment temperature must be higher than 1373 K, and the amounts of AlN and TiC increased with the increase of the treatment temperature and the gas injection time.It was considered that AlN was formed by the direct reaction of Al with nitrogen-containing gas at the interface of the gas bubble and the melt. However, the mechanism of TiC formation is a combination mechanism of solution-precipitation and solid-liquid reaction.

  14. Fabrication of BN/Al(-Mg) metal matrix composite (MMC) by pressureless infiltration technique

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jung, W.G.; Kwon, H. [School of Advanced Materials Eng., Kookmin Univ., Seoul (Korea)

    2004-07-01

    BN/Al(-Mg) metal matrix composite (MMC) was fabricated by the pressureless infiltration technique. The phase characterizations of the composites were analyzed using the SEM, TEM, EDS and EPMA on reaction products after the electrochemical dissolution of the matrix. It is confirmed that aluminum nitride (AlN) was formed by the reaction of Mg{sub 3}N{sub 2} and Al alloy melt. Plate type AlN and polyhedral type Mg(-Al) boride were formed by the reaction between Mg{sub 3}N{sub 2}, BN and molten Al in the composite. The reaction mechanism in the fabrication of BN/Al(-Mg) MMC was derived from the phase analysis results and the thermodynamic investigation. (orig.)

  15. Adsorption properties of AlN on Si(111) surface: A density functional study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuan, Yinmei; Zuo, Ran; Mao, Keke; Tang, Binlong; Zhang, Zhou; Liu, Jun; Zhong, Tingting

    2018-04-01

    In the process of preparing GaN on Si substrate by MOCVD, an AlN buffer layer is very important. In this study, we conducted density functional theory calculations on the adsorption of AlN molecule on Si(111)-(2 × 2) surface, with the AlN molecule located horizontally or vertically above Si(111) surface at different adsorption sites. The calculations revealed that the lowest adsorption energy was at the N-top-Al-bridge site in the horizontal configuration, with the narrowest band gap, indicating that it was the most preferential adsorption growth status of AlN. In the vertical configurations, N adatom was more reactive and convenient to form bonds with the topmost Si atoms than Al adatom. When the N-end of the AlN molecule was located downward, the hollow site was the preferred adsorption site; when the Al-end was located downward, the bridge site was the most energetically favorable. Moreover, we investigated some electronic properties such as partial density of states, electron density difference, Mulliken populations, etc., revealing the microscale mechanism for AlN adsorption on Si(111) surface and providing theoretical support for adjusting the processing parameters during AlN or GaN production.

  16. First-principles study on stability, and growth strategies of small AlnZr (n=1-9) clusters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Zhi; Zhou, Zhonghao; Wang, Hongbin; Li, Shengli; Zhao, Zhen

    2016-09-01

    The geometries, relative stability as well as growth strategies of the AlnZr (n=1-9) clusters are investigated with spin polarized density functional theory: BLYP. The results reveal that the AlnZr clusters are more likely to form the dense accumulation structures than the AlN (N=1-10) clusters. The average binding energies of AlnZr are higher than those of AlN clusters. The AlnZr (n=3, 5, and 7) clusters are more stable than others by the differences of the total binding energies. Mülliken population analysis for the AlnZr clusters shows that the electron's adsorption ability of Zr is slightly lower than that of Al except for AlZr cluster. Local peaks of the HOMO-LUMO gap curve are found at n=3, 5, and 7. The reaction energies of AlnZr are higher, which means that AlnZr clusters are easier to react with Al clusters. Zr atom preferential reacts with Al2 cluster. Local peaks of the magnetic dipole moments are found at n=2, 5, and 8.

  17. Optical Properties Dependence with Gas Pressure in AlN Films Deposited by Pulsed Laser Ablation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perez, J A; Riascos, H; Caicedo, J C; Cabrera, G; Yate, L

    2011-01-01

    AlN films were deposited by pulsed laser deposition technique (PLD) using an Nd: YAG laser (λ = 1064 nm). The films were deposited in a nitrogen atmosphere as working gas; the target was an aluminum high purity (99.99%). The films were deposited with a laser fluence of 7 J/cm2 for 10 minutes on silicon (100) substrates. The substrate temperature was 300 deg. C and the working pressure was varied from 3 mtorr to 11 mtorr. The thickness measured by profilometer was 150 nm for all films. The crystallinity was observed via XRD pattern, the morphology and composition of the films were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), respectively. The optical reflectance spectra and color coordinates of the films were obtained by optical spectral reflectometry technique in the range of 400 cm-1- 900 cm-1 by an Ocean Optics 2000 spectrophotometer. In this work, a clear dependence of the reflectance, dominant wavelength and color purity was found in terms of the applied pressure to the AlN films. A reduction in reflectance of about 55% when the pressure was increased from 3 mtorr to 11 mtorr was observed. This paper deals with the formation of AlN thin films as promising materials for the integration of SAW devices on Si substrates due to their good piezoelectric properties and the possibility of deposition at low temperature compatible with the manufacturing of Si integrated circuits.

  18. Optical Properties Dependence with Gas Pressure in AlN Films Deposited by Pulsed Laser Ablation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Perez, J A; Riascos, H [Departamento de Fisica, Universidad Tecnologica de Pereira, Grupo plasma Laser y Aplicaciones A.A 097 (Colombia); Caicedo, J C [Grupo pelIculas delgadas, Universidad del Valle, Cali (Colombia); Cabrera, G; Yate, L, E-mail: jcaicedoangulo@gmail.com [Department de Fisica Aplicada i Optica, Universitat de Barcelona, Catalunya (Spain)

    2011-01-01

    AlN films were deposited by pulsed laser deposition technique (PLD) using an Nd: YAG laser ({lambda} = 1064 nm). The films were deposited in a nitrogen atmosphere as working gas; the target was an aluminum high purity (99.99%). The films were deposited with a laser fluence of 7 J/cm2 for 10 minutes on silicon (100) substrates. The substrate temperature was 300 deg. C and the working pressure was varied from 3 mtorr to 11 mtorr. The thickness measured by profilometer was 150 nm for all films. The crystallinity was observed via XRD pattern, the morphology and composition of the films were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), respectively. The optical reflectance spectra and color coordinates of the films were obtained by optical spectral reflectometry technique in the range of 400 cm-1- 900 cm-1 by an Ocean Optics 2000 spectrophotometer. In this work, a clear dependence of the reflectance, dominant wavelength and color purity was found in terms of the applied pressure to the AlN films. A reduction in reflectance of about 55% when the pressure was increased from 3 mtorr to 11 mtorr was observed. This paper deals with the formation of AlN thin films as promising materials for the integration of SAW devices on Si substrates due to their good piezoelectric properties and the possibility of deposition at low temperature compatible with the manufacturing of Si integrated circuits.

  19. Understanding AlN Obtaining Through Computational Thermodynamics Combined with Experimental Investigation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Florea, R. M.

    2017-06-01

    Basic material concept, technology and some results of studies on aluminum matrix composite with dispersive aluminum nitride reinforcement was shown. Studied composites were manufactured by „in situ” technique. Aluminum nitride (AlN) has attracted large interest recently, because of its high thermal conductivity, good dielectric properties, high flexural strength, thermal expansion coefficient matches that of Si and its non-toxic nature, as a suitable material for hybrid integrated circuit substrates. AlMg alloys are the best matrix for AlN obtaining. Al2O3-AlMg, AlN-Al2O3, and AlN-AlMg binary diagrams were thermodynamically modelled. The obtained Gibbs free energies of components, solution parameters and stoichiometric phases were used to build a thermodynamic database of AlN- Al2O3-AlMg system. Obtaining of AlN with Liquid-phase of AlMg as matrix has been studied and compared with the thermodynamic results. The secondary phase microstructure has a significant effect on the final thermal conductivity of the obtained AlN. Thermodynamic modelling of AlN-Al2O3-AlMg system provided an important basis for understanding the obtaining behavior and interpreting the experimental results.

  20. Understanding the growth of micro and nano-crystalline AlN by thermal plasma process

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kanhe, Nilesh S.; Nawale, Ashok B.; Gawade, Rupesh L.; Puranik, Vedavati G.; Bhoraskar, Sudha V.; Das, Asoka K.; Mathe, Vikas L.

    2012-01-01

    We report the studies related to the growth of crystalline AlN in a DC thermal plasma reactor, operated by a transferred arc plasma torch. The reactor is capable of producing the nanoparticles of Al and AlN depending on the composition of the reacting gas. Al and AlN micro crystals are formed at the anode placed on the graphite and nano crystalline Al and AlN gets deposited on the inner surface of the plasma reactor. X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy analysis, single crystal X-ray diffraction and TGA-DTA techniques are used to infer the purity of post process crystals as a hexagonal AlN. The average particle size using SEM was found to be around 30 μm. The morphology of nanoparticles of Al and AlN, nucleated by gas phase condensation in a homogeneous medium were studied by transmission electron microscopy analysis. The particle ranged in size between 15 and 80 nm in diameter. The possible growth mechanism of crystalline AlN at the anode has been explained on the basis of non-equilibrium processes in the core of the plasma and steep temperature gradient near its periphery. The gas phase species of AlN and various constituent were computed using Murphy code based on minimization of free energy. The process provides 50% yield of microcrystalline AlN and remaining of Al at anode and that of nanocrystalline h-AlN and c-Al collected from the walls of the chamber is about 33% and 67%, respectively.

  1. Synthesis of c-axis oriented AlN thin films on different substrates: A review

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iriarte, G.F.; Rodriguez, J.G.; Calle, F.

    2010-01-01

    Highly c-axis oriented AlN thin films have been deposited by reactive sputtering on different substrates. The crystallographic properties of layered film structures consisting of a piezoelectric layer, aluminum nitride (AlN), synthesized on a variety of substrates, have been examined. Aluminum nitride thin films have been deposited by reactive pulsed-DC magnetron sputtering using an aluminum target in an Ar/N 2 gas mixture. The influence of the most critical deposition parameters on the AlN thin film crystallography has been investigated by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of the rocking curve Full-Width at Half Maximum (FWHM) of the AlN-(0 0 0 2) peak. The relationship between the substrate, the synthesis parameters and the crystallographic orientation of the AlN thin films is discussed. A guide is provided showing how to optimize these conditions to obtain highly c-axis oriented AlN thin films on substrates of different nature.

  2. Hall effect thruster with an AlN chamber

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barral, S.; Jayet, Y.; Mazouffre, S.; Veron, E.; Echegut, P.; Dudeck, M.

    2005-01-01

    The plasma discharge of a Hall-effect thruster (SPT) is strongly depending of the plasma-insulated wall interactions. These interactions are mainly related to the energy deposition, potential sheath effect and electron secondary emission rate (e.s.e.). In usual SPT, the annular channel is made of BN-SiO 2 . The SPT100-ML (laboratory model will be tested with an AlN chamber in the French test facility Pivoine in the laboratoire d'Aerothermique (Orleans-France). The different parameters such as discharge current, thrust, plasma oscillations and wall temperature will studied for several operating conditions. The results will be compared with a fluid model developed in IPPT (Warsaw-Poland) taking into account electron emission from the internal and external walls and using previous experimental measurements of e.s.e. for AlN from ONERA (Toulouse-France). The surface state of AlN will be analysed before and after experiments by an Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope and by a Strength Electron Microscope. (author)

  3. Using Mosaicity to Tune Thermal Transport in Polycrystalline AlN Thin Films

    KAUST Repository

    Singh, Shivkant

    2018-05-17

    The effect of controlling the c-axis alignment (mosaicity) to the cross-plane thermal transport in textured polycrystalline aluminum nitride (AlN) thin films is experimentally and theoretically investigated. We show that by controlling the sputtering conditions we are able to deposit AlN thin films with varying c-axis grain tilt (mosaicity) from 10° to 0°. Microstructural characterization shows that the films are nearly identical in thickness and grain size, and the difference in mosaicity alters the grain interface quality. This has a significant effect to thermal transport where a thermal conductivity of 4.22 W/mK vs. 8.09 W/mK are measured for samples with tilt angles of 10° vs. 0° respectively. The modified Callaway model was used to fit the theoretical curves to the experimental results using various phonon scattering mechanisms at the grain interface. It was found that using a non-gray model gives an overview of the phonon scattering at the grain boundaries, whereas treating the grain boundary as an array of dislocation lines with varying angle relative to the heat flow, best describes the mechanism of the thermal transport. Lastly, our results show that controlling the quality of the grain interface provides a tuning knob to control thermal transport in polycrystalline materials.

  4. Using Mosaicity to Tune Thermal Transport in Polycrystalline AlN Thin Films

    KAUST Repository

    Singh, Shivkant; Shervin, Shahab; Sun, Haiding; Yarali, Milad; Chen, Jie; Lin, Ronghui; Li, Kuang-Hui; Li, Xiaohang; Ryou, Jae-Hyun; Mavrokefalos, Anastassios

    2018-01-01

    The effect of controlling the c-axis alignment (mosaicity) to the cross-plane thermal transport in textured polycrystalline aluminum nitride (AlN) thin films is experimentally and theoretically investigated. We show that by controlling the sputtering conditions we are able to deposit AlN thin films with varying c-axis grain tilt (mosaicity) from 10° to 0°. Microstructural characterization shows that the films are nearly identical in thickness and grain size, and the difference in mosaicity alters the grain interface quality. This has a significant effect to thermal transport where a thermal conductivity of 4.22 W/mK vs. 8.09 W/mK are measured for samples with tilt angles of 10° vs. 0° respectively. The modified Callaway model was used to fit the theoretical curves to the experimental results using various phonon scattering mechanisms at the grain interface. It was found that using a non-gray model gives an overview of the phonon scattering at the grain boundaries, whereas treating the grain boundary as an array of dislocation lines with varying angle relative to the heat flow, best describes the mechanism of the thermal transport. Lastly, our results show that controlling the quality of the grain interface provides a tuning knob to control thermal transport in polycrystalline materials.

  5. Effect of AlN doping on the growth morphology of SiC

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Singh, N.B.; Jones, E.; Berghmans, A.; Wagner, B.P.; Jelen, E.; McLaughlin, S.; Knuteson, D.J.; Fitelson, M.; King, M.; Kahler, D. [Northrop Grumman Corporation, ES-ATL, Linthicum, MD (United States)

    2009-09-15

    AlN doped SiC films were deposited on on-axis Si-face 4H-SiC(0001) substrates by the physical vapor transport (PVT) method. Thick film in the range of 20 {mu}m range was grown and morphology was characterized. Films were grown by physical vapor deposition (PVD) in a vertical geometry in the nitrogen atmosphere. We observed that nucleation occurred in the form of discs and growth occurred in hexagonal geometry. The X-ray studies showed (001)orientation and full width of half maxima (FWHM) was less than 0.1 indicating good crystallinity. We also observed that film deposited on the carbon crucible had long needles with anisotropic growth very similar to that of pure AlN. Some of the needles grew up to sizes of 200{mu}m in length and 40 to 50 {mu}m in width. It is clear that annealing of SiC-AlN powder or high temperature physical vapor deposition produces similar crystal structure for producing AlN-SiC solid solution. SEM studies indicated that facetted hexagons grew on the top of each other and coarsened and merged to form cm size grains on the substrate. (copyright 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

  6. The impact of electrode materials on 1/f noise in piezoelectric AlN contour mode resonators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Hoe Joon; Jung, Soon In; Segovia-Fernandez, Jeronimo; Piazza, Gianluca

    2018-05-01

    This paper presents a detailed analysis on the impact of electrode materials and dimensions on flicker frequency (1/f) noise in piezoelectric aluminum nitride (AlN) contour mode resonators (CMRs). Flicker frequency noise is a fundamental noise mechanism present in any vibrating mechanical structure, whose sources are not generally well understood. 1 GHz AlN CMRs with three different top electrode materials (Al, Au, and Pt) along with various electrode lengths and widths are fabricated to control the overall damping acting on the device. Specifically, the use of different electrode materials allows control of thermoelastic damping (TED), which is the dominant damping mechanism for high frequency AlN CMRs and largely depends on the thermal properties (i.e. thermal diffusivities and expansion coefficients) of the metal electrode rather than the piezoelectric film. We have measured Q and 1/f noise of 68 resonators and the results show that 1/f noise decreases with increasing Q, with a power law dependence that is about 1/Q4. Interestingly, the noise level also depends on the type of electrode materials. Devices with Pt top electrode demonstrate the best noise performance. Our results help unveiling some of the sources of 1/f noise in these resonators, and indicate that a careful selection of the electrode material and dimensions could reduce 1/f noise not only in AlN-CMRs, but also in various classes of resonators, and thus enable ultra-low noise mechanical resonators for sensing and radio frequency applications.

  7. Investigation of blue luminescence in Mg doped AlN films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sun, Xiliang; Xiong, Juan, E-mail: xiongjuana@163.com; Zhang, Weihai; Liu, Lei; Gu, Haoshuang, E-mail: guhsh@hubu.edu.cn

    2015-02-05

    Highlights: • AlN films doped with 0.8–4.4 at.% Mg were deposited by magnetron sputtering. • Structural and photoluminescence properties of Mg-doped AlN films were synthesized in detailed. • A broad blue band centered at 420 nm and 440 nm was observed in Mg-doped AlN films. • An enhancement of A1 (TO) mod and a slightly blue-shift of E2 (high) mode were observed. - Abstract: The Al{sub 1−x}Mg{sub x}N thin films were deposited on (1 0 0) silicon substrates by magnetron sputtering. The structural and photoluminescence properties of the films with varying Mg concentrations were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectra and photoluminescence (PL), respectively. The results clearly showed that the Mg atoms successfully incorporated into AlN, while the crystal structure of the films was maintained. The Raman spectra of Al{sub 1−x}Mg{sub x}N films reveals the enhancement of A{sub 1} (TO) mode, a slightly blue-shift and an augment in FWHM for E{sub 2} (high) phonon mode with increasing Mg content, which can be associated with the deterioration of (0 0 2) orientation and the appearance of (1 0 0) orientation. A broad blue band centered at 420 nm and 440 nm was observed in Mg-doped AlN films. It was suggested that the transitions from the shallow donor level not only to the ground state but also to the excited states of the deep level was responsible for the broad blue emission band. This work indicates the AlN film for the application in lighting emission devices.

  8. High-quality AlN films grown on chemical vapor-deposited graphene films

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chen Bin-Hao

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available We report the growth of high-quality AlN films on graphene. The graphene films were synthesized by CVD and then transferred onto silicon substrates. Epitaxial aluminum nitride films were deposited by DC magnetron sputtering on both graphene as an intermediate layer and silicon as a substrate. The structural characteristics of the AlN films and graphene were investigated. Highly c-axis-oriented AlN crystal structures are investigated based on the XRDpatterns observations.

  9. Cobalt nanoparticles deposited and embedded in AlN: Magnetic, magneto-optical, and morphological properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huttel, Y.; Gomez, H.; Clavero, C.; Cebollada, A.; Armelles, G.; Navarro, E.; Ciria, M.; Benito, L.; Arnaudas, J.I.; Kellock, A.J.

    2004-01-01

    We present a structural, morphological, magnetic, and magneto-optical study of cobalt nanoparticles deposited on 50 A ring AlN/c-sapphire substrates and embedded in an AlN matrix. The dependence of the properties of Co nanoclusters deposited on AlN with growth temperature and amount of deposited Co are studied and discussed. Also we directly compare the properties of as grown and AlN embedded Co nanoclusters and show that the AlN matrix has a strong impact on their magnetic and magneto-optical properties

  10. Structure of AlN films deposited by magnetron sputtering method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nowakowska-Langier K.

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available AlN films on a Si substrate were synthesized by magnetron sputtering method. A dual magnetron system operating in AC mode was used in the experiment. Processes of synthesis were carried out in the atmosphere of a mixture of Ar/N2. Morphology and phase structure of the AlN films were investigated at different pressures. Structural characterizations were performed by means of SEM and X-ray diffraction methods. Our results show that the use of magnetron sputtering method in a dual magnetron sputtering system is an effective way to produce AlN layers which are characterized by a good adhesion to the silicon substrate. The morphology of the films is strongly dependent on the Ar/N2 gas mixture pressure. An increase of the mixture pressure is accompanied by a columnar growth of the layers. The films obtained at the pressure below 1 Pa are characterized by finer and compacter structure. The AlN films are characterized by a polycrystalline hexagonal (wurtzite structure in which the crystallographic orientation depends on the gas mixture pressure.

  11. Structure and chemistry of the Si(111)/AlN interface

    Science.gov (United States)

    Radtke, G.; Couillard, M.; Botton, G. A.; Zhu, D.; Humphreys, C. J.

    2012-01-01

    We investigate the atomic structure and the chemistry of the Si(111)/AlN interface for an AlN film grown at low-temperature (735 °C) by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy. A heterogeneous interface is formed from the alternation of crystallographically abrupt and partly amorphous regions. The polarity of the AlN film, along with the projected atomic structure of the crystalline interface, is retrieved using high-angle annular dark field imaging, and a model, based on these experimental observations, is proposed for the bonding at the interface. Electron energy-loss spectrum-imaging, however, also reveals a chemical intermixing, placing our growth conditions at the onset of SiNx interlayer formation.

  12. Roles of kinetics and energetics in the growth of AlN by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Im, I. H.; Minegishi, T.; Hanada, T.; Lee, S. W.; Cho, M. W.; Yao, T.; Oh, D. C.; Chang, J. H.

    2006-01-01

    The roles of kinetics and energetics in the growth processes of AlN on c-sapphire by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy are investigated by varying the growth rate from 1 to 31 A/min and the substrate temperature from 800 to 1000 .deg. C. The energetics is found to govern the growth of AlN in the low-growth rate region even at a low substrate temperature of 800 .deg. C owing to the enhanced residence time of adatoms, thereby increasing the surface migration length. As the growth rate increases, the growth tends to be governed by kinetics because of a reduction in the residence time of adatoms. Consequently, the surface roughness and crystal quality are greatly improved for the low-growth-rate case. In addition, the lattice strain relaxation is completed from the beginning of epitaxy for energetics-limiting growth while lattice strain relaxation is retarded for kinetics-limiting growth because of pre-existing partial strain relaxation. Energetics becomes more favorable as the substrate temperature is raised because of an increase in the surface diffusion length owing to an enhanced diffusion coefficient. Consequently high-crystal-quality AlN layers are grown under the energetics-limiting growth condition with a screw dislocation density of 7.4 x 10 8 cm -2 even for a thin 42-nm thick film.

  13. On compensation in Si-doped AlN

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, Joshua S.; Baker, Jonathon N.; Gaddy, Benjamin E.; Bryan, Isaac; Bryan, Zachary; Mirrielees, Kelsey J.; Reddy, Pramod; Collazo, Ramón; Sitar, Zlatko; Irving, Douglas L.

    2018-04-01

    Controllable n-type doping over wide ranges of carrier concentrations in AlN, or Al-rich AlGaN, is critical to realizing next-generation applications in high-power electronics and deep UV light sources. Silicon is not a hydrogenic donor in AlN as it is in GaN; despite this, the carrier concentration should be controllable, albeit less efficiently, by increasing the donor concentration during growth. At low doping levels, an increase in the Si content leads to a commensurate increase in free electrons. Problematically, this trend does not persist to higher doping levels. In fact, a further increase in the Si concentration leads to a decrease in free electron concentration; this is commonly referred to as the compensation knee. While the nature of this decrease has been attributed to a variety of compensating defects, the mechanism and identity of the predominant defects associated with the knee have not been conclusively determined. Density functional theory calculations using hybrid exchange-correlation functionals have identified VAl+n SiAl complexes as central to mechanistically understanding compensation in the high Si limit in AlN, while secondary impurities and vacancies tend to dominate compensation in the low Si limit. The formation energies and optical signatures of these defects in AlN are calculated and utilized in a grand canonical charge balance solver to identify carrier concentrations as a function of Si content. The results were found to qualitatively reproduce the experimentally observed compensation knee. Furthermore, these calculations predict a shift in the optical emissions present in the high and low doping limits, which is confirmed with detailed photoluminescence measurements.

  14. Synthesis and characterization of straight and stacked-sheet AlN nanowires with high purity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lei, M.; Yang, H.; Li, P.G.; Tang, W.H.

    2008-01-01

    Large-scale AlN nanowires with hexagonal crystal structure were synthesized by the direct nitridation method at high temperatures. The experimental results indicate that these single-crystalline AlN nanowires have high purity and consist of straight and stacked-sheet nanowires. It is found that straight AlN nanowire grows along [1, 1, -2, 0] direction, whereas the stacked-sheet nanowire with hexagonal cross section is along [0 0 0 1] direction. It is thought that vapor-solid (VS) mechanism should be responsible for the growth of AlN nanowires

  15. Evidence for graphite-like hexagonal AlN nanosheets epitaxially grown on single crystal Ag(111)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tsipas, P.; Kassavetis, S.; Tsoutsou, D.; Xenogiannopoulou, E.; Golias, E.; Giamini, S. A.; Dimoulas, A. [National Center for Scientific Research “Demokritos,” 15310 Athens (Greece); Grazianetti, C.; Fanciulli, M. [Laboratorio MDM, IMM-CNR, I-20864, Agrate Brianza (MB) (Italy); Dipartimento di Scienza dei Materiali, Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca, I-20126, Milano (Italy); Chiappe, D.; Molle, A. [Laboratorio MDM, IMM-CNR, I-20864, Agrate Brianza (MB) (Italy)

    2013-12-16

    Ultrathin (sub-monolayer to 12 monolayers) AlN nanosheets are grown epitaxially by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy on Ag(111) single crystals. Electron diffraction and scanning tunneling microscopy provide evidence that AlN on Ag adopts a graphite-like hexagonal structure with a larger lattice constant compared to bulk-like wurtzite AlN. This claim is further supported by ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy indicating a reduced energy bandgap as expected for hexagonal AlN.

  16. Application of Matrix Projection Exposure Using a Liquid Crystal Display Panel to Fabricate Thick Resist Molds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fukasawa, Hirotoshi; Horiuchi, Toshiyuki

    2009-08-01

    The patterning characteristics of matrix projection exposure using an analog liquid crystal display (LCD) panel in place of a reticle were investigated, in particular for oblique patterns. In addition, a new method for fabricating practical thick resist molds was developed. At first, an exposure system fabricated in past research was reconstructed. Changes in the illumination optics and the projection lens were the main improvements. Using fly's eye lenses, the illumination light intensity distribution was homogenized. The projection lens was changed from a common camera lens to a higher-grade telecentric lens. In addition, although the same metal halide lamp was used as an exposure light source, the central exposure wavelength was slightly shortened from 480 to 450 nm to obtain higher resist sensitivity while maintaining almost equivalent contrast between black and white. Circular and radial patterns with linewidths of approximately 6 µm were uniformly printed in all directions throughout the exposure field owing to these improvements. The patterns were smoothly printed without accompanying stepwise roughness caused by the cell matrix array. On the bases of these results, a new method of fabricating thick resist molds for electroplating was investigated. It is known that thick resist molds fabricated using the negative resist SU-8 (Micro Chem) are useful because very high aspect patterns are printable and the side walls are perpendicular to the substrate surfaces. However, the most suitable exposure wavelength of SU-8 is 365 nm, and SU-8 is insensitive to light of 450 nm wavelength, which is most appropriate for LCD matrix exposure. For this reason, a novel multilayer resist process was proposed, and micromolds of SU-8 of 50 µm thickness were successfully obtained. As a result, feasibility for fabricating complex resist molds including oblique patterns was demonstrated.

  17. Research on High Layer Thickness Fabricated of 316L by Selective Laser Melting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shuo Wang

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Selective laser melting (SLM is a potential additive manufacturing (AM technology. However, the application of SLM was confined due to low efficiency. To improve efficiency, SLM fabrication with a high layer thickness and fine powder was systematically researched, and the void areas and hollow powders can be reduced by using fine powder. Single-track experiments were used to narrow down process parameter windows. Multi-layer fabrication relative density can be reached 99.99% at the exposure time-point distance-hatch space of 120 μs-40 μm-240 μm. Also, the building rate can be up to 12 mm3/s, which is about 3–10 times higher than the previous studies. Three typical defects were found by studying deeply, including the un-melted defect between the molten pools, the micro-pore defect within the molten pool, and the irregular distribution of the splashing phenomenon. Moreover, the microstructure is mostly equiaxed crystals and a small amount of columnar crystals. The averages of ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, and elongation are 625 MPa, 525 MPa, and 39.9%, respectively. As exposure time increased from 80 μs to 200 μs, the grain size is gradually grown up from 0.98 μm to 2.23 μm, the grain aspect ratio is close to 1, and the tensile properties are shown as a downward trend. The tensile properties of high layer thickness fabricated are not significantly different than those with a coarse-powder layer thickness of low in previous research.

  18. Research on High Layer Thickness Fabricated of 316L by Selective Laser Melting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Shuo; Liu, Yude; Shi, Wentian; Qi, Bin; Yang, Jin; Zhang, Feifei; Han, Dong; Ma, Yingyi

    2017-09-08

    Selective laser melting (SLM) is a potential additive manufacturing (AM) technology. However, the application of SLM was confined due to low efficiency. To improve efficiency, SLM fabrication with a high layer thickness and fine powder was systematically researched, and the void areas and hollow powders can be reduced by using fine powder. Single-track experiments were used to narrow down process parameter windows. Multi-layer fabrication relative density can be reached 99.99% at the exposure time-point distance-hatch space of 120 μs-40 μm-240 μm. Also, the building rate can be up to 12 mm³/s, which is about 3-10 times higher than the previous studies. Three typical defects were found by studying deeply, including the un-melted defect between the molten pools, the micro-pore defect within the molten pool, and the irregular distribution of the splashing phenomenon. Moreover, the microstructure is mostly equiaxed crystals and a small amount of columnar crystals. The averages of ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, and elongation are 625 MPa, 525 MPa, and 39.9%, respectively. As exposure time increased from 80 μs to 200 μs, the grain size is gradually grown up from 0.98 μm to 2.23 μm, the grain aspect ratio is close to 1, and the tensile properties are shown as a downward trend. The tensile properties of high layer thickness fabricated are not significantly different than those with a coarse-powder layer thickness of low in previous research.

  19. Miniaturized, Planar Ion-selective Electrodes Fabricated by Means of Thick-film Technology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert Koncki

    2006-04-01

    Full Text Available Various planar technologies are employed for developing solid-state sensorshaving low cost, small size and high reproducibility; thin- and thick-film technologies aremost suitable for such productions. Screen-printing is especially suitable due to itssimplicity, low-cost, high reproducibility and efficiency in large-scale production. Thistechnology enables the deposition of a thick layer and allows precise pattern control.Moreover, this is a highly economic technology, saving large amounts of the used inks. Inthe course of repetitions of the film-deposition procedure there is no waste of material dueto additivity of this thick-film technology. Finally, the thick films can be easily and quicklydeposited on inexpensive substrates. In this contribution, thick-film ion-selective electrodesbased on ionophores as well as crystalline ion-selective materials dedicated forpotentiometric measurements are demonstrated. Analytical parameters of these sensors arecomparable with those reported for conventional potentiometric electrodes. All mentionedthick-film strip electrodes have been totally fabricated in only one, fully automated thick-film technology, without any additional manual, chemical or electrochemical steps. In allcases simple, inexpensive, commercially available materials, i.e. flexible, plastic substratesand easily cured polymer-based pastes were used.

  20. 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.

  1. A Novel Fully Depleted Air AlN Silicon-on-Insulator Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yuan, Yang; Yong, Gao; Peng-Liang, Gong

    2008-01-01

    A novel fully depleted air AlN silicon-on-insulator (SOI) metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOS-FET) is presented, which can eliminate the self-heating effect and solve the problem that the off-state current of SOI MOSFETs increases and the threshold voltage characteristics become worse when employing a high thermal conductivity material as a buried layer. The simulation results reveal that the lattice temperature in normal SOI devices is 75 K higher than the atmosphere temperature, while the lattice temperature is just 4K higher than the atmosphere temperature resulting in less severe self-heating effect in air AlN SOI MOSFETs and AlN SOI MOSFETs. The on-state current of air AlN SOI MOSFETs is similar to the AlN SOI structure, and improves 12.3% more than that of normal SOI MOSFETs. The off-state current of AlN SOI is 6.7 times of normal SOI MOSFETs, while the counterpart of air AlN SOI MOSFETs is lower than that of SOI MOSFETs by two orders of magnitude. The threshold voltage change of air AlN SOI MOSFETs with different drain voltage is much less than that of AlN SOI devices, when the drain voltage is biased at 0.8 V, this difference is 28mV, so the threshold voltage change induced by employing high thermal conductivity material is cured. (condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties)

  2. Band alignment of HfO{sub 2}/AlN heterojunction investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ye, Gang [School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798 (Singapore); Wang, Hong, E-mail: ewanghong@ntu.edu.sg [School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798 (Singapore); CNRS-International-NTU-THALES Research Alliances/UMI 3288, 50 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637553 (Singapore); Ji, Rong [Data Storage Institute, Agency for Science Technology and Research (A-STAR), Singapore 117608 (Singapore)

    2016-04-18

    The band alignment between AlN and Atomic-Layer-Deposited (ALD) HfO{sub 2} was determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The shift of Al 2p core-levels to lower binding energies with the decrease of take-off angles θ indicated upward band bending occurred at the AlN surface. Based on the angle-resolved XPS measurements combined with numerical calculations, valence band discontinuity ΔE{sub V} of 0.4 ± 0.2 eV at HfO{sub 2}/AlN interface was determined by taking AlN surface band bending into account. By taking the band gap of HfO{sub 2} and AlN as 5.8 eV and 6.2 eV, respectively, a type-II band line-up was found between HfO{sub 2} and AlN.

  3. The impact of electrode materials on 1/f noise in piezoelectric AlN contour mode resonators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hoe Joon Kim

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a detailed analysis on the impact of electrode materials and dimensions on flicker frequency (1/f noise in piezoelectric aluminum nitride (AlN contour mode resonators (CMRs. Flicker frequency noise is a fundamental noise mechanism present in any vibrating mechanical structure, whose sources are not generally well understood. 1 GHz AlN CMRs with three different top electrode materials (Al, Au, and Pt along with various electrode lengths and widths are fabricated to control the overall damping acting on the device. Specifically, the use of different electrode materials allows control of thermoelastic damping (TED, which is the dominant damping mechanism for high frequency AlN CMRs and largely depends on the thermal properties (i.e. thermal diffusivities and expansion coefficients of the metal electrode rather than the piezoelectric film. We have measured Q and 1/f noise of 68 resonators and the results show that 1/f noise decreases with increasing Q, with a power law dependence that is about 1/Q4. Interestingly, the noise level also depends on the type of electrode materials. Devices with Pt top electrode demonstrate the best noise performance. Our results help unveiling some of the sources of 1/f noise in these resonators, and indicate that a careful selection of the electrode material and dimensions could reduce 1/f noise not only in AlN-CMRs, but also in various classes of resonators, and thus enable ultra-low noise mechanical resonators for sensing and radio frequency applications.

  4. Oxidation behaviour of a Ti2AlN MAX-phase coating

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Qimin; Kim, Kwangho; Garkas, W; Renteria, A Flores; Leyens, C; Sun Chao

    2011-01-01

    In this paper, we reported the oxidation behaviour of Ti 2 AlN coatings on a -TiAl substrate. The coatings composed mainly of Ti 2 AlN MAX phase were obtained by magnetron sputtering and subsequent vacuum annealing. Isothermal oxidation tests at 700-900 deg. C were performed in air. The results indicated that the oxidation resistance of the -TiAl alloy can be improved by depositing a Ti 2 AlN layer on the alloy surface, especially at high temperatures. An Al-rich oxide scale formed on the coating surfaces during oxidation. This scale acts as diffusion barrier blocking the ingress of oxidation, and effectively protects the coated alloys from further oxidation attack.

  5. Metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy of AlN on sapphire with low etch pit density

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koleske, D. D.; Figiel, J. J.; Alliman, D. L.; Gunning, B. P.; Kempisty, J. M.; Creighton, J. R.; Mishima, A.; Ikenaga, K.

    2017-06-01

    Using metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy, methods were developed to achieve AlN films on sapphire with low etch pit density (EPD). Key to this achievement was using the same AlN growth recipe and only varying the pre-growth conditioning of the quartz-ware. After AlN growth, the quartz-ware was removed from the growth chamber and either exposed to room air or moved into the N2 purged glove box and exposed to H2O vapor. After the quartz-ware was exposed to room air or H2O, the AlN film growth was found to be more reproducible, resulting in films with (0002) and (10-12) x-ray diffraction (XRD) rocking curve linewidths of 200 and 500 arc sec, respectively, and EPDs < 100 cm-2. The EPD was found to correlate with (0002) linewidths, suggesting that the etch pits are associated with open core screw dislocations similar to GaN films. Once reproducible AlN conditions were established using the H2O pre-treatment, it was found that even small doses of trimethylaluminum (TMAl)/NH3 on the quartz-ware surfaces generated AlN films with higher EPDs. The presence of these residual TMAl/NH3-derived coatings in metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) systems and their impact on the sapphire surface during heating might explain why reproducible growth of AlN on sapphire is difficult.

  6. Local heteroepitaxy as an adhesion mechanism in aluminium coatings cold gas sprayed on AlN substrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wüstefeld, Christina; Rafaja, David; Motylenko, Mykhaylo; Ullrich, Christiane; Drehmann, Rico; Grund, Thomas; Lampke, Thomas; Wielage, Bernhard

    2017-01-01

    Cold gas sprayed Al coatings deposited onto wurtzitic AlN substrates show excellent adhesion. As a possible adhesion mechanism, the local heteroepitaxy between Al and AlN was considered and verified experimentally in Al coatings, which were deposited using magnetron sputtering or cold gas spraying on single-crystalline and polycrystalline AlN substrates. Analysis of the local orientation relationships at the Al/AlN interfaces revealed that preferentially such lattice planes of Al align parallel with the upright lattice planes of AlN, which possess similar interplanar distances. The matching lattice planes in the Al coatings grew as continuations of the lattice planes in the AlN substrates. In all samples under study, the parallel alignment of the lattice planes {220}_A_l and {110}_A_l_N was found. Additional orientation relationships between Al and AlN arose if parallel lattice planes with similar interplanar spacing could be found in both counterparts via rotation of the lattice planes {220}_A_l around their normal direction. Still, the oriented growth of Al on AlN is only possible if Al atoms in the deposited coatings are mobile enough to rearrange along the AlN surface. Whereas the mobility of Al atoms in a magnetron sputtering process is expected to be sufficiently high, the intrinsic mobility of Al atoms in the cold gas sprayed particles is anticipated to be low. However, the auxiliary microstructure analyses have shown that local recrystallization and partial melting are two phenomena, which can facilitate the rearrangement of Al atoms within the cold gas sprayed coating.

  7. Electro-acoustic sensors based on AlN thin film: possibilities and limitations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wingqvist, Gunilla

    2011-06-01

    The non-ferroelectric polar wurtzite aluminium nitride (AlN) material has been shown to have potential for various sensor applications both utilizing the piezoelectric effect directly for pressure sensors or indirectly for acoustic sensing of various physical, chemical and biochemical sensor applications. Especially, sputter deposited AlN thin films have played a central role for successful development of the thin film electro-acoustic technology. The development has been primarily driven by one device - the thin film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR or TFBAR), with its primary use for high frequency filter applications for the telecom industry. AlN has been the dominating choice for commercial application due to compatibility with the integrated circuit technology, low acoustic and dielectric losses, high acoustic velocity in combination with comparably high (but still for some applications limited) electromechanical coupling. Recently, increased piezoelectric properties (and also electromechanical coupling) in the AlN through the alloying with scandium nitride (ScN) have been identified both experimentally and theoretically. Inhere, the utilization of piezoelectricity in electro-acoustic sensing will be discussed together with expectation on acoustic FBAR sensor performance with variation in piezoelectric material properties in the parameter space around AlN due to alloying, in view of the ScxAl1-xN (0

  8. Occurrence and elimination of in-plane misoriented crystals in AlN epilayers on sapphire via pre-treatment control

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Hu; Xiong Hui; Wu Zhi-Hao; Yu Chen-Hui; Tian Yu; Dai Jiang-Nan; Fang Yan-Yan; Zhang Jian-Bao; Chen Chang-Qing

    2014-01-01

    AlN epilayers are grown directly on sapphire (0001) substrates each of which has a low temperature AlN nucleation layer. The effects of pretreatments of sapphire substrates, including exposures to NH 3 /H 2 and to H 2 only ambients at different temperatures, before the growth of AlN epilayers is investigated. In-plane misoriented crystals occur in N-polar AlN epilayers each with pretreatment in a H 2 only ambient, and are characterized by six 60°-apart peaks with splits in each peak in (101-bar 2) phi scan and two sets of hexagonal diffraction patterns taken along the [0001] zone axis in electron diffraction. These misoriented crystals can be eliminated in AlN epilayers by the pretreatment of sapphire substrates in the NH 3 /H 2 ambient. AlN epilayers by the pretreatment of sapphire substrates in the NH 3 /H 2 ambient are Al-polar. Our results show the pretreatments and the nucleation layers are responsible for the polarities of the AlN epilayers. We ascribe these results to the different strain relaxation mechanisms induced by the lattice mismatch of AlN and sapphire. (interdisciplinary physics and related areas of science and technology)

  9. Valence and conduction band offsets of β-Ga2O3/AlN heterojunction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Haiding; Torres Castanedo, C. G.; Liu, Kaikai; Li, Kuang-Hui; Guo, Wenzhe; Lin, Ronghui; Liu, Xinwei; Li, Jingtao; Li, Xiaohang

    2017-10-01

    Both β-Ga2O3 and wurtzite AlN have wide bandgaps of 4.5-4.9 and 6.1 eV, respectively. We calculated the in-plane lattice mismatch between the (-201) plane of β-Ga2O3 and the (0002) plane of AlN, which was found to be 2.4%. This is the smallest mismatch between β-Ga2O3 and binary III-nitrides which is beneficial for the formation of a high quality β-Ga2O3/AlN heterojunction. However, the valence and conduction band offsets (VBO and CBO) at the β-Ga2O3/AlN heterojunction have not yet been identified. In this study, a very thin (less than 2 nm) β-Ga2O3 layer was deposited on an AlN/sapphire template to form the heterojunction by pulsed laser deposition. High-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed the core-level (CL) binding energies of Ga 3d and Al 2p with respect to the valence band maximum in individual β-Ga2O3 and AlN layers, respectively. The separation between Ga 3d and Al 2p CLs at the β-Ga2O3/AlN interface was also measured. Eventually, the VBO was found to be -0.55 ± 0.05 eV. Consequently, a staggered-gap (type II) heterojunction with a CBO of -1.75 ± 0.05 eV was determined. The identification of the band alignment of the β-Ga2O3/AlN heterojunction could facilitate the design of optical and electronic devices based on these and related alloys.

  10. Oxidation behaviour of a Ti{sub 2}AlN MAX-phase coating

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang Qimin; Kim, Kwangho [National Core Research Center for Hybrid Materials Solution, Pusan National University, Busan 609-735 (Korea, Republic of); Garkas, W; Renteria, A Flores [Chair of Physical Metallurgy and Materials Technology, Technical University of Brandenburg at Cottbus, 03046 Cottbus (Germany); Leyens, C [Institute of Materials Science, Technical University of Dresden, Helmholtzstrasse 7, 01069 Dresden (Germany); Sun Chao, E-mail: qmwang@pusan.ac.kr, E-mail: kwhokim@pusan.ac.kr [Division of Surface Engineering of Materials, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016 (China)

    2011-10-29

    In this paper, we reported the oxidation behaviour of Ti{sub 2}AlN coatings on a -TiAl substrate. The coatings composed mainly of Ti{sub 2}AlN MAX phase were obtained by magnetron sputtering and subsequent vacuum annealing. Isothermal oxidation tests at 700-900 deg. C were performed in air. The results indicated that the oxidation resistance of the -TiAl alloy can be improved by depositing a Ti{sub 2}AlN layer on the alloy surface, especially at high temperatures. An Al-rich oxide scale formed on the coating surfaces during oxidation. This scale acts as diffusion barrier blocking the ingress of oxidation, and effectively protects the coated alloys from further oxidation attack.

  11. Development of automated welding process for field fabrication of thick walled pressure vessels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schneider, U A

    1981-01-01

    Research on automatic welding processes for the fabrication of thick-walled pressure vessels continued. A literature review on the subject was completed. A laboratory study of criteria for judging acceptable root parameters continued. Equipment for a demonstration facility to test the components and processes of the automated welding system has been specified and is being obtained. (LCL)

  12. Development of automated welding process for field fabrication of thick walled pressure vessels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schneider, U.A.

    Research on automatic welding processes for the fabrication of thick-walled pressure vessels continued. A literature review on the subject was completed. A laboratory study of criteria for judging acceptable root parameters continued. Equipment for a demonstration facility to test the components and processes of the automated welding system has been specified and is being obtained

  13. Enhanced field emission from Si doped nanocrystalline AlN thin films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thapa, R.; Saha, B.; Chattopadhyay, K.K.

    2009-01-01

    Si doped and undoped nanocrystalline aluminum nitride thin films were deposited on various substrates by direct current sputtering technique. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the formation of phase pure hexagonal aluminum nitride with a single peak corresponding to (1 0 0) reflection of AlN with lattice constants, a = 0.3114 nm and c = 0.4986 nm. Energy dispersive analysis of X-rays confirmed the presence of Si in the doped AlN films. Atomic force microscopic studies showed that the average particle size of the film prepared at substrate temperature 200 deg. C was 9.5 nm, but when 5 at.% Si was incorporated the average particle size increased to ∼21 nm. Field emission study indicated that, with increasing Si doping concentration, the emission characteristics have been improved. The turn-on field (E to ) was 15.0 (±0.7) V/μm, 8.0 (±0.4) V/μm and 7.8 (±0.5) V/μm for undoped, 3 at.% and 5 at.% Si doped AlN films respectively and the maximum current density of 0.27 μA/cm 2 has been observed for 5 at.% Si doped nanocrystalline AlN film. It was also found that the dielectric properties were highly dependent on Si doping.

  14. Valence and conduction band offsets of β-Ga2O3/AlN heterojunction

    KAUST Repository

    Sun, Haiding

    2017-10-16

    Both β-Ga2O3 and wurtzite AlN have wide bandgaps of 4.5–4.9 and 6.1 eV, respectively. We calculated the in-plane lattice mismatch between the (−201) plane of β-Ga2O3 and the (0002) plane of AlN, which was found to be 2.4%. This is the smallest mismatch between β-Ga2O3 and binary III-nitrides which is beneficial for the formation of a high quality β-Ga2O3/AlN heterojunction. However, the valence and conduction band offsets (VBO and CBO) at the β-Ga2O3/AlN heterojunction have not yet been identified. In this study, a very thin (less than 2 nm) β-Ga2O3 layer was deposited on an AlN/sapphire template to form the heterojunction by pulsed laser deposition. High-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed the core-level (CL) binding energies of Ga 3d and Al 2p with respect to the valence band maximum in individual β-Ga2O3 and AlN layers, respectively. The separation between Ga 3d and Al 2p CLs at the β-Ga2O3/AlN interface was also measured. Eventually, the VBO was found to be −0.55 ± 0.05 eV. Consequently, a staggered-gap (type II) heterojunction with a CBO of −1.75 ± 0.05 eV was determined. The identification of the band alignment of the β-Ga2O3/AlN heterojunction could facilitate the design of optical and electronic devices based on these and related alloys.

  15. DFT study on the adsorption behavior and electronic response of AlN nanotube and nanocage toward toxic halothane gas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohammadi, R.; Hosseinian, A.; Khosroshahi, E. Saedi; Edjlali, L.; Vessally, E.

    2018-04-01

    We have investigated the adsorption of a halothane molecule on the AlN nanotube, and nanocage using density functional theory calculations. We predicted that the halothane molecule tends to be physically adsorbed on the surface of AlN nanotube with adsorption energy (Ead) of -4.2 kcal/mol. The electronic properties of AlN nanotube are not affected by the halothane, and it is not a sensor. But the AlN nanocage is more reactive than the AlN nanotube because of its higher curvature. The halothane tends to be adsorbed on a hexagonal ring, an Alsbnd N bond, and a tetragonal ring of the AlN nanocage. The adsorption ability order is as follows: tetragonal ring (Ead = -14.7 kcal/mol) > Alsbnd N bond (Ead = -12.3 kcal/mol) > hexagonal ring (Ead = -10.1 kcal/mol). When a halothane molecule is adsorbed on the AlN nanocage, its electrical conductivity is increased, demonstrating that it can yield an electronic signal at the presence of this molecule, and can be employed in chemical sensors. The AlN nanocage benefits from a short recovery time of about 58 ms at room temperature.

  16. Influence of ion/atom arrival ratio on structure and optical properties of AlN films by ion beam assisted deposition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Meng, Jian-ping [Department of Energy Material and Technology, General Research Institute for Nonferrous Metals, Beijing 100088 (China); School of Engineering and Technology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083 (China); Fu, Zhi-qiang, E-mail: fuzq@cugb.edu.cn [School of Engineering and Technology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083 (China); Liu, Xiao-peng [Department of Energy Material and Technology, General Research Institute for Nonferrous Metals, Beijing 100088 (China); Yue, Wen; Wang, Cheng-biao [School of Engineering and Technology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083 (China)

    2014-10-30

    Highlights: • AlN films were fabricated by dual ion beam sputtering. • Chemical bond status and phase composition of the films were studied by XPS and XRD. • Optical constants were measured by spectroscopic ellipsometry. • Influence of ion/atom arrival ratio on the films was studied. - Abstract: In order to improve the optical properties of AlN films, the influence of the ion/atom arrival ratio on the structure and optical characteristics of AlN films deposited by dual ion beam sputtering was studied by using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, spectroscopic ellipsometry and UV–vis spectroscopy. The films prepared at the ion/atom arrival ratio of 1.4 are amorphous while the crystalline quality is improved with the increase of the ion/atom arrival ratio. The films deposited at the ion/atom arrival ratio of no less than 1.8 have an approximately stoichiometric ratio and mainly consist of aluminum nitride with little aluminum oxynitride, while metallic aluminum component appears in the films deposited at the ion/atom arrival ratio of 1.4. When the ion/atom arrival ratio is not less than 1.8, films are smooth, high transmitting and dense. The films prepared with high ion/atom arrival ratio (≥1.8) display the characteristic of a dielectric. The films deposited at the ion/atom arrival ratio of 1.4 are coarse, opaque and show characteristic of cermet.

  17. Towards an elastic model of wurtzite AlN nanowires

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mitrushchenkov, A; Chambaud, G; Yvonnet, J; He, Q-C

    2010-01-01

    Starting with ab initio calculations of AlN wurtzite [0001] nanowires with diameters up to 4 nm, a finite element method is developed to deal with larger nanostructures/nanoparticles. The ab initio calculations show that the structure of the nanowires can be well represented by an internal part with AlN bulk elastic properties, and one atomic surface layer with its own elastic behavior. The proposed finite element method includes surface elements with their own elastic properties using surface elastic coefficients deduced from the ab initio calculations. The elastic properties obtained with the finite element model compare very well with those obtained with the full ab initio calculations.

  18. Memory and Electrical Properties of (100-Oriented AlN Thin Films Prepared by Radio Frequency Magnetron Sputtering

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maw-Shung Lee

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The (100-oriented aluminum nitride (AlN thin films were well deposited onto p-type Si substrate by radio frequency (RF magnetron sputtering method. The optimal deposition parameters were the RF power of 350 W, chamber pressure of 9 mTorr, and nitrogen concentration of 50%. Regarding the physical properties, the microstructure of as-deposited (002- and (100-oriented AlN thin films were obtained and compared by XRD patterns and TEM images. For electrical properties analysis, we found that the memory windows of (100-oriented AlN thin films are better than those of (002-oriented thin films. Besides, the interface and interaction between the silicon and (100-oriented AlN thin films was serious important problem. Finally, the current transport models of the as-deposited and annealed (100-oriented AlN thin films were also discussed. From the results, we suggested and investigated that large memory window of the annealed (100-oriented AlN thin films was induced by many dipoles and large electric field applied.

  19. Quantitative Evaluation of Strain in Epitaxial 2H AlN Layers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nader, N.; Pezoldt, J.

    2011-01-01

    To improve the quality of AlN layer deposit on SiC/Si, different Ge amounts (0.25, 0.5, 1, 2ML) were deposited before the carbonization process at the silicon substrate in order to reduce the lattice parameters mismatch between Si and SiC grown layers. The residual stress of the hexagonal AlN layers derives from the phonon frequency shifts of the E1(TO) phonon mode. The crystalline quality of the AlN layer is correlated to and investigated by the full width of the half maximum (FWHM) and the intensity of E1(TO) mode of the 2H-AlN. Best crystalline quality and lower stress value are found in the case where 1ML of Ge amount is predeposited. The E1(TO) mode phonon frequency shifts-down by 3 cm-1/GPa with respect to an unstrained layer. (author)

  20. Design and fabrication of optical thin film layers with variable thickness profile for producing variable reflectivity mirrors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hamid R fallah

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available   The design method and fabrication of mirrors with variable reflectivity are presented. To fabricate such a mirror a fixed mask with a circular aperture is used. The circular aperture is considered as an extended source with cosx(θas its diffusion distribution function and is the parameter for the distribution function of the particles through the aperture. The thickness profile of deposited layer is a function of this distribution. In this work, the coating system is calibrated for the materials which are used and then the parameter of the diffusion distribution function of the particles through the circular aperture is defined by experiments. Using these results, a graph is presented which connects the parameter of the circular aperture to the parameters of the thickness profile. It is then possible to deposit any type of variable reflectivity mirror using this graph. Finally, the effect of the uncertainty in measuring layer thicknesses on the phase of reflected wave and transmitted wave is investigated.

  1. General Space-Confined On-Substrate Fabrication of Thickness-Adjustable Hybrid Perovskite Single-Crystalline Thin Films.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Yao-Xuan; Ge, Qian-Qing; Shi, Yang; Liu, Jie; Xue, Ding-Jiang; Ma, Jing-Yuan; Ding, Jie; Yan, Hui-Juan; Hu, Jin-Song; Wan, Li-Jun

    2016-12-21

    Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite single-crystalline thin films (SCTFs) are promising for enhancing photoelectric device performance due to high carrier mobility, long diffusion length, and carrier lifetime. However, bulk perovskite single crystals available today are not suitable for practical device application due to the unfavorable thickness. Herein, we report a facile space-confined solution-processed strategy to on-substrate grow various hybrid perovskite SCTFs in a size of submillimeter with adjustable thicknesses from nano- to micrometers. These SCTFs exhibit photoelectric properties comparable to bulk single crystals with low defect density and good air stability. The clear thickness-dependent colors allow fast visual selection of SCTFs with a suitable thickness for specific device application. The present substrate-independent growth of perovskite SCTFs opens up opportunities for on-chip fabrication of diverse high-performance devices.

  2. Ab initio study of M2AlN (M = Ti,V,Cr)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun, Zhimei; Music, Denis; Ahuja, Rajeev; Schneider, Jochen M

    2005-01-01

    We have studied M 2 AlN phases, where M = Ti, V, and Cr, by means of ab initio total energy calculations. The bulk modulus of M 2 AlN increases as Ti is replaced with V and Cr by 19.0% and 26.5%, respectively, which can be understood on the basis of the increased number of valence electrons filling the p-d hybridized bonding states. The bulk modulus of M 2 AlN is generally higher than that of the corresponding M 2 AlC phase, which may be explained by an extra electron in the former phases contributing to stronger chemical bonding. This work is important for fundamental understanding of elastic properties of these ternary nitrides and may inspire future experimental research. (letter to the editor)

  3. Cd doping of AlN via ion implantation studied with perturbed angular correlation

    CERN Document Server

    Kessler, Patrick; Miranda, Sérgio MC; Simon, R; Correia, João Guilherme; Johnston, Karl; Vianden, Reiner

    2012-01-01

    AlN with a wide bandgap of 6.2 eV is a promising candidate for ultraviolet light-emitting diodes and laser diodes. However, the production of the required p-type AlN is still challenging. As a possible dopant Cd was suggested among other Group II atoms (Be, Mg, and Zn). In this study the annealing condition of implanted Cd in AlN was investigated with the method of the perturbed angular correlation (PAC). Therefore radioactive $^{117}$Cd or $^{111m}$Cd ions were implanted into thin AlN films on sapphire substrate with an energy of 30 keV and fluences in the range of 10$^{11}$ ions/cm$^{2}$. After thorough annealing with a proximity cap of the same material most of the Cd-probes occupy substitutional lattice sites and almost all implantation damage can be annealed. This results in a distinct frequency in the PAC spectra which increases with temperature. In contrast to the formation of an indium nitrogen-vacancy complex observed with the probe $^{111}$In on substitutional Al-sites no defects are bound to substi...

