In situ TEM measurements of the electrical properties of interface dislocations

Author(s):  
F. M. Ross ◽  
R. Hull ◽  
D. Bahnck ◽  
J. C. Bean ◽  
L. J. Peticolas ◽  
...  

We describe an investigation of the electrical properties of interfacial dislocations in strained layer heterostructures. We have been measuring both the structural and electrical characteristics of strained layer p-n junction diodes simultaneously in a transmission electron microscope, enabling us to correlate changes in the electrical characteristics of a device with the formation of dislocations.The presence of dislocations within an electronic device is known to degrade the device performance. This degradation is of increasing significance in the design and processing of novel strained layer devices which may require layer thicknesses above the critical thickness (hc), where it is energetically favourable for the layers to relax by the formation of misfit dislocations at the strained interfaces. In order to quantify how device performance is affected when relaxation occurs we have therefore been investigating the electrical properties of dislocations at the p-n junction in Si/GeSi diodes.

2005 ◽  
Vol 880 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke L.M. Hsiung ◽  
T.G. Nieh

AbstractThe stability of interfaces in an ultrafine TiAl-(y)/Ti3Al-(α2) lamellar structure by straining at room temperature has been investigated using in-situ straining techniques performed in a transmission electron microscope. The purpose of this study is to obtain experimental evidence to support the previously proposed creep mechanisms in ultrafine lamellar TiAl alloys based upon the interface sliding in association with a cooperative movement of interfacial dislocations. The results have revealed that both the sliding and migration of lamellar interfaces can take place simultaneously as a result of the cooperative motion of interfacial dislocations.


1989 ◽  
Vol 160 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Bonar ◽  
R. Hull ◽  
R. J. Malik ◽  
R. W. Ryan ◽  
J. F. Walker

AbstractWe have made a study of GaAs/InGaAs/GaAs (001) strained layer heterostructures using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) as a structural tool to determine the misfit dislocation structure and density as a function of Indium concentration. The average misfit dislocation spacing varies from > 10 µm for x < 0.3, to a few microns at x = 0.3, and drops to a few hundred Angstroms at x = 0.5. We did in-situ annealing experiments in order to study the strain relaxation process, measuring the temperature at which the structure begins to relax, and the dislocation velocities. Dislocation velocities are a few microns per second at the growth temperature of 450 ° C, and tens of microns per second at 690 ° C. In addition to interfacial dislocations in the usual <110> directions, in samples where x ≥ 0.4, we observed dislocations running in <100> directions. A study of the electrical characteristics of the material was made in parallel with the structural measurements: the mobility of the InGaAs layer was measured, the material was processed into Heterojunction Bipolar Transistors (HBT’s) and the gain was measured. The electrical characteristics initially improved with the addition of In, peaking at x = 0.1 and dropping sharply for higher x.


Author(s):  
Tai D. Nguyen ◽  
Ronald Gronsky ◽  
Jeffrey B. Kortright

Nanometer period Ru/C multilayers are one of the prime candidates for normal incident reflecting mirrors at wavelengths < 10 nm. Superior performance, which requires uniform layers and smooth interfaces, and high stability of the layered structure under thermal loadings are some of the demands in practical applications. Previous studies however show that the Ru layers in the 2 nm period Ru/C multilayer agglomerate upon moderate annealing, and the layered structure is no longer retained. This agglomeration and crystallization of the Ru layers upon annealing to form almost spherical crystallites is a result of the reduction of surface or interfacial energy from die amorphous high energy non-equilibrium state of the as-prepared sample dirough diffusive arrangements of the atoms. Proposed models for mechanism of thin film agglomeration include one analogous to Rayleigh instability, and grain boundary grooving in polycrystalline films. These models however are not necessarily appropriate to explain for the agglomeration in the sub-nanometer amorphous Ru layers in Ru/C multilayers. The Ru-C phase diagram shows a wide miscible gap, which indicates the preference of phase separation between these two materials and provides an additional driving force for agglomeration. In this paper, we study the evolution of the microstructures and layered structure via in-situ Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and attempt to determine the order of occurence of agglomeration and crystallization in the Ru layers by observing the diffraction patterns.


Author(s):  
S. Hagège ◽  
U. Dahmen ◽  
E. Johnson ◽  
A. Johansen ◽  
V.S. Tuboltsev

Small particles of a low-melting phase embedded in a solid matrix with a higher melting point offer the possibility of studying the mechanisms of melting and solidification directly by in-situ observation in a transmission electron microscope. Previous studies of Pb, Cd and other low-melting inclusions embedded in an Al matrix have shown well-defined orientation relationships, strongly faceted shapes, and an unusual size-dependent superheating before melting.[e.g. 1,2].In the present study we have examined the shapes and thermal behavior of eutectic Pb-Cd inclusions in Al. Pb and Cd form a simple eutectic system with each other, but both elements are insoluble in solid Al. Ternary alloys of Al (Pb,Cd) were prepared from high purity elements by melt spinning or by sequential ion implantation of the two alloying additions to achieve a total alloying addition of up to lat%. TEM observations were made using a heating stage in a 200kV electron microscope equipped with a video system for recording dynamic behavior.


