Cracking mechanism in AlN(11―20)/α-Al2O3(1―102) heteroepitaxial films grown by MOCVD

The cracking mechanism in AlN(1120)/-Al₂O₃(1102) heteroepitaxial film grown by MOCVD is discussed. The crystal structure and microstructure of an AlN/Al₂O₃ film and an AlN/GaN/Al₂O₃ film are compared using high-resolution X-ray diffractometry, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. In the AlN/Al₂O₃ film, cracks parallel to the [1100]_AlN direction and perpendicular to the interface of the film and the substrate are observed. The cracks do not propagate to the AlN film surface. The tips of the cracks are widest in the AlN film, and the cracks narrow as they penetrate deeply into the substrate. On the other hand, in the AlN/GaN/Al₂O₃ film, no cracks are observed. A concave curvature is observed in the AlN film with cracks on the Al₂O₃ substrate along the [0001]_AlN direction, whereas a convex curvature is observed in the AlN film without cracks. On the basis of these results, the cracks, formed in the AlN film due to the tensile stress along the [0001]_AlN direction during the epitaxial growth, propagate to the AlN film surface and into the Al₂O₃ substrate. On the other hand, in the AlN/GaN/Al₂O₃ film, it seems that the GaN buffer layer suppresses the tensile stress; as a consequence, no cracks occur.     

Dislocation structures in a { \bar{1} 104}/��11 \bar{2} 0�� low-angle tilt grain boundary of alumina (��-Al2O3)

An alumina (??-Al₂O₃) bicrystal with a ( $ \bar{1} $ 104)/[11 $ \bar{2} $ 0] 2^o low-angle tilt grain boundary was fabricated by diffusion bonding at 1500 °C in air, and the grain boundary was observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). High-resolution TEM observations revealed that the grain boundary consists of at least two kinds of dislocations. One is a perfect dislocation which has a Burgers vector of 1/3[ $ \bar{1} $ 2 $ \bar{1} $ 0]. The other is dissociated into two partial dislocations with a stacking fault on the (0001) plane, and each partial dislocation has a 1/6[ $ \bar{1} $ 101] edge component. It is suggested from structural considerations that the dissociated-dislocation pair originates from a b = 1/3[02 $ \bar{2} $ 1] perfect dislocation (i.e., 1/3[02 $ \bar{2} $ 1] ?? 1/6[02 $ \bar{2} $ 1] + 1/6[02 $ \bar{2} $ 1]). This dissociation produces a stacking fault in the anion sublattice. The stacking fault energy is estimated to be roughly 1.3 Jm^?2 based on the elastic theory. The authors discuss the dislocation structures and the stacking fault formed on the (0001) plane in detail.     

Heteroepitaxial growth of the δ-Ta2O5 films on α-Al2O3 (0001)

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics - The heteroepitaxial δ-Ta2O5 films were deposited on α-Al2O3 (0001) by MOCVD. As the growth temperature increases from...     

AlN在α-Al2O3(0001)表面吸附过程的理论研究

采用基于密度泛函理论的平面波超软赝势法,对α-Al2O3(0001)表面吸附AlN进行了动力学模拟计算,研究了AlN分子在a-Al2O3(0001)表面吸附成键过程、吸附能量与成键方位.计算表明吸附过程经历了物理吸附、化学吸附与稳定态形成的过程,其化学结合能达到4.844eV.吸附后AlN化学键(0.189±0.010nm)与最近邻的表面Al-O键有30°的偏转角度,Al在表面较稳定的化学吸附位置正好偏离表面O六角对称约30°,使得AlN与蓝宝石之间的晶格失配度降低.     

Growth of epitaxial γ-Al2O3 films on rigid single-crystal ceramic substrates and flexible,single-crystal-like metallic substrates by pulsed laser deposition

Epitaxial γ-Al₂O₃ thin films were grown on diverse substrates using pulsed laser deposition. The high quality of epitaxial growth and cubic structure of γ-Al₂O₃ films was confirmed by X-ray diffraction. SrTiO₃ and MgO single crystal substrates were used to optimize the growth conditions for epitaxial γ-Al₂O₃ film. Under the optimized conditions, epitaxial γ-Al₂O₃ thin films were grown on flexible, single-crystal-like, metallic templates. These included untextured Hastelloy substrates with a biaxially textured MgO layer deposited using ion-beam-assisted-deposition and biaxially textured Ni-W metallic tapes with epitaxially grown and a biaxially textured, MgO buffer layer. These biaxially textured, γ-Al₂O₃ films on flexible, single-crystal-like substrates are promising for subsequent epitaxial growth of various complex oxide films used for electrical, magnetic and electronic device applications.     

