1,721,083 research outputs found
Determination of Mg concentration and distribution in MgxZn1-xO films for photonic devices application
No full textAmong the transparent conductor, one of themost interesting is the Al doped MgxZn1-xO films for their electrical properties that make it very attracting for solar cell application. In thiswork, the Mg distribution in Al doped MgxZn1-xO films was investigated in order to find a reliable methods to determine Mg distribution. In particular, X-ray diffraction, Auger electron spectroscopy and time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry were used to characterize the film. Time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry MCs+ results appear to be the most promising analytical technique
MOVPE growth studies of Ga(NASP)/(BGA)(ASP) multi quantum well heterostructures (MQWH) for the monolithic integration of laser structures on (001) Si-substrates
No full textHigh-quality, pseudomorphically strained Ga(NAsP)/(BGA)(AsP)-multiple quantum well heterostructures (MQWH) have been deposited on exactly oriented (001) Si-substrate by metal organic vapour phase epitaxy (MOVPE) in a wide temperature range between 525 °C and 700 °C. The individual atomic incorporation efficiencies, growth rates as well as nanoscale material properties have been clarified by applying detailed high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HR-XRD), photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and high-angle annular dark field (HAADF) scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) studies. An almost constant N-incorporation efficiency is obtained for a wide growth temperature range from 550 °C up to 650 °C. The P-incorporation is steadily increasing with increasing growth temperature reaching values at high temperatures in excess of the applied gas phase ratio. While the lower interface from the binary GaP- to the quaternary Ga(NAsP)-material system is very sharp, the upper interface is significantly rougher with a roughness scale of ±0.43 nm in quantum well thickness variation at a growth temperature of 525 °C. This roughness scale increases steadily with increasing growth temperature. No indication of any phase separation effects is detected in the Ga(NAsP)-material system even at the highest growth temperature of 700 °C. The obtained experimental results are briefly discussed with respect to the anticipated metastable character of the novel dilute-nitride Ga(NAsP)-material system grown lattice-matched to (001) Si-substrate. © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
GaP-interlayer formation on epitaxial GaAs(100) surfaces in MOVPE ambient
No full textThe challenge to embed a single monolayer of phosphorus during epitaxial gallium arsenide (GaAs) growth triggers numerous questions regarding practical preparation, effective analysis, and fundamental consideration of the resulting interlayers. Beyond better understanding of III-V heterointerface formation processes, precise interlayer incorporation may enable enhanced interface design, effective diffusion barriers, and advanced band structure engineering. We employ metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) in various growth modes (continuous, with interruptions, pulsed, surface exchange) targeting the most abrupt incorporation of thinnest GaP films in the GaAs(100) matrix. The intensities of higher order interference fringes in high resolution X-ray diffraction (HR-XRD) serve as a measure of the effective GaPxAs1−x film thickness and P concentration, which is compared to compositional analysis based on scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). In situ reflection anisotropy spectroscopy (RAS) provided us with insights to the GaAs(100) surface configurations relevant during the P interlayer preparation. © 2016 Elsevier B.V
Diffraction line profiles of spherical hollow nanocrystals
No full textAn analytical expression of diffraction line profiles of spherical hollow nanocrystals (NCs) is derived. The particular features of the profile lines, enhanced peak tail intensity, are analyzed and discussed as a function of the NC size parameters (outer and inner radius, shell thickness). The explicit formula for the integral breadth, the Fourier particle size, and the Scherrer constants are also obtained and discussed in detail. The diffraction line profiles of hollow CdS NCs of zincblende and wurtzite crystallographic structure are calculated and compared with Debye scattering profiles. The diffraction profiles of both approaches exhibit an enhanced peak tail intensity that can be considered as a fingerprint of the hollow NC structure
LabZERO, an interdisciplinary living laboratory for the promotion of renewables and energy efficiency
No full textLabZERO is a multidisciplinary laboratory located at Politecnico di Bari and ENEA Centro Ricerche di Brindisi aimed to promote energy efficiency and renewables in both urban and industrial districts. The lab activities are oriented to provide fast-prototyping, instrumentation, methodologies and equipment for material characterization of new components in the field of energy efficiency, micro-generation, micro-grids, renewables, energy hubs, energy districts. © 2016 AEIT
Nanostructure size evolution during Au-catalysed growth by carbo-thermal evaporation of well-aligned ZnO nanowires on (100)Si
No full textWe report the structural and morphological properties of well-aligned ZnO nanowires grown at 750°C on Au-deposited and annealed (100)Si substrates using carbothermal evaporation. As-grown nanowires are made of wurtzite ZnO, have cylindrical shape and carry droplet-like nanoparticles (NPs) at their tips, as expected for vapour–liquid–solid (VLS) growth. Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction measurements demonstrate that the NPs are made of pure fcc Au. No secondary Au/Zn alloy phases were detected. Bragg diffraction patterns confirmed that the nanowires were grown with their crystal c-axes parallel to the [100] direction of Si (i.e. normal to the substrate surface), while Au NPs are mostly (111)-oriented. The diameter distribution of ZnO nanowires mimics that of the Au NPs at their tips. A quantitative study of the nanostructure size distribution after sequential annealing and growth steps evidences the occurrence of three nanoscale processes: (i) Ostwald ripening and/or coalescence of Au NPs before nanowire nucleation, (ii) Au-catalysed VLS nucleation and axial growth of ZnO nanowires and (iii) radial growth of nanowires by a vapour–solid process. These processes originate the NP and nanowire size evolution during the experiments. The present findings are interpreted in terms of Zn vapour pressure changes during carbo-thermal evaporation
