Electron-beam charging of dielectrics preirradiated with moderate-energy ions and electrons

The effects of charging of dielectric targets irradiated with moderate-energy electrons in a scanning electron microscope are examined. Considerable differences in the kinetics of charging of the reference samples and the samples preirradiated with ions and electrons are reported. These differences are attributed to the processes of radiation-induced defect formation in Al₂O₃ (sapphire) and SiO₂ that are, however, dissimilar in nature. The contributions of surface structure modification and changes in the electrophysical parameters of the surface (specifically, the charge spreading effect) are revealed. Critical doses of irradiation with Ar⁺ ions and electrons inducing active defect formation in dielectric targets and critical values of internal charge fields producing a significant contribution to the temporal parameters of Al₂O₃ and SiO₂ charging are determined.     

Experimental analysis of the stability of electrostatic bits for assisted nano-assembly

Scanning probe microscopy(SPM)-based nanolithography with injected charges into layered electrets, such as silicon dioxide (SiO₂) and silicon nitride, is a promising tool with far-reaching applications, such as controlled nano-assembly of macro-molecules and data storage. Despite its potential, some practical limitations exist. This paper describes an experimental investigation of the process of charging and charge dissipation in SiO₂ using an AFM probe tip and surface potential (Kelvin probe) microscopy. The stability of charge bits on hexamethyl disilazane(HMDS)-treated SiO₂ under low dielectric constant liquids, fluorocarbon, and benzene has been demonstrated. Results from a numerical simulation of a theoretical charging model, in which the charge traps are assumed to be localized on the silicon/SiO₂ interface, are also presented. The charge transport mechanism considered is modified Fowler–Nordheim tunneling.     

Investigation of slow surface states on a real germanium surface by the optical excitation technique

The slow states (SS) charging ΔQ_s under the action of light quanta of different energy (2 ? hv ? 4.6 eV) has been investigated on a real germanium surface. The considerable influence on the optical SS charging of the preparation method as well as of adsorption-desorption processes has been revealed. On the basis of the spectral dependencies ΔQ_s(hv) the conclusion has been made about the existence of the adsorption-sensitive system of “fluctuation” electron states near the edges of energy bands of the oxide layer. The photocharging method has been shown the construction of the whole energy scheme of the semiconductor-dielectric heterojunction (including the band gap of the dielectric layer). The possible origin of the deep traps in oxide layer which are responsible for the optical charging of a real germanium surface, has been discussed.     

Polaron and ion diffusion in a poly(3-hexylthiophene) thin-film transistor gated with polymer electrolyte dielectric

Electrolytes are finding applications as dielectric materials in low-voltage organic thin-film transistors (OTFT). The presence of mobile ions in these materials (polymer electrolytes or ion gels) gives rise to very high capacitance (>10 μF/cm²) and thus low transistor turn-on voltage. In order to establish fundamental limits in switching speeds of electrolyte gated OFETs, we carry out in situ optical spectroscopy measurement of a poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) OTFT gated with a LiClO₄:poly(ethyleneoxide) (PEO) dielectric. Based on spectroscopic signatures of molecular vibrations and polaron transitions, we quantitatively determine charge carrier concentration and diffusion constants. We find two distinctively different regions: at V _G≥−1.5 V, drift-diffusion (parallel to the semiconductor/dielectric interface) of hole-polarons in P3HT controls charging of the device; at V _G<−1.5 V, electrochemical doping of the entire P3HT film occurs and charging is controlled by drift/diffusion (perpendicular to the interface) of ClO₄ ⁻ counter ions into the polymer semiconductor.     

A hybrid model for the charging process of the amorphous SiO2 film in radio frequency microelectromechanical system capacitive switches

Charging is one of the most important reliability issues in radio frequency microelectro-mechanical systems(RF MEMS) capacitive switches since it makes the actuation voltage unstable.This paper proposes a hybrid model to describe the transient dielectric charging and discharging process in the defect-rich amorphous SiO 2 RF MEMS capacitive switches and verifies experimentally.The hybrid model contains two parts according to two different charging mechanisms of the amorphous SiO 2,which are the polarisation and charge injection.The models for polarisation and for charge injection are established,respectively.Analysis and experimental results show that polarisation is always effective,while the charge injection has a threshold electric field to the amorphous SiO 2 film.Under different control voltage conditions,the hybrid model can accurately describe the experimental data.     

Determination of the energy diagram of a dielectric-semiconductor structure from the photocharging spectra of the dielectric

The Ge-GeO₂ and Si-SiO₂ structures are investigated by the method of optical charging of traps in the dielectric. It is shown that by measuring the photocharging spectrum in a wide temperature range, one may obtain information on the boundaries of delocalized states of the dielectric as well as on the dimensions of the tails of fluctuation localized states.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 5, pp. 36–40, May, 1982.     

Charging potential of dielectrics and insulated conductors as a function of the angle of incidence of an electron beam

The cardinal characteristics of the charging of dielectric and ungrounded metal targets within radiation by medium-energy electrons (0.5–10 keV) have been studied theoretically and experimentally as a function of the angle of incidence of the electron beam. The coefficients of electron emissions and the second critical energy of primary (radiating) electrons, E _2C , have been determined as a function of the angle of incidence α when the targets are not being charged.     

