Ripple coarsening on ion beam-eroded surfaces

The temporal evolution of ripple pattern on Ge, Si, Al₂O₃, and SiO₂ by low-energy ion beam erosion with Xe ⁺ ions is studied. The experiments focus on the ripple dynamics in a fluence range from 1.1 × 10¹⁷ cm^-2 to 1.3 × 10¹⁹ cm^-2 at ion incidence angles of 65° and 75° and ion energies of 600 and 1,200 eV. At low fluences a short-wavelength ripple structure emerges on the surface that is superimposed and later on dominated by long wavelength structures for increasing fluences. The coarsening of short wavelength ripples depends on the material system and angle of incidence. These observations are associated with the influence of reflected primary ions and gradient-dependent sputtering. The investigations reveal that coarsening of the pattern is a universal behavior for all investigated materials, just at the earliest accessible stage of surface evolution.     

Role of surface composition in morphological evolution of GaAs nano-dots with low-energy ion irradiation

The surface chemistry of GaAs (100) with 50-keV Ar⁺ ion beam irradiation at off-normal incidence has been investigated in order to elucidate the surface nano-structuring mechanism(s). Core level and valence band studies of the surface composition were carried out as a function of fluences, which varied from 1 × 10¹⁷ to 7 × 10¹⁷ ions/cm². Core-level spectra of samples analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed the Ga enrichment of the surface resulting in bigger sized nano-dots. Formation of such nano-dots is attributed to be due to the interplay between preferential sputtering and surface diffusion processes. Valence band measurement shows that the shift in the Fermi edge is higher for Ga- rich, bigger sized nano-dots due to the partial oxide formation of Ga. ‘One-dimensional power spectral density’ extracted from atomic force micrographs also confirms the significant role of surface diffusion in observed nano-structuring.     

Self-organizing nanodot structures on InP surfaces evolving under low-energy ion irradiation: analysis of morphology and composition

Surfaces of InP were bombarded by 1.9 keV Ar⁺ ions under normal incidence. The total accumulated ion fluence Φ the samples were exposed to was varied from 1 × 10¹⁷ cm⁻² to 3 × 10¹⁸ cm⁻², and ion fluxes f of (0.4 − 2) × 10¹⁴ cm⁻² s⁻¹ were used. The surface morphology resulting from these ion irradiations was examined by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Generally, nanodot structures are formed on the surface; their dimensions (diameter, height and separation), however, were found to depend critically on the specific bombardment conditions. As a function of ion fluence, the mean radius r, height h, and spacing l of the dots can be fitted by power-law dependences: r ∝ Φ^0.40, h ∝ Φ^0.48, and l ∝ Φ^0.19. In terms of ion flux, there appears to exist a distinct threshold: below f ~ (1.3 ± 0.2) × 10¹⁴ cm⁻² s⁻¹, no ordering of the dots exists and their size is comparatively small; above that value of f, the height and radius of the dots becomes substantially larger (h ~ 40 nm and r ~ 50 nm). This finding possibly indicates that surface diffusion processes could be important. In order to determine possible local compositional changes in these nanostructures induced by ion impact, selected samples were prepared for atom probe tomography (APT). The results indicate that APT can provide analytical information on the composition of individual InP nanodots. By means of 3D APT data, the surface region of such nanodots evolving under ion bombardment could be examined with atomic spatial resolution. At the InP surface, the values of the In/P concentration ratio are distinctly higher over a distance of approximately 1 nm and amount to 1.3 to 1.7.     

Characterization and density control of GaN nanodots on Si (111) by droplet epitaxy using plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy

In this report, self-organized GaN nanodots have been grown on Si (111) by droplet epitaxy method, and their density can be controlled from 1.1 × 10¹⁰ to 1.1 × 10¹¹ cm^-2 by various growth parameters, such as substrate temperatures for Ga droplet formation, the pre-nitridation treatment of Si substrate, the nitridation duration for GaN crystallization, and in situ annealing after GaN formation. Based on the characterization of in situ RHEED, we can observe the surface condition of Si and the formation of GaN nanodots on Si. The surface nitridaiton treatment at 600°C provides a-SiNx layer which makes higher density of GaN nanodots. Crystal GaN nanodots can be observed by the HRTEM. The surface composition of GaN nanodots can be analyzed by SPEM and μ-XPS with a synchrotron x-ray source. We can find GaN nanodots form by droplet epitaxy and then in situ annealing make higher-degree nitridation of GaN nanodots.     

