Measurement of the elastic properties of evaporated C60 films by surface acoustic waves

Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) pulses were excited in C₆₀ films deposited on quartz and silicon substrates using pulses from excimer lasers with wavelengths of 248 nm and 308 nm for excitation. An optical beam-deflection technique and polymer electret transducers were utilized to detect the propagation of the SAW pulse with high spatial and temporal resolution, allowing an accuracy of better than 0.1% for SAW velocity measurements. With this technique the frequency dependence of the SAW velocity was determined for a number of fullerite films and density, as well as elastic bulk properties of the films were derived by a theoretical analysis of the dispersion effect.     

Mechanical and elastic properties of amorphous hydrogenated silicon films studied by broadband surface acoustic wave spectroscopy

Mechanical and elastic properties of a-SiH films were measured by broadband Surface Acoustic Wave Spectroscopy (SAWS). In the frequency range achieved, the SAW dispersion curves extend to 300 MHz, which allowed the density, Young's modulus, and Poisson's ratio to be evaluated for films grown by laser CVD or plasma CVD with different hydrogen concentrations. The films deposited by either method have the best mechanical and elastic properties. at a hydrogen concentration of about 10 at. %. For this material, a density of (2300±20) kg/m³ and Young's modulus of (134±5) GPa was determined. The network structures of amorphous silicon are discussed by applying the constraint-counting model to estimate the mean coordination number.     

Unusual elastic behavior of nanocrystalline diamond thin films

This Letter studies the relationship between the elastic constants and the microstructure of nanocrystalline diamond thin films deposited by the chemical vapor deposition method doping various concentration of N2 gas. The elastic constants were measured by resonant ultrasound spectroscopy and picosecond laser ultrasounds. The increase of N2 gas decreases the diagonal elastic constants, but increases the off-diagonal elastic constants. The micromechanics calculation can explain this unusual elastic behavior, and it predicts thin graphitic phases at grain boundaries.     

氧离子注入纳米金刚石薄膜的微结构和电化学性能研究

在纳米金刚石薄膜中注入剂量为1012cm-2的氧离子,并进行700,800,900和1000?C的真空退火处理,系统研究薄膜的微结构和电化学性能结果表明,氧离子注入未退火(O120)和氧离子注入1000?C退火(O121000)电极的电势窗口分别为4.60 V和3.61 V,远大于其他电极的电势窗口,并且这两个样品的电极传质效率较高,说明氧离子注入和高温退火有利于提高电极的传质效率.红外光谱测试表明,样品O120和O121000的表面没有碳氢基团终止层,而其他样品均含有氢终止层,说明氧离子注入和高温退火破坏了薄膜表面含碳氢基团的氢终止层,提高了薄膜的电化学性能Raman光谱测试结果表明,金刚石含量较高、内应力较小和非晶石墨相无序化程度较大的样品具有较好的电化学性能;并且薄膜晶界处的非晶碳的团簇数量或者尺寸减小,样品的电化学性能提高.     

退火对B掺杂纳米金刚石薄膜微结构和电化学性能的影响

采用热丝化学气相沉积法制备B掺杂纳米金刚石薄膜,并对薄膜进行真空退火处理,系统研究了不同退火温度对B掺杂纳米金刚石薄膜的微结构和电化学性能的影响.结果表明,当退火温度升高到800 ℃后,薄膜的Raman谱图中由未退火时在1157,1346,1470,1555 cm^-1处的4个峰转变为只有D峰和G峰,说明晶界上的氢大量解吸附量减少,并且D峰和G峰的积分强度比I_D/I_G值变为最小,即sp²相团簇     

Influence of ultrasonic surface acoustic waves. on local friction studied by lateral force microscopy

We studied dynamic friction phenomena introduced by ultrasonic surface acoustic waves using a scanning force microscope in the lateral force mode and a scanning acoustic force microscope. An effect of friction reduction was found when applying surface acoustic waves to the micro-mechanical tip-sample contact. Employing standing acoustic wave fields, the wave amplitude dependent friction variation can be visualized within a microscopic area. At higher wave amplitudes, a regime was found where friction vanishes completely. This behavior is explained by the mechanical diode effect, where the tip's rest position is shifted away from the surface in response to ultrasonic waves.     

Reflection and mode conversion of surface acoustic waves studied by scanning acoustic force microscopy

We present measurements of the reflection and mode conversion of surface acoustic waves (SAWs) by scanning acoustic force microscopy (SAFM). The SAFM offers a unique combination of high lateral resolution and high sensitivity towards acoustic modes of all polarizations. Since a SAW mixing experiment of two waves can be performed even if the amplitude difference between both waves is 40 dB, wavefields of extremely small amplitudes can be investigated. Using SAFM, the reflection of SAWs from a metallic wedge is investigated with submicron lateral resolution. We are able to identify two reflected wave modes, a Love and a non-coupling Rayleigh mode, by measuring their phase velocities. Received: 4 December 2000 / Accepted: 6 December 2000 / Published online: 9 February 2001     

Nondestructive determination of film thickness with laser-induced surface acoustic waves

The application of surface acoustic waves(SAWs) for thickness measurement is presented. By studying the impact of film thickness h on the dispersion phenomenon of surface acoustic waves, a method for thickness determination based on theoretical dispersion curve v( fh) and experimental dispersion curve v( f) is developed. The method provides a series of thickness values at different frequencies f, and the mean value is considered as the final result of the measurement. The thicknesses of six interconnect films are determined by SAWs, and the results are compared with the manufacturer's data.The relative differences are in the range from 0.4% to 2.18%, which indicates that the surface acoustic wave technique is reliable and accurate in the nondestructive thickness determination for films. This method can be generally used for fast and direct determination of film thickness.     