Spinel growth in the interface of δ-Al2O3 fibre reinforced aluminium piston alloys

Spinel growth is studied by analytical electron microscopy in the fibre-matrix interface of as-processed and in thermal treated -Al₂O₃ fibre reinforced AlSi12CuMgNi alloys. In the as-processed composites a few nanometer large spinel crystals are observed in the fibre-matrix interface. They are interpreted as the reaction product of remnants of the SiO₂ binder, with magnesium segregating in the interface. In the thermally treated material, large spinel crystals of a few tenths of a micrometer grow on the fibre, preferentially at positions where -Al₂O₃ crystals reach the fibre surface. The spinel grows into the aluminium grain of the matrix, as well as into -Al₂O₃ of the fibre. The orientational relationship of the spinel and the alumina is studied and the results are discussed in relation to the fibre wetting, adhesion and fibre-matrix reaction.     

Influence of stabilizers on Na-β′′-Al2O3 phase formation in Li2O(MgO)-Na2O-Al2O3 ternary systems

The influences of stabilizers on - and -Al2O3 phase formations in Li2O(MgO)-Na2O-Al2O3 systems were investigated. When stabilized with 4MgCO3Mg(OH)25H2O, most of the -Al2O3 phase formed below 1200°C and further - to -Al2O3 transformation with an increase of temperature was not observed. On the other hand, when stabilized with Li2CO3,-Al2O3 formation occurred by two steps. First, -Al2O3 was partly formed below 1200°C, and, second, noticeable transformation from -Al2O3 to -Al2O3 occurred at higher temperature ranges. It was shown that transient eutectic liquid in the Li2O-Na2O-Al2O3 system promoted the - to -Al2O3 transformation at higher temperatures. Uniform distribution of both Mg2+ and Li+ stabilizing ions enhanced -Al2O3 formation at low temperatures. In the Li-stabilized systems, however, homogeneous distribution of Li+ ions hindered both the formation of transient eutectic liquid and the second - to -Al2O3 phase transformation at high temperatures.     

Motion of the faceted 57° [11\overline{2} 0] tilt grain boundary in zinc

The impact of faceting on the high-angle grain boundary motion was studied. The non-steady-state motion of the 57° tilt grain boundary (GB) half-loop in a Zn bicrystal has been studied in situ. Above 678 K the slowly migrating GB half-loop was continuously curved. Below this temperature moving GB was fully or partially faceted. The transformation of curved GB into a GB facet with increasing temperature was observed for the first time. Overlapping faceting/roughening of three crystallograpically different GB facets lead to the complicated non-steady-state motion. As a result, the GB mobility values and migration enthalpy were not unique, but lay in a certain interval.     

Superconducting NdBa2Cu3O7−δ Thin Films Grown on Bare (1\overline 102) Sapphire by Pulsed Laser Deposition

Superconducting NdBa₂Cu₃O_7– (NBCO) thin films with T _c=89 K have been successfully grown on bare (1 02) sapphire substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The X-ray diffraction results show that the as-grown NBCO films are all c-axis oriented with no observable second phase. The c-axis parameter decreases monotonically with increasing the deposition temperature (T _s), suggesting that the corresponding degradation of T _c for T _s>790°C might not originate from oxygen deficiency. It is conceived that the film-substrate reaction that occurring at the interface may cause Ba-deficiency and hence enhance Nd-Ba antisite substitutions.     

Dissociation reaction of the 1/3$$ \left\langle {\bar{1}101} \right\rangle $$ edge dislocation in α-Al2O3

It has been reported that dislocations with 1/3\( \left\langle {\bar{1}101} \right\rangle \) edge component of the Burgers vector are formed in {1\( \bar{1} \)04}/\( \left\langle {11\bar{2}0} \right\rangle \) low-angle grain boundaries of alumina (α-Al₂O₃). These dislocations dissociate into two partial dislocations with a stacking fault on the (0001) plane (Tochigi et al. in J Mater Sci 46:4428–4433, 2011). However, the dissociation reaction of these dislocations has not been determined so far. In this study, the structures of the dissociated dislocations and the (0001) stacking fault were investigated by transmission electron microscopy and theoretical calculations. It was revealed that the dissociated dislocations were generated from the 1/3\( \left\langle {\bar{1}101} \right\rangle \) perfect edge dislocation by the reaction of 1/3\( \left\langle {\bar{1}101} \right\rangle \) → 1/18\( \left\langle {\bar{4}223} \right\rangle \) + 1/18\( \left\langle {\bar{2}4\bar{2}3} \right\rangle \). Furthermore, electron energy loss spectroscopy analysis was performed to examine the atomic/electronic structure of the (0001) stacking fault. In the observed spectra, a chemical shift and intensity decrease were found at the oxygen K-edge. Theoretical spectrum analysis using first-principles calculations revealed that the characteristic features of the spectra are originated from the local atomic configurations of the (0001) stacking fault.     

