Phase relations around langasite (La3Ga5SiO14) in the system La2O3–Ga2O3–SiO2 in air

Phase relations around langasite (LGS, La₃Ga₅SiO₁₄) were studied on the basis of phase assemblage observed during calcination and crystallization process of samples of various compositions in the ternary system La₂O₃–Ga₂O₃–SiO₂. A ternary compound of apatite structure, La₁₄Ga_xSi_9–xO_39–x/2 was found for the first time. Crystallization of this compound was observed in the cooling process of molten samples of stoichiometric LGS as well as LGS single crystal, demonstrating that LGS is an incongruent-melting compound. A phase diagram was established primarily based on the crystallization sequence in the cooling process.     

Electronic traps in mixed Si1−xGexO2 films

Thermally stimulated luminescence (TSL) and infrared (IR) spectroscopy were measured in plasma grown Si_1−xGe_xO₂ (x=0, 0.08, 0.15, 0.25, 0.5) with different thicknesses (12–40 nm). A comparison with the TSL properties of thermally grown SiO₂ and GeO₂ was also performed. A main IR absorption structure was detected, due to the superposition of the peaks related to the asymmetric O stretching modes of (i) Si–O–Si (at ≈1060 cm⁻¹) and (ii) Si–O–Ge (at 1001 cm⁻¹). Another peak at ≈860 cm⁻¹ was observed only for Ge concentrations, x>0.15, corresponding to the asymmetric O stretching mode in Ge–O–Ge bonds. A TSL peak was observed at 70°C, and a smaller structure at around 200°C. The 70°C peak was more intense in all Ge rich layers than in plasma grown SiO₂. Based on the thickness dependence of the signal intensity we propose that at Ge concentrations 0.25x0.5 TSL active defects are localised at interfacial regions (oxide/semiconductor, Ge poor/Ge rich internal interface, oxide external surface/atmosphere). Based on similarities between TSL glow curves in plasma grown Si_1−xGe_xO₂, thermally grown GeO₂ and SiO₂ we propose that oxygen vacancy related defects are trapping states in Si_1−xGe_xO₂ and GeO₂.     

B NMR investigations in xV2O5–B2O3 and xV2O5–B2O3–PbO glasses

11B (I=3/2) MAS NMR in the binary glass system xV₂O₅–B₂O₃ (x=0.053, 0.43) and the ternary glass system xV₂O₅–B₂O₃–PbO (0.1x1.5) has been investigated at room temperature. In the xV₂O₅–B₂O₃ glasses, one NMR line due to BO₃ unit was observed. Meanwhile in the xV₂O₅–B₂O₃–PbO, two NMR lines which arise from BO₃ and BO₄ units were detected, where the appearance of BO₄ units is produced by the presence of PbO. From the computer-simulation of the ¹¹B NMR central transition line (m=−1/2↔1/2), the quadrupole parameters (e²qQ/h and η) for BO₃ units in xV₂O₅–B₂O₃, and those for BO₃ and BO₄ units in xV₂O₅–B₂O₃–PbO were obtained as a function of x. As the V₂O₅ content increases in xV₂O₅–B₂O₃–PbO, the e²qQ/h and η values of the BO₃⁻ associated resonance are found to slightly decrease and increase, respectively. Meanwhile, the e²qQ/h and η values of BO₄⁻ associated resonance in xV₂O₅–B₂O₃–PbO are found to slightly increase and decrease, respectively. By comparing the intensities of the total transitions (m=−3/2↔−1/2,m=−1/2↔1/2, and 1/2↔3/2) for the ¹¹B NMR line of BO₃ and BO₄ units contained in xV₂O₅–B₂O₃–PbO with those of respective standard samples of 0.053V₂O₅–B₂O₃ and NaBH₄, the quantitative fractions of BO₃ and BO₄ in xV₂O₅–B₂O₃–PbO were obtained as a function of x.     