The enhanced anticoagulation for graphene induced by COOH+ ion implantation

Graphene may have attractive properties for some biomedical applications, but its potential adverse biological effects, in particular, possible modulation when it comes in contact with blood, require further investigation. Little is known about the influence of exposure to COOH⁺-implanted graphene (COOH⁺/graphene) interacting with red blood cells and platelets. In this paper, COOH⁺/graphene was prepared by modified Hummers'' method and implanted by COOH⁺ ions. The structure and surface chemical and physical properties of COOH⁺/graphene were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and contact angle measurement. Systematic evaluation of anticoagulation, including in vitro platelet adhesion assays and hemolytic assays, proved that COOH⁺/graphene has significant anticoagulation. In addition, at the dose of 5 × 10¹⁷ ions/cm², COOH⁺/graphene responded best on platelet adhesion, aggregation, and platelet activation.     

Synthesis of cobalt nanoparticles on Si (100) by swift heavy ion irradiation

We report the growth and characterization of uniform-sized nanoparticles of cobalt on n-type silicon (100) substrates by swift heavy ion (SHI) irradiation. The Co thin films of 25-nm thicknesses were grown by e-beam evaporation and irradiated with two different types of ions, 45-MeV Li³⁺ and 100-MeV O⁷⁺ ions with fluences ranging from 1 × 10¹¹ to 1 × 10¹³ ions/cm². SHI irradiation, with the beam rastered over the area of the film, resulted in the restructuring of the film into a dense array of Co nanostructures. Surface topography studied by atomic force microscopy revealed narrowed size distributions, with particle sizes ranging from 20 to 50 nm, formed through a self-organized process. Ion fluence-dependent changes in crystallinity of the Co nanostructures were determined by glancing angle X-ray diffraction. Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy analysis showed the absence of beam-induced mixing in this system. Surface restructuring and beam-induced crystallization are the dominant effects, with the nanoparticle size and density being dependent on the ion fluence. Results are analyzed in the context of molecular dynamics calculations of electron-lattice energy transfer.     

Electrical characteristic fluctuation of 16-nm-gate high-κ/metal gate bulk FinFET devices in the presence of random interface traps

In this work, we study the impact of random interface traps (RITs) at the interface of SiO _x /Si on the electrical characteristic of 16-nm-gate high-κ/metal gate (HKMG) bulk fin-type field effect transistor (FinFET) devices. Under the same threshold voltage, the effects of RIT position and number on the degradation of electrical characteristics are clarified with respect to different levels of RIT density of state (D_it). The variability of the off-state current (I_off) and drain-induced barrier lowering (DIBL) will be severely affected by RITs with high D_it varying from 5 × 10¹² to 5 × 10¹³ eV⁻¹ cm⁻² owing to significant threshold voltage (V_th) fluctuation. The results of this study indicate that if the level of D_it is lower than 1 × 10¹² eV⁻¹ cm⁻², the normalized variability of the on-state current, I_off, V_th, DIBL, and subthreshold swing is within 5%.     

Synthesis of zinc oxide nanostructures on graphene/glass substrate by electrochemical deposition: effects of current density and temperature

The electrochemical growth of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanostructures on graphene on glass using zinc nitrate hexahydrate was studied. The effects of current densities and temperatures on the morphological, structural, and optical properties of the ZnO structures were studied. Vertically aligned nanorods were obtained at a low temperature of 75°C, and the diameters increased with current density. Growth temperature seems to have a strong effect in generating well-defined hexagonal-shape nanorods with a smooth top edge surface. A film-like structure was observed for high current densities above -1.0 mA/cm² and temperatures above 80°C due to the coalescence between the neighboring nanorods with large diameter. The nanorods grown at a temperature of 75°C with a low current density of -0.1 mA/cm² exhibited the highest density of 1.45 × 10⁹ cm^-2. X-ray diffraction measurements revealed that the grown ZnO crystallites were highly oriented along the c-axis. The intensity ratio of the ultraviolet (UV) region emission to the visible region emission, I_UV/I_VIS, showed a decrement with the current densities for all grown samples. The samples grown at the current density below -0.5 mA/cm² showed high I_UV/I_VIS values closer to or higher than 1.0, suggesting their fewer structural defects. For all the ZnO/graphene structures, the high transmittance up to 65% was obtained at the light wavelength of 550 nm. Structural and optical properties of the grown ZnO structures seem to be effectively controlled by the current density rather than the growth temperature. ZnO nanorod/graphene hybrid structure on glass is expected to be a promising structure for solar cell which is a conceivable candidate to address the global need for an inexpensive alternative energy source.     