The synthesis and selective gas sensing characteristics of SnO(2)/α-Fe(2)O(3) hierarchical nanostructures

SnO(2)/α-Fe(2)O(3) hierarchical nanostructures, in which the SnO(2) nanorods grow on the side surface of α-Fe(2)O(3) nanorods as multiple rows, were synthesized via a three-step process. The diameters and lengths of the SnO(2) nanorods are 6-15?nm and about 120?nm. The growth direction of SnO(2) nanorods is [001], significantly affected by that of α-Fe(2)O(3) nanorods. The hetero-nanostructures exhibit very good selectivity to ethanol. The sensing characteristics are related to the special heterojunction structures, confirmed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy observation. Therefore, a heterojunction barrier controlled gas sensing mechanism is realized. Our results demonstrate that the hetero-nanostructures are promising materials for fabricating sensors and other complex devices.     

Composite substrate LiGaO2 (0 0 1)β-Ga2O3 (1 0 0) fabricated by vapor transport equilibration

Highly (0 0 1) orientation LiGaO₂ layers have been successfully fabricated on (1 0 0) β-Ga₂O₃ surface by vapor transport equilibration (VTE) technique. The temperature is very important for the VTE treatment. At low temperature (800 °C), LiGaO₂layers are textured. As the temperature was raised to 1100 °C the layer becomes highly oriented in the [1 0 0] direction. It shows that the best temperature for VTE treatment is 1100 °C. This technique is promising to fabricate small lattice mismatch composite substrate of LiGaO₂ (0 0 1)β-Ga₂O₃ (100) for GaN films.     

Influence of yttrium on microstructure and point defects in α-Al2O3 in relation to oxidation

Although the influence of yttrium on transport properties of alumina has been the object of many studies, the mechanisms by which this element acts have not yet been elucidated. The method of modification by yttrium of the microstructure of polycrystalline alumina and the nature of the point defects created by this doping element were studied. The results obtained are discussed in relation to alumina transport properties and especially in relation with the effect of yttrium on the oxidation mechanism of alumina former alloys, taking into account the doping amount.     

Crystal structure of (Ba1−x Lax) [Mg(1 + x)/3Nb(2−x)/3]O3 ceramics

The crystal structure of (Ba_1–x La _x )[Mg_{(1 + x)/3}Nb_(2–x)/3]O₃ (BLMN) ceramics with 0 x 1 was investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). When the La content, x, was above 0.1, the 1:2 ordered hexagonal structure found in Ba(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃ (BMN) was transformed into the 1:1 ordered cubic structure. The 1:1 ordered cubic structure was maintained up to x = 0.7. When x exceeded 0.7, however, BLMN exhibited a 1:1 ordered monoclinic structure, rather than a 1:1 ordered cubic structure. La(Mg_2/3Nb_1/3)O₃ (LMN) has a 1:1 ordered monoclinic P2₁/n structure with a = 5.6004 Å, b = 5.6414 Å, c = 7.9346 Å, and = 89.9819°. The monoclinic LMN has the in-phase and the anti-phase tilt of oxygen octahedra. The anti-parallel shift of A-site cations was also found in LMN.     

Microwave dielectric properties of Ba(Sn x Zn(1−x)/3Nb(1−x)2/3)O3 (0 ⩽ x ⩽ 0.32) ceramics

The dielectric properties of the (1–x)Ba(Zn_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃–xBaSnO₃ (0 x 0.32) composition at microwave frequencies were investigated in this study. With the addition of BaSnO₃, the dielectric Q(Q _d) value of Ba(Zn_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃ (BZN) can be improved and a small temperature coefficient of resonant frequency (_f) can be achieved. When 22.6 mol % of Sn is added to BZN, the characteristics of the Ba(Sn_0.226Zn_0.258Nb_0.516)O₃ ceramics sintered at 1500°C are as follows: dielectric constant _r = 32, _f = + 12 p.p.m.°C¹ and high Q _d value of 9700 at 10 GHz. Based on the classical dispersion theory and the logarithmic mixing rule, the effects with additions of substitutional element of BaSnO₃ on the microwave dielectric properties of Ba(Zn_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃ can be mostly explained.     

