Laser tuned field emission of the carbon nanotube arrays grown on an optical fiber

Laser was coupled into an optical fiber,on which covered a layer of well-aligned carbon nanotubes(CNTs)serving as cathode,to tune the field emission of the cathode.CNT arrays as field emission cathode were synthesized by chemical vapor deposition(CVD)on a naked fiber core.When the laser was coupled into the fiber,the turn-on voltage(Vto at a current density of 1 mA cm?2)decreased from 1.0 to 0.9 kV and the emission current density increased from 0.83 mA cm?2(at a 1 kV bias voltage)to3.04 mA cm?2 on 40μm diameter fiber.A photon absorption mechanism is attributed to the field emission improvement.The estimated effective work function of CNT arrays on the optical fiber decrease from 4.89 to 4.29 eV.The results show the possibility of constructing a waveguide type laser modulated field emission cathode.     

Synthesis of aligned carbon nanotubes by thermal chemical vapor deposition

Single crystal silicon was found to be very beneficial to the growth of aligned carbon nanotubes by chemical vapor deposition with C₂H₂ as carbon source. A thin film of Ni served as catalyst was deposited on the Si substrate by the K575X Peltier Cooled High Resolution Sputter Coater before growth. The growth properties of carbon nanotubes were studied as a function of the Ni catalyst layer thickness. The diameter, growth rate and areal density of the carbon nanotubes were controlled by the initial thickness of the catalyst layer. Steric hindrance between nanotubes forces them to grow in well-aligned manner at an initial stage of growth. Transmission electron microscope analysis revealed that nanotubes grew by a tip growth mechanism. Funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 50435030)     

A direct atomic layer deposition method for growth of ultra-thin lubricant tungsten disulfide films

We describe a direct atomic layer deposition method to grow lubricant tungsten disulfide (WS₂) films. The WS₂ films were deposited on a Si (100) substrate and a zinc sulfide (ZnS) film coated the Si (100) substrate using tungsten hexacarbonyl and hydrogen sulfide as precursors. The ZnS film served as an intermediate layer to facilitate the nucleation and growth of the WS₂ films. The thickness of the WS₂ films was measured via scanning electron microscope, the microstructure was probed with an X-ray diffractometer and a transmission electron microscope. The friction coefficient was measured with a ball-on-disk tester under dry nitrogen. The results reveal that the WS₂ films deposited on both substrates are ~175 nm and have (002) and (101) crystal orientations. The WS₂ film deposited on the ZnS coated Si substrate exhibits a stronger (002) orientation and a denser crystal structure than that deposited on the Si substrate. The WS₂ films on both substrates have low friction coefficients. However, due to the stronger (002) orientation and denser crystal structure, the friction coefficient of the WS₂ film deposited on ZnS coated Si substrate is smaller with longer wear life.     

The growth of carbon nanotube with chemical vapor deposition under different process parameters

Whether the active catalytic species are in a liquid,solid phase,surface premelting or surface processes during CNT or other nanowire growth are controversial.In order to explore the mechanism for catalytically grown carbon nanotube (CNT),the mechanism for CNT grown under different temperatures was proposed tentatively.With ethanol chemical vapor deposition (CVD),carbon n.anotubes (CNTs) were synthesized controllably on Si substrates using cobalt (Co) as a catalyst.The effects of the Co particle size,growth...     

Transport properties and microstructure of La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 nanocrystalline thin films grown by polymer-assisted chemical solution deposition

Perovskite-based materials can be widely used in the aerospace and transportation field. Perovskite manganese oxides La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ (LSMO) thin films were grown on LaAlO₃ (100) and Si (100) single crystal substrates by the polymer-assisted chemical solution deposition (PACSD) method. Electronic transport behavior, microstructure, and magnetoresistance (MR) of LSMO thin films on different substrates were investigated. The resistance of LSMO films fabricated on LaAlO₃ substrates is smaller than that on the Si substrates. The magnetic field reduces resistance of LSMO films both on Si and LAO in the wide temperature region, when the insulator-metal transition temperature shifts to higher temperature. The low-field magnetoresistance of LSMO films on Si in low temperature range at 1 T is larger than that of LSMO films on LAO. However, the MR of LSMO film on LAO films at room-temperature is about 5.17 %. The thin films are smooth and dense with uniform nanocrystal size grain. These results demonstrate that PACSD is an effective technique for producing high quality LSMO films, which is significant to improve the magnetic properties and the application of automotive sensor.

