scholarly journals Inorganic Thermoelectric Fibers: A Review of Materials, Fabrication Methods, and Applications

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 3437
Author(s):  
Jiwu Xin ◽  
Abdul Basit ◽  
Sihui Li ◽  
Sylvain Danto ◽  
Swee Chuan Tjin ◽  
...  

Thermoelectric technology can directly harvest the waste heat into electricity, which is a promising field of green and sustainable energy. In this aspect, flexible thermoelectrics (FTE) such as wearable fabrics, smart biosensing, and biomedical electronics offer a variety of applications. Since the nanofibers are one of the important constructions of FTE, inorganic thermoelectric fibers are focused on here due to their excellent thermoelectric performance and acceptable flexibility. Additionally, measurement and microstructure characterizations for various thermoelectric fibers (Bi-Sb-Te, Ag2Te, PbTe, SnSe and NaCo2O4) made by different fabrication methods, such as electrospinning, two-step anodization process, solution-phase deposition method, focused ion beam, and self-heated 3ω method, are detailed. This review further illustrates that some techniques, such as thermal drawing method, result in high performance of fiber-based thermoelectric properties, which can emerge in wearable devices and smart electronics in the near future.

Microscopy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazuo Yamamoto ◽  
Satoshi Anada ◽  
Takeshi Sato ◽  
Noriyuki Yoshimoto ◽  
Tsukasa Hirayama

Abstract Phase-shifting electron holography (PS-EH) is an interference transmission electron microscopy technique that accurately visualizes potential distributions in functional materials, such as semiconductors. In this paper, we briefly introduce the features of the PS-EH that overcome some of the issues facing the conventional EH based on Fourier transformation. Then, we present a high-precision PS-EH technique with multiple electron biprisms and a sample preparation technique using a cryo-focused-ion-beam, which are important techniques for the accurate phase measurement of semiconductors. We present several applications of PS-EH to demonstrate the potential in organic and inorganic semiconductors and then discuss the differences by comparing them with previous reports on the conventional EH. We show that in situ biasing PS-EH was able to observe not only electric potential distribution but also electric field and charge density at a GaAs p-n junction and clarify how local band structures, depletion layer widths, and space charges changed depending on the biasing conditions. Moreover, the PS-EH clearly visualized the local potential distributions of two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) layers formed at AlGaN/GaN interfaces with different Al compositions. We also report the results of our PS-EH application for organic electroluminescence (OEL) multilayers and point out the significant potential changes in the layers. The proposed PS-EH enables more precise phase measurement compared to the conventional EH, and our findings introduced in this paper will contribute to the future research and development of high-performance semiconductor materials and devices.


2008 ◽  
Vol 22 (31n32) ◽  
pp. 6118-6123 ◽  
Author(s):  
SUNG-WON YOUN ◽  
CHIEKO OKUYAMA ◽  
MASHARU TAKAHASHI ◽  
RYUTARO MAEDA

Glass hot-embossing is one of essential techniques for the development of high-performance optical, bio, and chemical micro electromechanical system (MEMS) devices. This method is convenient, does not require routine access to clean rooms and photolithographic equipment, and can be used to produce multiple copies of a quartz mold as well as a MEMS component. In this study, quartz molds were prepared by hot-embossing with the glassy carbon (GC) masters, and they were applied to the hot-emboss of borosilicate glasses. The GC masters were prepared by dicing and focused ion beam (FIB) milling techniques. Additionally, the surfaces of the embossed quartz molds were coated with molybdenum barrier layers before embossing borosilicate glasses. As a result, micro-hot-embossed structures could be developed in borosilicate glasses with high fidelity by hot embossing with quartz molds.


