Unusual role of the substrate in droplet‐induced GaAs/AlGaAs quantum‐dot pairs

The structural complexity of GaAs quantum‐dot pairs has been revealed by cross‐sectional transmission electron microscopy. As a result of high‐temperature droplet epitaxy, the AlGaAs substrate beneath the quantum‐dot pairs is no longer immobile and its reconstruction is observed to define the crystallization of gallium droplets under an arsenic flux. The GaAs quantum‐dot pairs are immersed into the substrate and further confined by the re‐distributed AlGaAs materials above the substrate plane. There are two underlying mechanisms responsible for the final nanostructure configuration, melt‐back etching by the gallium droplets and preferential crystallization of gallium around reconstructed sidewalls. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Surface mediated control of droplet density and morphology on GaAs and AlAs surfaces

We present a comparative study of gallium (Ga) and aluminium (Al) droplets fabricated on GaAs (100) and AlAs (100) surfaces. Higher density of Ga droplets is achieved on AlAs surface compared with GaAs surface. Similarly, the density of Al nanostructures is higher on AlAs surface than on GaAs surface, even though different morphologies are obtained on each surface. Further, while uniform Ga droplets are formed on both GaAs and AlAs surfaces, Al rings and dots, with big inhomogeneity, are observed on GaAs and AlAs surface, respectively. This investigation suggests that size and shape of nanostructures grown by the droplet epitaxy method can be designed by employing different surfaces. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Metal contacts to n-GaN

Al, Au, Ti/Al and Ti/Au contacts were prepared on n-GaN and annealed up to 900 °C. The structure, phase and morphology were studied by cross-sectional transmission and scanning electron microscopy as well as by X-ray diffraction (XRD), the electrical behaviour by current-voltage measurements. It was obtained that annealing resulted in interdiffusion, lateral diffusion along the surface, alloying and bowling up of the metal layers. The current-voltage characteristics of as-deposited Al and Ti/Al contacts were linear, while the Au and Ti/Au contacts exhibited rectifying behaviour. Except the Ti/Au contact which became linear, the contacts degraded during heat treatment at 900 °C. The surface of Au and Ti/Au contacts annealed at 900 °C have shown fractal-like structures revealed by scanning electron microscopy. Transmission electron microscopy and XRD investigations of the Ti/Au contact revealed that Au diffused into the n-GaN layer at 900 °C. X-ray diffraction examinations showed, that new Ti₂N, Au₂Ga and Ga₃Ti₂ interface phases formed in Ti/Au contact at 900 °C, new Ti₂N phase formed in Ti/Al contact at 700 and 900 °C, as well as new AlN interface phase developed in Ti/Al contact at 900 °C.     

Photoluminescence and Raman analysis of novel ZnO tetrapod and multipod nanostructures

Novel ZnO tetrapod and multipod nanostructures were successfully synthesized in bulk quantity through thermal evaporation method. The morphologies and structures of the ZnO nanostructures were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The results revealed that the ZnO nanostructures consisted of tetrapods and multipods with tower-like legs. The ZnO nanostructures were of high purity and were well crystallized with wurtzite structure. The preferred growth direction of legs was found to be the [0 0 0 1] direction. Possible growth mechanisms were proposed for the formation of the ZnO nanostructures. Room temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectra showed that the as-synthesized ZnO nanostructures had a strong green emission centered at 495 nm and a weak ultraviolet emission at 383 nm. Raman spectroscopy was also adopted to explore the structural quality of the ZnO nanostructures.     

Room temperature chemical synthesis of lead selenide thin films with preferred orientation

Room temperature chemical synthesis of PbSe thin films was carried out from aqueous ammoniacal solution using Pb(CH₃COO)₂ as Pb²⁺ and Na₂SeSO₃ as Se²⁻ ion sources. The films were characterized by a various techniques including, X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), Fast Fourier transform (FFT) and UV-vis-NIR techniques. The study revealed that the PbSe thin film consists of preferentially oriented nanocubes with energy band gap of 0.5 eV.     

Microstructures of patterned nc-Si superlattices made by pulsed laser interference crystallization

We employed atomic force microscopy, cross-section transmission electron microscopy and high-resolution electron microscopy to investigate the microstructures and surface morphology of laser interference crystallized a-Si : H/a-SiN_x : H superlattices. The experimental results show that Si nanocrystallites (nc-Si) are formed within the initial a-Si : H sublayers and are patterned in certain regions with the same periodicity of 2.0 μ m as the phase-shifting mask grating. The size of nc-Si is limited by adjacent a-SiN _x: H sublayers due to the constrained crystallization effect so it is possible to use this crystallization method to get a three-dimensional ordered nc-Si array.     

