Dielectric response of AlP by in-situ ellipsometry

We present and analyze pseudodielectric function data <ε> = <ε₁> + i<ε₂> of AlP from 0.75 to 5.05 eV. The sample is a 1.0 μm thick AlP film grown on (001) GaAs by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Spectroscopic ellipsometric data were obtained before removing the sample from the MBE chamber to avoid oxidation and related artifacts. Analysis of interference oscillations and corrections for overlayer effects with a multilayer parametric model yield the closest representation to date of the intrinsic bulk dielectric response ε of AlP. From this analysis we obtain the energies of the E₀′ and E₁ critical points of AlP.     

Mechanical properties of superhard TiB2 coatings prepared by DC magnetron sputtering

Superhard titanium diboride (TiB₂) coatings (H_v> 40 GPa) were deposited in Ar atmosphere from stoichiometric TiB₂ target using an unbalanced direct current (d. c.) magnetron. Polished Si (0 0 1), stainless steel, high-speed steel (HSS) and tungsten carbide (WC) substrates were used for deposition. The influence of negative substrate bias, U_s, and substrate temperature, T_s, on mechanical properties of TiB₂ coatings was studied. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed hexagonal TiB₂ structure with (0 0 01) preferred orientation. The texture of TiB₂ coatings was dependent upon the ion bombardment (U_s increased from 0 to −300 V) and the substrate heating (T_s increased from room temperature (RT) to 700 °C). All TiB₂ coatings were measured using microhardness tester Fischerscope H100 equipped with Vickers and Berkovich diamond indenters and exhibited high values of hardness H_v up to 34 GPa, effective Young's modulus E*=E/(1-ν) ranging from 450 to 600 GPa; here E and ν are the Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio, respectively, and elastic recovery W_e≈80%. TiB₂ coating with a maximum hardness H_v≈73 GPa and E*≈580 GPa was sputtered at U_s=−200 V and T_s=RT. Macrostresses of coatings σ were measured by an optical wafer curvature technique and evaluated by Stoney equation. All TiB₂ coatings exhibited compressive macrostresses.     

High performance metal-insulator-metal capacitors with atomic vapor deposited HfO2 dielectrics

Thin HfO₂ films were grown as high-k dielectrics for Metal-Insulator-Metal applications by Atomic Vapor Deposition on 8 inch TiN/Si substrates using pure tetrakis(ethylmethylamido)hafnium precursor. Influence of deposition temperature (320-400 °C) and process pressure (2-10 mbar) on the structural and electrical properties of HfO₂ was investigated. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that HfO₂ layers, grown at 320 °C were amorphous, while at 400 °C the films crystallized in cubic phase. Electrical properties, such as capacitance density, capacitance-voltage linearity, dielectric constant, leakage current density and breakdown voltage are also affected by the deposition temperature. Finally, TiN/HfO₂/TiN stacks, integrated in the Back-End-of-Line process, possess 3 times higher capacitance density compared to standard TiN/Si₃N₄/TiN capacitors. Good step coverage (> 90%) is achieved on structured wafers with aspect ratio of 2 when HfO₂ layers are deposited at 320 °C and 4 mbar.     

Thin films of tetragonal zirconia (3Y-TZ) deposited by reactive sputtering

Thin films of tetragonal zirconia (TZ), comprised of 3 mol% Y₂O₃ (3Y-TZ), were deposited onto silicon, oxide-coated silicon, slide glass and aluminum oxide substrates by reactive sputtering of metallic targets in mixtures of oxygen and argon. The texture of deposited films varied with oxygen-to-argon flow ratios with which the target surface altered between metal and oxide compound constituents. Thin films of TZP with (2 0 0) preferred orientation were obtained from sputter deposition in the metallic mode whereas (1 1 1) texture was obtained in the compound mode at ambient temperature. The film texture tends to align along the 〈1 1 1〉 direction while the substrate was heated to 300 °C during the deposition. The texture of all these films was stable upon annealing at 900 °C in air. The reasons for the texture development are discussed.     

Falkner–Skan flows past moving boundaries: an exactly solvable case

The Falkner–Skan flows past stretching boundaries are revisited in this paper. The usual assumption U _w (x) = λ U(x), i.e. the proportionality of the stretching velocity U _w (x) and the free stream velocity U(x) is adopted. For the special case of a converging channel (wedge nozzle), U(x) ~ ? 1/x, exact analytical solutions in terms of elementary hyperbolic functions are reported. In the range ? 2 < λ < + 1 dual solutions describing either opposing (λ < 0) or aiding (λ > 0) flow regimes were found. In the range λ > 1 unique solutions occur, while below the critical value λ _c  = ? 2 no solutions exist at all. The mechanical features of these solutions are discussed in some detail.     

