Enhanced luminescence from Si quantum dots/SiO2 multilayers by hydrogen annealing

Si quantum dots/SiO₂ multilayers were prepared by annealing a-Si:H/SiO₂ stacked structures at 1100 °C . Photo- and electro-luminescence band around 750 nm can be observed from Si QDs/SiO₂ multilayers due to the recombination of electron-hole pairs in Si QDs/SiO₂ interfaces. The electro-luminescence intensity was obviously enhanced after post hydrogen annealing at 400 °C. Electron spin resonance measurements were used to characterize the change of the defect states after hydrogen annealing. It is found that there exists a-centers (g value = 2.006), which is related to the Si dangling bonds in Si QDs in our samples. Hydrogen annealing can significantly reduce non-luminescent a-centers and enhance the electro-luminescence intensity consequently.     

Luminescence studies of defects and piezoelectric fields in InGaN/GaN single quantum wells

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), cathodoluminescence in the scanning electron microscope (SEM-CL) and photoluminescence (PL) studies were performed on a 30 nm GaN/2 nm In_0.28Ga _0.72N/2 μm GaN/(0 0 0 1) sapphire single quantum well (SQW) sample. SEM-CL was performed at low temperatures ≈8 K, and at an optimum accelerating voltage, around 4–6 kV to maximise the quantum well (QW) luminescence. The CL in the vicinity of characteristic “V-shaped” pits was investigated. The near band edge (BE) luminescence maps from the GaN showed bright rings inside the boundaries of the pits while the QW luminescence maps showed pits to be regions of low intensity. These observations are consistent with TEM observations showing the absence of QW material in the pits. Variations in both the BE and QW maps in the regions between the pits are ascribed to threading edge dislocations. The CL and PL QW luminescence was observed to blue-shift and broaden with increasing excitation intensity. This was accompanied by decreasing spatial resolution in the CL QW maps implying an increasing carrier diffusion length in the InGaN layer. The reasons for this behaviour are discussed. It is argued that screening of the piezoelectric field in the material may account for these observations.     

Electrical and photoelectrical properties of chalcopyrite n-AgInS2 crystals

The chalcopyrite n-type crystals have been grown from AgInS₂ material having stoichiomtric Ag excess. The temperature dependence of the Hall effect in these crystals have been studied. The ionization energies of donors have been determined. The dependence of the photoconduction on the photon energy, the light intensity and the temperature in the n-AgInS₂ crystals have been measured. The recombination model of photoconductor with one class of recombination centres has been proposed for explanation of the photoelectrical results.     

MEMS用Si台面及SiO2/Si衬底上3C-SiC的LPCVD生长

本文报道用在Si台面及热氧化SiO2衬底上3C-SiC薄膜的LPCVD生长,反应生长使用的气体为SiH4和C2H4,载气为H2,采用光学显微镜、X射线衍射（XRD）、X射线光电子能谱（XPS）、扫描电镜（SEM）、以及室温Hall测试对所生长的3C—SiC材料进行了测试与分析,结果表明在3C-SiC和SiO2之间没有明显的坑洞形成。     

Nb redeposition on Si during plasma etching of Nb/SiO2/Si layers investigated by RBS

The redeposition of electrode material (Ni, Cr, Al) and material of a Nb layer on silicon surface during plasma etching of Nb, SiO₂ and Si by a CF₄ plasma has been investigated by Rutherford Back Scattering spectrometry. It is shown that a steady state exists, what causes a Nb contamination of etched Si surfaces. Obviously this steady state concentration (Nb)_ads is influenced by additional redeposition of non-etchable electrode material as Ni, Cr and Al.     

SiO2纳米线/纳米颗粒复合结构的制备及光致发光性能研究

采用热蒸发法制备了非晶SiO2纳米线/纳米颗粒复合结构,确定了非晶SiO2纳米线、微米颗粒及SiO2纳米线/纳米颗粒复合结构生长的工艺条件,并利用XRD、SEM、Raman、PL光谱等技术手段分析表征样品.实验结果表明,在不同的沉积温度范围内,生长样品的形貌和结构不同;SiO2纳米线/纳米颗粒复合结构的发光区与Si衬底明显不同,主要集中在黄绿光范围.     