1998 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.B. Herschbein ◽  
L.S. Fischer ◽  
T.L. Kane ◽  
M.P. Tenney ◽  
A.D. Shore

Abstract Copper will probably replace aluminum alloys as the interconnect metallurgy of choice for high performance semiconductor devices. This transition will challenge the suitability of established practices in focused ion beam (FIB) chip repair. A fundamental rethink in methodology, techniques, and process gases will be required to deal with the new metal films. This paper discusses the results of recent experiments in the areas of FIB exposure, cuts and connections to buried copper lines. While copper tends to mill faster than aluminum, etch rate variations due to grain structure tend to make reliable isolation cuts more difficult. The films also have been shown to suffer regrowth and surface reactions during long term storage following FIB exposure. Attempts at halogen gas assisted etch (GAE) mills result in undesirable removal characteristics, and in the case of bromine, the spontaneous destruction of all exposed copper in the immediate area. Resistance measurements and reliability of deposited tungsten connections to copper lines are also presented. In addition, the latest techniques developed for aluminum wiring isolation and device characterization are shown. These include 'cleanup' methods for achieving good circuit isolation without the extensive use of local oxide deposition, and the latest multilevel version of the FIB ‘wagon wheel’ for SRAM cell characterization. Also included is preliminary data from a custom built FIB chamber four manipulator prober module.


1984 ◽  
Vol 31 (12) ◽  
pp. 1964-1965
Author(s):  
Y. Waja ◽  
S. Shukuri ◽  
M. Tamura ◽  
H. Masuda ◽  
T. Ishitani

Author(s):  
D.C. Mayer ◽  
R.J. Ferro ◽  
D.L. Leung ◽  
M.A. Dooley ◽  
J.R. Scarpulla

Abstract Radiation-induced latchup sites in a high-performance commercial application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) manufactured in a bipolar gate array have been identified using a photoemission (PE) microscope before and after isolating individual circuit elements with a focused ion beam (FIB) system. Latchup sites were determined to be associated with grounded unused resistors and transistors in an emitter-coupled logic (ECL) input buffer. Simulation of the oxide isolation scheme confirmed the presence of pnpn structures at the likely latchup sites. A corrective action to redesign the layouts to disconnect unused resistors and transistors resulted in successful elimination of latchup in the ECL buffers.


2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Tordoff ◽  
Cheryl Hartfield ◽  
Andrew J. Holwell ◽  
Stephan Hiller ◽  
Marcus Kaestner ◽  
...  

Abstract The development of the femtosecond laser (fs laser) with its ability to provide extremely rapid athermal ablation of materials has initiated a renaissance in materials science. Sample milling rates for the fs laser are orders of magnitude greater than that of traditional focused ion beam (FIB) sources currently used. In combination with minimal surface post-processing requirements, this technology is proving to be a game changer for materials research. The development of a femtosecond laser attached to a focused ion beam scanning electron microscope (LaserFIB) enables numerous new capabilities, including access to deeply buried structures as well as the production of extremely large trenches, cross sections, pillars and TEM H-bars, all while preserving microstructure and avoiding or reducing FIB polishing. Several high impact applications are now possible due to this technology in the fields of crystallography, electronics, mechanical engineering, battery research and materials sample preparation. This review article summarizes the current opportunities for this new technology focusing on the materials science megatrends of engineering materials, energy materials and electronics.


2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (05) ◽  
pp. 1139-1154
Author(s):  
Dongjae Kim ◽  
Sihyung Lee ◽  
Wooram Hong ◽  
Hyosug Lee ◽  
Seongho Jeon ◽  
...  

AbstractThe choice of materials that constitute electrodes and the way they are interconnected, i.e., the microstructure, influences the performance of lithium-ion batteries. For batteries with high energy and power densities, the microstructure of the electrodes must be controlled during their manufacturing process. Moreover, understanding the microstructure helps in designing a high-performance, yet low-cost battery. In this study, we propose a systematic algorithm workflow for the images of the microstructure of anodes obtained from a focused ion beam scanning electron microscope (FIB-SEM). Here, we discuss the typical issues that arise in the raw FIB-SEM images and the corresponding preprocessing methods that resolve them. Next, we propose a Fourier transform-based filter that effectively reduces curtain artifacts. Also, we propose a simple, yet an effective, global-thresholding method to identify active materials and pores in the microstructure. Finally, we reconstruct the three-dimensional structures by concatenating the segmented images. The whole algorithm workflow used in this study is not fully automated and requires user interactions such as choosing the values of parameters and removing shine-through artifacts manually. However, it should be emphasized that the proposed global-thresholding method is deterministic and stable, which results in high segmentation performance for all sectioning images.


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