Analysis of the electrostatic force on a dielectric particle with partial charge distribution

This paper presents the analysis of the electrostatic force acting on a charged dielectric particle on a grounded plane. The force has been determined by a numerical field calculation method to make clear the effect of particle dielectric constant and charge distribution on the particle surface. The charge is treated to be distributed in three ways: (a) uniformly over entire surface, (b) partially on the upper, or (c) on the lower part of a particle. The calculation results show that, if a particle with dielectric constant ?_p = 3 is partially charged on the lower part by a zenith angle π/2, π/4 and π/8, the force shall be higher by 0.7, 4.3 and 20 times, respectively, than that for a uniform charging with the same charge amount. On the other hand, the force becomes weaker when charge is on the upper part. The effect of the particle dielectric constant is found to be dependent on the charge distribution. With charge uniform on the entire surface or on the upper part, the force always increases with the dielectric constant. However, when surface charge is restricted to a small area at the lower part of the particle (θ_q < π/4), the force may decrease with increasing the dielectric constant.     

Some consequences of the superposition of anomalous charging and discharging currents in dielectrics

An analysis of the time dependence of the anomalous discharging current, which flows through a dielectric after it has been charged for a finite period of time, is carried out. The validity of thet ^–n law for the anomalous charging current is assumed in the time interval under consideration, i.e. in times shorter than the mean relaxation time. It is shown that the shape of the log (anomalous discharging current) — log (time) curve for a charging periodt _c in this case is similar to that of the log (anomalous discharging current) — log (time) curve obtained after the infinite charging, if the mean relaxation time is neart _c . This fact may lead to a false interpretation of the experimental results. Corrections for the determination of the true magnitude and slope of the time dependent anomalous discharging current are given in the case of finite charging periods of time.     

Influence of domain structure on the nonlinear polarization properties of A 2 BX 4-group crystals

Harmonic analysis of repolarization in A ₂ BX ₄-group crystals in the ferroelectric phase near phase-transition temperature T _c is used to separate the contributions to the harmonic-component amplitudes in the output signal of a Sawyer-Tower circuit from charging the reference capacitor with capacitive and conductive current through such a crystal. Harmonic analysis of dielectric hysteresis loops obtained by placing a specimen in an electric field with harmonically changing strength reveals general regularities in the evolution of the domain walls of A ₂ BX ₄-group crystals. It is established that the domain structure affects the nonlinear polarization properties of our specimens. The dependence of the potential relief of ferroelectric ion motion in a harmonically changing electric field is plotted on the basis of the experimental results.     

Effect of the atomic number of the support on space-charge buildup in electron-irradiated dielectric films

A study is made of the effect of the atomic number z_s of the support on the charging of thin dielectric films irradiated with 50-keV electrons at beam densities of 10^–5–10^–4 A·m². It is shown that at larger z_s the ratio between the charge-injection and pair-production rate increases, producing a higher space-charge buildup efficiency. The maximum charge increases with the current density, while is not affected. It is found that the charging process is associated with a spacecharge current.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnkh Zavedenii, Fizika, pp. 14–18, No. 1, January, 1986.     

Fast iterative approach to the difference scattering from a dielectric target above a rough surface

1 Introduction Electromagnetic scattering from the target above or beneath a rough surface has at- tracted much interest during recent years, because of extensive applications to radar surveillance, target detection, ground radar probing, and so on[1―3]. In order to numeri- cally simulate scattering from composite model of the target and underlying rough sur- face, some fast numerical methods, such as general forward backward method and spec- trum acceleration algorithm (GFBM/SAA)[4,5], fin…     

The effect of substrate material on the properties of tantalum oxide films

The effect of substrate material on the electrical characteristics of Ta _x O _y films produced by high-frequency magnetron sputtering of a tantalum oxide target is studied. The effect of oxygen plasma on leakage currents, dielectric permittivity, and dielectric dissipation factor of thin (300–400 nm) Ta _x O _y layers is found. It is proposed to process tantalum oxide films in oxygen plasma to control their electrical and dielectric properties.     

Fast iterative approach to the difference scattering from a dielectric target above a rough surface

The difference field RCS (d-RCS) has been defined to analyze the scattering from the target above a rough surface. The electric field integral equations (EFIEs) of the difference induced currentJ _sd on the rough surface, the induced electric currentJ _o and magnetic currentK _o on the dielectric target under a TE wave incidence are derived. A small portion of the rough surface towards the target along the specular direction is taken to compute the scattering contributionE _s0 from the rough surface towards the target, which improves the computation speed. A numerical iterative approach is developed to solve the EFIEs and bistatic d-RCS. The surface length for iterations is dependent on the scattering angle and discussed for comparison with Johnson’s method. Using the Monte-Carlo method to generate the Pierson-Morkowitz (P-M) ocean-like rough surface, bistatic d-RCS of the dielectric target, e.g. a cylinder or a square column, above the rough surface is numerically simulated. The induced electric and magnetic currents on the dielectric target and the difference induced current on the rough surface are numerically discussed.     

