Secondary electron emission of TiN-coated alumina ceramics

TiN film is often coated on alumina rf windows to suppress multipactor due to high secondary electron emission (SEE) coefficients. In this paper, SEE coefficients of alumina ceramics and sapphire coated with TiN films of various thicknesses are investigated. The SEE coefficients were measured using a scanning electron microscope with a single-pulse electron beam (100 pA, 1 ms). The SEE coefficients of TiN-coated alumina ceramics were lower than those of uncoated ones and nearly unity for TiN thickness of more than 1 nm, even with incident energy of 1 keV. To emulate multipactor-induced surface heating, the SEE coefficients were also measured at high temperature. The results showed a decrease in the SEE coefficients with temperature for TiN thickness of more than 0.5 nm. TiN coating on an rf window should be as thin as possible, and 0.5-1 nm may be the optimum thickness for suppressing multipactor.     

Preparation of high thermal-stabile alumina by reverse microemulsion method

As a useful approach the reverse microemulsion method was used to prepare the high thermal-stabile alumina-substrate materials with high surface area at high temperature. After calcined at 1100 °C for 10 h, alumina, barium-doped alumina, and silicon-doped alumina synthesized by the reverse microemulsion method exist, still as the transition alumina phase including γ-phase, δ-phase and θ-phase; their particles are nanometer-size and rod shape, the size distribution of its particle is very uniform, and their BET surface areas remain 52, 90 and 175 m² g⁻¹, respectively. This method claims its superiority at two points: the raw materials are inorganic salts which are cheap and obtained easy, and the synthesis procedure is simple and easy to perform. As the comparative examples, three samples above prepared by the sol–gel method exist mainly as alumina phase and their BET surface areas are 20, 24 and 117 m² g⁻¹, respectively.     

Mechanical properties and microstructure of centrifugally compacted alumina and hot-isostatically-pressed alumina

High purity alumina powder was compacted under a high centrifugal force. Mechanical properties of the sintered body were studied by the three-point bending test at room temperature and by the compressive test at elevated temperatures. Comparison was made with hot-isostatically-pressed (HIP) alumina. The room-temperature flexural strength of the centrifugally compacted (CC) alumina was found to be 1330 MPa compared with 585 MPa of the HIP alumina. The difference in the room-temperature strength was attributed to the presence of the amorphous phase along the grain boundaries of the HIP alumina caused by the segregation of carbon and sulfur during HIP. A large ductility was observed above 1473 K in the CC alumina and above 1573 K in the HIP alumina. High-temperature ductility was lost in the HIP alumina at 1773 K where the amorphous grain-boundary phase was considered to be melted.     

Effect of alumina doping on structural, electrical, and optical properties of sputtered ZnO thin films

A systematic study of the influence of alumina (Al₂O₃) doping on the optical, electrical, and structural characteristics of sputtered ZnO thin films is reported in this study. The ZnO thin films were prepared on 1737F Corning glass substrates by R.F. magnetron sputtering from a ZnO target mixed with Al₂O₃ of 0-4 wt.%. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis demonstrates that the ZnO thin films with Al₂O₃ of 0-4 wt.% have a highly (002) preferred orientation with only one intense diffraction peak with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) less than 0.5°. The electrical properties of the Al₂O₃-doped ZnO thin films appear to be strongly dependent on the Al₂O₃ concentration. The resistivity of the films decreases from 74 Ω·cm to 2.2 × 10^− 3 Ω·cm as the Al₂O₃ content increases from 0 to 4 wt.%. The optical transmittance of the Al₂O₃-doped ZnO thin films is studied as a function of wavelength in the range 200-800 nm. It exhibits high transparency in the visible-NIR wavelength region with some interference fringes and sharp ultraviolet absorption edges. The optical bandgap of the Al₂O₃-doped ZnO thin films show a short-wavelength shift with increasing of Al₂O₃ content.     