New approach in Auger elemental relative sensitive factor calculation by using TEM-EDS analysis based on bi-layers of pure elements
No full textIn fabrication of microelectronic devices two important steps are often recognized: i) all the processes performed on the wafer in order to build the active part of the devices and, ii) the assembly and packaging processes, typically performed on a chip, in order to fabricate interconnections between active part and exterior. The wafer back side is an active part of power devices and is normally coated with a stack of Ti-Ni-Au or Ti-Ni-Ag layers to ensure the best electrical contact with the frame on which the device is attached prior to the packaging. An important failure mechanism related to this particular process step is related to the diffusion of Ni to the surface of the stack that causes its oxidation on the back metal surface, inhibiting the correct connection to the metallic frame. Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) is a powerful analytical technique that can be used to detect this failure mechanism for its very high sensitivity in the characterization of surface layers. Unfortunately, its results are mainly qualitative. Quantitative extrapolations can be inaccurate using library Elemental Relative Sensitive Factor (ERSF) because they are mainly referred to a silicon substrate and could be not valid for a different matrix. A most accurate evaluation of the ERSF is based on the analysis, under identical experimental condition, of standard materials (with known concentration) that should be similar to the unknown sample and having the same matrix. However, the production of this kind of standard is not easy due to the mobility of Ni in Au and Ag. Another commonly used technique is the Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry (EDS) which is less sensitive than the Auger and not sufficiently adequate for a quantitative analysis due to the limitation of the matrix correction methods. Recently, a new method to perform quantitative analysis by using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) EDS was proposed, starting from bi-layers of pure elements. In this work we show how the use of TEM-EDS quantification of Ni in Ag could be a successful method for ERSF evaluation in order to overcome matrix effect in Auger quantification. For this purpose suitable foils of Ag/Al and Ni/Al were used. The validation of the method was performed on a sample with a tri-metal stack of Ti/Ni/Ag previously stimulated by means of a thermal budget to induce Ni migration on Ag surface. The quantitative analysis allowed us to use this characterized sample as AES standard for ERSF calculation. © 201
Surface analytical characterization of Streptavidin/poly(3–hexylthiophene) bilayers for bio-electronic applications
No full textThe analytical performance of bioelectronic devices is highly influenced by their fabrication methods. In particular, the final architecture of field-effect transistor biosensors combining spin-cast poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) film and a biomolecule interlayer deposited on a SiO2/Si substrate can lead to the development of highly performing sensing systems, such as for the case of streptavidin (SA) used for biotin sensing. To gain a better understanding of the quality of the interfacial area, critical is the assessment of the morphological features characteristic of the adopted biolayer deposition protocol, namely: the layer-by-layer (LbL) approach and the spin coating technique. The present study relies on a combined surface spectroscopic and morphological characterization. Specifically, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy operated in the parallel angle-resolved mode allowed the non-destructive investigation of the in-depth chemical composition of the SA film, alone or in the presence of the P3HT overlayer. Spectroscopic data were supported and corroborated by the results obtained with a Scanning Electron and a Helium Ion microscope investigation performed on the SA layer that provided relevant information on the protein structural arrangement or on its surface morphology. Clear differences emerged between the SA layers prepared by the two approaches, with the layer-by-layer deposition resulting in a smoother and better defined bio-electronic interface. Such findings support the superior analytical performance shown by bioelectronic devices based on LbL-deposited protein layers over spin coated ones. © 2017 Elsevier B.V
Surface analytical characterization of P3HT-streptavidin bilayers for biosensing applications
No full textUltrasensitive biosensors based on bottom gate organic field-effect transistors can be developed by depositing a functional biological (protein) interlayer directly on the silicon oxide gate dielectric and underneath the organic semiconductor film. However, the deposition methods for assembling the protein biological recognition layer can affect the biosensor analytical performances for the target analyte detection. Here, spin-coating and layer-by-layer techniques were considered as different approaches for streptavidin protein deposition. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was systematically used in the non-destructive parallel angle resolved mode to characterize the multilayer device at each step of its assembly to gain information on elemental depth profiles. Scanning electron and scanning Helium ion microscopies gave information about stacked layer structure and morphology corroborating XPS results. © 2015 Materials Research Society
INFLUENCE OF STRUCTURAL CONFIGURATION ON THE FAR-INFRARED REFLECTIVITY OF MULTIPLE QUANTUM-WELLS AND SHORT-PERIOD SUPERLATTICES
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