Effect of ultrasonic-induced selenium crystallization behavior during selenium reduction

In this work, the crystallization process of selenium was accelerated by ultrasonic wave. The effects of ultrasonic waves and conventional conditions of selenium crystallization were compared to understand the effects of different conditions on crystallization, including ultrasonic time, ultrasonic power, reduction temperature, and H₂SeO₃ concentration. The mechanism of ultrasound affecting selenium crystallization was also investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The experimental results showed that ultrasonic time, ultrasonic power, and reduction temperature significantly influenced the crystallization process and morphology of selenium. Ultrasonic time had a large effect on the completeness (all products have been crystallized) and integrity of the crystallization of the products. Meanwhile, ultrasonic power and reduction temperature had no effect on the completeness of crystallization. However, it had a significant effect on the morphology and integrity of the crystallized products, and different morphologies of the nano-selenium materials could be obtained by changing the ultrasonic parameters. Both primary and secondary nucleation are important in the process of ultrasound-accelerated selenium crystallization. The cavitation effect and mechanical fluctuant effects generated by ultrasound could reduce the crystallization induction time and accelerate the primary nucleation rate. The high-speed micro-jet formed in the rupture of the cavitation bubble generated is the most important reason to influence the secondary nucleation of the system.     

Waveguiding behavior of VLS-grown one-dimensional Ga-doped In2O3 nanostructures

Highly crystalline undoped and Ga-doped indium oxide nanorods with square-shaped faceted morphology were fabricated through the vapor-liquid-solid process at moderate temperature. Effects of Ga incorporation on the growth rate, morphology, and crystallinity of the nanostructures were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Defect structure and waveguiding behavior of the 1-D In₂O₃ nanostructures have been studied using microRaman and micro photoluminescence spectroscopies. The appearance of several resonant modes superposed over the broad room temperature micro-photoluminescence spectra of the nanostructures demonstrates their waveguiding behaviors. While the pristine or undoped In₂O₃ nanostructures of 20–150 nm widths revealed Fabry-Pérot resonance modes, the Ga-incorporated nanostructures of 20–100 nm width revealed whispering gallery modes due to their smaller widths. The quality factor (Q) of the resonators was estimated to be about 20.86 and 188.79 for the pristine and Ga-incorporated nanostructures, respectively, indicating a huge enhancement due to Ga incorporation. The increment in the Q factor on Ga incorporation in In₂O₃ nanorods opens up the possibility of their utilization for the development of new optical transmitters and resonators, and fabrication of nanoscopic lasing devices.     

Transmission electron microscopy study of vertical quantum dots molecules grown by droplet epitaxy

The compositional distribution of InAs quantum dots grown by molecular beam epitaxy on GaAs capped InAs quantum dots has been studied in this work. Upper quantum dots are nucleated preferentially on top of the quantum dots underneath, which have been nucleated by droplet epitaxy. The growth process of these nanostructures, which are usually called as quantum dots molecules, has been explained. In order to understand this growth process, the analysis of the strain has been carried out from a 3D model of the nanostructure built from transmission electron microscopy images sensitive to the composition.     

Growth and characterization of oriented CdSe nanobelts and nanorods

Oriented CdSe nanobelts and nanorods were grown successfully on GaAs and Si substrates by metal organic chemical vapor deposition. The thickness of Au film coated on the substrate plays an important role in determining the orientation, size, and density of these one-dimensional CdSe nanostructures. Preferred orientation was observed for nanostructures grown on the GaAs substrate coated with thick Au film, but not for the nanostructures grown on the Si substrate. Photoluminescence, transmission electron microscope, and X-ray diffraction measurements show that the CdSe nanostructures could have either wurtzite or zinc-blende structures, and there are more nanostructures with wurtzite structure than with zinc-blende structure.     

Effect of annealing on the structural and optical properties of (3 1 1)B GaAsBi layers

The influence of post-growth annealing on the microstructure and photoluminescence (PL) of GaAsBi alloys grown on (3 1 1)B GaAs is analyzed. Conventional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) performed on as-grown samples evidence the presence of structural defects and a mosaic structure in the GaAsBi layer. A sequence of stacking faults at regions close to the GaAs/GaAsBi interface are observed in high resolution TEM images. After annealing at 473 K during 3 h the mosaic structure disappears, the presence of defects is reduced and the PL peak intensely enhances.     

A transmission electron microscopy study on the atomic arrangement and grain growth of hexagonal structured Ge2Sb2Te5

The atomic arrangement and grain growth of the hexagonal structured Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ were investigated by a transmission electron microscopy study. Unlike the isotropic crystallization of face-centered-cubic (fcc) structured Ge₂Sb₂Te₅, the hexagonal structured Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ grain was preferably grown to a large degree with a specific direction. As a result, we have revealed that the grain growth occurred parallel to the (0 0 0 1) plane, and identified the atomic arrangement of the hexagonal structured Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ having nine cyclic layers by analyzing the high-resolution transmission electron microscopy images and simulated images obtained in the direction of zone axis.     

Influence of bases on hydrothermal synthesis of titanate nanostructures

A hydrothermal treatment of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) with various bases (i.e., LiOH, NaOH, KOH, and NH₄OH) was used to prepare materials with unique morphologies, relatively small crystallite sizes, and large specific surface areas. The experimental results show that the formation of TiO₂ is largely dependent on the type, strength and concentration of a base. The effect of the nature of the base used and the concentration of the base on the formation of nanostructures were investigated using X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, transmission and scanning electron microscopy, as well as surface area measurements. Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and potassium hydroxide (KOH) were both used to transform the morphology of starting TiO₂ material.     

