TOF-SARS study of hydrogen adsorption and desorption kinetics on Si(1 0 0)

The kinetics of atomic hydrogen isothermal adsorption and desorption on a Si(1 0 0) surface was studied using the time-of-flight scattering and recoiling spectrometry technique at temperatures below and above the thermal desorption threshold. A continuous decrease in saturation coverage with temperature under constant atomic hydrogen exposure has been observed in both regions for temperatures in the range 325-820 K. For T_S=500-650 K, the decrease is described by a kinetic model where Eley-Rideal (ER) abstraction is responsible for hydrogen removal from the surface and hydrogen coverage depends on the temperature due to the changing rate of migration from precursor to primary monohydride sites. For T_S=650 K and higher, in addition to the ER abstraction, the thermal desorption from primary monohydride sites leads to a further decrease of the saturation coverage. The first-order desorption rates after source shut-off have been measured and an activation barrier of 1.89 eV has been obtained.     

Effect of the variation of temperature on the structural and optical properties of ZnO thin films prepared on Si (1 1 1) substrates using PLD

ZnO thin films were prepared on Si (1 1 1) substrates at various temperatures from 250 to 700 °C using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique in order to investigate the structural and optical properties of the films. The structural and morphological properties of the films were investigated by XRD and SEM measurements, respectively. The quality of the films was improved with the increase of the temperature. By XRD patterns, the FWHMs of the (0 0 2) peaks of the ZnO films became narrower when the temperatures were above 500 °C. The FWHMs of the peaks of (0 0 2) of the films were as narrow as about 0.19° when films were grown at 650 and 700 °C. This indicates the superior crystallinity of the films. The optical properties of the films were studied by photoluminescence spectra using a 325 nm He-Cd laser. The two strongest UV peaks were found at 377.9 nm from ZnO films grown at 650 and 700 °C. This result is consistent with that of the XRD investigation. Broad bands in visible region from 450 to 550 nm were also observed. Our works suggest that UV emissions have close relations with not only the crystallinity but also the stoichiometry of the ZnO films.     

Ordered mixed surface structures formed by coadsorption of dissimilar metal atoms on Cu(0 0 1)

We have found that various ordered mixed surface structures are formed by coadsorption of two dissimilar metal atoms on Cu(0 0 1) at room tepmerature, using low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) I-V analysis. As coadsorbates, we employed Mg, Bi, Li and K, and surface structures formed by the coadsorption systems of (Mg, Li), (Mg, K) and (Mg, Bi) are presented. A tensor LEED analysis provided detailed geometries of the coadsorbates and the substrate surface. It was found that the surface structures in the above three coadsorption sytems exhibit the restructuring of the Cu(0 0 1) surface. The phase separation into individual adsorbates does not take place, implying that some additional stabilization arises. We demonstrate two origins for the stabilization of the ordered mixed surface structures on Cu(0 0 1). Structures and features formed by the individual adsorption of Mg, Bi, Li and K atoms on Cu(0 0 1) are described first, then those of (2√2×√2)R45°-Mg,Li, (√5×√5)R26.7°-Mg,K, c(2×2)-Mg,Bi, and c(6×4)-Mg,Bi structures formed by the coadsorption are presented. We consider on the basis of the determined structural parameters the question why ordered mixed surface structures are formed instead of the phase separation.     

A comparative study of the properties of thermally evaporated CuIn2n + 1S3n + 2 (n = 0, 1, 2 and 3) thin films

