Crystalline amorphous semiconductor superlattice

A new class of superlattice, crystalline amorphous superlattice (CASL), by alternatively depositing two semiconductor materials, is proposed. CASL displays three states depending on the component materials' phase: both polycrystalline phases, both amorphous phases, and one polycrystalline phase while another amorphous phase. Using materials capable of reversible phase transition, CASL can demonstrate reversibility among three states. GeTe/Sb(2)Te(3) CASL has been synthesized and proved by x-ray reflectometry and TEM results. The reversible transition among three states induced by electrical and laser pulse was observed. The changes in the optical absorption edge, electrical resistivity, thermal conductivity, and crystallization temperature as a function of layer thickness are interpreted as quantum or nanoeffects. The unique properties of CASL enable the design of materials with specific properties.     

Size-dependent optical properties of VO2 nanoparticle arrays

The size effects on the optical properties of vanadium dioxide nanoparticles in ordered arrays have been studied. Contrary to previous VO2 studies, we observe that the optical contrast between the semiconducting and metallic phases is dramatically enhanced in the visible region, presenting size-dependent optical resonances and size-dependent transition temperatures. The collective optical response as a function of temperature presents an enhanced scattering state during the evolving phase transition. The effects appear to arise because of the underlying VO2 mesoscale optical properties, the heterogeneous nucleation behind the phase transition, and the incoherent coupling between the nanoparticles undergoing an order-disorder-order transition. Calculations that support these interpretations are presented.     

Formation of budesonide/α-lactose glass solutions by ball-milling

The possibility to obtain amorphous budesonide stabilised by blending with an excipient characterised by a higher glass transition temperature, namely α-lactose, has been studied. We carried out the mixing of the two compounds at room temperature by ball-milling. The four obtained blends (containing, respectively, 10, 30, 50 and 70%_w of budesonide) are X-ray amorphous and exhibit a single glass transition located between the ones of pure milled crystalline compounds. This revealed that the two amorphous phases are miscible whatever the composition and sufficiently mixed to relax as a whole. Ball-milling thus appears as a powerful tool to form amorphous molecular alloys with enhanced stability properties.     

Ionographic patterns with amorphous/crystalline contrast

Ion irradiation of thin layers of crystalline semiconductors induces a phase transition to the amorphous state. The concomitant optical contrast between unirradiated, crystalline, and irradiated, amorphous, material may be used for pattern fabrication in the submicron range. This process will be explained by the example of silicon single-crystal layers on sapphire.International Patents pending     

Ge2 Sb2 Te5相变薄膜光学及擦除性能研究

利用蓝绿激光对非晶态Ge2Sb2Te5 相变薄膜进行擦除性能的研究,分别用1000 ns,500 ns,100 ns,60 ns脉宽的蓝绿激光进行实验.结果表明,一定脉宽下,反射率对比度随擦除功率的增加而增大.并且,在1000 ns,500 ns,100 ns,60 ns的激光作用时间范围内,非晶态薄膜均可转变成晶态.对于脉宽为60 ns的蓝绿激光,擦除功率大于4.49 mW以后,薄膜的反射率对比度高于15％,这表明Ge2Sb2Te5相变薄膜在短脉宽、低擦除功率条件下,可具有较高的晶化速度.同时,分析了非晶态和晶态Ge2Sb2Te5相变薄膜的光谱特性,对比研究了780 nm,650 nm,514 nm和405 nm波长处的反射率和反射率对比度,提出了Ge2Sb2Te5相变薄膜用于蓝光光盘的改进方法.     

非线性光学晶体的高压拉曼散射研究

 报道了高压下非线性光学晶体KNbO₃（KN）,KIO₃（KI）和KTiOAsO₄（KTA）的Raman散射研究结果,压力引起的Raman光谱非常丰富,在所有的样品中都观察到了压致相变。另外,在KN晶体中发现了非常强的压致振动耦合现象及高压非晶相。对于KTA,建立了Raman光谱变化与其倍频效率随压力提高之间的可能联系。在22 GPa以上,KI晶体的基本组成集团可能由IO₃变为IO₆。     

Optical contrast by laser-induced phase changes: Real time optical measurement of fast transformation times

Real time optical measurements are used to analyse two different kinds of phase changes which generate optical contrast in (In₄₃Sb₅₇)₈₇Ge₁₃ thin films. Amorphous to crystalline and amorphous to amorphous structural transformations are induced by pulsed laser irradiation in micron-sized regions. A two beam configuration is used to follow the evolution of the optical properties of the films in real time. It is shown that real time optical measurements provide a unique tool to analyse laser-induced fast structural transformations leading to optical contrast. Processes occurring via relaxation, solid state crystallization or melting-solidification are clearly distinguished. From the analysis of the optical transients the minimum transformation times are directly determined.On Sabbatical leave from IBM Almaden Research Center, San Jose, CA, USA     

