Epitaxial growth of La2Zr2O7 buffer layers for YBa2Cu3O7−δ coated conductors on metallic substrates using pulsed laser deposition

In the present work, La₂Zr₂O₇ (LZO) buffer layers were deposited using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on various metallic substrates including epitaxial pure Ni on a LaAlO₃ (LAO) substrate as well as highly textured Ni–5 at.%W tapes. It is shown that the LZO deposited on pure Ni-buffered LAO exhibits a mixed orientation while LZO on Ni–5 at.%W grows epitaxially. This difference may be explained by the existence of a sulphur superstructure on the surface of Ni–5 at.%W tapes, promoting the epitaxial (0 0 l) nucleation of seed layers. Highly textured YBa₂Cu₃O_7?δ layers were prepared either by using a single buffer layer of LZO or bilayer buffers of CeO₂/LZO on Ni–5 at.%W. The superconducting transition temperature (T_c) increases with the LZO thickness, reaching a value of 90 K with a very narrow transition width (1.5 K) for 240 nm thick LZO layers. Inductive J_c measurements at 77 K in self-field show a value of about 0.96 MA/cm² for the thickest LZO layers, which is comparable to the value observed on standard buffer architectures such as CeO₂/YSZ/Y₂O₃.     

X-ray photoelectron spectra and composition of YBa2Cu3O7 − δ films prepared by laser ablation

The Y3d, Ba3d _5/2, Cu2p _3/2, and O1s X-ray photoelectron spectra of thick (600 nm) superconducting YBa₂Cu₃O_{7 ? δ} films deposited on textured Ni-W substrates with Y₂O₃ + ZrO₂ and CeO₂ buffer layers have been studied. It has been established that, after the mechanical removal of surface layers with a diamond scraper (and as the analyzed region of the film approaches the interface), a decrease in the oxygen content leads to a decrease of the orthophase fraction and an increase of the tetraphase and Cu⁺ ion fractions. This is caused by the presence of elastic stresses in the superconducting film due to the lattice misfit between the phases making up a composite sample. These stresses prevent oxygen diffusion involved in oxidizing annealing. The spectra of the superconducting film have not revealed signals generated by elements of the substrate and buffer layers.     

Characteristics of γ-Al2O3 nanoparticles generated by continuous-wave laser ablation in liquid

Laser ablation in liquid is one of the most widely investigated methods for generating various nanoparticles (NPs) that are difficult to produce using other means. In this paper, we report the generation of Al-oxide NPs by continuous-wave (CW) fibre laser ablation of corundum (α-Al₂O₃) target submerged in deionised water. The effects of CW fibre laser power and radiation time have been investigated. Characterisation of the NPs generated, in terms of size, size distribution, shape, chemical composition, and phase structure, was carried out by means of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), high angle annular dark field (HAADF) in scanning-transmission (STEM) mode, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results show that the average size of Al-oxide NPs, in the range of 17 to 29 nm, increased with increasing the laser power and laser exposure time, and the NPs are dominated by stoichiometric γ-Al₂O₃ with a minor phase of α-Al₂O₃. The mechanism involved in the CWLAL is also discussed.     

γ-Fe2O3 nanoparticles prepared by laser ablation of a tiny wire

A new method of preparing nanoparticles by pulsed laser ablation of a tiny wire is reported. A Nd:YAG pulsed laser with a wavelength of 1064 nm was used to ablate a 0.5-mm-diameter iron wire in a sealed chamber in a flowing mixed gas of N₂, O₂, and air to generate -Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles. In the meantime, a bulk Fe sample was ablated in the same chamber with the same laser processing parameters in order to compare the effect of the bulk sizes on the production rates and the sizes of the nanoparticles. The experimental results demonstrated that the production rate of nanoparticles prepared by laser ablation of tiny wires was about eight times that of laser ablation of bulk targets with the same composition, while the sizes of the nanoparticles were basically the same. With a higher power density and/or smaller diameters of the metal wires, it is possible to obtain smaller sizes of the nanoparticles with higher production rates. PACS 81.07.Wx     

Y1Ba2Cu3O7-δ thin films from KrF laser ablation with substrate heating and in situ patterning by CO2 laser radiation