Facile preparation of SnC2O4 nanowires for anode materials of a Li ion battery

A simple method of creating densely-packed nanostructures of functional metal oxides is attractive, but it has always been a challenge. Here, we synthesize well-distributed nanostructures of Sn complexes (SnC₂O₄ and SnO₂) via a simple chemical anodization technique followed by annealing. Chemical anodization of Sn surface in oxalic acid, using various organic solvents, provides one-dimensional nanostructures of SnC₂O₄. Length and packing density were precisely controlled by several parameters: solubility of oxalic acid, dielectric constant of organic solvents, and the ion transfer of proton and oxalate anion. Further thermal decomposition converts the SnC₂O₄ nanowires into SnO₂ nanowires, maintaining the nanostructure form in the process. In addition, we expect that the mixture of SnC₂O₄ and SnO₂ nanowires synthesized by this approach might be potential alternative anode materials for prompt charging and discharging Li ion batteries.     

Research on Electron Emission from Dielectric Materials by a Monte Carlo Method

The charge accumulation in an insulating material under an electron beam bombardment exerts a significant influence to scanning electron microscopic imaging. This work investigates the charging formation process by a self-consistent Monte Carlo simulation of charge production and transportation based on a charge dynamics model. The charging effect in a semi-infinite SiO₂ bulk and SiO₂ trapezoidal lines on a SiO₂ or Si substrate has been studied. We used two methods to calculate the spatial distributions of electric potential and electric field for two different systems respectively: the image charge method was used to deal with a semi-infinite bulk, and, random walk method to solve the Poisson equation for a complex geometric structure. The dynamic charging behavior depending on irradiation time has been investigated for SiO₂. The simulated CD-SEM images of SiO₂ trapezoidal lines with charging effect included were compared well with experimental results, showing the contrast change of SEM image along with scanning frames due to charging.     

Pressure dependence of space charge deposition in piezoelectric polymer foams: simulations and experimental verification

The piezoelectric activity of PQ-50 cellular polypropylene (PP) foam (an example of a so-called ferroelectret) is measured after repeated charging in a nitrogen atmosphere at a range of pressures between 61 and 381?kPa. The results are compared against simulations using a multilayer electromechanical model based on Townsend??s model of Paschen breakdown and a realistic distribution of void heights determined from scanning electron micrographs. The modeled piezoelectric coefficients versus pressure are in good agreement with experimental data when adjusted Paschen coefficients are used, indicating that the Paschen curve for electric breakdown in gases needs to be modified for dielectric barrier discharges in microcavities. The highest d ₃₃ coefficients were achieved for pressures above 251?kPa. For previously uncharged PP foam, the model predicts an optimal charging pressure of 186 kPa.     

4f–5d hybridization in a high k dielectric

While intra-atomic f–d hybridization is expected, experimental confirmation of f–d hybridization in the photoemission final state leading to 4f band structure has been limited to 5f systems and compound systems with very shallow 4f levels. We demonstrate that core 4f states can contribute to the valence band structure in a wide band gap dielectric, in this case HfO₂ in the photoemission final state. In spite of the complications of sample charging, we find evidence of symmetry in the shallow 4f levels and wave vector dependent band dispersion, the latter consistent with the crystal structure of HfO₂.     

Growth and properties of YAlO film synthesized by RF magnetron sputtering

YAlO films are synthesized on (1 0 0)-oriented Si substrates by RF magnetron sputtering method. Al₂O₃ wafer is used as a target material, and some small pieces of Y bulk material are put on the Al₂O₃ target to synthesize YAlO films. Y composition ratio is varied from 0 to 34%. Amorphous YAlO films are characterized. An electrical resistivity as high as 3.4 × 10¹⁴ Ω-cm is achieved for the YAlO film with Y composition ratio of 10%. The dielectric constant increases with increasing Y composition ratio, and the YAlO film with Y composition ratio of 34% has a dielectric constant of 10.2. The bandgap energy of the YAlO film is suggested to be wider than 6.5 eV. YAlO films with a surface roughness of 0.4-1.3 nm are obtained irrespective of the Y composition ratio.     

非聚焦电子束照射SiO2薄膜带电效应

采用考虑电子散射、俘获、输运和自洽场的三维数值模型, 模拟了低能非聚焦电子束照射接地SiO₂薄膜的带电效应. 结果表明, 由于电子的迁移和扩散, 电子会渡越散射区域产生负空间电荷分布. 空间电荷呈现在散射区域内为正, 区域外为负的交替分布特性. 对于薄膜负带电, 电子会输运至导电衬底形成泄漏电流, 其暂态过程随泄漏电流的增加趋于平衡. 而正带电暂态过程随返回二次电子的增多而趋于平衡. 在平衡态时, 负带电表面电位随薄膜厚度、陷阱密度的增大而降低, 随电子迁移率、薄膜介电常数的增大而升高;而正带电表面电位受它们影响较小.