Continuous compositional spread investigation of SiC-based thin films prepared by MW-ECR plasma enhanced magnetron co-sputtering

A kind of combinatorial material methodology,also known as continuous compositional spread method,was employed to investigate the relationship between the optical band gap and composition of SiC thin films.A wide range of SixCy thin films with different carbon contents have been successfully deposited in a single deposition by carefully arranging the sample position on the substrate holder.The films were characterized by surface profiler,x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy,fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy.The carbon content y increases linearly from 0.28 to 0.72 while the sample position changed from 85 to 175 mm,the optical band gap changed between 1.27 and 1.99 eV,the maximum value corresponded to the stoichiometric SiC sample at the position of 130 mm,which has the highest Si?C bond density of 11.7×10^22 cm^-3.The C poor and C rich SixCy samples with y value less and larger than 0.5 were obtained while samples deviated from the position 130 mm,the optical band gap decreased with the Si?C bond density.     

Super-hydrophobic film deposition by an atmospheric-pressure plasma process and its anti-icing characteristics

In this work, the super-hydrophobic (SH) surface was prepared through chemical vapor deposition process by an argon atmospheric pressure plasma jet source with HMDSN (hexamethyldisilazane) as the polymerization precursor. Plasma synthesized organosilicon (SiO_xC_yH_z) thin films with water contact angle over 160° and sliding angle below 5°, were able to be achieved. FTIR and XPS analysis indicates a large number of hydrocarbon compositions were polymerized in the thin films enduing the latter very-low surface free energy. SEM shows the SH films display micro-nanostructure and with high degree of averaged surface roughness 190 nm evaluated by AFM analysis. From experiments under controlled low-temperature and moisture conditions, the prepared SH surface exhibits good anti-icing effects. Significantly prolonging freezing time was achievable on the SH thin films for both static and sliding water droplets. This investigation demonstrates the anti-icing potentials of SH surface prepared through low-cost simple atmospheric-pressure plasma polymerization process.     

Effect of N_2 and O_2 on OH radical production in an atmospheric helium microwave plasma jet

UV-pulsed laser cavity ringdown spectroscopy of the hydroxyl radical OH(A–X)(0–0)band in the wavelength range of 306–310 nm was employed to determine absolute number densities of OH in the atmospheric helium plasma jets generated by a 2.45 GHz microwave plasma source.The effect of the addition of molecular gases N_2 and O_2 to He plasma jets on OH generation was studied.Optical emission spectroscopy was simultaneously employed to monitor reactive plasma species.Stark broadening of the hydrogen Balmer emission line(H_β)was used to estimate the electron density nein the jets.For both He/N_2 and He/O_2 jets, newas estimated to be on the order of 10~(15)cm~(-3).The effects of plasma power and gas flow rate were also studied.With increase in N_2 and O_2 flow rates, netended to decrease.Gas temperature in the He/O_2 plasma jets was elevated compared to the temperatures in the pure He and He/N_2 plasma jets.The highest OH densities in the He/N_2 and He/O_2 plasma jets were determined to be 1.0?×10~(16)molecules/cm~3 at x?=?4 mm(from the jet orifice)and 1.8?×?10~(16)molecules/cm~3 at x=3 mm, respectively.Electron impact dissociation of water and water ion dissociative recombination were the dominant reaction pathways, respectively, for OH formation within the jet column and in the downstream and far downstream regions.The presence of strong emissions of the N_2~+ bands in both He/N_2 and He/O_2 plasma jets, as against the absence of the N_2~+ emissions in the Ar plasma jets, suggests that the Penning ionization process is a key reaction channel leading to the formation of N_2~+ in these He plasma jets.     

Ion implantation doping and electrical conductivity enhancement of C60 films

Pristine C₆₀ films sublimed onto sheet mica were implanted with 20 keV K⁺ ions and I⁺ ions at doses of 1.0 × 10¹⁶/cm², 3.0 × 10¹⁶/cm² and 5.0 × 10¹⁶/cm², and with 20 keV Ar⁺ ions at a dose of 5.0 × 10¹⁶/cm². The distributions of dopants were studied using Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS). The temperature dependence of sheet resistivity of the films was investigated applying a four-probe system. It was proposed that the conductivity enhancement of K⁺ implanted C₆₀ films was due to the implanted ions in the films, while for I⁺ implanted C₆₀ films, both implanted I⁺ ions and irradiation effects of the ions contributed to the enhancement of conductivity.     