Composition of Ge+ and Si+ implanted SiO2/Si layers: Role of oxides in nanocluster formation

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) has been used to examine the atomic content of implanted SiO₂/Si layers. In particular, an XPS analysis permits to identify elemental Ge and Si, as well as GeO₂ precipitations in SiO₂ matrices. The XPS results reveal valuable information not only about the formation mechanism of Ge and Si nanoclusters but also on the annealing kinetics of SiO₂ whose properties are known to be significantly altered during the process of ion implantation and subsequent annealing. The composition of ion beam-modified SiO₂ layers strongly depends on the annealing temperature. With respect to germanium implanted samples a possibility of Ge nanocrystals formation appears at high (above 1000 °C) annealing temperatures. It has been shown that an intermediate step in the Ge oxide formation is necessary for the creation of Ge nanoclusters. Additionally, the presence of a subsurface zone GeO_x (about 100 nm thick) predicted in kinetic three-dimensional lattice simulations has been confirmed. In the case of Si⁺ implanted samples substoichiometric silicon oxide lines in the XPS spectra of a SiO₂ layer for all samples have been observed. No evidence of a line connected to the Si–Si bonding has been observed even at the highest annealing temperatures, at which only stoichiometric SiO₂ has been detected.     

Optical properties of Sr3TaGa3Si2O14 single crystal

The specific rotation ρ of strontium tantalum gallium silicate Sr₃TaGa₃Si₂O₁₄ (STGS) piezoelectric single crystal was determined from 350 to 850 nm by measuring the optical transmission between parallel polarisers in Z direction. It is shown that Sr₃TaGa₃Si₂O₁₄ has quite large a value of ρ which is a little smaller than that of strontium niobium gallium silicate Sr₃NbGa₃Si₂O₁₄ (SNGS). The crystal with ordered structure which is isostructural to calcium gallium germanate Ca₃Ga₂Ge₄O₁₄ (CGG) was grown by Czochraiski technique. And its birefringence was also determined. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Electronic properties of Cu/SiO2/Cu structures at different temperatures

In this experimental work, some electronic properties of vacuum evaporated Cu/SiO₂/Cu structures such as circuiting I_c and emission I_e currents versus the applied voltage, electron attenuation lengths in both copper and SiO₂ layers and the role of the latter layers have been investigated. Experimental results show that these devices undergo an electroforming process leading to resistivity decrease of several orders of magnitude along with a negative resistance region in their current–voltage characteristics. By decreasing the temperature, both I_c and I_e are decreased and at low temperatures the negative resistance region disappears completely. Electron attenuation lengths are measured between 6 and 14 V for copper and SiO₂ layers and their significance are discussed on the base of electron-impurity and electron-defect scatterings. The conduction mechanism is also discussed on the base of a filamentary model.     

Growth and properties of chemical-vapor-deposited Ti-P-O films grown under the CO2- and H2-existing conditions

Amorphous titanium phosphate (Ti-P-O) films are prepared by low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using a mixture of titanium tetrachloride (TiCl₄) and trimethyl phosphite (P(O-CH₃)₃). Two systems are studied: one is the TiCl₄/P(O-CH₃)₃/CO₂ or the CO₂ system and the other is the TiCl₄/P(O-CH₃)₃/H₂ or the H₂ system. Growth and properties of the CVD Ti-P-O films are functions of deposition temperature and the CO₂ and H₂ inputs. The films have a higher growth rate and a lower Ti content at higher deposition temperature. A high CO₂ input favors for film growth, but a high H₂ flow rate is detrimental. Variations of growth rate and film composition with the CO₂ and H₂ inputs are rationalized by the proposed growth mechanisms. The changes in internal stress with deposition temperature and the CO₂ and H₂ inputs are mainly attributed to film thickness. The large difference in electrical resistivity of films of the two systems deposited at 500 °C can be related to the drift of defect protons on the oxygen sites under an electric field.     

