The microstructure, optical, and electrical properties of sol–gel-derived Sc-doped and Al–Sc co-doped ZnO thin films

Transparent conductive ZnO:Al–Sc (1:0.5, 1:1, 1:1.5 at.% Al–Sc) thin films were prepared on glass substrates by sol–gel method. The microstructure, optical, and electrical properties of ZnO:Sc and ZnO:Al–Sc films were investigated. Results show that Sc-doping alone obviously decreases grain size and degrades the crystallinity; there is an amorphous phase on the surface of ZnO grains; the transmittance spectra fluctuate dramatically with a large absorption valley at about 430–600 nm. However, Al–Sc co-doping can stabilize grain size and improve the microstructure; an average visible transmittance of above 73% is obtained with no large absorption valley; the amorphous phase does not appear. The optical band gaps of ZnO:Sc and ZnO:Al–Sc films (3.30–3.32 eV) are blue-shifted relative to pure ZnO film (3.30 eV). Hall effects show that the lowest resistivity of 2.941 × 10⁻² Ω cm and the maximum Hall mobility of 24.04 cm²/V s are obtained for ZnO:Al–Sc films while ZnO:Sc films do not exhibit any electrical conductivity. Moreover, there is an optimum atomic ratio with Al to Sc of 1:0.5–1 at.%. Although the resistivities are increased compared with that of ZnO:Al film, the Hall mobilities are raised by one order of magnitude.     

The mechanism of PEO process on Al–Si alloys with the bulk primary silicon

This study focuses on mechanism of ceramic coating on Al–Si alloys with bulk primary Si using plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) technology. Al–Si alloys with 27–32%Si in weight were used as substrates. The morphologies, composition and microstructure of PEO coatings were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray system (EDX). Results showed that the PEO process had four different stages. The effect of bulk Si is greatly on the morphology and composition of coatings at first three stages. Anodic oxide films formed on Al and Si phases, respectively. When the voltage exceeded 40 V, glow appeared and concentrated on the localized zone of interface of Al and Si phase. Al–Si–O compounds formed and covered on the dendrite Si phase surface, and the coating on bulk Si, which was silicon oxide, was rougher than that on other phase. If the treatment time was long enough, the coatings with uniform surface morphologies and elements distribution will be obtained but the microstructure of inner layer is looser due to the bulk Si.     

Schallgeschwindigkeitsmessungen in Schmelzen aus den Systemen Al−Mg,Al−Sn,Mg−Sn und Fe−C

The concentration dependency of sound velocity was measured in molten alloys of the three systems Al–Mg, Al–Sn, and Mg–Sn in the temperature region between liquidus and 1000°C. Furthermore it was measured in molten alloys of the system Fe–C in the temperature range between liquidus temperatureT _L andT _L+150°C. From the velocities the compressibilities were calculated, whose concentration dependency revealed changes in the structure of the melts.The structure of the three systems Al–Mg, Al–Sn, and Mg–Sn in the molten state was already investigated by X-Ray diffraction. These results were compared with the results of velocity measurements. Inhomogeneities in the melts yield increased values of compressibility compared with the values to be expected for statistical distribution of the atoms. This result was used for the discussion of the structure of molten Fe-C-alloys:The conclusion can be drawn, that within the melts of the system Fe–C above 3^w/0 C inhomogeneities are existent.From the values of sound velocity in the molten elements the temperature dependency of the structure factorsI(0) was calculated and compared with experimental values.

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Teil der Dissertation von U. Maier, Universität Stuttgart, 1972.     

Synthesis of Al–Cr decagonal quasicrystal nanoparticles and their temperature of phase transformation to stable crystal phase

The synthesis of Al–Cr single quasicrystal (QC) nanoparticles of the decagonal phase was achieved by introducing an advanced gas flow evaporation method. By obtaining successive electron diffraction patterns for single-QC nanoparticles, the phase transformation temperature of a single-QC nanoparticle was determined to be 700 °C. It was also determined that part of the QC nanoparticle decomposed into hex-Al₈Cr₅ and Al during the phase transformation. Since the grain growth did not occur during the phase transformation in the present experiment, the inherent phase transformation temperature could be measured.     