LiCl-KCl-LaCl_(3)熔盐体系中La^(3+)的反应动力学机理北大核心CSCD

在LiCl-KCl共晶盐中,研究了在不同温度下La^(3+)的反应动力学机理。首先,在723~873 K范围内,利用循环伏安法(CV)测得La^(3+)的扩散系数D为3.06×10^(-5)~6.08×10^(-5)cm^(2)/s,并根据Arrhenius方程计算了La^(3+)在电解质中的扩散活化能E_(D)=34.51 kJ/mol。随后,利用电化学阻抗谱技术(EIS)研究了La^(3+)在电极上的动力学参数并测得交换电流密度i_(0)为0.48~1.39 A/cm^(2)、反应速率常数k_(0)=2.04×10^(-4)~5.90×10^(-4)cm/s及反应活化能E_(a)=35.04 kJ/mol。通过Nyquist图和拟合的等效电路图研究La^(3+)在W电极上的反应动力学机理,发现在LiCl-KCl共晶盐中La^(3+)的电化学反应速率不仅受扩散控制还受电荷转移控制,且与温度成正相关。     

利用HFETR制备有载体177Lu

¹⁷⁷Lu是一种优良的诊疗一体化医用放射性核素,其标记的放射性药物被广泛用于多种癌症的诊断和治疗。其中,有载体¹⁷⁷Lu的制备具有放射化学处理简单、¹⁷⁷Lu产量高等优点。为此,在高通量工程试验堆(HFETR)中利用热中子辐照¹⁷⁶Lu,开展有载体¹⁷⁷Lu的制备研究。本研究分别辐照天然Lu和富集¹⁷⁶Lu进行热实验验证,结果表明：天然Lu在2×10¹⁴ n·cm^-2·s^-1热中子通量下辐照13 d,生成¹⁷⁷Lu比活度约为0.87 Ci/mg,^177mLu杂质含量为0.009%;富集(86.5%)¹⁷⁶Lu在热中子注量率为1×10¹⁴ n·cm^-2·s^-1条件下辐照28 d,生成¹⁷⁷Lu比活度约为24.9 Ci/mg,^177m...     

草酸铈成核和晶体生长动力学

为研究草酸盐沉淀动力学,本研究用草酸铈代替草酸钚对成核和晶体生长动力学进行了研究,并提出了一种在测定成核动力学时确定稀释倍数的有效方法。在25～50℃时,在硝酸铈浓度为0.030～0.400 mol/L、草酸浓度为0.250～0.800 mol/L、母液草酸浓度0.100 mol/L的条件下,分别研究了草酸铈成核和晶体生长动力学方程。结果表明:成核时稀释倍数对成核速率的测量影响很大,定义的稀释过饱和比S_n值为1.65时得到的稀释倍数最佳。草酸铈成核过程可分为均相成核和异相成核,成核速率方程可表示为:R_N=A_N0·exp[-E_a/RT]·exp[-B_N/(ln S)²],其中均相成核时:A_N0=3.86×10³⁰/(m³·s),E_a=67.4 kJ/mol,B_N=55.3;异相成核时:A_N0=3.10×10²⁰     

Large-area deposition of biaxially textured YSZ buffer layers using an IBAD-process

An ion-beam-assisted deposition technique (IBAD), using two Kaufman ion sources with diameters of 11 cm, was employed to grow biaxially textured YSZ buffer layers. They serve as a template for YBCO films and as a diffusion barrier. The best YSZ films on small Al₂O₃ substrates show good in-plane alignment characterized by a FWHM of 10.8° in (111)-Φ-scan. An improvement of texture with rising film thickness was observed saturating at 8.5°. On 100 cm² large substrates the texture was within a range of 15° to 24°. First improvements of the homogeneity were achieved by a four-time rotating of 90° of the substrate holder around the substrate normal during deposition. On polycrystalline PSZ substrates with YSZ buffers YBCO films with a critical current j_c > 10⁶ A/cm² (at 77 K, 0 T) were deposited.     