Effect of Yb content on purity and crystal growth of Ba2NaNb5O15

Growth by the micro-pulling-down technique (μ-PD) of homogeneous and crack-free fiber single crystals with composition Ba₂Na_1−xYb_xNb₅O₁₅ (0<x<0.08) is reported. The effect of Yb³⁺ addition to barium sodium niobate (BNN, x=0), having the tungsten bronze-type structure, was examined by room temperature X-ray powder diffraction and differential thermal analysis coupled to thermogravimetry. In the region of the monophased field the structure is tetragonal from x=0.02 to 0.16. Volume change is mainly by variation of the a-axis length. Addition of Yb³⁺ to BNN could be effective for the production of high optical quality, crack-free, bulk crystals by the Czochralski technique.     

Diffraction studies of rare-earth phosphate glasses

A series of lanthanide oxides was incorporated in a vitreous phosphate host network. Molar constituents of the glasses were typically (La₂O₃)₁₀(R_xO_y)₁₀(Al₂O₃)₅(P₂O₅)₇₅. Each glass had a different lanthanide (R atom) from the series; La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er and the values of x and y depended on the valency of the rare-earth atom. Both X-ray and neutron diffraction were employed in examining their structures. The results indicate that the basic PO₄ tetrahedral unit remains unaltered with an average P–O distance of and predominant Q² linkages to its neighbouring units so as to form a continuous network while accommodating the included lanthanides. In accordance with this model, the average distance of rare-earth (comprising La and a second type of R atom) to oxygen decreased from 2.44 to 2.26 , a trend to be expected from the lanthanide contraction. The average oxygen coordination around the rare-earth was found to vary in the range of 6–8. With these average parameters, a small (74 atom) hand-built model was made to check the feasibility of constructing a continuous random network. Optical transmission measurements show all these glasses to absorb strongly in the UV region and to have marked absorption resonances in the visible region of 400–1000 nm except for the La, Ce, Eu, Tb containing glasses which have low or negligible absorption in the latter range.     

Internal friction in vanadium-phosphate glasses doped with Na2O

The internal friction of _xNa₂O·(0.5−x)V₂O₅·O.5P₂O₅(x = 0.025–0.3) glasses was studied using the low-frequency torsion pendulum technique. The temperature spectrum of internal friction reveals three maxima. Maximum 1, the so-called “electron” maximum, is the same as observed in binary vanadium-phosphate glasses. The origin of maximum 2 can be attributed to ion migration. Maximum 3 appears for glasses containing more than 10 mol.% Na₂O and is probably connected with sodium-proton interactions.     

Elastic properties of GexAsySe100−x−y glasses

The elastic properties of Ge_xAs_ySe_100−x−y (0x30; 10y40) glasses have been studied. The results were analyzed in terms of the dependence on the theoretical mean coordination number (mean number of covalent bonds per atom) m (m=2+(2x+y)×0.01). Three ranges of m (2.1m2.51, 2.51<m2.78, 2.78<m3) were revealed, where different dependencies of elastic moduli (Young’s modulus, shear modulus) and Poisson’s ratio of glasses on m were observed.     

Compositional dependence of the optical gap in Ge1−xSx, Ge40−xSbxS60 and (As2S3)x(Sb2S3)1−x non-crystalline systems

An attempt is made to calculate the compositional dependence of the optical gap (E_g) in Ge_1−xS_x, Ge_40−xSb_xS₆₀ and (As₂S₃)_x(Sb₂S₃)_1−x non-crystalline systems in an alloy-like approach. From the comparison of both the experimental dependence of E_g and the calculated ones using the Shimakawa relation [E_{g AB} = YE_{g A} + (1−Y)E_{g B}] it is assumed that this equation is useful for such systems or parts of the systems which behave like almost ideal solutions.     