The effect of a Cr2O3-addition on the phase transformation and catalytic properties of γ-Al2O3 in treatment of lean-burn exhausts

The solid-state thermal behaviour of -Al₂O₃ doped with 10 mol% Cr (oxide) was studied with respect to phase-transition behaviour and the co-ordination of the dopant Cr cations. A series of transformations: -Al₂O₃ -Al₂O₃ -Al₂O₃ -Al₂O₃ was observed for Cr₂O₃-doped alumina samples between 500 °C and 1100 °C. Rapid grain growth occurred at temperatures close to 1100 °C. The electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra for the sample heat-treated at 500 °C corresponded to the resonance of -Cr³⁺ in an amorphous Cr oxide impregnated onto the - and -alumina support. The change of ESR spectrum indicated the existence of Cr³⁺, suggesting the formation of a solid solution with the same structures as -Al₂O₃ and/or -Al₂O₃ at 800–1000 °C. The evaluation of catalytic activities for model exhaust was performed under lean-burn (an excess of oxygen) condition of air/fuel ratio A/F = 18 and space velocity SV = 100 000 h^–1 . The modified Al₂O₃ catalyst heat-treated at 1000 °C in air showed removal conversion of 100% for hydrocarbon (C₃H₆), 92% for CO and 5% for NO at 550 °C. Present results suggest that Cr-modification to Al₂O₃ leads to catalytic improvement with good thermal durability.     

α-Al2O3基片(0001)表面及其对ZnO吸附位置研究

建立了一种2×2α-Al2O3 (0001)基片表面吸附ZnO模型,在周期边界条件下的k空间中,采用基于密度泛函理论的局域密度近似平面波超软赝势法,对α-Al2O3 (0001)基片表面结构及其ZnO分子在表面最初吸附生长位置进行了计算研究.由于较大的表面弛豫,使得氧原子全部暴露于基片最外表面,明显地表现出O原子电子表面态;驰豫后的表面能对ZnO分子产生较强的化学吸附,表面电子结构将发生明显的变化,其表面最优吸附生长点的方位正好偏离α-Al2O3 (0001)表面氧六角对称30°;并计算了这些吸附生长点处Zn与表面O的结合能.     

Effects of SrO–B2O3–SiO2 glass additive on dielectric properties of Ba(Fe0.5Nb0.5)O3 ceramics

SrO–B₂O₃–SiO₂ (SBS) glass powders were prepared and employed as sintering aids to reduce the sintering temperature of Ba(Fe_0.5Nb_0.5)O₃ (BFN) ceramics. The effects of glass content on the dielectric properties and breakdown strength of BFN ceramics have been investigated. The volume density characterization results of (1 ? x) BFN ? x SBS ceramics indicate that the sintering temperature of BFN ceramics decreased by 200–350 °C with SBS glass addition (when x = 0, 0.01, 0.03 and 0.05). The XRD patterns show BFN ceramics indicate cubic crystal structure and without the formation of a secondary phase. The dielectric constant and dielectric loss decreased gradually with increasing glass content, and the dielectric loss decreased by one order of magnitude with SBS glass addition (when x = 0.05). The breakdown strength of (1 ? x) BFN ? x SBS ceramics increase with increasing glass content, in which is about 33.90 kV/cm with SBS glass addition (when x = 0.05). These improvements in the dielectric characteristics of BFN ceramics have great scientific significance for their applications.     

Chemical vapour transport of transition-metal oxides (II) epitaxial growth of RuO2, IrO2 and (Ru1−x,Irx)O2 on TiO2

Epitaxial Growth of RuO₂ and IrO₂ has been performed by Chemical Vapour Transport on prepared TiO₂ substrates. Two types of samples are found. The first shows epitaxial layers of the ruthenium and iridium oxides with orientations close to that of the substrate, and with low level interdiffusion of the components. The second shows no epitaxial growth, but the incorporation of Ru and Ir into the substrate surface giving a brown colouration. The transmission spectra of these samples in the visible range show an absorption increasing with photon energy. For the Ru doped surfaces, two absorption bands may be distinguished.