CuInS₂, CuIn₃S₅, CuIn₅S₈ and CuIn₇S₁₁ compounds were synthesized by the horizontal Bridgman method using high-purity copper, indium and sulphur elements. Crushed powders of these ingots were used as raw materials for the vacuum thermal evaporation. So, CuIn_2n + 1S_3n + 2 (n = 0, 1, 2, and 3) thin films were deposited by single source vacuum thermal evaporation onto glass substrates heated at 150 °C. The structural, compositional, morphological, electrical and optical properties of the deposited films were studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray, atomic force microscopy and optical measurement techniques. XRD results revealed that all the films are polycrystalline. However, CuInS₂ and CuIn₃S₅ films had a chalcopyrite structure with preferred orientation along 112 while CuIn₅S₈ and CuIn₇S₁₁ films exhibit a spinel structure with preferred orientation along 311. The absorption coefficients of the all CuIn_2n + 1S_3n + 2 films are in the range of 10⁻⁴ and 10⁻⁵ cm⁻¹. The direct optical band gaps of CuIn_2n + 1S_3n + 2 layers are found to be 1.56, 1.78, 1.75 and 1.30 eV for n = 0, 1, 2, and 3, respectively. CuIn₃S₅ and CuIn₅S₈ films are p type with electrical resistivities of 4 and 12 Ω cm whereas CuInS₂ and CuIn₇S₁₁ are highly compensated with resistivities of 1470 and 1176 Ω cm, respectively.     

Annealing effects on microstructure and mechanical properties of sputtered multilayer Cr(1 − x)AlxN films

Multilayer Cr_(1 − x)Al_xN films with a total thickness of 2 μm were deposited on high-speed steel by medium frequency magnetron sputtering from Cr and Al-Cr (70 at.% Al) targets. The samples were annealed in air at 400 °C, 600 °C, 800 °C and 1000 °C for 1 hour. Films were characterized by cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. The grain size of the as-deposited multilayer films is about 10 nm, increasing with the annealing temperature up to 100 nm. Interfacial reactions have clearly changed at elevated annealing temperatures. As-deposited films' hardness measured by nanoindentation is 22.6 GPa, which increases to 26.7 GPa when the annealing temperature goes up to 400 and 600 °C, but hardness decreases to 21.2 GPa with further annealing temperature increase from 600 to 1000 °C. The multilayer film adhesion was measured by means of the scratch test combined with acoustic emission for detecting the fracture load. The critical normal load decreased from 49.7 N for the as-deposited films to 21.2 N for the films annealed at 1000 °C.     

90°coupling in (Fe/Cr/Fe)AFM/Cr/Fe system epitaxially grown on GaAs(0 0 1)

Single-crystalline (Fe/Cr/Fe)_AFM/Cr/Fe structures were epitaxially grown on atomically flat GaAs(0 0 1). Choosing the same thickness of the antiferromagnetically (AFM) coupled Fe layers in the bottom (Fe/Cr/Fe)_AFM structure, their net magnetization is balanced to zero, in particular up to a spin-flop transition when the field is applied along the [1 1 0] direction. For the Cr thicknesses at which the top Fe layer is weakly magnetically coupled to the bottom (Fe/Cr/Fe)_AFM structure, at low fields, the magneto-optical Kerr effect and/or SQUID signal from the sample corresponds to the top Fe layer only. An influence of the Cr spin structure on the magnetization reversal in the Fe layer is reported. In particular, a strong increase of coercivity (by a factor of 12) is found at low temperatures. A 90° coupling is detected which affects the minor loops measured along the [−1 1 0] and [1 0 0] directions.     

Structural,electrical and photoluminescence properties of ZnO:Al films grown on MgO(0 0 1) by direct current magnetron sputtering with the oblique target

ZnO:Al films were deposited on MgO(0 0 1) substrates at 300 K and 673 K by direct current magnetron sputtering with the oblique target. The Ar pressure was adjusted to 0.4 Pa and 1.2 Pa, respectively. All the films have a wurtzite structure and a c-axis orientation in the film growth direction. The films deposited at 300 K initially grow with thin columnar grains and subsequently grow with large granular grains on the thin columnar grains. However, the films grown at 673 K consist mainly of dense columnar grains perpendicular to the substrate surface. The ZnO:Al film deposited at 673 K and 0.4 Pa has the lowest resistivity, the highest free electron concentration and Hall's mobility. A temperature dependence of the resistivity within 5–300 K reveals that the films grown at 300 K exhibit a semiconducting behavior and those grown at 673 K show a metal–semiconductor transition. The carrier transport mechanism is Mott's variable range hopping in the temperature range below 90 K for all the films and thermally activated band conduction above 215 K for the films grown at 300 K. Room temperature photoluminescence spectra for wavelengths between 300 nm and 800 nm reveal mainly blue-green emissions centered at 452 nm, 475 nm and 515 nm.     