Processing of alumina and zirconia nano-powders and compacts

Magnesia–doped alumina and yttria–doped zirconia nano-powders were synthesized using sucrose as a chelating agent and template material from the aqueous solutions of aluminium nitrate, magnesium nitrate, ytrrium nitrate and zirconyl nitrate, respectively. Synthesis parameters were optimized with varying sucrose to metal ion ratio, calcinations time, and temperature to produce these nano-powders. As-synthesized powders were characterized by room temperature X-ray diffraction, BET surface area analyzer and transmission electron microscopy. Y₂O₃–ZrO₂ nano-powders had particle size in the range of 80–200 nm with specific average surface area of 119 m²/g and for MgO–Al₂O₃ powders, particle sizes were 30–200 nm with the specific average surface area of 250 m²/g. Our results indicate that this synthesis method is a versatile one and can be applied to a variety of oxide-based materials to form nano-powders. Nano-powders were compacted uniaxially and densified in a muffle furnace. Sintered discs were used for hardness testing and density measurements, as well as for microstructural characterization.     

Diffusion of Cr, Fe, and Ti ions from Ni-base alloy Inconel-718 into a transition alumina coating

Heat treating metals at high temperatures trigger diffusion processes which may lead to the formation of oxide layers. In this work the diffusion of Cr, Fe and Ti into an alumina coating applied to Inconel-718 is being investigated. Mass gain measurements, UV-vis spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy were applied in order to study the evolution of the diffusion process. It was found that mainly Cr as well as minor amounts of Fe and Ti are being incorporated into the alumina coating upon prolonged heat treatment at 700 °C. It could be shown that alumina coatings being void of Cr have the same oxidation related mass gain as uncoated samples. However, incorporation of Cr into the alumina coating decreased their mass gain below that of uncoated substrates forming a Cr oxide scale only.     

正带电绝缘膜发射的二次电子的轨迹与返回特性

绝缘膜正带电现象在集成电路芯片低能电子束检测方面具有可以利用的前景。采用简化的表面电位分布模型 ,通过数值方法计算了二次电子从正带电绝缘膜表面发射后的运动轨迹 ,分析了初始条件和电位分布形态对轨迹特性的影响。在轨迹计算和考虑二次电子发射概率分布的基础上得到了二次电子受局部电场作用而返回表面时的最大初始动能、分布规律 ,提出了通过简单的一维势垒模型来确定二次电子返回率的方法 ,为分析电子束照射绝缘膜时正带电效应所产生的二次电子信号衬度现象奠定了基础     

Investigation of machining characteristics in rotary ultrasonic machining of alumina ceramic

Alumina ceramic is well documented as a much-demanded advanced ceramic in the present competitive structure of manufacturing and industrial applications owing to its excellent and superior properties. The current article aimed to experimentally investigate the influence of several process variables, namely: spindle speed, feed rate, coolant pressure, and ultrasonic power, on considered machining characteristics of interest, i.e., chipping size and material removal rate in the rotary ultrasonic machining of alumina ceramic. Response surface methodology has been employed in the form of a central composite rotatable design to design the experiments. Variance analysis testing has also been performed with a view to observing the consequence of the considered parameters. The microstructure of machined rod samples was evaluated and analyzed using a scanning electron microscope. This analysis has revealed and confirmed the presence of plastic deformation that caused removal of material along with brittle fractures in rotary ultrasonic machining of alumina ceramic. The validity and competence of the developed mathematical model have been verified with test results. The multi-response optimization of machining responses (material removal rate and chipping size) has also been attempted by employing a desirability approach, and at an optimized parametric setting the obtained experimental values for material removal rate and chipping size were 0.4166?mm³/s and 0.5134?mm, respectively, with a combined desirability index value of 0.849.     

