Preparation and Characterization of Superconducting B1-Type Mo1-xNbxN Thin Films

Solid-solution thin films, Mo_1−xNb_xN, with B1 (NaCl) structure have been deposited on substrates at 450°C by reactive sputtering of composite targets with Mo and Nb metals in an equimolar Ar and N₂ gas mixture. The lattice parameter of the solid solution increased linearly with an increase of Nb content, x . The superconducting transition temperature, T _c, of the Mo-rich films ( x ≦ 0.12) was around 6 K, which was lower than that expected from theoretical prediction. The residual resistivity ratio, r =ρ(300 K)/ρ(20 K), of the films varied with x , and a minimum value of r was observed in the vicinity of x = 0.5.     

Twinning in Low-Temperature MOCVD Grown GaN on (001) GaAs Substrate

GaN buffer layers (thickness ～60nm) grown on GaAs(001) by low-temperature MOCVD are investigated by X-ray diffraction pole figure measurements using synchrotron radiation in order to understand the heteroepitaxial growth features of GaN on GaAs(001) substrates.In addition to the epitaxially aligned crystallites,their corresponding twins of the first and the second order are found in the Xray diffraction pole figures.Moreover,{111} φ scans with χ at 55°reveal the abnormal distribution of Bragg diffractions.The extra intensity maxima in the pole figures shows that the process of twinning plays a dominating role during the growth process.It is suggested that the polarity of {111} facets emerged on (001) surface will affect the growth twin nucleation at the initial stages of GaN growth on GaAs(001) substrates.It is proposed that twinning is prone to occurring on {111}B,Nterminated facets.     

Consideration of some dilute-solution phenomena based on an expression for the Gibbs free energy

Rigorous expressions based on the Lennard-Jones (6–12) potential, are presented for the Gibbs and Helmholtz free energy of a dilute mixture. These expressions give the free energy of the mixture in terms of the thermodynamic properties of the pure solvent, thereby providing a convenient means of correlating dilute mixture behavior with that of the pure solvent. Expressions for the following dilute binary solution properties are derived: Henry's constant, limiting activity coefficients with their derivatives, solid solubilities in supercritical gases, and mixed second virial coefficients. The Henry's constant expression suggests a linear temperature dependence; application to solubility data for various gases in methane and water shows a good agreement between theory and experiment. In the thermodynamic modeling of supercritical fluid extraction, we have demonstrated how to predict new solubility-pressure isotherms from a given isotherm, with encouraging results. The mixed second virial coefficient expression has also been applied to experimental data; the agreement with theory is good.Paper presented at the Ninth Symposium on Thermophysical Properties, June 24–27, 1985, Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A.     

Chemical–mechanical pretreatment of wood: Reducing downsizing energy and increasing enzymatic digestibility

A chemimechanical (CM) pretreatment method was devised, wherein wood chips are acid-treated to weaken the physical structure then disc-refined to produce a fibrous substrate. CM pretreatment was directly compared with a common dilute acid (DA) pretreatment method, wherein wood is mechanically downsized to a powder or fiber substrate and then acid-treated. It was hypothesized that the CM pretreatment sequence would reduce the energy required for size reduction and increase enzymatic digestibility of the pretreated substrate. By treating wood chips in a dilute sulfuric acid liquor before the mechanical downsizing step, the net specific energy (NSE) of disc-refining was reduced by up to 95%. At the optimal acid treatment and disc-refining conditions determined within this work, CM pretreatment could produce a highly digestible lignocellulose substrate (95% cellulose conversion) while requiring less than 100 kWh/tonne od NSE for mechanical downsizing. A comparison of CM and DA pretreated hardwood revealed that CM pretreatment produced a significantly more digestible substrate than DA pretreatment. Differences in the digestibility of CM and DA pretreated substrates were attributed to differences in physical structure. CM pretreatment produced a substrate that consisted primarily of single fibers and small fiber bundles, while DA pretreatment produced larger fiber bundles. Furthermore, the CM pretreated substrate had a more accessible pore structure, and an altered distribution of surface lignin.     