Young’s modulus and density of nanocrystalline cubic boron nitride films determined by dispersion of surface acoustic waves

Cubic boron nitride (c-BN) films of 200–420 nm thickness and high phase purity were deposited on silicon (100) substrates by ion-assisted pulsed laser deposition (IA PLD)from a boron nitride target using a KrF-excimer laser, and by plasma-enhanced physical vapor deposition (PE PVD)with a hollow-cathode arc evaporation device. In order to improve the c-BNfilm adhesion, hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) films with 25–50 nm thickness were used as buffer layers. The density and Young’s modulus of the c-BNfilms were obtained by investigating the dispersion of surface acoustic waves. In data analysis a two-layer model was applied in order to take the influence of the h-BNlayer into consideration. The values for the density vary from 2.95±0.25 g/cm³to 3.35±0.3 g/cm³, and those for the Young’s modulus from 420±40 GPa to 505±30 GPa. The results are compared with literature values reported for nanocrystalline films, polycrystalline disks and single crystal c-BN. Received: 26 March 2001 / Accepted: 29 March 2001 / Published online: 25 July 2001     

Focussed surface acoustic waves on an anisotropic crystal, studied by optical probing

Efficient focussing of surface acoustic waves has been achieved using a properly shaped gold film deposit on the −22.3° rotated Y-cut surface of quartz. The acoustic wave field was studied with laser probing techniques. A more than threefold increase in intensity and a tenfold decrease in beam width was observed at the focal point. The focussing action was obtained with the elastic wave equivalent of the Fresnel phase-reversal zone plate of optics. The multiple foci of this device allowed a simultaneous generation of acoustic waves in nearly all directions on the surface. Consequently, the surface wave velocity anisotropy could be determined completely. The experimental results are in very good agreement with the calculated velocity anisotropy. Electromagnetic diffraction theory is adopted to the two dimensional anisotropic system to analyse the performance of the focussing device.     

Influence of oxygen partial pressure on the properties of pulsed laser deposited nanocrystalline zirconia thin films

ZrO₂ thin films were deposited at various oxygen partial pressures (2.0 × 10⁻⁵-3.5 × 10⁻¹ mbar) at 973 K on (1 0 0) silicon and quartz substrates by pulsed laser deposition. The influence of oxygen partial pressure on structure, surface morphology and optical properties of the films were investigated. X-ray diffraction results indicated that the films are polycrystalline containing both monoclinic and tetragonal phases. The films prepared in the oxygen partial pressures range 2.0 × 10⁻⁵-3.5 × 10⁻¹ mbar contain nanocrystals of sizes in the range 54-31 nm for tetragonal phase. The peak intensity of the tetragonal phase decreases with the increase of oxygen partial pressures. Surface morphology of the films examined by AFM shows the formation of nanostructures. The RMS surface roughness of the film prepared at 2.0 × 10⁻⁵ mbar is 1.3 nm while it is 3.2 nm at 3.5 × 10⁻¹ mbar. The optical properties of the films were investigated using UV-visible spectroscopy technique in the wavelength range of 200-800 nm. The refractive index is found to decrease from 2.26 to 1.87 as the oxygen partial pressure increases from 2.0 × 10⁻⁵ to 3.5 × 10⁻¹ mbar. The optical studies show two different absorption edges corresponding to monoclinic and tetragonal phases.     

退火时间对硼掺杂纳米金刚石薄膜微结构和电化学性能的影响

采用高分辨透射电镜、紫外和可见光Raman光谱及循环伏安法研究了1000 ℃下退火不同时间的硼掺杂纳米金刚石薄膜的微结构和电化学性能. 结果表明,随退火时间的延长,薄膜中纳米金刚石晶粒尺寸逐渐减小.当退火时间为0.5 h时, 金刚石晶粒尺寸由未退火样品的约15 nm减小为约8 nm, 金刚石相含量增加;当退火时间为2.0 h时,金刚石晶粒减小为2—3 nm, 此时晶界增多,金刚石相含量减少;退火时间为2.5 h时纳米金刚石晶粒尺寸和金刚石相含量又略有上升.晶粒尺寸和金刚石相含量的变化表明薄膜在退火过程中发生了金刚石和非晶碳相的相互转变.可见光Raman光谱测试结果表明,不同退火时间下, G峰位置变化趋势与I_D/I_G值变化一致,说明薄膜内sp²碳团簇较大时, 非晶石墨相的有序化程度较高.退火0.5, 1.0, 1.5和2.0 h时, 电极表面进行准可逆电化学反应,而未退火和退火时间为2.5 h时电极表面进行不可逆电化学反应.退火有利于提高薄膜电极的传质效率, 退火0.5 h时薄膜电极的传质效率最高,催化氧化性能最好.较小的晶粒尺寸、 较高的金刚石相含量以及纳米金刚石晶粒的均匀分布有利于提高电极表面反应的可逆性和催化氧化性能.     