Study of the permeability of thin films of a-Si:H using MeV ion beams

MeV heavy ion irradiation of hydrogenated plasma-deposited silicon nitride induces formation of the volatile molecules H₂ and N₂ inside the material. This type of nitride appears permeable for these molecules and they effuse at relatively low temperature. These effusing molecules are used to study the low temperature permeation in a 100 nm hydrogenated amorphous silicon layer, deposited onto the nitride. Upon irradiation of the double layer stack with 43.3 MeV Ag ions, appearance of D₂ and N₂ from the bottom deuterated silicon nitride layer in the vacuum does not take place up to an ion fluence of 3×10¹² ions/cm². This shows that the 100 nm plasma-deposited hydrogenated amorphous silicon top layer is initially not permeable for D₂ and N₂ molecules.     

Release of nitrogen from SiOxNy films during RBS measurement

We have found that nitrogen atoms are released very rapidly from ultrathin SiO_xN_y films (2.6 nm) during RBS measurement with 500 keV He⁺ ions. The release behavior strongly depends on the preparation technique of the SiO_xN_y films. There is no release from the film prepared by thermal nitridation of SiO₂, while 80% of the nitrogen atoms are released from the film prepared by plasma nitridation at a fluence of 1×10¹⁶ cm⁻². The release cross-section for plasma SiO_xN_y films is of the order of 10⁻¹⁶ cm². This large cross-section cannot be explained by a simple recoil mechanism. The nitrogen release is also observed under irradiation with 5–10 keV electrons though the cross-section is of the order of 10⁻¹⁹ cm². These findings suggest that the observed nitrogen release is an electronic excitation induced process.     

Effect of Si implantation on the microstructure of silicon nanocrystals and surrounding SiO2 layer

Si nanocrystals (Si-nc) embedded in a SiO₂ layer have been characterized by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). For local Si concentration in excess  8 × 10²¹ Si⁺/cm³, the size of the Si-nc was found to be 3 nm and comparatively homogeneous throughout the whole implanted layer. For local Si concentration in excess of 2.4 × 10²² Si⁺/cm³, the Si-nc diameter ranges from 2 to 12 nm in the sample, the Si-nc in the middle region of the implanted layer being bigger than those near the surface and the bottom of the layer. Also, Si-nc are visible deeper than the implanted depth. Characterization by XPS shows that a large quantity of oxygen was depleted from the first 25 nm in this sample (also visible on TEM image) and most of the SiO₂ bonds have been replaced by Si–O bonds. Experimental and simulation results suggest that a local Si concentration in excess of 3 × 10²¹ Si/cm³ is required for the production of Si-nc.     

Numerical study on the modulation of THz wave propagation by collisional microplasma photonic crystal

In order to demonstrate the modulation of terahertz wave propagation in atmospheric pressure microplasmas, in this work, the band structure and the transmission characteristics of a onedimensional collisional microplasma photonic crystal are investigated, using the transfer matrix method. For a lattice constant of 150 μm and a plasma width of 100 μm, three stopbands of microplasma photonic crystal are observed, in a frequency range of 0.1–5 THz. Firstly, an increase in gas pressure leads to a decrease in the central frequency of the stopband. When the gas pressure increases from 50.5 kPa to 202 kPa, the transmission coefficient of the THz wave first increases and then decreases at high frequency, where the wave frequency is much greater than both the plasma frequency and the collision frequency. Secondly, it is interesting to find that the central frequency and the bandwidth of the first THz stopband remain almost unchanged for electron densities of less than 10¹⁵ cm^–3, increasing significantly when the electron density increases up to 10¹⁶ cm^–3. A central frequency shift of 110 GHz, and a bandgap broadening of 200 GHz in the first stopband are observed. In addition, an atmospheric pressure microplasma with the electron density of 1 × 10¹⁵–6 × 10¹⁵ cm^–3 is recommended for the modulation of THz wave propagation by plasma photonic crystals.     