     

Preparation of MgO films as buffer layers by laser-ablation at various substrate temperatures

MgO thin films were deposited on Si(100) substrates by laser ablation under various substrate temperatures (Tsub),expecting to provide a candidate buffer layer for the textured growth of functional perovskite oxide films on Si substrates.The effect of Tsub on the preferred orientation,crystallinity and surface morphology of the films was investigated.MgO films in single-phase were obtained at 473-973 K.With increasing Tsub,the preferred orientation of the films changed from (200) to (111).The crystallinity and surface morphology was different too,depending on Tsub.At Tsub=673 K,the MgO film became uniform and smooth,exhibiting high crystallinity and a dense texture.     

Effect of Mg-film thickness on the formation of semiconductor Mg2Si films prepared by resistive thermal evaporation method

Mg fi lms of various thicknesses were deposited on Si(111) substrates at room temperature by resistive thermal evaporation method, and then the Mg/Si samples were annealed at 40 ℃ for 4 h. The effects of Mg fi lm thickness on the formation and structure of Mg2Si fi lms were investigated. The results showed that the crystallization quality of Mg2Si fi lms was strongly infl uenced by the thickness of Mg fi lm. The XRD peak intensity of Mg2Si(220) gradually increased initially and then decreased with increasing Mg fi lm thickness. The XRD peak intensity of Mg2Si(220) reached its maximum when the Mg fi lm of 380 nm was used. The thickness of the Mg2Si fi lm annealed at 400 ℃ for 4 h was approximately 3 times of the Mg fi lm.     

Effects of carbon nanotubes by electrophoretic deposition on interlaminar properties of two dimensional carbon/carbon composites

Carbon nanotubes(CNTs) were deposited uniformly on carbon cloth by electrophoretic deposition(EPD). Thereafter, CNT-doped clothes were stacked and densified by pyrocarbon via chemical vapor infiltration to fabricate two-dimensional(2 D) carbon/carbon(C/C) composites. Effects of EPD CNTs on interlaminar shear performance and mode Ⅱ interlaminar fracture toughness(GⅡc) of 2 D C/C composites were investigated. Results showed that EPD CNTs were uniformly covered on carbon fibers, acting as a porous coating. Such a CNT coating can obviously enhance the interlaminar shear strength and GⅡc of 2 D C/C composites. With increaing EPD CNTs, the interlaminar shear strength and GⅡc of 2 D C/C composites increase greatly and then decrease, both of which run up to their maximum values, i e, 13.6 MPa and 436.0 J·m-2, when the content of EPD CNTs is 0.54 wt%, 2.27 and 1.45 times of the baseline. Such improvements in interlaminar performance of 2 D C/C composites are mainly beneficial from their increased cohesion of interlaminar matrix, which is caused not only by the direct reinforcing effect of EPD CNT network but also by the capacity of EPD CNTs to refine pyrocarbon matrix and induce multilayered microstructures that greatly increase the crack propagation resistance through "crack-blocking and-deflecting mechanisms".     

Effects of N<Subscript>2</Subscript> pressure on the structural and electrical properties of tin films deposited by laser molecular beam epitaxy

Titanium nitride (TiN) films were deposited on Si(100) substrates by laser molecular beam epitaxy(LMBE), and their properties of structure and resistivity with varying N₂ pressure were investigated. The results showed that atomically flat TiN films with layer-by-layer growth mode were successfully grown on Si(100) substrates, and (200) was the preferred orientation. With the increasing of N₂ pressure, the N/Ti ratio gradually increased and the diffraction peak progressively shifted towards lower diffraction angle. At pressure of 0.1 Pa, stoichiometric TiN film was formed which exhibited the characteristic diffraction angle of (200) plane. All films showed high reflectance to infrared spectrum and the films with overstoichiometry and understoichiometry had a higher resistivity owing to the surface particles and lattice distortion, while the stoichiometric TiN film depicted the minimum resistivity, around 19 μΩ·cm.     

Fabrication of GaN films through reactive reconstruction of magnetron sputtered ZnO／Ga2O3

A simple and easily operated technique was developed to fabricate GaN films. GaN films possessing hexagonal wurtzite structure were fabricated on Si(111) substrates with ZnO buffer layers through nitriding Ga2O3 films in the tube quartz furnace. ZnO buffer layers and Ga3O3 films were deposited on Si substrates in turn by using radio frequncy magnetron sputtering system before the nitriding process. The structure and composition of GaN films were studied by X-ray diffraction, selected area electron diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer. The morphologies of GaN films were studied by scanning electron microscopy. The results show that ZnO buffer layer improves the crystalline quality and the surface morphology of the films relative to the films grown directly on silicon substrates. The measurement result of room-temperature photoluminescence spectrum indicates that the photoluminescence peaks locate at 365 nm and 422 nm.     