Synthesis and structures of Al–Ti nanoparticles by hydrogen plasma-metal reaction

Three kinds of Al–Ti nanoparticles (7.7, 27.8, and 42.6 at.% Ti) have been prepared from Al–65, Al–85, and Al–88 at.% Ti master alloys by hydrogen plasma-metal reaction, with average particle sizes of 30, 25, and 80 nm, respectively. The higher evaporation rate of Al than Ti resulted in the low Ti contents in the nanoparticles than those in the master alloys. Microscopy observation revealed that the primary nanoparticles are spherical in shape, and occur as chain aggregates of several individual nanoparticles due to the faster collision rate than the coalescence rate. All the Al–Ti nanoparticles contain amorphous alumina layers of about 2–3 nm in thickness surrounding the crystalline core. AlTi intermetallic nanoparticles were successfully produced for Al–27.8 at.% Ti, with a single crystal of AlTi in one chain aggregate. The composite nanoparticles of Al together with some Al₃Ti phases are prepared for Al–7.7 at.% Ti, with each phase in the individual particle of one chain aggregate. The composite nanoparticles of AlTi with some AlTi₃ were produced for Al–42.6 at.% Ti, with each phase in the individual particle of one chain aggregate. The formation mechanism of Al–Ti nanoparticles was interpreted in terms of phase transition and the effect of hydrogen.     

Molecular dynamics simulation comparison of atomic scale intermixing at the amorphous Al2O3/semiconductor interface for a-Al2O3/Ge, a-Al2O3/InGaAs, and a-Al2O3/InAlAs/InGaAs

The structural properties of a-Al₂O₃/Ge, a-Al₂O₃/In_0.5Ga_0.5As and a-Al₂O₃/In_0.5Al_0.5As/InGaAs interfaces were investigated by density-functional theory (DFT) molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Realistic a-Al₂O₃ samples were generated using a hybrid classical-DFT MD “melt and quench” approach. The interfaces were formed by annealing at 700 K/800 K and 1100 K with subsequent cooling and relaxation. The a-Al₂O₃/Ge interface demonstrates pronounced interface intermixing and interface bonding exclusively through Al–O–Ge bonds generating high interface polarity. In contrast, the a-Al₂O₃/InGaAs interface has no intermixing, Al–As and O–In/Ga bonding, low interface polarity due to nearly compensating interface dipoles, and low substrate deformation. The a-Al₂O₃/InAlAs interface demonstrated mild intermixing with some substrate Al atoms being adsorbed into the oxide, mixed Al–As/O and O–Al/In bonding, medium interface polarity, and medium substrate deformation. The simulated results demonstrate strong correlation to experimental measurements and illustrate the role of weak bonding in generating an unpinned interface for metal oxide/semiconductor interfaces.     

On the short-range order of amorphous Al−Au films

Al_100–x Au _x films (20x71) are produced by quench condensation. The analysis of electron diffraction patterns as well as resistivity measurements reveal the liquid-like structure of these films. In contrast to amorphous Al–Cu films the amorphous Al–Au filsm exhibit prepeaks in their interference functions. Atomic distances as large as the smallest Au–Au separations existing in the compound Al₂Au are responsible for these prepeaks. The CaF₂-type structure of this particular compound is due to an ionic bonding contribution in Al₂Au. This bonding contribution, probably caused by the large electronegativity difference between Al and Au, seems to be responsible for the pronounced chemical short-range order in amorphous Al–Au films.     