Estimation of plasma density perturbation from dusty plasma injection by laser irradiation on tungsten target in DiPS

To investigate the interaction of dusty plasma with magnetized plasmas at divertor plasma simulator, radial profiles of plasma density(ne) and electron temperature were measured in terms of plasma discharge currents and magnetic flux intensity by using a fast scanning probes system with triple tips. Dusty plasma with dusts(a generation rate of 3 μg s~(-1) and a size of 1–10 μm)was produced via interactions between a high-power laser beam and a full tungsten target. As ne increases, the scale of the effects of dusty plasma injection on magnetized plasmas was decreased. Also, the duration of transient fluctuation was reduced. For numerical estimation of plasma density perturbation due to dusty plasma injection, the result was ~10% at a core region of the magnetized plasma with n_e of(2–5)×10~(11) cm~(-3) at steady state condition.     

Argon irradiation damage at a Cu/Al2O3 interface for different alumina structures

The evolution of damages at a Cu/Al₂O₃ device interface after Ar⁺ irradiation, depending on alumina structure, and the effect of surface roughness on sputtering have been studied. A polycrystalline Cu/Al₂O₃ bilayer and polycrystalline Cu on amorphous alumina were irradiated with 400 keV Ar⁺ ion beam at doses ranging from 5 × 10¹⁶ to 10¹⁷ Ar⁺/cm² at room temperature. The copper layer thicknesses were between 100 and 200 nm. RBS analysis was used to characterize the interface modification and to deduce the sputtering yield of copper. The SEM technique was used to control the surface topography. A RBS computer simulation program was used to reproduce experimental spectra and to follow the concentration profile evolutions of different elements before and after ion irradiation. A modified TRIM calculation program which takes into account the sputtering yield evolution as well as the concentration variation versus dose gives a satisfactory reproduction of the experimental argon distribution. The surface roughness effect on sputtering and the alumina structure influence at the interface on mixing mechanisms are discussed.     

Irradiation effects of swift heavy ions in actinide oxides and actinide nitrides: Structure and optical properties

Actinide oxides have been used as nuclear fuels in the majority of power reactors working in the world and actinide nitrides are under investigation for the fuels of the future fast neutron fission reactors developed in Forum Generation IV. Radiation damage in actinide oxides UO₂, (U_0.92Ce_0.08)O₂, and actinide nitride UN has been characterized after irradiation with swift heavy ions. Fluences up to 3 × 10¹³ ions/cm² of heavy ions (Kr 740 Mev, Cd 1 GeV) available at the CIRIL/GANIL facility were used to simulate irradiation in reactors by fission products and by neutrons. The macroscopic effects of irradiation remains very weak compared with those seen in other ceramic oxides irradiated in the same conditions: practically no swelling can be measured and no change in colour can be observed on the irradiated part of a polished face of sintered disks. The point defects in irradiated actinide compounds have been characterized by optical absorption spectroscopy in the UV–Vis–NIR wavelength range. The absorption spectra before and after irradiation are compared, and unexpected stability of optical properties during irradiation is shown. This result confirms the low rate of formation of point defects in actinide oxides and actinide nitrides under irradiation. Actinide oxides and nitrides studied are >40% ionic, and oxidation state of the actinides seems to be stable during irradiation. The small amount of point defects produced by radiation (<10¹⁶ cm⁻²) has been identified from differences between the absorption spectrum before irradiation and the one after irradiation: point defects in oxygen or nitrogen lattices can be observed respectively in oxides and nitrides (F centres), and small amounts of U⁵⁺ would be present in all compounds.     

Low energy nitrogen ion doping into GaAs using combined ion-beam and molecular-beam epitaxy method

Low energy nitrogen (N) ions were irradiated during the epitaxial growth of GaAs using combined ion beam and molecular beam epitaxy (CIBMBE) method as a function of N⁺ ion acceleration energy (E_a) and N⁺ ion beam current density (I_N). E_a was varied from 70 to 170 eV I_N from 900 pA/cm² to 75 nA/cm². GaAs growth rate was fixed to 1 μm/h. In 2 K photoluminescence (PL) spectra of the samples with I_N = 3 nA/cm² and E_a = 70–100 eV, two sharp emissions at 1.508 eV (X₁) and 1.495 eV (X₂), which have been attributed to the emissions of excitons bound to isolated N atoms, and another one at 1.443 eV (X₅) were observed. These results show that nitrogen (N) atom in GaAs becomes optically active as an isoelectronic impurity at least in as-grown condition. For N⁺ ion-irradiated samples with rather high I_N, e.g., with I_N = 75 nA/cm² and E_a = 100 eV, a broad emission together with multiple sharp ones were observed after furnace annealing at 750°C which were ascribed to emissions of excitons bound to nitrogen-nitrogen (N---N) pairs.     