The effect of mixed alkaline earths on the diffusivity and the incorporation of iron in 5Na2O · xMgO · (15−x)CaO · yAl2O3 · (80−y)SiO2 melts

Diffusion coefficients of iron were measured in glass melts with the basic compositions 5Na₂O · xMgO · (15−x)CaO · yAl₂O₃ · (80−y)SiO₂ with x=5, 10 and y=0, 5, 7.5, 10 and 15. The melts were doped with 0.25 mol% Fe₂O₃ and studied in the temperature range from 1000 to 1600 °C using square-wave voltammetry. The voltammograms exhibited distinct peaks attributed to the reduction of Fe³⁺ to Fe²⁺, from which peak currents mixed diffusion coefficients of iron were calculated. Diffusion coefficients in all melt compositions which did not show crystallization could be fitted to Arrhenius equation. The diffusivities measured in different melt compositions were related to the same viscosity, i.e. not the same temperature. Increasing the alumina concentration from 5 to 10 mol% resulted in an increase of the viscosity corrected diffusivities. At further increasing alumina concentrations, the diffusivities get smaller again. This can be explained by the stabilizing effect of Na⁺ and Ca²⁺ on FeO⁻₄ and AlO⁻₄-tetrahedra, which strengthens the incorporation of Fe³⁺ into the glass structure.     

Vapor phase epitaxy of pure VO2 and V1−xCrxO2

The vapor phase epitaxy of thin epilayers of VO₂ and V_1−xCrxO₂ on TiO₂ transparent substrates is described. Chemical vapor deposition occurs by reacting a (VOCL₃/CrO₂Cl₂/H₂O/H₂) mixture at about 800°C using argon as a carrier gas. The preparation of pure VO₂ requires special care to make it homogeneously stoichiometric and to obtain steep concentration profiles at the TiO₂/VO₂ interface. Layers were obtained which had electrical and optical properties comparable to the best bulk crystals grown by other techniques. Homogeneous solid solutions of V_1−xCr_xO₂ epilayers were also grown for the first time in the range o < x < 0.17. Chromium concentration and homogeneity were determined by electron microprobe analysis. The separation coefficient k was also found to vary with x. It is close to unity below x = 0.001 and above this value Cr is incorporated more easily. High quality heteroepitaxial layers (1 cm² area, 1 to 30 μm thickness) of V_1−xCr_xO₂ have for the first time allowed the measurement of the optical absorption coefficient.     

Characterisation of semiconducting V2O5–Bi2O3–TeO2 glasses through ultrasonic measurements

Tellurite containing vanadate (50−x)V₂O₅–xBi₂O₃–50TeO₂ glasses with different bismuth (x=0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 wt%) contents have been prepared by rapid quenching method. Ultrasonic velocities (both longitudinal and shear) and attenuation (for longitudinal waves only) measurements have been made using a transducer operated at the fundamental frequency of 5 MHz in the temperature range from 150 to 480 K. The elastic moduli, Debye temperature, and Poisson’s ratio have been obtained both as a function of temperature and Bi₂O₃ content. The room temperature study on ultrasonic velocities, attenuation, elastic moduli, Poisson’s ratio, Debye temperature and glass transition temperature show the absence of any anomalies with addition of Bi₂O₃ content. The observed results confirm that the addition of Bi₂O₃ modifier changes the rigid formula character of TeO₂ to a matrix of regular TeO₃ and ionic behaviour bonds (NBOs). A monotonic decrease in velocities and elastic moduli, and an increase in attenuation and acoustic loss as a function of temperature in all the glass samples reveal the loose packing structure, which is attributed to the instability of TeO₄ trigonal bipyramid units in the network as temperature increases. It is also inferred that the glasses with low Bi₂O₃ content are more stable than with high Bi₂O₃ content.     

Crystal growth and characterization of the CMR compound La1.2(Sr,Ca)1.8Mn2O7

High-quality centimeter-sized single crystals of La_1.2Sr_1.8−yCa_yMn₂O₇ (0.0y0.2) were successfully grown using a floating zone method associated with an image furnace. We present the growth conditions together with a characterization of the single crystals by means of optical and electron microscopy, EDX and ICPAES analysis, DTA-TGA measurements and redox titration, X-ray powder diffraction, Laue X-ray back-reflection and neutron diffraction. We also stress the main aspects of the complex thermodynamical and kinetic behaviors of these compounds.     