Studies of KrF laser-induced long periodic structures on polyimide

KrF excimer laser-induced long periodic structures on polyimide were investigated. At a low laser fluence slightly above the material ablation threshold, traces of micron-scale irregular ripples were observed, whereas at a fluence much higher than the ablation threshold, long-period (10-μm) and regular ripple structures were clearly visible. By examining the transition region between the peaks and valleys using a transmission electron microscope (TEM), we observed two phases within the region: amorphous structure in the vicinity of the peak and crystalline structure in the vicinity of the valley. The amorphous region was formed probably due to rapid cooling as a result of polymer melting and re-solidification, which did not allow sufficient time for the molecular chains to become completely aligned. The two distinctive regions of different degrees of crystallinity within the periodic structure can provide opportunities for industrial applications as polymer crystallinity affects mechanical and optical properties, as well as surface wettability.     

Temperature-controlled surface plasmon resonance in VO (2) nanorods

The optical properties of VO(2) nanoparticles formed in an amorphous SiO(2) host by stoichiometric ion implantation of vanadium and oxygen and thermal annealing have been determined and correlated with the particle size and morphology. The results show that that the temperature-controlled semiconductor-to-metal phase transition of the VO(2) nanophase precipitates turns on the classical surface plasmon resonance, with specific features that depend on the size and aspect ratio of the VO(2) particles. This effect improves the optical contrast between the metallic and semiconducting states in the near-IR region of the spectrum as a result of dielectric confinement that is due to the SiO(2) host. A fiber-optic application is demonstrated, as is the ability to control the characteristics of the phase transition by using ion implantation to dope the VO(2) nanoparticles with tungsten or titanium ions.     

Computer simulation of pulsed laser processing of amorphous Si

The paper introduces a 3D computer simulation model of the melting and recrystallization process of amorphous Si induced by pulsed laser irradiation. The model takes into account the temperature dependence of thermal and optical properties of crystalline, amorphous and liquid Si. The melting process is described by introducing for each volume element of melt pool the characteristic times of beginning of melting, end of melting and nucleation of a stable nucleus. The solution of heat equations of liquid and solid phases also provides one with the nucleation rates and temperatures. These data enable one to discriminate whether amorphous or crystalline phases are really allowed to be formed. Two examples of computer simulation are carried out to show the outputs of the model. Received: 7 February 2000 / Accepted: 28 March 2000 / Published online: 9 August 2000     

Mössbauer effect of119Sn in amorphous superconducting metals

Mössbauer spectra for¹¹⁹Sn in crystalline and disordered Sn, as well as in crystalline and liquid-like amorphous Sn_1-x Cu _x (X=0.10?0.18), have been measured at 2.6 K≦T≦108 K. The Debye-Waller-Factor (DWF) obtained from the spectra is identical for the crystalline and for the disordered phase. The DWF of the amorphous phase is smaller than the DWF of the crystalline phase athigh temperatures, but it shows a stronger temperature dependence than the DWF of the crystalline phase and reaches the latter one at about 4 K. From this low-temperature result we conclude that the differences of the Eliashberg functionα ²(ω)F(ω) and of the superconducting transition temperatureT _c in these two phases cannot be related to changes in the phonon spectrumF(ω), but must result from changes of the interaction parameterα ² (ω). A comparison between DWF,α ² F, and specific heat data is performed. From the values for the isomeric shift of the Mössbauer line we can show that the hybridisation and covalency of the electronic bonds present in the crystalline and in the disordered phases are destroyed in the amorphous phase. Both, the DWF and the isomer shift demonstrate that the electronic properties of crystalline and amorphous Sn(Cu) differ appreciably. The electronic and superconducting properties of amorphous Sn(Cu) are similar to the properties of the high pressure phase of tin.     

Microstructures and soft magnetic properties of Fe80P20-xSix (x = 4.5–6.5) amorphous ribbons

Fe-based amorphous ribbons with excellent soft magnetic properties and mechanical properties were prepared in the Fe–Si–P ternary system. Enhanced soft magnetic properties could be achieved through annealing treatment of the ribbons for 1 h at 325 °C, which is far below the glass transition temperatures (462–474 °C). Icosahedral medium-range ordering with a size range of around 2 nm occurred throughout the amorphous matrix during the low-temperature annealing treatment. The annealed ribbons exhibited improved magnetic saturation of over 185 emu/g while maintaining good mechanical flexibility. During icosahedral ordering, the distance between the Fe atoms and the coordination number within the amorphous ribbon can be optimised for achieving high magnetic saturation. However, nanocrystallisation of the SiP and Fe₂P transition phases embedded within the amorphous matrix occurred after the annealing treatment for 1 h at 385 °C, which caused deterioration of the soft magnetic properties and mechanical flexibility of the ribbons. Therefore, the combination of high magnetic saturation and mechanical flexibility of the amorphous ribbons could be optimised through low-temperature annealing treatment without any nanocrystallisation.     