石英衬底上生长的高光学质量的纳米金刚石薄膜

采用射频等离子体增强的热丝化学气相沉积(RFHFCVD)技术在石英玻璃衬底上制备了表面光滑、晶粒致密均匀的纳米金刚石薄膜.用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和台阶仪观测薄膜的表面形貌和粗糙度,x射线衍射(XRD)和Raman光谱表征膜层的结构,并用紫外可见近红外光谱仪测量其光透过率.实验结果表明,衬底温度、反应气压及射频功率对金刚石膜的结晶习性、表面粗糙度及光透过率均有很大程度的影响,其最佳值分别为700℃,2×133Pa和200W.在该最佳参量下经1h的生长即获得连续、平滑的纳米金刚石膜,其平均晶粒尺寸为约25 关键词： 纳米金刚石薄膜 射频等离子体增强热丝化学气相沉积 光透过率     

Diagnostics of elastic properties of a planar interface between two rough media using surface acoustic waves

The results of experimental studies on the nonlinear elastic properties of a planar interface between two media are presented—an optically polished glass substrate and flat samples with different degrees of roughness. The nonlinear elastic properties of the interfaces between two media were investigated by the spectral method using surface acoustic waves (SAWs). The effect of external pressure applied to the interface on the efficiency of the generation of the second SAW harmonic was studied. Using the measured amplitudes of the first and second harmonics of the SAW that passes along the interface, the second-order nonlinear acoustic parameter was calculated as a function of the external pressure applied to the sample at a fixed amplitude of a probing wave. It was revealed that the nonlinear parameter of the SAW is a nonmonotonic function of the pressure at the boundary. The results were analyzed on the basis of an elastic contact nonlinearity, and it is concluded that these results can be used in nondestructive testing for roughness and waviness of surfaces of flat solids.     

Exciton transport by surface acoustic waves

Long-range acoustic transport of excitons in GaAs quantum wells (QWs) is demonstrated. The mobile strain field of a surface acoustic wave creates a dynamic lateral type I modulation of the conduction and valence bands in a double-quantum-well (DQW) structure. This mobile potential modulation transports long-living indirect excitons in the DQW over several hundreds of μm.     

Effect of oxygen on regulation of properties of moderately boron-doped diamond films

Regulation of oxygen on properties of moderately boron-doped diamond films is fully investigated. Results show that, with adding a small amount of oxygen (oxygen-to-carbon ratio < 5.0%), the crystal quality of diamond is improved, and a suppression effect of residual nitrogen is observed. With increasing ratio of O/C from 2.5% to 20.0%, the hole concentration is firstly increased then reduced. This change of hole concentration is also explained. Moreover, the results of Hall effect measurement with temperatures from 300 K to 825 K show that, with adding a small amount of oxygen, boron and oxygen complex structures (especially B₃O and B₄O) are formed and exhibit as shallow donor in diamond, which results in increase of donor concentration. With further increase of ratio of O/C, the inhibitory behaviors of oxygen on boron leads to decrease of acceptor concentration (the optical emission spectroscopy has shown that it is decreased with ratio of O/C more than 10.0%). This work demonstrates that oxygen-doping induced increasement of the crystalline and surface quality could be restored by the co-doping with oxygen. The technique could achieve boron-doped diamond films with both high quality and acceptable hole concentration, which is applicable to electronic level of usage.     

Probing of laser-induced crack modulation by laser-monitored surface waves and surface skimming bulk waves

All-optical monitoring of the nonlinear motion of a surface-breaking crack is reported. Crack closing is induced by quasi-continuous laser heating, while Rayleigh surface acoustic pulses and bulk longitudinal surface skimming acoustic pulses are also generated and detected by lasers. By exploiting the strong dependence of the acoustic pulses reflection and transmission efficiency on the state-open or closed-of the contacts between the crack faces, the parametric modulation of ultrasonic pulses is achieved. It is observed that bulk acoustic waves skimming along the surface can be more sensitive to crack motion than Rayleigh surface waves.     

Theoretical study on line source laser-induced surface acoustic waves in two-layer structure in ablative regime

The generation of ultrasound in film–substrate system by a laser line source is studied in the case of ablation mechanism, which can be realized by adding a liquid layer at the excitation point. The time domain displacement can be yielded by the numerical jointed inversed Laplace–Fourier transformation technique. The typical surface acoustic waves (SAW) of two layer structures, slow film on fast substrate and fast film on slow substrate, are obtained and the effect of the propagation distance and the thickness of the film on the SAW are given.