Diffuse scattering in the cesium pyrochlore CsTi0.5W1.5O6

The structure of the defect pyrochlore CsTi_0.5W_1.5O₆ has been investigated using electron, synchrotron X-ray and neutron diffraction methods. The material is cubic a = 10.2773 Å with displacive disorder of the Cs cations along the 〈1 1 1〉 direction. The local structure, revealed by the diffuse structure in the electron diffraction patterns shows there is correlated displacement of the heavy Cs atoms along the 〈1 1 0〉 directions. The thermal expansion of the material is also described.     

Fabrication and properties of PYN-PMN-PZT quaternary piezoelectric ceramics for high-power, high-temperature applications

xPb(Yb_1/2Nb_1/2)O₃ - 0.05Pb(Mn_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃ - (0.95 - x)Pb(Zr_0.48Ti_0.52)O₃ (PYN-PMN-PZT) quaternary piezoelectric ceramics were prepared by a traditional ceramics process. The effects of Pb(Yb_1/2Nb_1/2)O₃ (PYN) content on the phase structure, electrical properties and Curie temperature of the quaternary system were investigated in detail. The phase structure of PYN-PMN-PZT ceramics changed from tetragonal to rhombohedral with increasing PYN content. The piezoelectric coefficient (d₃₃), the electromechanical coupling factor (K_p) and the dielectric constant (ε₃₃^T/ε₀) reach maximum values near the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB), whereas the mechanical quality factor (Q_m) decreases. The sintered PYN-PMN-PZT ceramics exhibit high T_C, and as the PYN content increases, T_C decreases slightly. The MPB of the tetragonal and rhombohedral phase coexist and are located at a PYN composition of 0.12 ≤ x ≤ 0.14.The composition of PYN-PMN-PZT around the MPB showed high d₃₃ (> 300pC/N), K_p (> 0.50), Q_m (> 1000) and T_C (> 350 °C), meaning it is a very promising piezoelectric material for high-power and high-temperature applications.     

RF diode reactive sputtering of n- and p-type zinc oxide thin films

We present the relationship between parameters of reactive RF diode sputtering from a zinc oxide (ZnO) target and the crystalline, electrical and optical properties of n-/p-type ZnO thin films. The properties of the ZnO thin films depended on RF power, substrate temperature and, particularly, on working gas mixtures of Ar/O₂ and of Ar/N₂. Sputtering in Ar+O₂ working gas (up to 75% of O₂) improved the structure of an n-type ZnO thin film, from fibrous ZnO grains to columnar crystallites, both preferentially oriented along the c-axis normally to the substrate (〈0 0 2〉 direction). These films had good piezoelectric properties but also high resistivity (ρ≈10³ Ω cm). ZnO:N p-type films exhibited nanograin structure with preferential 〈0 0 2〉 orientation at 25% N₂ and 〈1 0 0〉 orientation for higher N₂ content. The presence of nitrogen N_O at O-sites forming N_O-O acceptor complexes in ZnO was proven by SIMS and Raman spectroscopy. A minimum value of resistivity of 790 Ω cm, a p-type carrier concentration of 3.6×10¹⁴ cm⁻³ and a Hall mobility of 22 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ were obtained at 75% N₂.     

Modeling of large plastic deformation behavior and anisotropy evolution in cold rolled bcc steels using the viscoplastic ?-model-based grain-interaction

In this paper, a micromechanical approach is used to predict the mechanical response and anisotropy evolution in BCC metals. Particularly, cold rolling textures and the corresponding yield surfaces are simulated using the newly developed viscoplastic intermediate ?-model. This model takes into account the grain interactions but without the Eshelby theory. In this work, we compare our results to those predicted by the upper and lower bounds (Taylor and Static) as well as those of the viscoplastic self-consistent (VPSC) model. The results are compared in terms of predicted slip activity, texture evolution and yield loci. For the simulations, we considered two cases: the restricted slip, {1 1 0}〈1 1 1〉, and the pencil glide, {1 1 0}〈1 1 1〉 + {1 1 2}〈1 1 1〉 + {1 2 3}〈1 1 1〉. In addition, we present a qualitative comparison with experimental cold rolling textures taken from the literature for several BCC metals: electrical, ferritic, Interstitial-Free (IF) and low carbon steels. Our results show that the pencil glide assumption is adequate for low carbon and IF-steels and that the restricted slip assumption is well suited for ferritic and electrical steels.     

