A model for growth directional features in silicon nanowires

Long silicon nanowires (SiNWs) grown by laser ablation or by thermal evaporation of monoxide source materials are primarily oriented in the <112> direction, and some in the <110> direction, but rarely in the <100> or <111> directions. We propose a model to explain these SiNW growth directional features. The model consists of two parts. Part one is concerned with mechanism-based criteria and part two with applying these criteria to explain the experimental results. Four criteria are considered: (i) the stability of a Si atom occupying a surface site; (ii) the Si {111} surface stability in the presence of oxygen; (iii) the stepped Si {111} surface layer lateral growth process; and (iv) the effect of dislocations in providing perpetuating {111} steps to facilitate SiNW growth. Analyses of SiNW growth in accordance with these criteria showed that <112> and <110> are the preferred SiNW growth directions, and that <111> and <100> are not. Received: 12 November 2001 / Accepted: 20 November 2001 / Published online: 23 January 2002     

Orientation and Rate Dependence of Wave Propagation in Shocked Beta-SiC from Atomistic Simulations

The orientation dependence of planar wave propagation in beta-SiC is studied via the molecular dynamics （MD） method. Simulations are implemented under impact loadings in four main crystal directions, i.e., （lO0）, （llO）, 〈111〉, and 〈112}. The dispersion of stress states in different directions increases with rising impact velocity, which implies the anisotropic characteristic of shock wave propagation for beta-SiC materials. We also obtain the Hugoniot relations between the shock wave velocity and the impact velocity, and find that the shock velocity falls into a plateau above a threshold of impact velocity. The shock velocity of the plateaux is dependent on the shock directions, while 〈111} and 〈112/ can be regarded as equivalent directions as they almost reach the same plateau. A comparison between the atomic stress from MD and the stress from Rankine-Hugoniot jump conditions is also made, and it is found that they agree with each other very well.     

Electron Backscattered Diffraction of Transgranular Crack Propagation in Soft Steel

We consider the crack propagation in a soft steel sheet during the formation. The drawability is considered in relation with the structural anisotropy, the mechanical behaviour is related to both the grain morphology and the texture. The structure heterogeneity could lead to the apparition of micro-cracks. The results show the texture effect on the crack propagation and on the crack arrest in soft steel during the formation. The EBSD technique allows to show that the adjustment of the grain orientation from the initial main component {111}（112） towards the deformation orientation {111}（110） incites a trans-granular crack through a grain with initial {111}（112） orientation in a globally ductile material. It is the presence of grains with {111}（110） orientation which permits the closing of micro-cracks.     

Microstructural investigations of Y2O3 thin films deposited by laser ablation on MgO

The epitaxial relationships and the microstructure of thin Y₂O₃ film, in situ grown by laser ablation at 700 °C under 0.5 mbar oxygen pressure on MgO substrate, are studied by X-ray and HRTEM investigations. X-ray φ-scanexperiments show that Y₂O₃ exhibits two different crystallographic growing directions <111> and <100> on (100) single-crystalline MgO substrate. The <111> growing direction appears with four different epitaxial relationships where the <110> Y₂O₃ in-plane direction is parallel to the <110> in-plane direction of MgO. The <100> growing direction appears with one epitaxial relationship, cube Y₂O₃ on cube MgO. The HRTEM experiments show the columnar aspect of the Y₂O₃ thin film. Both (111) and (100) Y₂O₃-oriented grains are observed in good agreement with the X-ray experiments. Received: 16 May 2000 / Accepted: 22 May 2000 / Published online: 13 September 2000     

The orientation-selective growth of LaNiO3 films on Si(100) by pulsed laser deposition using a MgO buffer

Highly (100)-oriented, (110)-oriented and polycrystalline LaNiO₃ (LNO) films were successfully prepared on Si(100) using an oriented MgO film as a buffer. It was somewhat surprising to find that that the orientation relation between the LNO film and the corresponding MgO buffer was: LNO(100)\MgO(110), LNO(110)\MgO(111) and LNO(polycrystalline)\MgO(100). The crystalline quality of the LNO films was shown to be sensitive to the preparation conditions of the MgO buffer. The film surface was very smooth, without micrometer-sized droplets being observed. All LNO films were of metallic conductivity, with a room-temperature resistivities of approximately 250, 280 and 420 μΩ cm for the (110)-oriented, (100)-oriented and polycrystalline LNO, respectively. Received: 2 April 2001 / Accepted: 23 October 2001 / Published online: 3 June 2002     