Impurity effects in neutron-irradiated simple oxides: Implications for fusion devices

Radiation damage induced by neutron irradiation was studied in undoped MgO crystals and in MgO doped with either iron, hydrogen or lithium impurities. The oxygen-vacancy concentration produced by irradiation increases with neutron fluence. The net production rates resulting from irradiations with 14.8 MeV neutrons are about twice those produced by fission neutrons.

In nominally pure crystals, the oxygen-vacancy concentration incurred by the fission-neutron irradiation is higher in crystals with a larger number of inherent impurities (such as iron) due to trapping of interstitials by impurities. Suppression of these defects is observed in MgO:H crystals and attributed to migration of oxygen vacancies to microcavities filled with H₂ gas. In MgO:Li crystals irradiated with neutron fluences below 10¹⁸ n/cm², most of the oxygen vacancies are camouflaged as hydride ions. Nanoindentation experiments show that hardness increases with neutron fluence and is independent of the presence of lithium in the crystal. Comparison between a neutron-irradiated and a thermochemically reduced crystal containing similar concentrations of oxygen vacancies shows that 70% of the neutron-irradiation hardening is produced by interstitials, 30% by oxygen vacancies and a negligible amount by higher-order point defects.     

Investigation of the radiation hardness on semiconductor devices using the ion micro-beam

Variation of the ion beam induced charge (IBIC) pulse heights due to ion irradiation was investigated on a Si pn diode and a 6H-SiC Schottky diode using a 2 Mev He⁺ micro-beam. Each diode was irradiated with a focused 2 MeV He⁺ micro-beam to a fluence in the range of 1×10⁹–1×10¹³ ions/cm². Charge pulse heights were analyzed as a function of the irradiation fluence. After a 2 MeV ion irradiation to the Si pn junction diode, the IBIC pulse height decreased by 15% at 9.2×10¹² ions/cm². For the SiC Schottky diode, with a fluence of 6.5×10¹² ions/cm², the IBIC pulse height decreased by 49%. Our results show that the IBIC method is applicable to evaluate irradiation damage of Si and SiC devices and has revealed differences in the radiation hardness of devices dependent on both structural and material.     

Real-time evolution of ion–surface interactions of MgAl2O3 and LiNbO3 detected by ion-induced photon spectroscopy

Ion-induced photon emission under 60 keV Cu⁻ implantation into the insulators of MgAl₂O₄ and LiNbO₃ was in situ measured over a wide wavelength range from 200 to 900 nm. The formation of the Mg and Li deficient layers for the respective insulator was detected based on the dose dependence of the Al, Mg and Li atomic line intensities. The Al I and Mg I line intensities from spinel exhibit different behaviors depending on irradiation temperatures: they gradually decrease while the (Al I)/(Mg I) ratio increases up to dose of 3×10¹⁷ ions/cm² at room temperature or exhibits a steady-state tendency at high temperature. Sharp decrease of Li I line intensity from LiNbO₃ under high dose rate bombardment indicates drastic changes of surface layer that may alter the phase stability and optical performance of insulators.     

Fast neutron radiation effects in silicon detectors fabricated bydifferent thermal oxidation processes

High resistivity silicon detectors along with MOS capacitors made on five silicon dioxides with different thermal conditions (975°C to 1200°C) have been exposed to fast neutron irradiation up to the fluence of a few times 10¹⁴ n/cm². New measurement techniques such as capacitance-voltage of MOS capacitors and current-voltage and back-to-back diodes (p⁺-n^--p ⁺ if n^- is not inverted to p) or resistors (p⁺-p-p⁺ if inverted) have been introduced in this study in monitoring the possible type-inversion (n→p) under high neutron fluence. No type-inversion in the material underneath SiO₂ and the p⁺ contact has been observed for detectors made on the five oxides up to the neutron fluence of a few times 10¹³ n/cm². However, it has been found that detectors made on higher temperature oxides (⩾1100°C) exhibited less leakage current increase at high neutron fluence