Orientational ordering of 4-pentyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl molecules evaporated on multi-layered polyimide film

Using optical second-harmonic (SH) generation and polarized absorption (PA) measurements, the orientational ordering process of 4-pentyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl (5CB) was studied during evaporation onto the alignment layer of polyimide (PI) Langmuir-Blodgett films. The intensity of SH signal increased in the beginning of the deposition, but it saturated after the first 5CB monolayer was formed. The PA measurement suggested that a layer-by-layer growth was induced after the formation of 5CB monolayer with accompanying the orientational ordering. The orientational order of the first 5CB monolayer was studied in terms of the orientational order parameters, S₁ = 〈cosθ〉 and S₂ = 〈(3cos²θ − 1)/2〉, using the SHG and PA measurements. It was found that S₁ decreased as the thickness of PI alignment layer increased from 0.4 to 4.4 nm, while S₂ was nearly constant. These results indicate that the Coulomb interaction between the permanent dipole of 5CB and its image dipole makes a significant contribution to the orientational ordering of deposited 5CBs.     

Epitaxial growth of CoSi2 on Si(001) by reactive deposition epitaxy: Island growth and coalescence

Epitaxial CoSi₂ layers, which are phase pure but contain {111} twins, are grown on Si(001) at 700 °C by reactive deposition epitaxy. Transmission electron microscopy analyses show that the initial formation of CoSi₂(001) follows the Volmer-Weber mode characterized by the independent nucleation and growth of three-dimensional islands whose evolution we follow as a function of deposited Co thickness t_Co in order to understand the origin of the observed twin density. We find that there are two families of island shapes: inverse pyramids and platelets. The rectangular-based pyramidal islands extend along orthogonal 〈110〉 directions, bounded by four {111} CoSi₂/Si interfaces, and grow with a cube-on-cube orientation with respect to the substrate: (001)_CoSi2||(001)_Si and [100]_CoSi2||[100]_Si. Platelet-shaped CoSi₂ islands are bounded across their long 〈110〉 directions by {111} twin planes (i.e. {111}(001)_CoSi2||{111}_Si) and their narrow 〈110〉 directions by {511}_CoSi2||{111}_Si interfaces. The top and bottom surfaces are {22¯1}, with {22¯1}_CoSi2||(001)_Si, and {1¯1¯1}, with {1¯1¯1}_CoSi2||{11¯1}_Si, respectively. The early stages of film growth (t_Co ≤ 13 Å) are dominated by the twinned platelets due to a combination of higher nucleation rates resulting from a larger number of favorable adsorption sites in the Si(001)2 × 1 surface unit cell and rapid elongation of the platelets along preferred 〈110〉 directions. However, at t_Co ≥ 13 Å island coalescence becomes significant as orthogonal platelets intersect and block elongation along fast growth directions. In this regime, where both twinned and untwinned island number densities have saturated, further island growth becomes dominated by the untwinned islands. A continuous epitaxial CoSi₂(001) layer, with a twin density of 2.8 × 10¹⁰ cm^− 2, is obtained at t_Co = 50 Å.     

Analytical model of thermal-stress induced cracking in two-component material with anisotropic components

This paper deals with an analytical model of cracking in an anisotropic matrix and anisotropic spherical particles with the radius R which are periodically distributed in the infinite matrix. This model multi-particle-matrix system with the particle volume fraction v ∈ 〈0, π/6〉 is applicable to a two-component material of the precipitate-matrix type with anisotropic components. The cracking which is induced by thermal stresses is investigated within a cubic cell with a central spherical particle. This cubic cell represents such infinite matrix part which is related to one particle. The analytical model of cracking in the spherical particle (q = p) and cell matrix (q = m) includes (1) an analytical determination of the critical particle radius R_qc = R_qc(v) which is a reason of a crack initiation; and (2) an analytical determination of the function f_q = f_q(x, v, R) with the variable x and the parameters v, R > R_qc. This function of the position x in the components describes a crack shape in such plane which is perpendicular to the cracking plane. The analytical determination is based on a curve integral of elastic energy density induced by the thermal stresses. As an illustrative application example, these analytical results are applied to the YBaCuO superconductor which represents a two-component material with the Y₂BaCuO₅ precipitates and the YBa₂Cu₃O₇ matrix.     