Energy losses of fast electrons in multi-layer systems

Starting from Maxwell's equations a formula for the energy loss probability of fast electrons in systems of a given number of thin layers is derived for normal incidence. Retardation effects are neglected. For three layers of arbitrary thickness the equations are fully solved. As examples, a two-metallic-layer system with energy-dependent dielectric functions is discussed. Furthermore, the tarnish of metals e.g. Al–Al₂O₃, Be–BeO, Ag–Ag₂S is considered as three-layer systems. The energy loss spectrum of the system Al₂O₃–Al–Al₂O₃ is calculated in agreement with the experiment. It turns out that the bulk longitudinal optical mode of the covering layer is excited in the infra-red. In the case of the oxidation of a dielectric film the transversal mode of the oxide is expected to prevail in the energy loss spectrum.     

Effect of welding speed on butt joint quality of Ti–6Al–4V alloy welded using a high-power Nd:YAG laser

Annealed Ti–6Al–4V alloy sheets with 1 and 2 mm thickness are welded using a 4 kW Nd:YAG laser system. The effects of welding speed on surface morphology and shape, welding defects, microstructure, hardness and tensile properties are investigated. Weld joints without or with minor cracks, porosity and shape defects were obtained indicating that high-power Nd:YAG laser welding is a suitable method for Ti–6Al–4V alloy. The fusion zone consists mainly of acicular α′ martensite leading to an increase of approximately 20% in hardness compared with that in the base metal. The heat-affected zone consists of a mixture of α′ martensite and primary α phases. Significant gradients of microstructures and hardness are obtained over the narrow heat-affected zone. The laser welded joints have similar or slightly higher joint strength but there is a significant decrease in ductility. The loss of ductility is related to the presence of micropores and aluminum oxide inclusions.     

The Effect of Boundary Conditions on Gas-phase Synthesised Silver Nanoparticles

We have prepared spherical non-agglomerated silver nanoparticles by an evaporation–condensation–dilution/cooling technique. Silver was evaporated from a crucible in a tubular flow reactor. A porous tube diluter was used to quench the carrier gas at the outlet of the reactor to enhance the formation of small particles and to suppress agglomeration and other particle growth mechanisms. The number size distribution of the prepared particles was measured with a differential mobility analyser–condensation nucleus counter combination and the size and the shape of the particles were analysed with transmission electron microscope. The system was modelled using a sectional aerosol dynamics computer code to estimate the importance of different aerosol processes. In all conditions the particles obtained were non-agglomerated and spherical. The mean particle diameter varied from 4 to 10-nm depending on boundary conditions. From the modelling studies it can be concluded that the nucleation rate is the most important parameter controlling the final particle size.     

Microstructure and wear properties of TiCN/Ti coatings on titanium alloy by laser cladding

Titanium carbide nitride (TiCN) reinforced Ti coating was fabricated on the surface of Ti–6Al–4V alloy by laser cladding method. Microstructure and wear properties at the surface of the coating in atmosphere were investigated. Three zones can be distinguished of the coating: the clad zone (CZ), the heat affected zone (HAZ) and the substrate. The clad zone is composed of TiCN dendrites, TiO₂ and Ti. A metallurgical bonding between the coating and the substrate was obtained. The microhardness and wear resistance of the TiCN/Ti coating are significantly improved. The average hardness of the coating is about 3 to 6 times of that of the substrate. The friction coefficients of the substrate and the coating are 0.48 and 0.34 respectively. The friction coefficient of the Ti–6Al–4V substrate was insensitive to the normal load, while that of the cladded TiCN/Ti coating was very sensitive to the normal load. The wear mass losses of the cladded samples are much lower than that of the substrate whatever the normal load is.     

Transition temperature to crystal phase of Al86Mn14 quasicrystal ultrafine particles determined by direct observation and characterization of surface oxide layer

Al–Mn quasicrystal ultrafine particles can be produced by the advanced gas evaporation method (AGEM), which is a method of preparing ultrafine alloy particles by coalescence growth among the particles near the evaporation sources. We investigated the phase transition temperature from a quasicrystal to a stable crystal, by examining successive electron diffraction patterns of an ultrafine particle in an in situ experiment using a transmission electron microscope. In spite of the report that the Al₈₆Mn₁₄ quasicrystal transforms into the crystal phase at around 400–670 °C on thin film specimens, the quasicrystal ultrafine particle transformed at 800 °C, i.e., the quasicrystal ultrafine particle is more stable. Since the cross-sectional view of the surface oxide layer of the quasicrystal ultrafine particles can be easily observed, the surface oxides of η-Al₂O₃ and MnO were characterized as a result of the oxidation of residual atoms on the surface of the produced alloy particles including the quasicrystals. The conditions required for Al–Mn quasicrystal ultrafine particle formation by the AGEM can be estimated under the cooling rate of 10⁵ K/s.     