Y₁Ba₂Cu₃O_7– thin films were deposited by KrF laser ablation while replacing conventional contact heating by cw CO₂ laser irradiation of the substrate front surface. The HTSC films obtained on (100)ZrO₂ showed T _c(R=0)=90 K, T(90–10%)=0.5 K, j _c=2.5 × 10⁶ A/cm², a sharp transition in the ac susceptibility X(T), and pure c-axis orientation. Micrographs of thin films (< 0.5 m) showed a smooth morphology while thick films (>1 m) contained many crystallites sticking in the bulk material. Furthermore, in situ patterning was achieved during deposition by local laser heating of a selected substrate surface area. The resulting planar films contained amorphous, semiconducting parts only 1 mm or less apart from crystalline material showing the above HTSC quality.Presented at LASERION '91, June 12–14, 1991, München (Germany)     

Effects of laser power density on the microstructure and microhardness of Ni–Al alloyed layer by pulsed laser irradiation

Laser alloying of Ni–P electroless deposited layer with aluminum substrate was carried out by Nd–YAG pulsed laser. The phase composition and microstructure of the alloyed layers produced by different laser power densities were identified by X-ray diffractionary (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) accompanied by energy dispersion X-ray analysis (EDS) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). Furthermore, the surface roughness of the alloyed layers was characterised by confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM). The results showed that the characteristic dendritic or lamellar microstructures were observed in the alloyed layers. The phase constituents of the alloyed zones were intermetallic compounds of nickel–aluminum NiAl, Al₃Ni and Al₃Ni₂, as well as some non-equilibrium phases and amorphous phases depending on the employed laser power density. As a result, the microhardness of the alloyed layer with Ni–P amorphous phases formed at laser power density 5.36×10⁹ W/m² reached to HV_0.1 390.     

Synthesis and characterization of Ti–Ni shape memory alloy thin films by pulsed laser deposition

Shape-memory alloys are crucial in various industrial fields. However, a high-quality film synthesis method has not been established yet. Here we examine optimum conditions for synthesis of thin films by pulsed laser deposition of Ti–Ni alloy target in vacuum. We investigated surface morphologies and chemical compositions of the films which were obtained under various conditions. We found that the suitable Ti/Ni ratio was obtained by adjusting the distance between the target and the substrate in vacuum. In parallel, we analyzed plasma plume by optical emission spectroscopy and time-of-flight mass spectrometry. We discuss the basic behavior of ablated particles in vacuum.     

Epitaxial growth and optical characterization of compound semiconductor β-FeSi2 prepared by pulsed laser deposition

β-FeSi₂ thin films were prepared on FZ n-Si (1 1 1) substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The structural properties and crystallographic orientation of the films were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. This indicates that β-FeSi₂/Si (2 0 2/2 2 0) and the single-crystalline β-FeSi₂ can be prepared using PLD. In photoluminescence (PL) measurements at 8 K detected by Ge detector, the PL spectra of the samples annealed at 900 °C for 1, 5, 8 and 20 h showed that the PL intensity of the A-band peak increased depending on annealing time in comparison with those of as-deposited samples. The intrinsic PL intensity of the A-band peak at 0.808 eV of the β-FeSi₂ from the 20-h-annealed sample was investigated for the first time by the PLD method detected by an InGaAs detector. This result has been confirmed by temperature dependence and excitation power density of the 20-h-annealed sample with the comparison of other defect-related band peaks of the sample. Cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation was also performed and the thickness of the thin films was found to be at 75 nm for 20-h-annealed. The thermal diffusion for the epitaxial growth of β−FeSi₂/Si was observed when the compositional ratio of Fe to Si was around Fe:Si=1:2 for 20-h-annealed carried out by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). We discussed high crystal quality of the epitaxial growth and optical characterization of β-FeSi₂ achieved after annealing at 900 °C for 20 h.     

Thermal stability of YBa2Cu3O7−δ films deposited on Ni-W textured substrates by laser ablation

The degradation processes of YBa₂Cu₃O_6.77(3) films 600 nm thick deposited on substrates from a textured (100) foil of the Ni-W alloy with the YSZ (Y₂O₃ + ZrO₂) (100 nm) and CeO₂ (50 nm) buffer layers at 200°C in air have been investigated. It has been shown that the degradation proceeds in the same manner as in the bulk ceramic materials with the same oxygen content, namely, initially the single-phase material with the orthorhombic structure laminates into the fractions depleted (the main fraction) and enriched with oxygen. After holding for more than 20 h, the oxygen-depleted fraction is first subjected to the structural phase transformation with the transition of the orthorhombic structure into the cubic one, which is associated with the redistribution of barium and yttrium atoms over their sites in the presence of water vapors.     