Mechanical properties of fire-retardant glass fiber-reinforced polymer materials with alumina tri-hydrate filler

Alumina tri-hydrate (ATH) can be effectively used to increase fire resistance of Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) materials. This paper studies the effect of ATH filler on mechanical properties of Glass FRP (GFRP) material, based on compression, tension, shear and flexural test results from three types of GFRP materials with the amount of 0% (control), 25%, and 50% ATH filler by weight of the resin. It was found that the control was the strongest for all tests except for flexure, which is 3% lower than the flexural strength of 25% ATH sample. The compressive strength dropped 19% and 25% for 25% and 50% ATH loadings, respectively, compared to the control. For shear and tensile strengths, the 25% ATH sample acted similarly to the control, but the 50% ATH sample had a significantly lower strength. For stiffness, changing the additive amount from 0% to 50% had only small changes for compression, tension, and flexure. It can be concluded that adding ATH generally decreases the strength and makes FRP more brittle. The performance of a 25% ATH loading is comparable to the control except compression, while a 50% ATH loading has a more significant effect on the mechanical properties of the GFRP. The data presented in this paper can be used to develop fire-resistant FRP systems.     

航天器表面材料二次电子发射特性研究

航天器在轨表面入射离子、电子产生的二次发射电子流随二次电子发射系数的变化而变化,通过建模仿真对二次电子发射系数对充电电流、充电电位的影响进行验证。通过对航天器用表面材料ITO(Indium tin oxide,氧化铟锡)膜二次发射电子系数测试,测试结果与标准参数基本一致;测试结果表明,二次电子发射系数与材料厚度相关,且随着材料厚度的增加二次电子发射系数减小,因此可以通过改变航天器表面材料厚度的方式影响表面材料的二次电子发射系数,从而控制航天器表面材料的带电状态。     

Nanostructured thin films of indium oxide nanocrystals confined in alumina matrixes

Nanocrystals of indium oxide (In₂O₃) with sizes below 10 nm were prepared in alumina matrixes by using a co-pulverization method. The used substrates such as borosilicate glasses or (100) silicon as well as the substrate temperatures during the deposition process were modified and their effects characterized on the structural and physical properties of alumina-In₂O₃ films. Complementary investigation methods including X-ray diffraction, optical transmittance in the range 250-1100 nm and transmission electron microscopy were used to analyze the nanostructured films. The crystalline order, morphology and optical responses were monitored as function of the deposition parameters and the post-synthesis annealing. The optimal conditions were found and allow realizing suitable nanostructured films with a major crystalline order of cubic phase for the In₂O₃ nanocrystals. The optical properties of the films were analyzed and the key parameters such as direct and indirect band gaps were evaluated as function of the synthesis conditions and the crystalline quality of the films.     

Synthesis of nanophase alumina, and spheroidization of alumina particles, and phase transition studies through DC thermal plasma processing

Using a non-transferred DC plasma spray torch, nanosized alumina particles were synthesized from micron-sized aluminium particles. Irregular-shaped micron-sized alumina particles were spheroidized using the plasma spray torch. The synthesized powder particles were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, Fourier transform infra-red (FT-IR) spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The synthesized alumina nanoparticles appear spherical in shape, but mostly agglomerated in the size range 30-75 nm. It was identified that the main phase is γ-alumina with a small amount of δ-alumina. In the spheroidized alumina particles, the main phase is α-alumina with a small amount of γ-alumina. The mechanism of formation of alumina and its phase change are explained in detail.     

Explanation for the appearance of alumina nanoparticles in a cold wall Atomic Layer Deposition system and their characterization

An explanation for the possible mechanism of formation of alumina nanoparticles in Atomic Layer Deposition process of Alumina using Trimethyl aluminum (TMA) and water in a cold wall ALD chamber is given based on the physisorption of TMA and surface energy of alumina thin films. The sorption mechanism proposed is physisorption at the cold walls rather than the conventional chemisorption at the hot substrates as in the case of typical ALD. It is argued that when the surface energy of alumina is larger than the physorption energy, the newly forming film will try to reduce the surface area and assume spherical shape forming nano particles. Synthesized particles were characterized using XRD, SEM, HRTEM, SAED, FTIR and EDS. It was found that the particle size varied from ∼20 nm to 45 nm. The samples were identified as slightly aluminum rich alumina. The as prepared samples were amorphous whereas annealing at 1200 deg C made them crystalline. Dielectric studies of pelletized samples yielded a dielectric constant of 9.08 which agreed well with reported values.     

