Ultrathin sputtered silver films protected by ALD alumina: Comparison of in-situ investigation with ex-situ resistance and ellipsometric measurements

AbstractThe deposition of a-Si:H films on crystalline silicon substrates was monitored in situ by transient photoconductivity measurements in the microwave frequency range. At the start of the deposition a drastic increase of the interface recombination velocity was observed, followed by a rapid decrease. The implications of these results for the structure of the interface are discussed. Changes of the interface after deposition were detected without a change of the temperature, even at 250'C: The long relaxation time of the structure of the interface will be discussed. Ex situ results on the samples produced will be compared to the in situ results in view of the passivation properties of a-Si:H films on c-Si substrates.

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In-Situ Investigation of Cu-In-Se Reactions by Thin Film Calorimetry

MRS Proceedings ◽

10.1557/proc-485-173 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 485 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

D. Wolf ◽

G. Müller

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

Thin Films ◽

Equilibrium Phase ◽

Reaction Times ◽

Practical Interest ◽

Ex Situ ◽

In Situ Observation ◽

Flux Agent ◽

In Situ Investigation

AbstractStudies of the reaction path during annealing of Cu-In-Se thin films for solar cell absorbers have been limited up to now to ex-situ analyses of the phase composition by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) after processing by a specific temperature-time program. As an indirect method, the application of ex-situ XRD is not sufficient for the determination of reaction temperatures and reaction times for setting up a general model of CIS-formation.We show in this paper that the use of a calorimetric method (Thin Film Calorimetry, TFC) offers the advantage of a direct (in-situ) observation of thin film reactions. Special care is taken to use film thicknesses of practical interest for industrial application (1.5 – 3 μm). In a first step we show results of binary reactions in the Cu-In, In-Se and Cu-Se systems. Their knowledge is necessary for understanding the processes involved in the ternary CIS-layers. It turned out that thin Cu-In and Cu-Se films react already at room temperature and behave as predicted by the bulk equilibrium phase diagrams during heating. In-Se thin films show prominent exothermic reactions starting with the melting of In. The first phase to be formed is generally In2Se which is then converted to more Se-rich compounds. In ternary Cu-In-Se films (Cu/In = 1.00) we observe transitions of the Cu-Se-system which can be attributed to the decomposition of CuSe2 and CuSe. Consequences for the model of improved CIS-growth by a Cu-Se flux agent are discussed.

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In Situ Investigation of Nanoabrasive Wear of Silicon

Journal of Tribology ◽

10.1115/1.2372764 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 129 (1) ◽

pp. 11-16 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

S. Ingole ◽

A. Schwartzman ◽

H. Liang

Keyword(s):

Abrasive Wear ◽

Amorphous Silicon ◽

Surface Characterization ◽

Ex Situ ◽

Normal Displacement ◽

Length Scale ◽

Crystal Silicon ◽

In Situ Investigation ◽

Nanometer Length Scale

Investigation of abrasive wear at the nanometer-length scale is presented on single crystalline (001) and amorphous silicon. Experiments were performed using nanoindentation and nanoscratch approaches. Surface characterization was carried out using an atomic force microscope. Results show that both materials behave quite differently from each other during indentation and scratch. Specifically, amorphous silicon is proven to be more unstable during scratching than single crystal silicon. The comparison of in situ and ex situ normal displacement was made. Evidence was found on the hysteretic and viscoplastic behavior of amorphous silicon in nanoscratch that is also seen in indentation. Furthermore, it is found that this material is unstable under stress within small scales. Indications of phase transformation, (reverse) densification, and transition of elastic-plastic deformation are seen. These observations, enabled on silicon using an in situ and nanometer length scale process, are fundamentally different from the understanding of conventional abrasive wear.

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In Situ Investigation of the Oxidation Behaviour of Chemical Vapour Deposited Zr(C,N) Hard Coatings Using Synchrotron X–ray Diffraction

Coatings ◽

10.3390/coatings11030264 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 264

Author(s):

Florian Frank ◽

Michael Tkadletz ◽

Christian Saringer ◽

Andreas Stark ◽

Norbert Schell ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Chemical Vapour ◽

Oxidation Mechanism ◽

Oxidation Behaviour ◽

Ex Situ ◽

X Ray Diffraction ◽

X Ray ◽

Zro2 Phase ◽

In Situ Investigation ◽

In Situ Experiments

The oxidation behaviour of chemical vapour deposited ZrN, ZrC and ZrCN coatings was investigated using in-situ synchrotron X–ray diffraction (XRD). To obtain a precise analysis of the temperature–dependent phase evolution during oxidation, coating powders were annealed in air between 100 °C and 1000 °C. Simultaneously, 2D XRD patterns were recorded in ~2 °C increments, which were subsequently evaluated using parametric Rietveld refinement. The results were correlated with differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis measurements, to further illuminate the oxidation mechanism of each coating system. ZrCN exhibited the highest oxidation onset temperature, followed by ZrC and ZrN. Furthermore, ZrCN was completely oxidised at a temperature of ~720 °C, which was ~50–70 °C higher than for ZrN and ZrC. The in–situ experiments revealed a similar oxidation sequence for all three samples: first, tetragonal and/or cubic (c/t)–ZrO2 is formed, which subsequently transforms into the more stable monoclinic (m)–ZrO2 phase. ZrCN and ZrC showed a higher c/t–ZrO2 fraction than the ZrN sample at 1000 °C. Furthermore, ex–situ Raman and XRD investigations of the oxidised samples revealed the ongoing c/t–ZrO2 → m–ZrO2 phase transformation during cooling.