The Influence of Interstitial Carbon and Oxygen on Grain Boundary Diffusion in Nickel and Silver

Russian Physics Journal - The paper investigates the influence of interstitial carbon and oxygen atoms on their diffusion along the &lt;111&gt;, &lt;100&gt; and &lt;110&gt;...     

Gold Nanobelt Reorientation by Molecular Dynamics Simulation

The embedded atom method is used to study the structure stability of gold nanobelt. The Au nanobelts have a rectangular cross-section with （100） orientation along the x^-,γ- and z-axes. Free surfaces are used along the x- and y-directions, and periodic boundary condition is used along z-direction. The simulation is performed at different temperatures and cross-section sizes. Our results show that the structure stability of the Au nanobelts depends on the nanobelt size, initial orientation, boundary conditions and temperature. A critical temperature exists for Au nanobelts to transform from initial （100） nanobelt to final （110） nanobelt. The mechanism of the reorientation is the slip and spread of dislocation through the nanobelt under compressive stress caused by tensile surface-stress components.     

New fermi surface results in AuGa2

Measurements of Fermi surface areas of AuGa₂ in magnetic fields up to 100 koe yield the following new results. A recently reported branch which had been the first experimental evidence for a fifth zone surface is shown to result from the third zone. Two new branches have also been measured: one near <111>, which cofirms an orbit suggested by galvanomagnetic measurements, and the other near <110> but as yet unattributed to any zone.     

Flash desorption and equilibration of H2 and D2 on single crystal surfaces of platinum

The adsorption and flash desorption of hydrogen and the equilibration of H₂ and D₂ has been studied on the (110), (211), (111) and (100) planes of platinum. Desorption from Pt (211), a stepped surface composed of (111) and (100) ledges, yields a desorption spectrum which apparently is a composite of desorption from the individual ledges. Pt (110) is quite similar to the tungsten structural analog, W (211), in that both yield two-peak desorption spectra, and on both planes adsorption kinetics are dramatically different for filling of the two states. On all four planes adsorption kinetics are apparently proportional to (1 ? θ)², and estimates of the initial sticking probabilities show them to decrease in the order: (110) > (211) > (100) > (111). Equilibration activity follows approximately the same order [(110) > (211) > (111) > (100)] with a factor of ~ 5 difference between the most and least active planes; no extraordinary activity is observed for the stepped surface, Pt(211). Below ~ 570 K equilibration of H₂ and D₂ is activated by less than 2 kcal/mole with the magnitude dependent on the specific face, and above this temperature the reaction is nonactivated. The non-activated case apparently results from absorption followed by statistical mixing on the surface. Calculated rates for HD production per cm² based on this model are in excellent agreement with the experimental values for Pt(110) and Pt(211), and in somewhat poorer agreement in the case of Pt (111) and Pt (100). This latter is probably due to the greater inaccuracy in the values of the sticking coefficients on these planes.     

Study of the paraelectric behavior of OH− ions in alkali halides with optical and caloric methods-I. Statics of dipole alignment

The electric field induced alignment of substitutional OH^? ions in a variety of alkali halide crystals was studied, using electro-optical and electro-caloric techniques. As basis for the electro-optical studies, the u.v. absorption of OH^? in various crystals was thoroughly investigated at different temperatures, and in several cases oscillator strength values were determined. The energy position of the u.v. absorption of OH^? in 13 alkali halides follows closely an Ivery-relation, which is discussed in terms of a charge-transfer model. The observed electric field induced zero-moment changes of the u.v. absorption, which depend strongly on light polarization, field direction and temperature, can be quantitatively accounted for by a paraelectric alignment model of permanent dipoles with moment p. The anisotropy of the OH^? electro-dichroism reveals <100> dipole orientation in NaCl, KCl, KBr, RBCl, RbBr and RbI, <110> orientation in KI, and <111> orientation in CsBr. The determined dipole moment values p show little variation with the host material, which excludes sizeable contributions to p from off-center shifts of the OH^? ion. The observed saturation of the electro-dichroism indicates a peculiar ‘mixed’ polarization behavior of the optical transition, which will be discussed. Reversible electro-caloric measurements, performed on several OH^? systems, reveal a field dependence and anisotropy in the high field range, which yield dipole orientation and dipole moment values in agreement with the electrooptical results.     