Friction properties of implanted alumina for vacuum applications

The influence of ion irradiation on friction properties in vacuum of alumina ceramics was studied. The effects of irradiation fluence, ion energy, thickness of the modified layers and of the possible role of solid lubrication were analyzed. The tests performed under vacuum clearly show, that radiation damage-induced softening of the surface layer leads to significant, approximately two times, decrease of a friction coefficient. Further decrease of the friction force, down to about 1/3 of the initial value, was obtained when the implanted species revealed solid lubrication effect. The results obtained are discussed in the frames of theory of adhesive friction.     

Influence of bubble size and flow velocity on AC electrical breakdown characteristics of LN2

To evaluate insulation design of high voltage for high T_c superconducting (HTS) power apparatus, the effect of bubble and electrode arrangements on the AC breakdown characteristics of LN₂ were investigated. Supposing that an outbreak of quench, the three electrode models were employed for breakdown voltage measurement in LN₂ with bubbles. Experimental results for various quench conditions revealed that the breakdown voltage of LN₂ with increasing the bubble size, flow velocity and electrode distance. Then, the relationship between the bubble conditions and the AC breakdown characteristics of LN₂ were clarified. Also, bubble movement phenomena were observed with an electrode model which consist of plane to cylindrical needle electrode immersed LN₂ for the simulation of the insulation environment in HTS pancake type coils and others of the quenching state.     

Degradation and breakdown characteristics of Al/HfYOx/GaAs capacitors

Effects of surface passivation and the interfacial layer on the reliability characteristics of Al/HfYO_x/GaAs metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitor structures are reported. Stress-induced leakage current mechanism, critical for understanding the degradation and breakdown in Al/HfYO_x/GaAs capacitors, has been studied in detail. While the devices fabricated with (NH₄)₂S-passivated GaAs substrates show both the soft and hard breakdown failure modes, capacitors with ultrathin interfacial layer (Ge or Si) show only hard breakdown. It is shown that the degradation dynamics follows more closely the logistic power-law relationship rather than the conventional power-law model, frequently used to describe leakage current conduction in high-k gate dielectrics.     

Fabrication of porous alumina–zirconia ceramics by gel-casting and infiltration methods

Porous alumina–zirconia ceramics were obtained by infiltrating porous alumina ceramics, which were prepared by tert-butyl alcohol (TBA)-based gel-casting method. Back scattering images of the fracture surface and energy dispersive spectroscopy were performed to obtain composition profiles on the fracture surface and across sections of the sintered composites. The porosity, pore size distribution and compressive strength were also investigated. The results show that the content of zirconia can be adjusted effectively by infiltration times and it decreases with increasing distance from the surface of the samples. The porosity and compressive strength can also be controlled by the infiltration times. With increases of the infiltration times from 1 to 3 cycles, the open porosity decreases slightly from 62.43% to 56.62%, while the compressive strength of the porous alumina–zirconia ceramics increases from 13.57 ± 1.21 to 26.87 ± 2.01 MPa, indicating that the porous ceramics with high porosity and high strength can be prepared by TBA-based gel-casting method combined with the infiltration process.     

DC resistivity of alumina and zirconia sintered with TiC

Pure alumina and zirconia powders were sintered separately with increasing amount of TiC up to ∼ 65 vol.%, as a conducting second phase with an aim to prepare conducting structural ceramics which can be precisely machined by EDM technique. TiC did not help in sintering the parent phase but it decreased the d.c. resistivity of the composite to 1 ohm.cm at ∼ 30 vol.% loading. The conductivity is explained by the effective media and percolation theories.     

电子辐照介质材料二次电子发射系数与能谱测量数据库

电子辐照电介质材料的二次电子发射特性是影响各类真空电子器件与设备性能的重要参数,本文对电子束辐照下二十余种常用的典型介质材料的二次电子发射特性进行了实验测量研究.采用收集极负偏压法测量二次电子发射系数(SEY),通过给二次电子收集极加载不同的偏压来引导二次电子的运动,实现对积累电荷的中和,实验获得了介质材料的SEY随着...