Scandium effect on the luminescence of Er-Sc silicates prepared from multi-nanolayer films

Polycrystalline Er-Sc silicates (Er _x Sc_2-x Si₂O₇ and Er _x Sc_2-x SiO₅) were fabricated using multilayer nanostructured films of Er₂O₃/SiO₂/Sc₂O₃ deposited on SiO₂/Si substrates by RF sputtering and thermal annealing at high temperature. The films were characterized by synchrotron radiation grazing incidence X-ray diffraction, cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and micro-photoluminescence measurements. The Er-Sc silicate phase Er _x Sc_2-x Si₂O₇ is the dominant film, and Er and Sc are homogeneously distributed after thermal treatment because of the excess of oxygen from SiO₂ interlayers. The Er concentration of 6.7 × 10²¹ atoms/cm³ was achieved due to the presence of Sc that dilutes the Er concentration and generates concentration quenching. During silicate formation, the erbium diffusion coefficient in the silicate phase is estimated to be 1 × 10^-15 cm²/s at 1,250°C. The dominant Er _x Sc_{2 - x} Si₂O₇ layer shows a room-temperature photoluminescence peak at 1,537 nm with the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 1.6 nm. The peak emission shift compared to that of the Y-Er silicate (where Y and Er have almost the same ionic radii) and the narrow FWHM are due to the small ionic radii of Sc³⁺ which enhance the crystal field strength affecting the optical properties of Er³⁺ ions located at the well-defined lattice sites of the Sc silicate. The Er-Sc silicate with narrow FWHM opens a promising way to prepare photonic crystal light-emitting devices.     

Efficiency improvement of GaN-based ultraviolet light-emitting diodes with reactive plasma deposited AlN nucleation layer on patterned sapphire substrate

The flip chip ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (FC UV-LEDs) with a wavelength of 365 nm are developed with the ex situ reactive plasma deposited (RPD) AlN nucleation layer on patterned sapphire substrate (PSS) by an atmospheric pressure metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (AP MOCVD). The ex situ RPD AlN nucleation layer can significantly reduce dislocation density and thus improve the crystal quality of the GaN epitaxial layers. Utilizing high-resolution X-ray diffraction, the full width at half maximum of the rocking curve shows that the crystalline quality of the epitaxial layer with the (RPD) AlN nucleation layer is better than that with the low-temperature GaN (LT-GaN) nucleation layer. The threading dislocation density (TDD) is estimated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), which shows the reduction from 6.8 × 10⁷ cm⁻² to 2.6 × 10⁷ cm⁻². Furthermore, the light output power (LOP) of the LEDs with the RPD AlN nucleation layer has been improved up to 30 % at a forward current of 350 mA compared to that of the LEDs grown on PSS with conventional LT-GaN nucleation layer.     

Tuning of structural,optical, and magnetic properties of ultrathin and thin ZnO nanowire arrays for nano device applications

One-dimensional (1-D) ultrathin (15 nm) and thin (100 nm) aligned 1-D (0001) and (0001¯) oriented zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowire (NW) arrays were fabricated on copper substrates by one-step electrochemical deposition inside the pores of polycarbonate membranes. The aspect ratio dependence of the compressive stress because of the lattice mismatch between NW array/substrate interface and crystallite size variations is investigated. X-ray diffraction results show that the polycrystalline ZnO NWs have a wurtzite structure with a = 3.24 Å, c = 5.20 Å, and [002] elongation. HRTEM and SAED pattern confirmed the polycrystalline nature of ultrathin ZnO NWs and lattice spacing of 0.58 nm. The crystallite size and compressive stress in as-grown 15- and 100-nm wires are 12.8 nm and 0.2248 GPa and 22.8 nm and 0.1359 GPa, which changed to 16.1 nm and 1.0307 GPa and 47.5 nm and 1.1677 GPa after annealing at 873 K in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV), respectively. Micro-Raman spectroscopy showed that the increase in E₂ (high) phonon frequency corresponds to much higher compressive stresses in ultrathin NW arrays. The minimum-maximum magnetization magnitude for the as-grown ultrathin and thin NW arrays are approximately 8.45 × 10⁻³ to 8.10 × 10⁻³ emu/g and approximately 2.22 × 10⁻⁷ to 2.190 × 10⁻⁷ emu/g, respectively. The magnetization in 15-nm NW arrays is about 4 orders of magnitude higher than that in the 100 nm arrays but can be reduced greatly by the UHV annealing. The origin of ultrathin and thin NW array ferromagnetism may be the exchange interactions between localized electron spin moments resulting from oxygen vacancies at the surfaces of ZnO NWs. The n-type conductivity of 15-nm NW array is higher by about a factor of 2 compared to that of the 100-nm ZnO NWs, and both can be greatly enhanced by UHV annealing. The ability to tune the stresses and the structural and relative occupancies of ZnO NWs in a wide range by annealing has important implications for the design of advanced photonic, electronic, and magneto-optic nano devices.     