Compositional dependence of the optical properties of the amorphous GexTe1−x system

Optical absorption at room temperature of vacuum evaporated Ge_xTe_1−x (0.125?x?0.225) amorphous thin films has been studied as a function of composition. It was found that the optical absorption is due to a direct transition. The real and imaginary parts of the dielectric constant were determined. The single-oscillator energy (E_o) and the energy dispersion parameter (E_d) have been calculated and discussed in terms of the Wemple and Di-Domenico model. The relationship between the optical gap, the average heat of atomization and the coordination numbers has been determined. The optical properties of the amorphous thin films do not change monotonically with increasing Ge content. The observed behavior of the optical properties in the range of compositions studied are explained on the basis of the Bond Constraint Theory (BCT) and rigidity theory, which provide a powerful framework for understanding the structure and properties of amorphous materials. The non-monotonic variation of the optical properties indicates that a transition from floppy to rigid occurs in the Ge_xTe_1−x films.     

X-ray diffraction and heterogeneous materials: An adaptive crystallography approach

Cultural heritage materials are often complex and heterogeneous, with a multi-scale architecture. Phases from a variety of crystalline forms co-exist in a wide grain size distribution, with each of these phases keeping in their structural arrangement a memory of the transformations that occurred to the material. Over the last two decades, X-ray diffraction has been applied successfully to the study of cultural heritage materials, with the use of synchrotron facilities offering new possibilities to describe the structural features of such complex materials. The long-range and/or short-range organization of the different crystallographic phases as well as their global position/dispersion in the material are closely related to the properties of the material (optical, mechanical…), its manufacturing process, functionality, or long-term conservation. In this paper, possible diffraction setups and data collection strategies are discussed in order to retrieve adequate data from crystalline and amorphous phases and to take into account single-crystal contributions.     

Thermal and optical studies of an amorphous InSe9 alloy produced by mechanical alloying

In this paper we investigated thermal and optical properties of an amorphous alloy of the In–Se system. The amorphous InSe₉ alloy was produced by mechanical alloying and it was studied using Differential Scanning Calorimetry and microPhotoluminescence spectroscopy techniques, and from them several properties, such as glass transition and crystallization temperatures and energies and the optical gap energy were determined and compared to the values found in other alloys of the In–Se system. This comparison revealed some differences among our alloy produced by mechanical alloying and alloys produced by other techniques, which is a clear indication of the influence of the fabrication technique in their physical properties. The main differences occur in the activation energies associated with the glass transition and crystallization processes and also in the optical gap energy.     

Amorphisation in solid metallic systems

The formation of amorphous alloys by a solid state reaction without any rapid quenching is reviewed. The crystal to glass transition is driven by the large negative heat of mixing of the crystalline reactants. Kinetic constraints assure the formation of an amorphous phase instead of the crystalline equilibrium phases. A comparison with other recently developed methods, like ion beam mixing, and a comparison of some physical properties between differently prepared amorphous alloys of the same composition are given.     

Neutron studies of structural changes in amorphous C60 fullerite under temperature, pressure, and thermobaric effects

The structural behavior of amorphous fullerites obtained as a result of mechanical activation and thermal, baric, and thermobaric effects is studied via neutron diffraction. It is shown that the phase transition between the molecular crystal (fullerite) and atomic crystal (graphite) phases in the nanoscale state occurs through intermediate amorphous phases.     

Unique melting behavior in phase-change materials for rewritable data storage

Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) is a technologically very important phase-change material for rewritable optical and electrical storage because it can be switched rapidly back and forth between amorphous and crystalline states for millions of cycles by appropriate pulsed heating. However, an understanding of this complicated phenomenon has not yet been achieved. Here, by ab initio molecular dynamics, we unravel the reversible phase transition process of GST. The melting of rocksalt-structured GST is unique in that it forms two-dimensional linear or tangled clusters while keeping order in the perpendicular direction. It is this specific character that results in the fast and reversible phase transition between amorphous and crystalline and hence rewritable data storage.     

Ellipsometry and the clean surfaces of silicon and germanium

The anomalous ellipsometric effects, which occur upon chemical adsorption of gases on clean silicon and germanium surfaces have been determined in the wavelength region 0.34–1.8 μm. The effects are ascribed to the removal of a transition layer with optical constants different from the crystalline bulk values. Within the scope of this model the optical constants of the transition layer proved to be similar to those of the corresponding amorphous materials. The differences in optical constants between crystalline material on the one hand and amorphous material and transition layer on the other, could be attributed to the presence of dangling or distorted bonds.     

Changes in electronic structure and chemical bonding upon crystallization of the phase change material GeSb2Te4

High-resolution photoelectron spectroscopy of in situ prepared films of GeSb2Te4 reveals significant differences in electronic and chemical structure between the amorphous and the crystalline phase. Evidence for two different chemical environments of Ge and Sb in the amorphous structure is found. This observation can explain the pronounced property contrast between both phases and provides new insight into the formation of the amorphous state.