  4. Frequency response improvement of a two-port surface acoustic wave device based on epitaxial AlN thin film

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Junning; Hao, Zhibiao; Luo, Yi; Li, Guoqiang

    2018-01-01

    This paper presents an exploration on improving the frequency response of the symmetrical two-port AlN surface acoustic wave (SAW) device, using epitaxial AlN thin film on (0001) sapphire as the piezoelectric substrate. The devices were fabricated by lift-off processes with Ti/Al composite electrodes as interleaved digital transducers (IDT). The impact of DL and the number of the IDT finger pairs on the frequency response was carefully investigated. The overall properties of the device are found to be greatly improved with DL elongation, indicated by the reduced pass band ripple and increased stop band rejection ratio. The rejection increases by 8.3 dB when DL elongates from 15.5λ to 55.5λ and 4.4 dB further accompanying another 50λ elongation. This is because larger DL repels the stray acoustic energy out of the propagation path and provides a cleaner traveling channel for functional SAW, and at the same time restrains electromagnetic feedthrough. It is also found that proper addition of the IDT finger pairs is beneficial for the device response, indicated by the ripple reduction and the insertion loss drop.

  5. A computational study on the electronic and field emission properties of Mg and Si doped AlN nanocones

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saedi, Leila; Soleymanabadi, Hamed; Panahyab, Ataollah

    2018-05-01

    Following an experimental work, we explored the effect of replacing an Al atom of an AlN nanocone by Si or Mg atom on its electronic and field emission properties using density functional theory calculations. We found that both Si-doping and Mg-doping increase the electrical conductivity of AlN nanocone, but their influences on the filed emission properties are significantly different. The Si-doping increases the electron concentration of AlN nanocone and results in a large electron mobility and a low work function, whereas Mg-doping leads to a high hole concentration below the conduction level and increases the work function in agreement with the experimental results. It is predicted that Si-doped AlN nanocones show excellent filed emission performance with higher emitted electron current density compared to the pristine AlN nanocone. But the Mg-doping meaningfully decreases the emitted electron current density from the surface of AlN nanocone. The Mg-doping can increase the work function about 41.9% and the Si-doping can decrease it about 6.3%. The Mg-doping and Si-doping convert the AlN nanocone to a p-type and n-type semiconductors, respectively. Our results explain in a molecular level what observed in the experiment.

  6. Lattice stability of metastable AlN and wurtzite-to-rock-salt structural transformation by CALPHAD modeling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Yanhui, E-mail: yanhui.z@hotmail.com [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Applied Materials-Applied Materials Physics (IAM-AWP), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); High-performance Ceramics Division, Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 110016, Shenyang (China); Franke, Peter; Li, Dajian; Seifert, Hans Jürgen [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Applied Materials-Applied Materials Physics (IAM-AWP), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany)

    2016-12-01

    Reliable lattice stability of cubic AlN with rock-salt structure (rs-AlN) is the prerequisite of accurate thermodynamic modeling of cubic (M, Al)N solid solutions (M = Ti, Zr, Cr etc.). In order to derive the Gibbs energy of metastable rs-AlN, and then its lattice stability, we did the pressure-temperature (P-T) assessment of AlN phases by equations-of-state modeling. Meanwhile, the molar volumes and the heat capacities of wurtzite and rock-salt AlN, as well as the wurtzite-to-rock-salt structural transition at high P&T were successfully incorporated in CALPHAD-type database by integrating thermodynamic data from experiments and ab-initio calculations. These results promise subsequent investigations on phase stabilities and transitions of solid solutions with AlN component and the development of novel multicomponent coatings. - Highlights: • Phase stability investigation for novel multi-component metastable coatings. • Structural transition at high temperature and high pressure. • Integrating thermodynamic data from ab-initio calculations and experiments. • Thermal expansion, isothermal compressibility and heat capacity of w-AlN and rs-AlN.

  7. AlGaN-Based Deep-Ultraviolet Light Emitting Diodes Fabricated on AlN/sapphire Template

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li-Wen, Sang; Zhi-Xin, Qin; Hao, Fang; Yan-Zhao, Zhang; Tao, Li; Zheng-Yu, Xu; Zhi-Jian, Yang; Bo, Shen; Guo-Yi, Zhang; Shu-Ping, Li; Wei-Huang, Yang; Hang-Yang, Chen; Da-Yi, Liu; Jun-Yong, Kang

    2009-01-01

    We report on the growth and fabrication of deep ultraviolet (DUV) light emitting diodes (LEDs) on an AlN template which was grown on a pulsed atomic-layer epitaxial buffer layer. Threading dislocation densities in the AlN layer are greatly decreased with the introduction of this buffer layer. The crystalline quality of the AlGaN epilayer is further improved by using a low-temperature GaN interlayer between AlGaN and AlN. Electroluminescences of different DUV-LED devices at a wavelength of between 262 and 317 nm are demonstrated. To improve the hole concentration of p-type AlGaN, Mg-doping with trimethylindium assistance approach is performed. It is found that the serial resistance of DUV-LED decreases and the performance of DUV-LED such as EL properties is improved. (condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties)

  8. Nonpolar a-plane GaN grown on r-plane sapphire using multilayer AlN buffer by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chiang, C.H.; Chen, K.M.; Wu, Y.H.; Yeh, Y.S.; Lee, W.I.; Chen, J.F.; Lin, K.L.; Hsiao, Y.L.; Huang, W.C.; Chang, E.Y.

    2011-01-01

    Mirror-like and pit-free non-polar a-plane (1 1 -2 0) GaN films are grown on r-plane (1 -1 0 2) sapphire substrates using metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) with multilayer high-low-high temperature AlN buffer layers. The buffer layer structure and film quality are essential to the growth of a flat, crack-free and pit-free a-plane GaN film. The multilayer AlN buffer structure includes a thin low-temperature-deposited AlN (LT-AlN) layer inserted into the high-temperature-deposited AlN (HT-AlN) layer. The results demonstrate that the multilayer AlN buffer structure can improve the surface morphology of the upper a-plane GaN film. The grown multilayer AlN buffer structure reduced the tensile stress on the AlN buffer layers and increased the compressive stress on the a-plane GaN film. The multilayer AlN buffer structure markedly improves the surface morphology of the a-plane GaN film, as revealed by scanning electron microscopy. The effects of various growth V/III ratios was investigated to obtain a-plane GaN films with better surface morphology. The mean roughness of the surface was 1.02 nm, as revealed by atomic force microscopy. Accordingly, the multilayer AlN buffer structure improves the surface morphology and facilitates the complete coalescence of the a-plane GaN layer.

  9. The role of Si as surfactant and donor in molecular-beam epitaxy of AlN

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lebedev, V.; Morales, F.M.; Romanus, H.; Krischok, S.; Ecke, G.; Cimalla, V.; Himmerlich, M.; Stauden, T.; Cengher, D.; Ambacher, O.

    2005-01-01

    The growth of Si-doped AlN(0001) thin films on Al 2 O 3 (0001) substrates by plasma-induced molecular-beam epitaxy is reported. We have found that Si positively affects the epitaxy being an effective surfactant for AlN growth with a remarkable impact on the crystal quality. It was proven that the characteristic surface reconstruction sequences frequently related to the Al adatoms are obviously Si induced on AlN(0001) surfaces. It was also observed that heavy doping conditions result in volume segregation of Si on the threading dislocation network and in the formation of an amorphous (AlO)(SiO)N cap layer caused by surface oxidation of the accumulated Al and segregated Si. The electron affinity was measured to be smaller than 0.5 eV on the clean AlN surface after removing of the cap layer using Ar + sputtering

  10. Structural properties, crystal quality and growth modes of MOCVD-grown AlN with TMAl pretreatment of sapphire substrate

    KAUST Repository

    Sun, Haiding; Wu, Feng; Altahtamouni, Talal Mohammed Ahmad; Alfaraj, Nasir; Li, Kun; Detchprohm, Theeradetch; Dupuis, Russell; Li, Xiaohang

    2017-01-01

    The growth of high quality AlN epitaxial films relies on precise control of the initial growth stages. In this work, we examined the influence of the trimethylaluminum (TMAl) pretreatment of sapphire substrates on the structural properties, crystal quality and growth modes of heteroepitaxial AlN films on (0001) sapphire substrates. Without the pretreatment, the AlN films nucleated on the smooth surface but exhibited mixed crystallographic Al- (N-) polarity, resulting in rough AlN film surfaces. With increasing the pretreatment time from 1 to 5 s, the N-polarity started to be impeded. However, small islands were formed on sapphire surface due to the decompostion of TMAl. As a result, small voids became noticeable at the nucleation layer (NL) because the growth started as quasi three-dimensional (3D) but transformed to 2D mode as the film grew thicker and got coalesced, leading to smoother and Al-polar films. On the other hand, longer pretreatment time of 40 s formed large 3D islands on sapphire, and thus initiated a 3D-growth mode of the AlN film, generating Al-polar AlN nanocolumns with different facets, which resulted into rougher film surfaces. The epitaxial growth modes and their correlation with the AlN film crystal quality under different TMAl pretreatments are also discussed.

  11. Structural properties, crystal quality and growth modes of MOCVD-grown AlN with TMAl pretreatment of sapphire substrate

    KAUST Repository

    Sun, Haiding

    2017-08-08

    The growth of high quality AlN epitaxial films relies on precise control of the initial growth stages. In this work, we examined the influence of the trimethylaluminum (TMAl) pretreatment of sapphire substrates on the structural properties, crystal quality and growth modes of heteroepitaxial AlN films on (0001) sapphire substrates. Without the pretreatment, the AlN films nucleated on the smooth surface but exhibited mixed crystallographic Al- (N-) polarity, resulting in rough AlN film surfaces. With increasing the pretreatment time from 1 to 5 s, the N-polarity started to be impeded. However, small islands were formed on sapphire surface due to the decompostion of TMAl. As a result, small voids became noticeable at the nucleation layer (NL) because the growth started as quasi three-dimensional (3D) but transformed to 2D mode as the film grew thicker and got coalesced, leading to smoother and Al-polar films. On the other hand, longer pretreatment time of 40 s formed large 3D islands on sapphire, and thus initiated a 3D-growth mode of the AlN film, generating Al-polar AlN nanocolumns with different facets, which resulted into rougher film surfaces. The epitaxial growth modes and their correlation with the AlN film crystal quality under different TMAl pretreatments are also discussed.

  12. Adhesive PEG-based binder for aqueous fabrication of thick Li4Ti5O12 electrode

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tran, Binh; Oladeji, Isaiah O.; Wang, Zedong; Calderon, Jean; Chai, Guangyu; Atherton, David; Zhai, Lei

    2013-01-01

    We report the first fully compressed Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 electrode designed by an aqueous process. An adhesive, elastomeric, and lithium ion conductive PEG-based copolymer is used as a binder for the aqueous fabrication thick, flexible, and densely packed Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 (LTO) electrodes. Self-adherent cathode films exceeding 200 μm in thickness and withholding high active mass loadings of 28 mg/cm 2 deliver 4.2 mAh/cm 2 at C/2 rate. Structurally defect-free electrodes are fabricated by casting aqueous cathode slurries onto nickel foam, dried, and hard-calendared at 10 tons/cm 2 . As a multifunctional material, the binder is synthesized by the copolymerization of poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate (PEGMA), methyl methacrylate (MMA), and isobutyl vinyl ether (IBVE) in optimal proportions. Furthermore, coordinating the binder with lithium salt is necessary for the electrode to function

  13. Influence of TMAl preflow on AlN epitaxy on sapphire

    KAUST Repository

    Sun, Haiding; Wu, Feng; Park, Young Jae; Al tahtamouni, T. M.; Li, Kuang-Hui; Alfaraj, Nasir; Detchprohm, Theeradetch; Dupuis, Russell D.; Li, Xiaohang

    2017-01-01

    The trimethylaluminum (TMAl) preflow process has been widely applied on sapphire substrates prior to growing Al-polar AlN films by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. However, it has been unclear how the TMAl preflow process really works. In this letter, we reported on carbon's significance in the polarity and growth mode of AlN films due to the TMAl preflow. Without the preflow, no trace of carbon was found at the AlN/sapphire interface and the films possessed mixed Al- and N-polarity. With the 5 s preflow, carbon started to precipitate due to the decomposition of TMAl, forming scattered carbon-rich clusters which were graphitic carbon. It was discovered that the carbon attracted surrounding oxygen impurity atoms and consequently suppressed the formation of AlxOyNz and thus N-polarity. With the 40 s preflow, the significant presence of carbon clusters at the AlN/sapphire interface was observed. While still attracting oxygen and preventing the N-polarity, the carbon clusters served as randomly distributed masks to further induce a 3D growth mode for the AlN growth. The corresponding epitaxial growth mode change is discussed.

  14. Influence of TMAl preflow on AlN epitaxy on sapphire

    KAUST Repository

    Sun, Haiding

    2017-05-12

    The trimethylaluminum (TMAl) preflow process has been widely applied on sapphire substrates prior to growing Al-polar AlN films by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. However, it has been unclear how the TMAl preflow process really works. In this letter, we reported on carbon\\'s significance in the polarity and growth mode of AlN films due to the TMAl preflow. Without the preflow, no trace of carbon was found at the AlN/sapphire interface and the films possessed mixed Al- and N-polarity. With the 5 s preflow, carbon started to precipitate due to the decomposition of TMAl, forming scattered carbon-rich clusters which were graphitic carbon. It was discovered that the carbon attracted surrounding oxygen impurity atoms and consequently suppressed the formation of AlxOyNz and thus N-polarity. With the 40 s preflow, the significant presence of carbon clusters at the AlN/sapphire interface was observed. While still attracting oxygen and preventing the N-polarity, the carbon clusters served as randomly distributed masks to further induce a 3D growth mode for the AlN growth. The corresponding epitaxial growth mode change is discussed.

  15. Investigation of the fabrication parameters of thick film metal oxide-polymer pH electrodes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gac, Arnaud

    2002-01-01

    This thesis describes a study into the development of an optimum material and fabrication process for the production of thick film pH electrodes. These devices consist of low cost, miniature and rugged pH sensors formed by screen printing a metal oxide bearing paste onto a high temperature (∼850 deg C) fired metal back contact supported on a standard alumina substrate. The pH sensitive metal oxide layer must be fabricated at relatively low temperatures (<300 deg C) in order to maintain the pH sensitivity of the layer and hence requires the use of a suitably stable low temperature curing binder. Bespoke fabricated inks are derived from a Taguchi style factorial experimental plans in which, different binder types, curing temperatures, hydration level and percentage mixtures of different metal oxides and layer thicknesses were investigated. The pH responses of 18 printed electrodes per batch were assessed in buffer solutions with respect to a commercial reference electrode forming a complete potentiometric circuit. The evaluation criteria used in the study included the device-to-device variation in sensitivity of the pH sensors and their sensitivity variation as a function of time. The results indicated the importance of the choice of binder type in particular on the performance characteristics. Reproducible device-to-device variation in sensitivity was determined for the best inks found, whatever the ink fabrication batch. A reduction in the sensitivity variation with time has been determined using the mathematical models derived from an experimental plan. The lack of reproducibility of the sensitivity magnitude, regardless of the ink manufacturing batch, seems to be a recurrent problem with prototype inks. Experimental sub-Nernstian responses are discussed in the light of possible pH mechanisms. (author)

  16. Impact of AlN seeding layer growth rate in MOVPE growth of semi-polar gallium nitride structures on high index silicon

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ravash, Roghaiyeh; Blaesing, Juergen; Hempel, Thomas; Noltemeyer, Martin; Dadgar, Armin; Christen, Juergen; Krost, Alois [Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, FNW/IEP/AHE, Postfach 4120, 39016 Magdeburg (Germany)

    2011-03-15

    We present metal organic vapor phase epitaxy growth of semi-polar GaN structures on high index silicon surfaces. The crystallographic structure of GaN grown on Si(112), (115), and (117) substrates is investigated by X-ray analysis and scanning electron microscopy. X-ray diffraction was performed in Bragg Brentano geometry as well as pole figure measurements. The results demonstrate that the orientation of GaN crystallites on Si is significantly dependent on thickness of the AlN seeding layer and TMAl-flow rate. We observe that the crystallographic structures of GaN by applying thin AlN seeding layers grown with high TMAl-flow rate depend on Si surface direction while they are independent for thicker layers. By applying such seeding layer we obtain single crystalline semi-polar GaN on Si(112), while GaN structures grown with the same growth parameters on Si(117) show four components of GaN(0002). (Copyright copyright 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  17. Uniform fabrication of thick SU-8 patterns on small-sized wafers for micro-optics applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abada, S.; Reig, B.; Daran, E.; Doucet, JB; Camps, T.; Charlot, S.; Bardinal, V.

    2014-05-01

    This paper reports on an alternative method for precise and uniform fabrication of 100μm-thick SU-8 microstructures on small-sized or non-circular samples. Standard spin-coating of high-viscosity resists is indeed known to induce large edge beads, leading to an air gap between the mask and the SU-8 photo-resist surface during UV photolithography. This results in a non uniform thickness deposition and in a poor pattern definition. This problem becomes highly critical in the case of small-sized samples. To overcome it, we have developed a soft thermal imprint method based on the use of a nano-imprint equipment and applicable whatever sample fragility, shape and size (from 2cm to 6 inches). After final photolithography, the SU8 pattern thickness variation profile is measured. Thickness uniformity is improved from 30% to 5% with a 5μm maximal deviation to the target value over 2cm-long samples.

  18. Valence and conduction band offsets of β-Ga2O3/AlN heterojunction

    KAUST Repository

    Sun, Haiding; Torres Castanedo, C. G.; Liu, Kaikai; Li, Kuang-Hui; Guo, Wenzhe; Lin, Ronghui; Liu, Xinwei; Li, Jingtao; Li, Xiaohang

    2017-01-01

    Both β-Ga2O3 and wurtzite AlN have wide bandgaps of 4.5–4.9 and 6.1 eV, respectively. We calculated the in-plane lattice mismatch between the (−201) plane of β-Ga2O3 and the (0002) plane of AlN, which was found to be 2.4%. This is the smallest

  19. Brazing of AlN to SiC by a Pr silicide: Physicochemical aspects

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Koltsov, A. [SIMAP - UMR CNRS 5266, INP Grenoble-UJF, Domaine Universitaire, BP 75, 1130 rue de la Piscine, 38402 Saint Martin d' Heres, Cedex (France)], E-mail: alexey.koltsov@arcelor.com; Hodaj, F.; Eustathopoulos, N. [SIMAP - UMR CNRS 5266, INP Grenoble-UJF, Domaine Universitaire, BP 75, 1130 rue de la Piscine, 38402 Saint Martin d' Heres, Cedex (France)

    2008-11-15

    In view of their very different thermomechanical properties, joining of metals to ceramics by brazing is usually performed by means of one or more interlayers. In a recent investigation AlN was chosen as interlayer material for brazing SiC to a superalloy. The aim of the present study is to determine an alloy with a high melting point (close to 1200 deg. C) enabling brazing of AlN to SiC. Two types of experiments are performed with a Si-17 at.% Pr eutectic alloy (T{sub m} = 1212 deg. C): sessile drop experiments to determine wetting and brazing of AlN and SiC plates to determine gap filling. Experiments are carried out in high vacuum to promote deoxidation. Interfacial reactivity, joint microstructure and type of failure occurring during cooling are examined by optical and scanning electron microscopy.

  20. Brazing of AlN to SiC by a Pr silicide: Physicochemical aspects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koltsov, A.; Hodaj, F.; Eustathopoulos, N.

    2008-01-01

    In view of their very different thermomechanical properties, joining of metals to ceramics by brazing is usually performed by means of one or more interlayers. In a recent investigation AlN was chosen as interlayer material for brazing SiC to a superalloy. The aim of the present study is to determine an alloy with a high melting point (close to 1200 deg. C) enabling brazing of AlN to SiC. Two types of experiments are performed with a Si-17 at.% Pr eutectic alloy (T m = 1212 deg. C): sessile drop experiments to determine wetting and brazing of AlN and SiC plates to determine gap filling. Experiments are carried out in high vacuum to promote deoxidation. Interfacial reactivity, joint microstructure and type of failure occurring during cooling are examined by optical and scanning electron microscopy

  1. Three-dimensional fabrication of thick and densely populated soft constructs with complex and actively perfused channel network

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pimentel, C Rodrigo; Ko, Suk Kyu; Caviglia, Claudia

    2017-01-01

    One of the fundamental steps needed to design functional tissues and, ultimately organs is the ability to fabricate thick and densely populated tissue constructs with controlled vasculature and microenvironment. To date, bioprinting methods have been employed to manufacture tissue constructs with...

  2. A comparative study on magnetism in Zn-doped AlN and GaN from first-principles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu, Liang; Wang, Lingling; Huang, Weiqing; Xiao, Wenzhi; Xiao, Gang

    2014-01-01

    First-principles calculations have been used to comparatively investigate electronic and magnetic properties of Zn-doped AlN and GaN. A total magnetic moment of 1.0 μ B induced by Zn is found in AlN, but not in GaN. Analyses show that the origin of spontaneous polarization not only depend on the localized atomic orbitals of N and sufficient hole concentration, but also the relative intensity of the covalency of matrix. The relatively stronger covalent character of GaN with respect to AlN impedes forming local magnetic moment in GaN matrix. Our study offers a fresh sight of spontaneous spin polarization in d 0 magnetism. The much stronger ferromagnetic coupling in c-plane of AlN means that it is feasible to realize long-range ferromagnetic order via monolayer delta-doping. This can apply to other wide band-gap semiconductors in wurtzite structure.

  3. Crystallinity and superconductivity of as-grown MgB2 thin films with AlN buffer layers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsujimoto, K.; Shimakage, H.; Wang, Z.; Kaya, N.

    2005-01-01

    The effects of aluminum nitride (AlN) buffer layers on the superconducting properties of MgB 2 thin film were investigated. The AlN buffer layers and as-grown MgB 2 thin films were deposited in situ using the multiple-target sputtering system. The best depositing condition for the AlN/MgB 2 bi-layer occurred when the AlN was deposited on c-cut sapphire substrates at 290 deg. C. The crystallinity of the AlN/MgB 2 bi-layer was studied using the XRD φ-scan and it showed that AlN and MgB 2 had the same in-plane alignment rotated at an angle of 30 deg. as compared to c-cut sapphire. The critical temperature of the MgB 2 film was 29.8 K and the resistivity was 50.0 μΩ cm at 40 K

  4. Protective capping and surface passivation of III-V nanowires by atomic layer deposition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dhaka, Veer, E-mail: veer.dhaka@aalto.fi; Perros, Alexander; Kakko, Joona-Pekko; Haggren, Tuomas; Lipsanen, Harri [Department of Micro- and Nanosciences, Micronova, Aalto University, P.O. Box 13500, FI-00076 (Finland); Naureen, Shagufta; Shahid, Naeem [Research School of Physics & Engineering, Department of Electronic Materials Engineering, Australian National University, Canberra ACT 2601 (Australia); Jiang, Hua; Kauppinen, Esko [Department of Applied Physics and Nanomicroscopy Center, Aalto University, P.O. Box 15100, FI-00076 (Finland); Srinivasan, Anand [School of Information and Communication Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Electrum 229, S-164 40 Kista (Sweden)

    2016-01-15

    Low temperature (∼200 °C) grown atomic layer deposition (ALD) films of AlN, TiN, Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, GaN, and TiO{sub 2} were tested for protective capping and surface passivation of bottom-up grown III-V (GaAs and InP) nanowires (NWs), and top-down fabricated InP nanopillars. For as-grown GaAs NWs, only the AlN material passivated the GaAs surface as measured by photoluminescence (PL) at low temperatures (15K), and the best passivation was achieved with a few monolayer thick (2Å) film. For InP NWs, the best passivation (∼2x enhancement in room-temperature PL) was achieved with a capping of 2nm thick Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}. All other ALD capping layers resulted in a de-passivation effect and possible damage to the InP surface. Top-down fabricated InP nanopillars show similar passivation effects as InP NWs. In particular, capping with a 2 nm thick Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} layer increased the carrier decay time from 251 ps (as-etched nanopillars) to about 525 ps. Tests after six months ageing reveal that the capped nanostructures retain their optical properties. Overall, capping of GaAs and InP NWs with high-k dielectrics AlN and Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} provides moderate surface passivation as well as long term protection from oxidation and environmental attack.

  5. Protective capping and surface passivation of III-V nanowires by atomic layer deposition

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Veer Dhaka

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Low temperature (∼200 °C grown atomic layer deposition (ALD films of AlN, TiN, Al2O3, GaN, and TiO2 were tested for protective capping and surface passivation of bottom-up grown III-V (GaAs and InP nanowires (NWs, and top-down fabricated InP nanopillars. For as-grown GaAs NWs, only the AlN material passivated the GaAs surface as measured by photoluminescence (PL at low temperatures (15K, and the best passivation was achieved with a few monolayer thick (2Å film. For InP NWs, the best passivation (∼2x enhancement in room-temperature PL was achieved with a capping of 2nm thick Al2O3. All other ALD capping layers resulted in a de-passivation effect and possible damage to the InP surface. Top-down fabricated InP nanopillars show similar passivation effects as InP NWs. In particular, capping with a 2 nm thick Al2O3 layer increased the carrier decay time from 251 ps (as-etched nanopillars to about 525 ps. Tests after six months ageing reveal that the capped nanostructures retain their optical properties. Overall, capping of GaAs and InP NWs with high-k dielectrics AlN and Al2O3 provides moderate surface passivation as well as long term protection from oxidation and environmental attack.

  6. Establishment of design space for high current gain in III-N hot electron transistors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gupta, Geetak; Ahmadi, Elaheh; Suntrup, Donald J., III; Mishra, Umesh K.

    2018-01-01

    This paper establishes the design space of III-N hot electron transistors (HETs) for high current gain by designing and fabricating HETs with scaled base thickness. The device structure consists of GaN-based emitter, base and collector regions where emitter and collector barriers are implemented using AlN and InGaN layers, respectively, as polarization-dipoles. Electrons tunnel through the AlN layer to be injected into the base at a high energy where they travel in a quasi-ballistic manner before being collected. Current gain increases from 1 to 3.5 when base thickness is reduced from 7 to 4 nm. The extracted mean free path (λ mfp) is 5.8 nm at estimated injection energy of 1.5 eV.

  7. Reduction of the Mg acceptor activation energy in GaN, AlN, Al0.83Ga0.17N and MgGa δ-doping (AlN)5/(GaN)1: the strain effect

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Xin-He; Shi, Jun-Jie; Zhang, Min; Zhong, Hong-Xia; Huang, Pu; Ding, Yi-Min; He, Ying-Ping; Cao, Xiong

    2015-12-01

    To resolve the p-type doping problem of Al-rich AlGaN alloys, we investigate the influence of biaxial and hydrostatic strains on the activation energy, formation energy and band gap of Mg-doped GaN, AlN, Al0.83Ga0.17N disorder alloy and (AlN)5/(GaN)1 superlattice based on first-principles calculations by combining the standard DFT and hybrid functional. We find that the Mg acceptor activation energy {{E}\\text{A}} , the formation energy {{E}\\text{f}} and the band gap {{E}\\text{g}} decrease with increasing the strain ɛ. The hydrostatic strain has a more remarkable impact on {{E}\\text{g}} and {{E}\\text{A}} than the biaxial strain. Both {{E}\\text{A}} and {{E}\\text{g}} have a linear dependence on the hydrostatic strain. For the biaxial strain, {{E}\\text{g}} shows a parabolic dependence on ɛ if \\varepsilon ≤slant 0 while it becomes linear if \\varepsilon ≥slant 0 . In GaN and (AlN)5/(GaN)1, {{E}\\text{A}} parabolically depends on the biaxial compressive strain and linearly depends on the biaxial tensible strain. However, the dependence is approximately linear over the whole biaxial strain range in AlN and Al0.83Ga0.17N. The Mg acceptor activation energy in (AlN)5/(GaN)1 can be reduced from 0.26 eV without strain to 0.16 (0.22) eV with the hydrostatic (biaxial) tensible strain 3%.

  8. AlGaN/GaN MISHEMTs with AlN gate dielectric grown by thermal ALD technique.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Xiao-Yong; Zhao, Sheng-Xun; Zhang, Lin-Qing; Huang, Hong-Fan; Shi, Jin-Shan; Zhang, Chun-Min; Lu, Hong-Liang; Wang, Peng-Fei; Zhang, David Wei

    2015-01-01

    Recently, AlN plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (ALD) passivation technique had been proposed and investigated for suppressing the dynamic on-resistance degradation behavior of high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs). In this paper, a novel gate dielectric and passivation technique for GaN-on-Si AlGaN/GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor high-electron-mobility transistors (MISHEMTs) is presented. This technique features the AlN thin film grown by thermal ALD at 400°C without plasma enhancement. A 10.6-nm AlN thin film was grown upon the surface of the HEMT serving as the gate dielectric under the gate electrode and as the passivation layer in the access region at the same time. The MISHEMTs with thermal ALD AlN exhibit enhanced on/off ratio, reduced channel sheet resistance, reduction of gate leakage by three orders of magnitude at a bias of 4 V, reduced threshold voltage hysteresis of 60 mV, and suppressed current collapse degradation.

  9. CVD of SiC and AlN using cyclic organometallic precursors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Interrante, L. V.; Larkin, D. J.; Amato, C.

    1992-01-01

    The use of cyclic organometallic molecules as single-source MOCVD precursors is illustrated by means of examples taken from our recent work on AlN and SiC deposition, with particular focus on SiC. Molecules containing (AlN)3 and (SiC)2 rings as the 'core structure' were employed as the source materials for these studies. The organoaluminum amide, (Me2AlNH2)3, was used as the AlN source and has been studied in a molecular beam sampling apparatus in order to determine the gas phase species present in a hot-wall CVD reactor environment. In the case of SiC CVD, a series of disilacyclobutanes (Si(XX')CH2)2 (with X and X' = H, CH3, and CH2SiH2CH3), were examined in a cold-wall, hot-stage CVD reactor in order to compare their relative reactivities and prospective utility as single-source CVD precursors. The parent compound, disilacyclobutane, (SiH2CH2)2, was found to exhibit the lowest deposition temperature (ca. 670 C) and to yield the highest purity SiC films. This precursor gave a highly textured, polycrystalline film on the Si(100) substrates.

  10. Single-crystalline AlN growth on sapphire using physical vapor deposition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cardenas-Valencia, Andres M., E-mail: andres.cardenas@sri.co [SRI International (United States); Onishi, Shinzo; Rossie, Benjamin [SRI International (United States)

    2011-02-07

    A novel technique for growing single crystalline aluminum nitride (AlN) films is presented. The novelty of the technique, specifically, comes from the use of an innovative physical vapor deposition magnetron sputtering tool, which embeds magnets into the target material. A relatively high deposition rates is achieved ({approx}0.2 {mu}m/min), at temperatures between 860 and 940 {sup o}C. The AlN, grown onto sapphire, is single-crystalline as evidenced by observation using transmission electron microscopy. Tool configuration and growth conditions are discussed, as well as a first set of other analytical results, namely, x-ray diffraction and ultraviolet-visible transmission spectrophotometry.

  11. Influence of SrF_2-doping in AlN ceramics on scintillation and dosimeter properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kojima, Kaori; Okada, Go; Fukuda, Kentaro; Yanagida, Takayuki

    2016-01-01

    In this study, we synthesized undoped AlN and SrF_2-doped AlN (AlN-SrF_2) ceramics by Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS), and we characterized their optical, scintillation and dosimeter properties. The prepared undoped AlN ceramic had gray color and visually non-transparent whereas, with an addition of SrF_2, the transparency improved and became translucent. The measured in-line transmittance was approximately 0.2% at wavelengths longer than 500 nm. While the addition of SrF_2 decreased the scintillation intensity, the decay time was significantly fastened, which is a great advantage for fast photon counting-based measurements. Both the thermally-stimulated luminescence (TSL) and optically-stimulated luminescence (OSL) showed good linear response from the milli-gray range to over 10 Gy. The sensitivity seems to decrease by an addition of SrF_2 as it suppresses structural defect centers which are responsible for dosimeter properties. However, the main TSL glow peak position shifts to higher temperature with the addition of SrF_2, which indicates that inclusion of SrF_2 improves the TSL signal stability. - Highlights: • We synthesized undoped and SrF_2-doped AlN ceramics by Spark Plasma Sintering. • We evaluated scintillator and dosimeter properties of undoped and SrF_2-doped AlN. • By doping with SrF_2, the decay time is shortened. • By doping with SrF_2, the stability of TSL and OSL is improved.

  12. Properties of planar structures based on Policluster films of diamond and AlN

    Science.gov (United States)

    Belyanin, A. F.; Luchnikov, A. P.; Nalimov, S. A.; Bagdasarian, A. S.

    2018-01-01

    AlN films doped with zinc were grown on Si substrates by RF magnetron reactive sputtering of a compound target. Policluster films of diamond doped with boron were formed on layered Si/AlN substrates from the gas phase hydrogen and methane, activated arc discharge. By electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy the composition and structure of synthetic policluster films of diamond and AlN films were studied. Photovoltaic devices based on the AlN/PFD layered structure are presented.

  13. Excimer laser sintering of indium tin oxide nanoparticles for fabricating thin films of variable thickness on flexible substrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Taesoon; Kim, Dongsik

    2015-01-01

    Technology to fabricate electrically-conducting, transparent thin-film patterns on flexible substrates has possible applications in flexible electronics. In this work, a pulsed-laser sintering process applicable to indium tin oxide (ITO) thin-film fabrication on a substrate without thermal damage to the substrate was developed. A nanosecond pulsed laser was used to minimize thermal penetration into the substrate and to control the thickness of the sintered layer. ITO nanoparticles (NPs) of ~ 20 nm diameter were used to lower the process temperature by exploiting their low melting point. ITO thin film patterns were fabricated by first spin coating the NPs onto a surface, then sintering them using a KrF excimer laser. The sintered films were characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy. The electrical resistivity and transparency of the film were measured by varying the process parameters. A single laser pulse could generate the polycrystalline structure (average grain size ~ 200 nm), reducing the electrical resistivity of the film by a factor of ~ 1000. The sintering process led to a minimum resistivity of 1.1 × 10 −4 Ω·m without losing the transparency of the film. The thickness of the sintered layer could be varied up to 150 nm by adjusting the laser fluence. Because the estimated thermal penetration depth in the ITO film was less than 200 nm, no thermal damage was observed in the substrate. This work suggests that the proposed process, combined with various particle deposition methods, can be an effective tool to form thin-film ITO patterns on flexible substrates. - Highlights: • Excimer laser sintering can fabricate ITO thin films on flexible substrates. • The laser pulse can form a polycrystalline structure without thermal damage. • The laser sintering process can reduce the electrical resistivity substantially. • The thickness of the sintered layer can be varied effectively

  14. Excimer laser sintering of indium tin oxide nanoparticles for fabricating thin films of variable thickness on flexible substrates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Taesoon; Kim, Dongsik, E-mail: dskim87@postech.ac.kr

    2015-03-02

    Technology to fabricate electrically-conducting, transparent thin-film patterns on flexible substrates has possible applications in flexible electronics. In this work, a pulsed-laser sintering process applicable to indium tin oxide (ITO) thin-film fabrication on a substrate without thermal damage to the substrate was developed. A nanosecond pulsed laser was used to minimize thermal penetration into the substrate and to control the thickness of the sintered layer. ITO nanoparticles (NPs) of ~ 20 nm diameter were used to lower the process temperature by exploiting their low melting point. ITO thin film patterns were fabricated by first spin coating the NPs onto a surface, then sintering them using a KrF excimer laser. The sintered films were characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy. The electrical resistivity and transparency of the film were measured by varying the process parameters. A single laser pulse could generate the polycrystalline structure (average grain size ~ 200 nm), reducing the electrical resistivity of the film by a factor of ~ 1000. The sintering process led to a minimum resistivity of 1.1 × 10{sup −4} Ω·m without losing the transparency of the film. The thickness of the sintered layer could be varied up to 150 nm by adjusting the laser fluence. Because the estimated thermal penetration depth in the ITO film was less than 200 nm, no thermal damage was observed in the substrate. This work suggests that the proposed process, combined with various particle deposition methods, can be an effective tool to form thin-film ITO patterns on flexible substrates. - Highlights: • Excimer laser sintering can fabricate ITO thin films on flexible substrates. • The laser pulse can form a polycrystalline structure without thermal damage. • The laser sintering process can reduce the electrical resistivity substantially. • The thickness of the sintered layer can be varied effectively.

  15. Mechanical and Thermophysical Properties of Cubic Rock-Salt AlN Under High Pressure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lebga, Noudjoud; Daoud, Salah; Sun, Xiao-Wei; Bioud, Nadhira; Latreche, Abdelhakim

    2018-03-01

    Density functional theory, density functional perturbation theory, and the Debye model have been used to investigate the structural, elastic, sound velocity, and thermodynamic properties of AlN with cubic rock-salt structure under high pressure, yielding the equilibrium structural parameters, equation of state, and elastic constants of this interesting material. The isotropic shear modulus, Pugh ratio, and Poisson's ratio were also investigated carefully. In addition, the longitudinal, transverse, and average elastic wave velocities, phonon contribution to the thermal conductivity, and interesting thermodynamic properties were predicted and analyzed in detail. The results demonstrate that the behavior of the elastic wave velocities under increasing hydrostatic pressure explains the hardening of the corresponding phonons. Based on the elastic stability criteria under pressure, it is found that AlN with cubic rock-salt structure is mechanically stable, even at pressures up to 100 GPa. Analysis of the Pugh ratio and Poisson's ratio revealed that AlN with cubic rock-salt structure behaves in brittle manner.

  16. Preliminary comparison of three processes of AlN oxidation: dry, wet and mixed ones

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Korbutowicz R.

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Three methods of AlN layers oxidation: dry, wet and mixed (wet with oxygen were compared. Some physical parameters of oxidized thin films of aluminum nitride (AlN layers grown on silicon Si(1 1 1 were investigated by means Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS and Spectroscopic Ellipsometry (SE. Three series of the thermal oxidations processes were carried out at 1012 °C in pure nitrogen as carrying gas and various gas ambients: (a dry oxidation with oxygen, (b wet oxidation with water steam and (c mixed atmosphere with various process times. All the research methods have shown that along with the rising of the oxidation time, AlN layer across the aluminum oxide nitride transforms to aluminum oxide. The mixed oxidation was a faster method than the dry or wet ones.

  17. Influence of substrate bias on the structure and properties of (Ti, Al)N films deposited by filtered cathodic vacuum arc

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cheng, Y.H.; Tay, B.K.; Lau, S.P.; Shi, X.

    2001-01-01

    (Ti, Al)N films were deposited by an off-plane, double-bend, filtered cathodic vacuum arc technique in N 2 atmosphere at room temperature. The (Ti, Al)N films deposited are atomically smooth. The influence of substrate negative bias at the wide range (0-1000 V) on the deposition rate, surface morphology, crystal structure, internal stress, and mechanical properties of (Ti, Al)N films were systematically studied. Increasing substrate bias results in the decrease of deposition rate and the increase of surface roughness monotonically. At the bias of 0 V, (Ti, Al)N films are amorphous, and the internal stress, hardness, and Young's modulus for the deposited films are fairly low. With increasing substrate bias to 200 V, single-phase face-centered cubic-type nanocrystalline (Ti, Al)N films can be obtained, and the internal stress, hardness, and Young's modulus increase to the maximum of 7 GPa, 28 GPa, and 240 GPa, respectively. Further increase of substrate bias results in the decrease of intensity and the broadening of x-ray diffraction lines, and the gradual decrease of internal stress, hardness, and Young's modulus in (Ti, Al)N films

  18. Improved crystalline quality of AlN epitaxial layer on sapphire by introducing TMGa pulse flow into the nucleation stage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Hualong; Wang, Hailong; Chen, Yingda; Zhang, Lingxia; Chen, Zimin; Wu, Zhisheng; Wang, Gang; Jiang, Hao

    2018-05-01

    The crystalline quality of AlN epitaxial layers on sapphire substrates was improved by introducing trimethylgallium (TMGa) pulse flow into the growth of AlN nucleation layers. It was found that the density of both screw- and edge-type threading dislocations could be significantly reduced by introducing the TMGa pulse flow. With increasing TMGa pulse flow times, the lateral correlation length (i.e. the grain size) increases and the strain in the AlN epilayers changes from tensile state to compressive state. Unstrained AlN with the least dislocations and a smooth surface was obtained by introducing 2-times TMGa pulse flow. The crystalline improvement is attributed to enhanced lateral growth and improved crystalline orientation by the TMGa pulse flow.

  19. The optical properties and applications of AlN thin films prepared by a helicon sputtering system

    CERN Document Server

    Chiu, W Y; Kao, H L; Jeng, E S; Chen, J S; Jaing, C C

    2002-01-01

    AlN thin films were grown on SiO sub 2 /Si and quartz substrates using a helicon sputtering system. The dependence of film quality on growth parameters, such as total sputtering pressure, substrate temperature, and nitrogen concentration has been studied. There is a good correlation of thin film crystallinity addressed by x-ray diffraction (XRD) and spectroscopic ellipsometer. The optimized films exhibit highly oriented, with only (002) peak shown in a theta-2 theta scan XRD pattern, and extremely smooth surface with rms roughness of 2 Aa. The extinction coefficient of the film was 4x10 sup - sup 4 , which is lower than that of AlN films grown by conventional sputtering. Double-layer antireflection (DLAR) coating using AlN and Al sub 3 O sub 3 grown on quartz has been demonstrated. The transmittance of DLAR was high as 96% compared to 93% of bare substrates with the measurement error less than 0.2%. AlN films prepared by Helicon sputtering thus are potential for optical application.

  20. Low-temperature growth of high quality AlN films on carbon face 6H-SiC

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Myunghee [Department of General Systems Studies, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902 (Japan); Ohta, Jitsuo; Fujioka, Hiroshi [Institute of Industrial Science (IIS), The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Tokyo 153-8505 (Japan); Kanagawa Academy of Science and Technology (KAST), 3-2-1 Sakado, Kawasaki 213-0012 (Japan); Kobayashi, Atsushi [Institute of Industrial Science (IIS), The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Tokyo 153-8505 (Japan); Oshima, Masaharu [Department of General Systems Studies, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8902 (Japan); Department of Applied Chemistry, The University of Tokyo, 4-3-1 Hongo, Tokyo 113-8656 (Japan); Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (CREST), Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0075 (Japan)

    2008-01-15

    AlN films have been grown on atomically flat carbon face 6H-SiC (000 anti 1) substrates by pulsed laser deposition and their structural properties have been investigated. In-situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction observations have revealed that growth of AlN at 710 C proceeds in a Stranski-Krastanov mode, while typical layer-by-layer growth occurs at room temperature (RT) with atomically flat surfaces. It has been revealed that the crystalline quality of the AlN film is dramatically improved by the reduction in growth temperature down to RT and the full width at half maximum values in the X-ray rocking curves for 0004 and 10 anti 12 diffractions of the RT-grown AlN film are 0.05 and 0.07 , respectively. X-ray reciprocal space mapping has revealed that the introduction of misfit dislocations is suppressed in the case of RT growth, which is probably responsible for the improvement in crystalline quality. (copyright 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

  1. Ti, Al and N adatom adsorption and diffusion on rocksalt cubic AlN (001) and (011) surfaces: Ab initio calculations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mastail, C.; David, M.; Nita, F.; Michel, A.; Abadias, G.

    2017-11-01

    We use ab initio calculations to determine the preferred nucleation sites and migration pathways of Ti, Al and N adatoms on cubic NaCl-structure (B1) AlN surfaces, primary inputs towards a further thin film growth modelling of the TiAlN alloy system. The potential energy landscape is mapped out for both metallic species and nitrogen adatoms for two different AlN surface orientations, (001) and (110), using density functional theory. For all species, the adsorption energies on AlN(011) surface are larger than on AlN(001) surface. Ti and Al adatom adsorption energy landscapes determined at 0 K by ab initio show similar features, with stable binding sites being located in, or near, epitaxial surface positions, with Ti showing a stronger binding compared to Al. In direct contrast, N adatoms (Nad) adsorb preferentially close to N surface atoms (Nsurf), thus forming strong N2-molecule-like bonds on both AlN(001) and (011). Similar to N2 desorption mechanisms reported for other cubic transition metal nitride surfaces, in the present work we investigate Nad/Nsurf desorption on AlN(011) using a drag calculation method. We show that this process leaves a Nsurf vacancy accompanied with a spontaneous surface reconstruction, highlighting faceting formation during growth.

  2. Mechanical and tribological properties of polymer-derived Si/C/N sub-millimetre thick miniaturized components fabricated by direct casting

    OpenAIRE

    Bakumov Vadym; Blugan Gurdial; Roos Sigfried; Graule Thomas J.; Fakhfouri Vahid; Grossenbacher Jonas; Gullo Maurizio Rosario; Kiefer Thomas C.; Brugger Juergen; Parlinska Magdalena; Kuebler Jakob

    2012-01-01

    The utilization of silicon based polymers as a source of amorphous non oxide ceramics obtained upon pyrolytic treatment of them is increasingly gaining attention in research and is currently expanding into the field of commercial products. This work is focused on the near net shaped fabrication mechanical and tribological properties of a polymer derived Si/C/N system. Small sub millimetre thick ceramic test discs and bars were fabricated by casting of polysilazane and/or polycarbosilane precu...

  3. Influence of Surface Passivation on AlN Barrier Stress and Scattering Mechanism in Ultra-thin AlN/GaN Heterostructure Field-Effect Transistors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lv, Y J; Song, X B; Wang, Y G; Fang, Y L; Feng, Z H

    2016-12-01

    Ultra-thin AlN/GaN heterostructure field-effect transistors (HFETs) with, and without, SiN passivation were fabricated by the same growth and device processes. Based on the measured DC characteristics, including the capacitance-voltage (C-V) and output current-voltage (I-V) curves, the variation of electron mobility with gate bias was found to be quite different for devices with, and without, SiN passivation. Although the AlN barrier layer is ultra thin (c. 3 nm), it was proved that SiN passivation induces no additional tensile stress and has no significant influence on the piezoelectric polarization of the AlN layer using Hall and Raman measurements. The SiN passivation was found to affect the surface properties, thereby increasing the electron density of the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) under the access region. The higher electron density in the access region after SiN passivation enhanced the electrostatic screening for the non-uniform distributed polarization charges, meaning that the polarization Coulomb field scattering has a weaker effect on the electron drift mobility in AlN/GaN-based devices.

  4. AlN and Al oxy-nitride gate dielectrics for reliable gate stacks on Ge and InGaAs channels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Guo, Y.; Li, H.; Robertson, J. [Engineering Department, Cambridge University, Cambridge CB2 1PZ (United Kingdom)

    2016-05-28

    AlN and Al oxy-nitride dielectric layers are proposed instead of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} as a component of the gate dielectric stacks on higher mobility channels in metal oxide field effect transistors to improve their positive bias stress instability reliability. It is calculated that the gap states of nitrogen vacancies in AlN lie further away in energy from the semiconductor band gap than those of oxygen vacancies in Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}, and thus AlN might be less susceptible to charge trapping and have a better reliability performance. The unfavourable defect energy level distribution in amorphous Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} is attributed to its larger coordination disorder compared to the more symmetrically bonded AlN. Al oxy-nitride is also predicted to have less tendency for charge trapping.

  5. Fabrication and mechanical test data for the four 6-inch-thick intermediate test vessels made from steel plate for the Heavy Section Steel Program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Childress, C.E.

    1976-01-01

    The HSST Program has among its goals the objective of demonstrating the capability to predict safe behavior of thick-walled pressure vessels containing flaws of known dimensions under frangible, transitional, and tough loading regimes. To accomplish these objectives the program is conducting a series of tests involving 6-in.-thick pressure vessels which will serve as test specimens for assisting in the characterization of failure under these loading conditions. Among the vessels a number of parameters, such as weld type, weld location, flaw size and shape, and test temperature and pressure, will be selectively varied to show that a rationale exists for dealing with the varied stress and metallurgical states which normally exist in commercial nuclear reactor vessels. Each vessel will serve as a go, no-go determination of critical flaw size for a specific set of test parameters. Item 4 of the previous issues in this series covers the fabrication details of the first six 6-in.-thick test vessels, which were fabricated from ASTM A-508 Cl 2 forging materials. This report covers the fabrication details of four additional 6-in.-thick intermediate test vessels having shell courses fabricated from ASTM A-533 Gr B Cl 1 plate. The remaining components were made from forgings. Essentially this report is a continuation of ORNL-TM-4351; it describes the manufacturing details of the individual parts and their ultimate assembly into finished vessels. Details concerning chemical composition and mechanical and nondestructive test data are presented

  6. Formation of conductive spontaneous via holes in AlN buffer layer on n+Si substrate by filling the vias with n-AlGaN by metal organic chemical vapor deposition and application to vertical deep ultraviolet photo-sensor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. Kurose

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available We have grown conductive aluminum nitride (AlN layers using the spontaneous via holes formation technique on an n+-Si substrate for vertical-type device fabrication. The size and density of the via holes are controlled through the crystal growth conditions used for the layer, and this enables the conductance of the layer to be controlled. Using this technique, we demonstrate the fabrication of a vertical-type deep ultraviolet (DUV photo-sensor. This technique opens up the possibility of fabrication of monolithically integrated on-chip DUV sensors and DUV light-emitting devices (LEDs, including amplifiers, controllers and other necessary functional circuits, on a Si substrate.

  7. NbCN Josephson junctions with AlN barriers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thomasson, S.L.; Murduck, J.M.; Chan, H.

    1991-01-01

    This paper reports on niobium carbonitride (NbCN) Josephson circuits which operate over a wider temperature range than either niobium or niobium nitride circuits. Higher operating temperature places NbCN technology more comfortably within the range of closed cycle refrigerators, a key factor in aerospace applications. We have fabricated tunnel junctions from NbCN films with transition temperatures up to 18 Kelvin. High quality NbCN tunnel junction fabrication generally requires low stress films with roughness less than the barrier thickness (∼20 Angstrom). We have developed scanning tunneling microscopy as a tool for measuring and optimizing film smoothness. Junctions formed in situ with AIN tunneling barriers show reproducible I-V characteristics

  8. Enhanced Piezoelectric Response of AlN via CrN Alloying

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Manna, Sukriti; Talley, Kevin R.; Gorai, Prashun; Mangum, John; Zakutayev, Andriy; Brennecka, Geoff L.; Stevanović, Vladan; Ciobanu, Cristian V.

    2018-03-01

    Since AlN has emerged as an important piezoelectric material for a wide variety of applications, efforts have been made to increase its piezoelectric response via alloying with transition metals that can substitute for Al in the wurtzite lattice. We report on density functional theory calculations of structure and properties of the CrxAl1-xN system for Cr concentrations ranging from zero to beyond the wurtzite-rocksalt transition point. By studying the different contributions to the longitudinal piezoelectric coefficient, we propose that the physical origin of the enhanced piezoelectricity in CrxAl1-xN alloys is the increase of the internal parameter u of the wurtzite structure upon substitution of Al with the larger Cr ions. Among a set of wurtzite-structured materials, we find that CrxAl1-xN has the most sensitive piezoelectric coefficient with respect to alloying concentration. Based on these results, we propose that CrxAl1-xN is a viable piezoelectric material whose properties can be tuned via Cr composition. We support this proposal by combinatorial synthesis experiments, which show that Cr can be incorporated in the AlN lattice up to 30% before a detectable transition to rocksalt occurs. At this Cr content, the piezoelectric modulus d33 is approximately 4 times larger than that of pure AlN. This finding, combined with the relative ease of synthesis under nonequilibrium conditions, may position CrxAl1-xN as a prime piezoelectric material for applications such as resonators and acoustic wave generators.

  9. Enhanced Piezoelectric Response of AlN via CrN Alloying

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manna, Sukriti; Talley, Kevin R.; Gorai, Prashun; Mangum, John; Zakutayev, Andriy; Brennecka, Geoff L.; Stevanović, Vladan; Ciobanu, Cristian V.

    2018-03-01

    Since AlN has emerged as an important piezoelectric material for a wide variety of applications, efforts have been made to increase its piezoelectric response via alloying with transition metals that can substitute for Al in the wurtzite lattice. We report on density functional theory calculations of structure and properties of the Crx Al1 -x N system for Cr concentrations ranging from zero to beyond the wurtzite-rocksalt transition point. By studying the different contributions to the longitudinal piezoelectric coefficient, we propose that the physical origin of the enhanced piezoelectricity in Crx Al1 -x N alloys is the increase of the internal parameter u of the wurtzite structure upon substitution of Al with the larger Cr ions. Among a set of wurtzite-structured materials, we find that Crx Al1 -x N has the most sensitive piezoelectric coefficient with respect to alloying concentration. Based on these results, we propose that Crx Al1 -x N is a viable piezoelectric material whose properties can be tuned via Cr composition. We support this proposal by combinatorial synthesis experiments, which show that Cr can be incorporated in the AlN lattice up to 30% before a detectable transition to rocksalt occurs. At this Cr content, the piezoelectric modulus d33 is approximately 4 times larger than that of pure AlN. This finding, combined with the relative ease of synthesis under nonequilibrium conditions, may position Crx Al1 -x N as a prime piezoelectric material for applications such as resonators and acoustic wave generators.

  10. Indentation-Induced Mechanical Deformation Behaviors of AlN Thin Films Deposited on c-Plane Sapphire

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jian, Sh.R.; Juang, J.Y.

    2012-01-01

    The mechanical properties and deformation behaviors of AlN thin films deposited on c-plane sapphire substrates by helicon sputtering method were determined using the Berkovich nano indentation and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (XTEM). The load-displacement curves show the 'pop-ins' phenomena during nano indentation loading, indicative of the formation of slip bands caused by the propagation of dislocations. No evidence of nano indentation-induced phase transformation or cracking patterns was observed up to the maximum load of 80 mN, from either XTEM or atomic force microscopy (AFM) of the mechanically deformed regions. Instead, XTEM revealed that the primary deformation mechanism in AlN thin films is via propagation of dislocations on both basal and pyramidal planes. Furthermore, the hardness and Young's modulus of AlN thin films estimated using the continuous contact stiffness measurements (CSMs) mode provided with the nanoindenter are 16.2 GPa and 243.5 GPa, respectively.

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

    2013-01-01

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

  12. GaN growth on silane exposed AlN seed layers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ruiz-Zepeda, F. [Posgrado en Fisica de Materiales, Centro de Investigacion Cientifica y de Educacion Superior de Ensenada, Km. 107 Carret, Tijuana-Ensenada, C.P. 22860, Ensenada, B.C. (Mexico); Contreras, O. [Centro de Ciencias de la Materia Condesada, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Apdo. Postal 356, C.P. 22800, Ensenada, B.C. (Mexico); Dadgar, A.; Krost, A. [Otto-von-Guericke-Universitaet Magdeburg, FNW-IEP, Universitaetsplatz 2, 39106 Magdeburg (Germany)

    2008-07-01

    The microstructure and surface morphology of GaN films grown on AlN seed layers exposed to silane flow has been studied by TEM and AFM. The epilayers were grown on silicon(111) substrates by MOCVD. The AlN seed layer surface was treated at different SiH{sub 4} exposure times prior to the growth of the GaN film. A reduction in the density of threading dislocations is observed in the GaN films and their surface roughness is minimized for an optimal SiH{sub 4} exposure time between 75-90 sec. At this optimal condition a step-flow growth mode of GaN film is predominant. The improvement of the surface and structure quality of the epilayers is observed to be related to an annihilation process of threading dislocations done by SiN{sub x} masking. (copyright 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

  13. Structural characterization of AlN films synthesized by pulsed laser deposition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Szekeres, A.; Fogarassy, Zs.; Petrik, P.; Vlaikova, E.; Cziraki, A.; Socol, G.; Ristoscu, C.; Grigorescu, S.; Mihailescu, I.N.

