Electron microscopy at a sub-50 pm resolution

An aberration-corrected electron microscope developed in CREST project has been applied for imaging atoms and clusters buried inside crystals. The resolution of the microscope in scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) has experimentally proved to be better than 47 pm by use of a cold-field emission gun at 300 kV. The high resolution has given an advantage for imaging light elements such as lithium atoms discriminating one by one. Moreover, a three-dimensional structure imaging has been demonstrated for dopant clusters by a sub-50 pm STEM, using its high depth resolution.     

Postgrowth Annealing of CdTe Layers Grown on Si Substrates by Metalorganic Vapor-Phase Epitaxy

Annealing conditions of CdTe layers grown on Si substrates by metalorganic vapor-phase epitaxy were studied. Typically, 3-μm-thick n-type (211) CdTe layers were annealed for 60 s in flowing hydrogen at atmospheric pressure by covering their surfaces with bulk CdTe wafers. At annealing temperatures above 700°C, improvement of crystal quality was confirmed from full-width at half-maximum values of double-crystal rocking-curve measurements and x-ray diffraction measurements. Photoluminescence measurements revealed no deterioration of electrical properties in the annealed n-CdTe layers. Furthermore, annealing at 900°C improved the performance of radiation detectors with structure of p-like CdTe/n-CdTe/n ⁺-Si substrate.     

Preliminary spectrum shifter design for intermediate energy nuclear data benchmark experiments with DT neutrons

Integral benchmark experiments with DT neutrons are not always sufficient for nuclear data benchmarking in the MeV region, below 10 MeV. A neutron spectrum shifter, which will be placed between a sample and a DT neutron source, is effective to moderate DT neutrons incident to the sample. In order to estimate effects of the spectrum shifter, the ratio of the contribution of 14 MeV neutrons in the leakage neutron and gamma-ray spectra was calculated with MCNP-4C for an experimental configuration at FNS of JAEA, Japan. The calculations were carried out for a Li₂TiO₃ sample with a Be, D₂O, or ⁷LiD spectrum shifter. It was found out that the Be shifter was superior to others and the Be shifter was effective to decrease the contribution of 14 MeV neutrons especially for secondary gamma-ray spectrum measurements.     

Reactive extraction of diols with phenyl boronic acid and trioctylmethylammonium chloride as coextractants and quantitative structure–property relationship of their extraction behaviors

BACKGROUND: Diols that can be produced biologically have attracted much attention because of the increased cost of producing them chemically. The cost of separating the diols from the broth forms a major part of the total cost of microbial production. Reactive extraction using organoboronate is one promising method for recovering diols from the dilute aqueous solution. RESULTS: A basic investigation of solvent extraction of diols was conducted at 303 K employing phenylboronic acid and trioctylmethylammonium chloride as coextractants in the mixed solvent. Both the tetrahedral boronate anion complex and trigonal boronate neutral complex were extracted. 1,3‐diols and vicinal diols were extracted, but 1,4‐diol was not extracted. Extraction equilibrium constants were correlated with the enthalpies of formation of the complexes, which were calculated by molecular modeling with semi‐empirical molecular orbital calculations considering the solvent effect. CONCLUSION: The complex extraction behaviour of diols with phenylboronic acid and quaternary ammonium salt can be predicted by using the quantitative structure–property relationship (QSPR). Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Optimization of interface structures in crystalline silicon heterojunction solar cells

In heterojunction solar cells consisting of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) and crystalline silicon (c-Si), suppression of epitaxial growth at the heterointerface is found to be crucial to achieve high solar cell efficiencies. In order to avoid the epitaxial growth, wide-gap hydrogenated amorphous silicon oxide (a-SiO:H) has been applied to the heterojunction solar cells. We have fabricated a-SiO:H/c-Si solar cells using n-type and p-type c-Si substrates and demonstrated that incorporation of the a-SiO:H i layer prevents the harmful epitaxial growth at the heterointerface completely.     

Luminescent properties of doped freestanding silicon nanocrystals embedded in MEH-PPV

We demonstrate that the electrochemical etching and pulverization of porous silicon films allow the fabrication of boron- and phosphorous-doped freestanding silicon nanocrystals (Si-ncs). The presence of boron in freestanding Si-ncs was confirmed from low-temperature photoluminescence (PL) analysis. The temperature dependence of PL for both types of doped Si-ncs reveals two PL bands due to the quantum confinement effect and surface state defects. Blending of Si-ncs into poly[methoxy-ethylexyloxy-phenylenevinilene] polymer leads to suppression of the PL band originated from surface states. More importantly, those blends showed a photoconductivity response under illumination AM1.5 at room temperature.     

Ultrafast deposition of microcrystalline silicon films using high-density microwave plasma

For fast deposition of microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si:H) films, a microwave-induced high-density plasma source is developed. By using this plasma source, highly crystallized μc-Si:H films can be deposited from SiH₄+He plasma without even using H₂ dilution and substrate heating. A systematic deposition study shows that the film deposition rate increases with increase in the input microwave power and the SiH₄ flow rate. The film crystallinity also improves with power but degrades with increase in the SiH₄ flux. After optimizing the plasma conditions, the deposition of a highly crystallized μc-Si film has been realized at an ultrafast deposition rate higher than 700 nm/s.     

Back surface reflectors with periodic textures fabricated by self-ordering process for light trapping in thin-film microcrystalline silicon solar cells

Back surface reflectors (BSRs) with grating structures have been developed to enhance light trapping in thin-film hydrogenated microcrystalline Si (μc-Si:H) solar cells. As a grating structure, a periodic honeycomb-like dimple pattern with a period of ～450 nm has been fabricated on Al substrates by a self-ordering process using anodic oxidation of Al. The clear diffraction effect has been confirmed on the patterned Al from the angle-dependent reflection. From quantum efficiency measurements, we found that the periodically patterned BSR can confine the incident light more effectively than the random textured BSR, especially at longer wavelengths.