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Ex situ and in situ investigation of protein/exopolysaccharide complex in Porphyridium cruentum biomass resuspension

Algal Research ◽

10.1016/j.algal.2019.101544 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 41 ◽

pp. 101544

Author(s):

Thierry Tran ◽

Céline Lafarge ◽

Pascale Winckler ◽

Rémi Pradelles ◽

Nathalie Cayot ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Porphyridium Cruentum ◽

Ex Situ ◽

In Situ Investigation

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In situ investigation of the primary recrystallization of alpha titanium in HVEM

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100110313 ◽

1978 ◽

Vol 36 (1) ◽

pp. 634-635

Author(s):

S. Naka ◽

R. Penelle ◽

R. Valle

Keyword(s):

Dimensional Analysis ◽

Texture Evolution ◽

Cold Work ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Primary Recrystallization ◽

Thin Foils ◽

In Situ Investigation ◽

Grain Growth Model ◽

Alpha Titanium

The in situ experimentation technique in HVEM seems to be particularly suitable to clarify the processes involved in recrystallization. The material under investigation was unidirectionally cold-rolled titanium of commercial purity. The problem was approached in two different ways. The three-dimensional analysis of textures was used to describe the texture evolution during the primary recrystallization. Observations of bulk-annealed specimens or thin foils annealed in the microscope were also made in order to provide information concerning the mechanisms involved in the formation of new grains. In contrast to the already published work on titanium, this investigation takes into consideration different values of the cold-work ratio, the temperature and the annealing time.Two different models are commonly used to explain the recrystallization textures i.e. the selective grain growth model (Beck) or the oriented nucleation model (Burgers). The three-dimensional analysis of both the rolling and recrystallization textures was performed to identify the mechanismsl involved in the recrystallization of titanium.

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An in situ and ex situ TEM study of the formation of thin cobalt silicide films by molecular beam epitaxy on the silicon (100) surface

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s042482010010648x ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 46 ◽

pp. 884-885

Author(s):

D. Loretto ◽

J. M. Gibson ◽

S. M. Yalisove ◽

R. T. Tung

Keyword(s):

Molecular Beam Epitaxy ◽

Molecular Beam ◽

Defect Density ◽

High Vacuum ◽

Ultra High Vacuum ◽

Ex Situ ◽

Metal Base ◽

In Situ Experiments ◽

Potential Applications

The cobalt disilicide/silicon system has potential applications as a metal-base and as a permeable-base transistor. Although thin, low defect density, films of CoSi2 on Si(111) have been successfully grown, there are reasons to believe that Si(100)/CoSi2 may be better suited to the transmission of electrons at the silicon/silicide interface than Si(111)/CoSi2. A TEM study of the formation of CoSi2 on Si(100) is therefore being conducted. We have previously reported TEM observations on Si(111)/CoSi2 grown both in situ, in an ultra high vacuum (UHV) TEM and ex situ, in a conventional Molecular Beam Epitaxy system.The procedures used for the MBE growth have been described elsewhere. In situ experiments were performed in a JEOL 200CX electron microscope, extensively modified to give a vacuum of better than 10-9 T in the specimen region and the capacity to do in situ sample heating and deposition. Cobalt was deposited onto clean Si(100) samples by thermal evaporation from cobalt-coated Ta filaments.

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The use of transmission and analytical electron microscopy in studying reactions and phase transformations in thin film

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100150046 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 51 ◽

pp. 842-843

Author(s):

K. Barmak

Keyword(s):

Thin Film ◽

Thin Films ◽

Phase Transformations ◽

Analytical Electron Microscopy ◽

Ex Situ ◽

Multilayer Thin Films ◽

Absolute Concentration ◽

Analytical Electron ◽

Deposition Step

Generally, processing of thin films involves several annealing steps in addition to the deposition step. During the annealing steps, diffusion, transformations and reactions take place. In this paper, examples of the use of TEM and AEM for ex situ and in situ studies of reactions and phase transformations in thin films will be presented.The ex situ studies were carried out on Nb/Al multilayer thin films annealed to different stages of reaction. Figure 1 shows a multilayer with dNb = 383 and dAl = 117 nm annealed at 750°C for 4 hours. As can be seen in the micrograph, there are four phases, Nb/Nb3-xAl/Nb2-xAl/NbAl3, present in the film at this stage of the reaction. The composition of each of the four regions marked 1-4 was obtained by EDX analysis. The absolute concentration in each region could not be determined due to the lack of thickness and geometry parameters that were required to make the necessary absorption and fluorescence corrections.

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Transmission Electron Microscopy of Epitaxial silicides grown by ultra high vacuum deposition

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100154287 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 47 ◽

pp. 462-463

Author(s):

D. Loretto ◽

J. M. Gibson ◽

S. M. Yalisove

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Transmission Electron Microscopy ◽

Electron Diffraction ◽

High Vacuum ◽

High Energy ◽

Energy Electron ◽

Ultra High Vacuum ◽

Ex Situ ◽

Transmission Electron

The silicides CoSi2 and NiSi2 are both metallic with the fee flourite structure and lattice constants which are close to silicon (1.2% and 0.6% smaller at room temperature respectively) Consequently epitaxial cobalt and nickel disilicide can be grown on silicon. If these layers are formed by ultra high vacuum (UHV) deposition (also known as molecular beam epitaxy or MBE) their thickness can be controlled to within a few monolayers. Such ultrathin metal/silicon systems have many potential applications: for example electronic devices based on ballistic transport. They also provide a model system to study the properties of heterointerfaces. In this work we will discuss results obtained using in situ and ex situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM).In situ TEM is suited to the study of MBE growth for several reasons. It offers high spatial resolution and the ability to penetrate many monolayers of material. This is in contrast to the techniques which are usually employed for in situ measurements in MBE, for example low energy electron diffraction (LEED) and reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED), which are both sensitive to only a few monolayers at the surface.

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