Growth and hydrogenation of epitaxial yttrium switchable mirrors on CaF2

Rutherford backscattering (RBS) ion channeling measurements and X-ray diffraction experiments are performed to study the epitaxial nature of as-deposited yttrium on CaF₂〈111〉 substrates and the effect of hydrogenation on the crystalline quality. The RBS and X-ray results clearly demonstrate the unique epitaxial relation between as-deposited films and the substrate, which is preserved upon loading with hydrogen. X-Ray diffraction reveals: (i) a remarkably large lattice expansion in the direction normal to the substrate, which decreases with increasing film thickness; and (ii) an in-plane compression of the lattice. This peculiar result is related to the difference in thermal expansion coefficients of film and substrate. RBS ion channeling measurements reveal a thickness dependence of the mismatch-induced stresses. As expected, the stresses relax with increasing distance from the film/substrate interface, but surprisingly, even with films as thick as 400 nm considerable dechanneling is still observed at the film surface. Film quality, i.e. the film/substrate mismatch as well as the induced stresses and their relaxation, are discussed in relation to atomic force microscopy (AFM) results on these epitaxial films.     

Epitaxial growth of topological insulator Bi2Se3 film on Si(111) with atomically sharp interface

Atomically sharp epitaxial growth of Bi₂Se₃ films is achieved on Si(111) substrate with molecular beam epitaxy. Two-step growth process is found to be a key to achieve interfacial-layer-free epitaxial Bi₂Se₃ films on Si substrates. With a single-step high temperature growth, second phase clusters are formed at an early stage. On the other hand, with low temperature growth, the film tends to be disordered even in the absence of a second phase. With a low temperature initial growth followed by a high temperature growth, second-phase-free atomically sharp interface is obtained between Bi₂Se₃ and Si substrate, as verified by reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction. The lattice constant of Bi₂Se₃ is observed to relax to its bulk value during the first quintuple layer according to RHEED analysis, implying the absence of strain from the substrate. TEM shows a fully epitaxial structure of Bi₂Se₃ film down to the first quintuple layer without any second phase or an amorphous layer.     

The Crystallographic Properties of Strained Silicon Measured by X-Ray Diffraction

Strained silicon represents a materials-based enhancement to further scaling of CMOS transistors. In epitaxial strained silicon substrates, strain is provided by a relaxed SiGe graded buffer layer that expands the in-plane lattice constant of silicon. Because this is accompanied by the introduction of crystalline defects, in the form of dislocations, mosaic structure, and lattice tilting, the deposition of strained silicon occurs on imperfect substrates. Therefore, there is a fundamental need to study the materials properties to ensure strained silicon substrates meet the rigorous criteria for CMOS processing. This paper focuses on the in-depth investigation of the crystallographic properties of epitaxial strained silicon and strained silicon on insulator (SSOI) substrates by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results for both epitaxial strained silicon and bonded SSOI substrates are presented and contrasted, with particular emphasis on the effect of the layer transfer process used during the formation of SSOI substrates. Although the focus is on strained silicon, the X-ray diffraction techniques highlighted in this paper are readily extendable to other materials heterostructures, such as germanium on insulator, strained germanium, and III–V compound semiconductors on insulator, allowing characterization of many future microelectronic platforms.     

One-step Ge/Si epitaxial growth

Fabricating a low-cost virtual germanium (Ge) template by epitaxial growth of Ge films on silicon wafer with a Ge(x)Si(1-x) (0 < x < 1) graded buffer layer was demonstrated through a facile chemical vapor deposition method in one step by decomposing a hazardousless GeO(2) powder under hydrogen atmosphere without ultra-high vacuum condition and then depositing in a low-temperature region. X-ray diffraction analysis shows that the Ge film with an epitaxial relationship is along the in-plane direction of Si. The successful growth of epitaxial Ge films on Si substrate demonstrates the feasibility of integrating various functional devices on the Ge/Si substrates.     