Structural and thermal properties of some tellurite glasses

Tellurium oxide glasses were prepared by the hammer and anvil technique. The glass systems are (0.85TeO₂ + 0.15Z), where Z = K₂O, TiO₂, V₂O₅, MnO, Fe₂O₃, CoO, NiO or CuO. A second group is a ternary system 0.85TeO₂+(0.15 − x)TiO₂ + xFe₂O₃) with x=0.0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.15 mol. X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy and differential thermal analysis measurements were carried out. The present study showed the different glass-forming groups, the glass transition and crystallization temperatures as well as the crystallization processes.     

EXAFS and XANES joint analyses for semiconducting vanadium phosphate glasses

Vanadium EXAFS spectra of 50V₂O₅-50P₂O₅ glasses with different C = V⁺⁴/V_tot have been measured. The V-O distances increase by ΔR₁ = (0.03 ± 0.02) Å to ΔR₂ = (0.07 ± 0.03) Å going from a glass with C = 0.64 to C = 0.84 and from C = 0.51 to C = 0.84, respectively. The EXAFS data show a basically similar structure of the vanadium sites for both the V⁴⁺ and V⁵⁺ ionic states. The density of the glasses increases with C from the value d₁ = 2.81 g/cm³ for C = 0.51 to d₂ = 2.92 g/cm³ for C = 0.84 indicating a more random packing of glass units.     

Growth of GaN/AlN and AlGaN by MOCVD using triethylgallium and tritertiarybutylaluminium

Films of aluminium nitride (AIN) with thicknesses in the range from 200 to 3600 Å have been deposited at 1050°C by low-pressure MOCVD. Using an alternative precursor, tritertiarybutylaluminium (^tBu₃Al), and ammonia (NH₃), we have grown AlN on sapphire (c-Al₂O₃). At a growth rate of 0.35 μm/h, the FWHM of the rocking curve measured by X-ray diffraction was 150 arcsec. Therefore, we used the thin AlN films as buffer layers for the deposition of gallium nitride (GaN) at 950°C using triethylgallium (Et₃Ga). Aluminium gallium nitride (Al_xGa_1−xN) with aluminium contents x from 0 to 0.5 were grown using a mixture of Et₃Ga and ^tBu₃Al. The strctural and optical properties of GaN, AlGaN and AlN were verified by X-ray diffraction (XRD), spectrally resolved photoconductivity (SPC), photothermal deflection (PDS) and photoluminescence spectroscopies.     

Structural transformation of the TiO2---SiO2 system gel during heat-treatment

The gel formation of the (100-x)TiO₂·xSiO₂ (x = 0–10 mol%) system has been studied. The progressive elimination of residues was followed by DTA and TGA curves. DTA curves showed that the formation of anatase during heat treatment could be sensibly slowed down with the increase of SiO₂. The relationship between the gel composition and crystallization temperature of anatase has been systematically investigated. The X-ray diffraction spectra demonstrated that the crystallization temperature of anatase is 400°C for TiO₂ gel and 430°C for 90TiO₂ - 10SiO₂ gel. The infrared absorption spectra were used to follow the structural transformation of gels heat-treated at different temperatures. With the help of EPR it is evident that titanium ions exist only in tetravalence.     