One-dimensional CuO nanowire: synthesis,electrical, and optoelectronic devices application

In this work, we presented a surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT)-assisted approach to the synthesis of one-dimensional copper oxide nanowires (CuO NWs) for nanodevices applications. The as-prepared CuO NWs have diameter and the length of 50 ~ 200 nm and 5 ~ 20 μm, respectively, with a preferential growth orientation along [1 1¯ 0] direction. Interestingly, nanofield-effect transistor (nanoFET) based on individual CuO NW exhibited typical p-type electrical conduction, with a hole mobility of 0.129 cm²V^-1 s^-1 and hole concentration of 1.34 × 10¹⁸ cm^-3, respectively. According to first-principle calculations, such a p-type electrical conduction behavior was related to the oxygen vacancies in CuO NWs. What is more, the CuO NW device was sensitive to visible light illumination with peak sensitivity at 600 nm. The responsitivity, conductive gain, and detectivity are estimated to be 2.0 × 10² A W^-1, 3.95 × 10² and 6.38 × 10¹¹ cm Hz^1/2 W^-1, respectively, which are better than the devices composed of other materials. Further study showed that nanophotodetectors assembled on flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate can work under different bending conditions with good reproducibility. The totality of the above results suggests that the present CuO NWs are potential building blocks for assembling high-performance optoelectronic devices.     

Transition from ripples to faceted structures under low-energy argon ion bombardment of silicon: understanding the role of shadowing and sputtering

Abstract

In this study, we have investigated temporal evolution of silicon surface topography under 500-eV argon ion bombardment for two angles of incidence, namely 70° and 72.5°. For both angles, parallel-mode ripples are observed at low fluences (up to 2 × 10¹⁷ ions cm^-2) which undergo a transition to faceted structures at a higher fluence of 5 × 10¹⁷ ions cm^-2. Facet coarsening takes place at further higher fluences. This transition from ripples to faceted structures is attributed to the shadowing effect due to a height difference between peaks and valleys of the ripples. The observed facet coarsening is attributed to a mechanism based on reflection of primary ions from the facets. In addition, the role of sputtering is investigated (for both the angles) by computing the fractional change in sputtering yield and the evolution of surface roughness.

PACS

81.05.Cy, 81.16.Rf, 61.80.Jh, 87.64.Dz     

Fabrication of low-density GaN/AlN quantum dots via GaN thermal decomposition in MOCVD

With an appropriate high anneal temperature under H₂ atmosphere, GaN quantum dots (QDs) have been fabricated via GaN thermal decomposition in metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). Based on the characterization of atomic force microscopy (AFM), the obtained GaN QDs show good size distribution and have a low density of 2.4 × 10⁸ cm^-2. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis demonstrates that the GaN QDs were formed without Ga droplets by thermal decomposition of GaN.     

Ferroelectric and magnetic properties of Nd-doped Bi4 ? xFeTi3O12 nanoparticles prepared through the egg-white method

Multiferroic behavior of Bi_{4 − x}Nd_xFeTi₃O₁₂ (0.0 ≤ × ≤ 0.25, × = 0.05) ceramic nanoparticles prepared through the egg-white method was investigated. The dielectric properties of the samples show normal behavior and are explained in the light of space charge polarization. Room temperature polarization-electric field (P-E) curves show that the samples are not saturated with maximum remanence polarization, P_r = 0.110 μC/cm², and a relatively low coercive field, E_c = of 7.918 kV/cm, at an applied field of 1 kV/cm was observed for 5% Nd doping. The room temperature M-H hysteresis curve shows that the samples exhibit intrinsic antiferromagnetism with a weak ferromagnetism. These properties entitle the grown nanoparticles of BNFT as one of the few multiferroic materials that exhibit decent magnetization and electric polarization.     

A preparation approach of exploring cluster ion implantation: from ultra-thin carbon film to graphene

Based on the extensive application of 2 × 1.7MV Tandetron accelerator, a low-energy cluster chamber has been built to explore for synthesizing graphene. Raman spectrum and atomic force microscopy (AFM) show that an amorphous carbon film in nanometer was deposited on the silicon by C₄ cluster implantation. And we replaced the substrate with Ni/SiO₂/Si and measured the thickness of Ni film by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS). Combined with suitable anneal conditions, these samples implanted by various small carbon clusters were made to grow graphene. Results from Raman spectrum reveal that few-layer graphene were obtained and discuss whether I_G/I_2D can contribute to explain the relationship between the number of graphene layers and cluster implantation dosage.     

