A transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study of annealing induced γ-phase nucleation, clustering, and interfacial dynamics in reactively sputtered amorphous alumina thin films

2015 ◽  
Vol 117 (12) ◽  
pp. 125307 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. K. Nanda Kumar ◽  
S. Prasanna ◽  
B. Subramanian ◽  
S. Jayakumar ◽  
G. Mohan Rao
1998 ◽  
Vol 533 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glenn G. Jernigan ◽  
Conrad L. Silvestre ◽  
Mohammad Fatemi ◽  
Mark E. Twigg ◽  
Phillip E. Thompson

AbstractThe use of Sb as a surfactant in suppressing Ge segregation during SiGe alloy growth was investigated as a function of Sb surface coverage, Ge alloy concentration, and alloy thickness using xray photoelectron spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. Unlike previous studies where Sb was found to completely quench Ge segregation into a Si capping layer, we find that Sb can not completely prevent Ge segregation while Si and Ge are being co-deposited. This results in the production of a non-square quantum well with missing Ge at the beginning and extra Ge at the end of the alloy. We also found that Sb does not relieve strain in thin films but does result in compositional or strain variations within thick alloy layers.


1995 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
L.M. Porter ◽  
R.F. Davis ◽  
J.S. Bow ◽  
M.J. Kim ◽  
R.W. Carpenter

Thin films (4–1000 Å) of Co were deposited onto n-type 6H-SiC(0001) wafers by UHV electron beam evaporation. The chemistry, microstructure, and electrical properties were determined using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, and I-V and C-V measurements, respectively. The as-deposited contacts exhibited excellent rectifying behavior with low ideality factors and leakage currents of n < 1.06 and 2.0 × 10−8 A/cm2 at −10 V, respectively. During annealing at 1000 °C for 2 min, significant reaction occurred resulting in the formation of CoSi and graphite. These annealed contacts exhibited ohmic-like character, which is believed to be due to defects created in the interface region.


2007 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 2460-2469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y.H. Lu ◽  
Y.G. Shen

High-resolution transmission electron microscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Raman spectroscopy were used to study phase configuration and nanostructure evolutions of Ti–Cx–Ny thin films with different amounts of C incorporation. It was found that the atomic ratio of (C + N)/Ti played a crucial role in phase configuration and nanostructure evolutions as well as mechanical behaviors. When the ratio was less than one unit, a nanocrystalline (nc-) Ti(C, N) solid solution was formed by way of dissolution of C into TiN lattice. When this dissolution reached saturation, precipitation of a small amount of amorphous (a-) C phase along nc-Ti(C, N) grains was followed with more C incorporation. Further increase of C content (up to ∼19 at.% C) made the amorphous phase fully wet nanocrystallites, which resulted in the formation of two-phase nanocomposite thin films with microstructures comprising of ∼5 nm nc-Ti(C,N) crystallites separated by ∼0.5 nm a-(C, CNx) phase. Thicker amorphous walls and smaller sized grains were followed when the C content was further increased, accompanying with the formation of some disorders and defects in nc-grains and amorphous matrices. When the C content was increased to ∼48 at.%, 1–3 nm nanocrystallites with an average size of ∼2 nm were embedded into amorphous matrices. Both microhardness and residual compressive stress values were increased with increase of the atomic ratio in solid solution thin films when the atomic ratio value was less than one unit. Their maximums were obtained at stiochiometry nc-Ti(C,N) solid solution. Enhancement of hardness values was attributed to solid solution effect.


2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 289-292
Author(s):  
B.I. Ilkiv ◽  
S.S. Petrovska ◽  
R.A. Sergienko ◽  
О.О. Foya ◽  
O.V. Ilkiv ◽  
...  

Investigations of graphene nanosheets and oxidized graphene nanosheets were carried out using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy investigations were used in addition to X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It was found that functional carboxyl and epoxide groups were removed from samples due to argon bombardment in studies of oxidized graphene nanosheets with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Thus the ОKα-band was not revealed in oxidized graphene nanosheets owing to oxygen removal due to electron bombardment with the use of. ultra-soft X-ray emission spectroscopy. 


2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (11) ◽  
pp. 3321-3330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y.F. Han ◽  
T. Fu ◽  
Y.G. Shen

The effects of Al incorporation and post-deposition annealing on the structural properties of C-Al-N thin films prepared by reactive unbalanced dc-magnetron sputtering were investigated using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). XPS studies demonstrated the presence of abundant Al-N bonds in addition to C-C and N-C bonds. At low incorporations of Al and N, the films were found to be essentially amorphous. By Raman and HRTEM, the formation of ∼5 nm fullerene-like carbon nitride (FL-CNx) nanostructures in an amorphous (C, CNx) matrix was evidenced with increasing Al content in the films. Crystalline improvement of FL-CNx nanostructures was seen, as well as the precipitation of ∼3–4 nm face centered cubic (fcc-) AlN nanograins by thermal annealing at 500 °C or above. Through these improvements, C-Al-N nanocomposite thin films were achieved. The effects of the incorporated Al and annealing on stabilizing fcc-AlN nanograins and FL-CNx nanostructures are elucidated and explained through the use of thermodynamic considerations.


Nanomaterials ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 193
Author(s):  
Kamrun Nahar Fatema ◽  
Chang-Sung Lim ◽  
Yin Liu ◽  
Kwang-Youn Cho ◽  
Chong-Hun Jung ◽  
...  

We described the novel nanocomposite of silver doped ZrO2 combined graphene-based mesoporous silica (ZrO2-Ag-G-SiO2,) in bases of low-cost and self-assembly strategy. Synthesized ZrO2-Ag-G-SiO2 were characterized through X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Raman spectroscopy, Nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS). The ZrO2-Ag-G-SiO2 as an enzyme-free glucose sensor active material toward coordinate electro-oxidation of glucose was considered through cyclic voltammetry in significant electrolytes, such as phosphate buffer (PBS) at pH 7.4 and commercial urine. Utilizing ZrO2-Ag-G-SiO2, glucose detecting may well be finished with effective electrocatalytic performance toward organically important concentrations with the current reaction of 9.0 × 10−3 mAcm−2 and 0.05 mmol/L at the lowest potential of +0.2 V, thus fulfilling the elemental prerequisites for glucose detecting within the urine. Likewise, the ZrO2-Ag-G-SiO2 electrode can be worked for glucose detecting within the interferometer substances (e.g., ascorbic corrosive, lactose, fructose, and starch) in urine at proper pH conditions. Our results highlight the potential usages for qualitative and quantitative electrochemical investigation of glucose through the ZrO2-Ag-G-SiO2 sensor for glucose detecting within the urine concentration.


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