TOPCon太阳电池发射极Al2O3/SiNx与SiO2/Al2O3/SiNx叠层膜钝化性能的比较

本文对TOPCon电池发射结的叠层钝化膜进行了研究,对比了3种不同叠层钝化膜(SiO₂/SiN_x、Al₂O₃(1.5 nm)/SiN_x、SiO₂/Al₂O₃(1.5 nm)/SiN_x)的钝化性能。结果表明:Al₂O₃(1.5 nm)/SiN_x的钝化性能优于SiO₂/SiN_x,SiO₂/Al₂O₃(1.5 nm)/SiN_x的钝化水平最佳,隐开路电压均值可达到705 mV。基于Al₂O₃/SiN_x叠层膜研究了Al₂O₃厚度(1.5 nm、3 nm和5 nm)对钝化性能和电池转换效率的影响。当Al₂O₃厚度由1.5 nm增加到3 nm时,钝化性能得到明显提升,隐开路电压均值提高了20 mV,达到707 mV,对应电池的光电转换效率升高了0.23个百分点,与SiO₂/Al₂O₃(1.5 nm)/SiN_x叠层膜电池的转换效率持平。然而,当Al₂O₃厚度继续增加至5 nm时,隐开路电压均值保持不变。因此可以使用Al₂O₃(3 nm)/SiN_x叠层膜代替SiO₂/Al₂O₃(1.5 nm)/SiN_x叠层膜,不仅简化了电池的工艺步骤,而且降低了生产成本。     

Electronic conduction in vitreous semiconductors in the pseudo-binary system (As2S3)1-x(PbS)x

AC conductivity and dielectric relaxation measurements of the bulk amorphous compositions in the pseudo-binary system (As₂S₃)_1-x(PbS)_x (x = 0, 0.1, 0.4 and 0.5) in the frequency range 500 Hz-10 kHz and in the temperature span 180–450 K are reported. The temperature dependence of the ac conductivity, σ_ac(ω), has a broad structure at all frequencies in compositions with x = 0.1, 0.4 and 0.5 whose peak position is not thermally activated. A similar structure was also observed in the data on the dielectric constant, ε₁, which peaked at a frequency of 1 kHz in the composition with x = 0.5. Analysis of the results using the correlated barrier hopping model revealed that the electronic conduction takes place by single polaron and bipolaron hopping processes at high and low temperatures, respectively, in compositions containing Pb. The microstructure and phase-separation in the glasses containing Pb influence the electrical transport and dielectric dispersion. This study has revealed the possible presence of a phase transformation at around 300 K at a frequency of 1 kHz in the dielectric dispersion behaviour of composition with x = 0.5.     

A glass-forming system with compound-forming tendency: As4S6---P4S10

Glasses in the quasi-binary system (As₄S₆)_x(P₄S₁₀)_1−x x = 0.1, …, 1.0, are produced and studied by thermal analysis, X-ray, and Raman spectroscopy. The phase diagram of the system and the critical cooling rate for glass formation both have their maximum at x = 0.5, corresponding to the compound As₂P₂S₈; the X-ray structure of recrystallized samples can be described as a sum of the As₂P₂S₈ (x = 0.5)- and the P₄S₁₀-structure (As₄S₆ not visible); Raman spectra of the glasses are again sums of As₂P₂S₈- and As₄S₆/P₄S₁₀-spectra. All these observations support the assumption that a stable building block corresponding to the 1:1 compound As₂P₂S₈ and surplus As₄S₆ (or P₄₁₀) are the essential elements of the structure in the glasses.     

Hydrothermal growth of single-crystal CaV6O16·3H2O nanoribbons

CaV₆O₁₆·3H₂O nanoribbons have been prepared by the hydrothermal method in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) at 160°C for 10 h. X-ray diffraction pattern indicates that the sample is monoclinic phase of CaV₆O₁₆·3H₂O with the lattice contents a=12.18 Å, b=3.598 Å, c=18.39 Å, β=118.03°. Field emission scanning electron microscopy shows that the nanoribbons have widths in the range of 150–500 nm, thicknesses of 30–60 nm and lengths of 500 mm X-ray photoelectron spectrum measurements further confirm the formation of the CaV₆O₁₆·3H₂O phase. The formation of CaV₆O₁₆·3H₂O nanoribbons is a self-assembling process, in which surfactant SDS plays the role of soft template.