Crystal orientation dependence of ferromagnetism in Fe-implanted MgO single crystals

Single crystals of MgO with (100), (110) and (111) orientations were implanted with 64 keV Fe ions at a dose of 1.9×10¹⁷ ions/cm² by using metal-vapor vacuum arc ion source (MEVVA). The magnetic properties were investigated by a superconducting quantum interference device magnetometer and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) was used to analyze the Fe concentration and distribution. The presence of Fe nanoparticles in MgO matrix was verified by magnetization measurements. Results show that all the samples behave with ferromagnetism at 5 K and 300 K, and the coercive field, H_C, follow well the relation: at measured temperatures. The orientation dependence of the coercive field may result from the different distribution of Fe nanoparticle size.     

TEM and photoluminescence characterization of porous-silicon layers from <111>-oriented p + silicon substrates

Summary A first structural investigation, carried out by transmission electron microscopy on porous-silicon samples fromp ⁺, <111>-oriented substrates is presented. The samples, which show intense visible room temperature luminescence, are composed by an interconnected network of crystalline nanostructures. Evidences of the pores propagation along the <100> directions are provided. The optical and morphological characteristics of the investigated samples are found to be much similar to those of samples coming fromp-type, non-degenerate, <100>-oriented substrates rather than those obtained from <100> substrates with comparable resistivity. This striking effect is explained by invoking different etch-limiting mechanisms during pore formation. Their relative weights are proposed to depend on the crystallographic orientation of the silicon specimen subjected to etching. Paper presented at the III INSEL (Incontro Nazionale sul Silicio Emettitore di Luce), Torino, 12–13 October 1995.     

A study on the self-interstitial structure of radiation damaged silicon by means of the double alignment channeling technique

The angular distribution of 2.8 MeV helium ions backscattered from silicon crystals containing self-interstitials has been calculated by channeling computer simulations for a double alignment channeling configuration. The structures of the self-interstitial defects are assumed to be the split <110> interstitial and the split <100> di-interstitial with various inter-atomic distances. The obtained profiles of the backscattering yield are found to show shapes characteristic for each structure which can be used for differentiating between these structures. When comparing these profiles with experimental profiles obtained with the same double alignment channeling configuration in a previous study one finds reasonable agreement for the split <110> interstitial defect with an inter-atomic distance of 1.76 Å.     

The excitonic molecule emission in the uniaxially stressed Si with the different electron valley degeneracy

The excitonic molecule emission spectra in Si uniaxially stressed along <100> and <110> directions have been investigated. The binding energy of the excitonic molecules is found to be weakly dependent of space orientation of the electron valleys.     

Investigation of intracavity third-harmonic generation at 1.06 μm in YCa4O(BO3)3 crystals

Intracavity sum-frequency mixing of 1.06 μm and 532 nm in YCa₄O(BO₃)₃ (YCOB) crystals cut for different type-I phase-matching directions of (θ,ϕ)=(106°,77.2°), (111°, 79.6°) and (65°, 82.8°) was investigated in a compact diode-end-pumped acousto-optical Q-switched Nd:YVO₄/KTP laser formed with a three-mirror folded resonator. The maximum 355-nm average output power of 124 mW was obtained in the phase-matching direction of (106°, 77.2°) with a pump-to-ultraviolet conversion efficiency of 3.3% at the repetition frequency of 20 kHz. Received: 17 September 2001 / Revised version: 27 November 2001 / Published online: 17 January 2002     