Comparison of galvanic displacement and electroless methods for deposition of gold nanoparticles on synthetic calcite

Gold nanoparticles have been deposited on synthetic calcite substrate by galvanic displacement reaction and electroless deposition methods. A comparative study has shown that electroless deposition is superior compared to galvanic displacement reaction for uniform deposition of gold nanoparticles on calcite. Characterization of the samples, prepared by two different deposition methods, was carried out by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE–SEM) and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) measurements. FE–SEM studies prove that smaller nanoparticles of gold are deposited uniformly on calcite if electroless deposition method was employed and DRS measurements show the characteristic surface plasmon resonance of gold nanoparticles.     

Growth of diborides thin films on different substrates by pulsed laser ablation

The growth of scandium, titanium and zirconium diborides thin films by pulsed laser ablation technique on different substrates has been studied. In situ reflection high energy electron diffraction and ex situ X-ray diffraction analyses indicate that the films are strongly c-axis oriented on all the substrates and also epitaxial, apart from Si(111), where the in plane orientation is poor. Atomic force microscopy imaging reveals a flat surface in all the epitaxial samples, with roughness lower than 1 nm. The results on silicon carbide and sapphire are very promising for using these materials as buffer layers in magnesium diboride thin films growth, especially to improve epitaxy and to prevent oxygen diffusion from the substrate, and also to study the influence of lattice strain on MgB₂ critical temperature.     

Epitaxial growth of InP nanowires on germanium

The growth of III-V semiconductors on silicon would allow the integration of their superior (opto-)electronic properties with silicon technology. But fundamental issues such as lattice and thermal expansion mismatch and the formation of antiphase domains have prevented the epitaxial integration of III-V with group IV semiconductors. Here we demonstrate the principle of epitaxial growth of III-V nanowires on a group IV substrate. We have grown InP nanowires on germanium substrates by a vapour-liquid-solid method. Although the crystal lattice mismatch is large (3.7%), the as-grown wires are monocrystalline and virtually free of dislocations. X-ray diffraction unambiguously demonstrates the heteroepitaxial growth of the nanowires. In addition, we show that a low-resistance electrical contact can be obtained between the wires and the substrate.     

Molecular processes on the semiconductor surface in the Ge-S system

In this paper we present the results of investigations of two processes that occur on the surface of germanium interacting with sulphur vapour. The first process is etching of the germanium. Analysis of experimental results indicates that a kinetic model which incorporates two competing processes (adsorption of S₂ and desorption of GeS) is most likely. The second process results in the formation of sulphide films on the crystal surface. The composition of these films was determined by chemical analysis and by X-ray microanalysis. The chemical structures of the films and of the Ge-GeS interface were investigated by electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis. The results described in this paper lead us to conclude that the displacement of a surface germanium atom is the rate-limiting step in the growth of the films.     

The epitaxy of zinc sulphide on silicon

The epitaxy of zinc sulphide films on silicon has been studied by means of X-ray and electron diffraction and by scanning electron microscopy. Results have shown that due to the nature of the stacking of atoms, planar defects will predominate in such a sphalerite structure material; this is similar to the results of Pashley and Stowell on face centred cubic metals. Such defects have been shown to be more prevalent on (111) and (110) orientations, compared with the (100) orientation which gave the best epitaxial single crystal films. These results agree with other work from this laboratory on the epitaxy of zinc selenide on germanium and silicon.     

Structural and optical properties of high quality ZnO thin film on Si with SiC buffer layer

ZnO thin films are grown on Si substrates with SiC buffer layer using ion plasma high frequency magnetron sputtering. These substrates are fabricated using a technique of solid phase epitaxy. With this technique SiC layer of thickness 20-200 nm had been grown on Si substrates consisting pores of sizes 0.5-5 μm at SiC and Si interface. Due to mismatching in lattice constants as well as thermal expansion coefficients, elastic stresses have been developed in ZnO film. Pores at the interface of SiC and Si are acting as the elastic stress reliever of the ZnO films making them strain free epitaxial. ZnO film grown on this especially fabricated Si substrate with SiC buffer layer exhibits excellent crystalline quality as characterized using X-ray diffraction. Surface topography of the film has been characterized using Atomic Force Microscopy as well as Scanning Electron Microscopy. Chemical compositions of the films have been analyzed using Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy. Optical properties of the films are investigated using Photoluminescence Spectroscopy which also shows good optical quality.     