Preparation and structural properties of MgO films grown on GaAs substrate

Epitaxial MgO thin films have been grown on semiinsulating GaAs (0 0 1) substrates using electron beam (e-beam) evaporation. X-ray diffraction indicates c-axis oriented MgO with (0 0 2) reflection only and rocking curve widths ∼2.2-3°. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses confirm an epitaxial growth of the MgO films. We study the microstructure and the defects at the interface between the MgO film and the GaAs substrate. Auger electron Spectroscopy (AES) concentration depth profiles reveal no contamination of the MgO films by As and Ga at different temperatures of the deposition process.     

Fabrication of ferromagnetic (Ga,Mn)As by ion irradiation

Using Mn⁺ implantation following ion beam-induced epitaxial crystallization (IBIEC) annealing, high Curie temperature ferromagnetic (Ga,Mn)As thin film was fabricated. The crystalline quality of the Mn⁺ implanted layer was identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A clear ferromagnetic transition at T_c 253 K was observed by magnetization vs. temperature measurement. We infer that IBIEC treatment is a useful method not only for the low-temperature annealing of (Ga,Mn)As thin films but also for other dilute magnetic semiconductor (DMS) samples.     

激光干涉结晶技术制备二维有序分布纳米硅阵列

利用结合移相光栅掩模 (PSGM) 的激光结晶技术在超薄a-SiN_x/a-Si:H/ a-SiN _x三明治结构样品中制备出二维有序分布的纳米硅阵列.原始样品是用等离子体 增强化学气相淀积法生长.a-Si:H层厚为10nm，a-SiN_x 为50nm，衬底材料为SiO ₂/Si或 熔凝石英.原子力显微镜、剖面透射电子显微镜、高分辨透射电子显微镜对样品表面形貌和 微结构的观测结果表明，采用该方法可以在原始淀积的a-Si:H层中得到位置可控的晶化区域 ：每个晶化区域直径约250nm，具有同PSGM一致的2μm周期；晶化区域内形成的纳米硅 颗粒尺寸接近原始淀积的a-Si:H层厚，且晶粒的择优取向为<111>. 关键词： 纳米硅 激光结晶 定域晶化 移相光栅     

Growth and characterization of nanostructured anatase phase TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> thin films prepared by DC reactive unbalanced magnetron sputtering

Titanium dioxide thin films were deposited on three different unheated substrates by unbalanced magnetron sputtering. The effects of the sputtering current and deposition time on the crystallization of TiO₂ thin films were studied. The TiO₂ thin films were deposited at three sputtering current values of 0.50, 0.75, and 1.00 A with different deposition times of 25, 35, and 45 min, respectively. The surface morphology of the films was investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The structure was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The film thickness was determined by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and the optical property was evaluated with spectroscopic ellipsometry. The results show that polycrystalline anatase films were obtained at a low sputtering current value. The crystallinity of the anatase phase increases as the sputtering current increases. Furthermore, nanostructured anatase phase TiO₂ thin films were obtained for all deposition conditions. The grain size of TiO₂ thin films was in the range 10–30 nm. In addition, the grain size increases as the sputtering current and deposition time increase.     

Novel nanostructures of β-Ga2O3 synthesized by thermal evaporation

In this study, we report the novel β-Ga₂O₃ nanostructures synthesized by the thermal evaporation of Ga droplet in the presence of Au catalysts at 900 °C. The morphology and structure of the products were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The single-crystalline β-Ga₂O₃ nanosheets have lateral dimensions up to several tens of microns. Large arrays of column-like layered crystal β-Ga₂O₃ structures that consisted of many nanosheets were formed on the Au-coated silicon substrate under the suitable vapor concentration. These novel β-Ga₂O₃ nanostructures are expected to have potential application in functional nanodevices.     

Structural transformation of MoO<Subscript>3</Subscript> nanobelts into MoS<Subscript>2</Subscript> nanotubes

The structural transformation of MoO₃ nanobelts into MoS₂ nanotubes using a simple sulfur source has been reported. This transformation has been extensively investigated using electron microscopic and spectroscopic techniques including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), electron diffraction (ED), and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDAX and TEM-EDX). The method described in this report will serve as a generic route for the transformation of other oxide nanostructures into the chalcogenide nanostructures.     

Ordering and grain growth of FePt thin films by annealing

Microstructure variation of FePt thin film upon annealing at elevated temperatures was investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A special shape aperture was employed to observe the ordered L1₀ phase in the dark-field TEM images. With increasing the annealing temperature, crystal grains formed clusters with gathering of neighboring grains, and crystal grain growth proceeded within the cluster. L1₀ ordered crystal grains were preferentially formed near the grain boundaries, and their sizes grew with increasing the annealing temperature.