Moisture behavior and effects on the mechanical properties and the microstructures of SiO2f/Si3N4–BN amorphous composites

Water diffusion in fiber reinforced ceramic composites could reduce the flexural strength as a result of weakened fiber/matrix binding. In the paper, the braided silica fiber reinforced silicon nitride and boron nitride amorphous composites (SiO_2f/Si₃N₄–BN) was prepared through repeated infiltration of hybrid preceramic precursor and pyrolysis at high temperature in ammonia atmosphere. The moisture behavior of the SiO_2f/Si₃N₄–BN composites and moist effects on the mechanical properties and the microstructures of composites were studied. The results showed that the water absorption characteristic of amorphous composites could be described by using the Fick’ law. The flexural strength could be adjusted and the maximal value of that reached 161.7 MPa by controlling moderate relative humidity, which is 58.8% higher more than that of the as-received composites. SEM indicated that good mechanical properties is on the ground of the interface structure change between fiber and matrix and more fibers were pulled out which absorbing much more fracture energy.     

Optical and structural properties of lead iodide thin films prepared by vacuum evaporation method

Thermally processed lead iodide (PbI₂) thin films were prepared by the vacuum evaporation method in a constant ambient. Measured thickness of the film was verified analytically from the optical transmittance data in a wavelength range between 300 and 1600 nm. From the Tauc relation for the non‐direct inter band transition, the optical band gap of the film was found to be 2.58 eV for film thickness 300 nm. X‐ray diffraction analysis confirmed that PbI₂ films are polycrystalline, having hexagonal structure. The low fluctuation in Urbach energy indicates that the grain size is quite small. The present findings are in agreement with the other results. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Comparison of growth methods for Si/SiO2 nanostructures as nanodot hetero-emitters for photovoltaic applications

Two different growth mechanisms are compared for the fabrication of Si/SiO₂ nanostructures on crystalline silicon (c-Si) to be used as hetero-emitter in high-efficiency solar cells: (1) The decomposition of substoichiometric amorphous SiO_x (a-SiO_x) films with 0 < x < 1.3 and (2) the dewetting of thin amorphous silicon (a-Si) layers.The grown layers are investigated with regard to their structural properties, their passivation quality for c-Si wafer substrates and their electrical properties in order to evaluate their suitability as a nanodot hetero-emitter. While by layer decomposition, no passivating nanodots could be formed, the dewetting process allows fabricating nanodot passivation layers at temperatures as low as 600 °C. The series resistance through Ag/[Si-nanodots in SiO₂]/c-Si/Al structures for dewetting is similar to nanostructured silicon rich SiO_x films. Still, a nanodot hetero-emitter which exhibits both a satisfying passivation of the substrate and induces a high band bending by doping at the same time could not be fabricated yet.     

Structural and luminescence properties of amorphous SiO2 nanoparticles

We report an experimental study on the photoluminescence band peaked at 2.7 eV (blue band) induced by thermal treatments in nanometric amorphous SiO₂. In particular the emission dependence on the nanometric particles size as a function of their mean diameter from 7 nm up to 40 nm is investigated. We found that the emission amplitude increases on decreasing the particle diameter, showing a strong correlation between the blue band and the nanometric nature of the particles. By Raman spectroscopy measurements it is evidenced that the SiO₂ nanoparticles matrix is significantly affected by the reduction of size. Basing on the shell-like model, these findings are interpreted assuming that the defects responsible for the photoluminescence are localized on a surface shell of the particles and not simply on their surface. In addition it is found that the generation efficiency of these defects depends on the structural properties of the SiO₂ matrix in the surface shell.     

Structure and non-linear optical properties of BaO–TiO2–SiO2 glass containing Ba2TiSi2O8 crystal

The BaO–TiO₂–SiO₂ crystallized glass containing Ba₂TiSi₂O₈ crystal phase was examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurement and Maker fringe technique. It has been found that the crystallized glasses with a composition of close to the stoichiometric Ba₂TiSi₂O₈ showed bulk crystallization, whereas other crystallized glasses with non-stoichiometric composition of Ba₂TiSi₂O₈ showed surface crystallization. The parameter ΔT, the difference in temperature between the crystallization onset and the glass transition temperature, strongly affects the crystallization behaviors of the present BTS glasses. The 30BaO–20TiO₂–50SiO₂ transparent surface crystallized glass with strong c-oriented Ba₂TiSi₂O₈ phase showed its second-order non-linear optical constant, d₃₃ = 6.1 pm/V.     