    2011-01-01

    We obtained AlN thin films by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) from a polycrystalline AlN target using a pulsed KrF* excimer laser source (248 nm, 25 ns, intensity of ∼4 x 10 8 W/cm 2 , repetition rate 3 Hz, 10 J/cm 2 laser fluence). The target-Si substrate distance was 5 cm. Films were grown either in vacuum (10 -4 Pa residual pressure) or in nitrogen at a dynamic pressure of 0.1 and 10 Pa, using a total of 20,000 subsequent pulses. The films structure was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and spectral ellipsometry (SE). Our TEM and XRD studies showed a strong dependence of the film structure on the nitrogen content in the ambient gas. The films deposited in vacuum exhibited a high quality polycrystalline structure with a hexagonal phase. The crystallite growth proceeds along the c-axis, perpendicular to the substrate surface, resulting in a columnar and strongly textured structure. The films grown at low nitrogen pressure (0.1 Pa) were amorphous as seen by TEM and XRD, but SE data analysis revealed ∼1.7 vol.% crystallites embedded in the amorphous AlN matrix. Increasing the nitrogen pressure to 10 Pa promotes the formation of cubic (≤10 nm) crystallites as seen by TEM but their density was still low to be detected by XRD. SE data analysis confirmed the results obtained from the TEM and XRD observations.

  14. MgB2 thick films on three-dimensional structures fabricated by HPCVD

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Zhengshan; Cai, Xingwei; Liao, Xuebin; Chen, Yiling; Yang, Can; Niu, Ruirui; Luo, Wenhao; Huang, Zigeng; Feng, Qingrong; Gan, Zizhao

    2018-06-01

    Magnetic shielding has been a key factor in the measurement of ultra-weak magnetic fields, especially for shielding from low frequency electromagnetic noise. With the recent development of superconducting quantum interference devices, superconducting magnetic shielding has become an important area of research. MgB2 has shown great potential in magnetic shielding for its remarkable superconducting properties, the feasibility of its use in this capacity having been demonstrated by MgB2 bulk samples. However, the potential for application of such bulk samples is limited. In this work, we have investigated the possibility of the fabrication of MgB2 films on three-dimensional (3D) structures using a hybrid physical‑chemical vapor deposition system. MgB2 films 10 μm thick have been fabricated on the outer surface of a polycrystalline Al2O3 cylinder. The deposited film showed a transition temperature (TC) of 39 K and J C of 5.1 × 105 A · cm‑2, which are comparable to those of planar MgB2 films. This work shows the feasibility of depositing MgB2 films onto a 3D structure, and sheds light on the potential use of MgB2 films in superconducting magnetic shielding.

  15. GaN-on-silicon high-electron-mobility transistor technology with ultra-low leakage up to 3000 V using local substrate removal and AlN ultra-wide bandgap

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dogmus, Ezgi; Zegaoui, Malek; Medjdoub, Farid

    2018-03-01

    We report on extremely low off-state leakage current in AlGaN/GaN-on-silicon metal–insulator–semiconductor high-electron-mobility transistors (MISHEMTs) up to a high blocking voltage. Remarkably low off-state gate and drain leakage currents below 1 µA/mm up to 3 kV have been achieved owing to the use of a thick in situ SiN gate dielectric under the gate, and a local Si substrate removal technique combined with a cost effective 15-µm-thick AlN dielectric layer followed by a Cu deposition. This result establishes a manufacturable state-of-the-art high-voltage GaN-on-silicon power transistors while maintaining a low specific on-resistance of approximately 10 mΩ·cm2.

  16. Characterization of N-polar AlN in GaN/AlN/(Al,Ga)N heterostructures grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Haoran; Mazumder, Baishakhi; Bonef, Bastien; Keller, Stacia; Wienecke, Steven; Speck, James S.; Denbaars, Steven P.; Mishra, Umesh K.

    2017-11-01

    In GaN/(Al,Ga)N high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMT), AlN interlayer between GaN channel and AlGaN barrier suppresses alloy scattering and significantly improves the electron mobility of the two-dimensional electron gas. While high concentrations of gallium were previously observed in Al-polar AlN interlayers grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition, the N-polar AlN (Al x Ga1-x N) films examined by atom probe tomography in this study exhibited aluminum compositions (x) equal to or higher than 95% over a wide range of growth conditions. The also investigated AlN interlayer in a N-polar GaN/AlN/AlGaN/ S.I. GaN HEMT structure possessed a similarly high x content.

  17. Growth of GaN on SiC/Si substrates using AlN buffer layer by hot-mesh CVD

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tamura, Kazuyuki; Kuroki, Yuichiro; Yasui, Kanji; Suemitsu, Maki; Ito, Takashi; Endou, Tetsuro; Nakazawa, Hideki; Narita, Yuzuru; Takata, Masasuke; Akahane, Tadashi

    2008-01-01

    GaN films were grown on SiC/Si (111) substrates by hot-mesh chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using ammonia (NH 3 ) and trimetylgallium (TMG) under low V/III source gas ratio (NH 3 /TMG = 80). The SiC layer was grown by a carbonization process on the Si substrates using propane (C 3 H 8 ). The AlN layer was deposited as a buffer layer using NH 3 and trimetylaluminum (TMA). GaN films were formed and grown by the reaction between NH x radicals, generated on a tungsten hot mesh, and the TMG molecules. The GaN films with the AlN buffer layer showed better crystallinity and stronger near-band-edge emission compared to those without the AlN layer

  18. Early and Late Retrieval of the ALN Removable Vena Cava Filter: Results from a Multicenter Study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pellerin, O.; Barral, F. G.; Lions, C.; Novelli, L.; Beregi, J. P.; Sapoval, M.

    2008-01-01

    Retrieval of removable inferior vena cava (IVC) filters in selected patients is widely practiced. The purpose of this multicenter study was to evaluate the feasibility and results of percutaneous removal of the ALN removable filter in a large patient cohort. Between November 2003 and June 2006, 123 consecutive patients were referred for percutaneous extraction of the ALN filter at three centers. The ALN filter is a removable filter that can be implanted through a femoral/jugular vein approach and extracted by the jugular vein approach. Filter removal was attempted after an implantation period of 93 ± 15 days (range, 6-722 days) through the right internal jugular vein approach using the dedicated extraction kit after control inferior vena cavography. Following filter removal, vena cavograms were obtained in all patients. Successful extraction was achieved in all but one case. Among these successful retrievals, additional manipulation using a femoral approach was needed when the apex of the filter was close to the IVC wall in two patients. No immediate IVC complications were observed according to the postimplantation cavography. Neither technical nor clinical differences between early and late filter retrieval were noticed. Our data confirm the safety of ALN filter retrieval up to 722 days after implantation. In infrequent cases, additional endovenous filter manipulation is needed to facilitate extraction.

  19. Correlations between optical properties, microstructure, and processing conditions of Aluminum nitride thin films fabricated by pulsed laser deposition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baek, Jonghoon; Ma, James; Becker, Michael F.; Keto, John W.; Kovar, Desiderio

    2007-01-01

    Aluminum nitride (AlN) films were deposited using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) onto sapphire (0001) substrates with varying processing conditions (temperature, pressure, and laser fluence). We have studied the dependence of optical properties, structural properties and their correlations for these AlN films. The optical transmission spectra of the produced films were measured, and a numerical procedure was applied to accurately determine the optical constants for films of non-uniform thickness. The microstructure and texture of the films were studied using various X-ray diffraction techniques. The real part of the refractive index was found to not vary significantly with processing parameters, but absorption was found to be strongly dependent on the deposition temperature and the nitrogen pressure in the deposition chamber. We report that low optical absorption, textured polycrystalline AlN films can be produced by PLD on sapphire substrates at both low and high laser fluence using a background nitrogen pressure of 6.0 x 10 -2 Pa (4.5 x 10 -4 Torr) of 99.9% purity

  20. Emerging methanol-tolerant AlN nanowire oxygen reduction electrocatalyst for alkaline direct methanol fuel cell.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lei, M; Wang, J; Li, J R; Wang, Y G; Tang, H L; Wang, W J

    2014-08-11

    Replacing precious and nondurable Pt catalysts with cheap materials is a key issue for commercialization of fuel cells. In the case of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts for direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC), the methanol tolerance is also an important concern. Here, we develop AlN nanowires with diameters of about 100-150 nm and the length up to 1 mm through crystal growth method. We find it is electrochemically stable in methanol-contained alkaline electrolyte. This novel material exhibits pronounced electrocatalytic activity with exchange current density of about 6.52 × 10(-8) A/cm(2). The single cell assembled with AlN nanowire cathodic electrode achieves a power density of 18.9 mW cm(-2). After being maintained at 100 mA cm(-2) for 48 h, the AlN nanowire-based single cell keeps 92.1% of the initial performance, which is in comparison with 54.5% for that assembled with Pt/C cathode. This discovery reveals a new type of metal nitride ORR catalyst that can be cheaply produced from crystal growth method.

  1. Design and Fabrication of Low Cost Thick Film pH Sensor using Silver Chlorinated Reference Electrodes with Integrated Temperature Sensor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wiranto Goib

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper describes the design and fabrication of thick film pH sensor, in which the reference electrode has been formed by chlorination of Ag using FeCl3. The process was aimed to replace Ag/AgCl paste commonly used as reference electrodes. Fabricated using thick film screen printing technology on Al2O3 substrate, the pH sensor showed a measured sensitivity of -52.97, -53.17 and -53.68 mV/pH at 25°C, 45°C, and 65°C, respectively. The measured values were close to the theoretical Nernstian slope of -59 mV/pH 25°C.The sensor was also designed with an integrated Ruthenium based temperature sensor for future temperature compensation. The measured resistance temperature characteristics showed a linear reasponse over the range of 25 – 80°C. This miniaturised planar sensor should find wide application, especially in field water quality monitoring, replacing their glass type counterparts.

  2. Co-electrospinning fabrication and photocatalytic performance of TiO2/SiO2 core/sheath nanofibers with tunable sheath thickness

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cao, Houbao; Du, Pingfan; Song, Lixin; Xiong, Jie; Yang, Junjie; Xing, Tonghai; Liu, Xin; Wu, Rongrong; Wang, Minchao; Shao, Xiaoli

    2013-01-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • The core–sheath TiO 2 /SiO 2 nanofibers were fabricated by co-electrospinning technique. • The catalytic property of nanofibers with different sheath thickness was studied. • The potential methods of improving catalytic efficiency are suggested. - Abstract: In this paper, core/sheath TiO 2 /SiO 2 nanofibers with tunable sheath thickness were directly fabricated via a facile co-electrospinning technique with subsequent calcination at 500 °C. The morphologies and structures of core/sheath TiO 2 /SiO 2 nanofibers were characterized by TGA, FESEM, TEM, FTIR, XPS and BET. It was found that the 1D core/sheath nanofibers are made up of anatase–rutile TiO 2 core and amorphous SiO 2 sheath. The influences of SiO 2 sheath and its thickness on the photoreactivity were evaluated by observing photo-degradation of methylene blue aqueous solution under the irradiation of UV light. Compared with pure TiO 2 nanofibers, the core/sheath TiO 2 /SiO 2 nanofibers performed a better catalytic performance. That was attributed to not only efficient separation of hole–electron pairs resulting from the formation of heterojunction but also larger surface area and surface silanol group which will be useful to provide higher capacity for oxygen adsorption to generate more hydroxyl radicals. And the optimized core/sheath TiO 2 /SiO 2 nanofibers with a sheath thickness of 37 nm exhibited the best photocatalytic performance

  3. Molecular-beam epitaxial growth of insulating AlN on surface-controlled 6H-SiC substrate by HCl gas etching

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Onojima, Norio; Suda, Jun; Matsunami, Hiroyuki

    2002-01-01

    Insulating AlN layers were grown on surface-controlled 6H-SiC subtrates by molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE) using elemental Al and rf plasma-excited nitrogen (N*). HCl gas etching was introduced as an effective pretreatment method of substrate for MBE growth of AlN. 6H-SiC substrates pretreated by HCl gas etching had no surface polishing scratches and an atomically flat surface. In addition, evident ( 3 √x 3 √)R30 deg. surface reconstruction was observed even before thermal cleaning. AlN layers grown on this substrate had no defects related to surface polishing scratches and excellent insulating characteristics

  4. Growth of GaN on SiC/Si substrates using AlN buffer layer by hot-mesh CVD

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tamura, Kazuyuki [Nagaoka University of Technology, Nagaoka 940-2188 (Japan)], E-mail: kazuyuki@stn.nagaokaut.ac.jp; Kuroki, Yuichiro; Yasui, Kanji [Nagaoka University of Technology, Nagaoka 940-2188 (Japan); Suemitsu, Maki; Ito, Takashi [Center of Interdisciplinary Research, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8578 (Japan); Endou, Tetsuro [Research Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577 (Japan); Nakazawa, Hideki [Faculty of Science and Technology, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki 036-8561 (Japan); Narita, Yuzuru [Center of Interdisciplinary Research, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8578 (Japan); Takata, Masasuke; Akahane, Tadashi [Nagaoka University of Technology, Nagaoka 940-2188 (Japan)

    2008-01-15

    GaN films were grown on SiC/Si (111) substrates by hot-mesh chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using ammonia (NH{sub 3}) and trimetylgallium (TMG) under low V/III source gas ratio (NH{sub 3}/TMG = 80). The SiC layer was grown by a carbonization process on the Si substrates using propane (C{sub 3}H{sub 8}). The AlN layer was deposited as a buffer layer using NH{sub 3} and trimetylaluminum (TMA). GaN films were formed and grown by the reaction between NH{sub x} radicals, generated on a tungsten hot mesh, and the TMG molecules. The GaN films with the AlN buffer layer showed better crystallinity and stronger near-band-edge emission compared to those without the AlN layer.

  5. Optical, Structural and Paramagnetic Properties of Eu-Doped Ternary Sulfides ALnS2 (A = Na, K, Rb; Ln = La, Gd, Lu, Y

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vítězslav Jarý

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Eu-doped ternary sulfides of general formula ALnS2 (A = Na, K, Rb; Ln = La, Gd, Lu, Y are presented as a novel interesting material family which may find usage as X-ray phosphors or solid state white light emitting diode (LED lighting. Samples were synthesized in the form of transparent crystalline hexagonal platelets by chemical reaction under the flow of hydrogen sulfide. Their physical properties were investigated by means of X-ray diffraction, time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance, and X-ray excited fluorescence. Corresponding characteristics, including absorption, radioluminescence, photoluminescence excitation and emission spectra, and decay kinetics curves, were measured and evaluated in a broad temperature range (8–800 K. Calculations including quantum local crystal field potential and spin-Hamiltonian for a paramagnetic particle in D3d local symmetry and phenomenological model dealing with excited state dynamics were performed to explain the experimentally observed features. Based on the results, an energy diagram of lanthanide energy levels in KLuS2 is proposed. Color model xy-coordinates are used to compare effects of dopants on the resulting spectrum. The application potential of the mentioned compounds in the field of white LED solid state lighting or X-ray phosphors is thoroughly discussed.

  6. Impacts of Thermal Atomic Layer-Deposited AlN Passivation Layer on GaN-on-Si High Electron Mobility Transistors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Sheng-Xun; Liu, Xiao-Yong; Zhang, Lin-Qing; Huang, Hong-Fan; Shi, Jin-Shan; Wang, Peng-Fei

    2016-12-01

    Thermal atomic layer deposition (ALD)-grown AlN passivation layer is applied on AlGaN/GaN-on-Si HEMT, and the impacts on drive current and leakage current are investigated. The thermal ALD-grown 30-nm amorphous AlN results in a suppressed off-state leakage; however, its drive current is unchanged. It was also observed by nano-beam diffraction method that thermal ALD-amorphous AlN layer barely enhanced the polarization. On the other hand, the plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD)-deposited SiN layer enhanced the polarization and resulted in an improved drive current. The capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurement also indicates that thermal ALD passivation results in a better interface quality compared with the SiN passivation.

  7. The effect of donor layer thickness on the power conversion efficiency of organic photovoltaic devices fabricated with a double small-molecular layer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Su-Hwan; Kim, Dal-Ho; Shim, Tae-Hun; Park, Jea-Gun

    2009-01-01

    In organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices fabricated with a double small-molecular layer, the power conversion efficiency strongly depends on the thickness of the organic donor layer (here, copper phthalocyanine). In other words, the power conversion efficiency increases with the donor layer thickness up to a specific thickness (∼12.7 nm) and then decreases beyond that thickness. This trend is associated with the light absorption and carrier transport resistance of the small-molecular donor layer, both of which strongly depend on the layer thickness. Experimental and calculated results showed that the short-circuit current due to light absorption increased with the donor layer thickness, while that due to current through the donor layer decreased with 1/R. Since the total short-circuit current is the product of the light absorption current and current through the donor layer, there is a trade-off, and the maximum power conversion efficiency occurs at a specific organic donor layer thickness (e.g. ∼12.7 nm in this experiment).

  8. Fabrication of yttrium-doped barium zirconate thin films with sub-micrometer thickness by a sol–gel spin coating method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xie, Hanlin; Su, Pei-Chen, E-mail: peichensu@ntu.edu.sg

    2015-06-01

    A modified sol–gel process was developed for the fabrication of sub-micrometer scale yttrium-doped barium zirconate (BZY) thin film at much lower processing temperatures. The film was fabricated by direct spin-coating of the sol on a Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} passivated Si substrate, followed by low temperature thermal annealing at 1000 °C, and single BZY phase without barium carbonate residue was obtained. A 200 nm-thick thin film without obvious through-film cracks was fabricated with optimized process parameters of sol concentration and heating rate. The stoichiometry of the BZY thin film was well-controlled and no Ba evaporation was observed due to the low processing temperature. The combination of sol–gel and spin coating method can be a promising alternative to vacuum-based thin film deposition techniques for the fabrication of sub-micrometer scale BZY thin film. - Highlights: • A sol–gel spin coating method was developed for the fabrication of BZY thin films. • The processing temperature was much lower compared to powder-based sintering. • Sub-micrometer scale BZY thin film with well-controlled stoichiometry was obtained.

  9. High energy ion irradiated III-N semiconductors (AlN, GaN, InN): study of point defect and extended defect creation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sall, Mamour

    2013-01-01

    Nitride semiconductors III N (AlN, GaN, InN) have interesting properties for micro-and opto-electronic applications. In use, they may be subjected to different types of radiation in a wide range of energy. In AlN, initially considered insensitive to electronic excitations (Se), we have demonstrated a novel type of synergy between Se and nuclear collisions (Sn) for the creation of defects absorbing at 4.7 eV. In addition, another effect of Se is highlighted in AlN: climb of screw dislocations under the influence of Se, at high fluence. In GaN, two mechanisms can explain the creation of defects absorbing at 2.8 eV: a synergy between Se and Sn, or a creation only due to Sn but with a strong effect of the size of displacement cascades. The study, by TEM, of the effects of Se in the three materials, exhibits behaviors highly dependent on the material while they all belong to the same family with the same atomic structure. Under monoatomic ion irradiations (velocity between 0.4 and 5 MeV/u), while discontinuous tracks are observed in GaN and InN, no track is observed in AlN with the highest electronic stopping power (33 keV/nm). Only fullerene clusters produce tracks in AlN. The inelastic thermal spike model was used to calculate the energies required to produce track in AlN, GaN and InN, they are 4.2 eV/atom, 1.5 eV/atom and 0.8 eV/atom, respectively. This sensitivity difference according to Se, also occurs at high fluence. (author)

  10. A biomimic thermal fabric with high moisture permeability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fan Jie

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Moisture comfort is an essential factor for functional property of thermal cloth, especially for thick thermal cloth, since thick cloth may hinder effective moisture permeation, and high moisture concentration in the micro-climate between skin and fabric would cause cold feeling. Here, we report a biomimic thermal fabric with excellent warm retention and moisture management properties. In this fabric, the warp yarn system constructs many tree-shaped channel nets in the thickness direction of the fabric. Experimental result indicates that the special hierarchic configuration of warp yarns endows the biomimic thermal fabric with a better warm retention and water vapor management properties compared with the traditional fabrics.

  11. An Experimental Study on Heat Conduction and Thermal Contact Resistance for the AlN Flake

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Huann-Ming Chou

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The electrical technology has been a fast development over the past decades. Moreover, the tendency of microelements and dense division multiplex is significantly for the electrical industries. Therefore, the high thermal conductible and electrical insulating device will be popular and important. It is well known that AlN still maintains stablility in the high temperature. This is quite attractive for the research and development department. Moreover, the thermal conduct coefficient of AlN is several times larger than the others. Therefore, it has been thought to play an important role for the radiator of heat source in the future. Therefore, this paper is focused on the studies of heat conduction and thermal contact resistance between the AlN flake and the copper specimens. The heating temperatures and the contact pressures were selected as the experimental parameters. According to the experimental results, the materials are soft and the real contact areas between the interfaces significantly increase under higher temperatures. As a result, the thermal contact resistance significantly decreases and the heat transfer rate increases with increasing the heating temperature or the contact pressures.

  12. Structural stabilities and electronic properties of Mg28-nAln clusters: A first-principles study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bao-Juan Lu

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we have constructed the alloy configurations of Mg28-nAln by replacing atoms at various possible positions, starting from the stable structures of Mg28 and Al28 clusters. According to the symmetry of the cluster structure, the isomers of these initial structures have been screened with the congruence check, which would reduce computational hours and improve efficiency. Using the first-principles method, the structural evolution, mixing behavior and electronic properties of Mg28-nAln clusters are investigated for all compositions. We conclude that Al atoms prefer to reside in the central positions of Mg−Al clusters and Mg atoms tend to occupy the peripheral location. The negative mixing enthalpies imply the stabilities of these Mg-Al clusters and thus possible applications in catalysis and hydrogen storage materials. Among Mg28-nAln clusters, Mg24Al4, Mg21Al7, Mg14Al14, Mg26Al2 and Mg27Al1 present relatively high thermodynamic stabilities, and the electronic properties of these stable structures are discussed with the charge distributions around the Fermi level.

  13. Growth dynamics of reactive-sputtering-deposited AlN films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Auger, M.A.; Vazquez, L.; Sanchez, O.; Jergel, M.; Cuerno, R.; Castro, M.

    2005-01-01

    We have studied the surface kinetic roughening of AlN films grown on Si(100) substrates by dc reactive sputtering within the framework of the dynamic scaling theory. Films deposited under the same experimental conditions for different growth times were analyzed by atomic force microscopy and x-ray diffraction. The AlN films display a (002) preferred orientation. We have found two growth regimes with a crossover time of 36 min. In the first regime, the growth dynamics is unstable and the films present two types of textured domains, well textured and randomly oriented, respectively. In contrast, in the second regime the films are homogeneous and well textured, leading to a relative stabilization of the surface roughness characterized by a growth exponent β=0.37±0.03. In this regime a superrough scaling behavior is found with the following exponents: (i) Global exponents: roughness exponent α=1.2±0.2 and β=0.37±0.03 and coarsening exponent 1/z=0.32±0.05; (ii) local exponents: α loc =1, β loc =0.32±0.01. The differences between the growth modes are found to be related to the different main growth mechanisms dominating their growth dynamics: sticking anisotropy and shadowing, respectively

  14. Luminescence dynamics in AlGaN with AlN content of 20%

    KAUST Repository

    Soltani, Sonia; Bouzidi, Mouhamed; Touré , Alhousseynou; Gerhard, Marina; Halidou, Ibrahim; Chine, Zied; El Jani, Belgacem; Shakfa, Mohammad Khaled

    2016-01-01

    Optical properties and carrier dynamics of an AlGaN layer with an AlN content of 20% have been studied using time-resolved photoluminescence (TR-PL). Despite the high density of defects due to the relatively high AlN content, an intense PL emission from the sample has been detected. Low-temperature PL spectra exhibit several features, accompanied by a strong emission-wavelength dependence of the PL decay time. A significant red-shift of more than 200 meV from the band edge is recorded for the PL emission from localized states. Temperature-dependent PL spectra of the sample are dominated by the emission from localized states and, furthermore, show a relatively slight decrease by almost an order of magnitude with increasing temperature from 45 to 300 K. Our observations indicate strong, spatial localization effects of carriers, resulting in an increase in the radiative recombination rate.

  15. Luminescence dynamics in AlGaN with AlN content of 20%

    KAUST Repository

    Soltani, Sonia

    2016-12-15

    Optical properties and carrier dynamics of an AlGaN layer with an AlN content of 20% have been studied using time-resolved photoluminescence (TR-PL). Despite the high density of defects due to the relatively high AlN content, an intense PL emission from the sample has been detected. Low-temperature PL spectra exhibit several features, accompanied by a strong emission-wavelength dependence of the PL decay time. A significant red-shift of more than 200 meV from the band edge is recorded for the PL emission from localized states. Temperature-dependent PL spectra of the sample are dominated by the emission from localized states and, furthermore, show a relatively slight decrease by almost an order of magnitude with increasing temperature from 45 to 300 K. Our observations indicate strong, spatial localization effects of carriers, resulting in an increase in the radiative recombination rate.

  16. Thickness-Dependent Bioelectrochemical and Energy Applications of Thickness-Controlled Meso-Macroporous Antimony-Doped Tin Oxide

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel Mieritz

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Coatings of hierarchically meso-macroporous antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO enable interfacing adsorbed species, such as biomacromolecules, with an electronic circuit. The coating thickness is a limiting factor for the surface coverage of adsorbates, that are electrochemically addressable. To overcome this challenge, a carbon black-based templating method was developed by studying the composition of the template system, and finding the right conditions for self-standing templates, preventing the reaction mixture from flowing out of the mask. The thicknesses of as-fabricated coatings were measured using stylus profilometry to establish a relationship between the mask thickness and the coating thickness. Cyclic voltammetry was performed on coatings with adsorbed cytochrome c to check whether the entire coating thickness was electrochemically addressable. Further, bacterial photosynthetic reaction centers were incorporated into the coatings, and photocurrent with respect to coating thickness was studied. The template mixture required enough of both carbon black and polymer, roughly 7% carbon black and 6% poly(ethylene glycol. Coatings were fabricated with thicknesses approaching 30 µm, and thickness was shown to be controllable up to at least 15 µm. Under the experimental conditions, photocurrent was found to increase linearly with the coating thickness, up to around 12 µm, above which were diminished gains.

  17. Extended analysis of the frequency dependence of the admittance of MIS structures with pulsed-laser-deposited AlN films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Simeonov, S; Bakalova, S; Szekeres, A; Kafedjiijska, E [Georgi Nadjakov Institute of Solid State Physics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 72 Tzarigradsko Chaussee, 1784 Sofia (Bulgaria); Grigorescu, S; Socol, G; Mihailescu, I N [Lasers Department, National Institute for Lasers, Plasma and Radiation Physics, PO Box MG-54, RO-77125, Bucharest-Magurele (Romania)], E-mail: sbakalova@issp.bas.bg

    2008-05-01

    MIS structures with AlN films deposited on p-Si by pulsed laser deposition were prepared and admittance measurements were carried out in the frequency range of 100 Hz - 10 MHz. The density of traps in the AlN film and at the AlN/Si interface was evaluated using the electrical characteristics obtained, and the hopping mechanism of charge transport was determined from the dispersion of the a.c. conductance.

  18. Structural characteristics of single crystalline GaN films grown on (111) diamond with AlN buffer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pécz, Béla; Tóth, Lajos; Barna, Árpád

    2013-01-01

    Hexagonal GaN films with the [0001] direction parallel to the surface normal were grown on (111) oriented single crystalline diamond substrates by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. Pre-treatments of the diamond surface with the nitrogen plasma beam, prior the nucleation of a thin AlN layer......, eliminated the inversion domains and reduced the density of threading dislocations in the GaN epilayers. The films have an in-plane epitaxial relationship [1010]GaN//[110]diamond. Thus GaN (0001) thin films of single epitaxial relationship and of single polarity were realised on diamond with AlN buffer....

  19. Evaluation of resonating Si cantilevers sputter-deposited with AlN piezoelectric thin films for mass sensing applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sökmen, Ü.; Stranz, A.; Waag, A.; Ababneh, A.; Seidel, H.; Schmid, U.; Peiner, E.

    2010-06-01

    We report on a micro-machined resonator for mass sensing applications which is based on a silicon cantilever excited with a sputter-deposited piezoelectric aluminium nitride (AlN) thin film actuator. An inductively coupled plasma (ICP) cryogenic dry etching process was applied for the micro-machining of the silicon substrate. A shift in resonance frequency was observed, which was proportional to a mass deposited in an e-beam evaporation process on top. We had a mass sensing limit of 5.2 ng. The measurements from the cantilevers of the two arrays revealed a quality factor of 155-298 and a mass sensitivity of 120.34 ng Hz-1 for the first array, and a quality factor of 130-137 and a mass sensitivity of 104.38 ng Hz-1 for the second array. Furthermore, we managed to fabricate silicon cantilevers, which can be improved for the detection in the picogram range due to a reduction of the geometrical dimensions.

  20. A first-principles study of the SCN− chemisorption on the surface of AlN, AlP, and BP nanotubes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Soltani, Alireza; Taghartapeh, Mohammad Ramezani; Mighani, Hossein; Pahlevani, Amin Allah; Mashkoor, Reza

    2012-01-01

    Graphical abstract: Adsorption properties of SCN − on AlN, AlP, and BP nanotubes based on density functional theory. ▶ We demonstrate the most stable configurations (N-side) of SCN − on AlN, AlP, and BP nanotubes models. Highlights: ► The SCN − Adsorption on surface of AlN, AlP, and BP nanotubes were studied via density functional theory (DFT). ► The interaction of SCN − on the electronic properties and the NBO charge distribution of mentioned configurations are investigated. ► The studies suggest that the adsorption energies of SCN − on AlPNT is most notable in comparison with AlNNT and BPNT. - Abstract: We have performed first-principles calculations to explore the adsorption behavior of the SCN − on electronic properties of AlN, AlP, and BP nanotubes. The adsorption value of SCN − for the most stable formation on the AlPNT is about −318.16 kJ mol −1 , which is reason via the chemisorptions of SCN anion. The computed density of states (DOS) indicates that a notable orbital hybridization take place between SCN − and AlP nanotube in adsorption process. Finally, the AlP nanotube can be used to design as useful sensor for nanodevice applications.

  1. Channel layer thickness dependence of In-Ti-Zn-O thin-film transistors fabricated using pulsed laser deposition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Q.; Shan, F. K.; Liu, G. X.; Liu, A.; Lee, W. J.; Shin, B. C.

    2014-01-01

    Amorphous indium-titanium-zinc-oxide (ITZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs) with various channel thicknesses were fabricated at room temperature by using pulsed laser deposition. The channel layer thickness (CLT) dependence of the TFTs was investigated. All the ITZO thin films were amorphous, and the surface roughnesses decreased slightly first and then increased with increasing CLT. With increasing CLT from 35 to 140 nm, the on/off current ratio and the field-effect mobility increased, and the subthreshold swing decreased. The TFT with a CLT of 210 nm exhibited the worst performance, while the ITZO TFT with a CLT of 140 nm exhibited the best performance with a subthreshold voltage of 2.86 V, a mobility of 53.9 cm 2 V -1 s -1 , a subthreshold swing of 0.29 V/decade and an on/off current ratio of 10 9 .

  2. 3D printed alendronate-releasing poly(caprolactone) porous scaffolds enhance osteogenic differentiation and bone formation in rat tibial defects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Sung Eun; Yun, Young-Pil; Shim, Kyu-Sik; Kim, Hak-Jun; Park, Kyeongsoon; Song, Hae-Ryong

    2016-09-29

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro osteogenic effects and in vivo new bone formation of three-dimensional (3D) printed alendronate (Aln)-releasing poly(caprolactone) (PCL) (Aln/PCL) scaffolds in rat tibial defect models. 3D printed Aln/PCL scaffolds were fabricated via layer-by-layer deposition. The fabricated Aln/PCL scaffolds had high porosity and an interconnected pore structure and showed sustained Aln release. In vitro studies showed that MG-63 cells seeded on the Aln/PCL scaffolds displayed increased alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and calcium content in a dose-dependent manner when compared with cell cultures in PCL scaffolds. In addition, in vivo animal studies and histologic evaluation showed that Aln/PCL scaffolds implanted in a rat tibial defect model markedly increased new bone formation and mineralized bone tissues in a dose-dependent manner compared to PCL-only scaffolds. Our results show that 3D printed Aln/PCL scaffolds are promising templates for bone tissue engineering applications.

  3. Generating Tunable Magnetism in AlN Nanoribbons Using Anion/Cation Vacancies:a First-Principles Prediction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chegeni, Mahdieh; Beiranvand, Razieh; Valedbagi, Shahoo

    2017-04-01

    Using first-principles approach, we theoretically study the effect of anion/cation vacancies on structural and electro-magnetic properties of zigzag AlN nanoribbons (ZAlNNRs). Calculations were performed using a full spin-polarized method within the density functional theory (DFT). Our findings shed light on how the edge states combined with vacancy engineering can affect electro-magnetic properties of ZAlNNRs. We found that depending on the nature and number of vacancies, ZAlNNRs can design as half-metal or semiconductor. Our results reveal a significant amount of spin magnetic moment for ZAlNNR with Al vacancies (VAl). These results may open new applications of AlN nano-materials in spintronics.

  4. Estudo da viabilidade de obtenção de cerâmicas de SiC por infiltração espontânea de misturas eutéticas de Y2O3-AlN, Y2O3-Al2O3, R2O3-AlN Study of the viability to produce SiC ceramics by Y2O3-AlN, Y2O3-Al2O3, R2O3-AlN spontaneous infiltration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. C. R. Garcia

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available As cerâmicas de carbeto de silício, SiC, apresentam excelentes propriedades quando obtidas por infiltração de determinados líquidos. Na infiltração o tempo de contato entre o líquido e o SiC a temperaturas elevadas é muito curto, diminuindo a probabilidade de formação dos produtos gasosos que interferem negativamente na resistência da peça final, como ocorre na sinterização via fase líquida. O objetivo deste trabalho é mostrar uma correlação entre molhabilidade e capacidade de infiltração de alguns aditivos em compactos de SiC. Foram preparados compactos de SiC por prensagem isostática a frio e posterior pré-sinterização via fase sólida. Nesses compactos foram infiltradas misturas de Y2O3-AlN, Y2O3-Al2O3, R2O3-AlN, nas composições eutéticas, 10 ºC acima da temperatura de fusão das respectivas misturas por 4, 8 e 12 min. Após infiltração, as amostras foram analisadas quanto à densidade aparente e real, fases cristalinas, microestrutura e grau de infiltração, sendo que as amostras infiltradas com Y2O3-AlN apresentaram melhores resultados.Silicon carbide ceramics, SiC, obtained by liquid infiltration have shown excellent properties. In infiltration process the contact time of the liquid with SiC at elevated temperature is short, decreasing the probability to form gaseous products that contribute negatively in the final product properties. This phenomenon occurs during SiC liquid phase sintering. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the correlation between wettability and infiltration tendency of some additives in SiC compacts. SiC compacts were prepared by cold isostatic pressing followed by solid phase pre-sintering. Into the compacts were introduced Y2O3-AlN, Y2O3-Al2O3, R2O3-AlN liquids with eutectic compositions at a temperature 10 ºC higher than the melting point of each mixture for 4, 8 and 12 min. Before infiltration, the samples were analyzed by determining densities, crystalline phases

  5. CrN/AlN superlattice coatings synthesized by pulsed closed field unbalanced magnetron sputtering with different CrN layer thicknesses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lin Jianliang; Moore, John J.; Mishra, Brajendra; Pinkas, Malki; Zhang Xuhai; Sproul, William D.

    2009-01-01

    CrN/AlN superlattice coatings with different CrN layer thicknesses were prepared using a pulsed closed field unbalanced magnetron sputtering system. A decrease in the bilayer period from 12.4 to 3.0 nm and simultaneously an increase in the Al/(Cr + Al) ratio from 19.1 to 68.7 at.% were obtained in the CrN/AlN coatings when the Cr target power was decreased from 1200 to 200 W. The bilayer period and the structure of the coatings were characterized by means of low angle and high angle X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The mechanical and tribological properties of the coatings were studied using the nanoindentation and ball-on-disc wear tests. It was found that CrN/AlN superlattice coatings synthesized in the current study exhibited a single phase face-centered cubic structure with well defined interfaces between CrN and AlN nanolayers. Decreases in the residual stress and the lattice parameter were identified with a decrease in the CrN layer thickness. The hardness of the coatings increased with a decrease in the bilayer period and the CrN layer thickness, and reached the highest value of 42 GPa at a bilayer period of 4.1 nm (CrN layer thickness of 1.5 nm, AlN layer thickness of 2.5 nm) and an Al/(Cr + Al) ratio of 59.3 at.% in the coatings. A low coefficient of friction of 0.35 and correspondingly low wear rate of 7 x 10 -7 mm 3 N -1 m -1 were also identified in this optimized CrN/AlN coating when sliding against a WC-6%Co ball.

  6. Insulator layer formation in MgB2 SIS junctions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shimakage, H.; Tsujimoto, K.; Wang, Z.; Tonouchi, M.

    2005-01-01

    The dependence of current-voltage characteristics on thin film deposition conditions was investigated using MgB 2 /AlN/NbN SIS junctions. By increasing the substrate temperature in AlN insulator deposition, the current density decreased and the normal resistance increased. The results indicated that an additional insulator layer between the MgB 2 and AlN formed, either before or during the AlN deposition. The thickness of the additional insulator layer was increased with an increase in the AlN deposition temperature. From the dependence of current density on the thickness of AlN in low temperature depositions, the thickness of the additional insulator layer was estimated to be 1-1.5 nm when the AlN insulator was deposited from 0.14 to 0.7 nm. Moreover, with the current density of MgB 2 /AlN/MgB 2 SIS junctions, further insulator layer formation was confirmed

  7. Local thermal conductivity of polycrystalline AlN ceramics measured by scanning thermal microscopy and complementary scanning electron microscopy techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Yue-Fei; Wang Li; Wei Bin; Ji Yuan; Han Xiao-Dong; Zhang Ze; Heiderhoff, R.; Geinzer, A. K.; Balk, L. J.

    2012-01-01

    The local thermal conductivity of polycrystalline aluminum nitride (AlN) ceramics is measured and imaged by using a scanning thermal microscope (SThM) and complementary scanning electron microscope (SEM) based techniques at room temperature. The quantitative thermal conductivity for the AlN sample is gained by using a SThM with a spatial resolution of sub-micrometer scale through using the 3ω method. A thermal conductivity of 308 W/m·K within grains corresponding to that of high-purity single crystal AlN is obtained. The slight differences in thermal conduction between the adjacent grains are found to result from crystallographic misorientations, as demonstrated in the electron backscattered diffraction. A much lower thermal conductivity at the grain boundary is due to impurities and defects enriched in these sites, as indicated by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. (condensed matter: structural, mechanical, and thermal properties)

  8. Fabrication of TiN/AlN/TiN tunnel junctions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nakayama, Takeru; Naruse, Masato; Myoren, Hiroaki; Taino, Tohru, E-mail: taino@mail.saitama-u.ac.jp

    2016-11-15

    Highlights: • We have fabricated TiN/AlN/TiN tunnel junctions with an epitaxial layer. • TiN and AlN films were deposited by dc and rf magnetron sputtering at ambient substrate temperatures. • The junctions have a V{sub g} = 1.1 mV, J{sub c} = 0.24 A/cm{sup 2}, R{sub sg}/R{sub n} of 7.2, and low subgap leakage current of 180 nA. - Abstract: We have fabricated TiN/AlN/TiN tunnel junctions with an epitaxial layer. The critical temperature of TiN can be changed in the range from 0.5 to 5.0 K. Therefore, it is easy to set 5.0 K as the target critical temperature. When a Superconducting Tunnel Junction (STJ) is operated as a photon detector, it is necessary to cool it to within 0.1 K of the critical temperature in consideration of the noise of the thermally stimulated currents. Because 0.3 K was desirable, as for the manufacture of general purpose photon detectors, the critical temperature 5.0 K. TiN and AlN films were deposited by dc and rf magnetron sputtering in a load-lock sputtering system at ambient substrate temperatures. The junctions have a gap voltage of V{sub g} = 1.1 mV, and critical current density of J{sub c} = 0.24 A/cm{sup 2}, and R{sub sg}/R{sub n} of 7.2, and low subgap leakage current (I{sub sub}@ 500 µV = 180 nA). We report our experiment system, the manufacture method and the junction properties in this paper.

  9. Mems-based pzt/pzt bimorph thick film vibration energy harvester

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Xu, Ruichao; Lei, Anders; Dahl-Petersen, Christian

    2011-01-01

    We describe fabrication and characterization of a significantly improved version of a MEMS-based PZT/PZT thick film bimorph vibration energy harvester with an integrated silicon proof mass. The main advantage of bimorph vibration energy harvesters is that strain energy is not lost in mechanical...... support materials since only PZT is strained, and thus it has a potential for significantly higher output power. An improved process scheme for the energy harvester resulted in a robust fabrication process with a record high fabrication yield of 98.6%. Moreover, the robust fabrication process allowed...... a high pressure treatment of the screen printed PZT thick films prior to sintering, improving the PZT thick film performance and harvester power output reaches 37.1 μW at 1 g....

  10. Early stages of interface reactions between AlN and Ti thin films

    CERN Document Server

    Pinkas, M; Froumin, N; Pelleg, J; Dariel, M P

    2002-01-01

    The early stages of interface reactions between AlN and Ti thin films were investigated using x-ray diffractions, Auger electron spectroscopy, cross section transmission electron microscopy (XTEM), and high resolution XTEM. The AlN/Ti bilayers were deposited on a molybdenum substrate using reactive and nonreactive magnetron sputtering techniques. After deposition, the bilayers were heat treated for 1-10 h at 600 deg. C in a nitrogen atmosphere. Decomposition of the AlN layer took place at the AlN/Ti interface and its products, Al and N, reacted with Ti to produce a AlN/Al sub 3 Ti/Ti sub 2 N/Ti sub 3 Al/alpha-(Ti, Al)ss phase sequence. This phase sequence is not consistent with the Ti-Al-N phase diagram and is believed to be the outcome of the particular conditions that prevail in the thin film and correspond to a particular set of kinetic parameters. A model that explains the development of the phase sequence and predicts its evolution after prolonged heat treatments is put forward. The applicability of such...

  11. Influence of metallic surface states on electron affinity of epitaxial AlN films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mishra, Monu; Krishna, Shibin; Aggarwal, Neha [Advanced Materials and Devices Division, CSIR-National Physical Laboratory, Dr. K.S. Krishnan Marg, New Delhi110012 (India); Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-NPL Campus, Dr. K.S. Krishnan Marg, New Delhi 110012 (India); Gupta, Govind, E-mail: govind@nplindia.org [Advanced Materials and Devices Division, CSIR-National Physical Laboratory, Dr. K.S. Krishnan Marg, New Delhi110012 (India); Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-NPL Campus, Dr. K.S. Krishnan Marg, New Delhi 110012 (India)

    2017-06-15

    The present article investigates surface metallic states induced alteration in the electron affinity of epitaxial AlN films. AlN films grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy system with (30% and 16%) and without metallic aluminium on the surface were probed via photoemission spectroscopic measurements. An in-depth analysis exploring the influence of metallic aluminium and native oxide on the electronic structure of the films is performed. It was observed that the metallic states pinned the Fermi Level (FL) near valence band edge and lead to the reduction of electron affinity (EA). These metallic states initiated charge transfer and induced changes in surface and interface dipoles strength. Therefore, the EA of the films varied between 0.6–1.0 eV due to the variation in contribution of metallic states and native oxide. However, the surface barrier height (SBH) increased (4.2–3.5 eV) adversely due to the availability of donor-like surface states in metallic aluminium rich films.

  12. Fabrication of Ternary AgPdAu Alloy Nanoparticles on c-Plane Sapphire by the Systematical Control of Film Thickness and Deposition Sequence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kunwar, Sundar; Pandey, Puran; Sui, Mao; Bastola, Sushil; Lee, Jihoon

    2018-06-01

    In this work, a systematic study on the fabrication of ternary AgPdAu alloy nanoparticles (NPs) on c-plane sapphire (0001) is presented and the corresponding structural and optical characteristics are demonstrated. The metallic trilayers of various thicknesses and deposition orders are annealed in a controlled manner (400 °C to 900 °C) to induce the solid-state dewetting that yields the various structural configurations of AgPdAu alloy NPs. The dewetting of relatively thicker trilayers (15 nm) is gradually progressed with void nucleation, growth, and coalescence, isolated NP formation, and shape transformation, along with the temperature control. For 6 nm thickness, owing to the sufficient dewetting of trilayers along with enhanced diffusion, dense and small spherical alloy NPs are fabricated. Depending on the specific growth condition, the surface diffusion and interdiffusion of metal atoms, surface and interface energy minimization, Rayleigh instability, and equilibrium configuration are correlated to describe the fabrication of ternary alloy NPs. Ternary alloy NPs exhibit morphology-dependent ultraviolet-visible-near infrared (UV-VIS-NIR) reflectance properties such as the inverse relationship of average reflectance with the surface coverage, absorption enhancement in specific regions, and reflectance maxima in UV and NIR regions. In addition, Raman spectra depict the six active phonon modes of sapphires and their intensity and position modulation by the alloy NPs.

  13. High temperature energy harvesters utilizing ALN/3C-SiC composite diaphragms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lai, Yun-Ju; Li, Wei-Chang; Felmetsger, Valery V.; Senesky, Debbie G.; Pisano, Albert P.

    2014-06-01

    Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) energy harvesting devices aiming at powering wireless sensor systems for structural health monitoring in harsh environments are presented. For harsh environment wireless sensor systems, sensor modules are required to operate at elevated temperatures (> 250°C) with capabilities to resist harsh chemical conditions, thereby the use of battery-based power sources becomes challenging and not economically efficient if considering the required maintenance efforts. To address this issue, energy harvesting technology is proposed to replace batteries and provide a sustainable power source for the sensor systems towards autonomous harsh environment wireless sensor networks. In particular, this work demonstrates a micromachined aluminum nitride/cubic silicon carbide (AlN/3C-SiC) composite diaphragm energy harvester, which enables high temperature energy harvesting from ambient pulsed pressure sources. The fabricated device yields an output power density of 87 μW/cm2 under 1.48-psi pressure pulses at 1 kHz while connected to a 14.6-kΩ load resistor. The effects of pulse profile on output voltage have been studied, showing that the output voltage can be maximized by optimizing the diaphragm resonance frequency based on specific pulse characteristics. In addition, temperature dependence of the diaphragm resonance frequency over the range of 20°C to 600°C has been investigated and the device operation at temperatures as high as 600°C has been verified.

  14. Application of wetting to fabrication of boron nitride/aluminum composites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fujii, Hidetoshi; Nakae, Hideo; Okada, Koji

    1993-01-01

    The focus of this paper is the establishment of a cheap and easy method of manufacturing metal matrix composites by optimizing the wetting and structural properties of the materials used, (i.e. boron nitride/aluminum). Although aluminum is one of the most prominent metals in the fabrication of metal matrix composites, the oxidation of aluminum prevents us from precisely measuring the wetting of ceramics. Therefore, an improved sessile drop method was devised to prevent the oxidation of the aluminum. Using this method, the contact angle between h-BN (hexagonal-BN) and molten Al was measured in a purified He+3%H 2 atmosphere and in a very high vacuum in a temperature range of 1173-1373K. The contact angle progressed through four phases similar to typical ceramics. However, the contact angle became 0 degree in phase 4 at and over 1273K. This contact angle is extremely lower than the contact angles for typical ceramics and it indicates that h-BN is an ideal material for manufacturing a metal matrix composite from the viewpoint of wetting. It was also confirmed that AlN was produced at the solid/liquid interface and caused the contact angle to decrease to 0 degree. AlN has good structural properties whereas h-BN does not. Accordingly, it is suggested that h-BN particles, which have good wetting, be inserted into the Al melt. This will cause the surface of the h-BN to be converted into AlN which has good structural properties. Using this process, a metal matrix composite, which has good structural properties, should be produced. Further, since h-BN is lubricious, a material should be produced which has high wear resistance and good lubricating properties

  15. Quantification the Effect of the Thickness of Thin Films on their Elastic Parameters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gacem, A.; Doghmane, A.; Hadjoub, Z

    2011-01-01

    The determination of the characteristics and properties of thin films deposited on substrates is necessary in any device application in various fields. Adequate mechanical properties are highly required for the majority of surface waves and semiconductor devices. In this context, modelling the ultrasonic-material interaction, we present results of simulation curves of acoustic signatures for multiple thin film/substrate combinations. The results obtained on several structures (Al, SiO 2 , ZnO, Cu, AlN, SiC and Cr)/(Al 2 O 3 , Si, Cu or Quartz) showed a velocity dispersion of the Rayleigh wave as a function of layer thickness. The development of a theoretical calculation model based on the acoustic behaviour of these structures has enabled us to quantify the dispersive evolution (positive and negative) density. Thus, we have established a universal relationship describing the density-thickness variation. In addition, networks of dispersion curves, representing the evolution of elasticity modulus (Young and shear), were determined. These charts can be used to extract the influence of thickness of layers on the variation of elastic constants.(author)

  16. Indium hexagonal island as seed-layer to boost a-axis orientation of AlN thin films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Redjdal, N.; Salah, H.; Azzaz, M.; Menari, H.; Manseri, A.; Guedouar, B.; Garcia-Sanchez, A.; Chérif, S. M.

    2018-06-01

    Highly a-axis oriented aluminum nitride films have been grown on Indium coated (100) Si substrate by DC reactive magnetron sputtering. It is shown that In incorporated layer improve the extent of preferential growth along (100) axis and form dense AlN films with uniform surface and large grains, devoid of micro-cracks. As revealed by SEM cross section images, AlN structure consists of oriented columnar grains perpendicular to the Si surface, while AlN/In structure results in uniformely tilted column. SEM images also revealed the presence of In hexagonal islands persistent throughout the entire growth. Micro -Raman spectroscopy of the surface and the cross section of the AlN/In grown films evidenced their high degree of homogeneity and cristallinity.

  17. Effect of III/V ratio on the polarity of AlN and GaN layers grown in the metal rich growth regime on Si(111) by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Agrawal, Manvi; Dharmarasu, Nethaji; Radhakrishnan, K.; Pramana, Stevin Snellius

    2015-01-01

    Wet chemical etching, reflection high energy electron diffraction, scanning electron microscope and convergent beam electron diffraction have been employed to study the polarities of AlN and the subsequently grown GaN as a function of metal flux in the metal rich growth regime. Both AlN and GaN exhibited metal polarity in the intermediate growth conditions. However, in the droplet growth regime, the polarity of AlN and GaN were N polar and Ga polar, respectively. It was observed that Ga polar GaN could be obtained on both Al and N polar AlN. AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) heterostructure exhibiting hall mobility of 900 cm 2 V -1 s -1 and sheet carrier density of 1.2 × 10 13 cm -2 was demonstrated using N polar AlN which confirmed Ga polarity of GaN. Al metal flux was likely to play an important role in controlling the polarity of AlN and determining the polarity of the subsequent GaN grown on Si(111) by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy (PA-MBE). (author)

  18. Vibrational modes and strain in GaN/AlN quantum dot stacks: dependence on spacer thickness

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fresneda, J.; Cros, A.; Llorens, J.M.; Garcia-Cristobal, A.; Cantarero, A. [Institut de Ciencia del Materials, Universitat de Valencia, 46071 Valencia (Spain); Amstatt, B.; Bellet-Amalric, E.; Daudin, B. [CEA-CNRS Group, Nanophysique et Semiconducteurs, DRFMC/SP2M/PSC, CEA-Grenoble, 17 rue des Martyrs, 38054 Grenoble cedex 9 (France)

    2007-06-15

    We have investigated the influence of spacer thickness on the vibrational and strain characteristics of GaN/AlN quantum dot multilayers (QD). The Raman shift corresponding to the E{sub 2h} vibrational mode related to the QDs has been analyzed for AlN thicknesses ranging from 4.4 nm to 13 nm, while the amount of GaN deposited in each layer remained constant from sample to sample. It is shown that there is a rapid blue shift of the GaN vibrational mode with spacer thickness when its value is smaller than 7 nm while it remains almost constant for thicker spacers. A rapid increase of the Raman line-width in the thicker samples is also observed. The experimental behavior is discussed in comparison with the results of a theoretical model for the strain in the QDs. (copyright 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

  19. MEMS-based thick film PZT vibrational energy harvester

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lei, Anders; Xu, Ruichao; Thyssen, Anders

    2011-01-01

    We present a MEMS-based unimorph silicon/PZT thick film vibrational energy harvester with an integrated proof mass. We have developed a process that allows fabrication of high performance silicon based energy harvesters with a yield higher than 90%. The process comprises a KOH etch using a mechan......We present a MEMS-based unimorph silicon/PZT thick film vibrational energy harvester with an integrated proof mass. We have developed a process that allows fabrication of high performance silicon based energy harvesters with a yield higher than 90%. The process comprises a KOH etch using...... a mechanical front side protection of an SOI wafer with screen printed PZT thick film. The fabricated harvester device produces 14.0 μW with an optimal resistive load of 100 kΩ from 1g (g=9.81 m s-2) input acceleration at its resonant frequency of 235 Hz....

  20. Self-organization of dislocation-free, high-density, vertically aligned GaN nanocolumns involving InGaN quantum wells on graphene/SiO2 covered with a thin AlN buffer layer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hayashi, Hiroaki; Konno, Yuta; Kishino, Katsumi

    2016-01-01

    We demonstrated the self-organization of high-density GaN nanocolumns on multilayer graphene (MLG)/SiO 2 covered with a thin AlN buffer layer by RF-plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. MLG/SiO 2 substrates were prepared by the transfer of CVD graphene onto thermally oxidized SiO 2 /Si [100] substrates. Employing the MLG with an AlN buffer layer enabled the self-organization of high-density and vertically aligned nanocolumns. Transmission electron microscopy observation revealed that no threading dislocations, stacking faults, or twinning defects were included in the self-organized nanocolumns. The photoluminescence (PL) peak intensities of the self-organized GaN nanocolumns were 2.0–2.6 times higher than those of a GaN substrate grown by hydride vapor phase epitaxy. Moreover, no yellow luminescence or ZB-phase GaN emission was observed from the nanocolumns. An InGaN/GaN MQW and p-type GaN were integrated into GaN nanocolumns grown on MLG, displaying a single-peak PL emission at a wavelength of 533 nm. Thus, high-density nitride p–i–n nanocolumns were fabricated on SiO 2 /Si using the transferred MLG interlayer, indicating the possibility of developing visible nanocolumn LEDs on graphene/SiO 2 . (paper)

  1. Local lattice environment of indium in GaN, AlN, and InN; Lokale Gitterumgebung von Indium in GaN, AlN und InN

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Penner, J

    2007-12-20

    After an introduction to the physical properties of the nitrides, their preparation, and the state of studies on the implantation in the nitrides the experimental method (PAC) applied in this thesis and the data analysis are presented. The next chapter describes then the applied materials and the sample preparation. The following chapters contain the PAC measurements on the annealing behaviout of GaN, AlN, and InN after the implantation as well as dose- and temperature dependent PAC studies. Finally the most important results are summarized.