Disorders produced during high-current and high-dose phosphorus ion implantation in silicon

Transmission electron microscopy, optical reflection and channeling effect measurements are employed to investigate disorders in 30 keV, high dose (3×10¹⁶ions/cm²) and high current (≦5 mA) phosphorus as-implanted silicon with (111), (100), and (110) orientation as a function of temperature rise (100–850°C) by the beam heating effect during implantation. Temperature rise below 400°C results in continuous amorrphous layer formation. This contrasts with results of the recovery into single crystals for temperature rise samples above 500°C, regardless of wafer orientation. Secondary defects (black-dotted defects, dislocation loops and rodlike defects) are formed in singlecrystal recovery samples, having a deeper distribution in (110) wafers and a shallower distribution in (111) and (100) wafers. Rodlike defects observed in 850°C samples are of “vacancy” type and have the largest density in (110) wafers.     

Recent experiments with mapon spectroscopy

Electric quadrupole interactions of impurity nuclei in single crystals of⁵⁴MnNi,¹²⁵SbNi and¹²⁵SbFe have been studied as a function of crystal field direction and applied magnetic field using MAPON. Distributions are in all cases broad compared with the mode values of the EQI's. For⁵⁴MnNi the mode efg is isotropic to better than 5% between the easy <111> axis and a hard <100> axis. The efg is +0.88 (15)x 10¹⁹ Vm⁻². The mode efg for¹²⁵SbFe along its easy <100> axis is one half of that along a hard <112> axis, and one third of that measured along the easy <111> axis of¹²⁵SbNi. The much larger efg mode and distribution seen in¹²⁵SbNi, for four to eight times greater dilution than for¹²⁵SbFe, suggests intrinsic contributions due to valence screening effects in the more itinerant nickel host.     

Photorefractive properties of (1-10) and (111)-cut sillenite crystals when external electric field is applied along the direction of the optimum diffraction efficiency

We study the influence of the application of an external electric field on the grating formed in (1-10) and (111)-cut photorefractive sillenite crystals. Optimum conditions for application of the bias field are examined, taking into account the shift of the grating orientation for maximum diffraction efficiency along the crystal depth. The contribution of the piezoelectric effect is considered both in the electro-optic tensor and space charge field calculations. An analysis on the diffractive properties under these optimum conditions shows an increase of 30% in maximum diffraction efficiency in Bi₁₂GeO₂₀, and experimental verification for this is provided. Received: 5 November 2001 / Revised version: 18 April 2002 / Published online: 8 August 2002     

Peculiarities in fragment mass distribution in the 238U + 40Ar (243 MeV) reaction

A pronounced fine structure (FS) in the form of distinct peaks was observed in neutron gated mass spectra from the decay of the ²⁷⁸110 composite system produced in the reaction ²³⁸U + ⁴⁰Ar (243 MeV) at an initial excitation energy E ^* > 70 MeV. The FS peaks are located in the vicinity of mass numbers 70-80, 100, and 130, which correspond to those of magic nuclei (clusters). In the data there is also evidence for a new type of decay -- collinear cluster tripartition of an excited nucleus. Received: 8 August 2000 / Accepted: 2 February 2001     

Growth and desorption of indium epitaxial layers investigated by high field microscopy

Growth of indium single crystals on tungsten field emission tips was carried out by deposition of indium from vapour in ultra high vacuum, using substrate temperatures in the range of 293–420 K. Two different tungsten tips were used as the substrate: a perfect W single crystal in one case and a bi-crystal with a distinct grain boundary in the other. No influence of the grain boundary on the epitaxial growth was found. Two orientation relationships were observed mostly: {111}In ∥ {110}W with 〈110〉In ∥ 〈111〉W and {111}In ∥ {100}W with 〈110〉In ∥ 〈110〉W. In the first case the growth was initiated by the indium nucleus created on the ledges of the {110}W plane. A field strength of 0.9 V/Å was found for the evaporation field of indium. The field strength of the desorption of In-W interfacial layer atoms was found to be 4.4–5.2 V/Å. A mechanism of the growth of indium crystals has been proposed.