Ultrafine 316 L stainless steel particles with frozen-in magnetic structures characterized by means of electron backscattered diffraction

Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) studies clearly revealed a different crystallographic structure of the smallest particle size fraction of gas-atomized AISI 316 L stainless steel powder (< 4 μm) compared with larger sized fractions of the same powder (< 45 μm). Despite similar chemical compositions, the predominating structure of the smallest particle size fraction was ferritic (i.e., has ferromagnetic properties) whereas the larger sized particle fractions and massive 316 L revealed an expected austenitic and non-magnetic structure. From these findings, it follows that direct magnetic separation can be applied to separate very fine sized particles. These structural differences explain previously observed dissimilarities from corrosion and metal release perspectives.     

Magnetic properties and microstructures of single-layered Fe100 − xPtx films deposited onto heated substrates

The single-layered Fe_100 − xPt_x films of 30 nm thick with Pt contents (x) of 35-57 at.% are deposited on heated Si (100) substrate at a temperature (Ts) of 620 °C by magnetron co-sputtering. When the Pt content in the Fe-Pt alloy film is 35 at.%, the value of in-plane coercivity (Hc_//) is close to perpendicular coercivity (Hc_⊥) and both values are about 800 kA/m. The FePt films exhibit perpendicular magnetic anisotropy when the Pt content increases to the values of between 45 and 51 at.%. The perpendicular coercivity, saturation magnetization (Ms) and perpendicular squareness (S_⊥) for Fe₅₄Pt₄₆ film are as high as 1113 kA/m, 0.594 Wb/m² and 0.96, respectively. These magnetic properties reveal its significant potential as perpendicular magnetic recording media. Upon further increasing the Pt content to 57 at.%, the coercivity of the Fe-Pt film decreases drastically to below 230 kA/m and tends to be closer to in-plane magnetic anisotropy.     

Growth and alloying of submonolayer Cu on Pt(12 12 11)

A detailed comparative study of Cu growth on the vicinal surface Pt(12 12 11) has been performed with helium atom scattering (HAS) and medium energy ion scattering (MEIS). These techniques are ideally complementary in that HAS is extremely sensitive to the electronic structure of the surface layer, while MEIS accurately probes the atom core structure of the surface. By combining these two techniques it has been possible to measure the initial structure of Cu on the stepped Pt surface and to study how the Cu redistributes across the surface and into the bulk on annealing. The HAS and MEIS data identify two significant diffusion transitions on the surface occurring at temperatures of 450 and 600 K.     

Mueller matrices for anisotropic metamaterials generated using 4 × 4 matrix formalism

Forward models for the Mueller Matrix (MM) components of materials with relative magnetic permeability tensor μ ≠ 1 are studied. 4 × 4 matrix formalism can be used to calculate the complex reflection coefficients and the MMs of dielectric-magnetic materials having arbitrary crystal symmetry. For materials with simultaneously diagonalizable ε and μ tensors (with coincident principal axes), analytic solutions to the Berreman equation are available. For the single layer thin film configuration, analytic formulas for the complex reflection and transmission coefficients are derived for orthorhombic symmetry or higher. The separation of the magnetic and dielectric contributions to the optical properties as well as the ability to distinguish materials exhibiting negative index of refraction are demonstrated using simulations of the MM at varying angles of incidence.     