  2. White Noise Responsiveness of an AlN Piezoelectric MEMS Cantilever Vibration Energy Harvester

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jia, Y; Seshia, A A

    2014-01-01

    This paper reports the design, analysis and experimental characterisation of a piezoelectric MEMS cantilever vibration energy harvester, the enhancement of its power output by adding various values of end mass, as well as assessing the responsiveness towards white noise. Devices are fabricated using a 0.5 μm AlN on 10 μm doped Si process. Cantilevers with 5 mm length and 2 mm width were tested at either unloaded condition (MC0: f n 577 Hz) or subjected to estimated end masses of 2 mg (MC2: f n 129 Hz) and 5 mg (MC5: f n 80 Hz). While MC0 was able to tolerate a higher drive acceleration prior to saturation (7 g with 0.7 μW), MC5 exhibited higher peak power attainable at a lower input vibration (2.56 μW at 3 ms −2 ). MC5 was also subjected to band-limited (10 Hz to 2 kHz) white noise vibration, where the power response was only a fraction of its resonant counterpart for the same input: peak instantaneous power >1 μW was only attainable beyond 2 g of white noise, whereas single frequency resonant response only required 2.5 ms −2 . Both the first resonant response and the band-limited white noise response were also compared to a numerical model, showing close agreements

  3. Investigation of AlN films grown by molecular beam epitaxy on vicinal Si(111) as templates for GaN quantum dots

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Benaissa, M.; Vennegues, P.; Tottereau, O.; Nguyen, L.; Semond, F.

    2006-01-01

    The use of AlN epitaxial films deposited on vicinal Si(111) as templates for the growth of GaN quantum dots is investigated by transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. It is found that the substrate vicinality induces both a slight tilt of the AlN (0001) direction with respect to the [111] direction and a step bunching mechanism. As a consequence, a dislocation dragging behavior is observed giving rise to dislocation-free areas well suited for the nucleation of GaN quantum dots

  4. The photovoltaic efficiency of the fabrication of copolymer P3HT:PCBM on different thickness nano-anatase titania as solar cell

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lazim, Haidar Gazy; Ajeel, Khalid I.; Badran, Hussain A.

    2015-06-01

    Organic solar cells based on (3-hexylthiophene):[6,6]-phenyl C61-butyric acid methylester (P3HT:PCBM) bulk heterojunction (BHJ) with an inverted structure have been fabricated using nano-anatase crystalline titanium dioxide (TiO2) as their electron transport layer, which was prepared on the indium tin oxide coated glass (ITO-glass), silicon wafer and glass substrates by sol-gel method at different spin speed by using spin-coating (1000, 2000 and 3000 rpm) for nano-thin film 58, 75 and 90 nm respectively. The effect of thickness on the surface morphology and optical properties of TiO2 layer were investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction and UV-visible spectrophotometer. The optical band gap of the films has been found to be in the range 3.63-3.96 eV for allowed direct transition and to be in the range 3.23-3.69 eV for forbidden direct transition to the different TiO2 thickness. The samples were examined to feature current and voltages darkness and light extraction efficiency of the solar cell where they were getting the highest open-circuit voltage, Voc, and power conversion efficiency were 0.66% and 0.39% fabricated with 90 nm respectively.

  5. Fabrication of biopolymer cantilevers using nanoimprint lithography

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Keller, Stephan Sylvest; Feidenhans'l, Nikolaj Agentoft; Fisker-Bødker, Nis

    2011-01-01

    The biodegradable polymer poly(l-lactide) (PLLA) was introduced for the fabrication of micromechanical devices. For this purpose, thin biopolymer films with thickness around 10 μm were spin-coated on silicon substrates. Patterning of microcantilevers is achieved by nanoimprint lithography. A major...... challenge was the high adhesion between PLLA and silicon stamp. Optimized stamp fabrication and the deposition of a 125 nm thick fluorocarbon anti-stiction coating on the PLLA allowed the fabrication of biopolymer cantilevers. Resonance frequency measurements were used to estimate the Young’s modulus...

  6. Tensile and Flexural Properties of Cement Composites Reinforced with Flax Nonwoven Fabrics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Josep Claramunt

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study is to develop a process to produce high-performance cement-based composites reinforced with flax nonwoven fabrics, analyzing the influence of the fabric structure—thickness and entanglement—on mechanical behavior under flexural and tensile loadings. For this purpose, composite with flax nonwoven fabrics with different thicknesses were first prepared and their cement infiltration was evaluated with backscattered electron (BSE images. The nonwoven fabrics with the optimized thickness were then subjected to a water treatment to improve their stability to humid environments and the fiber-matrix adhesion. For a fixed thickness, the effect of the nonwoven entanglement on the mechanical behavior was evaluated under flexural and direct tension tests. The obtained results indicate that the flax nonwoven fabric reinforcement leads to cement composites with substantial enhancement of ductility.

  7. Multi-layer thickness determination using differential-based enhanced Fourier transforms of X-ray reflectivity data

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Poust, Benjamin [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Northrop Grumman Space Technology, Redondo Beach, CA (United States); Sandhu, Rajinder [Northrop Grumman Space Technology, Redondo Beach, CA (United States); Goorsky, Mark [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)

    2009-08-15

    Layer thickness determination of single and multi-layer structures is achieved using a new method for generating Fourier transforms (FTs) of X-ray reflectivity data. This enhanced Fourier analysis is compared to other techniques in the determination of AlN layer thickness deposited on sapphire. In addition to demonstrably improved results, the results also agree with thicknesses determined using simulations and TEM measurements. The effectiveness of the technique is further demonstrated using the more complicated metamorphic epitaxial multi-layer AlSb/InAs structures deposited on GaAs. The approach reported here is based upon differentiating the specular intensity with respect to the vertical reciprocal space coordinate Q{sub Z}. In general, differentiation is far more effective at removing the sloping background present in reflectivity scans than logarithmic compression alone, average subtraction alone, or other methods. When combined with any of the other enhancement techniques, however, differentiation yields distinguishable discrete Fourier transform (DFT) power spectrum peaks for even the weakest and most truncated of sloping oscillations that are present in many reflectivity scans from multi-layer structures. (Abstract Copyright [2009], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

  8. Feasibility study of using thin aluminum nitride film as a buffer layer for dual metal gate process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Chang Seo; Cho, Byung Jin; Balasubramanian, N.; Kwong, Dim-Lee

    2004-01-01

    We evaluated the feasibility of using an ultra thin aluminum nitride (AlN) buffer layer for dual metal gates CMOS process. Since the buffer layer should not affect the thickness of gate dielectric, it should be removed or consumed during subsequent process. In this work, it was shown that a thin AlN dielectric layer would be reacted with initial gate metals and would be consumed during subsequent annealing, resulting in no increase of equivalent oxide thickness (EOT). The reaction of AlN layer with tantalum (Ta) and hafnium (Hf) during subsequent annealing, which was confirmed with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis, shifted the flat-band voltage of AlN buffered MOS capacitors. No contribution to equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) was also an indication showing the full consumption of AIN, which was confirmed with TEM analysis. The work functions of gate metals were modulated through the reaction, suggesting that the consumption of AlN resulted in new thin metal alloys. Finally, it was found that the barrier heights of the new alloys were consistent with their work functions

  9. Screen printed thick film based pMUT arrays

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hedegaard, Tobias; Pedersen, T; Thomsen, Erik Vilain

    2008-01-01

    This article reports on the fabrication and characterization of lambda-pitched piezoelectric micromachined ultrasound transducer (pMUT) arrays fabricated using a unique process combining conventional silicon technology and low cost screen printing of thick film PZT. The pMUTs are designed as 8...

  10. Epitaxial AlN layers on sapphire and diamond; Epitaktische AlN-Schichten auf Saphir und Diamant

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hermann, Martin

    2009-04-27

    In this work, epitaxial AlN layers deposited by molecular beam epitaxy on sapphire and diamond substrates were investigated. Starting from this AlN, the dopant silicon was added. The influence of the silicon doping on the structural properties of the host AlN crystal was investigated using high resolution X-ray diffraction. Once the silicon concentration exceeds 1 x 10{sup 19} cm{sup -3}, a significant change of the AlN:Si crystal can be observed: increasing the silicon concentration up to 5 x 10{sup 20} cm{sup -3} results in a decrease of the a lattice parameter by approximately 1.2 pm and an increase of the c lattice parameter by about 1.0 pm. The crystal is stressed additionally by adding silicon resulting in a increase of the biaxial compressive stress of up to 2.0 GPa. Further increase of the silicon concentration leads to lattice relaxation. This result from X-ray diffraction was independently confirmed by Raman spectroscopy investigations. Further increase of the silicon concentration leads to the generation of polycrystalline phases within the epitaxial layer. XTEM measurements detected these polycrystalline phases. In addition, XTEM investigations confirmed also the increase of the lateral crystal size with increasing silicon concentration, as well as a great reduction of the screw dislocation density by more than one order of magnitude as found by X-ray diffraction: in undoped, nitrogen rich grown AlN layers the screw dislocation density is about 3 x 10{sup 8} cm{sup -2}, while AlN layers with a silicon concentration of 5 x 10{sup 20} cm{sup -3} show a screw dislocation density of only 1 x 10{sup 7} cm{sup -2}. In low-doped AlN:Si ([Si]{approx}2 x 10{sup 19} cm{sup -3}) the activation energy of the electronic conductivity is about 250 meV. Increasing the silicon concentration to about 1 x 10{sup 21} cm{sup -3} leads to an increase of the activation energy up to more than 500 meV in the now much more stressed AlN:Si epilayer. Studies of the absorption

  11. Electron density and currents of AlN/GaN high electron mobility transistors with thin GaN/AlN buffer layer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bairamis, A.; Zervos, Ch.; Georgakilas, A., E-mail: alexandr@physics.uoc.gr [Microelectronics Research Group, IESL, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTH), P.O. Box 1385, GR-71110 Heraklion, Crete (Greece); Department of Physics, University of Crete, P.O. Box 2208, GR-71003 Heraklion, Crete (Greece); Adikimenakis, A.; Kostopoulos, A.; Kayambaki, M.; Tsagaraki, K.; Konstantinidis, G. [Microelectronics Research Group, IESL, Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTH), P.O. Box 1385, GR-71110 Heraklion, Crete (Greece)

    2014-09-15

    AlN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) structures with thin GaN/AlN buffer layer have been analyzed theoretically and experimentally, and the effects of the AlN barrier and GaN buffer layer thicknesses on two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) density and transport properties have been evaluated. HEMT structures consisting of [300 nm GaN/ 200 nm AlN] buffer layer on sapphire were grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy and exhibited a remarkable agreement with the theoretical calculations, suggesting a negligible influence of the crystalline defects that increase near the heteroepitaxial interface. The 2DEG density varied from 6.8 × 10{sup 12} to 2.1 × 10{sup 13} cm{sup −2} as the AlN barrier thickness increased from 2.2 to 4.5 nm, while a 4.5 nm AlN barrier would result to 3.1 × 10{sup 13} cm{sup −2} on a GaN buffer layer. The 3.0 nm AlN barrier structure exhibited the highest 2DEG mobility of 900 cm{sup 2}/Vs for a density of 1.3 × 10{sup 13} cm{sup −2}. The results were also confirmed by the performance of 1 μm gate-length transistors. The scaling of AlN barrier thickness from 1.5 nm to 4.5 nm could modify the drain-source saturation current, for zero gate-source voltage, from zero (normally off condition) to 0.63 A/mm. The maximum drain-source current was 1.1 A/mm for AlN barrier thickness of 3.0 nm and 3.7 nm, and the maximum extrinsic transconductance was 320 mS/mm for 3.0 nm AlN barrier.

  12. Electron density and currents of AlN/GaN high electron mobility transistors with thin GaN/AlN buffer layer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bairamis, A.; Zervos, Ch.; Georgakilas, A.; Adikimenakis, A.; Kostopoulos, A.; Kayambaki, M.; Tsagaraki, K.; Konstantinidis, G.

    2014-01-01

    AlN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) structures with thin GaN/AlN buffer layer have been analyzed theoretically and experimentally, and the effects of the AlN barrier and GaN buffer layer thicknesses on two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) density and transport properties have been evaluated. HEMT structures consisting of [300 nm GaN/ 200 nm AlN] buffer layer on sapphire were grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy and exhibited a remarkable agreement with the theoretical calculations, suggesting a negligible influence of the crystalline defects that increase near the heteroepitaxial interface. The 2DEG density varied from 6.8 × 10 12 to 2.1 × 10 13 cm −2 as the AlN barrier thickness increased from 2.2 to 4.5 nm, while a 4.5 nm AlN barrier would result to 3.1 × 10 13 cm −2 on a GaN buffer layer. The 3.0 nm AlN barrier structure exhibited the highest 2DEG mobility of 900 cm 2 /Vs for a density of 1.3 × 10 13 cm −2 . The results were also confirmed by the performance of 1 μm gate-length transistors. The scaling of AlN barrier thickness from 1.5 nm to 4.5 nm could modify the drain-source saturation current, for zero gate-source voltage, from zero (normally off condition) to 0.63 A/mm. The maximum drain-source current was 1.1 A/mm for AlN barrier thickness of 3.0 nm and 3.7 nm, and the maximum extrinsic transconductance was 320 mS/mm for 3.0 nm AlN barrier.

  13. Influence of back reflections on the detection efficiency of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors on GaAs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schmidt, Ekkehart; Ilin, Konstantin; Siegel, Michael [Institut fuer Mikro- und Nanoelektronische Systeme (IMS), Karlsruher Institut fuer Technologie, Hertzstrasse 16, 76187 Karlsruhe (Germany); Schwartz, Mario; Herzog, Thomas; Jetter, Michael; Michler, Peter [Institut fuer Halbleiteroptik und funktionelle Grenzflaechen (IHFG), Universitaet Stuttgart, Allmandring 3, 70569 Stuttgart (Germany)

    2016-07-01

    In an on chip quantum photonic device, which consists of quantum dots, a waveguide based logic and a SNSPD, the quantum dots are conveniently excited by a laser beam. Backside reflection of these excitation photons can lead to their detection by the SNSPD and therefore to malfunction of the whole photonic circuit. We studied the effect of back reflections at the substrate/sample-holder interface on the detection properties of NbN SNSPDs on a GaAs substrate with a 12 nm AlN buffer layer. The SNSPDs have a width of 120 nm, a thickness of 6 nm, a critical temperature of 9.9 K and a critical current density of 2.8 MA/cm{sup 2} at 4.2K. Two identical SNSPDs were fabricated from the same NbN film at a distance of 50 μm from each other. One of these SNSPDs was covered with a bi-layer of 20 nm thick AlN and 110 nm thick Al to prevent top illumination, making it only sensitive to backscattered photons. Results of the study of the influence of backscattered photons on the optical response of the SNSPDs and possibilities to avoid them will be discussed in detail.

  14. Effect of the nand p-type Si(100) substrates with a SiC buffer layer on the growth mechanism and structure of epitaxial layers of semipolar AlN and GaN

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bessolov, V. N.; Grashchenko, A. S.; Konenkova, E. V.; Myasoedov, A. V.; Osipov, A. V.; Red'kov, A. V.; Rodin, S. N.; Rubets, V. P.; Kukushkin, S. A.

    2015-10-01

    A new effect of the n-and p-type doping of the Si(100) substrate with a SiC film on the growth mechanism and structure of AlN and GaN epitaxial layers has been revealed. It has been experimentally shown that the mechanism of AlN and GaN layer growth on the surface of a SiC layer synthesized by substituting atoms on n- and p-Si substrates is fundamentally different. It has been found that semipolar AlN and GaN layers on the SiC/Si(100) surface grow in the epitaxial and polycrystalline structures on p-Si and n-Si substrates, respectively. A new method for synthesizing epitaxial semipolar AlN and GaN layers by chloride-hydride epitaxy on silicon substrates has been proposed.

  15. Influence of Fabric Parameters on Thermal Comfort Performance of Double Layer Knitted Interlock Fabrics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Afzal Ali

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to analyse the effects of various fabric parameters on the thermal resistance, thermal conductivity, thermal transmittance, thermal absorptivity and thermal insulation of polyester/cotton double layer knitted interlock fabrics. It was found that by increasing fibre content with higher specific heat increases the thermal insulation while decreases the thermal transmittance and absorptivity of the fabric. It was concluded that double layer knitted fabrics developed with higher specific heat fibres, coarser yarn linear densities, higher knitting loop length and fabric thickness could be adequately used for winter clothing purposes.

  16. The photovoltaic efficiency of the fabrication of copolymer P3HT:PCBM on different thickness nano-anatase titania as solar cell.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lazim, Haidar Gazy; Ajeel, Khalid I; Badran, Hussain A

    2015-06-15

    Organic solar cells based on (3-hexylthiophene):[6,6]-phenyl C61-butyric acid methylester (P3HT:PCBM) bulk heterojunction (BHJ) with an inverted structure have been fabricated using nano-anatase crystalline titanium dioxide (TiO2) as their electron transport layer, which was prepared on the indium tin oxide coated glass (ITO-glass), silicon wafer and glass substrates by sol-gel method at different spin speed by using spin-coating (1000, 2000 and 3,000 rpm) for nano-thin film 58, 75 and 90 nm respectively. The effect of thickness on the surface morphology and optical properties of TiO2 layer were investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction and UV-visible spectrophotometer. The optical band gap of the films has been found to be in the range 3.63-3.96 eV for allowed direct transition and to be in the range 3.23-3.69 eV for forbidden direct transition to the different TiO2 thickness. The samples were examined to feature current and voltages darkness and light extraction efficiency of the solar cell where they were getting the highest open-circuit voltage, Voc, and power conversion efficiency were 0.66% and 0.39% fabricated with 90 nm respectively. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. High-temperature carrier density and mobility enhancements in AlGaN/GaN HEMT using AlN spacer layer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ko, Tsung-Shine; Lin, Der-Yuh; Lin, Chia-Feng; Chang, Che-Wei; Zhang, Jin-Cheng; Tu, Shang-Ju

    2017-04-01

    In this paper, we experimentally studied the effect of AlN spacer layer on optical and electrical properties of AlGaN/GaN high electric mobility transistors (HEMTs) grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition method. For AlGaN layer in HEMT structure, the Al composition of the sample was determined using x-ray diffraction and photoluminescence. Electrolyte electro-reflectance (EER) measurement not only confirmed the aluminum composition of AlGaN layer, but also determined the electric field strength on the AlGaN layer through the Franz-Keldysh oscillation phenomenon. This result indicated that the electric field on the AlGaN layer could be improved from 430 to 621 kV/cm when AlN spacer layer was inserted in HEMT structure, which increased the concentration of two dimensional electron gas (2DEG) and improve the mobility. The temperature dependent Hall results show that both the mobility and the carrier concentration of 2DEG would decrease abruptly causing HEMT loss of function due to phonon scattering and carrier thermal escape when temperature increases above a specific value. Meanwhile, our study also demonstrates using AlN spacer layer could be beneficial to allow the mobility and carrier density of 2DEG sustaining at high temperature region.

  18. Thermoluminescence properties of AlN ceramics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Trinkler, L.; Christensen, P.; Agersnap Larsen, N.

    1998-01-01

    The paper describes thermoluminescence (TL) properties of AlN:Y2O3 ceramics irradiated with ionising radiation. A high TL sensitivity of AlN:Y2O3 ceramics to radiation encouraged a study of the AlN ceramics for application as a dosimetric material. The paper presents experimental data on: glow...... curve, emission spectrum, dose response, energy dependence, influence of heating rate and fading rate. The measured TL characteristics were compared with those of well-known, widely used TLDs, i.e. LiF:Mg,Ti, LiF:Mg,Cu,P and Al2O3:C. It is concluded that AlN:Y2O3 ceramics showing a radiation sensitivity...... which is approximately 50 times greater than that of LiF:Mg,Ti is an interesting dosimetry material; however due to a high fading rate of the TL of AlN:Y2O3 on storage at room temperature, a further development of the material for improving the fading characteristics is needed for its application...

  19. Effect of Al/N ratio during nucleation layer growth on Hall mobility and buffer leakage of molecular-beam epitaxy grown AlGaN/GaN heterostructures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Storm, D.F.; Katzer, D.S.; Binari, S.C.; Shanabrook, B.V.; Zhou Lin; Smith, David J.

    2004-01-01

    AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor structures have been grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy on semi-insulating 4H-SiC utilizing an AlN nucleation layer. The electron Hall mobility of these structures increases from 1050 cm 2 /V s to greater than 1450 cm 2 /V s when the Al/N flux ratio during the growth of the nucleation layer is increased from 0.90 to 1.07. Buffer leakage currents increase abruptly by nearly three orders of magnitude when the Al/N ratio increases from below to above unity. Transmission electron microscopy indicates that high buffer leakage is correlated with the presence of stacking faults in the nucleation layer and cubic phase GaN in the buffer, while low mobilities are correlated with high dislocation densities

  20. Thickness-dependent blue shift in the excitonic peak of conformally grown ZnO:Al on ion-beam fabricated self-organized Si ripples

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Basu, T.; Kumar, M.; Som, T., E-mail: tsom@iopb.res.in [Institute of Physics, Sachivalaya Marg, Bhubaneswar 751 005 (India); Nandy, S. [CENIMAT, Faculdade de Ciencias e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Caparica 2829 516 (Portugal); Satpati, B. [Surface Physics and Material Science Division, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kolkata 700 064 (India); Saini, C. P.; Kanjilal, A. [Department of Physics, School of Natural Sciences, Shiv Nadar University, Gautam Budh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh 201 314 (India)

    2015-09-14

    Al-doped ZnO (AZO) thin films of thicknesses 5,10, 15, 20, and 30 nm were deposited on 500 eV argon ion-beam fabricated nanoscale self-organized rippled-Si substrates at room temperature and are compared with similar films deposited on pristine-Si substrates (without ripples). It is observed that morphology of self-organized AZO films is driven by the underlying substrate morphology. For instance, for pristine-Si substrates, a granular morphology evolves for all AZO films. On the other hand, for rippled-Si substrates, morphologies having chain-like arrangement (anisotropic in nature) are observed up to a thickness of 20 nm, while a granular morphology evolves (isotropic in nature) for 30 nm-thick film. Photoluminescence studies reveal that excitonic peaks corresponding to 5–15 nm-thick AZO films, grown on rippled-Si templates, show a blue shift of 8 nm and 3 nm, respectively, whereas the peak shift is negligible for 20-nm thick film (with respect to their pristine counter parts). The observed blue shifts are substantiated by diffuse reflectance study and attributed to quantum confinement effect, associated with the size of the AZO grains and their spatial arrangements driven by the anisotropic morphology of underlying rippled-Si templates. The present findings will be useful for making tunable AZO-based light-emitting devices.

  1. Effect of Solution Treatment on Precipitation Behaviors, Age Hardening Response and Creep Properties of Elektron21 Alloy Reinforced by AlN Nanoparticles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saboori, Abdollah; Padovano, Elisa; Pavese, Matteo; Dieringa, Hajo; Badini, Claudio

    2017-12-02

    In the present study, the solution and ageing treatments behavior of Mg-RE-Zr-Zn alloy (Elektron21) and its nano-AlN reinforced nanocomposites have been evaluated. The properties of the thermal-treated materials were investigated in terms of Vickers hardness, the area fraction of precipitates, microstructure and phase composition. The solution treatments were performed by treating at 520 °C, 550 °C and 580 °C in argon atmosphere. The outcomes show that the hardness of the solutionized alloys was slightly affected by the solution temperature. X-ray diffraction and image analysis revealed that the complete dissolution of precipitates was not possible, neither for Elektron21 (El21) nor for its AlN containing nanocomposites. The ageing treatment of El21 led to a significant improvement in hardness after 20 h, while for longer times, it progressively decreased. The effect of ageing on the hardness of El21-AlN composites was found to be much less than this effect on the hardness of the host alloy. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis of El21 and El21-1%AlN after solution treatment confirm the random orientation of grains with a typical texture of random distribution. The as-cast creep results showed that the incorporation of nanoparticles could effectively improve the creep properties, while the results after solution treatment at 520 °C for 12 h followed by ageing treatment at 200 °C for 20 h confirmed that the minimum creep rate of T6-El21 was almost equal to the as-cast El21-AlN.

  2. Puente Alnö – Suecia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Editorial, Equipo

    1974-07-01

    Full Text Available This bridge that joins the island of Alnô with the peninsula near the port of Sundsvall In the north of Sweden is one of the many of prestressed concrete that have been constructed lately all over the world with the system of successive corbels. Until recently it was the longest bridge in the country and distinguishes itself by the elegance and slenderness of its longer arches and by the deep foundation system used to construct the four central bridge piers. It has been planned and constructed by Skanska Cementgjuteriet, a firm that is specializing in this type of structure.Este puente, que une la isla de Alno con la península, cerca del puerto de Sundsvall, en el norte de Suecia, es uno de los muchos de hormigón pretensado que se han construido últimamente en todo el mundo por el sistema de voladizos sucesivos. Hasta hace poco era el puente más largo del país y destaca por la elegancia y esbeltez de sus arcos más largos y por el sistema de cimentación profunda empleado para construir las cuatro pilas centrales. Ha sido proyectado y construido por Skanska Cementgjuteriet, empresa que se ha especializado en este tipo de estructura.

  3. High temperature electron cyclotron resonance etching of GaN, InN, and AlN

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shul, R.J.; Kilcoyne, S.P.; Hagerott Crawford, M.; Parmeter, J.E.; Vartuli, C.B.; Abernathy, C.R.; Pearton, S.J.

    1995-01-01

    Electron cyclotron resonance etch rates for GaN, InN, and AlN are reported as a function of temperature for Cl 2 /H 2 /CH 4 /Ar and Cl 2 /H 2 /Ar plasmas. Using Cl 2 /H 2 /CH 4 /Ar plasma chemistry, GaN etch rates remain relatively constant from 30 to 125 degree C and then increase to a maximum of 2340 A/min at 170 degree C. The InN etch rate decreases monotonically from 30 to 150 degree C and then rapidly increases to a maximum of 2300 A/min at 170 degree C. This is the highest etch rate reported for this material. The AlN etch rate decreases throughout the temperature range studied with a maximum of 960 A/min at 30 degree C. When CH 4 is removed from the plasma chemistry, the GaN and InN etch rates are slightly lower, with less dramatic changes with temperature. The surface composition of the III--V nitrides remains unchanged after exposure to the Cl 2 /H 2 /CH 4 /Ar plasma over the temperatures studied

  4. Fabrication and Characterization of PZT Thick Films for Sensing and Actuation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kuo-Ching Kuo

    2007-04-01

    Full Text Available Lead Zirconate Titanate oxide (PZT thick films with thicknesses of up to 10 μmwere developed using a modified sol-gel technique. Usually, the film thickness is less than1 μm by conventional sol-gel processing, while the electrical charge accumulation whichreveals the direct effect of piezoelectricity is proportional to the film thickness and thereforerestricted. Two approaches were adopted to conventional sol-gel processing – precursorconcentration modulation and rapid thermal annealing. A 10 μm thick film was successfullyfabricated by coating 16 times via this technique. The thickness of each coating layer wasabout 0.6 μm and the morphology of the film was dense with a crack-free area as large as 16mm2. In addition, the structure, surface morphology and physical properties werecharacterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD, scanning electron microscopy (SEM and atomicforce microscopy (AFM and electrical performance. The dielectric constant and hysteresisloops were measured as electric characteristics. This study investigates the actuation andsensing performance of the vibrating structures with the piezoelectric thick film. Theactuation tests demonstrated that a 4 mm x 4 mm x 6.5 μm PZT film drove a 40 mm x 7 mmx 0.5 mm silicon beam as an actuator. Additionally, it generated an electrical signal of 60mVpp as a sensor, while vibration was input by a shaker. The frequencies of the first twomodes of the beam were compared with the theoretical values obtained by Euler-Bernoullibeam theory. The linearity of the actuation and sensing tests were also examined.

  5. A study on fabrication technology of ceramic overpack

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Teshima, T.; Ishikawa, H.; Sasaki, N.; Karita, Y.; Katsumoto, K.

    1990-03-01

    The conceptual design and fabrication test of a full-scale ceramic overpack were performed from the viewpoint of structural barriers as a part of program to evaluate their potential use as overpack under conditions of deep geological disposal. Materials investigated were porcelain (used for insulators) and Al 2 O 3 with high purity of 99.7 %. The selected design consisted of a cylindrical body with hemispherical heads at each end. The design thickness of overpack is the sum of the structural thickness and corrosion allowance. The thickness required to resist the lithostatic pressure was estimated by the basic cylinder buckling formulas and finite element stress analyses in both case of uniform and non-uniform external pressure conditions. These analyses showed that structural thickness of 119 mm was necessary for overpack of porcelain and 40 mm for Al 2 O 3 under the predicted maximum uniform pressure. In addition, fracture probability of delayed failure, one of significant degradation mode, was estimated for overpack of porcelain. A full-scale overpack of porcelain, of dimensions 800 mm outer diameter x 2200 mm length x 150 mm wall thickness, was fabricated under the ordinary level of fabrication technology. (author)

  6. Effects of external surface charges on the enhanced piezoelectric potential of ZnO and AlN nanowires and nanotubes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seong Min Kim

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available We theoretically investigate external surface charge effects on piezoelectric potential of ZnO and AlN nanowires (NWs and nanotubes (NTs under uniform compression. The free carrier depletion caused by negative surface charges via surface functionalization on vertically compressed ZnO and AlN NWs/NTs is simulated using finite element calculation; this indicates the enhancement of piezoelectric potential is due to the free carriers (electrons being fully depleted at the critical surface charge density. Numerical simulations reveal that full coverage of surface charges surrounding the NTs increases the piezoelectric output potential exponentially within a relatively smaller range of charge density compared to the case of NWs for a typical donor concentration (∼1017 cm−3. The model can be used to design functional high-power semiconducting piezoelectric nanogenerators.

  7. Fracture toughness of fabrication welds investigated by metallographic methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Canonico, D.A.; Crouse, R.S.

    1978-01-01

    The intermediate scale test vessels (ITV) were fabricated to provide test specimens that have sufficient wall thickness and simulate light water reactor pressure vessels. They were fabricated from grades of steel that are similar to those used for nuclear pressure vessels, having a wall thickness of 150mm and the same welded construction. They are, however, considerably smaller in height and diameter than actual vessels. To date, ten vessels have been fabricated and eight have been tested. In preparation for testing the eighth vessel (ITV-8), an extensive investigation was conducted of the toughness properties of the fabrication weld. It was thoroughly characterized and the fracture specimens used in this metallographic investigation were taken from that weld metal

  8. Structural and optical studies of GaN pn-junction with AlN buffer layer grown on Si (111) by RF plasma enhanced MBE

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yusoff, Mohd Zaki Mohd; Hassan, Zainuriah; Woei, Chin Che; Hassan, Haslan Abu; Abdullah, Mat Johar [Nano-Optoelectronics Research and Technology Laboratory School of Physics, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 Penang, Malaysia and Department of Applied Sciences Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) 13500 Permatang Pauh, Penang (Malaysia); Department of Applied Sciences Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) 13500 Permatang Pauh, Penang (Malaysia)

    2012-06-29

    GaN pn-junction grown on silicon substrates have been the focus in a number of recent reports and further effort is still necessary to improve its crystalline quality for practical applications. GaN has the high n-type background carrier concentration resulting from native defects commonly thought to be nitrogen vacancies. In this work, we present the growth of pn-junction of GaN on Si (111) substrate using RF plasma-enhanced molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Both of the layers show uniformity with an average thickness of 0.709 {mu}m and 0.095 {mu}m for GaN and AlN layers, respectively. The XRD spectra indicate that no sign of cubic phase of GaN are found, so it is confirmed that the sample possessed hexagonal structure. It was found that all the allowed Raman optical phonon modes of GaN, i.e. the E2 (low), E1 (high) and A1 (LO) are clearly visible.

  9. Influence of substrate biasing on the growth of c-axis oriented AlN thin films by RF reactive sputtering in pure nitrogen

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Monteagudo-Lerma, L.; Naranjo, F.B.; Gonzalez-Herraez, M. [Departamento de Electronica, Escuela Politecnica, Universidad de Alcala, Campus Universitario, 28871 Alcala de Henares (Spain); Fernandez, S. [Departamento de Energias Renovables, Energia Solar Fotovoltaica, Centro de Investigaciones Energeticas, Medioambientales y Tecnologicas (CIEMAT), Avda. Complutense 22, 28040 Madrid (Spain)

    2012-03-15

    We report on the investigation of the influence of deposition conditions on structural, morphological and optical properties of AlN thin films deposited on sapphire (Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}) substrates by radio-frequency (RF) reactive sputtering. The deposition parameters studied are RF power, substrate temperature and substrate bias, while using pure nitrogen as reactive gas. The effect of such deposition parameters on AlN film properties are analyzed by different characterization methods as high resolution X-ray diffraction (HRXRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and linear optical transmission. AlN thin films with a full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of the rocking curve obtained for the (0002) diffraction peak of 1.2 are achieved under optimized conditions. The time resolved evolution of the self and externally-induced biasing of the substrate during deposition process is monitored and analyzed in terms of the rate of atomic species incorporation into the layer. The bias-induced change of the atomic incorporation leads to an enhancement in the structural quality of the layer and an increase of the deposition rate. (copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

  10. Control over the morphology of AlN during molecular beam epitaxy with the plasma activation of nitrogen on Si (111) substrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mizerov, A. M.; Kladko, P. N.; Nikitina, E. V.; Egorov, A. Yu.

    2015-01-01

    The results of studies of the growth kinetics of AlN layers during molecular beam epitaxy with the plasma activation of nitrogen using Si (111) substrates are presented. The possibility of the growth of individual AlN/Si (111) nanocolumns using growth conditions with enrichment of the surface with metal near the formation mode of Al drops, at a substrate temperature close to maximal, during molecular beam epitaxy with the plasma activation of nitrogen (T s ≈ 850°C) is shown. The possibility of growing smooth AlN layers on a nanocolumnar AlN/Si (111) buffer with the use of T s ≈ 750°C and growth conditions providing enrichment with metal is shown

  11. Control over the morphology of AlN during molecular beam epitaxy with the plasma activation of nitrogen on Si (111) substrates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mizerov, A. M., E-mail: mizerov@beam.ioffe.ru; Kladko, P. N.; Nikitina, E. V.; Egorov, A. Yu. [Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg Academic University-Nanotechnology Research and Education Centre (Russian Federation)

    2015-02-15

    The results of studies of the growth kinetics of AlN layers during molecular beam epitaxy with the plasma activation of nitrogen using Si (111) substrates are presented. The possibility of the growth of individual AlN/Si (111) nanocolumns using growth conditions with enrichment of the surface with metal near the formation mode of Al drops, at a substrate temperature close to maximal, during molecular beam epitaxy with the plasma activation of nitrogen (T{sub s} ≈ 850°C) is shown. The possibility of growing smooth AlN layers on a nanocolumnar AlN/Si (111) buffer with the use of T{sub s} ≈ 750°C and growth conditions providing enrichment with metal is shown.

  12. Anomalous band-gap bowing of AlN1−xPx alloy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Winiarski, M.J.; Polak, M.; Scharoch, P.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: •Structural and electronic properties of AlN 1−x P x from first principles. •The supercell and the virtual crystall approximation methods applied and compared. •Anomalously high band-gap bowing found. •Similarities of band-gap behavior to that in BN 1−x P x noticed. •Performance of MBJLDA with the pseudopotential approach discussed. -- Abstract: Electronic structure of zinc blende AlN 1−x P x alloy has been calculated from first principles. Structural optimization has been performed within the framework of LDA and the band-gaps calculated with the modified Becke–Jonson (MBJLDA) method. Two approaches have been examined: the virtual crystal approximation (VCA) and the supercell-based calculations (SC). The composition dependence of the lattice parameter obtained from the SC obeys Vegard’s law whereas the volume optimization in the VCA leads to an anomalous bowing of the lattice constant. A strong correlation between the band-gaps and the structural parameter in the VCA method has been observed. On the other hand, in the SC method the supercell size and atoms arrangement (clustered vs. uniform) appear to have a great influence on the computed band-gaps. In particular, an anomalously big band-gap bowing has been found in the case of a clustered configuration with relaxed geometry. Based on the performed tests and obtained results some general features of MBJLDA are discussed and its performance for similar systems predicted

  13. Low temperature aluminum nitride thin films for sensory applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yarar, E.; Zamponi, C.; Piorra, A.; Quandt, E., E-mail: eq@tf.uni-kiel.de [Institute for Materials Science, Chair for Inorganic Functional Materials, Kiel University, D-24143 Kiel (Germany); Hrkac, V.; Kienle, L. [Institute for Materials Science, Chair for Synthesis and Real Structure, Kiel University, D-24143 Kiel (Germany)

    2016-07-15

    A low-temperature sputter deposition process for the synthesis of aluminum nitride (AlN) thin films that is attractive for applications with a limited temperature budget is presented. Influence of the reactive gas concentration, plasma treatment of the nucleation surface and film thickness on the microstructural, piezoelectric and dielectric properties of AlN is investigated. An improved crystal quality with respect to the increased film thickness was observed; where full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the AlN films decreased from 2.88 ± 0.16° down to 1.25 ± 0.07° and the effective longitudinal piezoelectric coefficient (d{sub 33,f}) increased from 2.30 ± 0.32 pm/V up to 5.57 ± 0.34 pm/V for film thicknesses in the range of 30 nm to 2 μm. Dielectric loss angle (tan δ) decreased from 0.626% ± 0.005% to 0.025% ± 0.011% for the same thickness range. The average relative permittivity (ε{sub r}) was calculated as 10.4 ± 0.05. An almost constant transversal piezoelectric coefficient (|e{sub 31,f}|) of 1.39 ± 0.01 C/m{sup 2} was measured for samples in the range of 0.5 μm to 2 μm. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigations performed on thin (100 nm) and thick (1.6 μm) films revealed an (002) oriented AlN nucleation and growth starting directly from the AlN-Pt interface independent of the film thickness and exhibit comparable quality with the state-of-the-art AlN thin films sputtered at much higher substrate temperatures.

  14. Efficient Transdermal Delivery of Alendronate, a Nitrogen-Containing Bisphosphonate, Using Tip-Loaded Self-Dissolving Microneedle Arrays for the Treatment of Osteoporosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katsumi, Hidemasa; Tanaka, Yutaro; Hitomi, Kaori; Liu, Shu; Quan, Ying-Shu; Kamiyama, Fumio; Sakane, Toshiyasu; Yamamoto, Akira

    2017-08-17

    To improve the transdermal bioavailability and safety of alendronate (ALN), a nitrogen-containing bisphosphonate, we developed self-dissolving microneedle arrays (MNs), in which ALN is loaded only at the tip portion of micron-scale needles by a dip-coating method (ALN(TIP)-MN). We observed micron-scale pores in rat skin just after application of ALN(TIP)-MN, indicating that transdermal pathways for ALN were created by MN. ALN was rapidly released from the tip of MNs as observed in an in vitro release study. The tip portions of MNs completely dissolved in the rat skin within 5 min after application in vivo. After application of ALN(TIP)-MN in mice, the plasma concentration of ALN rapidly increased, and the bioavailability of ALN was approximately 96%. In addition, the decrease in growth plate was effectively suppressed by this efficient delivery of ALN in a rat model of osteoporosis. Furthermore, no skin irritation was observed after application of ALN(TIP)-MN and subcutaneous injection of ALN, while mild skin irritation was induced by whole-ALN-loaded MN (ALN-MN)-in which ALN is contained in the whole of the micron-scale needles fabricated from hyaluronic acid-and intradermal injection of ALN. These findings indicate that ALN(TIP)-MN is a promising transdermal formulation for the treatment of osteoporosis without skin irritation.

  15. A study of different fabrics to increase radar cross section of humans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ödman, Torbjörn; Welinder, Jan; Andersson, Nils; Otterskog, Magnus; Lindén, Maria; Ödman, Natalia; Larsson, Christer

    2015-01-01

    This purpose of the study was to increase the visibility on radar for unprotected pedestrians with the aid of conducting fabric. The experiment comprised measurements of four types of fabric to determine the radio frequency properties, such as radar cross section (RCS) for the vehicle radar frequency 77 GHz and transmission (shielding) in the frequency range 3-18 GHz. Two different thicknesses of polypyrrole (PPy) nonvowen fabric were tested and one thickness for 30 % and 40 % stainless steel fabrics respectively. A jacket with the thinner nonvowen material and one with 40 % steel were tested and compared to an unmodified jacket in the RCS measurement. The measurement showed an increase in RCS of 4 dB for the jacket with the 40 % steel lining compared to the unmodified jacket. The transmission measurement was aimed at determining the fabric with the highest transmission of an incoming radio wave. The 30 % steel fabric and the two thicknesses of the nonvowen fabrics were tested. One practical application is for example the use of radar reflective material in search and rescue (SAR) clothes. The study showed that the 30 % steel fabric was the best candidate for further RCS measurements.

  16. The effect of ammonia flow in the AlN spacer on the electrical properties of InAlN/AlN/GaN HEMT structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gamarra, Piero; Lacam, Cedric; Magis, Michelle; Tordjman, Maurice; Di Forte Poisson, Marie-Antoinette

    2012-01-01

    During the past few years it has been reported that a thin AlN spacer of few nanometers needs to be inserted in InAlN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) to obtain high 2DEG carrier mobility. This work presents a systematic study of the effects of varying the ammonia flow in the AlN spacer of InAlN/AlN/GaN HEMTs grown by low pressure metalorganic vapour phase epitaxy (LP-MOVPE). The strain state, the surface roughness and the growth rate of AlN were found to be dependent on the V/III ratio. In addition the ammonia flow in the interlayer has a strong impact on the structural properties of the subsequent InAlN barrier layer and on the electrical properties of the structure. A sheet resistance as low as 327 Ω/□ with a sheet carrier density of 1.5 x 10 13 cm -2 has been obtained at room temperature. (Copyright copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  17. The effect of ammonia flow in the AlN spacer on the electrical properties of InAlN/AlN/GaN HEMT structures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gamarra, Piero; Lacam, Cedric; Magis, Michelle; Tordjman, Maurice; Di Forte Poisson, Marie-Antoinette [III-V Lab., Marcussis (France)

    2012-01-15

    During the past few years it has been reported that a thin AlN spacer of few nanometers needs to be inserted in InAlN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) to obtain high 2DEG carrier mobility. This work presents a systematic study of the effects of varying the ammonia flow in the AlN spacer of InAlN/AlN/GaN HEMTs grown by low pressure metalorganic vapour phase epitaxy (LP-MOVPE). The strain state, the surface roughness and the growth rate of AlN were found to be dependent on the V/III ratio. In addition the ammonia flow in the interlayer has a strong impact on the structural properties of the subsequent InAlN barrier layer and on the electrical properties of the structure.istance as low as 327 {omega}/{open_square} with a sheet carrier density of 1.5 x 10{sup 13} cm{sup -2} has been obtained at room temperature. (Copyright copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  18. Micro thermal energy harvester design optimization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Trioux, E; Basrour, S; Monfray, S

    2017-01-01

    This paper reports the recent progress of a new technology to scavenge thermal energy, implying a double-step transduction through the thermal buckling of a bilayer aluminum nitride/aluminum bridge and piezoelectric transduction. A completely new scavenger design is presented, with improved performance. The butterfly shape reduces the overall device mechanical rigidity, which leads to a decrease in buckling temperatures compared to previously studied rectangular plates. Firstly, an analytical model exposes the basic principle of the presented device. Then a numerical model completes the explanations by introducing a butterfly shaped structure. Finally the fabrication process is briefly described and both the rectangular and butterfly harvesters are characterized. We compare their performances with an equal thickness of Al and AlN. Secondly, with a thicker Al layer than AlN layer, we will characterize only the butterfly structure in terms of output power and buckling temperatures, and compare it to the previous stack. (paper)

  19. Calculation of Al2O3 contents in Al2O3-PTFE composite thick films fabricated by using the aerosol deposition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Hyung-Jun; Kim, Yoon-Hyun; Nam, Song-Min; Yoon, Young-Joon; Kim, Jong-Hee

    2010-01-01

    Low-temperature fabrication of Al 2 O 3 -PTFE (poly tetra fluoro ethylene) composite thick films for flexible integrated substrates was attempted by using the aerosol deposition method. For optimization of composite thick films, a novel calculation method for the ceramic contents in the composites was attempted. Generally, a thermogravimetry (TG) analysis is used to calculate the ceramic contents in the ceramic-polymer composites. However, the TG analysis requires a long measurement time in each analysis, so we studied a novel calculation method that used a simple dielectric measurement. We used Hashin-Shtrikman bounds to obtain numerical results for the relationship between the dielectric constant of the composites and the contents of Al 2 O 3 . A 3-D electrostatic simulation model similar to the deposited Al 2 O 3 -PTFE composite thick films was prepared, and the simulation result was around the lower bound of the Hashin-Shtrikman bounds. As a result, we could calculate the Al 2 O 3 contents in the composites with a low error of below 5 vol.% from convenient dielectric measurements, and the Al 2 O 3 contents ranged from 51 vol.% to 54 vol.%.

  20. Scattering times in the two-dimensional electron gas of AlxGa1-xN/AlN/GaN heterostructures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han Xiuxun; Honda, Yoshio; Narita, Tetsuo; Yamaguchi, Masahito; Sawaki, Nobuhiko; Tanaka, Tooru; Guo Qixin; Nishio, Mitsushiro

    2009-01-01

    Low-field Hall and Shubnikov-de Haas (SdH) measurements were performed on two-dimensional electron gas of Al 0.24 Ga 0.76 N/GaN and Al 0.24 Ga 0.76 N/AlN/GaN heterostructures at a low temperature. A dramatic improvement in electron mobility is observed in Al 0.24 Ga 0.76 N/AlN/GaN heterostructures with 1 and 2 nm thick AlN interlayers. A further increase in the AlN thickness degrades the transport behaviour. Transport and quantum scattering times were derived from the corresponding Hall mobility and the oscillatory part of the SdH signal. The ratio of the transport scattering time and the quantum scattering time increases from 3.87 in the heterostructure without the AlN interlayer to 14.34 with the 1 nm AlN interlayer and to 12.45 with the 2 nm AlN interlayer. A modified scattering calculation due to charged dislocation with a finite length suggests that dislocation related long-range scattering event tends to dominate both transport and quantum scattering times when a thin AlN interlayer is introduced.

  1. The Characterization of Surface Acoustic Wave Devices Based on AlN-Metal Structures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lin Shu

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available We report in this paper on the study of surface acoustic wave (SAW resonators based on an AlN/titanium alloy (TC4 structure. The AlN/TC4 structure with different thicknesses of AlN films was simulated, and the acoustic propagating modes were discussed. Based on the simulation results, interdigital transducers with a periodic length of 24 μm were patterned by lift-off photolithography techniques on the AlN films/TC4 structure, while the AlN film thickness was in the range 1.5–3.5 μm. The device performances in terms of quality factor (Q-factor and electromechanical coupling coefficient (k2 were determined from the measure S11 parameters. The Q-factor and k2 were strongly dependent not only on the normalized AlN film thickness but also on the full-width at half-maximum (FWHM of AlN (002 peak. The dispersion curve of the SAW phase velocity was analyzed, and the experimental results showed a good agreement with simulations. The temperature behaviors of the devices were also presented and discussed. The prepared SAW resonators based on AlN/TC4 structure have potential applications in integrated micromechanical sensing systems.

  2. Facile synthesis and characterisation of AlNs using Protein Rich Solution extracted from sewage sludge and its application for ultrasonic assisted dye adsorption: Isotherms, kinetics, mechanism and RSM design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mary Ealias, Anu; Saravanakumar, M P

    2018-01-15

    Protein Rich Solution (PRS) was prepared from the sewage sludge with ultrasonic assistance. With PRS, aluminium based nanosheet like materials (AlNs) were synthesised for the ultrasonic removal of Congo Red (CR) and Crystal Violet (CV) dyes. PRS was characterised by UV, EEM and NMR spectral analysis. AlNs were characterised by FTIR, XRD, TGA, BET, SEM, AFM, TEM and XPS analysis. The point of zero charge of AlNs was found to be 5.4. The BET analysis ensured that the average pore diameter and total pore volume of AlNs as 8.464 nm and 0.11417 cc/g respectively. The efficacy of AlNs for the removal of toxic dyes was tested by performing Response surface methodology (RSM) designed experiments. The effect of sonication time, dosage and initial concentration on dye removal was studied at an optimised pH value. Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin isotherm models were examined. The maximum adsorption capacity was found to be 121.951 and 105.263 mg/g for CR and CV respectively. The kinetic models like pseudo-first order, pseudo-second order, Elovich and intra-particle diffusion were examined to understand the mechanism behind it. The results revealed that the use of ultrasonication enhanced the mass transfer. The experimental studies on the influence of ultrasound power indicated a positive relation with the removal efficiency. The results of thermodynamic study revealed that the process was spontaneous and exothermic for both the dyes. The increase in ionic strength increased the removal efficiency for both CR and CV. RSM predicted the optimum adsorbent dosages as 0.16 g for 50 mg/L of CR and 0.12 g for 100 mg/L of CV dye solutions. The values of half-life and fractional adsorption for both CR and CV suggested that the low cost AlNs has high potential to remove the toxic industrial dyes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Cu-doped AlN: A possible spinaligner at room-temperature grown by molecular beam epitaxy?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ganz, P. R.; Schaadt, D. M.

    2011-12-01

    Cu-doped AlN was prepared by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy on C-plane sapphire substrates. The growth conditions were investigated for different Cu to Al flux ratios from 1.0% to 4.0%. The formation of Cu-Al alloys on the surface was observed for all doping level. In contrast to Cu-doped GaN, all samples showed diamagnetic behavior determined by SQUID measurements.

  4. Size-effect on stress behavior of the AlN/TiN film

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, D.; Wang, Y.M.; Ma, X.L.

    2009-01-01

    The stress behavior of AlN/TiN superlattice film has been studied by means of a crystal-chemical atomic dynamics simulation based on first-principles calculations. The size-effects on stress behavior are demonstrated and discussed in detail. Stress behavior depends not only on AlN thickness but also on structural relaxation and strain distribution in the film. When the AlN thickness exceeds a critical one, the superlattice film is metastable. Stress behavior can be traced to the AlN/TiN interface structure and its variation with strain relaxation, which may reflect the main strain characteristics caused by AlN structural transformation in this film.

  5. A sacrificial process for fabrication of biodegradable polymer membranes with submicron thickness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beardslee, Luke A; Stolwijk, Judith; Khaladj, Dimitrius A; Trebak, Mohamed; Halman, Justin; Torrejon, Karen Y; Niamsiri, Nuttawee; Bergkvist, Magnus

    2016-08-01

    A new sacrificial molding process using a single mask has been developed to fabricate ultrathin 2-dimensional membranes from several biocompatible polymeric materials. The fabrication process is similar to a sacrificial microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) process flow, where a mold is created from a material that can be coated with a biodegradable polymer and subsequently etched away, leaving behind a very thin polymer membrane. In this work, two different sacrificial mold materials, silicon dioxide (SiO2 ) and Liftoff Resist (LOR) were used. Three different biodegradable materials; polycaprolactone (PCL), poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), and polyglycidyl methacrylate (PGMA), were chosen as model polymers. We demonstrate that this process is capable of fabricating 200-500 nm thin, through-hole polymer membranes with various geometries, pore-sizes and spatial features approaching 2.5 µm using a mold fabricated via a single contact photolithography exposure. In addition, the membranes can be mounted to support rings made from either SU8 or PCL for easy handling after release. Cell culture compatibility of the fabricated membranes was evaluated with human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMECs) seeded onto the ultrathin porous membranes, where the cells grew and formed confluent layers with well-established cell-cell contacts. Furthermore, human trabecular meshwork cells (HTMCs) cultured on these scaffolds showed similar proliferation as on flat PCL substrates, further validating its compatibility. All together, these results demonstrated the feasibility of our sacrificial fabrication process to produce biocompatible, ultra-thin membranes with defined microstructures (i.e., pores) with the potential to be used as substrates for tissue engineering applications. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 104B: 1192-1201, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  6. Local lattice environment of indium in GaN, AlN, and InN

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Penner, J.

    2007-01-01

    After an introduction to the physical properties of the nitrides, their preparation, and the state of studies on the implantation in the nitrides the experimental method (PAC) applied in this thesis and the data analysis are presented. The next chapter describes then the applied materials and the sample preparation. The following chapters contain the PAC measurements on the annealing behaviout of GaN, AlN, and InN after the implantation as well as dose- and temperature dependent PAC studies. Finally the most important results are summarized

  7. Anodization-based process for the fabrication of all niobium nitride Josephson junction structures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Massimiliano Lucci

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available We studied the growth and oxidation of niobium nitride (NbN films that we used to fabricate superconductive tunnel junctions. The thin films were deposited by dc reactive magnetron sputtering using a mixture of argon and nitrogen. The process parameters were optimized by monitoring the plasma with an optical spectroscopy technique. This technique allowed us to obtain NbN as well as good quality AlN films and both were used to obtain NbN/AlN/NbN trilayers. Lift-off lithography and selective anodization of the NbN films were used, respectively, to define the main trilayer geometry and/or to separate electrically, different areas of the trilayers. The anodized films were characterized by using Auger spectroscopy to analyze compounds formed on the surface and by means of a nano-indenter in order to investigate its mechanical and adhesion properties. The transport properties of NbN/AlN/NbN Josephson junctions obtained as a result of the above described fabrication process were measured in liquid helium at 4.2 K.

  8. Homogeneity analysis of high yield manufacturing process of mems-based pzt thick film vibrational energy harvesters

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lei, Anders; Xu, Ruichao; Pedersen, C.M.

    2011-01-01

    This work presents a high yield wafer scale fabrication of MEMS-based unimorph silicon/PZT thick film vibrational energy harvesters aimed towards vibration sources with peak frequencies in the range of a few hundred Hz. By combining KOH etching with mechanical front side protection, SOI wafer...... to accurately define the thickness of the silicon part of the harvester and a silicon compatible PZT thick film screen-printing technique, we are able to fabricate energy harvesters on wafer scale with a yield higher than 90%. The characterization of the fabricated harvesters is focused towards the full wafer....../mass-production aspect; hence the analysis of uniformity in harvested power and resonant frequency....

  9. Valence-band discontinuities of wurtzite GaN, AlN, and InN heterojunctions measured by x-ray photoemission spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martin, G.; Botchkarev, A.; Rockett, A.; Morkoc, H.

    1996-01-01

    The valence-band discontinuities at various wurtzite GaN, AlN, and InN heterojunctions were measured by means of x-ray photoemission spectroscopy. A significant forward endash backward asymmetry was observed in the InN/GaN endash GaN/InN and InN/AlN endash AlN/InN heterojunctions. The asymmetry was understood as a piezoelectric strain effect. We report the valence band discontinuities for InN/GaN=1.05±0.25 eV, GaN/AlN=0.70±0.24 eV, and InN/AlN=1.81±0.20 eV, all in the standard type I lineup. These values obey transitivity to within the experimental accuracy. Tables of photoemission core level binding energies are reported for wurtzite GaN, AlN, and InN. copyright 1996 American Institute of Physics

  10. Study of High Quality Indium Nitride Films Grown on Si(100 Substrate by RF-MOMBE with GZO and AlN Buffer Layers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wei-Chun Chen

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Wurtzite structure InN films were prepared on Si(100 substrates using radio-frequency metal-organic molecular beam epitaxy (RF-MOMBE system. Ga-doped ZnO (GZO and Amorphous AlN (a-AlN film were used as buffer layers for InN films growth. Structural, surface morphology and optical properties of InN films were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM, transmission electron microscopy (TEM, and photoluminescence (PL. XRD results indicated that all InN films exhibited preferred growth orientation along the c-axis with different intermediate buffers. TEM images exhibit the InN/GZO growth by two-dimensional mode and thickness about 900 nm. Also, the InN films can be obtained by growth rate about ~1.8 μm/h. Optical properties indicated that the band gap of InN/GZO is about 0.79 eV. These results indicate that the control of buffer layer is essential for engineering the growth of InN on silicon wafer.