Texture and microstructure of Cr2O3 and (Cr,Al)2O3 thin films deposited by reactive inductively coupled plasma magnetron sputtering

Cr₂O₃ and (Cr,Al)₂O₃ films were grown using reactive dc and inductively coupled plasma magnetron sputtering at substrate temperatures of 300-450 °C. For pure chromia, α-Cr₂O₃ films with fiber texture were grown; the out-of-plane texture could be controlled from < 0001> to < 101?4>. The former texture was obtained as a consequence of competitive growth with no applied bias or inductively coupled plasma, while the latter was obtained at moderate bias (− 50 V), probably due to recrystallization driven by ion-bombardment-induced strain. By reactive codeposition of Cr and Al, a corundum-structured metastable solid solution α-(Cr,Al)₂O₃ with Cr/Al ratios of 2-10 was grown with a dense, fine-grained morphology. Hardness and reduced elastic modulus values were in the ranges 24-27 GPa and 190-230 GPa, respectively.     

Effect of A-site cation size on magnetic and charge-ordering properties of Ln0.5Sr0.5Mn0.9Cu0.1O3 (Ln = La,Pr, Nd,or Ho)

The structural, magnetic, and electrical properties of Ln_0.5Sr_0.5Mn_0.9Cu_0.1O₃ (Ln = La, Pr, Nd, or Ho) perovskite manganites have been investigated to explore the influence of A-site cation radius (〈r_A〉) and the A-site cation size-disorder (σ²) on the various interdependent phenomena such as ferromagnetism (FM), phase separation (PS), and charge ordering (CO). The temperature dependence magnetization (M–T) curve of La-based sample shows four distinct points at ∼269 K, 255 K, 200 K, and 148 K corresponding to strong FM, cluster glass (CG), weak FM, and charged ordered antiferromagnetic (COAFM) transitions, respectively. Our investigation shows that Neel temperatures (T_N) increases, whereas Curie (T_C) and irreversibility temperatures (T_irr) decrease with decreasing 〈r_A〉, i.e., with increasing σ². Furthermore, the value of the magnetization decreases and resistivity increases with decreasing 〈r_A〉. All samples exhibit insulating behavior in the temperature range 77–300 K and above 110 K the electronic conduction mechanism has been described within the framework of the variable range hopping (VRH) model.     

Effects of viscosities on the transient current in homeotropic nematic liquid crystal cells

Effects of the Leslie viscosity coefficients α_i (i = 1, 2, …, 5) of nematic liquid crystals (NLCs) with negative dielectric anisotropy (Δε < 0) on the electric-field-induced director reorientation in homeotropic NLC cells have been studied from the analysis of the transient current induced by step voltage application. The transient current in a homeotropic NLC cell with Δε < 0 was well reproduced by computer simulation, based on the theory of NLCs in which the flow effects and the free-slip boundary condition are taken into account. It is found that the response time of vertical alignment NLC displays is dominantly governed by α₂ and α₄ + α₅ of NLCs with Δε < 0.     

Effect of electrodeposition current density on the microstructure and the degradation of electroformed iron for degradable stents

Pure iron has become one of the most interesting candidate materials for degradable metallic stents due to its high mechanical properties and moderate degradation. In this work we studied the effect of electrodeposition current density on microstructure and degradation of pure iron films electrodeposited on Ti alloy substrate for degradable metallic stent application. Iron sheets were produced by electrodeposition using four different current densities 1, 2, 5 and 10 A dm⁻². The films were then studied by SEM (scanning electron microscope) and EBSD (electron backscatter diffraction) to observe the surface morphology, grain size and orientation. Potentiodynamic polarization and static immersion tests were used to determine the corrosion rate and to study the degradation behavior of iron films, respectively. The current density was found to significantly influence the texture, the grain size and the grain shape of the electrodeposited iron. At current densities of 1, 5 and 10 A dm⁻², weak textures corresponding to 〈1 0 1〉, 〈1 1 1〉 and 〈1 1 2〉 in the normal (electrodeposition) direction were obtained, respectively. At these current densities, average grain sizes smaller than 3 μm were also obtained. However, at 2 A dm⁻², a strong 〈1 1 1〉//ND texture with density of 7.4 MUD was obtained with larger average grain size of 4.4 μm. The microstructure of iron samples changed after annealing at 550 °C because of the induced recrystallization. Different corrosion rates were obtained from potentiodynamic polarization curves of iron films deposited at different current densities because of their microstructures. Fe-2 showed the lowest corrosion rate due to its larger grains size and its texture. The corrosion rates of all iron samples decreased after annealing. Static degradation showed lower corrosion rates for iron because of the formation of a degradation layer on samples surface which reduced the degradation reaction rate. The degradation morphology was uniform for Fe-2 due to its strong texture. On the other hand, microscopic pits were found for Fe-1, Fe-5 and Fe-10.     