Author(s):  
M. Park ◽  
S.J. Krause ◽  
S.R. Wilson

Cu alloying in Al interconnection lines on semiconductor chips improves their resistance to electromigration and hillock growth. Excess Cu in Al can result in the formation of Cu-rich Al2Cu (θ) precipitates. These precipitates can significantly increase corrosion susceptibility due to the galvanic action between the θ-phase and the adjacent Cu-depleted matrix. The size and distribution of the θ-phase are also closely related to the film susceptibility to electromigration voiding. Thus, an important issue is the precipitation phenomena which occur during thermal device processing steps. In bulk alloys, it was found that the θ precipitates can grow via the grain boundary “collector plate mechanism” at rates far greater than allowed by volume diffusion. In a thin film, however, one might expect that the growth rate of a θ precipitate might be altered by interfacial diffusion. In this work, we report on the growth (lengthening) kinetics of the θ-phase in Al-Cu thin films as examined by in-situ isothermal aging in transmission electron microscopy (TEM).


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (13) ◽  
pp. 3727
Author(s):  
Huanhuan He ◽  
Zhiwei Lin ◽  
Shengming Jiang ◽  
Xiaotian Hu ◽  
Jian Zhang ◽  
...  

The FeCoNiCrTi0.2 high-entropy alloys fabricated by vacuum arc melting method, and the annealed pristine material, are face centered cubic structures with coherent γ’ precipitation. Samples were irradiated with 50 keV He+ ions to a fluence of 2 × 1016 ions/cm2 at 723 K, and an in situ annealing experiment was carried out to monitor the evolution of helium bubbles during heating to 823 and 923 K. The pristine structure of FeCoNiCrTi0.2 samples and the evolution of helium bubbles during in situ annealing were both characterized by transmission electron microscopy. The annealing temperature and annealing time affect the process of helium bubbles evolution and formation. Meanwhile, the grain boundaries act as sinks to accumulate helium bubbles. However, the precipitation phase seems have few effects on the helium bubble evolution, which may be due to the coherent interface and same structure of γ’ precipitation and matrix.


1998 ◽  
Vol 554 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Horton ◽  
J. L. Wright ◽  
J. H. Schneibel

AbstractThe fracture behavior of a Zr-based bulk amorphous alloy, Zr-10 Al-5 Ti-17.9 Cu-14.6Ni (at.%), was examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and x-ray diffraction forany evidence of crystallization preceding crack propagation. No evidence for crystallizationwas found in shear bands in compression specimens or at the fracture surface in tensile specimens.In- situ TEM deformation experiments were performed to more closely examine actualcrack tip regions. During the in-situ deformation experiment, controlled crack growth occurredto the point where the specimen was approximately 20 μm thick at which point uncontrolledcrack growth occurred. No evidence of any crystallization was found at the crack tips or thecrack flanks. Subsequent scanning microscope examination showed that the uncontrolledcrack growth region exhibited ridges and veins that appeared to have resulted from melting. Performing the deformations, both bulk and in-situ TEM, at liquid nitrogen temperatures (LN2) resulted in an increase in the amount of controlled crack growth. The surface roughness of the bulk regions fractured at LN2 temperatures corresponded with the roughness of the crack propagation observed during the in-situ TEM experiment, suggesting that the smooth-appearing room temperature fracture surfaces may also be a result of localized melting.


2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinchuang Zhang ◽  
Mei Wu ◽  
Bin Hou ◽  
Xuerui Niu ◽  
Hao Lu ◽  
...  

Abstract In this work, the N2O radicals in-situ treatment on gate region has been employed to improve device performance of recessed-gate AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs). The samples after gate recess etching were treated by N2O radicals without physical bombardment. After in-situ treatment (IST) processing, the gate leakage currents decreased by more than one order of magnitude compared to the sample without IST. The fabricated HEMTs with the IST process show a low reverse gate current of 10-9 A/mm, high on/off current ratio of 108, and high fT×Lg of 13.44 GHz·μm. A transmission electron microscope (TEM) imaging illustrates an oxide layer with a thickness of 1.8 nm exists at the AlGaN surface. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurement shows that the content of the Al-O and Ga-O bonds elevated after IST, indicating that the Al-N and Ga-N bonds on the AlGaN surface were broken and meanwhile the Al-O and Ga-O bonds formed. The oxide formed by a chemical reaction between radicals and the surface of the AlGaN barrier layer is responsible for improved device characteristics.


1996 ◽  
Vol 436 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.-M. Keller ◽  
W. Sigle ◽  
S. P. Baker ◽  
O. Kraft ◽  
E. Arzt

AbstractIn-situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was performed to study grain growth and dislocation motion during temperature cycles of Cu films with and without a cap layer. In addition, the substrate curvature method was employed to determine the corresponding stresstemperature curves from room temperature up to 600°C. The results of the in-situ TEM investigations provide insight into the microstructural evolution which occurs during the stress measurements. Grain growth occurred continuously throughout the first heating cycle in both cases. The evolution of dislocation structure observed in TEM supports an explanation of the stress evolution in both capped and uncapped films in terms of dislocation effects.


1988 ◽  
Vol 100 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. W. Bench ◽  
I. M. Robertson ◽  
M. A. Kirk

ABSTRACTTransmission electron microscopy experiments have been performed to investigate the lattice damage created by heavy-ion bombardments in GaAs. These experiments have been performed in situ by using the HVEN - Ion Accelerator Facility at Argonne National Laboratory. The ion bcorbardments (50 keV Ar+ and Kr+) and the microscopy have been carried out at temperatures rangrin from 30 to 300 K. Ion fluences ranged from 2 × 1011 to 5 × 1013 ions cm−2.Direct-inpact amorphization is observed to occur in both n-type and semi-insulating GaAs irradiated to low ion doses at 30 K and room temperature. The probability of forming a visible defect is higher for low temperature irradiations than for room temperature irradiations. The amorphous zones formed at low temperature are stable to temperatures above 250 K. Post implantation annealing is seen to occur at room temperature for all samples irradiated to low doses until eventually all visible damage disappears.


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