  11. Simultaneous determination of the residual stress, elastic modulus, density and thickness of ultrathin film utilizing vibrating doubly clamped micro-/nanobeams

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stachiv, Ivo; Kuo, Chih-Yun; Fang, Te-Hua; Mortet, Vincent

    2016-01-01

    Measurement of ultrathin film thickness and its basic properties can be highly challenging and time consuming due to necessity of using several very sophisticated devices. Here, we report an easy accessible resonant based method capable to simultaneously determinate the residual stress, elastic modulus, density and thickness of ultrathin film coated on doubly clamped micro-/nanobeam. We show that a general dependency of the resonant frequencies on the axial load is also valid for in-plane vibrations, and the one depends only on the considered vibrational mode. As a result, we found that the film elastic modulus, density and thickness can be evaluated from two measured in-plane and out-plane fundamental resonant frequencies of micro-/nanobeam with and without film under different prestress forces. Whereas, the residual stress can be determined from two out-plane (in-plane) measured consecutive resonant frequencies of beam with film under different prestress forces without necessity of knowing film and substrate properties and dimensions. Moreover, we also reveal that the common uncertainties in force (and thickness) determination have a negligible (and minor) impact on the determined film properties. The application potential of the present method is illustrated on the beam made of silicon and SiO_2 with deposited 20 nm thick AlN and 40 nm thick Au thin films, respectively.

  12. Aluminum nitride and nanodiamond thin film microstructures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Knoebber, Fabian; Bludau, Oliver; Roehlig, Claus-Christian; Williams, Oliver; Sah, Ram Ekwal; Kirste, Lutz; Cimalla, Volker; Lebedev, Vadim; Nebel, Christoph; Ambacher, Oliver [Fraunhofer-Institute for Applied Solid State Physics, Freiburg (Germany)

    2010-07-01

    In this work, aluminum nitride (AlN) and nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) thin film microstructures have been developed. Freestanding NCD membranes were coated with a piezoelectrical AlN layer in order to build tunable micro-lens arrays. For the evaluation of the single material quality, AlN and NCD thin films on silicon substrates were fabricated using RF magnetron sputtering and microwave chemical vapor deposition techniques, respectively. The crystal quality of AlN was investigated by X-ray diffraction. The piezoelectric constant d{sub 33} was determined by scanning laser vibrometry. The NCD thin films were optimized with respect to surface roughness, mechanical stability, intrinsic stress and transparency. To determine the mechanical properties of the materials, both, micromechanical resonator and membrane structures were fabricated and measured by magnetomotive resonant frequency spectroscopy and bulging experiments, respectively. Finally, the behavior of AlN/NCD heterostructures was modeled using the finite element method and the first structures were characterized by piezoelectrical measurements.

  13. Methods and systems for fabricating high quality superconducting tapes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Majkic, Goran; Selvamanickam, Venkat

    2018-02-13

    An MOCVD system fabricates high quality superconductor tapes with variable thicknesses. The MOCVD system can include a gas flow chamber between two parallel channels in a housing. A substrate tape is heated and then passed through the MOCVD housing such that the gas flow is perpendicular to the tape's surface. Precursors are injected into the gas flow for deposition on the substrate tape. In this way, superconductor tapes can be fabricated with variable thicknesses, uniform precursor deposition, and high critical current densities.

  14. Spacer Thickness-Dependent Electron Transport Performance of Titanium Dioxide Thick Film for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Reda E. El-Shater

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available A titanium dioxide (P25 film was deposited by cast coating as conductive photoelectrode and subsequently immersed in dye solution (N719 to fabricate the photoanode of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs. A plastic spacer was used as a separation and sealant layer between the photoanode and the counter electrode. The effect of the thickness of this spacer on the transfer of electrons in the liquid electrolyte of the DSSCs was studied by means of both IV curves and electrochemical impedance. Using a spacer thickness range of 20 μm to 50 μm, efficiency ranges from 3.73% to 7.22%. The highest efficiency of 7.22% was obtained with an optimal spacer thickness of 40 μm.

  15. Point Defect Identification and Management for Sub-300 nm Light Emitting Diodes and Laser Diodes Grown on Bulk AlN Substrates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bryan, Zachary A.

    The identification and role of point defects in AlN thin films and bulk crystals are studied. High-resolution photoluminescence studies on doped and undoped c-plane and mplane homoepitaxial films reveal several sharp donor-bound exciton (DBX) peaks with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) as narrow as 500 microeV. Power dependent photoluminescence distinguish DBXs tied to the Gamma5 free exciton (FX) from those tied to the Gamma 1 FX. The DBX transitions at 6.012 and 6.006 eV are identified as originating from the neutral-donor-silicon (Si0X) and neutral-donor-oxygen (O0X) respectively. With multiple DBXs and their respective two electron satellite peaks identified, a Haynes Rule plot is developed for the first time for AlN. While high quality AlN homoepitaxy is achievable by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) growth, current commercially available AlN wafers are typically hindered by the presence of a broad below bandgap optical absorption band centered at 4.7 eV ( 265 nm) with an absorption coefficient of well over 1000 cm-1. Through density functional theory calculations, it is determined that substitutional carbon on the nitrogen site causes this absorption. Further studies reveal a donor-acceptor pair (DAP) recombination between substitutional carbon on the nitrogen site and a nitrogen vacancy with an emission energy of 2.8 eV. Lastly, co-doping bulk AlN with Si or O is explored and found to suppress the unwanted 4.7 eV absorption band. A novel Fermi level control scheme for point defect management during MOCVD growth in III-nitride materials by above bandgap illumination is proposed and implemented for Mg-doped GaN and Si-doped AlGaN materials as a proof of concept. The point defect control scheme uses photo-generated minority charge carriers to control the electro-chemical potential of the system and increase the formation energies of electrically charged compensating point defects. The result is a lower incorporation of compensating point

  16. Influence of Laundering on the Quality of Sewn Cotton and Bamboo Woven Fabrics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jurgita KOŽENIAUSKIENĖ

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available In the presented study the effect of laundering on the quality of sewn cotton and bamboo plain woven fabrics was investigated considering both the textile parameters and the type of chemical treatment. Quality parameters of sewn cotton and bamboo woven fabrics such as: fabric strength, seam strength and seam slippage at the moment of 4 mm seam opening were evaluated before and after washing with “Tide” washing powder without softeners or with softeners: “Surcare” and “Pflege Weicspuler”. There was also determined surface density, warp and weft densities as well as thicknesses under the pressures 0.625 kPa and 3.125 kPa, and calculated the comparative thickness that was considered as softness or porosity of fabrics. Notwithstanding that both the investigated fabrics were cellulosic their behavior after laundering was different. Under the tested conditions, unwashed and laundered with or without chemical softeners cotton fabric didn’t demonstrate seam slippage. The seam slippage resistance of laundered without or with softener specimens of bamboo fabric was increased in respect to control fabric. The larger changes in seam efficiency and seam strength because of laundering were determined for bamboo woven fabric then for cotton fabric. They could be influenced by the higher changes in bamboo fabric’s structure. The highest difference between the structure parameters of both fabrics was determined for comparative thickness. It was significantly increased for cotton fabric and decreased for bamboo fabric after chemical softening comparing to untreated fabrics.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.19.1.3831

  17. A new fabrication process for uniform SU-8 thick photoresist structures by simultaneously removing edge bead and air bubbles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Hun; Lee, Kangsun; Ahn, Byungwook; Xu, Jing; Xu, Linfeng; Oh, Kwang W

    2011-01-01

    This paper proposes a new SU-8 fabrication process to simultaneously remove edge bead and tiny air bubbles by spraying out edge bead removal (EBR) fluid over the entire surface of photoresist. In particular, the edge bead and air bubbles can cause an air gap between a film mask and a photoresist surface during UV exposure. The diffraction effect of UV light by the air gap leads to inaccurate and non-uniform SU-8 patterns. In this study, we demonstrate a simple method using EBR treatment to simultaneously eliminate the edge bead at the edge of wafer and tiny air bubbles inside SU-8. The profiles of thickness variation of SU-8 films with/without the EBR treatment are measured. The results show that the proposed EBR treatment can successfully remove the edge bead and air bubbles over the entire SU-8 films. The average pattern uniformity of SU-8 is improved from 50.5% to 11.3% in the case of 200 µm thickness. This method is simple and inexpensive, compared to a standard EBR process, because it does not require specialized equipment and it can be applied regardless of substrate geometry (e.g. circular wafer and rectangular slide glass).

  18. Enhancing Performance of Large-Area Organic Solar Cells with Thick Film via Ternary Strategy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Jianqi; Zhao, Yifan; Fang, Jin; Yuan, Liu; Xia, Benzheng; Wang, Guodong; Wang, Zaiyu; Zhang, Yajie; Ma, Wei; Yan, Wei; Su, Wenming; Wei, Zhixiang

    2017-06-01

    Large-scale fabrication of organic solar cells requires an active layer with high thickness tolerability and the use of environment-friendly solvents. Thick films with high-performance can be achieved via a ternary strategy studied herein. The ternary system consists of one polymer donor, one small molecule donor, and one fullerene acceptor. The small molecule enhances the crystallinity and face-on orientation of the active layer, leading to improved thickness tolerability compared with that of a polymer-fullerene binary system. An active layer with 270 nm thickness exhibits an average power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 10.78%, while the PCE is less than 8% with such thick film for binary system. Furthermore, large-area devices are successfully fabricated using polyethylene terephthalate (PET)/Silver gride or indium tin oxide (ITO)-based transparent flexible substrates. The product shows a high PCE of 8.28% with an area of 1.25 cm 2 for a single cell and 5.18% for a 20 cm 2 module. This study demonstrates that ternary organic solar cells exhibit great potential for large-scale fabrication and future applications. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  19. Methods and systems for fabricating high quality superconducting tapes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Majkic, Goran; Selvamanickam, Venkat

    2018-02-13

    An MOCVD system fabricates high quality superconductor tapes with variable thicknesses. The MOCVD system can include a gas flow chamber between two parallel channels in a housing. A substrate tape is heated and then passed through the MOCVD housing such that the gas flow is perpendicular to the tape's surface. Precursors are injected into the gas flow for deposition on the substrate tape. In this way, superconductor tapes can be fabricated with variable thicknesses, uniform precursor deposition, and high critical current densities.

  20. Optimization of energy and fluence of N{sub 2}{sup +} ions in the conversion of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} surface into AlN at room temperature

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kumar, Praveen, E-mail: praiitr@gmail.com [Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Panjab University, Chandigarh 160014 (India); Devi, Pooja [Central Scientific Instruments Organization, Sector-30 C, Chandigarh 160030 (India); Kumar, Mahesh [Physics of Energy and Harvesting group, National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi 110012 (India); Shivaprasad, S.M. [Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore 560064 (India)

    2016-01-15

    Graphical abstract: We present a systematic study of energetic N{sub 2}{sup +} ions (0.1–5 keV) interaction with clean c-plane Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} surface in situ in a UHV system equipped with X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy at room temperature. Results show that maximum thickness of surface is nitride by 5 keV N{sub 2}{sup +} ion with an optimal fluence of 1.5 × 10{sup 15} ions/cm{sup 2}. This modified surface can be used as a template for low defect III-nitrides growth, with enhanced lattice matching than on bare c-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}. - Highlights: • A mechanism for the formation of AlN on Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}. • Investigation of optimal energy and fluence for energetic N{sub 2}{sup +} ions. • AlN formation at room temperature on Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}. - Abstract: The work presents a systematic study of energetic N{sub 2}{sup +} ion interaction with the clean Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} surface at room temperature. Energetic N{sub 2}{sup +} ions with energies ranging from 0.1 to 5 keV were bombarded onto the c-plane Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} surface in situ in a UHV system equipped with X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy. Survey scans and core level spectra of Al(2p), O(1s), N(1s) were recorded as a function of ion fluence. Survey scans of XPS are used for the compositional analysis, while deconvoluted core level spectra are used to identify the evolution of the chemical bonding. Energetic dependence of N{sub 2}{sup +} ions occupying interstitial and substitutional sites in Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} lattice are probed to follow the surface evolution. Results show that maximum thickness of surface is nitride by 5 keV N{sub 2}{sup +} ion with an optimal fluence of 1.5 × 10{sup 15} ions/cm{sup 2}. This modified surface can be used as a template for low defect III-nitrides growth, with enhanced lattice matching than on bare c-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}.

  1. Dispersion properties and low infrared optical losses in epitaxial AlN on sapphire substrate in the visible and infrared range

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Soltani, A.; Stolz, A.; Charrier, J.; Mattalah, M.; Gerbedoen, J.-C.; Barkad, H.A.; Mortet, Vincent; Rousseau, M.; Bourzgui, N.; BenMoussa, A.; De Jaeger, J.-C.

    2014-01-01

    Roč. 115, č. 16 (2014), "163515-1"-"163515-6" ISSN 0021-8979 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : III-V semiconductors * AlN films * surface scattering * refractive index * optical properties Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 2.183, year: 2014

  2. Influence of aluminum nitride interlayers on crystal orientation and piezoelectric property of aluminum nitride thin films prepared on titanium electrodes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kamohara, Toshihiro; Akiyama, Morito; Ueno, Naohiro; Nonaka, Kazuhiro; Kuwano, Noriyuki

    2007-01-01

    Highly c-axis-oriented aluminum nitride (AlN) thin films have been prepared on titanium (Ti) bottom electrodes by using AlN interlayers. The AlN interlayers were deposited between Ti electrodes and silicon (Si) substrates, such as AlN/Ti/AlN/Si. The crystallinity and crystal orientation of the AlN films and Ti electrodes strongly depended on the thickness of the AlN interlayers. Although the sputtering conditions were the same, the X-ray diffraction intensity of AlN (0002) and Ti (0002) planes drastically increased, and the full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of the X-ray rocking curves decreased from 5.1 o to 2.6 o and from 3.3 o to 2.0 o , respectively. Furthermore, the piezoelectric constant d 33 of the AlN films was significantly improved from - 0.2 to - 4.5 pC/N

  3. Micro-machined high-frequency (80 MHz) PZT thick film linear arrays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Qifa; Wu, Dawei; Liu, Changgeng; Zhu, Benpeng; Djuth, Frank; Shung, K

    2010-10-01

    This paper presents the development of a micromachined high-frequency linear array using PZT piezoelectric thick films. The linear array has 32 elements with an element width of 24 μm and an element length of 4 mm. Array elements were fabricated by deep reactive ion etching of PZT thick films, which were prepared from spin-coating of PZT sol-gel composite. Detailed fabrication processes, especially PZT thick film etching conditions and a novel transferring-and-etching method, are presented and discussed. Array designs were evaluated by simulation. Experimental measurements show that the array had a center frequency of 80 MHz and a fractional bandwidth (-6 dB) of 60%. An insertion loss of -41 dB and adjacent element crosstalk of -21 dB were found at the center frequency.

  4. Improved Gate Dielectric Deposition and Enhanced Electrical Stability for Single-Layer MoS2 MOSFET with an AlN Interfacial Layer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qian, Qingkai; Li, Baikui; Hua, Mengyuan; Zhang, Zhaofu; Lan, Feifei; Xu, Yongkuan; Yan, Ruyue; Chen, Kevin J

    2016-06-09

    Transistors based on MoS2 and other TMDs have been widely studied. The dangling-bond free surface of MoS2 has made the deposition of high-quality high-k dielectrics on MoS2 a challenge. The resulted transistors often suffer from the threshold voltage instability induced by the high density traps near MoS2/dielectric interface or inside the gate dielectric, which is detrimental for the practical applications of MoS2 metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET). In this work, by using AlN deposited by plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) as an interfacial layer, top-gate dielectrics as thin as 6 nm for single-layer MoS2 transistors are demonstrated. The AlN interfacial layer not only promotes the conformal deposition of high-quality Al2O3 on the dangling-bond free MoS2, but also greatly enhances the electrical stability of the MoS2 transistors. Very small hysteresis (ΔVth) is observed even at large gate biases and high temperatures. The transistor also exhibits a low level of flicker noise, which clearly originates from the Hooge mobility fluctuation instead of the carrier number fluctuation. The observed superior electrical stability of MoS2 transistor is attributed to the low border trap density of the AlN interfacial layer, as well as the small gate leakage and high dielectric strength of AlN/Al2O3 dielectric stack.

  5. The influence of ALN-Al gradient material gradient index on ballistic performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Youcong; Liu Qiwen; Li Yao; Shen Qiang

    2013-01-01

    Ballistic performance of the gradient material is superior to laminated material, and gradient materials have different gradient types. Using ls-dyna to simulate the ballistic performance of ALN-AL gradient target plates which contain three gradient index (b = 1, b = 0.5, b = 2). Through Hopkinson bar numerical simulation to the target plate materials, we obtained the reflection stress wave and transmission stress wave state of gradient material to get the best gradient index. The internal stress state of gradient material is simulated by amplification processing of the target plate model. When the gradient index b is equal to 1, the gradient target plate is best of all.

  6. The Variations of Thermal Contact Resistance and Heat Transfer Rate of the AlN Film Compositing with PCM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Huann-Ming Chou

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The electrical industries have been fast developing over the past decades. Moreover, the trend of microelements and packed division multiplex is obviously for the electrical industry. Hence, the high heat dissipative and the electrical insulating device have been popular and necessary. The thermal conduct coefficient of aluminum nitride (i.e., AlN is many times larger than the other materials. Moreover, the green technology of composite with phase change materials (i.e., PCMs is worked as a constant temperature cooler. Therefore, PCMs have been used frequently for saving energy and the green environment. Based on the above statements, it does show great potential in heat dissipative for the AlN film compositing with PCM. Therefore, this paper is focused on the research of thermal contact resistance and heat transfer between the AlN/PCM pairs. According to the experimental results, the heat transfer decreases and the thermal contact resistance increases under the melting process of PCM. However, the suitable parameters such as contact pressures can be used to improve the above defects.

  7. AlN Surface Passivation of GaN-Based High Electron Mobility Transistors by Plasma-Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tzou, An-Jye; Chu, Kuo-Hsiung; Lin, I-Feng; Østreng, Erik; Fang, Yung-Sheng; Wu, Xiao-Peng; Wu, Bo-Wei; Shen, Chang-Hong; Shieh, Jia-Ming; Yeh, Wen-Kuan; Chang, Chun-Yen; Kuo, Hao-Chung

    2017-12-01

    We report a low current collapse GaN-based high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) with an excellent thermal stability at 150 °C. The AlN was grown by N 2 -based plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) and shown a refractive index of 1.94 at 633 nm of wavelength. Prior to deposit AlN on III-nitrides, the H 2 /NH 3 plasma pre-treatment led to remove the native gallium oxide. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectroscopy confirmed that the native oxide can be effectively decomposed by hydrogen plasma. Following the in situ ALD-AlN passivation, the surface traps can be eliminated and corresponding to a 22.1% of current collapse with quiescent drain bias (V DSQ ) at 40 V. Furthermore, the high temperature measurement exhibited a shift-free threshold voltage (V th ), corresponding to a 40.2% of current collapse at 150 °C. The thermal stable HEMT enabled a breakdown voltage (BV) to 687 V at high temperature, promising a good thermal reliability under high power operation.

  8. AlN Surface Passivation of GaN-Based High Electron Mobility Transistors by Plasma-Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tzou, An-Jye; Chu, Kuo-Hsiung; Lin, I.-Feng; Østreng, Erik; Fang, Yung-Sheng; Wu, Xiao-Peng; Wu, Bo-Wei; Shen, Chang-Hong; Shieh, Jia-Ming; Yeh, Wen-Kuan; Chang, Chun-Yen; Kuo, Hao-Chung

    2017-04-01

    We report a low current collapse GaN-based high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) with an excellent thermal stability at 150 °C. The AlN was grown by N2-based plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) and shown a refractive index of 1.94 at 633 nm of wavelength. Prior to deposit AlN on III-nitrides, the H2/NH3 plasma pre-treatment led to remove the native gallium oxide. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectroscopy confirmed that the native oxide can be effectively decomposed by hydrogen plasma. Following the in situ ALD-AlN passivation, the surface traps can be eliminated and corresponding to a 22.1% of current collapse with quiescent drain bias ( V DSQ) at 40 V. Furthermore, the high temperature measurement exhibited a shift-free threshold voltage ( V th), corresponding to a 40.2% of current collapse at 150 °C. The thermal stable HEMT enabled a breakdown voltage (BV) to 687 V at high temperature, promising a good thermal reliability under high power operation.

  9. Processing simulated high-level liquid waste by heat treatment with addition of TiN and AlN or Al2O3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uno, Masayoshi; Kinoshita, Hajime; Sakai, Etsuro; Ikeda, Akira; Matsumoto, Y.; Yamanaka, Shinsuke

    1999-01-01

    The present study aims to decrease the melting temperature of the oxide phase by the addition of the mixture of TiN and AlN or Al 2 O 3 for reduction of the treatment temperature of super high temperature method. The addition of the mixture of TiN and AlN or Al 2 O 3 with the atomic ratio of Al to Ti of 1:9 caused the melting of both the alloy phase and oxide phase at 1673 K. The measured values of density and hardness for thus obtained oxide phase were same as those for the oxide phase obtained at 1873 K without Al. Thus, above mentioned method is achieved at 1673 K without degradation of the properties of the oxide phase as an waste. (author)

  10. Study of the 27Al(n,2,)26Al reaction via accelerator mass spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wallner, A.

    2000-06-01

    The excitation function for the 27 Al(n,2n) 26 Al reaction is expected to show a strongly non-linear behavior in the neutron-energy region around 14 MeV, the neutron energy in D-T plasmas; thus the production rate of 26 Al (t 1/2 =7.2*10 5 a) in D-T fusion environments can in principle be used to measure the temperature of such plasmas. Existing measurements, however, are strongly discordant. Therefore, a new accurate measurement of the 27 Al(n,2n) 26 Al cross sections in the near threshold region (E n =13.5-14.8 MeV) was performed with the goal to achieve relative cross sections with the highest accuracy possible. In addition, the measurements were also designed to provide good absolute cross-section values, as absolute cross sections are important for radioactive waste predictions. Samples of Al metal were irradiated with neutrons in the energy range near threshold (E th =13.55 MeV) at the Radiuminstitutes of both Vienna and St. Petersburg, and in Tokai-mura, Japan. In Tuebingen irradiations with neutrons of higher energies (17 and 19 MeV) were performed. The amount of 26 Al produced during the irradiations was measured via accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) at the Vienna Environmental Research Accelerator (VERA). This work represents the first 26 Al measurements for this new facility. With this system, a background as low as 3*10 -15 for 26 Al/ 27 Al isotope ratios was obtained, corresponding to a (n,2n) cross section of 0.04 mb. Utilizing AMS, cross sections with much higher precision and considerably closer to the threshold than in previous investigations could be measured. The prerequisite for its application as a temperature monitor, namely a very well known shape of the excitation function was met. A quantitative prediction of the sensitivity of this method for monitoring the temperature in a D-T fusion plasma was therefore possible. For thermal plasmas temperature changes in the order of 5 to 15 % should be detectable. An even higher sensitivity was found

  11. Thick resist for MEMS processing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Joe; Hamel, Clifford

    2001-11-01

    The need for technical innovation is always present in today's economy. Microfabrication methods have evolved in support of the demand for smaller and faster integrated circuits with price performance improvements always in the scope of the manufacturing design engineer. The dispersion of processing technology spans well beyond IC fabrication today with batch fabrication and wafer scale processing lending advantages to MEMES applications from biotechnology to consumer electronics from oil exploration to aerospace. Today the demand for innovative processing techniques that enable technology is apparent where only a few years ago appeared too costly or not reliable. In high volume applications where yield and cost improvements are measured in fractions of a percent it is imperative to have process technologies that produce consistent results. Only a few years ago thick resist coatings were limited to thickness less than 20 microns. Factors such as uniformity, edge bead and multiple coatings made high volume production impossible. New developments in photoresist formulation combined with advanced coating equipment techniques that closely controls process parameters have enable thick photoresist coatings of 70 microns with acceptable uniformity and edge bead in one pass. Packaging of microelectronic and micromechanical devices is often a significant cost factor and a reliability issue for high volume low cost production. Technologies such as flip- chip assembly provide a solution for cost and reliability improvements over wire bond techniques. The processing for such technology demands dimensional control and presents a significant cost savings if it were compatible with mainstream technologies. Thick photoresist layers, with good sidewall control would allow wafer-bumping technologies to penetrate the barriers to yield and production where costs for technology are the overriding issue. Single pass processing is paramount to the manufacturability of packaging

  12. Fabrication of overlaid nanopattern arrays for plasmon memory

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okabe, Takao; Wadayama, Hisahiro; Taniguchi, Jun

    2018-01-01

    Stacking technique of nanopattern array is gathering attention to fabricate next generation data storage such as plasmon memory. This technique provides multi- overlaid nanopatterns which made by nanoimprint lithography. In the structure, several metal nanopatterned layer and resin layer as a spacer are overlaid alternately. The horizontal position of nanopatterns to under nanopatterns and thickness of resin layer as spacer should be controlled accurately, because these parameters affect reading performance and capacity of plasmon memory. In this study, we developed new alignment mark to fabricate multi- overlaid nanopatterns. The alignment accuracy with the order of 300 nm was demonstrated for Ag nanopatterns in 2 layers. The alignment mark can measure the thickness of spacer. The relationship of spacer thickness and position of scale bar on the alignment mark was measured. The usefulness of the alignment mark for highdensity plasmon memory is shown.

  13. Effect of the growth temperature and the AlN mole fraction on In incorporation and properties of quaternary III-nitride layers grown by molecular beam epitaxy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fernandez-Garrido, S.; Pereiro, J.; Munoz, E.; Calleja, E.; Redondo-Cubero, A.; Gago, R.; Bertram, F.; Christen, J.; Luna, E.; Trampert, A.

    2008-01-01

    Indium incorporation into wurtzite (0001)-oriented In x Al y Ga 1-x-y N layers grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy was studied as a function of the growth temperature (565-635 deg. C) and the AlN mole fraction (0.01< y<0.27). The layer stoichiometry was determined by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS). RBS shows that indium incorporation decreased continuously with increasing growth temperature due to thermally enhanced dissociation of In-N bonds and for increasing AlN mole fractions. High resolution x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements did not show evidence of phase separation. The mosaicity of the quaternary layers was found to be mainly determined by the growth temperature and independent on alloy composition within the range studied. However, depending on the AlN mole fraction, nanometer-sized composition fluctuations were detected by TEM. Photoluminescence spectra showed a single broad emission at room temperature, with energy and bandwidth S- and W-shaped temperature dependences typical of exciton localization by alloy inhomogeneities. Cathodoluminescence measurements demonstrated that the alloy inhomogeneities, responsible of exciton localization, occur on a lateral length scale below 150 nm, which is corroborated by TEM

  14. Free-Standing Organic Transistors and Circuits with Sub-Micron Thicknesses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fukuda, Kenjiro; Sekine, Tomohito; Shiwaku, Rei; Morimoto, Takuya; Kumaki, Daisuke; Tokito, Shizuo

    2016-01-01

    The realization of wearable electronic devices with extremely thin and flexible form factors has been a major technological challenge. While substrates typically limit the thickness of thin-film electronic devices, they are usually necessary for their fabrication and functionality. Here we report on ultra-thin organic transistors and integrated circuits using device components whose substrates that have been removed. The fabricated organic circuits with total device thicknesses down to 350 nm have electrical performance levels close to those fabricated on conventional flexible substrates. Moreover, they exhibit excellent mechanical robustness, whereby their static and dynamic electrical characteristics do not change even under 50% compressive strain. Tests using systematically applied compressive strains reveal that these free-standing organic transistors possess anisotropic mechanical stability, and a strain model for a multilayer stack can be used to describe the strain in this sort of ultra-thin device. These results show the feasibility of ultimate-thin organic electronic devices using free-standing constructions. PMID:27278828

  15. Light extraction enhancement of 265 nm deep-ultraviolet light-emitting diodes with over 90 mW output power via an AlN hybrid nanostructure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Inoue, Shin-ichiro, E-mail: s-inoue@nict.go.jp [Advanced ICT Research Institute, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Kobe, Hyogo 651-2492 (Japan); Naoki, Tamari [Advanced ICT Research Institute, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Kobe, Hyogo 651-2492 (Japan); Tsukuba Research Laboratories, Tokuyama Corporation, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 300-4247 (Japan); Kinoshita, Toru; Obata, Toshiyuki; Yanagi, Hiroyuki [Tsukuba Research Laboratories, Tokuyama Corporation, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 300-4247 (Japan)

    2015-03-30

    Deep-ultraviolet (DUV) aluminum gallium nitride-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on transparent aluminum nitride (AlN) substrates with high light extraction efficiency and high power are proposed and demonstrated. The AlN bottom side surface configuration, which is composed of a hybrid structure of photonic crystals and subwavelength nanostructures, has been designed using finite-difference time-domain calculations to enhance light extraction. We have experimentally demonstrated an output power improvement of up to 196% as a result of the use of the embedded high-light-extraction hybrid nanophotonic structure. The DUV-LEDs produced have demonstrated output power as high as 90 mW in DC operation at a peak emission wavelength of 265 nm.

  16. Fabrication of three-dimensional ordered nanodot array structures by a thermal dewetting method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Zhenxing; Yoshino, Masahiko; Yamanaka, Akinori

    2012-01-01

    A new fabrication method for three-dimensional nanodot arrays with low cost and high throughput is developed in this paper. In this process, firstly a 2D nanodot array is fabricated by combination of top-down and bottom-up approaches. A nanoplastic forming technique is utilized as the top-down approach to fabricate a groove grid pattern on an Au layer deposited on a substrate, and self-organization by thermal dewetting is employed as the bottom-up approach. On the first-layer nanodot array, SiO 2 is deposited as a spacer layer. Au is then deposited on the spacer layer and thermal dewetting is conducted to fabricate a second-layer nanodot array. The effective parameters influencing dot formation on the second layer, including Au layer thickness and SiO 2 layer thickness, are studied. It is demonstrated that a 3D nanodot array of good vertical alignment is obtained by repeating the SiO 2 deposition, Au deposition and thermal dewetting. The mechanism of the dot agglomeration process is studied based on geometrical models. The effects of the spacer layer thickness and Au layer thickness on the morphology and alignment of the second-layer dots are discussed. (paper)

  17. Structure and lattice dynamics of GaN and AlN. Ab-initio investigations of strained polytypes and superlattices

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wagner, Jan-Martin

    2004-10-14

    In this dissertation, ab-initio investigations of the strain influence on vibrational properties of GaN and AlN as well as of short-period GaN/AlN superlattices are presented. Based on densityfunctional theory and density-functional perturbation theory, for differently strained structures complete phonon spectra and related properties are calculated using the local-density approximation and norm-conserving pseudopotentials. (orig.)

  18. Thick-Film and LTCC Passive Components for High-Temperature Electronics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Dziedzic

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available At this very moment an increasing interest in the field of high-temperature electronics is observed. This is a result of development in the area of wide-band semiconductors’ engineering but this also generates needs for passives with appropriate characteristics. This paper presents fabrication as well as electrical and stability properties of passive components (resistors, capacitors, inductors made in thick-film or Low-Temperature Co-fired Ceramics (LTCC technologies fulfilling demands of high-temperature electronics. Passives with standard dimensions usually are prepared by screen-printing whereas combination of standard screen-printing with photolithography or laser shaping are recommenced for fabrication of micropassives. Attainment of proper characteristics versus temperature as well as satisfactory long-term high-temperature stability of micropassives is more difficult than for structures with typical dimensions for thick-film and LTCC technologies because of increase of interfacial processes’ importance. However it is shown that proper selection of thick-film inks together with proper deposition method permit to prepare thick-film micropassives (microresistors, air-cored microinductors and interdigital microcapacitors suitable for the temperature range between 150°C and 400°C.

  19. Aluminum Nitride Micro-Channels Grown via Metal Organic Vapor Phase Epitaxy for MEMs Applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rodak, L.E.; Kuchibhatla, S.; Famouri, P.; Ting, L.; Korakakis, D.

    2008-01-01

    Aluminum nitride (AlN) is a promising material for a number of applications due to its temperature and chemical stability. Furthermore, AlN maintains its piezoelectric properties at higher temperatures than more commonly used materials, such as Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) [1, 2], making AlN attractive for high temperature micro and nanoelectromechanical (MEMs and NEMs) applications including, but not limited to, high temperature sensors and actuators, micro-channels for fuel cell applications, and micromechanical resonators. This work presents a novel AlN micro-channel fabrication technique using Metal Organic Vapor Phase Epitaxy (MOVPE). AlN easily nucleates on dielectric surfaces due to the large sticking coefficient and short diffusion length of the aluminum species resulting in a high quality polycrystalline growth on typical mask materials, such as silicon dioxide and silicon nitride [3,4]. The fabrication process introduced involves partially masking a substrate with a silicon dioxide striped pattern and then growing AlN via MOVPE simultaneously on the dielectric mask and exposed substrate. A buffered oxide etch is then used to remove the underlying silicon dioxide and leave a free standing AlN micro-channel. The width of the channel has been varied from 5 ìm to 110 ìm and the height of the air gap from 130 nm to 800 nm indicating the stability of the structure. Furthermore, this versatile process has been performed on (111) silicon, c-plane sapphire, and gallium nitride epilayers on sapphire substrates. Reflection High Energy Electron Diffraction (RHEED), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), and Raman measurements have been taken on channels grown on each substrate and indicate that the substrate is influencing the growth of the AlN micro-channels on the SiO2 sacrificial layer.

  20. Fabrication of nanoplate resonating structures via micro-masonry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bhaswara, A; Legrand, B; Mathieu, F; Nicu, L; Leichle, T; Keum, H; Rhee, S; Kim, S

    2014-01-01

    Advantages of using nanoscale membrane and plate resonators over more common cantilever shapes include higher quality factor (Q factor) for an equivalent mass and better suitability to mass sensing applications in fluid. Unfortunately, the current fabrication methods used to obtain such membranes and plates are limited in terms of materials and thickness range, and can potentially cause stiction. This study presents a new method to fabricate nanoplate resonating structures based on micro-masonry, which is the advanced form of the transfer printing technique. Nanoplate resonators were fabricated by transfer printing 0.34 µm thick square-shaped silicon plates by means of polydimethylsiloxane microtip stamps on top of silicon oxide base structures displaying 20 µm diameter cavities, followed by a thermal annealing step to create a rigid bond. Typical resulting suspended structures display vibration characteristics, i.e. a resonance frequency of a few MHz and Q factors above 10 in air at atmospheric pressure, which are in accordance with theory. Moreover, the presented fabrication method enables the realization of multiple suspended structures in a single step and on the same single base, without mechanical crosstalk between the resonators. This work thus demonstrates the suitability and the advantages of the micro-masonry technique for the fabrication of plate resonators for mass sensing purpose. (paper)

  1. The fabrication and characterization of organic light-emitting diodes using transparent single-crystal Si membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Su-Hwan; Kim, Dal-Ho; Kim, Ji-Heon; Lee, Gon-Sub; Park, Jea-Gun; Takeo, Katoh

    2009-01-01

    For applications such as solar cells and displays, transparent single-crystal Si membranes were fabricated on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer. The SOI wafer included a buried layer of SiO 2 and Si 3 N 4 as an etch-stop layer. The etch-stop layer enabled fabrication of transparent single-crystal Si membranes with various thicknesses, and the thinning technology is described. For membranes with thicknesses of 18, 72 and 5000 nm, the respective optical transparent were 96.9%, 93.7% and 9% for R (red, λ = 660 nm), 96.9%, 91.4% and 1% for G (green, λ = 525 nm), and 97.0%, 93.2% and 0% for B (blue, λ = 470 nm). Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) were then fabricated on transparent single-crystal Si membranes with various top Si thicknesses. OLEDs fabricated on 18, 72 and 5000 nm thick membranes and operated at 6 V demonstrated a luminance of 1350, 443 and 27 cd m -2 at the current densities of 148, 131 and 1.5 mA cm -2 , respectively.

  2. Electronic and atomic structure of the AlnHn+2 clusters

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Martinez, Jose Ignacio; Alonso, J.A.

    2008-01-01

    The electronic and atomic structure of the family of hydrogenated Al clusters AlnHn+2 with n=4-11 has been studied using the density functional theory with the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) for exchange and correlation. All these clusters have substantial gaps between the highest...... a polyhedron of n vertices and n H atoms form strong H-Al terminal bonds; one pair of electrons is involved in each of those bonds. The remaining n+1 electron pairs form a delocalized cloud over the surface of the Al cage. The clusters fulfilling the Wade-Mingos rule have wider HOMO-LUMO gaps...... and are chemically more stable. The trends in the gap have some reflections in the form of the photoabsorption spectra, calculated in the framework of time-dependent density functional theory using the GGA single-particle energies and orbitals and a local density approximation exchange-correlation kernel....

  3. Fabrication of thin cadmium cylinder coated with aluminum for neutron irradiation capsules

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takeyama, Tomonori; Chiba, Masaaki

    2001-03-01

    In order to fabricate the irradiation capsule screened thermal neutron, a thin cadmium cylinder coated with aluminum was developed. The capsule is used for the fast neutron irradiation test. Requested specification of the cylinder are the thickness of 5.5 mm, the inner diameter of 23 mm, the length of 750 mm and the coated thickness of aluminum of 0.75 mm. Moreover, cadmium and aluminum adhere to each other. The cylinder was developed and fabricated by means of casting. The a new vacuum chamber in which solving and casting work is possible was fabricated to prevent cadmium oxidation and work safely from poison of cadmium. (author)

  4. Nano-fabricated superconducting radio-frequency composites, method for producing nano-fabricated superconducting rf composites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Norem, James H.; Pellin, Michael J.

    2013-06-11

    Superconducting rf is limited by a wide range of failure mechanisms inherent in the typical manufacture methods. This invention provides a method for fabricating superconducting rf structures comprising coating the structures with single atomic-layer thick films of alternating chemical composition. Also provided is a cavity defining the invented laminate structure.

  5. The temperature dependence of the Young's modulus of MgSiN2, AlN and Si3N4

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bruls, R.J.; Hintzen, H.T.J.M.; With, de G.; Metselaar, R.

    2001-01-01

    The temperature dependence of the Young's modulus of MgSiN2 and AlN was measured between 293 and 973 K using the impulse excitation method and compared with literature data reported for Si3N4. The data could be fitted with . The values of the fitting parameters E0 and T0 are related to the Debye

  6. Development of a templated approach to fabricate diamond patterns on various substrates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shimoni, Olga; Cervenka, Jiri; Karle, Timothy J; Fox, Kate; Gibson, Brant C; Tomljenovic-Hanic, Snjezana; Greentree, Andrew D; Prawer, Steven

    2014-06-11

    We demonstrate a robust templated approach to pattern thin films of chemical vapor deposited nanocrystalline diamond grown from monodispersed nanodiamond (mdND) seeds. The method works on a range of substrates, and we herein demonstrate the method using silicon, aluminum nitride (AlN), and sapphire substrates. Patterns are defined using photo- and e-beam lithography, which are seeded with mdND colloids and subsequently introduced into microwave assisted chemical vapor deposition reactor to grow patterned nanocrystalline diamond films. In this study, we investigate various factors that affect the selective seeding of different substrates to create high quality diamond thin films, including mdND surface termination, zeta potential, surface treatment, and plasma cleaning. Although the electrostatic interaction between mdND colloids and substrates is the main process driving adherence, we found that chemical reaction (esterification) or hydrogen bonding can potentially dominate the seeding process. Leveraging the knowledge on these different interactions, we optimize fabrication protocols to eliminate unwanted diamond nucleation outside the patterned areas. Furthermore, we have achieved the deposition of patterned diamond films and arrays over a range of feature sizes. This study contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the mdND-substrate interaction that will enable the fabrication of integrated nanocrystalline diamond thin films for microelectronics, sensors, and tissue culturing applications.

  7. Low-loss microelectrodes fabricated using reverse-side exposure for a tunable ferroelectric capacitor application

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoon, Yong-Kyu; Stevenson Kenney, J.; Hunt, Andrew T.; Allen, Mark G.

    2006-02-01

    Narrowly spaced thick microelectrodes are fabricated using a self-aligned multiple reverse-side exposure scheme for an improved quality-factor tunable ferroelectric capacitor. The microelectrodes are fabricated on a functional substrate—a thin film ferroelectric (barium strontium titanate, BST; BaxSr1-xTiO3) coated sapphire substrate, which has an electric-field-dependent dielectric property providing tuning functionality, as well as UV transparency permitting an additional degree of freedom in photolithography steps. The microelectrode process has been applied to interdigitated capacitor fabrication, where a critical challenge is maintaining narrow gaps between electrodes for high tunability, while simultaneously forming thick electrodes to minimize conductor loss. A single mask, self-aligned reverse-side exposure through the transparent substrate achieves both these goals. A single-finger test capacitor with an electrode gap of 1.2 µm and an electrode thickness of 2.2 µm is fabricated and characterized. Tunability (T = 100 × (C0 - Cbias)/C0) of 33% at 10 V has been achieved at 100 kHz. The 2.2 µm thick structure shows improvement of Q-factor compared to that of a 0.1 µm thick structure. To demonstrate the scalability of this process, a 102-finger interdigitated capacitor is fabricated and characterized at 100 kHz and 1 GHz. The structure is embedded in a 25 µm thick epoxy resin SU-8 for passivation. A quality factor decrease of 15-25%, tunability decrease of 2-3% and capacitance increase of 6% are observed due to the expoxy resin after passivation. High frequency performance of the capacitor has been measured to be 15.9 pF of capacitance, 28.1% tunability at 10 V and a quality factor of 16 (at a 10 V dc bias) at 1 GHz.

  8. Progress in the fabrication of high aspect ratio zone plates by soft x-ray lithography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Divan, R.; Mancini, D. C.; Moldovan, N. A.; Lai, B.; Assoufid, L.; Leondard, Q.; Cerrina, F.

    2002-01-01

    Fabrication of Fresnel zone plates for the hard x-ray spectral region combines the challenge of high lateral resolution (∼100 nm) with a large thickness requirement for the phase-shifting material (0.5-3 (micro)m). For achieving a high resolution, the initial mask was fabricated by e-beam lithography and gold electroforming. To prevent the collapse of the structures between the developing and electroforming processes, drying was completely eliminated. Fabrication errors, such as nonuniform gold electroplating and collapse of structures, were systematically analyzed and largely eliminated. We optimized the exposure and developing processes for 950k and 2200k polymethylmethacrylate of different thicknesses and various adhesion promoters. We discuss the effects of these fabrication steps on the zone plate's resolution and aspect ratio. Fresnel zone plates with 110 nm outermost zone width, 150 (micro)m diameter, and 1.3 (micro)m gold thickness were fabricated. Preliminary evaluation of the FZPs was done by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The FZP focusing performance was characterized at the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory

  9. Design of Thermal Barrier Coatings Thickness for Gas Turbine Blade Based on Finite Element Analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Biao Li

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs are deposited on the turbine blade to reduce the temperature of underlying substrate, as well as providing protection against the oxidation and hot corrosion from high temperature gas. Optimal ceramic top-coat thickness distribution on the blade can improve the performance and efficiency of the coatings. Design of the coatings thickness is a multiobjective optimization problem due to the conflicts among objectives of high thermal insulation performance, long operation durability, and low fabrication cost. This work developed a procedure for designing the TBCs thickness distribution for the gas turbine blade. Three-dimensional finite element models were built and analyzed, and weighted-sum approach was employed to solve the multiobjective optimization problem herein. Suitable multiregion top-coat thickness distribution scheme was designed with the considerations of manufacturing accuracy, productivity, and fabrication cost.

  10. NERVA turbopump bearing retainer fabrication on nonmetallic retainer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Accinelli, J. B.

    1972-01-01

    The need for a low-wear, lightweight, high strength bearing retainer material with a radiation degradation threshold of 10 to the 9th power rads (C) prompted development of nonmetallic reinforced polymers of the following types: (1) polybenzimidazole, (2) polyimide, and (3) polyquinoxaline. Retainers were machined from tubular laminates (billets), including reinforcement by either glass or graphite fabric or filament. Fabrication of billets involves hot preimpregnation of the reinforcement fabric or filament with polymer followed by wrapping this prepreg over a heated mandrel to form a tube with the required thickness and length.

  11. Growth and characterization of a-axis oriented Cr-doped AlN films by DC magnetron sputtering

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Panda, Padmalochan; Ramaseshan, R., E-mail: seshan@igcar.gov.in; Dash, S. [Materials Science Group, IGCAR, Kalpakkam, 603102 (India); Krishna, Nanda Gopala [Corrosion Science and Technology Group, IGCAR, Kalpakkam, 603102 (India)

    2016-05-23

    Wurtzite type Cr-doped AlN thin films were grown on Si (100) substrates using DC reactive magnetron sputtering with a function of N{sub 2} concentration (15 to 25%). Evolution of crystal structure of these films was studied by GIXRD where a-axis preferred orientation was observed. The electronic binding energy and concentration of Cr in these films were estimated by X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS). We have observed indentation hardness (H{sub IT}) of around 28.2 GPa for a nitrogen concentration of 25%.

  12. Stoichiometric control for heteroepitaxial growth of smooth ɛ-Ga2O3 thin films on c-plane AlN templates by mist chemical vapor deposition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tahara, Daisuke; Nishinaka, Hiroyuki; Morimoto, Shota; Yoshimoto, Masahiro

    2017-07-01

    Epitaxial ɛ-Ga2O3 thin films with smooth surfaces were successfully grown on c-plane AlN templates by mist chemical vapor deposition. Using X-ray diffraction 2θ-ω and φ scans, the out-of-plane and in-plane epitaxial relationship was determined to be (0001) ɛ-Ga2O3 [10\\bar{1}0] ∥ (0001)AlN[10\\bar{1}0]. The gallium/oxygen ratio was controlled by varying the gallium precursor concentration in the solution. While scanning electron microscopy showed the presence of large grains on the surfaces of the films formed for low concentrations of oxygen species, no large grains were observed under stoichiometric conditions. Cathodoluminescence measurements showed a deep-level emission ranging from 1.55-3.7 eV; however, no band-edge emission was observed.

  13. High-quality AlGaN/GaN grown on sapphire by gas-source molecular beam epitaxy using a thin low-temperature AlN layer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jurkovic, M.J.; Li, L.K.; Turk, B.; Wang, W.I.; Syed, S.; Simonian, D.; Stormer, H.L.

    2000-07-01

    Growth of high-quality AlGaN/GaN heterostructures on sapphire by ammonia gas-source molecular beam epitaxy is reported. Incorporation of a thin AlN layer grown at low temperature within the GaN buffer is shown to result in enhanced electrical and structural characteristics for subsequently grown heterostructures. AlGaN/GaN structures exhibiting reduced background doping and enhanced Hall mobilities (2100, 10310 and 12200 cm{sup 2}/Vs with carrier sheet densities of 6.1 x 10{sup 12} cm{sup {minus}2}, and 5.8 x 10{sup 12} cm{sup {minus}2} at 300 K, 77 K, and 0.3 K, respectively) correlate with dislocation filtering in the thin AlN layer. Magnetotransport measurements at 0.3 K reveal well-resolved Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations starting at 3 T.

  14. Pilling Resistance of Knitted Fabrics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gita BUSILIENĖ

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available Knitted fabrics with different quantity of elastane, conspicuous by high viscosity and elasticity, having one of the most important performance properties - resistance to pilling are often used in the production of high quality sportswear. During technological process imitating operating conditions, the behaviour of knitted fabrics may be changed by different industrial softeners from 12 % to 20 % of active substance, for example fatty acid condensate (Tubingal 5051 or silicone micro emulsion (Tubingal SMF. The aim of this investigation is to define the influence of fibrous composition and chemical softeners to the propensity of fuzzing and pilling of plain and plated jersey pattern knitted fabrics. The results of investigations showed that fibrous composition and thickness of materials (up to 6 % and washing as well as softening (from 33 % to 67 % change the resistance of knitted fabrics to pilling.http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.17.3.597

  15. Fabrication of ion source components by electroforming

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schechter, D.E.; Sluss, F.

    1983-01-01

    Several components of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)/Magnetic Fusion Test Facility (MFTF-B) ion source have been fabricated utilizing an electroforming process. A procedure has been developed for enclosing coolant passages in copper components by electrodepositing a thick (greater than or equal to 0.75-mm) layer of copper (electroforming) over the top of grooves machined into the copper component base. Details of the procedure to fabricate acceleration grids and other ion source components are presented

  16. Characterization of a smartphone size haptic rendering system based on thin-film AlN actuators on glass substrates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bernard, F.; Casset, F.; Danel, J. S.; Chappaz, C.; Basrour, S.

    2016-08-01

    This paper presents for the first time the characterization of a smartphone-size haptic rendering system based on the friction modulation effect. According to previous work and finite element modeling, the homogeneous flexural modes are needed to get the haptic feedback effect. The device studied consists of a thin film AlN transducers deposited on an 110  ×  65 mm2 glass substrate. The transducer’s localization on the glass plate allows a transparent central area of 90  ×  49 mm2. Electrical and mechanical parameters of the system are extracted from measurement. From this extraction, the electrical impedance matching reduced the applied voltage to 17.5 V AC and the power consumption to 1.53 W at the resonance frequency of the vibrating system to reach the haptic rendering specification. Transient characterizations of the actuation highlight a delay under the dynamic tactile detection. The characterization of the AlN transducers used as sensors, including the noise rejection, the delay or the output charge amplitude allows detections with high accuracy of any variation due to external influences. Those specifications are the first step to a low-power-consumption feedback-looped system.

  17. Characterization of a smartphone size haptic rendering system based on thin-film AlN actuators on glass substrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bernard, F; Basrour, S; Casset, F; Danel, J S; Chappaz, C

    2016-01-01

    This paper presents for the first time the characterization of a smartphone-size haptic rendering system based on the friction modulation effect. According to previous work and finite element modeling, the homogeneous flexural modes are needed to get the haptic feedback effect. The device studied consists of a thin film AlN transducers deposited on an 110  ×  65 mm 2 glass substrate. The transducer’s localization on the glass plate allows a transparent central area of 90  ×  49 mm 2 . Electrical and mechanical parameters of the system are extracted from measurement. From this extraction, the electrical impedance matching reduced the applied voltage to 17.5 V AC and the power consumption to 1.53 W at the resonance frequency of the vibrating system to reach the haptic rendering specification. Transient characterizations of the actuation highlight a delay under the dynamic tactile detection. The characterization of the AlN transducers used as sensors, including the noise rejection, the delay or the output charge amplitude allows detections with high accuracy of any variation due to external influences. Those specifications are the first step to a low-power-consumption feedback-looped system. (paper)

  18. The fabrication techniques of Z-pinch targets. Techniques of fabricating self-adapted Z-pinch wire-arrays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qiu Longhui; Wei Yun; Liu Debin; Sun Zuoke; Yuan Yuping

    2002-01-01

    In order to fabricate wire arrays for use in the Z-pinch physical experiments, the fabrication techniques are investigated as follow: Thickness of about 1-1.5 μm of gold is electroplated on the surface of ultra-fine tungsten wires. Fibers of deuterated-polystyrene (DPS) with diameters from 30 to 100 microns are made from molten DPS. And two kinds of planar wire-arrays and four types of annular wire-arrays are designed, which are able to adapt to the variation of the distance between the cathode and anode inside the target chamber. Furthermore, wire-arrays with diameters form 5-24 μm are fabricated with tungsten wires, respectively. The on-site test shows that the wire-arrays can self-adapt to the distance changes perfectly

  19. Influence of Thickness on Ethanol Sensing Characteristics of Doctor-bladed Thick Film from Flame-made ZnO Nanoparticles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sukon Phanichphant

    2007-02-01

    Full Text Available ZnO nanoparticles were produced by flame spray pyrolysis (FSP using zincnaphthenate as a precursor dissolved in toluene/acetonitrile (80/20 vol%. The particleproperties were analyzed by XRD, BET, and HR-TEM. The sensing films were produced bymixing the particles into an organic paste composed of terpineol and ethyl cellulose as avehicle binder and were fabricated by doctor-blade technique with various thicknesses (5,10, 15 μm. The morphology of the sensing films was analyzed by SEM and EDS analyses.The gas sensing characteristics to ethanol (25-250 ppm were evaluated as a function of filmthickness at 400°C in dry air. The relationship between thickness and ethanol sensingcharacteristics of ZnO thick film on Al2O3 substrate interdigitated with Au electrodes wereinvestigated. The effects of film thickness, as well as the cracking phenomenon, though,many cracks were observed for thicker sensing films. Crack widths increased withincreasing film thickness. The film thickness, cracking and ethanol concentration havesignificant effect on the sensing characteristics. The sensing characteristics with variousthicknesses were compared, showing the tendency of the sensitivity to ethanol decreasedwith increasing film thickness and response time. The relationship between gas sensingproperties and film thickness was discussed on the basis of diffusively and reactivity of thegases inside the oxide films. The thinnest sensing film (5 μm showed the highest sensitivityand the fastest response time (within seconds.

  20. Top layer's thickness dependence on total electron-yield X-ray standing-wave

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ejima, Takeo; Yamazaki, Atsushi; Banse, Takanori; Hatano, Tadashi

    2005-01-01

    A Mo single-layer film with a stepwise thickness distribution was fabricated on the same Mo/Si reflection multilayer film. Total electron-yield X-ray standing-wave (TEY-XSW) spectra of the aperiodic multilayer were measured with reflection spectra. The peak positions of the standing waves in the TEY-XSW spectra changed as the film thickness of the top Mo-layer increased

  1. Ion implantation of Cd and Ag into AlN and GaN

    CERN Document Server

    Miranda, Sérgio M C; Correia, João Guilherme; Vianden, Reiner; Johnston, Karl; Alves, Eduardo; Lorenz, Katharina

    2012-01-01

    GaN and AlN thin films were implanted with cadmium (Cd) or silver (Ag), to fluences ranging from 1×1013 to 1.7 × 1015 at/cm$^{2}$. The implanted samples were annealed at 950 ºC under flowing nitrogen. While implantation damage could be fully removed for the lowest fluences, for higher fluences the crystal quality was only partially recovered. For the high fluence samples the lattice site location of the ions was studied by Rutherford Backscattering/ channelling (RBS/C). Cd ions are found to be incorporated in substitutional cation sites (Al or Ga) while Ag is slightly displaced from this position. To further investigate the incorporation sites, Perturbed Angular Correlation (PAC) measurements were performed and the electric field gradients at the site of the probe nuclei were determined.

  2. MEMS Accelerometer with Screen Printed Piezoelectric Thick Film

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hindrichsen, Christian Carstensen; Lau-Moeller, R.; Bove, T.

    2006-01-01

    A bulk-micromachined piezoelectric MEMS accelerometer with screen printed piezoelectric Pb(ZrxTil )O3(PZT) thick film (TF) as the sensing material has been fabricated and characterized. The accelerometer has a four beam structure with a central seismic mass (3600x3600x500 pm3) and a total chip size...

  3. Coverlayer fabrication for small form factor optical disks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Jong-Hwan; Lee, Seung-Won; Kim, Jin-Hong

    2004-09-01

    Two different coverlayers made of UV resin and coversheet were prepared for small form factor optical disks. Thin coverlayer of 10 mm and thick coverlayer of 80 mm were fabricated for flying optical head and non-flying optical head, respectively. Thickness uniformity was analyzed for both coverlayers, and new designs to diminish a ski-jump phenomenon were suggested. Mechanical properties of protective film made of UV resin were investigated.