Glass transition kinetics and optical band gap in Se85−xSb15Snx (x = 10, 11, 12.5, and 13) chalcogenide glasses

Se_85−xSb₁₅Sn_x (10 ≤ x ≤ 13) chalcogenide glasses were prepared by melt quenching technique. The glass transition temperature T_g of the samples was recorded at different heating rates using differential scanning calorimeter DSC. From the heating rate dependence of T_g, the activation energy for thermal relaxation E_t was calculated using Moynihan model and Kissinger equation. It is found that T_g increases with Sn content due to enhancement of both the degree of cross-linking parameter D_cl and the mean bond energy of the average cross-linking per atom 〈E_cl〉. The observed increase in D_cl and 〈E_cl〉 is attributed to the formation of SnSe_4/2 structural units of energies higher than that of Se–Se and Se–Sb bond energies. The decreasing trend of E_t with the addition of Sn is an indication of improving thermal stability as it is also evident from the values of the temperature difference T_c − T_g. Correlation of T_g values with the physical parameters of the studied glasses (for instance, the average coordination number 〈Z〉, the average heat of atomization (H_s), the overall mean bond energy 〈E〉, and the optical band gap (E_g)) reveals that T_g increases linearly with 〈Z〉, H_s, and 〈E〉 but the behavior with E_g is opposite.     

From uniform Cu thin films to 〈1 1 0〉 and 〈1 1 1〉 columns

This paper reports the transition phenomenon from uniform Cu thin films to 〈1 1 0〉 and 〈1 1 1〉 columns. Using magnetron sputtering technique, we deposit a series of Cu films on an SiO₂/Si(1 1 1) substrate. Characterizations using the scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and the X-ray diffraction (XRD) reveal the morphology, the crystal orientation and the internal strain of the Cu films and columns. The Cu films are always uniform and 〈1 1 1〉 textured during the early stage of deposition. For higher sputtering power and shorter target-substrate distance, the 〈1 1 1〉 uniform film yields to columns as deposition continues. This transition correlates with the internal strain in the uniform film. At moderate strain, the columns are of 〈1 1 0〉 orientation and they nucleate at the grain boundaries of the uniform film. At even higher strain, the columns are of 〈1 1 1〉 orientation and they form by the breakup of grains in the uniform film. Based on the strain characterization and the column formation mechanism, we suggest that strain energy is the driving force of the transitions from uniform films to columns.     

TiN/VN composites with core/shell structure for supercapacitors

TiN/VN core-shell composites are prepared by a two-step strategy involving coating of commercial TiN nanoparticles with V₂O₅·nH₂O sols followed by ammonia reduction. The highest specific capacitance of 170 F g⁻¹ is obtained when scanned at 2 mV s⁻¹ and a promising rate capacity performance is maintained at higher voltage sweep rates. These results indicate that these composites with good electronic conductivity can deliver a favorable capacity performance.     

The roles of grain orientation and grain boundary characteristics in the enhanced superelasticity of Cu71.8Al17.8Mn10.4 shape memory alloys

Through texture and grain boundary control by continuous unidirectional solidification, the continuous columnar-grained polycrystalline Cu_71.8Al_17.8Mn_10.4 shape memory alloys were prepared and possess a strong 〈0 0 1〉 texture along the solidification direction and straight low-energy grain boundary. The alloys show excellent superelasticity of 10.1% improved from 3% for ordinary polycrystalline counterpart and with a tiny residual strain of less than 0.3% after unloading. There are some reasons for the enhanced superelasticity: (1) The martensitic transformation of all grains with strong 〈0 0 1〉-oriented texture occur at the same time under the tensile loading, which can avoid the significant stress concentration problem and transformation strain incompatibility at the grain boundaries due to the high elastic anisotropy in ordinary polycrystalline alloy. (2) High phase transformation strain can be obtained along 〈0 0 1〉 grain orientation. (3) Straight low-energy grain boundary and the absence of grain boundary triple junctions of continuous columnar-grained polycrystals can significantly reduce the blockage of martensitic transformation at the grain boundaries. These results provide a reference to structure design of high-performance polycrystalline Cu-based shape memory alloys.