X-ray absorption and magnetic circular dichroism characterization of Mo1–xFexO2 (x = 0–0.05) thin films grown by pulsed laser ablation

The electronic and magnetic properties of well characterized Mo_1???xFe_xO₂ (x = 0–0.5) thin films that show ferromagnetism at room temperature (RT) have been investigated by the means of near edge x-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) and x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) experiments at the O K-, Fe L-, and Mo M-edges. The NEXAFS spectra at O K- and Mo M_3,2 -edges show a strong hybridization of O 2p-4d Mo orbitals, and Mo ions change their symmetry with the substitution of Fe ions into MoO₂ matrix. The Fe 2p NEXAFS/XMCD spectra exhibit multiple absorption peaks and an appreciable XMCD signal that persists even at RT. These results demonstrate that Fe is in a mixed valence state of Fe^2?+?–Fe^3?+?, substituting at the Mo site and that the Fe^2?+?/3?+? ions are ferromagnetically polarized.     

Crystallographic and optical properties of Li1−xTa1−xEu2xO3 solid solutions

Abstract

The effects of europium substitution on crystalline solubility, structural changes and optical properties of Li_1?xTa_1?xEu_2xO₃ solid solutions are reported. The solid solutions exist over a very limited range of europium concentrations (x ≤ 0.02). They were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction and density measurements. The liquid nitrogen fluorescence and excitation spectra of Eu³⁺ in the solid solutions were measured in the frequency range 12,200–45,450 cm^?1. The emission mainly arises from the ⁵ D ₀ level to Stark components of the five lowest ⁷ F _j (j = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4) states. It was inferred from the analyses of the optical and density data that the Eu³⁺ ions may lie on both Li and Ta sites, but not on the intrinsic vacant lattice sites.     

High power 4.65 μm single-wavelength laser by second-harmonic generation of pulsed TEA CO2 laser in AgGaSe2 and ZnGeP2

A high power 4.65 ??m single-wavelength laser by second-harmonic generation (SHG) of TEA CO₂ laser pulses in silver gallium selenide (AgGaSe₂) and zinc germanium phosphide (ZnGeP₂) crystals is reported. Experimental results show that the average output power of SHG laser is not only restricted by the damage threshold of the nonlinear crystals, but also limited by the irradiated power of fundamental-wave laser depending on the operating repetition-rate. It is found that ZnGeP₂ can withstand higher 9.3 ??m laser irradiation intensity than AgGaSe₂. As a result, using a parallel array stacked by seven ZnGeP₂ crystals, an average power of 20.3 W 4.65 ??m laser is obtained at 250 Hz. To the best of our knowledge, it is the highest output power for SHG of CO₂ laser by far.     

Comparative study of aerogels nanostructured catalysts: Ni/ZrO2–SO4 2− and Ni/ZrO2–Al2O3–SO4 2−

Ionics - A series of Ni/ZrO2–SO4 2− and Ni/ZrO2–Al2O3–SO4 2− catalysts were prepared in one step by the sol–gel method and dried in hypercritical conditions of...     

Oxygen-rich Ti1−xO2 pillar growth at a gold nanoparticle–TiO2 contact by O2 exposure

In-situ gas-injection transmission electron microscopy revealed that a pillar grew at the edge of the interface of a gold nanoparticle and a TiO₂ substrate during exposure to O₂ gas at 100 Pa. The pillar was found to have a titanium-deficient chemical composition of Ti_1 ? xO₂ (x > 0) by electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). The spectra showed a chemical shift of oxygen and titanium ions to have ionic states of Ti³⁺ and O^y? (y < 3/2). The formation of the Ti_1 ? xO₂ at the contact edge of gold–Ti_1 ? xO₂ interface is discussed from the perspective of an O₂ affinity, which plays an important role in CO oxidation process of supported gold particle.     

Shape-dependent local internal stress of α-Cr2O3 nanocrystal fabricated by pulsed laser ablation

The α-Cr₂O₃ single-crystal nanocondensates were fabricated by pulsed laser ablation in air and characterized by analytical electron microscopy regarding shape-dependent local internal stress of the anisotropic crystal. The nanocondensates formed predominantly as rhombohedra with well-developed surfaces and occasionally hexagonal plate with thin edges and blunt corners. Such nanocondensates showed Raman shift for the CrO₆ polyhedra, indicating a local compressive stress up to ca. 4 GPa on the average. Careful analysis of the lattice fringes revealed a local compressive stress (0.5% strain) at the thin edge of the hexagonal plates and a local tensile stress (0.3–1.0% strain) near the relaxed , , and (0 0 0 1) surfaces of truncated rhombohedra. The combined effects of nanosize, capillarity force at sharp edge, and specific surface relaxation account for the retention of a local internal compressive stress built up in an anisotropic crystal during a very rapid heating–cooling process.