  4. Pre-stressed piezoelectric bimorph micro-actuators based on machined 40 µm PZT thick films: batch scale fabrication and integration with MEMS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilson, S A; Jourdain, R P; Owens, S

    2010-01-01

    The projected force–displacement capability of piezoelectric ceramic films in the 20–50 µm thickness range suggests that they are well suited to many micro-fluidic and micro-pneumatic applications. Furthermore when they are configured as bending actuators and operated at ∼ 1 V µm −1 they do not necessarily conform to the high-voltage, very low-displacement piezoelectric stereotype. Even so they are rarely found today in commercial micro-electromechanical devices, such as micro-pumps and micro-valves, and the main barriers to making them much more widely available would appear to be processing incompatibilities rather than commercial desirability. In particular, the issues associated with integration of these devices into MEMS at the production level are highly significant and they have perhaps received less attention in the mainstream than they deserve. This paper describes a fabrication route based on ultra-precision ceramic machining and full-wafer bonding for cost-effective batch scale production of thick film PZT bimorph micro-actuators and their integration with MEMS. The resulting actuators are pre-stressed (ceramic in compression) which gives them added performance, they are true bimorphs with bi-directional capability and they exhibit full bulk piezoelectric ceramic properties. The devices are designed to integrate with ancillary systems components using transfer-bonding techniques. The work forms part of the European Framework 6 Project 'Q2M—Quality to Micro'

  5. Method of fabricating a uranium-bearing foil

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gooch, Jackie G [Seymour, TN; DeMint, Amy L [Kingston, TN

    2012-04-24

    Methods of fabricating a uranium-bearing foil are described. The foil may be substantially pure uranium, or may be a uranium alloy such as a uranium-molybdenum alloy. The method typically includes a series of hot rolling operations on a cast plate material to form a thin sheet. These hot rolling operations are typically performed using a process where each pass reduces the thickness of the plate by a substantially constant percentage. The sheet is typically then annealed and then cooled. The process typically concludes with a series of cold rolling passes where each pass reduces the thickness of the plate by a substantially constant thickness amount to form the foil.

  6. Thickness Dependent on Photocatalytic Activity of Hematite Thin Films

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yen-Hua Chen

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Hematite (Fe2O3 thin films with different thicknesses are fabricated by the rf magnetron sputtering deposition. The effects of film thicknesses on the photocatalytic activity of hematite films have been investigated. Hematite films possess a polycrystalline hexagonal structure, and the band gap decreases with an increase of film thickness. Moreover, all hematite films exhibit good photocatalytic ability under visible-light irradiation; the photocatalytic activity of hematite films increases with the increasing film thickness. This is because the hematite film with a thicker thickness has a rougher surface, providing more reaction sites for photocatalysis. Another reason is a lower band gap of a hematite film would generate more electron-hole pairs under visible-light illumination to enhance photocatalytic efficiency. Experimental data are well fitted with Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetic model. The photocatalytic rate constant of hematite films ranges from 0.052 to 0.068 min-1. This suggests that the hematite film is a superior photocatalyst under visible-light irradiation.

  7. Emission spectra from AlN and GaN doped with rare earth elements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Sung Woo; Emura, Shuichi; Kimura, Shigeya; Kim, Moo Seong; Zhou Yikai; Teraguchi, Nobuaki; Suzuki, Akira; Yanase, Akira; Asahi, Hajime

    2006-01-01

    Luminescent properties of GaN and AlN based semiconductors containing rare earth metals of Gd and Dy are studied. Cathodoluminescent spectra from AlGdN show a clear and sharp peak at 318 nm following LO phonon satellites. Photoluminescence spectra from GaDyN by the above-gap excitation also show several peaks in addition to the broad luminescence band emission. For GaGdN, the sharp PL peaks are also observed at 650 and 670 nm, and they are assigned to the intra-f orbital transitions by their time decay measurements. The broad band at around 365 nm for AlGdN, 505 nm for GaGdN and GaDyN are commonly observed. The origin of these broad bands is discussed

  8. Nanoindentation studies of ex situ AlN/Al metal matrix nanocomposites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fale, Sandeep; Likhite, Ajay; Bhatt, Jatin

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Formation of in-situ phases nucleated on AlN particles strengthens the matrix. • Formation of in-situ phases increases with AlN content in nanocomposites. • Stronger in-situ phases results in increased hardness and modulus of elasticity. - Abstract: Nanocrystalline Aluminium nitride (AlN) powder is dispersed in different weight ratio in Aluminum matrix to fabricate metal matrix nanocomposite (MMNC) using ex situ melt metallurgy process. The synthesized Al–AlN nanocomposites are studied for phase analysis using high resolution scanning electron microscopy (FEG-SEM) and for hardness behavior using microindentation and nanoindentation tests. Quantitative analysis of the oxide phases is calculated from thermodynamic data and mass balance equation using elemental data obtained from energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) results. Role of oxide phases in association with AlN particles is investigated to understand the mechanical behavior of composites using nanoindentation tester. Load–displacement profile obtained from nanoindentation test reveals distribution of oxide phases along with AlN particle and their effect on indent penetration

  9. Relationship between the Physical Properties and Hand of Jean Fabric

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kawamura Atsushi

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available We investigated the distinctive characteristics of jean fabrics (denim fabrics obtained from jeans and compared the physical properties and the hand. We used 13 kinds of jean fabric from commercial jeans and 26 other fabric types. The physical properties were measured using the Kawabata evaluation system, and the fabric hand was evaluated by 20 subjects using a semantic differential method. To characterise the hand of jean fabrics compared with other fabrics, we used principal component analysis and obtained three principal components. We found that jean fabrics were characterised by the second principal component, which was affected by feelings of thickness and weight. We further characterised the jean fabrics according to ‘softness & smoothness’ and ‘non-fullness’, depending on country of origin and type of manufacturer. The three principal components were analysed using multiple linear regression to characterise the components according to the physical properties. We explained the hand of fabrics including jean fabrics using its association with physical properties.

  10. Fabrication of PWR fuel assembly and CANDU fuel bundle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, G.S.; Suh, K.S.; Chang, H.I.; Chung, S.H.

    1980-01-01

    For the project of localization of nuclear fuel fabrication, the R and D to establish the fabrication technology of CANDU fuel bundle as well as PWR fuel assembly was carried out. The suitable boss height and the prober Beryllium coating thickness to get good brazing condition of appendage were studied in the fabrication process of CANDU fuel rod. Basic Studies on CANLUB coating method also were performed. Problems in each fabrication process step and process flow between steps were reviewed and modified. The welding conditions for top and bottom nozzles, guide tube, seal and thimble screw pin were established in the fabrication processes of PWR fuel assembly. Additionally, some researches for a part of PWR grid brazing problems are also carried out

  11. Mechanical Properties of Additively Manufactured Thick Honeycombs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Reza Hedayati

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Honeycombs resemble the structure of a number of natural and biological materials such as cancellous bone, wood, and cork. Thick honeycomb could be also used for energy absorption applications. Moreover, studying the mechanical behavior of honeycombs under in-plane loading could help understanding the mechanical behavior of more complex 3D tessellated structures such as porous biomaterials. In this paper, we study the mechanical behavior of thick honeycombs made using additive manufacturing techniques that allow for fabrication of honeycombs with arbitrary and precisely controlled thickness. Thick honeycombs with different wall thicknesses were produced from polylactic acid (PLA using fused deposition modelling, i.e., an additive manufacturing technique. The samples were mechanically tested in-plane under compression to determine their mechanical properties. We also obtained exact analytical solutions for the stiffness matrix of thick hexagonal honeycombs using both Euler-Bernoulli and Timoshenko beam theories. The stiffness matrix was then used to derive analytical relationships that describe the elastic modulus, yield stress, and Poisson’s ratio of thick honeycombs. Finite element models were also built for computational analysis of the mechanical behavior of thick honeycombs under compression. The mechanical properties obtained using our analytical relationships were compared with experimental observations and computational results as well as with analytical solutions available in the literature. It was found that the analytical solutions presented here are in good agreement with experimental and computational results even for very thick honeycombs, whereas the analytical solutions available in the literature show a large deviation from experimental observation, computational results, and our analytical solutions.

  12. Effect of Ga2O3 addition on the properties of Y2O3-doped AlN ceramics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shin H.

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Effect Ga2O3 addition on the densification and properties of Y2O3-doped AlN ceramics was investigated under the constraint of total sintering additives (Y2O3 and Ga2O3 of 4.5 wt%. Ga was detected in the AlN grain as well as the grain boundary phases. YAlO3 and Y4Al2O9 were observed as the secondary crystalline phases in all of the investigated compositions. As the substitution of Ga2O3 for Y2O3 increased, the quantity of the Y4Al2O9 phase decreased while that of YAlO3 was more or less similar. Neither additional secondary phases was identified, nor was the sinterability inhibited by the Ga2O3 addition; the linear shrinkage and apparent density were above 20 percent and 3.34-3.37 g/cm3, respectively. However, the optical reflectance and the elastic modulus generally decreased whereas the Poisson ratio increased significantly. The dielectric constant and the loss tangent of 4.0Y2O3-0.5Ga2O3-95.5Y2O3 at the resonant frequency of 8.22 GHz were 8.63 and 0.003, respectively.

  13. Characterization of Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting MEMS

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-12-01

    of previously fabricated MEMS piezoelectric energy harvesters and use the results to optimize an advanced finite element model to be used in...possibilities of using solar power and the piezoelectric effect to harvest energy [12]. The design goal was to develop an energy harvester with a resonant... The piezoelectric properties of AlN are also relatively constant over a wide range of temperatures [7]. AlN was further characterized

  14. CMOS-compatible ruggedized high-temperature Lamb wave pressure sensor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kropelnicki, P; Mu, X J; Randles, A B; Cai, H; Ang, W C; Tsai, J M; Muckensturm, K-M; Vogt, H

    2013-01-01

    This paper describes the development of a novel ruggedized high-temperature pressure sensor operating in lateral field exited (LFE) Lamb wave mode. The comb-like structure electrodes on top of aluminum nitride (AlN) were used to generate the wave. A membrane was fabricated on SOI wafer with a 10 µm thick device layer. The sensor chip was mounted on a pressure test package and pressure was applied to the backside of the membrane, with a range of 20–100 psi. The temperature coefficient of frequency (TCF) was experimentally measured in the temperature range of −50 °C to 300 °C. By using the modified Butterworth–van Dyke model, coupling coefficients and quality factor were extracted. Temperature-dependent Young's modulus of composite structure was determined using resonance frequency and sensor interdigital transducer (IDT) wavelength which is mainly dominated by an AlN layer. Absolute sensor phase noise was measured at resonance to estimate the sensor pressure and temperature sensitivity. This paper demonstrates an AlN-based pressure sensor which can operate in harsh environment such as oil and gas exploration, automobile and aeronautic applications. (paper)

  15. Polymer microlens replication by Nanoimprint Lithography using proton beam fabricated Ni stamp

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dutta, R.K.; Kan, J.A. van; Bettiol, A.A.; Watt, F.

    2007-01-01

    It is essential to have a simplified and a rapid method for fabricating micro/nano structures in different kinds of polymeric materials. Though it is possible to fabricate arrays of microlens directly by P beam writing (PBW), it is restricted to a few types of resist materials. Therefore we have fabricated a Ni electroplated metallic stamp comprising of arrays of inverse/negative features of microlenses. The metallic stamp of about 500 μm thick is made on a silicon wafer coated with 10 μm thick polymethylglutarimide (PMGI) resist and the desired structures are written by PBW followed by thermal reflow and Ni electroplating. An array of microlenses is imprinted on a polycarbonate (PC) substrate by the Nanoimprint Lithography (NIL) technique and the replicated microlenses featuring various numerical apertures, diameters and pitches are characterized

  16. 3D bioprinting for vascularized tissue fabrication

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richards, Dylan; Jia, Jia; Yost, Michael; Markwald, Roger; Mei, Ying

    2016-01-01

    3D bioprinting holds remarkable promise for rapid fabrication of 3D tissue engineering constructs. Given its scalability, reproducibility, and precise multi-dimensional control that traditional fabrication methods do not provide, 3D bioprinting provides a powerful means to address one of the major challenges in tissue engineering: vascularization. Moderate success of current tissue engineering strategies have been attributed to the current inability to fabricate thick tissue engineering constructs that contain endogenous, engineered vasculature or nutrient channels that can integrate with the host tissue. Successful fabrication of a vascularized tissue construct requires synergy between high throughput, high-resolution bioprinting of larger perfusable channels and instructive bioink that promotes angiogenic sprouting and neovascularization. This review aims to cover the recent progress in the field of 3D bioprinting of vascularized tissues. It will cover the methods of bioprinting vascularized constructs, bioink for vascularization, and perspectives on recent innovations in 3D printing and biomaterials for the next generation of 3D bioprinting for vascularized tissue fabrication. PMID:27230253

  17. State of the art in thin film thickness and deposition rate monitoring sensors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Buzea, Cristina; Robbie, Kevin

    2005-01-01

    In situ monitoring parameters are indispensable for thin film fabrication. Among them, thickness and deposition rate control are often the most important in achieving the reproducibility necessary for technological exploitation of physical phenomena dependent on film microstructure. This review describes the types of thickness and deposition rate sensors and their theoretical and phenomenological background, underlining their performances, as well as advantages and disadvantages

  18. Triaxial MEMS accelerometer with screen printed PZT thick film

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hindrichsen, Christian Carstensen; Almind, Ninia Sejersen; Brodersen, Simon Hedegaard

    2010-01-01

    . In this work integration of a screen printed piezoelectric PZT thick film with silicon MEMS technology is shown. A high bandwidth triaxial accelerometer has been designed, fabricated and characterized. The voltage sensitivity is 0.31 mV/g in the vertical direction, 0.062 mV/g in the horizontal direction...

  19. Structural and electrical characteristics of high-k/metal gate metal oxide semiconductor capacitors fabricated on flexible, semi-transparent silicon (100) fabric

    KAUST Repository

    Rojas, Jhonathan Prieto

    2013-02-12

    In pursuit of flexible computers with high performance devices, we demonstrate a generic process to fabricate 10 000 metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors (MOSCAPs) with semiconductor industry\\'s most advanced high-k/metal gate stacks on widely used, inexpensive bulk silicon (100) wafers and then using a combination of iso-/anisotropic etching to release the top portion of the silicon with the already fabricated devices as a mechanically flexible (bending curvature of 133 m−1), optically semi-transparent silicon fabric (1.5 cm × 3 cm × 25 μm). The electrical characteristics show 3.7 nm effective oxide thickness, −0.2 V flat band voltage, and no hysteresis from the fabricated MOSCAPs.

  20. Structural and electrical characteristics of high-k/metal gate metal oxide semiconductor capacitors fabricated on flexible, semi-transparent silicon (100) fabric

    KAUST Repository

    Rojas, Jhonathan Prieto; Hussain, Muhammad Mustafa; Sevilla, Galo T.

    2013-01-01

    In pursuit of flexible computers with high performance devices, we demonstrate a generic process to fabricate 10 000 metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors (MOSCAPs) with semiconductor industry's most advanced high-k/metal gate stacks on widely used, inexpensive bulk silicon (100) wafers and then using a combination of iso-/anisotropic etching to release the top portion of the silicon with the already fabricated devices as a mechanically flexible (bending curvature of 133 m−1), optically semi-transparent silicon fabric (1.5 cm × 3 cm × 25 μm). The electrical characteristics show 3.7 nm effective oxide thickness, −0.2 V flat band voltage, and no hysteresis from the fabricated MOSCAPs.

  1. Mono-domain YBa2Cu3Oy superconductor fabrics prepared by an infiltration process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sudhakar Reddy, E.; Noudem, J.G.; Tarka, M.; Schmitz, G.J.

    2000-01-01

    A novel process for the fabrication of a new form of YBa 2 Cu 3 O y (123) superconducting material, with the dimensions of a thick film and the microstructure of a melt-textured single-domain bulk is described. The process allows the fabrication of 123 as a self-supporting fabric or as a thick film on various substrate materials. The process, which is generic and economical, uses commercially available Y 2 O 3 fabrics as a precursor material. The Y 2 O 3 cloth is infiltrated with barium cuprates and copper oxides from a liquid-phase source, then converted into Y 2 BaCuO 5 (211) phase and eventually to 123. The nucleation and growth of the 123 phase is controlled by seeding the cloth with an oriented heterogeneous MgO or Nd123 seed. Interesting application areas for the new form of the 123 mono-domain fabric are discussed. (author)

  2. Printing-based fabrication method using sacrificial paper substrates for flexible and wearable microfluidic devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chung, Daehan; Gray, Bonnie L

    2017-01-01

    We present a simple, fast, and inexpensive new printing-based fabrication process for flexible and wearable microfluidic channels and devices. Microfluidic devices are fabricated on textiles (fabric) for applications in clothing-based wearable microfluidic sensors and systems. The wearable and flexible microfluidic devices are comprised of water-insoluable screen-printable plastisol polymer. Sheets of paper are used as sacrificial substrates for multiple layers of polymer on the fabric’s surface. Microfluidic devices can be made within a short time using simple processes and inexpensive equipment that includes a laser cutter and a thermal laminator. The fabrication process is characterized to demonstrate control of microfluidic channel thickness and width. Film thickness smaller than 100 micrometers and lateral dimensions smaller than 150 micrometers are demonstrated. A flexible microfluidic mixer is also developed on fabric and successfully tested on both flat and curved surfaces at volumetric flow rates ranging from 5.5–46 ml min −1 . (paper)

  3. Printing-based fabrication method using sacrificial paper substrates for flexible and wearable microfluidic devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chung, Daehan; Gray, Bonnie L.

    2017-11-01

    We present a simple, fast, and inexpensive new printing-based fabrication process for flexible and wearable microfluidic channels and devices. Microfluidic devices are fabricated on textiles (fabric) for applications in clothing-based wearable microfluidic sensors and systems. The wearable and flexible microfluidic devices are comprised of water-insoluable screen-printable plastisol polymer. Sheets of paper are used as sacrificial substrates for multiple layers of polymer on the fabric’s surface. Microfluidic devices can be made within a short time using simple processes and inexpensive equipment that includes a laser cutter and a thermal laminator. The fabrication process is characterized to demonstrate control of microfluidic channel thickness and width. Film thickness smaller than 100 micrometers and lateral dimensions smaller than 150 micrometers are demonstrated. A flexible microfluidic mixer is also developed on fabric and successfully tested on both flat and curved surfaces at volumetric flow rates ranging from 5.5-46 ml min-1.

  4. First-principles investigation of CO adsorption on pristine, C-doped and N-vacancy defected hexagonal AlN nanosheets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ouyang, Tianhong; Qian, Zhao; Ahuja, Rajeev; Liu, Xiangfa

    2018-05-01

    The optimized atomic structures, energetics and electronic structures of toxic gas CO adsorption systems on pristine, C-doped and N-vacancy defected h-AlN nanosheets respectively have been investigated using Density functional theory (DFT-D2 method) to explore their potential gas detection or sensing capabilities. It is found that both the C-doping and the N-vacancy defect improve the CO adsorption energies of AlN nanosheet (from pure -3.847 eV to -5.192 eV and -4.959 eV). The absolute value of the system band gap change induced by adsorption of CO can be scaled up to 2.558 eV or 1.296 eV after C-doping or N-vacancy design respectively, which is evidently larger than the value of 0.350 eV for pristine material and will benefit the robustness of electronic signals in potential gas detection. Charge transfer mechanisms between CO and the AlN nanosheet have been presented by the Bader charge and differential charge density analysis to explore the deep origin of the underlying electronic structure changes. This theoretical study is proposed to predict and understand the CO adsorption properties of the pristine and defected h-AlN nanosheets and would help to guide experimentalists to develop better AlN-based two-dimensional materials for efficient gas detection or sensing applications in the future.

  5. Material engineering to fabricate rare earth erbium thin films for exploring nuclear energy sources

    Science.gov (United States)

    Banerjee, A.; Abhilash, S. R.; Umapathy, G. R.; Kabiraj, D.; Ojha, S.; Mandal, S.

    2018-04-01

    High vacuum evaporation and cold-rolling techniques to fabricate thin films of the rare earth lanthanide-erbium have been discussed in this communication. Cold rolling has been used for the first time to successfully fabricate films of enriched and highly expensive erbium metal with areal density in the range of 0.5-1.0 mg/cm2. The fabricated films were used as target materials in an advanced nuclear physics experiment. The experiment was designed to investigate isomeric states in the heavy nuclei mass region for exploring physics related to nuclear energy sources. The films fabricated using different techniques varied in thickness as well as purity. Methods to fabricate films with thickness of the order of 0.9 mg/cm2 were different than those of 0.4 mg/cm2 areal density. All the thin films were characterized using multiple advanced techniques to accurately ascertain levels of contamination as well as to determine their exact surface density. Detailed fabrication methods as well as characterization techniques have been discussed.

  6. Fabrication of tunnel junction-based molecular electronics and spintronics devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tyagi, Pawan

    2012-01-01

    Tunnel junction-based molecular devices (TJMDs) are highly promising for realizing futuristic electronics and spintronics devices for advanced logic and memory operations. Under this approach, ∼2.5 nm molecular device elements bridge across the ∼2-nm thick insulator of a tunnel junction along the exposed side edge(s). This paper details the efforts and insights for producing a variety of TJMDs by resolving multiple device fabrication and characterization issues. This study specifically discusses (i) compatibility between tunnel junction test bed and molecular solutions, (ii) optimization of the exposed side edge profile and insulator thickness for enhancing the probability of molecular bridging, (iii) effect of fabrication process-induced mechanical stresses, and (iv) minimizing electrical bias-induced instability after the device fabrication. This research will benefit other researchers interested in producing TJMDs efficiently. TJMD approach offers an open platform to test virtually any combination of magnetic and nonmagnetic electrodes, and promising molecules such as single molecular magnets, porphyrin, DNA, and molecular complexes.

  7. Top-down fabrication of vertical silicon nano-rings based on Poisson diffraction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ai Yujie; Huang Ru; Hao Zhihua; Wang Runsheng; Liu Changze; Fan Chunhui; Wang Yangyuan

    2011-01-01

    Vertical Si nano-rings with a uniform thickness of about 100 nm have been fabricated by conventional optical photolithography with a low cost based on Poisson diffraction. Moreover, the roughness of the Si nano-rings can be effectively reduced by sacrificial oxidation. In order to increase the density of the nano-rings, coaxial twin Si nano-rings have been fabricated by the Poisson diffraction method combined with the spacer technique. The thickness of both the inner and outer Si nano-rings is about 60 nm, and the gap between the twin nano-rings is about 100 nm.

  8. Low-cost fabrication of thin-walled solid electrolyte tubes from doctor-bladed ceramic tape

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dirstine, R T

    1979-01-01

    Sodium ..beta..-Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ tubes having wall thicknesses of typically 0.4 mm were fabricated from doctor-bladed (cast) ceramic tape by use of proprietary organic slip compositions and zeta-processed, lithia-stabilized alumina power. The ceramic tubes fabricated from cast tape had low porosity, low resistivity (approx. 4 ohm-cm at 300/sup 0/C), and good mechanical strength. Alternative fabrication techniques for manufacture of tubes from tape were evaluated, and the primary processing requirements/obstacls were identified. Closed-end tubes, nominally 10 mm outer diameter, 60 mm in length, and with a wall thickness of 0.3 mm, were supplied to the Department of Energy. 26 figures, 10 tables.

  9. The relationship between the hardness and the point-defect-density in neutron-irradiated MgO·3.0Al2O3 and AlN

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suematsu, H.; Yatsui, K.; Yano, T.

    2001-01-01

    MgO·3.0Al 2 O 3 single crystals and sintered AlN polycrystals were irradiated with fast neutrons in various conditions and the hardness of the irradiated and unirradiated samples was measured with a Vickers hardness tester. The hardness of as-irradiated MgO·3.0Al 2 O 3 and AlN samples increased by 23 and 51%, respectively. After isochronal annealing, the hardness gradually decreased and mostly recovered to that of the unirradiated one up to 1400degC. Volume of the sample also increased after the irradiation and changed in the same way as the hardness by annealing. A relationship between the hardness and the density of point defects is proposed and the experimental results agree with the relationship. It implies that the point defects generated by the irradiation pin down dislocations and increase the hardness of neutron irradiated MgO·3.0Al 2 O 3 samples. (author)

  10. Soft liquid phase adsorption for fabrication of organic semiconductor films on wettability patterned surfaces.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watanabe, Satoshi; Akiyoshi, Yuri; Matsumoto, Mutsuyoshi

    2014-01-01

    We report a soft liquid-phase adsorption (SLPA) technique for the fabrication of organic semiconductor films on wettability-patterned substrates using toluene/water emulsions. Wettability-patterned substrates were obtained by the UV-ozone treatment of self-assembled monolayers of silane coupling agents on glass plates using a metal mask. Organic semiconductor polymer films were formed selectively on the hydrophobic part of the wettability-patterned substrates. The thickness of the films fabricated by the SLPA technique is significantly larger than that of the films fabricated by dip-coating and spin-coating techniques. The film thickness can be controlled by adjusting the volume ratio of toluene to water, immersion angle, immersion temperature, and immersion time. The SLPA technique allows for the direct production of organic semiconductor films on wettability-patterned substrates with minimized material consumption and reduced number of fabrication steps.

  11. Sandia National Laboratories: Fabrication, Testing and Validation

    Science.gov (United States)

    digital and analog elements. * Cadence Process-Design Kit. Structured ASIC Sandia National Laboratories demonstrate complex multilevel devices such as micro-mass-analysis systems up to 25 microns thick and novel possible to fabricate a wide very large variety of useful devices. Micro-Mass-Analysis Systems Applications

  12. Synthesis of AlN fine particles by surface corona discharge-CVD; Enmen corona hoden CVD ni yoru AlN biryushi no gosei

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

    1994-09-15

    With an objective to improve insulating and heat dissipating substrates substituting for the conventional alumina substrates, discussions been given on synthesis of AlN fine particles by means of gaseous phase reaction between AlCl3 and NH3 using surface corona discharge as a reaction exciting source. AIN particles should be highly pure to acquire high-heat conductivity, and fine and uniform particles to obtain dense sinters at low temperatures. The particles obtained by using the present method were amorphous particles having nearly spherical form and smooth surface. The particle diameter depends on the initial concentration of AlCl3, and is proportional to 0.4 square of the concentration. Within the range in the present experiment, the diameters ranged from 208 nm to 431 nm. The particle diameter increased in proportion to 0.2 square of an average gas stagnating time within the plasma generating region. The particle size distribution consisted of highly uniform fine particles having the standard deviation at about the same degree as that in the conventional thermal CVD process. The alumina-based oxygen was removed completely by reduction due to graphite powder, but the re-oxidation during removal of the remaining graphite using combustion had oxygen remained at 7.4% by weight. 16 refs., 7 figs.

  13. Metallic and/or oxygen ion implantation into AlN ceramics as a method of preparation for its direct bonding with copper

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barlak, M.; Borkowska, K.; Olesinska, W.; Kalinski, D.; Piekoszewski, J.; Werner, Z.; Jagielski, J.; Sartowska, B.

    2006-01-01

    Direct bonding (DB) process is recently getting an increasing interest as a method for producing high quality joints between aluminum nitride (AlN) ceramics and copper. The metallic ions were implanted using an MEVVA type TITAN implanter with unseparated beam. Oxygen ions were implanted using a semi-industrial ion implanter without mass separation equipped with a gaseous ion source. The substrate temperature did not exceed 200 o C. Ions were implanted at two acceleration voltages, i.e. 15 and 70 kV. The fluence range was between 1·E16 and 1·E18 cm -2 . After implantation, some of the samples were characterized by the Rutherford backscattering (RBS) method. In conclusion: (a) The investigations performed in the present work confirm an assumption that ion implantation is a very promising technique as a pretreatment of AlN ceramics for the formation of the joints with copper in direct bonding process. (b) It has been shown that titanium implantation gives the best results in comparison to other metals examined (Fe, Cr, Cu) but also in comparison to double Ti+O and O+Ti implantations

  14. An investigation into the relationship between thickness variations and manufacturing techniques of mouthguards.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farrington, Timothy; Coward, Trevor; Onambele-Pearson, Gladys; Taylor, Rebecca L; Earl, Philip; Winwood, Keith

    2016-02-01

    The aim of this study was to measure the finished thickness of a single identical 4-mm EVA mouthguard model from a large fabricated sample group and to evaluate the degree of material thinning and variations during the fabrication process. Twenty boxes were distributed to dental technician participants, each containing five duplicated dental models (n = 100), alongside 5 × 4 mm mouthguard blanks and a questionnaire. The mouthguards were measured using electronic callipers (resolution: ±0.01 mm) at three specific points. The five thickest and thinnest mouthguards were examined using a CT scanner to describe the surface typography unique to each mouthguard, highlighting dimensional thinning patterns during the fabrication process. Of the three measurement points, the anterior sulcus point of the mouthguard showed a significant degree of variation (up to 34% coefficient of variation), in finished mouthguard thickness between individuals. The mean thickness of the mouthguards in the anterior region was 1.62 ± 0.38 mm with a range of 0.77-2.80 mm. This variation was also evident in the occlusion and posterior lingual regions but to a lesser extent (up to 12.2% and 9.8% variations, respectively). This study highlights variability in the finished thickness of the mouthguards especially in the anterior sulcus region measurement point, both within and between individuals. At the anterior region measurement point of the mouthguard, the mean thickness was 1.62 mm, equating to an overall material thinning of 59.5% when using a single 4-mm EVA blank. This degree of thinning is comparative to previous single operator research studies. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  15. Analysis of the acoustoelectric behavior of microwave frequency, temperature-compensated AlN-based multilayer coupling configurations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Caliendo, Cinzia

    2008-01-01

    Piezoelectric AlN films, 1.3-6.2 μm thick, have been grown on bare and metallized Al 2 O 3 (0001) substrates by reactive radio-frequency-sputtering technique at 180 deg. C. The films were uniform, stress-free, highly c-axis oriented normal to the surface, and extremely adhesive to the substrates. Surface acoustic wave (SAW) delay lines, showing harmonic modes with operating frequencies up to about 2.44 GHz, were obtained just using conventional optical lithography at 7.5 μm linewidth resolution. Four interdigital transducer (IDT)/counter electrode configurations were obtained locating the IDTs either on the AlN free surface or at the Al 2 O 3 /AlN interface, with and without an Al thin metal film opposite the IDTs. The temperature induced shift of the fundamental and harmonic operating frequencies of the four configurations was measured at different temperatures in the range from -25 to 70 deg. C. The first order temperature coefficient of delay (TCD) of the four structures was experimentally evaluated for different film thickness values and for SAWs propagating along and normal the Al 2 O 3 a-axis. Eight AlN thicknesses, i.e., the temperature-compensated points (TCPs), were experimentally estimated at which the TCD is equal to 0 ppm/deg. C. These TCPs were found to be in good agreement with those theoretically evaluated. The SAW propagation along the four coupling structures was investigated in terms of phase and group velocity, electromechanical coupling coefficient, electrical potential, and IDT capacitance and radiation resistance for different film thickness values and SAW propagation directions. The numerical simulation of the mechanical and electrical behaviors of the coupling structures showed how the electroacoustic transduction efficiency, the IDT directivity, and bandwidth can benefit from having different electrical boundary conditions. The obtained results confirm the AlN feasibility to the implementation of SAW devices for application to gigahertz

  16. Nonradiative recombination in GaN quantum dots formed in the AlN matrix

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aleksandrov, I. A.; Zhuravlev, K. S.; Mansurov, V. G.

    2009-01-01

    The mechanisms of temperature quenching of steady-state photoluminescence are studied for structures with hexagonal GaN quantum dots embedded in the AlN matrix. The structures are grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The study is conducted for structures with differently sized quantum dots, for which the peak of the photoluminescence band is in the range from 2.5 to 4.0 eV. It is found that the activation energy of thermal quenching of photoluminescence varies from 27 to 110 meV, as the quantum-dot height is decreased from 5 to 2 nm. A model is suggested to interpret the results. According to the model, the photo-luminescence signal is quenched because of the transfer of charge carriers from energy levels in the quantum dots to defect levels in the matrix.

  17. A low-cost photovoltaic cell process based on thick film techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mardesich, N.; Pepe, A.; Bunyan, S.; Edwards, B.; Olson, C.

    1980-01-01

    The low-cost, easily automated processing for solar cell fabrication being developed at Spectrolab for the DOE LSA program is described. These processes include plasma-etching, spray-on diffusion sources and antireflective coating, thick film metallization, aluminum back contacts, laser scribing and ultrasonic soldering. The process sequence has been shown to produce solar cells having 15% conversion efficiency at AM1 which meet the cell fabrication budget required for the DOE 1986 cost goal of $0.70 per peak watt in 1980.

  18. Piezoresistive silicon nanowire resonators as embedded building blocks in thick SOI

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nasr Esfahani, Mohammad; Kilinc, Yasin; Çagatay Karakan, M.; Orhan, Ezgi; Hanay, M. Selim; Leblebici, Yusuf; Erdem Alaca, B.

    2018-04-01

    The use of silicon nanowire resonators in nanoelectromechanical systems for new-generation sensing and communication devices faces integration challenges with higher-order structures. Monolithic and deterministic integration of such nanowires with the surrounding microscale architecture within the same thick crystal is a critical aspect for the improvement of throughput, reliability and device functionality. A monolithic and IC-compatible technology based on a tuned combination of etching and protection processes was recently introduced yielding silicon nanowires within a 10 μ m-thick device layer. Motivated by its success, the implications of the technology regarding the electromechanical resonance are studied within a particular setting, where the resonator is co-fabricated with all terminals and tuning electrodes. Frequency response is measured via piezoresistive readout with frequency down-mixing. Measurements indicate mechanical resonance with frequencies as high as 100 MHz exhibiting a Lorentzian behavior with proper transition to nonlinearity, while Allan deviation on the order of 3-8 ppm is achieved. Enabling the fabrication of silicon nanowires in thick silicon crystals using conventional semiconductor manufacturing, the present study thus demonstrates an alternative pathway to bottom-up and thin silicon-on-insulator approaches for silicon nanowire resonators.

  19. On fabrication procedures of Li-ion conducting garnets

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hanc, Emil [The Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. Wybickiego 7, 31-261 Kraków (Poland); Zając, Wojciech, E-mail: wojciech.zajac@agh.edu.pl [AGH University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Energy and Fuels, al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Kraków (Poland); Lu, Li; Yan, Binggong; Kotobuki, Masashi [Materials Science Group, Department of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore (Singapore); Ziąbka, Magdalena [AGH University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Materials Science and Ceramics, al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Kraków (Poland); Molenda, Janina [AGH University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Energy and Fuels, al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Kraków (Poland)

    2017-04-15

    Ceramic oxides exhibiting high lithium-ion mobility at room temperature receive broad attention as candidate electrolytes for lithium batteries. Lithium-stuffed garnets from the Li{sub 7}La{sub 3}Zr{sub 2}O{sub 12} group seem to be especially promising because of their high ionic conductivity at room temperature and their electrochemical stability. In this work, we discuss factors that affect formation of the garnet in its bulk form or in the form of thick and thin films. We demonstrate that zinc oxide can be applied as a sintering aid that facilitate the formation of the highly conducting cubic Li{sub 7}La{sub 3}Zr{sub 2}O{sub 12} garnet phase in a single-step sintering procedure. Based on our experience with the single-step sintering experiments, we successfully fabricated a thick-film membrane consisting of a garnet solid electrolyte using the tape casting technique. In order to reduce the thickness of the electrolyte even further we investigated the fabrication of a thin-film Li{sub 7}La{sub 3}Zr{sub 2}O{sub 12} electrolyte by means of the pulsed laser deposition technique.

  20. Investigation of top electrode for PZT thick films based MEMS sensors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hindrichsen, Christian Carstensen; Pedersen, Thomas; Kristiansen, Paw T.

    2010-01-01

    In this work processing of screen printed piezoelectric PZT thick films on silicon substrates is investigated for use in future MEMS devices. E-beam evaporated Al and Pt are patterned on PZT as a top electrode using a lift-off process with a line width down to 3 mu m. Three test structures are used...... to investigate the optimal thickness of the top electrode, the degradation of the piezoelectric properties of the PZT film in absence of a diffusion barrier layer and finally how to fabricate electrical interconnects down the edge of the PZT thick film. The roughness of the PZT is found to have a strong...... influence on the conductance of the top electrode influencing the optimal top electrode thickness. A 100 nm thick top electrode on the PZT thick film with a surface roughness of 273 nm has a 4.5 times higher resistance compared to a similar wire on a planar SiO2 surface which has a surface roughness of less...

  1. Drop and recovery of thermal conductivity of AlN upon UV irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    AlShaikhi, A; Srivastava, G P

    2007-01-01

    We have performed calculations of the room-temperature thermal conductivity of oxygen contaminated aluminium nitride (AlN) by employing the Callaway model with a detailed account of three-phonon scattering processes. The role of Al vacancy and O substitution of N has been examined in the form of extended defects (clusters) and point defects. Our work provides support for the theoretical model proposed by Harris et al. [Phys. Rev. B. 47, 5428 (1993)] to explain the experimentally observed drop in the conductivity upon UV irradiation and its recovery upon UV removal and subsequent illumination of the sample with visible light at room temperature. With the reported oxygen concentration in the sample, the scattering of phonons from oxygen-related extended defects is found to be ineffective. Within the picture presented by Harris et al., the point impurity scattering parameter increases by around 17% upon UV irradiation of the sample at room temperature

  2. Characteristics of Fabricated SiC Neutron Detectors for Neutron Flux Monitoring

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Han Soo; Ha, Jang Ho; Park, Se Hwan; Lee, Kyu Hong [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Cheol Ho [Hanyang University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2011-05-15

    An SPND (Self-powered Neutron Detector) is commonly used for neutron detection in NPP (Nuclear Power Plant) by virtue of un-reactivity for gamma-rays. But it has a drawback, which is that it cannot detect neutrons in real time due to beta emissions (about > 48 s) after reactions between neutrons and {sup 103}Rh in an SPND. And Generation IV reactors such as MSR (Molten-salt reactor), SFR (Sodium-cooled fast reactor), and GFR (Gas-cooled fast reactor) are designed to compact size and integration type. For GEN IV reactor, neutron monitor also must be compact-sized to apply such reactor easily and much more reliable. The wide band-gap semiconductors such as SiC, AlN, and diamond make them an attractive alternative in applications in harsh environments by virtue of the lower operating voltage, faster charge-collection times compared with gas-filled detectors, and compact size.1) In this study, two PIN-type SiC semiconductor neutron detectors, which are for fast neutron detection by elastic and inelastic scattering SiC atoms and for thermal neutron detection by charged particle emissions of 6LiF reaction, were designed and fabricated for NPP-related applications. Preliminary tests such as I-V and alpha response were performed and neutron responses at ENF in HANARO research reactor were also addressed. The application feasibility of the fabricated SiC neutron detector as an in-core neutron monitor was discussed

  3. Effect of AlN layer on the bipolar resistive switching behavior in TiN thin film based ReRAM device for non-volatile memory application

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prakash, Ravi; Kaur, Davinder

    2018-05-01

    The effect of an additional AlN layer in the Cu/TiN/AlN/Pt stack configuration deposited using sputtering has been investigated. The Cu/TiN/AlN/Pt device shows a tristate resistive switching. Multilevel switching is facilitated by ionic and metallic filament formation, and the nature of the filaments formed is confirmed by performing a resistance vs. temperature measurement. Ohmic behaviour and trap controlled space charge limited current (SCLC) conduction mechanisms are confirmed as dominant conduction mechanism at low resistance state (LRS) and high resistance state (HRS). High resistance ratio (102) corresponding to HRS and LRS, good write/erase endurance (105) and non-volatile long retention (105s) are also observed. Higher thermal conductivity of the AlN layer is the main reasons for the enhancement of resistive switching performance in Cu/TiN/AlN/Pt cell. The above result suggests the feasibility of Cu/TiN/AlN/Pt devices for multilevel nonvolatile ReRAM application.

  4. Application of waterproof breathable fabric in thermal protective clothing exposed to hot water and steam

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Y.; Li, R.; Song, G.; Li, J.

    2017-10-01

    A hot water and steam tester was used to examine thermal protective performance of waterproof and breathable fabric against hot water and steam hazards. Time to cause skin burn and thermal energy absorbed by skin during exposure and cooling phases was employed to characterize the effect of configuration, placing order and properties of waterproof and breathable fabric on the thermal protective performance. The difference of thermal protective performance due to hot water and steam hazards was discussed. The result showed that the configuration of waterproof and breathable fabric presented a significant effect on the thermal protective performance of single- and double-layer fabric system, while the difference between different configurations in steam hazard was greater than that in hot water hazard. The waterproof and breathable fabric as outer layer provided better protection than that as inner layer. Increasing thickness and moisture regain improved the thermal protective performance of fabric system. Additionally, the thermal energy absorbed by skin during the cooling phase was affected by configuration, thickness and moisture regain of fabric. The findings will provide technical data to improve performance of thermal protective clothing in hot water and steam hazards.

  5. A Wear Geometry Model of Plain Woven Fabric Composites

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gu Dapeng

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available The paper g describes a model meant for analysis of the wear geometry of plain woven fabric composites. The referred model consists of a mathematical description of plain woven fabric based on Peirce’s model coupled with a stratified method for the solution of the wear geometry. The evolutions of the wear area ratio of weft yarn, warp yarn and matrix resin on the worn surface are simulated by MatLab software in combination of warp and weft yarn diameters, warp and weft yarn-to-yarn distances, fabric structure phases (SPs. By comparing theoretical and experimental results from the PTFE/Kevlar fabric wear experiment, it can be concluded that the model can present a trend of the component area ratio variations along with the thickness of fabric, but has a inherently large error in quantitative analysis as an idealized model.

  6. New fabrication of high-frequency (100-MHz) ultrasound PZT film kerfless linear array.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Benpeng; Chan, Ngai Yui; Dai, Jiyan; Shung, K Kirk; Takeuchi, Shinichi; Zhou, Qifa

    2013-04-01

    The paper describes the design, fabrication, and measurements of a high-frequency ultrasound kerfless linear array prepared from hydrothermal lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thick film. The 15-μm hydrothermal PZT thick film with an area of 1 × 1 cm, obtained through a self-separation process from Ti substrate, was used to fabricate a 32-element 100-MHz kerfless linear array with photolithography. The bandwidth at -6 dB without matching layer, insertion loss around center frequency, and crosstalk between adjacent elements were measured to be 39%, -30 dB, and -15 dB, respectively.

  7. Thermophysical properties of αAl2O3, MgAl2O4 and AlN at low tempertures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burghartz, S.

    1995-12-01

    A possibility for producing energy in future might be the nuclear fusion. The process of nuclear fusion is characterized by melting nuclei of hydrogen atoms (deuterium and tritium) which yield to the production of helium atom nuclei. For this process extremely high temperatures of the deuterium-tritium-gas plasma are necessary. The additional heating of the plasma by microwaves requires materials with low diaelectric losses and high thermal conductivity. The thermal conductivity can be increased by cooling the windows which lead to the plasma chambre. Experimental investigations with the aim to check the influence of liquid nitrogen (T=70 K) on the cooling of the windows were performed in the temperature region 70 K 2 O 3 , MgAl 2 O 4 and AlN were measured. The thermal conductivity can be calculated using the equation λ=αc p ρ λ=thermal conductivity α=thermal diffusivity c p =specific heat (at constant pressure) ρ=density. Furthermore a theoretical method to calculate the thermal conductivity at low temperatures is presented; this is done by using a model modification of heat transport in electric insulators. As result the influence of intrinsic parameters (crystal structure, interatomar binding, anharmonicity) and extrinsic parameters (point defects, dislocations, boundary areas) upon thermal conductivity of α-Al 2 O 3 , MgAl 2 O 4 and AlN are achieved. (orig.)

  8. Fabrication of control rod system of RSG-GAS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hari-Sudirdjo; Setyono; Hendra-Prasetya

    2003-01-01

    Two unit absorbers, they are part of RSG-GAS control rod system, have been fabricated. One set absorber consist of two absorber plates and absorber casing. Absorber plate is made of Ag In Cd ( 80%, 15%, 5% ) alloy, which is cladded by stainless steel plate SS-316. Ag In Cd absorber plate has size of 625 mm x 60 mm x 3.3 mm, while cladding plat has thickness of 0.8 mm. Fabrication of two set absorbers has been conducted according to the plan

  9. GaN Nanowire Devices: Fabrication and Characterization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scott, Reum

    The development of microelectronics in the last 25 years has been characterized by an exponential increase of the bit density in integrated circuits (ICs) with time. Scaling solid-state devices improves cost, performance, and power; as such, it is of particular interest for companies, who gain a market advantage with the latest technology. As a result, the microelectronics industry has driven transistor feature size scaling from 10 μm to ~30 nm during the past 40 years. This trend has persisted for 40 years due to optimization, new processing techniques, device structures, and materials. But when noting processor speeds from the 1970's to 2009 and then again in 2010, the implication would be that the trend has ceased. To address the challenge of shrinking the integrated circuit (IC), current research is centered on identifying new materials and devices that can supplement and/or potentially supplant it. Bottom-up methods tailor nanoscale building blocks---atoms, molecules, quantum dots, and nanowires (NWs)---to be used to overcome these limitations. The Group IIIA nitrides (InN, AlN, and GaN) possess appealing properties such as a direct band gap spanning the whole solar spectrum, high saturation velocity, and high breakdown electric field. As a result nanostructures and nanodevices made from GaN and related nitrides are suitable candidates for efficient nanoscale UV/ visible light emitters, detectors, and gas sensors. To produce devices with such small structures new fabrication methods must be implemented. Devices composed of GaN nanowires were fabricated using photolithography and electron beam lithography. The IV characteristics of these devices were noted under different illuminations and the current tripled from 4.8*10-7 A to 1.59*10 -6 A under UV light which persisted for at least 5hrs.

  10. Stacking metal nano-patterns and fabrication of moth-eye structure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taniguchi, Jun

    2018-01-01

    Nanoimprint lithography (NIL) can be used as a tool for three-dimensional nanoscale fabrication. In particular, complex metal pattern structures in polymer material are demanded as plasmonic effect devices and metamaterials. To fabricate of metallic color filter, we used silver ink and NIL techniques. Metallic color filter was composed of stacking of nanoscale silver disc patterns and polymer layers, thus, controlling of polymer layer thickness is necessary. To control of thickness of polymer layer, we used spin-coating of UV-curable polymer and NIL. As a result, ten stacking layers with 1000 nm layer thickness was obtained and red color was observed. Ultraviolet nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL) is the most effective technique for mass fabrication of antireflection structure (ARS) films. For the use of ARS films in mobile phones and tablet PCs, which are touch-screen devices, it is important to protect the films from fingerprints and dust. In addition, as the nanoscale ARS that is touched by the hand is fragile, it is very important to obtain a high abrasion resistance. To solve these problems, a UV-curable epoxy resin has been developed that exhibits antifouling properties and high hardness. The high abrasion resistance ARS films are shown to withstand a load of 250 g/cm2 in the steel wool scratch test, and the reflectance is less than 0.4%.

  11. Effect of laser beam parameters on magnetic properties of Nd-Fe-B thick-film magnets fabricated by pulsed laser deposition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fukunaga, H.; Nakano, M.; Yanai, T.; Kamikawatoko, T.; Yamashita, F.

    2011-01-01

    The effects of varying the laser power and the spot diameter of a laser beam on the magnetic properties, morphology, and deposition rate of Nd-Fe-B thick-film magnets fabricated by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) were investigated. Reducing the laser fluence on the target reduces the remanence and increases the Nd content and consequently the coercivity of the prepared films. The spot size of the laser beam was found to affect the film surface morphology, the deposition rate, and the reproducibility of the magnetic properties of the prepared films. Reducing the spot size reduces the number of droplets and the reproducibility of the magnetic properties and increases the droplet size. Controlling the spot size of the laser beam enabled us to maximize the deposition rate. Consequently, a coercivity of 1210 kA/m and a remanence of 0.51 T were obtained at a deposition rate of 11.8 μm/(h·W). This deposition rate is 30% greater than the highest previously reported deposition rate by PLD.

  12. Gammatography of thick lead vessels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Raghunath, V.M.; Bhatnagar, P.K.; Sundaram, V.M.

    1979-01-01

    Radiography, scintillation and GM counting and dose measurements using ionisation chamber equipment are commonly used for detecting flaws/voids in materials. The first method is mostly used for steel vessels and to a lesser extent thin lead vessels also and is essentially qualitative. Dose measuring techniques are used for very thick and large lead vessels for which high strength radioactive sources are required, with its inherent handling problems. For vessels of intermediate thicknesses, it is ideal to use a small strength source and a GM or scintillation counter assembly. At the Reactor Research Centre, Kalpakkam, such a system was used for checking three lead vessels of thicknesses varying from 38mm to 65mm. The tolerances specified were +- 4% variation in lead thickness. The measurements also revealed the non concentricity of one vessel which had a thickness varying from 38mm to 44mm. The second vessel was patently non-concentric and the dimensional variation was truly reproduced in the measurements. A third vessel was fabricated with careful control of dimensions and the measurements exhibited good concentricity. Small deviations were observed, attributable to imperfect bondings between steel and lead. This technique has the following advantages: (a) weaker sources used result in less handling problems reducing the personnel exposures considerably; (b) the sensitivity of the instrument is quite good because of better statistics; (c) the time required for scanning a small vessel is more, but a judicious use of a scintillometer for initial fast scan will help in reducing the total scanning time; (d) this method can take advantage of the dimensional variations themselves to get the calibration and to estimate the deviations from specified tolerances. (auth.)

  13. Polycrystalline AlN films with preferential orientation by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanchez, G.; Wu, A.; Tristant, P.; Tixier, C.; Soulestin, B.; Desmaison, J.; Bologna Alles, A.

    2008-01-01

    AlN thin films for acoustic wave devices were prepared by Microwave Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition under different process conditions, employing Si (100) and Pt (111)/SiO 2 /Si (100) substrates. The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared transmission spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The values of the distance between the plasma and the tri-methyl-aluminum precursor injector, the radiofrequency bias potential, and the substrate temperature were central in the development of polycrystalline films. The choice of the chamber total pressure during deposition allowed for the development of two different crystallographic orientations, i.e., or . The film microstructures exhibited in general a column-like growth with rounded tops, an average grain size of about 40 nm, and a surface roughness lower than 20 nm under the best conditions

  14. Fabrication of large area woodpile structure in polymer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gupta, Jaya Prakash; Dutta, Neilanjan; Yao, Peng; Sharkawy, Ahmed S.; Prather, Dennis W.

    2009-02-01

    A fabrication process of three-dimensional Woodpile photonic crystals based on multilayer photolithography from commercially available photo resist SU8 have been demonstrated. A 6-layer, 2 mm × 2mm woodpile has been fabricated. Different factors that influence the spin thickness on multiple resist application have been studied. The fabrication method used removes, the problem of intermixing, and is more repeatable and robust than the multilayer fabrication techniques for three dimensional photonic crystal structures that have been previously reported. Each layer is developed before next layer photo resist spin, instead of developing the whole structure in the final step as used in multilayer process. The desired thickness for each layer is achieved by the calibration of spin speed and use of different photo resist compositions. Deep UV exposure confinement has been the defining parameter in this process. Layer uniformity for every layer is independent of the previous developed layers and depends on the photo resist planarizing capability, spin parameters and baking conditions. The intermixing problem, which results from the previous layers left uncrossed linked photo resist, is completely removed in this process as the previous layers are fully developed, avoiding any intermixing between the newly spun and previous layers. Also this process gives the freedom to redo every spin any number of times without affecting the previously made structure, which is not possible in other multilayer process where intermediate developing is not performed.

  15. SILICON COMPATIBLE ACOUSTIC WAVE RESONATORS: DESIGN, FABRICATION AND PERFORMANCE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aliza Aini Md Ralib

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT: Continuous advancement in wireless technology and silicon microfabrication has fueled exciting growth in wireless products. The bulky size of discrete vibrating mechanical devices such as quartz crystals and surface acoustic wave resonators impedes the ultimate miniaturization of single-chip transceivers. Fabrication of acoustic wave resonators on silicon allows complete integration of a resonator with its accompanying circuitry.  Integration leads to enhanced performance, better functionality with reduced cost at large volume production. This paper compiles the state-of-the-art technology of silicon compatible acoustic resonators, which can be integrated with interface circuitry. Typical acoustic wave resonators are surface acoustic wave (SAW and bulk acoustic wave (BAW resonators.  Performance of the resonator is measured in terms of quality factor, resonance frequency and insertion loss. Selection of appropriate piezoelectric material is significant to ensure sufficient electromechanical coupling coefficient is produced to reduce the insertion loss. The insulating passive SiO2 layer acts as a low loss material and aims to increase the quality factor and temperature stability of the design. The integration technique also is influenced by the fabrication process and packaging.  Packageless structure using AlN as the additional isolation layer is proposed to protect the SAW device from the environment for high reliability. Advancement in miniaturization technology of silicon compatible acoustic wave resonators to realize a single chip transceiver system is still needed. ABSTRAK: Kemajuan yang berterusan dalam teknologi tanpa wayar dan silikon telah menguatkan pertumbuhan yang menarik dalam produk tanpa wayar. Saiz yang besar bagi peralatan mekanikal bergetar seperti kristal kuarza menghalang pengecilan untuk merealisasikan peranti cip. Silikon serasi  gelombang akustik resonator mempunyai potensi yang besar untuk menggantikan unsur

  16. Status of high-density fuel plate fabrication

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wiencek, T.C.; Domagala, R.F.; Thresh, H.R.

    1991-01-01

    Progress has continued on the fabrication of fuel plates with equivalent fuel zone loadings approaching 9 gU/cm 3 . Through hot isostatic pressing (HIP), successful diffusion bonds have been made with 1100 Al and 6061 Al alloys. Although additional study is necessary to optimize the procedure, these bonds demonstrated the most critical processing step for proof-of-concept hardware. Two types of prototype highly loaded fuel plates have been fabricated. The first is a fuel plate in which 0.030-in. (0.76-mm) uranium compound wires are bonded within an aluminum cladding; the second, a dispersion fuel plate with uniform cladding and fuel zone thickness. The successful fabrication of these fuel plates derives from the unique ability of the HIP process to produce diffusion bonds with minimal deformation. (orig.)