Preparation and characterization of Ge epitaxially grown on nano-structured periodic Si pillars and bars on Si(001) substrate

The selective epitaxial growth of germanium on nano-structured periodic silicon pillars and bars with 360 nm periodicity on Si(001) substrate is studied to evaluate the applicability of nano-heteroepitaxy on the Ge-Si system for different fields of application. It is found that SiO₂ used as masking material plays the key role to influence the strain situation in the Si nano-islands. To analyze this in detail, X-ray diffraction techniques in combination with theoretical simulations based on the kinematical X-ray scattering from laterally strained nano-structures and finite element method (FEM) calculations of the strain field are applied. The oxide related strain in the Si scales about linearly with the thickness of the SiO₂ mask, but FEM simulations supposing a homogeneous stress distribution in the oxide are not sufficient to describe the local strain distribution in the nano-structures. It is demonstrated that the Ge lattice relaxes completely during growth on the Si nano-islands by generation of misfit dislocations at the interface, but a high structural quality of Ge can be achieved by suited growth conditions.     

Superconducting characteristics and epitaxial-growth analyses of YBa2Cu3O7−x thin films by direct-current magnetron sputtering

Using direct-current magnetron sputtering deposition, we have successfully prepared highquality epitaxial YBa₂Cu₃O_7–x thin films, on (1 0 0) and (1 1 0) ZrO₂, SrTiO₃ and LaAlO₃ substrates. The films reached zero resistance at about 90 K and had a critical current density, J _c (at 77 K, H=O), above 10⁶ Acm^–2. Electrical measurements showed that the films had a small microwave surface resistance. The epitaxial structure of the films was studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Rutherford backscattering (RBS) and channeling spectroscopy, X-ray double-crystalline diffraction and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It was found that the c-axis of the film grown on the (1 0 0) substrates under optimum deposition conditions was perpendicular to the substrate surface. But on the (1 1 0) substrates, epitaxial growth was along the (1 1 0) or (1 0 3) direction. The experimental results indicate that the films had excellent superconducting properties and complete epitaxial structure.     

Coherent growth and superhardness effect of heterostructure h-TiB2/c-VC nanomultilayers

TiB₂/VC nanomultilayers with different VC layer thicknesses have been prepared by a multi-target magnetron sputtering system. X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and nanoindentation measurements were employed to investigate the microstructure and mechanical properties of these films. The results revealed that a metastable structure of VC has been formed in epitaxial TiB₂/VC multilayers with VC layer thickness ≤0.8 nm. Meanwhile, the multilayers exhibited coherent interface between layers resulting in a significantly enhanced hardness of the films, with a maximum value of 43.9 GPa. The stable cubic structure of VC was observed for VC layer thickness ≥1.3 nm, which causes a gradual disruption of the coherent interface of the multilayers, resulting in the quick decrease of hardness.     

ZnO薄膜的同质外延生长及其结构表征

利用等离子体辅助分子束外延的方法在ZnO单晶衬底上制备了ZnO薄膜。利用X射线衍射(XRD)、同步辐射掠入射XRD和φ扫描等实验技术研究了ZnO薄膜的结构。XRD和φ扫描的结果显示同质外延的ZnO薄膜已经达到单晶水平。掠入射XRD结果表明ZnO薄膜内部不同深度处a方向的晶格弛豫是不一致的,从接近衬底界面处到薄膜的中间部分再到薄膜的表面处,a方向的晶格常数分别为0.3249,0.3258和0.3242 nm。计算得到ZnO薄膜的泊松比为0.156,同质外延的ZnO薄膜与衬底在a轴方向的晶格失配度为-0.123%。     