Growth Behavior of CdS Nanoparticles Embedded in Polymer and Sol-Gel Silica Matrices: Relationship with Surface-State Related Luminescence

Chemical techniques were employed to synthesize CdS nanoparticles embedded in polymer (PEG 300) and sol-gel silica matrices. Systematic growth of particles (radius 3–9 nm) was obtained by adjusting post-deposition annealing temperature and time to examine the dependence of surface-state–related luminescence on particle size. Photoluminescence (PL) peak energy showed a linear dependence with a gentle slope in the weak confinement region and a steep slope in the strong confinement region, the divergence being observed near the excitonic Bohr radius for CdS. The empirical relation proposed for the weak confinement region could be used for estimating chemically prepared CdS nanoparticle size with a high degree of reliability from PL peak energy.     

Interfacial structures of LaAlO<Subscript>3</Subscript> films on Si(100) substrates

This paper investigates the interfacial characteristics of LaAlO₃ (LAO) and LaAlO_xN_y (LAON) films deposited directly on silicon substrates by the pulsed-laser deposition technique. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) pictures indicate that an interfacial reaction between LAO and Si often exists. The interfacial layer thickness of LAO films deposited in a nitrogen ambient atmosphere is smaller than that of LAO films deposited in an oxygen ambient atmosphere. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) were used to study the composition of the interfacial layer. The shift of the La 3d photoelectron peak to a higher binding energy compared to LaAlO₃, the shift of the Al 2p peak to a higher binding energy compared to LaAlO₃, the shift of the Si 2p peak to a lower binding energy compared to SiO₂ and the intermediate location of the O 1s peak compared to LaAlO₃ and SiO₂ indicate the existence of a La–Al–Si–O bonding structure, which was also proved by the AES depth profile of LAO films. It can be concluded that the interfacial layer is not simply SiO₂ but a compound of La–Al–Si–O. PACS 77.84.Bw; 77.84.-s; 77.55.+f     

Study of post-growth annealing and Ga coverage effects in low-density GaAs/AlGaAs quantum dots grown by modified droplet epitaxy

We present a detailed analysis of the Ga coverage and of the post-growth annealing effects on the optical properties of very-low-density self-assembled GaAs/AlGaAs quantum dots grown by modified droplet epitaxy. Through theoretical calculation of the QD electronic states, including thermally activated Al–Ga interdiffusion processes, we were able to relate our spectroscopic observations to QD structural properties.     

Structure of MnO nanoparticles embedded into channel-type matrices

X-ray diffraction experiments were performed on MnO confined in mesoporous silica SBA-15 and MCM-41 matrices with different channel diameters. The measured patterns were analyzed by profile analysis and compared to numerical simulations of the diffraction from confined nanoparticles. From the lineshape and the specific shift of the diffraction reflections it was shown that the embedded objects form ribbon-like structures in the SBA-15 matrices with channels diameters of 47–87 Å, and nanowire-like structures in the MCM-41 matrices with channels diameters of 24–35 Å. In the latter case the confined nanoparticles appear to be narrower than the channel diameters. The physical reasons for the two different shapes of the confined nanoparticles are discussed.     