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2018-04-01

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

  18. Fabrication of all-polymer micro-DMFCs using UV-sensitive photoresist

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cha, Hye-Yeon; Choi, Hoo-Gon; Nam, Jae-Do; Lee, Youngkwan; Cho, Sung Min; Lee, Eun-Sook; Lee, Jung-Kyu; Chung, Chan-Hwa

    2004-01-01

    We have developed the novel design and the fabrication processes for micro-direct methanol fuel cell (μ-DMFC). The membrane-electrode assemblies (MEA) consist of two identical polymer chips positioned on both sides of the proton exchange membrane, which play the roles of current collector, fuel-diffusion layer, and catalyst supporter. The detailed fabrication steps for the polymer chips are described. Each chip has 300 μm thru holes for catalyst supporter and 400 μm thru holes for fuel-diffusion layer. The total thickness of our all polymer μ-DMFC applying this MEA is about 500 μm including the thickness of Nafion (registered). The measured maximum power density of the all polymer micro-DMFC was 8 mW/cm 2 and current density was 37 mA/cm 2

  19. Compositional and structural studies of ion-beam modified AlN/TiN multilayers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Amati, M., E-mail: matteo.amati@elettra.eu [Elettra – Sincrotrone Trieste SCpA,Area Science Park, 34149, Trieste (Italy); Gregoratti, L.; Sezen, H. [Elettra – Sincrotrone Trieste SCpA,Area Science Park, 34149, Trieste (Italy); Grce, A.; Milosavljević, M. [VINČA Institute of Nuclear Sciences, Belgrade University, P.O. Box 522, 11001, Belgrade (Serbia); Homewood, K.P. [Materials Research Institute and School of Physics and Astronomy, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, E1 4NS, London (United Kingdom)

    2017-07-31

    Highlights: • Inter-layer mixing, atomic redistribution, structural change, and phase transformation on AlN/TiN multilayers via argon ion irradiation. • Severe modifications are observed with TEM studies on highly immiscible alternating layers without any side effects such as beam heating. • The original TiN layers appear to grow in thickness by consuming the adjacent AlN layers, while obtaining a better TiAlN fcc crystalline structure. • Photoemission spectroscopy/microscopy indicates a transformation into Al deficient ternary and highly homogeneous compounds on both layers. • These results can be interesting towards further development of radiation tolerant materials based on immiscible ceramic nanocomposites. - Abstract: This paper reports on compositional and structural modifications induced in coated AlN/TiN multilayers by argon ion irradiation. The initial structure consisting of totally 30 alternate AlN (8 nm thick) and TiN (9.3 nm thick) layers was deposited on Si (100) wafers, by reactive sputtering. Irradiation was done with 180 keV Ar{sup +} to a high dose of 8 × 10{sup 16} ions/cm{sup 2}, which introduces up to ∼10 at.% of argon species, and generates a maximum displacement per atom of 92 for AlN and 127 for TiN, around the projected ion range (109 ± 34 nm). Characterizations were performed by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, spatially resolved x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The obtained results reveal that this highly immiscible and thermally stable system suffered a severe modification upon the applied ion irradiation, although it was performed at room temperature. They illustrate a thorough inter-layer mixing, atomic redistribution, structural change and phase transformation within the affected depth. The original TiN layers appear to grow in thickness, consuming the adjacent AlN layers, while retaining the fcc crystalline structure. In the mostly affected region, the interaction proceeds

  20. Fabrication techniques of X-ray spiral zone plates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gao Nan; Zhu Xiaoli; Li Hailiang; Xie Changqing

    2010-01-01

    The techniques to make X-ray spiral zone plates using electron beam and X-ray lithography were studied. A master mask was fabricated on polyimide membrane by E-beam lithography and micro-electroplating. Spiral zone plates were efficiently replicated by X-ray lithography and micro-electroplating. By combining the techniques, spiral zone plates at 1 keV were successfully fabricate. With an outermost zone width of the 200 nm, and the gold absorbers thickness of 700 nm, the high quality zone plates can be used for X-ray phase contrast microscopy.(authors)

  1. Advanced Fabrication of Single-Crystal Diamond Membranes for Quantum Technologies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michel Challier

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Many promising applications of single crystal diamond and its color centers as sensor platform and in photonics require free-standing membranes with a thickness ranging from several micrometers to the few 100 nm range. In this work, we present an approach to conveniently fabricate such thin membranes with up to about one millimeter in size. We use commercially available diamond plates (thickness 50 μ m in an inductively coupled reactive ion etching process which is based on argon, oxygen and SF 6 . We thus avoid using toxic, corrosive feed gases and add an alternative to previously presented recipes involving chlorine-based etching steps. Our membranes are smooth (RMS roughness <1 nm and show moderate thickness variation (central part: <1 μ m over ≈200 × 200 μ m 2 . Due to an improved etch mask geometry, our membranes stay reliably attached to the diamond plate in our chlorine-based as well as SF 6 -based processes. Our results thus open the route towards higher reliability in diamond device fabrication and up-scaling.

  2. Estimation of dosimetry parameters for an EB accelerator using graphite calorimeters of different thickness

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Benny, P.G.; Khader, S.A.; Sarma, K.S.S.

    2012-01-01

    Graphite calorimeters of different thickness in the range of 0.6 mm to 10 mm have been designed and fabricated for the dosimetry of 2 MeV electron beam accelerator. Average absorbed dose in each of the calorimeters of different thickness has been determined. The paper reports a method for selecting calorimeters with suitable thickness for its application as absorbed dose calorimeters and as total energy absorption calorimeters for an electron beam of particular energy. Also it reports, using calorimeters of different thickness, it is possible to estimate various parameters such as energy fluence, average absorbed dose, absorbed dose at any depth in the medium and practical range.

  3. Methods and devices for fabricating three-dimensional nanoscale structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rogers, John A.; Jeon, Seokwoo; Park, Jangung

    2010-04-27

    The present invention provides methods and devices for fabricating 3D structures and patterns of 3D structures on substrate surfaces, including symmetrical and asymmetrical patterns of 3D structures. Methods of the present invention provide a means of fabricating 3D structures having accurately selected physical dimensions, including lateral and vertical dimensions ranging from 10s of nanometers to 1000s of nanometers. In one aspect, methods are provided using a mask element comprising a conformable, elastomeric phase mask capable of establishing conformal contact with a radiation sensitive material undergoing photoprocessing. In another aspect, the temporal and/or spatial coherence of electromagnetic radiation using for photoprocessing is selected to fabricate complex structures having nanoscale features that do not extend entirely through the thickness of the structure fabricated.

  4. Fabrication technology for a series of cylindrical thin-wall cavity targets

    CERN Document Server

    Zheng Yong; Sun Zu Oke; Wang Ming Da; Zhou La; Zhou Zhi Yun

    2002-01-01

    Cylindrical thin-wall cavity targets have been fabricated to study the behavior of superthermal electrons and their effects on inertial confinement fusion (ICF). Self-supporting cavity targets having adjustable, uniform wall thickness, and low surface roughness were required. This required production of high-quality mandrels, coating them by sputtering or electroplating, developing techniques for measurement of wall thickness and other cavity parameters, improving the uniformity of rotation of the mandrels, and preventing damage to the targets during removal from the mandrels. Details of the fabrication process are presented. Experimental results from the use of these targets are presented. These results, in good agreement with simulations, indicate that the use of thin-wall cavity targets is an effective method for studying superthermal electrons in ICF.

  5. Properties of conductive thick-film inks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holtze, R. F.

    1972-01-01

    Ten different conductive inks used in the fabrication of thick-film circuits were evaluated for their physical and handling properties. Viscosity, solid contents, and spectrographic analysis of the unfired inks were determined. Inks were screened on ceramic substrates and fired for varying times at specified temperatures. Selected substrates were given additional firings to simulate the heat exposure received if thick-film resistors were to be added to the same substrate. Data are presented covering the (1) printing characteristics, (2) solderability using Sn-63 and also a 4 percent silver solder, (3) leach resistance, (4) solder adhesion, and (5) wire bonding properties. Results obtained using different firing schedules were compared. A comparison was made between the various inks showing general results obtained for each ink. The changes in firing time or the application of a simulated resistor firing had little effect on the properties of most inks.

  6. Fabrication of high-aspect-ratio nano structures using a nano x-ray shadow mask

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Yong Chul; Lee, Seung S

    2008-01-01

    This paper describes a novel method for the fabrication of high-aspect-ratio nano structures (HAR-nano structures) using a nano x-ray shadow mask and deep x-ray lithography (DXRL). The nano x-ray shadow mask is fabricated by depositing an x-ray absorber layer (Au, 3 µm) onto the back side of a nano shadow mask. The nano shadow mask is produced with nano-sized apertures whose dimensions are reduced to several tens of nanometers by the accumulation of low-stress silicon nitride (Si x N y ) using the LPCVD process on the shadow mask. A shadow mask containing apertures with a size of 1 µm is fabricated on a bulk micromachined Si x N y membrane. The thickness of an absorber layer must be in the range of several tens of micrometers in order to obtain a contrast of more than 100 for the conventional DXRL process at the Pohang Light Source (PLS). However, a 3 µm thick absorber layer can provide a sufficient contrast if the modified DXRL of the central beam-stop method is used, which blocks high-energy x-rays. A nano shadow mask with 30 nm sized apertures is fabricated and a nano x-ray shadow mask with 250 nm sized apertures is fabricated by depositing a 3 µm thick absorber layer on a nano shadow mask with 500 nm sized apertures. HAR-nano structures (circles with a diameter of 420 nm and lines with a width of 274 nm) with aspect ratios of over 10:1 on a 3.2 µm SU-8 are successfully fabricated by using the nano x-ray shadow mask and the central beam-stop method

  7. Effect of the thickness of Zn(BTZ)2 emitting layer on the electroluminescent spectra of white organic light-emitting diodes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhu, F.J.; Hua, Y.L.; Yin, S.G.; Deng, J.C.; Wu, K.W.; Niu, X.; Wu, X.M.; Petty, M.C.

    2007-01-01

    White organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are fabricated with a simple bilayer structure: ITO/TPD/ Zn(BTZ) 2 /Al. White emission is composed of two parts: one is 470 nm, which originates from exciton emission in Zn(BTZ) 2 emitting layer; the other is 580 nm, which originates from exciplexes formation at the interface of TPD and Zn(BTZ) 2 . Specially, the thickness of Zn(BTZ) 2 layer effects the relative intensity of two emissions. When the Zn(BTZ) 2 layer becomes thin (or thick), the 470 nm (or 580 nm) emission intensity turns into weak (or strong). Finally, We successfully fabricated pure white OLED when the thickness of Zn(BTZ) 2 layer was 65 nm

  8. Fabrication of laser-target components by semiconductor technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tindall, W.E.

    1979-01-01

    This paper describes the design and fabrication of a unique silicon substrate with which laser-target components can be mass produced. Different sizes and shapes of gold foils from 50 to 3000 microns in diameter and up to 25 microns thick have been produced with this process since 1976

  9. Fabricating high-resolution offset color-filter black matrix by integrating heterostructured substrate with inkjet printing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu, Guo-Shin; You, Po-Chin; Lin, Kai-Lun; Hong, Chien-Chong; Liou, Tong-Miin

    2014-01-01

    This paper presents a self-aligning ink by integrating an inkjet printing technique and heterostructures to fabricate a black matrix with a micrometer-scale tunable thickness. The black matrix is a grid-like structure used in color filters. Traditionally, a black matrix has been fabricated using photolithography techniques, the disadvantages of which are high material consumption, less fabrication flexibility, complex processing procedures, and high chemical pollution. Inkjet printing technology has garnered attention because of its low material costs, high fabrication flexibility, and reduced processing procedures and pollution. In this study, a fabricating process combining an inkjet printing technique with heterostructures to form stripe-arranged and delta-arranged thickness-tunable black matrices has been demonstrated. The deformation and self-aligning process of ink droplet impingement onto gutters are driven by designed heterogeneous surface properties. The minimum track width attained is 10 µm, which is competitive for color filter resolutions for thin-film transistor liquid crystal displays. The developed technology surmounts the bottlenecks of inkjet printing resolution, and saves more than 75% black material than modern photolithography. (paper)

  10. Indirect improvement of high temperature mechanical properties of a Mg-based alloy Elektron21 by addition of AlN nanoparticles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Daudin, R. [Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, SIMaP, F-38000 Grenoble (France); Terzi, S. [European Space Agency, ESTEC, TEC-TS, EPN Campus, CS20156, 38042 Grenoble Cedex 9 (France); Mallmann, C. [Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, SIMaP, F-38000 Grenoble (France); Martín, R. Sánchez [IMDEA Materials Institute, Tecnogetafe C/ Eric Kandel, 2, 28906 Getafe, Madrid (Spain); Lhuissier, P. [Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, SIMaP, F-38000 Grenoble (France); Boller, E.; Pacureanu, A. [European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, 38000 Grenoble (France); Katsarou, L.; Dieringa, H. [Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Magnesium Innovation Centre – MagIC, Max-Planck-Str. 1, 21502 Geesthacht (Germany); Salvo, L. [Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, SIMaP, F-38000 Grenoble (France)

    2017-03-14

    Magnesium being the lightest metal on earth used as a structural material, the design of the chemistry and the microstructures of Mg-based alloys has been developed over the years to always further ameliorate their mechanical properties. A supplementary option consists in adding ceramic nanoparticles to such alloys to design Mg-based metal matrix nanocomposites (MMNCs) displaying improvement of both strength and ductility. In practice however, careful attention is required to understand the fundamental mechanisms at the heart of the enhancement of these properties as they still remain quite uncertain and subjected to misleading interpretations. Here, high temperature (350 °C) strain rate jump tests in compression reveal an enhancement of 20–60% of the mechanical properties when AlN nano-particles are added to the Elektron21 alloy (Mg-2.8Nd-1.2Gd-0.4Zr-0.3Zn, in wt%). At the same time, nano-indentation investigations suppose that forest or Orowan strengthening, due to particles-dislocations interactions, is unlikely to occur. Instead, using complementary microstructural characterization techniques (scanning electron macroscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy as well as micro- and nano-tomography), we show that AlN nano-particles physically and chemically interact with the alloy and modify the overall microstructure, in particular the intermetallic phase, at the origin of the improvement of the mechanical properties.

  11. Nanoporous Al sandwich foils using size effect of Al layer thickness during Cu/Al/Cu laminate rolling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Hailiang; Lu, Cheng; Tieu, A. Kiet; Li, Huijun; Godbole, Ajit; Kong, Charlie

    2018-06-01

    The roll bonding technique is one of the most widely used methods to produce metal laminate sheets. Such sheets offer interesting research opportunities for both scientists and engineers. In this paper, we report on an experimental investigation of the 'thickness effect' during laminate rolling for the first time. Using a four-high multifunction rolling mill, Cu/Al/Cu laminate sheets were fabricated with a range of thicknesses (16, 40, 70 and 130 μm) of the Al layer. The thickness of the Cu sheets was a constant 300 μm. After rolling, TEM images show good bonding quality between the Cu and Al layers. However, there are many nanoscale pores in the Al layer. The fraction of nanoscale pores in the Al layer increases with a reduction in the Al layer thickness. The finite element method was used to simulate the Cu/Al/Cu rolling process. The simulation results reveal the effect of the Al layer thickness on the deformation characteristics of the Cu/Al/Cu laminate. Finally, we propose that the size effect of the Al layer thickness during Cu/Al/Cu laminate rolling may offer a method to fabricate 'nanoporous' Al sandwich laminate foils. Such foils can be used in electromagnetic shielding of electrical devices and noisy shielding of building.

  12. A Novel Continuous Extrusion Process to Fabricate Wedge-Shaped Light Guide Plates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wen-Tse Hsiao

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Backlight modules are key components in thin-film transistor liquid crystal displays (TFT-LCD. Among the components of a backlight module, the light guide plate (LGP plays the most important role controlling the light projected to the eyes of users. A wedge-shaped LGP, with its asymmetrical structure, is usually fabricated by an injection proces, but the fabrication time of this process is long. This study proposes a continuous extrusion process to fabricate wedge-shaped LGPs. This continuous process has advantages for mass production. Besides a T-die and rollers, this system also has an in situ monitor of the melt-bank that forms during the extrusion process, helping control the plate thickness. Results show that the melt bank has a close relationship with the plate thickness. The temperature of the bottom heater and roller was adjusted to reduce the surface deformation of the wedge-shaped plate. This continuous extrusion system can successfully manufacture wedge-shaped LGPs for mass production.

  13. The research of device for measuring film thickness of intelligent coating machine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wang Wanjun

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Ion beam sputtering machine uses computer to real time monitor the change of film thickness in the preparation process of soft X ray multilayer element fabrication. It solves the problems of uneven film thickness and too thick film thickness and so on, which exist in the original preparation process. The high-precision quartz crystal converts film thickness measurement into frequency measurement. The equal precision frequency meter based on FPGA measures the frequency. It can reduce the signal delay and interference signal of discrete components, accordingly improving the accuracy of measurement. Then it sents the count value to the host computer through the single chip microcomputer serial port. It calculates and displays the value by the GUI of LabVIEW. The experimental results show that, the relative measurement error can be decreased to 1/10, i.e., the measurement accuracy can be improved by more than ten times.

  14. MAGNETIC WOVEN FABRICS - PHYSICAL AND MAGNETIC PROPERTIES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    GROSU Marian C

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available A coated material is a composite structure that consists of at least two components: base material and coating layer. The purpose of coating is to provide special properties to base material, with potential to be applied in EMI shielding and diverse smart technical fields. This paper reports the results of a study about some physical and magnetic properties of coated woven fabrics made from cotton yarns with fineness of 17 metric count. For this aim, a plain woven fabric was coated with a solution hard magnetic polymer based. As hard magnetic powder, barium hexaferrite (BaFe12O19 was selected. The plain woven fabric used as base has been coated with five solutions having different amounts of hard magnetic powder (15% - 45% in order to obtain five different magnetic woven fabrics. A comparison of physical properties regarding weight (g/m2, thickness (mm, degree of charging (% and magnetic properties of magnetic woven samples were presented. Saturation magnetizing (emu/g, residual magnetizing (emu/g and coercive force (kA/m of pure hard magnetic powder and woven fabrics have been studied as hysteresis characteristics. The magnetic properties of the woven fabrics depend on the mass percentage of magnetic powder from coating solution. Also, the residual magnetism and coercive field of woven fabrics represents only a part of bulk barium hexafferite residual magnetism and coercive field.

  15. Suspended HfO2 photonic crystal slab on III-nitride/Si platform

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Yongjin; Feng, Jiao; Cao, Ziping; Zhu, Hongbo

    2014-01-01

    We present here the fabrication of suspended hafnium oxide (HfO 2 ) photonic crystal slab on a III-nitride/Si platform. The calculations are performed to model the suspended HfO 2 photonic crystal slab. Aluminum nitride (AlN) film is employed as the sacrificial layer to form air gap. Photonic crystal patterns are defined by electron beam lithography and transferred into HfO 2 film, and suspended HfO 2 photonic crystal slab is achieved on a III-nitride/Si platform through wet-etching of AlN layer in the alkaline solution. The method is promising for the fabrication of suspended HfO 2 nanostructures incorporating into a III-nitride/Si platform, or acting as the template for epitaxial growth of III-nitride materials. (orig.)

  16. Intraocular lens fabrication

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Salazar, Mike A. (Albuquerque, NM); Foreman, Larry R. (Los Alamos, NM)

    1997-01-01

    This invention describes a method for fabricating an intraocular lens made rom clear Teflon.TM., Mylar.TM., or other thermoplastic material having a thickness of about 0.025 millimeters. These plastic materials are thermoformable and biocompatable with the human eye. The two shaped lenses are bonded together with a variety of procedures which may include thermosetting and solvent based adhesives, laser and impulse welding, and ultrasonic bonding. The fill tube, which is used to inject a refractive filling material is formed with the lens so as not to damage the lens shape. A hypodermic tube may be included inside the fill tube.

  17. Capability of Sputtered Micro-patterned NiTi Thick Films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bechtold, Christoph; Lima de Miranda, Rodrigo; Quandt, Eckhard

    2015-09-01

    Today, most NiTi devices are manufactured by a combination of conventional metal fabrication steps, e.g., melting, extrusion, cold working, etc., and are subsequently structured by high accuracy laser cutting. This combination has been proven to be very successful; however, there are several limitations to this fabrication route, e.g., in respect to the fabrication of more complex device designs, device miniaturization or the combination of different materials for the integration of further functionality. These issues have to be addressed in order to develop new devices and applications. The fabrication of micro-patterned films using magnetron sputtering, UV lithography, and wet etching has great potential to overcome limitations of conventional device manufacturing. Due to its fabrication characteristics, this method allows the production of devices with complex designs, high structural accuracy, smooth edge profile, at layer thicknesses up to 75 µm. The aim of this study is to present recent developments in the field of NiTi thin film technology, its advantages and limitations, as well as new possible applications in the medical and in non-medical fields. These developments include among others NiTi scaffold structures covered with NiTi membranes for their potential use as filters, heart valve components or aneurysm treatments, as well as micro-actuators for consumable electronics or automotive applications.

  18. Fabrication of dense wavelength division multiplexing filters with large useful area

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Cheng-Chung; Chen, Sheng-Hui; Hsu, Jin-Cherng; Kuo, Chien-Cheng

    2006-08-01

    Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexers (DWDM), a kind of narrow band-pass filter, are extremely sensitive to the optical thickness error in each composite layer. Therefore to have a large useful coating area is extreme difficult because of the uniformity problem. To enlarge the useful coating area it is necessary to improve their design and their fabrication. In this study, we discuss how the tooling factors at different positions and for different materials are related to the optical performance of the design. 100GHz DWDM filters were fabricated by E-gun evaporation with ion-assisted deposition (IAD). To improve the coating uniformity, an analysis technique called shaping tooling factor (STF) was used to analyze the deviation of the optical thickness in different materials so as to enlarge the useful coating area. Also a technique of etching the deposited layers with oxygen ions was introduced. When the above techniques were applied in the fabrication of 100 GHz DWDM filters, the uniformity was better than +/-0.002% over an area of 72 mm in diameter and better than +/-0.0006% over 20mm in diameter.

  19. Status report, canister fabrication

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Andersson, Claes-Goeran; Eriksson, Peter; Westman, Marika; Emilsson, Goeran

    2004-06-01

    The report gives an account of the development of material and fabrication technology for copper canisters with cast inserts during the period from 2000 until the start of 2004. The engineering design of the canister and the choice of materials in the constituent components described in previous status reports have not been significantly changed. In the reference canister, the thickness of the copper shell is 50 mm. Fabrication of individual components with a thinner copper thickness is done for the purpose of gaining experience and evaluating fabrication and inspection methods for such canisters. As a part of the development of cast inserts, computer simulations of the casting processes and techniques used at the foundries have been performed for the purpose of optimizing the material properties. These properties have been evaluated by extensive tensile testing and metallographic inspection of test material taken from discs cut at different points along the length of the inserts. The testing results exhibit a relatively large spread. Low elongation values in certain tensile test specimens are due to the presence of poorly formed graphite, porosities, slag or other casting defects. It is concluded in the report that it will not be possible to avoid some presence of observed defects in castings of this size. In the deep repository, the inserts will be exposed to compressive loading and the observed defects are not critical for strength. An analysis of the strength of the inserts and formulation of relevant material requirements must be based on a statistical approach with probabilistic calculations. This work has been initiated and will be concluded during 2004. An initial verifying compression test of a canister in an isostatic press has indicated considerable overstrength in the structure. Seamless copper tubes are fabricated by means of three methods: extrusion, pierce and draw processing, and forging. It can be concluded that extrusion tests have revealed a

  20. Status report, canister fabrication

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Andersson, Claes-Goeran; Eriksson, Peter; Westman, Marika [Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co., Stockholm (Sweden); Emilsson, Goeran [CSM Materialteknik AB, Linkoeping (Sweden)

    2004-06-01

    The report gives an account of the development of material and fabrication technology for copper canisters with cast inserts during the period from 2000 until the start of 2004. The engineering design of the canister and the choice of materials in the constituent components described in previous status reports have not been significantly changed. In the reference canister, the thickness of the copper shell is 50 mm. Fabrication of individual components with a thinner copper thickness is done for the purpose of gaining experience and evaluating fabrication and inspection methods for such canisters. As a part of the development of cast inserts, computer simulations of the casting processes and techniques used at the foundries have been performed for the purpose of optimizing the material properties. These properties have been evaluated by extensive tensile testing and metallographic inspection of test material taken from discs cut at different points along the length of the inserts. The testing results exhibit a relatively large spread. Low elongation values in certain tensile test specimens are due to the presence of poorly formed graphite, porosities, slag or other casting defects. It is concluded in the report that it will not be possible to avoid some presence of observed defects in castings of this size. In the deep repository, the inserts will be exposed to compressive loading and the observed defects are not critical for strength. An analysis of the strength of the inserts and formulation of relevant material requirements must be based on a statistical approach with probabilistic calculations. This work has been initiated and will be concluded during 2004. An initial verifying compression test of a canister in an isostatic press has indicated considerable overstrength in the structure. Seamless copper tubes are fabricated by means of three methods: extrusion, pierce and draw processing, and forging. It can be concluded that extrusion tests have revealed a

  1. Fique Fabric: A Promising Reinforcement for Polymer Composites

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sergio Neves Monteiro

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available A relatively unknown natural fiber extracted from the leaves of the fique plant, native of the South American Andes, has recently shown potential as reinforcement of polymer composites for engineering applications. Preliminary investigations indicated a promising substitute for synthetic fibers, competing with other well-known natural fibers. The fabric made from fique fibers have not yet been investigated as possible composite reinforcement. Therefore, in the present work a more thorough characterization of fique fabric as a reinforcement of composites with a polyester matrix was performed. Thermal mechanical properties of fique fabric composites were determined by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA. The ballistic performance of plain woven fique fabric-reinforced polyester matrix composites was investigated as a second layer in a multilayered armor system (MAS. The results revealed a sensible improvement in thermal dynamic mechanical behavior. Both viscoelastic stiffness and glass transition temperature were increased with the amount of incorporated fique fabric. In terms of ballistic results, the fique fabric composites present a performance similar to that of the much stronger KevlarTM as an MAS second layer with the same thickness. A cost analysis indicated that armor vests with fique fabric composites as an MAS second layer would be 13 times less expensive than a similar creation made with Kevlar™.

  2. Oxidation Behavior of AlN/h-BN Nano Composites at High Temperature

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jin Haiyun; Huang Yinmao; Feng Dawei; He Bo; Yang Jianfeng

    2011-01-01

    Both AlN/ nano h-BN composites and AlN/ micro h-BN composites were fabricated. The high temperature oxidation behaviors were investigated at 1000deg. C and 1300deg. C using a cycle-oxidation method. The results showed that there were little changes of both nano composites and monolithic AlN ceramic at temperature of 1000deg. C. And at 1300deg. C, the oxidation dynamics curve of composites could be divided into two courses: a slowly weight increase and a rapid weight decrease, but the oxidation behavior of nano composites was better than micro composites. It was due to that the uniform distribution of oxidation production (Al 18 B 4 O 33 ) surround the AlN grains in nano composites and the oxidation proceeding was retarded. The XRD analysis and SEM observations showed that there was no BN remained in the composites surface after 1300deg. C oxidation and the micropores remain due to the vaporizing of B 2 O 3 oxidized by BN.

  3. Innovative monitoring of 3D warp interlock fabric during forming process

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dufour, C.; Jerkovic, I.; Wang, P.; Boussu, F.; Koncar, V.; Soulat, D.; Grancaric, A. M.; Pineau, P.

    2017-10-01

    The final geometry of 3D warp interlock fabric needs to be check during the 3D forming step to ensure the right locations of warp and weft yarns inside the final structure. Thus, a new monitoring approach has been proposed based on sensor yarns located in the fabric thickness. To ensure the accuracy of measurements, the observation of the surface deformation of the 3D warp interlock fabric has been joined to the sensor yarns measurements. At the end, it has been revealed a good correlation between strain measurement done globally by camera and locally performed by sensor yarns.

  4. A low-cost, high-yield fabrication method for producing optimized biomimetic dry adhesives

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sameoto, D; Menon, C

    2009-01-01

    We present a low-cost, large-scale method of fabricating biomimetic dry adhesives. This process is useful because it uses all photosensitive polymers with minimum fabrication costs or complexity to produce molds for silicone-based dry adhesives. A thick-film lift-off process is used to define molds using AZ 9260 photoresist, with a slow acting, deep UV sensitive material, PMGI, used as both an adhesion promoter for the AZ 9260 photoresist and as an undercutting material to produce mushroom-shaped fibers. The benefits to this process are ease of fabrication, wide range of potential layer thicknesses, no special surface treatment requirements to demold silicone adhesives and easy stripping of the full mold if process failure does occur. Sylgard® 184 silicone is used to cast full sheets of biomimetic dry adhesives off 4'' diameter wafers, and different fiber geometries are tested for normal adhesion properties. Additionally, failure modes of the adhesive during fabrication are noted and strategies for avoiding these failures are discussed. We use this fabrication method to produce different fiber geometries with varying cap diameters and test them for normal adhesion strengths. The results indicate that the cap diameters relative to post diameters for mushroom-shaped fibers dominate the adhesion properties

  5. Design and fabrication of capacitive interdigitated electrodes for smart gas sensors

    KAUST Repository

    Omran, Hesham

    2016-09-05

    In this paper, we study the design parameters of capacitive interdigitated electrodes (IDEs) and the effect of these parameters on the sensitivity of the IDEs when employed as a capacitive gas sensor. Finite element simulations using COMSOL Multiphysics were carried out to evaluate the sensitivity of the capacitive sensor. Simulations show that for permittivity-based sensing, the optimum thickness of the sensing film is slightly more than half the wavelength of the IDEs structure. On the other hand, sensing films that are thinner than half wavelength should be used if the required sensing mechanism is based on structural swelling. Increasing the IDEs metal thickness can increase the sensitivity by increasing the sidewall electric field, but this is only true if the sensing film is thick enough to completely fill the spacing between the electrodes. A simple and reliable IDEs structure and fabrication process are proposed. Physical dry etching provides good yield and fine resolution compared to liftoff technique. Fabricated and packaged prototype sensors are presented. © 2015 IEEE.

  6. Pressure vessels fabricated with high-strength wire and electroformed nickel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roth, B.

    1966-01-01

    Metal pressure vessels of various shapes having high strength-to-weight ratios are fabricated by using known techniques of filament winding and electroforming. This eliminates nonuniform wall thickness and unequal wall strength which resulted from welding formed vessel segments together.

  7. Method for the production of fabricated hollow microspheroids

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wickramanayake, Shan; Luebke, David R.

    2015-06-09

    The method relates to the fabrication of a polymer microspheres comprised of an asymmetric layer surrounding a hollow interior. The fabricated hollow microsphere is generated from a nascent hollow microsphere comprised of an inner core of core fluid surrounded by a dope layer of polymer dope, where the thickness of the dope layer is at least 10% and less than 50% of the diameter of the inner core. The nascent hollow microsphere is exposed to a gaseous environment, generating a vitrified hollow microsphere, which is subsequently immersed in a coagulation bath. Solvent exchange produces a fabricated hollow microsphere comprised of a densified outer skin surrounding a macroporous inner layer, which surrounds a hollow interior. In an embodiment, the polymer is a polyimide or a polyamide-imide, and the non-solvent in the core fluid and the coagulation bath is water. The fabricated hollow microspheres are particularly suited as solvent supports for gas separation processes.

  8. Fabrication of flexible thermoelectric microcoolers using planar thin-film technologies

    OpenAIRE

    Gonçalves, L. M.; Rocha, J. G.; Couto, Carlos; Alpuim, P.; Min, Gao; Rowe, D. M.; Correia, J. H.

    2007-01-01

    The present work reports on the fabrication and characterization of a planar Peltier cooler on a flexible substrate. The device was fabricated on a 12 νm thick Kapton(c) polyimide substrate using Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3 thermoelectric elements deposited by thermal co-evaporation. The cold area of the device is cooled with four thermoelectric junctions, connected in series using metal contacts. Plastic substrates add uncommon mechanical properties to the composite film-substrate and enable integrati...

  9. Influence of laser pulse frequency on the microstructure of aluminum nitride thin films synthesized by pulsed laser deposition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Antonova, K., E-mail: krasa@issp.bas.bg [Institute of Solid State Physics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Tzarigradsko Chaussee 72, Sofia 1784 (Bulgaria); Duta, L. [National Institute for Lasers, Plasma, and Radiation Physics, 409 Atomistilor Street, 077125 Magurele (Romania); Szekeres, A. [Institute of Solid State Physics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Tzarigradsko Chaussee 72, Sofia 1784 (Bulgaria); Stan, G.E. [National Institute of Materials Physics, 105 bis Atomistilor Street, 077125 Magurele (Romania); Mihailescu, I.N. [National Institute for Lasers, Plasma, and Radiation Physics, 409 Atomistilor Street, 077125 Magurele (Romania); Anastasescu, M.; Stroescu, H.; Gartner, M. [Institute of Physical Chemistry, “Ilie Murgulescu”, Romanian Academy, 202 Splaiul Independentei, 060021 Bucharest (Romania)

    2017-02-01

    Highlights: • Study of pulsed laser deposited AlN films at different laser pulse frequencies. • Higher laser pulse frequency promotes nanocrystallites formation at temperature 450 °C. • AFM and GIXRD detect randomly oriented wurtzite AlN structures. • Characterization of the nanocrystallites’ orientation by FTIR reflectance spectra. • Berreman effect is registered in p-polarised radiation at large incidence angles. - Abstract: Aluminum Nitride (AlN) thin films were synthesized on Si (100) wafers at 450 °C by pulsed laser deposition. A polycrystalline AlN target was multipulsed irradiated in a nitrogen ambient, at different laser pulse repetition rate. Grazing Incidence X-Ray Diffraction and Atomic Force Microscopy analyses evidenced nanocrystallites with a hexagonal lattice in the amorphous AlN matrix. The thickness and optical constants of the layers were determined by infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry. The optical properties were studied by Fourier Transform Infrared reflectance spectroscopy in polarised oblique incidence radiation. Berreman effect was observed around the longitudinal phonon modes of the crystalline AlN component. Angular dependence of the A{sub 1}LO mode frequency was analysed and connected to the orientation of the particles’ optical axis to the substrate surface normal. The role of the laser pulse frequency on the layers’ properties is discussed on this basis.

  10. Sputter deposition system for controlled fabrication of multilayers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Di Nardo, R.P.; Takacs, P.Z.; Majkrzak, C.F.; Stefan, P.M.

    1985-06-01

    A detailed description of a sputter deposition system constructed specifically for the fabrication of x-ray and neutron multilayer monochromators and supermirrors is given. One of the principal design criteria is to maintain precise control of film thickness and uniformity over large substrate areas. Regulation of critical system parameters is fully automated so that response to feedback control information is rapid and complicated layer thickness sequences can be deposited accurately and efficiently. The use of either dc or rf magnetron sources makes it possible to satisfy the diverse material requirements of both x-ray and neutron optics

  11. Lattice sites, charge states and spin–lattice relaxation of Fe ions in "5"7Mn"+ implanted GaN and AlN

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Masenda, H.; Naidoo, D.; Bharuth-Ram, K.; Gunnlaugsson, H.P.; Johnston, K.; Mantovan, R.; Mølholt, T.E.; Ncube, M.; Shayestehaminzadeh, S.; Gíslason, H.P.; Langouche, G.; Ólafsson, S.; Weyer, G.

    2016-01-01

    The lattice sites, valence states, resulting magnetic behaviour and spin–lattice relaxation of Fe ions in GaN and AlN were investigated by emission Mössbauer spectroscopy following the implantation of radioactive "5"7Mn"+ ions at ISOLDE/CERN. Angle dependent measurements performed at room temperature on the 14.4 keV γ-rays from the "5"7Fe Mössbauer state (populated from the "5"7Mn β"− decay) reveal that the majority of the Fe ions are in the 2+ valence state nearly substituting the Ga and Al cations, and/or associated with vacancy type defects. Emission Mössbauer spectroscopy experiments conducted over a temperature range of 100–800 K show the presence of magnetically split sextets in the “wings” of the spectra for both materials. The temperature dependence of the sextets relates these spectral features to paramagnetic Fe"3"+ with rather slow spin–lattice relaxation rates which follow a T"2 temperature dependence characteristic of a two-phonon Raman process. - Highlights: • The majority of the Fe ions are in the 2+ state, located on near substitutional sites associated with vacancy type defects. • A significant fraction of the Fe ions are in the paramagnetic Fe"3"+ state. • Spin–lattice relaxation of Fe"3"+ in both GaN and AlN follows a two-phonon Raman process.

  12. Fabrication and characterization of porous silicon for photonic applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arvin I. Mabilangan

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Porous silicon (PSi thin films from p-type silicon (100 substrates were fabricated using a simple table top electrochemical etching setup with a 1:1 HF:EtOh electrolyte solution. Porous silicon f ilms with different morphologies and optical properties were achieved by varying the etching parameters, such as HF concentration, etching time andanodization current. It was observed that the f ilm thickness of the fabricated PSi increased with etch time and HF concentration. The etch rate increased with the applied anodization current. Reflection spectroscopy at normal incidence was used to determine the refractive indices of the fabricated f ilms. Using the Sellmeier equation, the chromatic dispersion of the f ilms was obtained for different HF concentrations and anodization currents.

  13. Intrinsic flux pinning mechanisms in different thickness MgB2 films

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. Yang

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available MgB2 films in four thickness (60 nm, 200nm, 600nm and 1μm have been fabricated by hybrid physical–chemical vapor deposition technique (HPCVD. By measuring the magnetization hysteresis loops and the resistivity, we have obtained the transport and magnetic properties of the four films. After that, the pinning mechanisms in them were discussed. Comparing the pinning behaviors in these ultrathin films, thin films and thick films, it was found that there exist different pinning types in MgB2 films of different thickness. In combination with the study of the surface morphology, cross-section and XRD results, we concluded that MgB2 films had different growth modes in different growth stages. For thin films, films grew along c axis, and grain boundaries acted as surface pinning. While for thick films, films grew along c axis at first, and then changed to a-b axis growth. As a result, the a-b axis grains acted as strong volume pinning.

  14. Suspended microstructures of epoxy based photoresists fabricated with UV photolithography

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hemanth, Suhith; Anhøj, Thomas Aarøe; Caviglia, Claudia

    2017-01-01

    In this work we present an easy, fast, reliable and low cost microfabrication technique for fabricating suspended microstructures of epoxy based photoresistswith UV photolithography. Two different fabrication processes with epoxy based resins (SU-8 and mr-DWL) using UV exposures at wavelengths...... of 313 nm and 405 nm were optimized and compared in terms of structural stability, control of suspended layer thickness and resolution limits. A novel fabrication process combining the two photoresists SU-8 and mr-DWL with two UV exposures at 365 nm and 405 nm respectively provided a wider processing...... window for definition of well-defined suspended microstructures with lateral dimensions down to 5 μmwhen compared to 313 nm or 365 nm UV photolithography processes....

  15. Effect of the thickness of Zn(BTZ){sub 2} emitting layer on the electroluminescent spectra of white organic light-emitting diodes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhu, F.J. [Institute of Material Physics, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300191 (China); Hua, Y.L. [Institute of Material Physics, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300191 (China)]. E-mail: yulinhua@tjut.edu.cn; Yin, S.G. [Institute of Material Physics, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300191 (China); Deng, J.C. [Institute of Material Physics, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300191 (China); Wu, K.W. [Institute of Material Physics, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300191 (China); Niu, X. [Institute of Material Physics, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300191 (China); Wu, X.M. [Institute of Modern Optics, Nankai University, Tianjin 300191 (China); Petty, M.C. [Centre for Molecular and Nanoscale Electronics, University of Durham, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom)

    2007-01-15

    White organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are fabricated with a simple bilayer structure: ITO/TPD/ Zn(BTZ){sub 2}/Al. White emission is composed of two parts: one is 470 nm, which originates from exciton emission in Zn(BTZ){sub 2} emitting layer; the other is 580 nm, which originates from exciplexes formation at the interface of TPD and Zn(BTZ){sub 2}. Specially, the thickness of Zn(BTZ){sub 2} layer effects the relative intensity of two emissions. When the Zn(BTZ){sub 2} layer becomes thin (or thick), the 470 nm (or 580 nm) emission intensity turns into weak (or strong). Finally, We successfully fabricated pure white OLED when the thickness of Zn(BTZ){sub 2} layer was 65 nm.

  16. Single layers and multilayers of GaN and AlN in square-octagon structure: Stability, electronic properties, and functionalization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gürbüz, E.; Cahangirov, S.; Durgun, E.; Ciraci, S.

    2017-11-01

    Further to planar single-layer hexagonal structures, GaN and AlN can also form free-standing, single-layer structures constructed from squares and octagons. We performed an extensive analysis of dynamical and thermal stability of these structures in terms of ab initio finite-temperature molecular dynamics and phonon calculations together with the analysis of Raman and infrared active modes. These single-layer square-octagon structures of GaN and AlN display directional mechanical properties and have wide, indirect fundamental band gaps, which are smaller than their hexagonal counterparts. These density functional theory band gaps, however, increase and become wider upon correction. Under uniaxial and biaxial tensile strain, the fundamental band gaps decrease and can be closed. The electronic and magnetic properties of these single-layer structures can be modified by adsorption of various adatoms, or by creating neutral cation-anion vacancies. The single-layer structures attain magnetic moment by selected adatoms and neutral vacancies. In particular, localized gap states are strongly dependent on the type of vacancy. The energetics, binding, and resulting electronic structure of bilayer, trilayer, and three-dimensional (3D) layered structures constructed by stacking the single layers are affected by vertical chemical bonds between adjacent layers. In addition to van der Waals interaction, these weak vertical bonds induce buckling in planar geometry and enhance their binding, leading to the formation of stable 3D layered structures. In this respect, these multilayers are intermediate between van der Waals solids and wurtzite crystals, offering a wide range of tunability.

  17. Intraocular lens fabrication

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Salazar, M.A.; Foreman, L.R.

    1997-07-08

    This invention describes a method for fabricating an intraocular lens made from clear Teflon{trademark}, Mylar{trademark}, or other thermoplastic material having a thickness of about 0.025 millimeters. These plastic materials are thermoformable and biocompatable with the human eye. The two shaped lenses are bonded together with a variety of procedures which may include thermosetting and solvent based adhesives, laser and impulse welding, and ultrasonic bonding. The fill tube, which is used to inject a refractive filling material is formed with the lens so as not to damage the lens shape. A hypodermic tube may be included inside the fill tube. 13 figs.

  18. ITER Central Solenoid Module Fabrication

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Smith, John [General Atomics, San Diego, CA (United States)

    2016-09-23

    The fabrication of the modules for the ITER Central Solenoid (CS) has started in a dedicated production facility located in Poway, California, USA. The necessary tools have been designed, built, installed, and tested in the facility to enable the start of production. The current schedule has first module fabrication completed in 2017, followed by testing and subsequent shipment to ITER. The Central Solenoid is a key component of the ITER tokamak providing the inductive voltage to initiate and sustain the plasma current and to position and shape the plasma. The design of the CS has been a collaborative effort between the US ITER Project Office (US ITER), the international ITER Organization (IO) and General Atomics (GA). GA’s responsibility includes: completing the fabrication design, developing and qualifying the fabrication processes and tools, and then completing the fabrication of the seven 110 tonne CS modules. The modules will be shipped separately to the ITER site, and then stacked and aligned in the Assembly Hall prior to insertion in the core of the ITER tokamak. A dedicated facility in Poway, California, USA has been established by GA to complete the fabrication of the seven modules. Infrastructure improvements included thick reinforced concrete floors, a diesel generator for backup power, along with, cranes for moving the tooling within the facility. The fabrication process for a single module requires approximately 22 months followed by five months of testing, which includes preliminary electrical testing followed by high current (48.5 kA) tests at 4.7K. The production of the seven modules is completed in a parallel fashion through ten process stations. The process stations have been designed and built with most stations having completed testing and qualification for carrying out the required fabrication processes. The final qualification step for each process station is achieved by the successful production of a prototype coil. Fabrication of the first

  19. Fabrication of Metallic Hollow Nanoparticles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Jae-Woo (Inventor); Choi, Sr., Sang H. (Inventor); Lillehei, Peter T. (Inventor); Chu, Sang-Hyon (Inventor); Park, Yeonjoon (Inventor); King, Glen C. (Inventor); Elliott, James R. (Inventor)

    2016-01-01

    Metal and semiconductor nanoshells, particularly transition metal nanoshells, are fabricated using dendrimer molecules. Metallic colloids, metallic ions or semiconductors are attached to amine groups on the dendrimer surface in stabilized solution for the surface seeding method and the surface seedless method, respectively. Subsequently, the process is repeated with additional metallic ions or semiconductor, a stabilizer, and NaBH.sub.4 to increase the wall thickness of the metallic or semiconductor lining on the dendrimer surface. Metallic or semiconductor ions are automatically reduced on the metallic or semiconductor nanoparticles causing the formation of hollow metallic or semiconductor nanoparticles. The void size of the formed hollow nanoparticles depends on the dendrimer generation. The thickness of the metallic or semiconductor thin film around the dendrimer depends on the repetition times and the size of initial metallic or semiconductor seeds.

  20. Effect of the polymeric coating thickness on the photocurrent performance of titanium dioxide nanorod arrays-polyaniline composite-based UV photosensor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yusoff, M. M.; Mamat, M. H.; Malek, M. F.; Othman, , N.; Ismail, A. S.; Saidi, S. A.; Mohamed, R.; Suriani, A. B.; Khusaimi, Z.; Rusop, M.

    2018-05-01

    Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanorod arrays (TNAs) were synthesized and deposited on fluorine tin oxide (FTO)-coated glass substrate using a one-step immersion method in a glass container. The effect of the polymeric coating thickness of p-type polyaniline (PANI) on the n-type TNAs was investigated in the p-n heterojunction photodiode (PD) for the application of ultraviolet (UV) photosensor. The fabricated photosensor demonstrated an increased photocurrent under UV irradiation in correlation with the thickness layer of PANI. The measured UV response showed the highest photocurrent of 0.014 µA at 1.0 V of reverse bias with low dark current under the UV radiation (365 nm, 750 µW/cm2). The thickness of the PANI film improved the photocurrent of the fabricated TNAs/PANI composite-based UV photosensor.

  1. Easy fabrication of high quality nickel mold for deep polymer microfluidic channels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wong, Ten It; Tan, Christina Yuan Ling; Zhou, Xiaodong; Limantoro, Julian; Fong, Kin Phang; Quan, Chenggen; Sun, Ling Ling

    2016-01-01

    Mass fabrication of disposable microfluidic chips with hot embossing is a key technology for microfluidic chip based biosensors. In this work, we develop a new method of fabricating high quality and highly durable nickel molds for hot embossing polymer chips. The process involves the addition of a thick, patterned layer of negative photoresist AZ-125nxT to a 4″ silicon wafer, followed by nickel electroplating and delamination of the nickel mold. Our investigations found that compared to a pillar mask, a hole mask can minimize the diffraction effect in photolithography of a thick photoresist, reduce the adhesion of the AZ-125nxT to the photomask in photolithography, and facilitate clean development of the photoresist patterns. By optimizing the hot embossing and chip bonding parameters, microfluidic chips with deep channels are achieved. (paper)

  2. Crashworthiness Assessment of Auto-body Members Considering the Fabrication Histories

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huh, Hoon; Song, Jung-Han; Kim, Kee-Poong; Kim, Hyun-Sub

    2005-01-01

    This paper is concerned with crashworthiness of auto-body members considering the effect of fabrication. Most auto-body members are fabricated with sheet metal forming process and welding process that induce fabrication histories such as the plastic work hardening, non-uniform thickness distribution and residual stress. Crash simulation is carried out for auto-body members with LS-DYNA3D in order to identify the fabrication effect on the crashworthiness. The analysis calculated crash mode, the reaction force and the energy absorption for crashworthiness assessment with the forming effect. The result shows that the crash analysis with considering the forming history leads to a different result from that without considering the forming effect. The analysis results demonstrate that the design of auto-body members should be carried out considering the forming history for accurate assessment of the crashworthiness.

  3. Three-dimensional metallic opals fabricated by double templating

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yan Qingfeng; Nukala, Pavan; Chiang, Yet-Ming; Wong, C.C.

    2009-01-01

    We report a simple and cost-effective double templating method for fabricating large-area three-dimensional metallic photonic crystals of controlled thickness. A self-assembled polystyrene opal was used as the first template to fabricate a silica inverse opal on a gold-coated glass substrate via sol-gel processing. Gold was subsequently infiltrated to the pores of the silica inverse opal using electrochemical deposition. A high-quality three-dimensional gold photonic crystal was obtained after removal of the secondary template (silica inverse opal). The effects of template sphere size and deposition current density on the gold growth rate, and the resulting morphology and growth mechanism of the gold opal, were investigated.

  4. Facile and controllable construction of vanadium pentoxide@conducting polymer core/shell nanostructures and their thickness-dependent synergistic energy storage properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tong, Zhongqiu; Liu, Shikun; Li, Xingang; Ding, Yanbo; Zhao, Jiupeng; Li, Yao

    2016-01-01

    Graphical abstract: Here, we report a novel approach to prepare metal oxide@conducting polymer core/shell hybrids with controlled shell thickness and morphology, and the influence of PANI shell thickness on the electrochemical performance of V 2 O 5 @PANI core/shell hybrids is systematically investigated. Thickness-dependent synergistic electron transport, Li-ion diffusion distance, and shell mechanical strength mechanisms are proposed. - Highlights: • Thickness- and morphology-controlled V 2 O 5 /PANI core/shell hybrid nanofibers are fabricated. • The enhancement of energy storage performance of core/shell hybrids varies with the shell thickness. • Thickness-dependent synergistic electron transport, Li-ion diffusion distances, and shell mechanical strength mechanisms are proposed. - Abstract: Thickness- and morphology-controlled vanadium pentoxide/polyaniline (V 2 O 5 /PANI) core/shell hybrid nanofibers are fabricated by electropolymerization of PANI on V 2 O 5 nanofibers for enhanced energy storage. By simply adjusting the electrodeposition time, the thickness of the PANI shells can be controlled from 5 nm to 47 nm, and the morphology can be changed from coaxial to branched. The influence of shell thickness on the improved Li-ion storage performance of the V 2 O 5 /PANI core/shell nanofibers is systematically investigated, and this enhancement of charge capability and cycling stability strongly varies with the shell thickness. Thickness-dependent synergistic electron transport, Li-ion diffusion distances, and shell mechanical strength mechanisms are also proposed. These results provide meaningful references for developing new functional core/shell materials and high-performance energy storage composite materials.

  5. Ion Diffusion-Directed Assembly Approach to Ultrafast Coating of Graphene Oxide Thick Multilayers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Xiaoli; Gao, Weiwei; Yao, Weiquan; Jiang, Yanqiu; Xu, Zhen; Gao, Chao

    2017-10-24

    The layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly approach has been widely used to fabricate multilayer coatings on substrates with multiple cycles, whereas it is hard to access thick films efficiently. Here, we developed an ion diffusion-directed assembly (IDDA) strategy to rapidly make multilayer thick coatings in one step on arbitrary substrates. To achieve multifunctional coatings, graphene oxide (GO) and metallic ions were selected as the typical building blocks and diffusion director in IDDA, respectively. With diffusion of metallic ions from substrate to negatively charged GO dispersion spontaneously (i.e., from high-concentration region to low-concentration region), GO was assembled onto the substrate sheet-by-sheet via sol-gel transformation. Because metallic ions with size of subnanometers can diffuse directionally and freely in the aqueous dispersion, GO was coated on the substrate efficiently, giving rise to films with desired thickness up to 10 μm per cycle. The IDDA approach shows three main merits: (1) high efficiency with a μm-scale coating rate; (2) controllability over thickness and evenness; and (3) generality for substrates of plastics, metals and ceramics with any shapes and morphologies. With these merits, IDDA strategy was utilized in the efficient fabrication of functional graphene coatings that exhibit outstanding performance as supercapacitors, electromagnetic interference shielding textiles, and anticorrosion coatings. This IDDA approach can be extended to other building blocks including polymers and colloidal nanoparticles, promising for the scalable production and application of multifunctional coatings.

  6. Improved Mechanical Properties of Various Fabric-Reinforced Geocomposite at Elevated Temperature

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samal, Sneha; Phan Thanh, Nhan; Petríková, Iva; Marvalová, Bohadana

    2015-07-01

    This article signifies the improved performance of the various types of fabric reinforcement of geopolymer as a function of physical, thermal, mechanical, and heat-resistant properties at elevated temperatures. Geopolymer mixed with designed Si:Al ratios of 15.6 were synthesized using three different types of fabric reinforcement such as carbon, E-glass, and basalt fibers. Heat testing was conducted on 3-mm-thick panels with 15 × 90 mm surface exposure region. The strength of carbon-based geocomposite increased toward a higher temperature. The basalt-reinforced geocomposite strength decreased due to the catastrophic failure in matrix region. The poor bridging effect and dissolution of fabric was observed in the E-glass-reinforced geocomposite. At an elevated temperature, fiber bridging was observed in carbon fabric-reinforced geopolymer matrix. Among all the fabrics, carbon proved to be suitable candidate for the high-temperature applications in thermal barrier coatings and fire-resistant panels.

  7. Fabrication and loading of oral drug delivery microcontainers using hot punching

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, Ritika Singh; Borre, Mads T.; Keller, Stephan Sylvest

    2015-01-01

    In this paper, poly-l-lactic acid (PLLA) solution is spin coated to achieve a PLLA layer of 55 μm thickness. Hot punching with a Ni stamp is optimized to fabricate microcontainers in PLLA. Process optimization of thermal bonding of the microcontainers to a poly acrylic acid (PAA) layer is perform...... by modifying sample preparation and varying temperature. The fabricated microcontainers are loaded by hot punching in a spin coated drug polymer film of furosemide and poly-e-caprolactone (PCL)....

  8. Electro-physical properties of superconducting ceramic thick film prepared by partial melting method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Sang Heon

    2013-05-01

    BiSrCaCuO superconductor thick films were prepared at several curing temperatures, and their electro-physical properties were determined to find an optimum fabrication conditions. Critical temperatures of the superconductors were decreased with increasing melting temperature, which was related to the amount of equilibrium phases of the superconducting materials with temperature. The critical temperature of BiSrCaCuO bulk and thick film superconductors were 107 K and 96 K, respectively. The variation of susceptibility of the superconductor thick film formed at 950 degrees C had multi-step-type curve for 70 G externally applied field, whereas, a superconductor thick film formed at 885 degrees C had a single step-type curve like a bulk BiSrCaCuO ceramic superconductor in the temperature-susceptibility curves. A partial melting at 865 degrees C is one of optimum conditions for making a superconductor thick film with a relatively homogeneous phase.

  9. Fabrication of Cf/SiC composite by chemical vapor infiltration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Ji Yeon; Kim, Weon Ju

    2003-07-01

    This technical report reviewed the fabrication process of fiber reinforced ceramic composites, characteristics of the chemical vapor infiltration process, and applications for C f /SiC composite to develop a carbon fiber reinforced silicon carbide composite. Infiltration process was performed by the chemical vapor infiltration process using methyltrichlorosilane and hydrogen gas as a source and a diluent, respectively. Infiltration behavior, phase analysis, microstructure observation were carried out. Parameter study results of C f /SiC composite fabricated with some variables such as reaction pressure, reaction temperature, input gas ratio and preform thickness were described

  10. Effect of BST film thickness on the performance of tunable interdigital capacitors grown by MBE

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meyers, Cedric J. G.; Freeze, Christopher R.; Stemmer, Susanne; York, Robert A.

    2017-12-01

    Voltage-tunable, interdigital capacitors (IDCs) were fabricated on Ba0.29Sr0.71TiO3 grown by hybrid molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). In this growth technique, we utilize the metal-organic precursor titanium tetraisopropoxide rather than solid-source Ti as with conventional MBE. Two samples of varying BaxSr(1-x)TiO3 (BST) thicknesses were fabricated and analyzed. High-quality, epitaxial Pt electrodes were deposited by sputtering from a high-purity Pt target at 825 °C. The Pt electrodes were patterned and etched by argon ion milling, passivated with reactively sputtered SiO2, and then metallized with lift-off Ti/Au. The fabricated devices consisted of two-port IDCs embedded in ground-signal-ground, coplanar waveguide (CPW) transmission lines to enable radio-frequency (RF) probing. The sample included open and thru de-embedding structures to remove pad and CPW parasitic impedances. Two-port RF scattering (S) parameters were measured from 100 MHz to 40 GHz while DC bias was stepped from 0 V to 100 V. The IDCs exhibit a high zero-bias radio-frequency (RF) quality factor (Q) approaching 200 at 1 GHz and better than 2.3:1 capacitance tuning for the 300-nm-thick sample. Differences in the Q(V) and C(V) response with varying thicknesses indicate that unknown higher order material phenomena are contributing to the loss and tuning characteristics of the material.

  11. Flexible Thermoelectric Generators on Silicon Fabric

    KAUST Repository

    Sevilla, Galo T.

    2012-11-01

    In this work, the development of a Thermoelectric Generator on Flexible Silicon Fabric is explored to extend silicon electronics for flexible platforms. Low cost, easily deployable plastic based flexible electronics are of great interest for smart textile, wearable electronics and many other exciting applications. However, low thermal budget processing and fundamentally limited electron mobility hinders its potential to be competitive with well established and highly developed silicon technology. The use of silicon in flexible electronics involve expensive and abrasive materials and processes. In this work, high performance flexible thermoelectric energy harvesters are demonstrated from low cost bulk silicon (100) wafers. The fabrication of the micro- harvesters was done using existing silicon processes on silicon (100) and then peeled them off from the original substrate leaving it for reuse. Peeled off silicon has 3.6% thickness of bulk silicon reducing the thermal loss significantly and generating nearly 30% more output power than unpeeled harvesters. The demonstrated generic batch processing shows a pragmatic way of peeling off a whole silicon circuitry after conventional fabrication on bulk silicon wafers for extremely deformable high performance integrated electronics. In summary, by using a novel, low cost process, this work has successfully integrated existing and highly developed fabrication techniques to introduce a flexible energy harvester for sustainable applications.