Study on the thermal stability and electrical properties of the high-k dielectrics (ZrO2)x(SiO2)1?x

(ZrO₂) _x (SiO₂)_1−x (Zr-Si-O) films with different compositions were deposited on p-Si(100) substrates by using pulsed laser deposition technique. X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) showed that these films remained amorphous after annealing at 800°C with RTA process in N₂ for 60 s. The XPS spectra indicated that Zr-Si-O films with x=0.5 suffered no obvious phase separation after annealing at 800°C, and no interface layer was formed between Zr-Si-O film and Si substrate. While Zr-Si-O films with x >0.5 suffered phase separation to precipitate ZrO₂ after annealing under the same condition, and SiO₂ was formed at the interface. To get a good interface between Zr-Si-O films and Si substrate, Zr-Si-O films with bi-layer structure (ZrO₂)_0.7(SiO₂)_0.3/(ZrO₂)_0.5(SiO₂)_0.5/Si was deposited. The electrical properties showed that the bi-layer Zr-Si-O film is of the lowest equivalent oxide thickness and good interface with Si substrate. Supported by the National Nature Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 60636010) and the National Basic Research Program of China (“973” Program) (Grant No. 2004CB619004)     

Metallurgical microstructure control in metal-silicon reactions

A comprehensive review on interfacial reactions to form silicides between metal and Si nanowire or wafer is given.Formation of silicide contacts on Si wafers or Si nanowires is a building block needed in making current-based Si devices.Thus,the microstructure control of silicide formation on the basis of kinetics of nucleation and growth has relevant applications in microelectronic technology.Repeating events of homogeneous nucleation of epitaxial silicides of Ni and Co on Si in atomic layer reaction is presented.The chemical effort on intrinsic diffusivities in diffusion-controlled layer-typed intermetallic compound growth of Ni2Si is analyzed.     

Effect of Al and Si additions on microstructure and mechanical properties of TiN coatings

Ti-X-N (X=Al, Si or Al+Si) coatings were grown onto cemented carbide substrates by cathodic arc evaporation. The hardness of the coatings was obtained by nanoindentation and the microstructure was investigated by XRD, XPS and SEM. Solid solution hardening results in a hardness increase from 24 GPa for TiN to 31.2 GPa for TiAlN. The higher hardness values of 36.7 GPa for TiSiN and 42.4 GPa for TiAlSiN are obtained by the incorporation of Si into TiN (TiAlN) coatings due to the formation of special three-dimensional net structure consisting of nanocrystalline (nc) TiN (TiAlN) encapsulated in an amorphous (a) Si₃N₄ matrix phase. Furthermore, the nc-TiAlN/a-Si₃N₄ coating shows the best machining performance.     

Preparation and Properties of IrO2 Thin Films Grown by Pulsed Laser Deposition Technique

Highly conductive IrO2 thin films were prepared on Si （100） substrates by means of pulsed laser deposition technique from an iridium metal target in an oxygen ambient atmosphere. Emphasis was put on the effect of oxygen pressure and substrate temperature on the structure, morphology and resistivity of IrO2 films. It was found that the above properties were strongly dependent on the oxygen pressure and substrate temperature. At 20 Pa oxygen ambient pressure, pure polycrystalline IrO2 thin films were obtained at substrate temperature in the 300-500℃ range with the preferential growth orientation of IrO2 films changed with the substrate temperature. IrO2 films exhibited a uniform and densely packed granular morphology with an average feature size increasing with the substrate temperature. The room-temperature resistivity variations of IrO2 films correlated well with the corresponding film morphology changes. IrO2 films with the minimum resistivity of （42 ±6）μΩ·cm was obtained at 500℃.     

Synthesis and magnetic properties of CuFe2O4 nanotube arrays

CuFe2O4 nanotube arrays with different outer diameters were synthesized in anodic aluminum oxide templates through sol-gel techniques followed by heating treatment processes. The morphology of the nanotube arrays was investigated by field emission scanning electron microscope and transmission electron microscopy, suggesting that the nanotube arrays are ordered and uniform. The X-ray diffraction results indicate that the crystal structure of the nanotube arrays is polycrystalline with a spinel-type structure. The measurements of magnetic properties indicate that CuFe2O4 nanotube arrays with outer diameter of 200 nm exhibit magnetic anisotropy with easy magnetization direction along the axis of nanotubes.     