Effect of Pb(Zn1 / 2W1 / 2)O3 introduction on perovskite development and dielectric properties of (Ba,Pb)TiO3

Powders of a Pb(Zn_1 / 2W_1 / 2)O₃-introduced BaTiO₃-PbTiO₃ system were prepared. A two-step calcination route of a B-site precursor method was employed to promote perovskite formation. The overall effects of the Pb(Zn_1 / 2W_1 / 2)O₃ incorporation on changes in crystalline aspects as well as dielectric properties were explored.     

The adsorption properties of PdZnx alloy on Pd(1 0 0): Preparation and characterization

The formation of PdZn_x alloy on Pd(1 0 0) and its characteristics were investigated by various methods, such as photoelectron, auger-electron, electron energy loss, thermal desorption spectroscopic methods and work-function measurement. The alloy was produced by the decomposition of diethyl zinc on Pd(1 0 0). The alloy surface reacts with O₂ and ZnO_x is formed. The reactivity of alloy to hydrogen is similar to that of K/Pd. The stability of adsorbed CO is lower than on clean Pd(1 0 0).     

Preparation and characterization of CuIn1 − xGaxSe2 − ySy thin film solar cells by rapid thermal processing

This paper describes the synthesis and characterization of CuIn_1 − xGa_xSe_2 − yS_y (CIGSeS) thin-film solar cells prepared by rapid thermal processing (RTP). An efficiency of 12.78% has been achieved on ~ 2 µm thick absorber. Materials characterization of these films was done by SEM, EDS, XRD, and AES. J-V curves were obtained at different temperatures. It was found that the open circuit voltage increases as temperature decreases while the short circuit current stays constant. Dependence of the open circuit voltage and fill factor on temperature has been estimated. Bandgap value calculated from the intercept of the linear extrapolation was 1.1-1.2 eV. Capacitance-voltage analysis gave a carrier density of 4.0 × 10¹⁵ cm^− 3.     

Viscoplastic behavior of a FeCrAl alloy for high temperature steam electrolysis (HTSE) sealing applications between 700 °C and 900 °C

High temperature steam electrolysis (HTSE) is one of the most promising technologies for the industrial production of hydrogen. However one of the remaining problems lies in sealing at high temperature. The reference solution is based on glass seals which presents several drawbacks. That explains why metallic seals are under development. The expected seal will be submitted to creep under low stresses between 700 °C and 900 °C, possibly involving complex loading and thermal history. The candidate material investigated in this work is a FeCrAl (OC404, Sandvik) supplied as a 0.3 mm thick sheet. The ability of this material to develop a protective layer of alumina was studied first, as well as grain size growth during thermal ageing. Creep and tensile tests were performed between 700 °C and 900 °C to determine its mechanical properties. This database was used to propose and identify an elasto-viscoplastic behavior for the material. Creep was described by the Sellars-Tegart law. This law was then used to simulate and predict creep indentation tests performed in the same range of temperatures.     

Preferentially oriented thin-film growth of CuO(1 1 1) and Cu2O(0 0 1) on MgO(0 0 1) substrate by reactive dc-magnetron sputtering

Copper oxide films deposited on MgO(0 0 1) substrates by reactive magnetron sputtering under the metal-mode condition were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) analyses for structural analysis, and X-ray-excited Auger electron spectroscopy (XAES) for chemical bonding analysis. CuO(1 1 1) thin films grew from their initial growth stage maintaining the same crystallinity on MgO(0 0 1) substrates at 400°C. When the substrate temperature was increased to 600 °C, the as-sputtered films comprise Cu(0 0 1), amorphous Cu₂O phase, and Cu₂O(0 0 1) phase. The Cu(0 0 1) phase was observed at initial growth stage. This is probably because O₂ gas molecules could not sufficiently stick to the MgO substrate at 600 °C. Single phase of Cu₂O(0 0 1) was obtained by the cooling of the as-sputtered films in O₂ atmosphere. The growth of single phase Cu₂O(0 0 1) is considered as a solid-phase heteroepitaxial growth on MgO(0 0 1) surface, which was caused by incorporating O₂ gas into the as-sputtered films.     