Intermediate-band solar cells based on dilute alloys and quantum dots

This paper describes our recent developments of intermediate-band solar cells, with a focus on the use of dilute alloys and nanostructured materials such as quantum dots (QDs). The concept of"full-spectrum" solar cells and their working mechanism with various material structures based intermediate-band solar cells, including material growth, structural and chemical analysis, device modeling and testing, are presented. Finally, the progress and challenges of quantum-dot-based solar cells are discussed.     

X-ray reflectivity and atomic force microscopy studies of MOCVD grown AlxGa1-xN/GaN superlattice structures

The grazing incidence X-ray reflectivity (GIXR) technique and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were exploited to obtain an accurate evaluation of the surfaces and interfaces for metalorganic chemical vapor deposition grown Al<,x>Ga<,1-x>N/GaN superlattice structures. The X-ray diffraction results have been combined with reflectivity data to evaluate the layer thickness and Al mole fraction in the AIGaN layer. The presence of a smooth interface is responsible for the observation of intensity oscillation in GIXR, which is well correlated to step flow observation in AFM images of the surface. The structure with a low Al mole fraction (x = 0.25) and thin well width has a rather smooth surface for the R<,rms> of AFM data value is 0.45 nm.     

Electron-emission properties of carbon nanotube micro-tips coated by amorphous carbon nitride films

An approach to the preparation of a tip-type of field emitter that is made up of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) coated with amorphous carbon nitride (a-CN_x) films is presented for the purpose of enhancing its electron emission property. CNTs were directly grown on nano-sized conical-type tungsten tips via the inductively coupled plasma-chemical vapor deposition system, and a-CN_x films were coated on the CNTs using an radio frequency magnetron sputtering system. The morphologies and microstructures of the a-CN_x-coated CNTs were analyzed via field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The electron emission properties of the a-CN_x/CNT hetero-structures were measured using a high-vacuum field emission measurement system. The best field emission properties, such as a very low turn-on voltage of 500 V and a maximum emission current of 176 μA were achieved for the CNT emitter coated with the 5 nm-thick a-CN_x film. In addition, this emitter showed a highly stable behavior in long-term (up to 25 h) electron emission.     

The effect of the terminating bonds on the electronic properties of sputtered carbon nitride thin films

Amorphous carbon nitride films (a-CN_x) were grown by reactive radio-frequency magnetron sputtering of a graphite target in an argon/nitrogen gas mixture. The total discharge pressure was 1 Pa and the total nitrogen partial pressure (NPP) in plasma was varied between 0 and 100%. The correlation between the microstructure changes, the optoelectronic properties and the internal stress has been investigated in order to prevent the limiting role of the terminating bonds on the electronic properties of the a-CN_x films, and to determine the range of the nitrogen content improving these properties. The analysis of the results reveals that below 3%, the nitrogen incorporation induces an increase in the density of π-bonds, which promotes the enhancement of the conductivity and the reduction of the optical gap. With increasing NPP ratio up to 6%, the formation of terminating bonds within the network reduces the connectivity of the graphitic network, decreasing the conductivity. For higher N content, the reaction of the bonds terminating with water can increase the compressive stress, leading to spontaneous delamination of films.     

Families of magnetic semiconductors — an overview

The interplay of magnetic and semiconducting properties has been in the focus for more than a half of the century. In this introductory article we briefly review the key properties and functionalities of various magnetic semiconductor families, including europium chalcogenides, chromium spinels, dilute magnetic semiconductors, dilute ferromagnetic semiconductors and insulators, mentioning also sources of non-uniformities in the magnetization distribution, accounting for an apparent high Curie temperature ferromagnetism in many systems. Our survey is carried out from today's perspective of ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic spintronics as well as of the emerging fields of magnetic topological materials and atomically thin 2D layers.