Coherent growth and superhardness effect of heterostructure h-TiB2/c-VC nanomultilayers

TiB₂/VC nanomultilayers with different VC layer thicknesses have been prepared by a multi-target magnetron sputtering system. X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and nanoindentation measurements were employed to investigate the microstructure and mechanical properties of these films. The results revealed that a metastable structure of VC has been formed in epitaxial TiB₂/VC multilayers with VC layer thickness ≤0.8 nm. Meanwhile, the multilayers exhibited coherent interface between layers resulting in a significantly enhanced hardness of the films, with a maximum value of 43.9 GPa. The stable cubic structure of VC was observed for VC layer thickness ≥1.3 nm, which causes a gradual disruption of the coherent interface of the multilayers, resulting in the quick decrease of hardness.     

体硅上外延超薄Si1-xGex用于制备SGOI材料

采用减压化学气相沉积的方法在Si衬底上制备了高质量的Si0.75Ge0.25/Si/Si0.86Ge0.14叠层材料,通过TEM、光学显微镜和XRD分析表明,外延的SiGe薄膜具有完好的晶格结构,平整的表面质量,SiGe薄膜处于完全应变状态.通过与Si上外延渐变缓冲层制备的SiGe材料比较发现,使用这种超薄的全应变Si...     

The annealing behavior of Ge-Au-Ni,Ge-Au-Pt and Ge-Au-Pd trilayered films

Interdiffusion in Au-Ge-Ni, Au-Ge-Pt and Au-Ge-Pd trilayered electro- gun-evaporated thin films on SiO₂ substrates was investigated by backscattering, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. We observed that, when the amount of germanium is less than 100 at.% of that of nickel, palladium or platinum in the trilayered films, heat treatment yields laterally uniform two-layered films consisting of a germanide layer and a gold layer. When more germanium is present than is required to complete the formation of the most germanium-rich germanide (GeNi, GePd, Ge₂Pt), the films are laterally non-uniform after annealing above or below the Au-Ge eutectic temperature (356°C). The behavior of Au-Ge-Ni on SiO₂ is compared with that obeseerved on GaAs as substrate.     

Liquid phase epitaxy of Ge1−x Snx semiconductor films

Epitaxial layers of Ge_1−x Sn_x semiconductor solid solutions on germanium substrates were grown from a limited volume of a tin-based solution melt in a temperature interval from 740 to 450°C. Optimum conditions favoring the growth of crystallographically perfect epitaxial films were established based on the results of the X-ray diffraction and morphological study of the samples.     

Effect of a ZnO buffer layer on the characteristics of MgZnO thin films grown on Si (100) substrates by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering

This is a report on the effect of a ZnO buffer layer on the microstructures and optical properties of MgZnO thin films grown on Si (100) substrates by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. For the sample without the ZnO buffer layer, the microstructural analyses carried out by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed the formation of Mg₂Si in the interface between the Si substrate and the MgZnO thin film. Mg₂Si induced the random oriented polycrystalline MgZnO thin film. For the sample with the ZnO buffer layer, a few Mg₂Si were observed. An epitaxial relationship between the Si substrate and the MgZnO thin film was formed. In both samples, the photoluminescence (PL) investigation showed a small blue shift of the emission peak, which was owing to the incorporation of Mg atoms in ZnO by co-sputtering the MgO and ZnO targets. In addition, the sample with the ZnO buffer layer showed the enhanced PL intensity, when compared with the sample without the buffer layer.     

The nanocrystalline structure formation in germanium subjected to severe plastic deformation

The peculiarities of nanocrystalline (NC) structure formation in germanium subjected to severe plastic deformation (SPD) are examined in this paper. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray analysis and differential scanning calorimetry were employed in the structural study of germanium specimens. The crystal-to-amorphous transition induced by SPD in germanium is observed. The NC structure formation is the result of annealing at 850°C. Crystallites in the NC state have non-equilibrium grain boundaries (GB) and a particular “spread” diffraction contrast, observed by TEM, testifies to this.