  12. A „Hybrid“ Thin-Film pH Sensor with Integrated Thick-Film Reference

    OpenAIRE

    Simonis, Anette; Krings, Thomas; Lüth, Hans; Wang, Joseph; Schöning, Michael J.

    2001-01-01

    A reference electrode fabricated by means of thick-film technique is deposited onto a silicon substrate and combined with a thin-film pH sensor to a “hybrid†chip system. To evaluate the suitability of this combination, first investigations were carried out. The characteristics of the thin-film pH sensor were studied towards the thick-film Ag/AgCl reference electrode. Measurements were performed in the capacitance/voltage (C/V) and constant capacitance (Concap) mode for different pH ...

  13. Lattice sites, charge states and spin–lattice relaxation of Fe ions in {sup 57}Mn{sup +} implanted GaN and AlN

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Masenda, H., E-mail: hilary.masenda@wits.ac.za [School of Physics, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2050 (South Africa); Naidoo, D. [School of Physics, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2050 (South Africa); Bharuth-Ram, K. [Physics Department, Durban University of Technology, Durban 4000 (South Africa); iThemba LABS, PO Box 725, Somerset West 7129 (South Africa); Gunnlaugsson, H.P. [PH Department, ISOLDE/CERN, 1211 Geneva 23 (Switzerland); KU Leuven, Instituut voor Kern-en Stralingsfysica, 3001 Leuven (Belgium); Johnston, K. [PH Department, ISOLDE/CERN, 1211 Geneva 23 (Switzerland); Mantovan, R. [Laboratorio MDM, IMM-CNR, Via Olivetti 2, 20864 Agrate Brianza (MB) (Italy); Mølholt, T.E. [PH Department, ISOLDE/CERN, 1211 Geneva 23 (Switzerland); Ncube, M. [School of Physics, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2050 (South Africa); Shayestehaminzadeh, S. [Materials Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Kopernikusstr. 10, 5274 Aachen (Germany); Gíslason, H.P. [Science Institute, University of Iceland, Dunhaga 3, 107 Reykjavík (Iceland); Langouche, G. [KU Leuven, Instituut voor Kern-en Stralingsfysica, 3001 Leuven (Belgium); Ólafsson, S. [Science Institute, University of Iceland, Dunhaga 3, 107 Reykjavík (Iceland); Weyer, G. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 120, 8000 Aarhus (Denmark)

    2016-03-01

    The lattice sites, valence states, resulting magnetic behaviour and spin–lattice relaxation of Fe ions in GaN and AlN were investigated by emission Mössbauer spectroscopy following the implantation of radioactive {sup 57}Mn{sup +} ions at ISOLDE/CERN. Angle dependent measurements performed at room temperature on the 14.4 keV γ-rays from the {sup 57}Fe Mössbauer state (populated from the {sup 57}Mn β{sup −} decay) reveal that the majority of the Fe ions are in the 2+ valence state nearly substituting the Ga and Al cations, and/or associated with vacancy type defects. Emission Mössbauer spectroscopy experiments conducted over a temperature range of 100–800 K show the presence of magnetically split sextets in the “wings” of the spectra for both materials. The temperature dependence of the sextets relates these spectral features to paramagnetic Fe{sup 3+} with rather slow spin–lattice relaxation rates which follow a T{sup 2} temperature dependence characteristic of a two-phonon Raman process. - Highlights: • The majority of the Fe ions are in the 2+ state, located on near substitutional sites associated with vacancy type defects. • A significant fraction of the Fe ions are in the paramagnetic Fe{sup 3+} state. • Spin–lattice relaxation of Fe{sup 3+} in both GaN and AlN follows a two-phonon Raman process.

  14. Fabrication of radiation sources for educational purposes from chemical fertilizers using compressing and forming method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kawano, Takao

    2008-01-01

    Chemical fertilizers contain potassium, which is composed of a small amount of naturally occurring potassium-40. The potassium-40 radionuclide emits beta and gamma radiation. Three brands of chemical fertilizer were used to fabricate disk-shaped radiation sources and the fabricated radiation sources were examined for applicability to an educational radiation course. In the examination, tests to determine dependence of count rate on distance, shielding thickness, and shielding materials were conducted using the radiation sources. Results showed that radiation sources fabricated from the three brands of chemical fertilizer were equivalent for explaining radiation characteristics, particularly those related to the dependence of radiation strength on distance and shielding thickness. The relation between shielding effect and mass density can be explained qualitatively. Thus, chemical fertilizer radiation sources can be a useful teaching aid for educational courses to better promote understanding of radiation characteristics and the principles of radiation protection. (author)

  15. Fabrication of an Absorber-Coupled MKID Detector and Readout for Sub-Millimeter and Far-Infrared Astronomy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Ari-David; Hsieh, Wen-Ting; Moseley, S. Harvey; Stevenson, Thomas R.; U-yen, Kongpop; Wollack, Edward J.

    2010-01-01

    We have fabricated absorber-coupled microwave kinetic inductance detector (MKID) arrays for sub-millimeter and farinfrared astronomy. Each detector array is comprised of lambda/2 stepped impedance resonators, a 1.5µm thick silicon membrane, and 380µm thick silicon walls. The resonators consist of parallel plate aluminum transmission lines coupled to low impedance Nb microstrip traces of variable length, which set the resonant frequency of each resonator. This allows for multiplexed microwave readout and, consequently, good spatial discrimination between pixels in the array. The Al transmission lines simultaneously act to absorb optical power and are designed to have a surface impedance and filling fraction so as to match the impedance of free space. Our novel fabrication techniques demonstrate high fabrication yield of MKID arrays on large single crystal membranes and sub-micron front-to-back alignment of the microstrip circuit.

  16. In situ ice and structure thickness monitoring using integrated and flexible ultrasonic transducers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Q; Wu, K-T; Kobayashi, M; Jen, C-K; Mrad, N

    2008-01-01

    Two types of ultrasonic sensors are presented for in situ capability development of ice detection and structure thickness measurement. These piezoelectric film based sensors have been fabricated by a sol–gel spray technique for aircraft environments and for temperatures ranging from −80 to 100 °C. In one sensor type, piezoelectric films of thickness greater than 40 µm are deposited directly onto the interior of a 1.3 mm thick aluminum (Al) alloy control surface (stabilizer) of an aircraft wing structure as integrated ultrasonic transducers (UTs). In the other sensor type, piezoelectric films are coated onto a 50 µm thick polyimide membrane as flexible UTs. These were subsequently glued onto similar locations at the same control surfaces. In situ monitoring of stabilizer outer skin thickness was performed. Ice build-up ranging from a fraction of 1 mm to less than 1.5 mm was also detected on a 3 mm thick Al plate. Measurements using these ultrasonic sensors agreed well with those obtained by a micrometer. Tradeoffs of these two approaches are presented

  17. Spin Seebeck effect in nanometer-thick YIG micro-fabricated strips

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martin Collet

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available We have investigated the spin Seebeck effect (SSE generated by current induced-heating in ultra-thin yttrium iron garnet film (20 nm covered by an 8 nm thick Pt layer. By passing current in the Pt layer, an out-of-plane temperature gradient is established that, in turn, generates an out-of-equilibrium magnons population. The resulting pure spin current is detected using the inverse spin Hall effect (ISHE measured in the Pt electrode. A lock-in detection scheme is used to separate the SSE signal from other magneto-galvanic effect. Indeed, the SSE signal is obtained as the second harmonic voltage response, while spin Hall magnetoresistance (SMR is measured as the first harmonic response to the ac excitation current. Interestingly, the amplitude of the SSE in such thin YIG film is comparable to what has been reported for much thicker films.

  18. Fabrication of thin TEM sample of ionic liquid for high-resolution ELNES measurements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Miyata, Tomohiro, E-mail: tomo-m@iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp; Mizoguchi, Teruyasu, E-mail: teru@iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp

    2017-07-15

    Investigation of the local structure, ionic and molecular behavior, and chemical reactions at high spatial resolutions in liquids has become increasingly important. Improvements in these areas help to develop efficient batteries and improve organic syntheses. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning-TEM (STEM) have excellent spatial resolution, and the electron energy-loss near edge structure (ELNES) measured by the accompanied electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) is effective to analyze the liquid local structure owing to reflecting the electronic density of states. In this study, we fabricate a liquid-layer-only sample with thickness of single to tens nanometers using an ionic liquid. Because the liquid film has a thickness much less than the inelastic mean free path (IMFP) of the electron beam, the fine structure of the C-K edge electron energy loss near edge structure (ELNES) can be measured with sufficient resolution to allow meaningful analysis. The ELNES spectrum from the thin liquid film has been interpreted using first principles ELNES calculations. - Highlights: • A fabrication method of thin liquid film samples for STEM-EELS observations is proposed. • The thickness of the fabricated thin liquid film is about 10 nm. • An ELNES is measured from the thin liquid with a high energy resolution. • The peaks of the ELNES are interpreted using first principles calculations.

  19. Fabrication and inspection of stainless-steel-clad tubes for fast reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Spriet, M.

    1975-01-01

    The production of cladding tubes requires a selection of the raw material, particular core taken during the cold and hot processes, special surface preparations, heat treatments, and intermediate control during the principal steps of fabrication. The inspection is made in two stages: acceptance tests at Vallourec (Eddy current and ultrasonic tests, metrology of internal and external diameter and thickness, metallography, analyses, tensile tests) and ultrasonic tests, metrology of external diameter and thickness, metallography, analyses, mechanical tests at high temperature) [fr

  20. Laser cutting fabrication of magnetic components

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Neuenschwander, R.T.; Ricardo, A.; Rodrigues, D.; Talarico, F.W.B.; Goncalves da Silva, C.E.T.

    1992-01-01

    Dipole, quadrupole and sextupole prototypes for the LNLS storage ring have been fabricated using 1.5 mm thick, low carbon steel laminations, with the aid of CO 2 laser cutter, reaching an overall dimensional accuracy of ±0.02 mm (standard deviation). The relevant aspects of the technique are presented, together with the results of magnetic and dimensional measurements. The possibility of mass producing these components with the technique is also analyzed. (author) 2 refs.; 6 figs

  1. Influence of PZT Coating Thickness and Electrical Pole Alignment on Microresonator Properties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Janusas, Giedrius; Ponelyte, Sigita; Brunius, Alfredas; Guobiene, Asta; Vilkauskas, Andrius; Palevicius, Arvydas

    2016-11-10

    With increasing technical requirements in the design of microresonators, the development of new techniques for lightweight, simple, and inexpensive components becomes relevant. Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) is a powerful tool in the formation of these components, allowing a self-actuation or self-sensing capability. Different fabrication methods lead to the variation of the properties of the device itself. This research paper covers the fabrication of a novel PZT film and the investigations of its chemical, surface, and dynamic properties when film thickness is varied. A screen-printing technique was used for the formation of smooth films of 60 µm, 68 µm, and 25 µm thickness. A custom-made poling technique was applied to enhance the piezoelectric properties of the designed films. However, poling did not change any compositional or surface characteristics of the films; changes were only seen in the electrical ones. The results showed that a thinner poled PZT film having a chemical composition with the highest amount of copper and zirconium led to better electrical characteristics (generated voltage of 3.5 mV).

  2. Fabrication and Characterization of High-Sensitivity Underwater Acoustic Multimedia Communication Devices with Thick Composite PZT Films

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeng-Cheng Liu

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a high-sensitivity hydrophone fabricated with a Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS process using epitaxial thin films grown on silicon wafers. The evaluated resonant frequency was calculated through finite-element analysis (FEA. The hydrophone was designed, fabricated, and characterized by different measurements performed in a water tank, by using a pulsed sound technique with a sensitivity of −190 dB ± 2 dB for frequencies in the range 50–500 Hz. These results indicate the high-performance miniaturized acoustic devices, which can impact a variety of technological applications.

  3. Fabrication of Hyperbolic Metamaterials using Atomic Layer Deposition

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Shkondin, Evgeniy

     technology allowing thickness control on atomic scale. As the deposition relies on a surface reaction, conformal pinhole free films can be deposited on various substrates with advanced topology. This method has been a central theme of the project and a core fabrication technique of plasmonic and dielectric...... in dielectric host, the fabrication is still challenging, since ultrathin, continuous, pinhole free nanometer-scale coatings are desired. The required high-quality thin layers have been fabricated using atomic layer deposition (ALD). It is a relatively new, cyclic, self-limiting thin film deposition......, especially in the infrared range, result in high loss and weak connement to the surface. Additionally, the most implemented metals in plasmonics such as Au and Ag are diffcult to pattern at nanoscale due to their limited chemistry, adhesion or oxidation issues. Therefore the implementation of...

  4. Development of thick wall welding and cutting tools for ITER

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakahira, Masataka; Takahashi, Hiroyuki; Akou, Kentaro; Koizumi, Koichi

    1998-01-01

    The Vacuum Vessel, which is a core component of International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), is required to be exchanged remotely in a case of accident such as superconducting coil failure. The in-vessel components such as blanket and divertor are planned to be exchanged or fixed. In these exchange or maintenance operations, the thick wall welding and cutting are inevitable and remote handling tools are necessary. The thick wall welding and cutting tools for blanket are under developing in the ITER R and D program. The design requirement is to weld or cut the stainless steel of 70 mm thickness in the narrow space. Tungsten inert gas (TIG) arc welding, plasma cutting and iodine laser welding/cutting are selected as primary option. Element welding and cutting tests, design of small tools to satisfy space requirement, test fabrication and performance tests were performed. This paper reports the tool design and overview of welding and cutting tests. (author)

  5. Development of thick wall welding and cutting tools for ITER

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nakahira, Masataka; Takahashi, Hiroyuki; Akou, Kentaro; Koizumi, Koichi [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan). Tokai Research Establishment

    1998-04-01

    The Vacuum Vessel, which is a core component of International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), is required to be exchanged remotely in a case of accident such as superconducting coil failure. The in-vessel components such as blanket and divertor are planned to be exchanged or fixed. In these exchange or maintenance operations, the thick wall welding and cutting are inevitable and remote handling tools are necessary. The thick wall welding and cutting tools for blanket are under developing in the ITER R and D program. The design requirement is to weld or cut the stainless steel of 70 mm thickness in the narrow space. Tungsten inert gas (TIG) arc welding, plasma cutting and iodine laser welding/cutting are selected as primary option. Element welding and cutting tests, design of small tools to satisfy space requirement, test fabrication and performance tests were performed. This paper reports the tool design and overview of welding and cutting tests. (author)

  6. Fabrication of tubed functionally graded material by slurry dipping process. Thickness control of dip-coated layer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Watanabe, Ryuzo

    1997-03-01

    In order to obtain long life fuel cladding tubes for the fast breeder reactor, the concept of functionally graded material was applied for the material combination of Molybdenum/stainless steel/Titanium, in which Titanium and Molybdenum were placed at the inner and outer sides, respectively. Slurry dipping method was employed because of its capability of shape forming and microstructural control. We have hitherto reported the design criteria for the graded layers, preparation of the slurry, and microstructural control of the dip-coated layers. In the present report, the thickness control of the dip-coated layer is described in detail. The thickness of the dip-coated layer depends primarily on the viscosity of the slurry. Nevertheless, for the stable dispersion of the powder in the slurry, which dominates the microstructural homogeneity, an optimum viscosity value is present for the individual slurries. With stable slurries of Ti, Mo, stainless steel powders and their mixtures, the thicknesses of dip-coated layers were controlled in dependence of their viscosities and yield values. For Ti and stainless steel powders and their mixture a PAANa was used as a dispersing agent. A NaHMP was found to be effective for the dispersion of Mo powder and Mo/stainless steel powder mixture. For all slurries tested in the present investigation PVA addition was helpful for the viscosity control. Dip-coating maps have been drawn for the stabilization of the slurries and for the formation of films with a sufficient strength for further manipulation for the slurries with low viscosity (∼10 mPa s). The final film thickness for the low-viscosity slurry with the optimum condition was about 200 μm. The slurries with high viscosities of several hundreds mPa s had a good stability and the yield value was easy to be controlled. The film thickness was able to be adjusted in the size range between several tens and several hundreds μm. The final thickness of the graded layer was determined

  7. 3D electroplated inductors with thickness variation for improved broadband performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farm-Guoo Tseng, Victor; Bedair, Sarah S.; Lazarus, Nathan

    2017-01-01

    The performance of an RF spiral inductor is based on the balance between ohmic losses in the outer turns and eddy current losses dominant in the inner turns where the magnetic field is the strongest. In this work, air-core spiral inductors with winding trace thicknesses decreasing towards the center are demonstrated, achieving quality factor improvement over a wide frequency range compared to uniform thickness inductors. A custom 3D copper electroplating process was used to produce spiral inductors with varying winding thicknesses in a single plating step, with patterned gaps in a seed layer used to create delays in the vertical plating. The fabricated center-lowered coil inductors were 80 nH within a one square millimeter area with thickness varying from 60 µm to 10 µm from outer to inner winding. Within the 16 MHz-160 MHz range, the center-lowered inductors were shown to have a maximum to minimum quality factor improvement of 90%-10% when compared to uniform thickness inductors with thicknesses ranging from 60 µm to 10 µm. Compared to the 20 µm uniform thickness inductor which has the optimal performance among all uniform thickness inductors in this frequency range, the center-lowered inductors were shown to achieve a maximum quality factor improvement of 20% at the edge frequencies of 16 MHz and 160 MHz, and a minimum quality factor improvement of 10% near the geometric mean center frequency of 46 MHz.

  8. Fabrication of HTTR first loading fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kato, S.; Yoshimuta, S.; Hasumi, T.; Sato, K.; Sawa, K.; Suzuki, S.; Mogi, H.; Shiozawa, S.; Tanaka, T.

    2001-01-01

    This paper summarizes the fabrication of the first loading fuel for HTTR, High Temperature engineering Test Reactor constructed by JAERI, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute. The fuel fabrication started at the HTR fuel facility of NFI, Nuclear Fuel Industries, Ltd., June 1995. 4,770 fuel rods were fabricated through the fuel kernel, coated fuel particle and fuel compaction process, then 150 fuel elements were assembled in the reactor building December 1997. Fabrication technology for the fuel was established through a lot of R and D activities and fabrication experience of irradiation examination samples spread over about 30 years. Most of all, very high quality and production efficiency of fuel were achieved by the development of the fuel kernel process using the vibration dropping technology, the continuous 4-layer coating process and the automatic compaction process. As for the inspection technology, the development of the automatic measurement equipment for coated layer thickness of a coated fuel particle and uranium content of a fuel compact contributed to the higher reliability and rationalization of the inspection process. The data processing system for the fabrication and quality control, which was originally developed by NFI, made possible not only quick feedback of statistical quality data to the fabrication processes, but also automatic document preparation, such as inspection certificates and accountability control reports. The quality of the first loading fuel fully satisfied the design specifications for the fuel. In particular, average bare uranium fraction and SiC defective fraction of fuel compacts were 2x10 -6 and 8x10 -5 , respectively. According to the preceding irradiation examinations being performed at JMTR, Japan Materials Testing Reactor of JAERI, the specimen sampled from the first loading fuel shows good irradiation performance. (author)

  9. Plasma-assisted quartz-to-quartz direct bonding for the fabrication of a multilayered quartz template for nanoimprint lithography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Jihye; Ali, Altun; Kim, Ki-don; Choi, Dae-guen; Choi, Jun-Hyuk; Jeong, Jun-ho; Kim, Jae-Hyun

    2010-01-01

    In this paper, a low-temperature plasma-assisted process is developed to realize a uniform, ultraviolet (UV) transparent and chemically inert quartz-to-quartz direct bonding. Two sets of pretests are performed in order to understand how the bond surface energy changes with the plasma exposure time and the wet etching of quartz, respectively. The developed technique is used to fabricate a multilayered quartz template for UV nanoimprint lithography (UV-NIL). The multilayered quartz template is fabricated by bonding a square piece of a standard quartz wafer, which is about 625 µm in thickness, to a wet-etched 6.35 mm thick quartz photomask plate. A fabricated multilayered template is loaded to the commercial UV-NIL tool Imprio(TM) 100, and NIL was performed successfully. The developed direct bonding technique makes it possible for standard quartz wafers, which are compatible with high-resolution semiconductor fabrication processes, to be utilized as the templates in commercial UV-NIL machines with enhanced mechanical stability.

  10. Flexible screen printed thick film thermoelectric generator with reduced material resistivity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cao, Z; Koukharenko, E; Torah, R N; Tudor, J; Beeby, S P

    2014-01-01

    This work presents a flexible thick-film Bismuth Tellurium/Antimony Tellurium (BiTe/SbTe) thermoelectric generator (TEG) with reduced material resistivity fabricated by screen printing technology. Cold isostatic pressing (CIP) was introduced to lower the resistivity of the printed thermoelectric materials. The Seebeck coefficient (α) and the resistivity (ρ) of printed materials were measured as a function of applied pressure. A prototype TEG with 8 thermocouples was fabricated on flexible polyimide substrate. The dimension of a single printed element was 20 mm × 2 mm × 78.4 pm. The coiled-up prototype produced a voltage of 36.4 mV and a maximum power of 40.3 nW from a temperature gradient of 20 °C

  11. Study on Improving Thickness Uniformity of Microfluidic Chip Mold in the Electroforming Process

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liqun Du

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Electroformed microfluidic chip mold faces the problem of uneven thickness, which decreases the dimensional accuracy of the mold, and increases the production cost. To fabricate a mold with uniform thickness, two methods are investigated. Firstly, experiments are carried out to study how the ultrasonic agitation affects the thickness uniformity of the mold. It is found that the thickness uniformity is maximally improved by about 30% after 2 h electroforming under 200 kHz and 500 W ultrasonic agitation. Secondly, adding a second cathode, a method suitable for long-time electroforming is studied by numerical simulation. The simulation results show that with a 4 mm width second cathode used, the thickness uniformity is improved by about 30% after 2 h of electroforming, and that with electroforming time extended, the thickness uniformity is improved more obviously. After 22 h electroforming, the thickness uniformity is increased by about 45%. Finally, by comparing two methods, the method of adding a second cathode is chosen, and a microfluidic chip mold is made with the help of a specially designed second cathode. The result shows that the thickness uniformity of the mold is increased by about 50%, which is in good agreement with the simulation results.

  12. Effect of iron catalyst thickness on vertically aligned carbon nanotube forest straightness for CNT-MEMS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moulton, Kellen; Jensen, Brian D; Morrill, Nicholas B; Konneker, Adam M; Vanfleet, Richard R; Allred, David D; Davis, Robert C

    2012-01-01

    This paper examines the effect of iron catalyst thickness on the straightness of growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for microelectromechanical systems fabricated using the CNT-templated-microfabrication (CNT-M) process. SEM images of samples grown using various iron catalyst thicknesses show that both straight sidewalls and good edge definition are achieved using an iron thickness between 7 and 8 nm. Below this thickness, individual CNTs are well aligned, but the sidewalls of CNT forests formed into posts and long walls are not always straight. Above this thickness, the CNT forest sidewalls are relatively straight, but edge definition is poor, with significantly increased sidewall roughness. The proximity of a device or feature to other regions of iron catalyst also affects CNT growth. By using an iron catalyst thickness appropriate for straight growth, and by adding borders of iron around features or devices, a designer can greatly improve straightness of growth for CNT-MEMS. (paper)

  13. Improving the performance of IPMCs with a gradient in thickness

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao, Yang; Xu, Bing; Zheng, Gaofeng; Zheng, Jianyi; Qiu, Xiaochun; Zhuang, Mingfeng; Sun, Daoheng

    2013-01-01

    An ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC) is a kind of electro-active polymer. Due to the properties of low driving voltage, large deformation, flexibility and lightness, it is becoming one of the more popular from a diversity of smart materials. In this study, a novel structure of Nafion ® film is proposed to improve the performance of an IPMC. IPMC samples with a gradient structure in thickness are fabricated and their performance is investigated to confirm the validity of the gradient structure. The deformation displacement and the blocking force are compared under AC and DC voltage by experiments. The results indicate that the structure of gradient in thickness would improve the performance both in deformation displacement and blocking force. (paper)

  14. Inhibited osteoclastic bone resorption through alendronate treatment in rats reduces severe osteoarthritis progression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siebelt, M; Waarsing, J H; Groen, H C; Müller, C; Koelewijn, S J; de Blois, E; Verhaar, J A N; de Jong, M; Weinans, H

    2014-09-01

    Osteoarthritis (OA) is a non-rheumatoid joint disease characterized by progressive degeneration of extra-cellular cartilage matrix (ECM), enhanced subchondral bone remodeling, osteophyte formation and synovial thickening. Alendronate (ALN) is a potent inhibitor of osteoclastic bone resorption and results in reduced bone remodeling. This study investigated the effects of pre-emptive use of ALN on OA related osteoclastic subchondral bone resorption in an in vivo rat model for severe OA. Using multi-modality imaging we measured effects of ALN treatment within cartilage and synovium. Severe osteoarthritis was induced in left rat knees using papain injections in combination with a moderate running protocol. Twenty rats were treated with subcutaneous ALN injections and compared to twenty untreated controls. Animals were longitudinally monitored for 12weeks with in vivo μCT to measure subchondral bone changes and SPECT/CT to determine synovial macrophage activation using a folate-based radiotracer. Articular cartilage was analyzed at 6 and 12weeks with ex vivo contrast enhanced μCT and histology to measure sulfated-glycosaminoglycan (sGAG) content and cartilage thickness. ALN treatment successfully inhibited subchondral bone remodeling. As a result we found less subchondral plate porosity and reduced osteophytosis. ALN treatment did not reduce subchondral sclerosis. However, after the OA induction phase, ALN treatment protected cartilage ECM from degradation and reduced synovial macrophage activation. Surprisingly, ALN treatment also improved sGAG content of tibia cartilage in healthy joints. Our data was consistent with the hypothesis that osteoclastic bone resorption might play an important role in OA and may be a driving force for progression of the disease. However, our study suggest that this effect might not solely be effects on osteoclastic activity, since ALN treatment also influenced macrophage functioning. Additionally, ALN treatment and physical activity

  15. The Design of 3D-Printed Lattice-Reinforced Thickness-Varying Shell Molds for Castings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shangguan, Haolong; Kang, Jinwu; Yi, Jihao; Zhang, Xiaochuan; Wang, Xiang; Wang, Haibin; Huang, Tao

    2018-03-30

    3D printing technologies have been used gradually for the fabrication of sand molds and cores for castings, even though these molds and cores are dense structures. In this paper, a generation method for lattice-reinforced thickness-varying shell molds is proposed and presented. The first step is the discretization of the STL (Stereo Lithography) model of a casting into finite difference meshes. After this, a shell is formed by surrounding the casting with varying thickness, which is roughly proportional to the surface temperature distribution of the casting that is acquired by virtually cooling it in the environment. A regular lattice is subsequently constructed to support the shell. The outside surface of the shell and lattice in the cubic mesh format is then converted to STL format to serve as the external surface of the new shell mold. The internal surface of the new mold is the casting's surface with the normals of all of the triangles in STL format reversed. Experimental verification was performed on an Al alloy wheel hub casting. Its lattice-reinforced thickness-varying shell mold was generated by the proposed method and fabricated by the binder jetting 3D printing. The poured wheel hub casting was sound and of good surface smoothness. The cooling rate of the wheel hub casting was greatly increased due to the shell mold structure. This lattice-reinforced thickness-varying shell mold generation method is of great significance for mold design for castings to achieve cooling control.

  16. FEM Analysis of Sezawa Mode SAW Sensor for VOC Based on CMOS Compatible AlN/SiO2/Si Multilayer Structure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muhammad Zubair Aslam

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available A Finite Element Method (FEM simulation study is conducted, aiming to scrutinize the sensitivity of Sezawa wave mode in a multilayer AlN/SiO2/Si Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW sensor to low concentrations of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs, that is, trichloromethane, trichloroethylene, carbon tetrachloride and tetrachloroethene. A Complimentary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS compatible AlN/SiO2/Si based multilayer SAW resonator structure is taken into account for this purpose. In this study, first, the influence of AlN and SiO2 layers’ thicknesses over phase velocities and electromechanical coupling coefficients (k2 of two SAW modes (i.e., Rayleigh and Sezawa is analyzed and the optimal thicknesses of AlN and SiO2 layers are opted for best propagation characteristics. Next, the study is further extended to analyze the mass loading effect on resonance frequencies of SAW modes by coating a thin Polyisobutylene (PIB polymer film over the AlN surface. Finally, the sensitivity of the two SAW modes is examined for VOCs. This study concluded that the sensitivity of Sezawa wave mode for 1 ppm of selected volatile organic gases is twice that of the Rayleigh wave mode.

  17. Impact of GaN transition layers in the growth of GaN epitaxial layer on silicon

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao Danmei; Zhao Degang; Jiang Desheng; Liu Zongshun; Zhu Jianjun; Chen Ping; Liu Wei; Li Xiang; Shi Ming

    2015-01-01

    A method for growing GaN epitaxial layer on Si (111) substrate is investigated. Due to the large lattice mismatch between GaN and AlN, GaN grown directly above an AlN buffer layer on the Si substrate turns out to be of poor quality. In this study, a GaN transition layer is grown additionally on the AlN buffer before the GaN epitaxial growth. By changing the growth conditions of the GaN transition layer, we can control the growth and merging of islands and control the transfer time from 3D to 2D growth mode. With this method, the crystalline quality of the GaN epitaxial layer can be improved and the crack density is reduced. Here, we have investigated the impact of a transition layer on the crystalline quality and stress evolution of a GaN epitaxial layer with methods of X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy and in situ reflectivity trace. With the increasing thickness of transition layer, the crack decreases and the crystalline quality is improved. But when the transition layer exceeds a critical thickness, the crystalline quality of the epilayer becomes lower and the crack density increases. (paper)

  18. Design and fabrication of ultrathin silicon-nitride membranes for use in UV-visible airgap-based MEMS optical filters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ghaderi, Mohammadamir; Wolffenbuttel, Reinoud F.

    2016-01-01

    MEMS-based airgap optical filters are composed of quarter-wave thick high-index dielectric membranes that are separated by airgaps. The main challenge in the fabrication of these filters is the intertwined optical and mechanical requirements. The thickness of the layers decreases with design wavelength, which makes the optical performance in the UV more susceptible to fabrication tolerances, such as thickness and composition of the deposited layers, while the ability to sustain a certain level of residual stress by the structural strength becomes more critical. Silicon-nitride has a comparatively high Young's modulus and good optical properties, which makes it a suitable candidate as the membrane material. However, both the mechanical and optical properties in a silicon-nitride film strongly depend on the specifics of the deposition process. A design trade-off is required between the mechanical strength and the index of refraction, by tuning the silicon content in the silicon-nitride film. However, also the benefit of a high index of refraction in a silicon-rich film should be weighed against the increased UV optical absorption. This work presents the design, fabrication, and preliminary characterization of one and three quarter-wave thick silicon-nitride membranes with a one-quarter airgap and designed to give a spectral reflectance at 400 nm. The PECVD silicon-nitride layers were initially characterized, and the data was used for the optical and mechanical design of the airgap filters. A CMOS compatible process based on polysilicon sacrificial layers was used for the fabrication of the membranes. Optical characterization results are presented. (paper)

  19. Fabrication of Closed Hollow Bulb Obturator Using Thermoplastic Resin Material

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bidhan Shrestha

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. Closed hollow bulb obturators are used for the rehabilitation of postmaxillectomy patients. However, the time consuming process, complexity of fabrication, water leakage, and discoloration are notable disadvantages of this technique. This paper describes a clinical report of fabricating closed hollow bulb obturator using a single flask and one time processing method for an acquired maxillary defect. Hard thermoplastic resin sheet has been used for the fabrication of hollow bulb part of the obturator. Method. After fabrication of master cast conventionally, bulb and lid part of the defect were formed separately and joined by autopolymerizing acrylic resin to form one sized smaller hollow body. During packing procedure, the defect area was loaded with heat polymerizing acrylic resin and then previously fabricated smaller hollow body was adapted over it. The whole area was then loaded with heat cure acrylic. Further processes were carried out conventionally. Conclusion. This technique uses single flask which reduces laboratory time and makes the procedure simple. The thickness of hollow bulb can be controlled and light weight closed hollow bulb prosthesis can be fabricated. It also minimizes the disadvantages of closed hollow bulb obturator such as water leakage, bacterial infection, and discoloration.

  20. Improved fabrication of HgI2 nuclear radiation detectors by machine-cleaving

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Levi, A.; Burger, A.; Schieber, M.; Vandenberg, L.; Yellon, W.B.; Alkire, R.W.

    1982-01-01

    The perfection of machine-cleaved sections from HgI 2 bulk crystals was examined. The perfection of the machine-cleaved sections as established by gamma diffraction rocking curves was found to be much better than the perfection of hand-cleaved sections or as grown thin platelets, reaching a perfection similar to that of the wire-sawn sections of HgI 2 . A correlation between the perfection and the thickness of the machine-cleaved section was also found, i.e., the thicker the cleaved-section the more perfect it is. The reproducibility of the fabrication was significantly improved by using machine cleaving in the process of fabrication. Large single crystals of HgI 2 weighing 20 to 200 g, can be grown from the vapor phase using the TOM Technique. In order to fabricate nuclear radiation detectors from these single crystals, thin sections of about 0.4 to 0.8 mm thickness have to be prepared. Up till now, the state-of-the-art of fabricating HgI 2 nuclear radiation detectors involved two methods to get thin sections from the large single crystals: (1) hand-cleaving using a razor-blade and (2) solution wire sawing. The chemical wire sawing method involves a loss of about 50% of the crystal volume and is usually followed by a chemical polishing process which involves a significant loss of volume of the original volume. This procedure is complicated and wasteful. The traditional fabrication method, i.e., hand-cleaving followed by rapid nonselective chemical etching, is simpler and less wasteful

  1. Aluminum Gallium Nitride Alloys Grown via Metalorganic Vapor-Phase Epitaxy Using a Digital Growth Technique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodak, L. E.; Korakakis, D.

    2011-04-01

    This work investigates the use of a digital growth technique as a viable method for achieving high-quality aluminum gallium nitride (Al x Ga1- x N) films via metalorganic vapor-phase epitaxy. Digital alloys are superlattice structures with period thicknesses of a few monolayers. Alloys with an AlN mole fraction ranging from 0.1 to 0.9 were grown by adjusting the thickness of the AlN layer in the superlattice. High-resolution x-ray diffraction was used to determine the superlattice period and c-lattice parameter of the structure, while reciprocal-space mapping was used to determine the a-lattice parameter and evaluate growth coherency. A comparison of the measured lattice parameter with both the nominal value and also the underlying buffer layer is discussed.

  2. Ion beam energy attenuation for fabrication of buried, variable-depth, optical waveguides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bibra, M.L. von; Roberts, A.; Dods, S.D.

    2000-01-01

    Buried waveguides with graded depths have been fabricated using a focussed ion beam, direct-write process in fused silica by irradiation with 3 MeV protons through a tapered film varying in thickness from 5 to 40 μm. The resulting waveguides ramp uniformly from 25 to 80 μm below the substrate surface. The waveguides are also uniform in cross-section along their lengths. This demonstrates the potential for this fabrication technique to direct-write three-dimensional waveguide devices within a substrate

  3. Antibacterial properties of modified biodegradable PHB non-woven fabric.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Slepička, P; Malá, Z; Rimpelová, S; Švorčík, V

    2016-08-01

    The antibacterial properties of poly(hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) non-woven fabric were explored in this study. The PHB was activated by plasma modification and subsequently processed with either immersion into a solution of nanoparticles or direct metallization. The wettability and surface chemistry of the PHB surface was determined. The thickness of the sputtered nanolayer on PHB fabric was characterized. It was found that plasma modification led to a formation of strongly hydrophilic surface, while the subsequent metallization by silver or gold resulted in a significantly increased water contact angle. Further, it was found that antibacterial activity may be controlled by the type of a metal and deposition method used. The immersion of plasma modified fabric into Ag nanoparticle solution led to enhanced antibacterial efficiency of PHB against Escherichia coli (E. coli). Direct silver sputtering on PHB fabric was proved to be a simple method for construction of a surface with strong antibacterial potency against both Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus epidermidis (S. epidermidis). We demonstrated the antibacterial activity of PHB fabric modified by plasma activation and consecutive selection of a treatment method for an effective antibacterial surface construction. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Mercuric iodide composite films using polyamide, polycarbonate and polystyrene fabricated by casting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ugucioni, J.C.; Ghilardi Netto, T.; Mulato, M.

    2010-01-01

    Mercuric iodide (HgI 2 ) composite films were obtained by using the casting technique. Insulator polymers such as polyamide, polycarbonate and polystyrene were mixed to HgI 2 crystallites forming a final sub-millimeter thick self-standing film. Fabrication temperature varied from 10 to 100 o C, and total fabrication time reached at most 5 min. The larger the fabrication temperature, the thinner the film and the smaller its electrical resistivity. Electrical characterization was performed in the dark, under UV illumination and under mammographic X-ray exposure. The final properties of the films are discussed and related to fabrication conditions. The optimized composite film might be a better candidate for use as X-ray detector for medical imaging, in place of the single HgI 2 crystalline device.

  5. High-performance micro-solid oxide fuel cells fabricated on nanoporous anodic aluminum oxide templates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kwon, Chang-Woo; Kim, Hyun-Mi; Kim, Ki-Bum [WCUHybrid Materials Program, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, 599 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 151-742 (Korea, Republic of); Son, Ji-Won; Lee, Jong-Ho; Lee, Hae-Weon [High Temperature Energy Materials Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, 39-1, Hawolgok-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 136-791 (Korea, Republic of)

    2011-03-22

    Micro-solid oxide fuel cells ({mu}-SOFCs) are fabricated on nanoporous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templates with a cell structure composed of a 600-nm-thick AAO free-standing membrane embedded on a Si substrate, sputter-deposited Pt electrodes (cathode and anode) and an yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolyte deposited by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Initially, the open circuit voltages (OCVs) of the AAO-supported {mu}-SOFCs are in the range of 0.05 V to 0.78 V, which is much lower than the ideal value, depending on the average pore size of the AAO template and the thickness of the YSZ electrolyte. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis reveals the formation of pinholes in the electrolyte layer that originate from the porous nature of the underlying AAO membrane. In order to clog these pinholes, a 20-nm thick Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} layer is deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) on top of the 300-nm thick YSZ layer and another 600-nm thick YSZ layer is deposited after removing the top intermittent Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} layer. Fuel cell devices fabricated in this way manifest OCVs of 1.02 V, and a maximum power density of 350 mW cm{sup -2} at 500 C. (Copyright copyright 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  6. Study of lead free ferroelectrics using overlay technique on thick film microstrip ring resonator

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shridhar N. Mathad

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The lead free ferroelectrics, strontium barium niobates, were synthesized via the low cost solid state reaction method and their fritless thick films were fabricated by screen printing technique on alumina substrate. The X band response (complex permittivity at very high frequencies of Ag thick film microstrip ring resonator perturbed with strontium barium niobates (SrxBa1-xNb2O6 in form of bulk and thick film was measured. A new approach for determination of complex permittivity (ε′ and ε′′ in the frequency range 8–12 GHz, using perturbation of Ag thick film microstrip ring resonator (MSRR, was applied for both bulk and thick film of strontium barium niobates (SrxBa1-xNb2O6. The microwave conductivity of the bulk and thick film lie in the range from 1.779 S/cm to 2.874 S/cm and 1.364 S/cm to 2.296 S/cm, respectively. The penetration depth of microwave in strontium barium niobates is also reported.

  7. Fabrication of Ba-K-Bi-O thick film artefacts with improved critical currents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moore, J.C.; Salter, C.J.; Jenkins, R.J.; Grovenor, C.R.M.; Jones, H.

    1993-01-01

    The Ba-K-Bi-O system has a maximum T c of around 30K for a composition of Ba 0.6 K 0.4 BiO 3 . Fabrication of good quality single phase samples is extremely difficult and requires careful control of the fabrication conditions. Successful synthesis procedures for Ba-K-Bi-O powder and melt cast material which allow some control of the potassium content of the product were established by Hinks et al. The process is based on a melt and sinter step in an inert atmosphere which creates oxygen vacancies and allows potassium to enter the lattice. The oxygen vacancies are then filled by a subsequent oxygen anneal to obtain superconductivity. Ba-K-Bi-O is, therefore, metastable and consequently difficult to synthesise. There have been few reports of transport measurements and even fewer reports of transport critical currents for bulk material. It is often accepted that Ba-K-Bi-O has an intrinsically low critical current, and extremely poor critical current densities of 0.05 Acm -2 have been quoted for melt cast material. It has been suggested that the presence of weak links is the cause. However, there has been little research into the relationship between process conditions and superconducting properties for melt processed Ba-K-Bi-O to confirm this. (orig.)

  8. Performance of CAD/CAM fabricated fiber posts in oval-shaped root canals: An in vitro study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsintsadze, Nino; Juloski, Jelena; Carrabba, Michele; Tricarico, Marella; Goracci, Cecilia; Vichi, Alessandro; Ferrari, Marco; Grandini, Simone

    2017-10-01

    To assess the push-out strength, the cement layer thickness and the interfacial nanoleakage of prefabricated fiber posts, CAD/CAM fiber posts and metal cast posts cemented into oval-shaped root canals. Oval-shaped post spaces were prepared in 30 single-rooted premolars. Roots were randomly assigned to three groups (n=10), according to the post type to be inserted: Group 1: Prefabricated fiber post (D.T. Light-Post X-RO Illusion); Group 2: Cast metal post; Group 3: CAD/CAM-fabricated fiber post (experimental fiber blocks). In Group 3, post spaces were sprayed with scan powder (VITA), scanned with an inEos 4.2 scanner, and fiber posts were milled using an inLab MC XL CAD/CAM milling unit. All posts were cemented using Gradia Core dual-cure resin cement in combination with Gradia core self-etching bond (GC). After 24 hours, the specimens were sectioned perpendicular to the long axis into six 1 mm-thick sections, which were differentiated by the root level. Sections from six roots per group were used to measure the cement thickness and subsequently for the thin-slice push-out test, whereas the sections from the remaining four teeth were assigned to interfacial nanoleakage test. The cement thickness around the posts was measured in micrometers (µm) on the digital images acquired with a digital microscope using the Digimizer software. Thin-slice push-out test was conducted using a universal testing machine at the crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/minute and the bond strength was expressed in megaPascals (MPa). The interfacial nanoleakage was observed under light microscope and quantified by scoring the depth of silver nitrate penetration along the post-cement-dentin interfaces. The obtained results were statistically analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA, followed by the Dunn's Multiple Range test for post hoc comparisons. The level of significance was set at PCAD/CAM-fabricated fiber posts achieved retention that was comparable to that of cast metal posts and significantly higher

  9. Modeling and characterization of through-the-thickness properties of 3D woven composites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hartranft, Dru; Pravizi-Majidi, Azar; Chou, Tsu-Wei

    1995-01-01

    The through-the-thickness properties of three-dimensionally (3D) woven carbon/epoxy composites have been studied. The investigation aimed at the evaluation and development of test methodologies for the property characterization in the thickness direction, and the establishment of fiber architectures were studied: layer-to-layer Angle Interlock, through-the-thickness Orthogonal woven preform with surface pile was also designed and manufactured for the fabrication of tensile test coupons with integrated grips. All the preforms were infiltrated by the resin transfer molding technique. The microstructures of the composites were characterized along the warp and fill (weft) directions to determine the degree of yarn undulations, yarn cross-sectional shapes, and microstructural dimensions. These parameters were correlated to the fiber architecture. Specimens were designed and tested for the direct measurement of the through-the-thickness tensile, compressive and shear properties of the composites. Design optimization was conducted through the analysis of the stress fields within the specimen coupled with experimental verification. The experimentally-derived elastic properties in the thickness direction compared well with analytical predictions obtained from a volume averaging model.

  10. Inverted process for graphene integrated circuits fabrication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lv, Hongming; Wu, Huaqiang; Liu, Jinbiao; Huang, Can; Li, Junfeng; Yu, Jiahan; Niu, Jiebin; Xu, Qiuxia; Yu, Zhiping; Qian, He

    2014-06-07

    CMOS compatible 200 mm two-layer-routing technology is employed to fabricate graphene field-effect transistors (GFETs) and monolithic graphene ICs. The process is inverse to traditional Si technology. Passive elements are fabricated in the first metal layer and GFETs are formed with buried gate/source/drain in the second metal layer. Gate dielectric of 3.1 nm in equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) is employed. 500 nm-gate-length GFETs feature a yield of 80% and fT/fmax = 17 GHz/15.2 GHz RF performance. A high-performance monolithic graphene frequency multiplier is demonstrated using the proposed process. Functionality was demonstrated up to 8 GHz input and 16 GHz output. The frequency multiplier features a 3 dB bandwidth of 4 GHz and conversion gain of -26 dB.

  11. Growth of GaN nanostructures with polar and semipolar orientations for the fabrication of UV LEDs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brault, Julien; Damilano, Benjamin; Courville, Aimeric; Leroux, Mathieu; Kahouli, Abdelkarim; Korytov, Maxim; Vennéguès, Philippe; Randazzo, Gaetano; Chenot, Sébastien; Vinter, Borge; De Mierry, Philippe; Massies, Jean; Rosales, Daniel; Bretagnon, Thierry; Gil, Bernard

    2014-03-01

    (Al,Ga)N light emitting diodes (LEDs), emitting over a large spectral range from 360 nm (GaN) down to 210 nm (AlN), have been successfully fabricated over the last decade. Clear advantages compared to the traditional mercury lamp technology (e.g. compactness, low-power operation, lifetime) have been demonstrated. However, LED efficiencies still need to be improved. The main problems are related to the structural quality and the p-type doping efficiency of (Al,Ga)N. Among the current approaches, GaN nanostructures, which confine carriers along both the growth direction and the growth plane, are seen as a solution for improving the radiative recombination efficiency by strongly reducing the impact of surrounding defects. Our approach, based on a 2D - 3D growth mode transition in molecular beam epitaxy, can lead to the spontaneous formation of GaN nanostructures on (Al,Ga)N over a broad range of Al compositions. Furthermore, the versatility of the process makes it possible to fabricate nanostructures on both (0001) oriented "polar" and (11 2 2) oriented "semipolar" materials. We show that the change in the crystal orientation has a strong impact on the morphological and optical properties of the nanostructures. The influence of growth conditions are also investigated by combining microscopy (SEM, TEM) and photoluminescence techniques. Finally, their potential as UV emitters will be discussed and the performances of GaN / (Al,Ga)N nanostructure-based LED demonstrators are presented.

  12. Ambient fabrication of flexible and large-area organic light-emitting devices using slot-die coating

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sandstrom, Andreas; Dam, Henrik Friis; Krebs, Frederik C

    2012-01-01

    available in smartphones, but the promise of a continuous ambient fabrication has unfortunately not materialized yet, as organic light-emitting diodes invariably depend on the use of one or more time-and energy-consuming process steps under vacuum. Here we report an all-solution-based fabrication...... of an alternative emissive device, a light-emitting electrochemical cell, using a slot-die roll-coating apparatus. The fabricated flexible sheets exhibit bidirectional and uniform light emission, and feature a fault-tolerant >1-mu m-thick active material that is doped in situ during operation. It is notable...

  13. Thickness and fit of mouthguards according to heating methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mizuhashi, Fumi; Koide, Kaoru; Takahashi, Mutsumi

    2014-02-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the difference in the thickness and fit of mouthguards made by four different heating methods of the mouthguard sheet material. A Sports Mouthguard(®) of 3.8-mm thickness was used in this study. Four heating methods were performed. In one method, the sheet was heated only one side. In the other methods, one side of the sheet was heated first until the center of the sheet was displaced by 0.5 cm, 1.0 cm, and 1.5 cm from the baseline, and then turned upside down and heated. The sheets were adapted using a vacuum former when the heated sheets hung 1.5 cm from the baseline. We measured the thickness and fit of the mouthguard at the areas of the central incisor and first molar. The difference in thickness at the central incisor and first molar regions was analyzed by two-way anova. The difference in fit with different heating methods was analyzed by one-way anova. The results showed that the thickness of the mouthguard differed in the central incisor and first molar areas (P heating methods. The fit of the mouthguard at the central incisor and first molar areas was significantly different among the heating methods (P heated surface of the sheet contacted the surface of the working model. This finding may help to fabricate accurate mouthguards. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  14. Fabrication of Porous Silicon Based Humidity Sensing Elements on Paper

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tero Jalkanen

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available A roll-to-roll compatible fabrication process of porous silicon (pSi based sensing elements for a real-time humidity monitoring is described. The sensing elements, consisting of printed interdigitated silver electrodes and a spray-coated pSi layer, were fabricated on a coated paper substrate by a two-step process. Capacitive and resistive responses of the sensing elements were examined under different concentrations of humidity. More than a three orders of magnitude reproducible decrease in resistance was measured when the relative humidity (RH was increased from 0% to 90%. A relatively fast recovery without the need of any refreshing methods was observed with a change in RH. Humidity background signal and hysteresis arising from the paper substrate were dependent on the thickness of sensing pSi layer. Hysteresis in most optimal sensing element setup (a thick pSi layer was still noticeable but not detrimental for the sensing. In addition to electrical characterization of sensing elements, thermal degradation and moisture adsorption properties of the paper substrate were examined in connection to the fabrication process of the silver electrodes and the moisture sensitivity of the paper. The results pave the way towards the development of low-cost humidity sensors which could be utilized, for example, in smart packaging applications or in smart cities to monitor the environment.

  15. A simple method for fabricating multi-layer PDMS structures for 3D microfluidic chips

    KAUST Repository

    Zhang, Mengying

    2010-01-01

    We report a simple methodology to fabricate PDMS multi-layer microfluidic chips. A PDMS slab was surface-treated by trichloro (1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyl) silane, and acts as a reusable transferring layer. Uniformity of the thickness of the patterned PDMS layer and the well-alignment could be achieved due to the transparency and proper flexibility of this transferring layer. Surface treatment results are confirmed by XPS and contact angle testing, while bonding forces between different layers were measured for better understanding of the transferring process. We have also designed and fabricated a few simple types of 3D PDMS chip, especially one consisting of 6 thin layers (each with thickness of 50 μm), to demonstrate the potential utilization of this technique. 3D fluorescence images were taken by a confocal microscope to illustrate the spatial characters of essential parts. This fabrication method is confirmed to be fast, simple, repeatable, low cost and possible to be mechanized for mass production. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2010.

  16. Ceramic materials for porcelain veneers: part II. Effect of material, shade, and thickness on translucency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barizon, Karine T L; Bergeron, Cathia; Vargas, Marcos A; Qian, Fang; Cobb, Deborah S; Gratton, David G; Geraldeli, Saulo

    2014-10-01

    Information regarding the differences in translucency among new ceramic systems is lacking. The purpose of this study was to compare the relative translucency of the different types of ceramic systems indicated for porcelain veneers and to evaluate the effect of shade and thickness on translucency. Disk specimens 13 mm in diameter and 0.7-mm thick were fabricated for the following 9 materials (n=5): VITA VM9, IPS Empress Esthetic, VITA PM9, Vitablocks Mark II, Kavo Everest G-Blank, IPS Empress CAD, IPS e.max CAD, IPS e.maxPress, and Lava Zirconia. VITA VM9 served as the positive control and Lava as the negative control. The disks were fabricated with the shade that corresponds to A1. For IPS e.maxPress, additional disks were made with different shades (BL2, BL4, A1, B1, O1, O2, V1, V2, V3), thickness (0.3 mm), and translucencies (high translucency, low translucency). Color coordinates (CIE L∗ a∗ b∗) were measured with a tristimulus colorimeter. The translucency parameter was calculated from the color difference of the material on a black versus a white background. One-way ANOVA, the post hoc Tukey honestly significant difference, and the Ryan-Einot-Gabriel-Welsch multiple range tests were used to analyze the data (α=.05). Statistically significant differences in the translucency parameter were found among porcelains (PPM9, Empress Esthetic>Empress CAD>Mark II, Everest, e.max CAD>e.max Press>Lava. Significant differences also were noted when different shades and thickness were compared (Pceramic systems designed for porcelain veneers present varying degrees of translucency. The thickness and shade of lithium disilicate ceramic affect its translucency. Shade affects translucency parameter less than thickness. Copyright © 2014 Editorial Council for the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Durable Superomniphobic Surface on Cotton Fabrics via Coating of Silicone Rubber and Fluoropolymers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arsheen Moiz

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Performance textiles that protect human from different threats and dangers from environment are in high demand, and the advancement in functionalization technology together with employing advanced materials have made this an area of research focus. In this work, silicone rubber and environmentally friendly fluoropolymers have been employed to explore superomniphobic surface on cotton fabrics without compromising comfort much. It has been found that a cross-linked network between the rubber membrane and the fluoropolymers has been formed. The surface appearance, morphology, handle, thickness and chemical components of the surface of cotton fabrics have been changed. The coated fabrics showed resistance to water, aqueous liquid, oil, chemicals and soil. The comfort of the coated fabrics is different to uncoated cotton fabrics due to the existence of coated layers on the surface of cotton fabrics. This work would benefit the development and design of the next generation of performance textiles with balanced performance and comfort.

  18. Implementation of atomic layer deposition-based AlON gate dielectrics in AlGaN/GaN MOS structure and its physical and electrical properties

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nozaki, Mikito; Watanabe, Kenta; Yamada, Takahiro; Shih, Hong-An; Nakazawa, Satoshi; Anda, Yoshiharu; Ueda, Tetsuzo; Yoshigoe, Akitaka; Hosoi, Takuji; Shimura, Takayoshi; Watanabe, Heiji

    2018-06-01

    Alumina incorporating nitrogen (aluminum oxynitride; AlON) for immunity against charge injection was grown on a AlGaN/GaN substrate through the repeated atomic layer deposition (ALD) of AlN layers and in situ oxidation in ozone (O3) ambient under optimized conditions. The nitrogen distribution was uniform in the depth direction, the composition was controllable over a wide range (0.5–32%), and the thickness could be precisely controlled. Physical analysis based on synchrotron radiation X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (SR-XPS) revealed that harmful intermixing at the insulator/AlGaN interface causing Ga out-diffusion in the gate stack was effectively suppressed by this method. AlON/AlGaN/GaN MOS capacitors were fabricated, and they had excellent electrical properties and immunity against electrical stressing as a result of the improved interface stability.

  19. Fabrication of small-orifice fuel injectors for diesel engines.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Woodford, J. B.; Fenske, G. R.

    2005-04-08

    Diesel fuel injector nozzles with spray hole diameters of 50-75 {micro}m have been fabricated via electroless nickel plating of conventionally made nozzles. Thick layers of nickel are deposited onto the orifice interior surfaces, reducing the diameter from {approx}200 {micro}m to the target diameter. The nickel plate is hard, smooth, and adherent, and covers the orifice interior surfaces uniformly.

  20. Assessment of Nuclear Fuels using Radiographic Thickness Measurement Method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Muhammad Abir; Fahima Islam; Hyoung Koo Lee; Daniel Wachs

    2014-11-01

    The Convert branch of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Global Threat Reduction Initiative (GTRI) focuses on the development of high uranium density fuels for research and test reactors for nonproliferation. This fuel is aimed to convert low density high enriched uranium (HEU) based fuel to high density low enriched uranium (LEU) based fuel for high performance research reactors (HPRR). There are five U.S. reactors that fall under the HPRR category, including: the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Reactor (MITR), the National Bureau of Standards Reactor (NBSR), the Missouri University Research Reactor (UMRR), the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR), and the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR). U-Mo alloy fuel phase in the form of either monolithic or dispersion foil type fuels, such as ATR Full-size In center flux trap Position (AFIP) and Reduced Enrichment for Research and Test Reactor (RERTR), are being designed for this purpose. The fabrication process1 of RERTR is susceptible to introducing a variety of fuel defects. A dependable quality control method is required during fabrication of RERTR miniplates to maintain the allowable design tolerances, therefore evaluating and analytically verifying the fabricated miniplates for maintaining quality standards as well as safety. The purpose of this work is to analyze the thickness of the fabricated RERTR-12 miniplates using non-destructive technique to meet the fuel plate specification for RERTR fuel to be used in the ATR.