Synthesis and spectral properties of Yb/Ho co-doped yttria 2 μm transparent ceramics

Yb/Ho co-doped yttria transparent ceramics, Yb/Ho:Y₂O₃, were prepared by vacuum sintering with additional 0.5 wt.% tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as sintering aid from the Yb/Ho co-doped yttria nanopowders synthesized by co-precipitation method. The optical quality of transparent ceramics was improved significantly, as increasing the sintering temperature from 1800 °C to 1850 °C as well as the holding time from 20 h to 25 h, respectively. The absorption spectrum was measured to find out the advisable emission source wavelength. The 2 μm emission bands were observed under laser diode excitation at 980 nm in the co-doped sample with 5 mol% of Yb³⁺ and 1 mol% of Ho³⁺, and broad emission bandwidth were obtained.     

The effect of Re and Ru on γ/γ′ microstructure, γ-solid solution strengthening and creep strength in nickel-base superalloys

A new in-house designed series of Ni based superalloys with stepwise increased Re and Ru additions has been investigated, to systematically determine the influence of Re and Ru on γ/γ′-microstructure and high temperature creep properties. Improved creep resistance and thus also a higher alloy temperature capability of up to 87 K/at.% was found for additions of Re. Additions of Ru revealed a lower temperature capability improvement of up to 38 K/at.% for low Re-containing second generation alloys. However, in third and fourth generation alloys with higher Re-contents, no significant influence of Ru on creep rupture strength was observed. The creep properties are discussed with respect to the γ′-volume fraction, γ′-size and γ′-coarsening rate, as well as the γ/γ′-lattice misfit and the γ/γ′ partitioning coefficient of the different Re and Ru containing alloys. The presented data shows, that these microstructure parameters are strongly influenced by additions of Re, but only marginally by additions of Ru. A further influence on creep rupture strength is given by the solid solution hardening of the γ-matrix, which is discussed based on solid solution hardener concentrations either experimentally derived or calculated from ThermoCalc data.     

Basic properties of Sr1 − xBaxSi2

Basic properties, such as the phase relationship, crystal structure, and energy gap E_g, have been investigated in Sr-rich Sr_1 − xBa_xSi₂. Sr_1 − xBa_xSi₂ (0 ≤ x ≤ 1.0) has two phases: one with the SrSi₂-type structure and another with the BaSi₂-type structure. The SrSi₂ phase exists at x ranging from 0 to 0.13, and the BaSi₂ phase exists at x ranging from 0.24 to 1.0. The volume increases with x in both the SrSi₂ and BaSi₂ phases. A volume jump of 13.7% appears at the structural phase transition from the SrSi₂ phase to the BaSi₂ phase. E_g increases with x in SrSi₂-phase Sr_1 − xBa_xSi₂ but E_g decreases with x in the BaSi₂-phase Sr_1 − xBa_xSi₂. In Sr-rich BaSi₂-phase Sr_1 − xBa_xSi₂, Ba atoms at a specific crystallographic site, the A1 site, are preferentially substituted by Sr atoms, as well as in Ba-rich BaSi₂-phase Sr_1 − xBa_xSi₂.     

Niobium boride coating on AISI M2 steel by boro-niobizing treatment

In this study, niobium boride coating was applied on pre-boronized AISI M2 steel by the thermo-reactive deposition technique in a powder mixture consisting of ferro-niobium, ammonium chloride and alumina at 950 °C for 1-4 h. The coated samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope and micro-hardness tests. Niobium boride layer formed on the pre-boronized AISI M2 steel was smooth, compact and homogeneous. X-ray studies showed that the phases formed on the steel surfaces are NbB, Nb₃B₂, FeB and Fe₂B. The depth of the niobium boride layer ranged from 0.97 μm to 3.25 μm, depending on treatment time. The higher the treatment time the thicker the niobium boride layer observed. The hardness of the niobium boride layer was 2738 ± 353 HV_0.01.