Focused Ion-Beam (FIB) Nanomachining of Silicon Carbide (SiC) Stencil Masks for Nanoscale Patterning

2012 ◽  
Vol 717-720 ◽  
pp. 889-892 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamidreza Zamani ◽  
Seung Wan Lee ◽  
Amir Avishai ◽  
Christian A. Zorman ◽  
R. Mohan Sankaran ◽  
...  

We report on experimental explorations of using focused ion beam (FIB) nanomachining of different types of silicon carbide (SiC) thin membranes, for making robust, high-quality stencil masks for new emerging options of nanoscale patterning. Using thin films and membranes in polycrystalline SiC (poly-SiC), 3C-SiC, and amorphous SiC (a-SiC) with thicknesses in the range of t~250nm−1.6μm, we have prototyped a series of stencil masks, with nanoscale features routinely down to ~100nm.

JOM ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander J. Leide ◽  
Richard I. Todd ◽  
David E. J. Armstrong

AbstractSilicon carbide is desirable for many nuclear applications, making it necessary to understand how it deforms after irradiation. Ion implantation combined with nanoindentation is commonly used to measure radiation-induced changes to mechanical properties; hardness and modulus can be calculated from load–displacement curves, and fracture toughness can be estimated from surface crack lengths. Further insight into indentation deformation and fracture is required to understand the observed changes to mechanical properties caused by irradiation. This paper investigates indentation deformation using high-resolution electron backscatter diffraction (HR-EBSD) and Raman spectroscopy. Significant differences exist after irradiation: fracture is suppressed by swelling-induced compressive residual stresses, and the plastically deformed region extends further from the indentation. During focused ion beam cross-sectioning, indentation cracks grow, and residual stresses are modified. The results clarify the mechanisms responsible for the modification of apparent hardness and apparent indentation toughness values caused by the compressive residual stresses in ion-implanted specimens.


1999 ◽  
Vol 594 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Spolenak ◽  
C. A. Volkert ◽  
K. Takahashi ◽  
S. Fiorillo ◽  
J. Miner ◽  
...  

AbstractIt is well known that the mechanical properties of thin films depend critically on film thickness However, the contributions from film thickness and grain size are difficult to separate, because they typically scale with each other. In one study by Venkatraman and Bravman, Al films, which were thinned using anodic oxidation to reduce film thickness without changing grain size, showed a clear increase in yield stress with decreasing film thickness.We have performed a similar study on both electroplated and sputtered Cu films by using chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) to reduce the film thickness without changing the grain size. Stress-temperature curves were measured for both the electroplated and sputtered Cu films with thicknesses between 0.1 and 1.8 microns using a laser scanning wafer curvature technique. The yield stress at room temperature was found to increase with decreasing film thickness for both sets of samples. The sputtered films, however, showed higher yield stresses in comparison to the electroplated films. Most of these differences can be attributed to the different microstructures of the films, which were determined by focused ion beam (FIB) microscopy and x-ray diffraction.


Membranes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 192
Author(s):  
Sonia Escolástico ◽  
Cecilia Solís ◽  
Antonio Comite ◽  
Fiorenza Azzurri ◽  
Malko Gindrat ◽  
...  

Lanthanum tungstate (La6WO12) is a promising material for the development of hydrogen separation membranes, proton ceramic electrolyzer cells and protonic ceramic fuel cells due to its interesting transport properties and stability under different operation conditions. In order to improve the hydrogen transport through the La6WO12 membranes, thin membranes should be manufactured. This work is based on the industrial production of La5.5WO11.25−δ (LWO) powder by spray drying and the manufacturing of thin membranes by low-pressure plasma spraying (LPPS-TF) technique. LPPS-TF allows the production of dense thin films of high quality in an industrial scale. The powders produced by spray drying were morphological and electrochemically characterized. Hydrogen permeation fluxes of a membrane manufactured with these powders were evaluated and fluxes are similar to those reported previously for LWO powder produced in the lab scale. Finally, the transport properties of LWO thin films deposited on Al2O3 indicate that LPPS-TF produces high-quality LWO films with potential for integration in different applications.


1992 ◽  
Vol 285 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Rimai ◽  
R. Ager ◽  
J. Hangas ◽  
E. M. Loaothetis ◽  
Nayef Abu-ageel ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTAblation of ceramic silicon carbide with 351 nm excimer radiation was used to depositSIC films on fused silica and on sapphire. For deposition temperatures above 850° C, diffraction shows the films to be crystalline with the [111] axis preferentially oriented normally to the film. Optical spectra show an indirect energy gap at 2.2 eV, near that for the cubic polytype, although the 200 diffractions are absent. Room temperature resistivities range between .02 to .1 Ωcm. Deposition below 600° C yields amorphous SiC with no diffraction bands, low and variable optical band gap and very high resistivity.


2006 ◽  
Vol 960 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koji Sato ◽  
Chiemi Ishiyama ◽  
Masato Sone ◽  
Yakichi Higo

ABSTRACTWe studied the effects of phosphorus (P) on Ni nanocrystalline morphology formed by focused ion beam (FIB) irradiation for Ni-P amorphous alloy thin films. The P content in the amorphous alloy was varied from 8 to 12 wt.%. The nanocrystals induced by the FIB irradiation for Ni-11.8, 8.9, 7.9 wt.% amorphous alloy had an f.c.c. structure and showed unique crystallographic orientation relationships to the geometry of the focused ion beam, that is, {111}f.c.c. parallel to the irradiated plane and <110>f.c.c. parallel to the projected ion beam direction, respectively. The Ni nanocrystals precipitated like aggregates with decreasing of the P content. These results represent that the P content does not affect crystallographic orientation relationships, while influences the precipitation distribution of Ni nanocrystals generated by the FIB irradiation.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Galia Pozina ◽  
Azat R. Gubaydullin ◽  
Maxim I. Mitrofanov ◽  
Mikhail A. Kaliteevski ◽  
Iaroslav V. Levitskii ◽  
...  

2016 ◽  
Vol 858 ◽  
pp. 561-564 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masafumi Inaba ◽  
Kazuma Suzuki ◽  
Yu Hirano ◽  
Wataru Norimatsu ◽  
Michiko Kusunoki ◽  
...  

The electrical contact properties of silicon carbide (SiC) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were measured by conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM). A CNT forest was synthesized by SiC surface decomposition. Trenches, which electrically separate the conduction area, were fabricated using a focused ion beam (FIB) without a cover layer, and the resistance of each island was measured by C-AFM. From the dependence of the resistance on the CNT forest island size, the contact resistance between the CNTs and the SiC substrate was measured. By varying the dopant density in the SiC substrate, the Schottky barrier height was evaluated to be ~0.5 eV. This is slightly higher than a previously reported result obtained from a similar setup with a metal covering the CNT forest. We assumed that the damaged region existed in the islands, which is due to the trench formation by the FIB. The commensurate barrier height was obtained with the length of the damaged region assumed to be ~3 μm. Here, we could estimate the resistivity of a CNT/SiC interface without a cover layer. This indicates that a CNT forest on SiC is useful as a brief contact electrode.


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