Enhanced Ferroelectric Polarization in Laser-ablated Bi<Subscript>4</Subscript>Ti<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>12</Subscript> Thin Films by Controlling Preferred Orientation

Polycrystalline Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ thin films with various fractions of a-axis, c-axis and random orientations have been grown on Pt(111)/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates by laser-ablation under different kinetic growth conditions. The relationship between the structure and ferroelectric property of the films was investigated, so as to explore the possibility of enhancing ferroelectric polarization by controlling the preferred orientation. The structural characterization indicated that the large growth rate and high oxygen background pressure were both favorable for the growth of non-c-axis oriented grains in the Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ thin films. The films with high fractions of a-axis and random orientations, i e, f (a-sxis) = 28.3% and f (random) = 69.6%, could be obtained at the deposition temperature of 973 K, oxygen partial pressure of 15 Pa and laser fluence of 4.6 J/cm², respectively. It was also noted that the variation of ferroelectric polarization was in accordance with the evolution non-c-axis orientation. A large value of remanent polarization (2Pr = 35.5 μC/cm²) was obtained for the Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ thin films with significant non-c-axis orientation, even higher than that of rare-earth-doped Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ films.     

New Mg<Subscript>2</Subscript>Si based alloy for automobile engine cylinder liner

New Mg₂Si based alloy were prepared by mechanical alloying. Sintering temperature was from 825 to 865K, which indicated that few Mg₂Si were produced at lower temperature while MgO were produced at higher temperature. Microstructure image showed that at sintering temperature of 855K, Mg₂Si were mostly synthesized with the reaction of purity magnesia powder and silicon powder. Hardness and wear tests proved that the new synthetic silicon magnesium alloy had higher hardness and good wear resistance. Under the same testing conditions, it is found that the hardness of the new material is 420.50, and pure magnesium is only 41.65.In the same experiments it is also found that under the same pressure, pure magnesium alloys than silicon wearing capacity of pure magnesium is 2 times as high that of Mg₂Si based alloy. It shows that Mg₂Si based alloy is the ideal material for the wear parts of car engine cylinder liner because of its small density, stable dimension, high hardness and wear-resisting.     

Siliconizing formation mechanism and its property by slurry pack cementation on electro-deposited nickel layer into copper matrix

Silicide coating was prepared on electro-deposited nickel layer by the slurry pack cementation process on copper matrix at 1173 K for 12 h using SiO₂ as Si source, pure Al powder as reducer, a dual activator of NaF+NH₄Cl and albumen (egg white) as cohesive agent. Microstructure, properties and siliconizing mechanism of silicide coating were discussed. The experimental results show that the silicide coating with 220 μm thickness is mainly composed of a Ni₂Si phase and a small amount of Ni₃₁Si₁₂ phase. Its mean microhardness (HV 790) is ten times than that of copper substrate (HV 70). The coefficient of friction decreases from 0.8 of pure copper to about 0.3 of the siliconzed sample. SiF₂, SiCl₂ and SiCl₃ are responsible for the transportation and deposition of Si during the slurry pack cementation process.     

Optimization of material structure of ploy-Si thin film based on Al induced crystallization

Based on Al induced crystallization (AIC) method, influences of different material structures on formation and characteristics of ploy-silicon thin films were studied and optimized. Al-Si films on glass with different structures (Si/Al/Glass, Al/Si/Glass, Si/Al/…/Si/Al/Glass) were deposited on glass substrates by sputtering method. All samples were annealed for MIC with varied time processes under 500℃ N2 environment. X-ray diffraction test and scanning electron microscope were adopted to characterize cryst...     

Fabrication and photocatalytic activity of Ag<Subscript>3</Subscript>PO<Subscript>4</Subscript>-TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> heterostructural nanotube arrays

To extend the absorption capability of TiO₂ into visible light region and inhibit the recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes, we put forward an effective strategy of the coupling of TiO₂ with a suitable semiconductor that possesses a narrow band gap. Meanwhile, Ag₃PO₄-TiO₂ heterostructural nanotube arrays were prepared by the two-step anodic oxidation to obtain the TiO₂ nanotube arrays and then by a deposition-precipitation method to load Ag₃PO₄. The samples were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS). The experimental results showed that Ag₃PO₄ nanoparticles were uniformly dispersed on the highly ordered TiO₂ nanotube arrays, which increased the visible-light absorption of TiO₂ photocatalyst. The photocurrent density and photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange indicated that the performance of Ag₃PO₄-TiO₂ heterostructural nanotube arrays was better than that of the TiO₂ nanotube arrays, which could be attributed to the effective electron-hole separation and the improved utilization of visible light.