Compositional and Structural Modifications by Ion Beam in Graphene Oxide for Radiation Detection Studies

In the present study, graphene oxide foils 10 μm thick have been irradiated in vacuum using same charge state (one charge state) ions, such as protons, helium and oxygen ions, at the same energies (3 MeV) and fluences (from 5 × 10¹¹ ion/cm² to 5 × 10¹⁴ ion/cm²). The structural changes generated by the ion energy deposition and investigated by X-ray diffraction have suggested the generation of new phases, as reduced GO, GO quantum dots and graphitic nanofibers, carbon nanotubes, amorphous carbon and stacked-cup carbon nanofibers. Further analyses, based on Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry and Elastic Recoil Detection Analysis, have indicated a reduction of GO connected to the atomic number of implanted ions. The morphological changes in the ion irradiated GO foils have been monitored by Transmission Electron, Atomic Force and Scanning Electron microscopies. The present study aims to better structurally, compositionally and morphologically characterize the GO foils irradiated by different ions at the same conditions and at very low ion fluencies to validate the use of GO for radiation detection and propose it as a promising dosimeter. It has been observed that GO quantum dots are produced on the GO foil when it is irradiated by proton, helium and oxygen ions and their number increases with the atomic number of beam gaseous ion.     

Fabrication of self-assembled Au droplets by the systematic variation of the deposition amount on various type-B GaAs surfaces

The fabrication of self-assembled Au droplets is successfully demonstrated on various GaAs (n11)B, where n is 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9, by the systematic variation of the Au deposition amount (DA) from 2 to 12 nm with subsequent annealing at 550°C. Under an identical growth condition, the self-assembled Au droplets of mini to supersizes are successfully synthesized via the Volmer-Weber growth mode. Depending on the DA, an apparent evolution is clearly observed in terms of the average height (AH), lateral diameter (LD), and average density (AD). For example, compared with the mini Au droplets with a DA of 2 nm, AH of 22.5 nm, and LD of 86.5 nm, the super Au droplets with 12-nm DA show significantly increased AH of 316% and LD of 320%, reaching an AH of 71.1 nm and LD of 276.8 nm on GaAs (211)B. In addition, accompanied with the dimensional expansion, the AD of Au droplets drastically swings on 2 orders of magnitudes from 3.2 × 10¹⁰ to 4.2 × 10⁸ cm^-2. The results are systematically analyzed with respect to the atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images, energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS) spectra, cross-sectional line profiles, Fourier filter transform (FFT) power spectra, and root-mean-square (RMS) roughness as well as the droplet dimension and density summary, respectively.     

Graphene oxide-based SPR biosensor chip for immunoassay applications

This work develops a highly sensitive immunoassay sensor for use in graphene oxide sheet (GOS)-based surface plasmon resonance (SPR) chips. This sensing film, which is formed by chemically modifying a GOS surface, has covalent bonds that strongly interact with the bovine serum albumin (BSA), explaining why it has a higher sensitivity. This GOS film-based SPR chip has a BSA concentration detection limit that is 100 times higher than that of the conventional Au-film-based sensor. The affinity constants (K_A) on the GOS film-based SPR chip and the conventional SPR chip for 100 μg/ml BSA are 80.82 × 10⁶ M^-1 and 15.67 × 10⁶ M^-1, respectively. Therefore, the affinity constant of the GOS film-based SPR chip is 5.2 times higher than that of the conventional chip. With respect to the protein-protein interaction, the SPR sensor capability to detect angle changes at a low concentration anti-BSA of 75.75 nM on the GOS film-based SPR chip and the conventional SPR chip is 36.1867 and 26.1759 mdeg, respectively. At a high concentration, anti-BSA of 378.78 nM on the GOS film-based SPR chip and the conventional SPR chip reveals two times increases in the SPR angle shift. Above results demonstrate that the GOS film is promising for highly sensitive clinical diagnostic applications.     

Investigation of hydrogen plasma treatment for reducing defects in silicon quantum dot superlattice structure with amorphous silicon carbide matrix

We investigate the effects of hydrogen plasma treatment (HPT) on the properties of silicon quantum dot superlattice films. Hydrogen introduced in the films efficiently passivates silicon and carbon dangling bonds at a treatment temperature of approximately 400°C. The total dangling bond density decreases from 1.1 × 10¹⁹ cm^-3 to 3.7 × 10¹⁷ cm^-3, which is comparable to the defect density of typical hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide films. A damaged layer is found to form on the surface by HPT; this layer can be easily removed by reactive ion etching.