Structure and properties of nanocomposites prepared from ball milled 6061aluminium alloy with ZrO2 nanoparticles

Ball milling of 6061 aluminum alloy and nanocrystalline ZrO₂ powder allowed to obtain homogeneous mixture of nanocrystalline aluminum solid solution of grain size near 50 nm and ZrO₂ particles. The ZrO₂ particles are partially transformed after milling from tetragonal to the monoclinic crystal structure. After hot pressing in vacuum at temperature of 380 °C bulk nanocomposites were obtained of porosity below 1% consisting of aluminum solid solution of the average grain size near 80 nm and nano‐size ZrO₂ particles. Partial recrystallization occurred after hot pressing particularly near particles boundaries, where elongated recrystallized grains free from ZrO₂ nanoparticles of thickness near 1 μm and length of a few μm were identified. Estimated fraction of recrystallized grains was below 10%. The compression strength approaching 1000 MPa was obtained in composites containing 20% ZrO₂ nanoparticles, what is more than reported for ultra and nano‐grain 6XXX aluminum alloys. (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Influence of the TEGa flow on the optical and structural properties of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells grown by MOCVD

We have investigated the influence of the TEGa flow on the optical and structural properties of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) with an indium composition around 20%. The samples with five-pairs InGaN/GaN MQWs were grown on sapphire substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. Photoluminescence spectra at 8 K showed that the MQWs grown with a low amount of TEGa flow gave a strong single peak and a higher emission energy. High-resolution X-ray diffraction measurements showed a deterioration of the InGaN/GaN interfaces in the sample grown with the large TEGa flow. The luminescence thermal quenching characteristics suggested that more structural defects acting as non-radiative recombination centers formed in the MQWs when the TEGa flow increased. The results indicate that decreasing the TEGa flow help to build up a new growth balance during the growth of InGaN wells, leading to less structural defects, more homogeneous indium distribution and the abrupt MQWs interfaces.     

Optical properties of ZnNb2O6 single crystals prepared via the optical floating zone technology

By using an optical floating zone technology, orthorhombic columbit ZnNb₂O₆ single crystals are fabricated successfully. The as‐prepared sample are blue and transparent rods of Φ 4 to 6 mm ×L 48 mm and the biggest domain of Φ 4 mm× L 25 mm. After annealing, the sample fades to colorless. X‐ray diffractions indicates that the as‐perpared samples are ZnNb₂O₆ with orthorhombic columbite structure and grows along the a‐axis. The micropolariscopy in cross transmission arrangements analyzing give that the crystals are of low‐angle crystal boundary‐free and bubble‐free. Besides, the crystals have also been tested by Raman spectra, optical absorption and photoluminescence spectra before and after being annealed. The luminescence pattern has an emission peak located at 450 nm blue‐region.     

Structure and optical properties of amorphous GeSx films prepared by PLD

Amorphous GeS_x (x = 2, 4, 6) films were prepared by the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. The optical band gaps (E_g^opt) and refractive indices of the films were obtained from the optical absorption spectra and transmission spectra, respectively. The short-wave absorption edges of the films were described using the ‘non-direct transition’ model proposed by Tauc. The dispersion of the refractive index was analyzed in terms of the single-oscillator Wemple–Di Domenico model. The structural units of the films were characterized using Raman spectroscopy. In addition to the basic structural units of edge-sharing and corner-sharing [GeS₄] tetrahedra, there are S–S homopolar bonds in S-rich GeS₄ and GeS₆ films while Ge–Ge bonds exist in stoichiometric GeS₂ film. The results show that the index of refraction decreases while E_g^opt increases with the sulphur content in the GeS_x films. The changes of E_g^opt were discussed in relation to the structure of GeS_x films, which were confirmed by the Raman spectra analysis.     

Metalorganic vapour phase epitaxy of GaN and GaInN/GaN heterostructures and quantum wells

This paper reviews the growth and some characteristics of group III-nitrides by metalorganic vapour phase epitaxy with a particular focus on GaInN layers and heterostructures. We discuss the problems encountered with the low In incorporation efficiency. This can be partly compensated by larger growth rates and higher nitrogen-hydrogen ratios in the carrier gas. However, the grown layers with larger In content show evidence of composition fluctuations and even surface roughening due to problems probably arising from the large lattice mismatch to GaN and from the miscibility gap predicted for essentially the whole composition range. This influences strongly the spectroscopic properties. Consequences on the functionality of optoelectronic devices are also shortly discussed.