Electrical conductivity response and sensitivity of ZSM-5, Y,and mordenite zeolites towards ethanol vapor

This work is an attempt to search for highly selective sensing materials for ethanol vapor. The electrical conductivity response of ZSM-5, Y, and mordenite zeolites towards ethanol vapor have been investigated for the effects of the framework, the charge balancing cation type, and the Si/Al ratio. All zeolites were characterized using XRD, FT-IR, SEM, TGA, BET, and NH₃-TPD techniques. For the effect of the zeolite framework type, H⁺Y has a higher electrical conductivity sensitivity value than that of H⁺MOR because of a greater pore volume and available surface area. For the effect of the charge balancing cation, all NH₄ ⁺ZSM-5 zeolites (Si/Al = 23, 50, 80, 280) show negative responses, whereas the H⁺Y zeolites (Si/Al = 30, 60, 80) and the H⁺MOR zeolites (Si/Al = 30, 200) show positive responses. These differing behaviors can be traced to the electrostatic field at the cation sites in zeolite micropores, and their hydrophilic–hydrophobic character, which affect the adsorption properties of the zeolites. For the effect of Si/Al ratio, the electrical conductivity sensitivity towards the ethanol decreases with increasing Si/Al ratio or decreasing Al content, and there is a lesser degree of interaction between ethanol molecules and the active sites of the zeolites due to its higher hydrophobicity and the lower amount of cations. However, the H⁺Y (Si/Al = 5.1) and the H⁺MOR (Si/Al = 19) zeolites have lower conductivity sensitivity than those of H⁺Y (Si/Al = 30) and H⁺MOR (Si/Al = 30), respectively. The interactions between the C₂H₅OH molecules and the zeolites with respect to the electrical conductivity sensitivity were investigated and verified through infrared spectroscopy.     

Nanoporous silicon doped by Cu for gas-sensing applications

The effect of hydrogen sulphide on the current–voltage characteristics of metal–insulator–semiconductor (MIS) structures based on nanoporous silicon (Si_nanopor) under copper doping has been investigated. Scanning electron (SEM), atomic force (AFM) and optic microscopes and/or secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) were used to obtain detailed characterisation of copper cluster distribution present at the surface and pores, respectively. SIMS spectra reveal that finite gradient in copper distribution along the pores and oxidation of nanoporous silicon simultaneously can be obtained successfully under electroless deposition process. It was also shown that the doping of nanoporous silicon by Cu leads to enhanced hydrogen sulphide sensitivity of MIS structures even without catalytic active top electrodes (for example, Pd) at room temperature. Furthermore, for different types of familiar MIS structures based on nanoporous silicon, e.g., MIS structures doped or undoped by copper and by using Pd metal electrodes, the hydrogen sulphide detection at room temperature mainly depends on the modification in the height of barrier of hetero- (Al–Cu–Si_nanopor–c-Si) or Schottky-like (Pd–Cu–Si_nanopor–c-Si) structures resulting the chemical interaction of molecular H₂S gas with copper clusters at the surface and in the pores. It is demonstrated that MIS structures based on the nanoporous silicon with copper doping are more sensitive to H₂S action at room temperature. In addition, the physical mechanism explaining the observed phenomena is also discussed.     

The crystal structure of the seramic superconductor of the Y−Ba−Cu−O compounds

The crystal structure of one phase of superconductor Y–Ba–Cu–O Compound is analysed by RASA-5RP Four-circle single crystal diffractometer. It is found that the crystal is tetragonal with parametersa=3.8614 Å,b=3.8614 Å,C=11.6803 Å. In the crystal structure Ba situates at the Wyckoff (0, 0, 0.3094) position, Y at the special position (0, 0, 0), Cu ions occupy another special position (0.5, 0.5, 0.5) and the Wyckoff position (0.5, 0.5, 0.1391) with some substitution by Y and some Oxygen vacancies surrounding Cu and Y.     

Hybridization of surface-modified metal nanoparticles and a resin

Mercapto-terminated linear polymers, which were prepared by a reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) technique, were used to modify metal nanoparticle surfaces. Au and Ag nanoparticles which are approximately 3–6 nm were used. This modification resulted in easy dispersion of the nanoparticles in polymer resins by simple mixing. The quality of the dispersion was confirmed by UV–Vis spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy.