Structural,chemical and nanomechanical investigations of SiC/polymeric a-C:H films deposited by reactive RF unbalanced magnetron sputtering

Amorphous carbon (or diamond-like carbon, DLC) films have shown a number of important properties usable for a wide range of applications for very thin coatings with low friction and good wear resistance. DLC films alloyed with (semi-)metals show some improved properties and can be deposited by various methods. Among those, the widely used magnetron sputtering of carbon targets is known to increase the number of defects in the films. Therefore, in this paper an alternative approach of depositing silicon-carbide-containing polymeric hydrogenated DLC films using unbalanced magnetron sputtering was investigated. The influence of the C₂H₂ precursor concentration in the deposition chamber on the chemical and structural properties of the deposited films was investigated by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and elastic recoil detection analysis. Roughness, mechanical properties and scratch response of the films were evaluated with the help of atomic force microscopy and nanoindentation. The Raman spectra revealed a strong correlation of the film structure with the C₂H₂ concentration during deposition. A higher C₂H₂ flow rate results in an increase in SiC content and decrease in hydrogen content in the film. This in turn increases hardness and elastic modulus and decreases the ratio H/E and H³/E². The highest scratch resistance is exhibited by the film with the highest hardness, and the film having the highest overall sp³ bond content shows the highest elastic recovery during scratching.     

非简谐振动对SiC类石墨烯热输运性质的影响

考虑到原子的非简谐振动,应用固体物理理论和方法,计算了SiC类石墨烯的简谐系数和非简谐系数,得到它的德拜温度、热容量和热导率等随温度的变化规律,探讨了原子非简谐振动对它的热输运性质的影响.结果表明:SiC类石墨烯的德拜温度随温度的升高而在117-126 K之间线性增大,定容比热随温度升高而非线性增大,热导率随温度升高而非线性减小,温度较低时变化较快,而温度较高时变化较慢,并随着温度升高而趋于常量;考虑到非简谐振动后,SiC类石墨烯的德拜温度、定容比热和热导率的值分别大于、小于和大于简谐近似的相应值,温度愈高,其差值愈大,即温度愈高,非简谐效应的影响愈显著;二维平面状的SiC类石墨烯的定容比热和热导率随温度的变化规律,与三维块状SiC晶体总体趋势相同,只是具体数值不同.     

Laser-generated ns plasma pulses characterized using SiC Schottky diode

The nonequilibrium plasma generated by nanosecond laser pulse is characterized using a SiC detector connected in time-of-flight configuration to measure the radiations emitted from the plasma. Different metallic targets were irradiated by the pulsed laser at an intensity of 10¹⁰ W/cm² and 200 mJ pulse energy. The SiC allows detecting ultraviolet radiations and soft X-rays, electrons, and ions. The obtained plasma has a temperature of the order of tens to hundreds eV depending on the atomic number of the irradiated target and ion accelerations of the order of 100 eV per charge state.     

高温空气下C/SiC复合材料断裂韧性实时测试和微观结构表征分析

为了研究高温空气下C/SiC复合材料断裂韧性和微观结构,采用单边切口梁三点弯曲法实时测试了C/SiC复合材料在高温空气下的断裂韧性,并采用电子扫描显微镜 (scanning electron microscope,SEM)和X 射线衍射分析仪 (X-ray diffraction, XRD)分析了复合材料在不同温度下的破坏断口和失效机制。研究结果表明随测试温度升高,C/SiC复合材料断裂韧性降低,材料的断裂形式由脆性断裂逐渐演变成塑性断裂。从室温升温到1 000 ℃测试温度条件下,C/SiC复合材料的断裂韧性由12.5 MPa·m1/2降低为10.96 MPa·m1/2,降幅仅为12%,C/SiC复合材料高温断裂韧性良好。不同温度下,材料呈现出不同形式的断裂形貌。常温下断口形貌主要可以看到纤维拔出的现象,随着温度的升高,该现象基本消失,断裂截面变得更平整,材料的强度主要取决于基体的强度。     

Charge transport along luminescent oxide layers containing Si and SiC nanoparticles

The electrical conductivity of silicon oxides containing silicon and silicon-carbon nanoparticles has been investigated. By use of sequential Si⁺ and C⁺ ion implantations in silicon oxide followed by an annealing at 1100 °C, luminescent Si nanocrystals and SiC nanoparticles were precipitated. The characterization of the electrical transport has been carried out on two kinds of structures, allowing parallel or perpendicular transport, with respect to the substrate. The first type of samples were elaborated by means of a focus-ion-beam technique: electrical contacts to embedded nanoparticles were made by milling two nanotrenches on the sample surface until reaching the buried layer, then filling them with tungsten. The distance between the electrodes is about 100 nm. The second type of samples correspond to 40 nm thick typical MOS capacitors.The electron transport along the buried layer has shown a dramatic lowering of the electrical current, up to five orders of magnitude, when applying a sequence of voltages. It has been related to a progressive charge retention inside the nanoparticles, which, on its turn, suppresses the electrical conduction along the layer. On the other hand, the MOS capacitors show a reversible carrier charge and discharge effect that limits the current at low voltage, mostly due to the presence of C in the layers. A typical Fowler-Nordheim injection takes place at higher applied voltages, with a threshold voltage equal to 23 V.     

Preparation and characterization of pulsed laser deposition (PLD) SiC films

Si K-edge XAFS was used to characterize a stoichiometric SiC film prepared by pulsed KrF laser deposition. The film was deposited on a p-type Si(1 0 0) wafer at a substrate temperature of 250 °C in high vacuum with a laser fluence of ∼5 J/cm². The results reveal that the film contains mainly a SiC phase with an amorphous structure in which the Si atoms are bonded to C atoms in its first shell similar to that of crystalline SiC powder but with significant disorder.     

EXELFS revisited

EXELFS (Extended Electron Energy Loss Fine Structure) spectroscopy contains the same local atomic structural information as XAFS (i.e. short-range order), but also it has good low-Z elemental sensitivity, much higher spatial resolution (nanoscale) and the capacity of combining other high spatial resolution TEM measurements together with EXELFS. Until recently, due to poor quality of the EELS data, however, the EXELFS technique has not been developed to its full advantage. Various new methods to improve the data acquisition technique have been introduced, which include on-line removal of channel-to-channel gain variation and correction of dark-current background under real acquisition conditions; also aligning and accumulating a virtually unlimited number of spectra while monitoring the thickness change (due to sample drift), radiation damage and change in energy resolution during measurements. A systematic data analysis procedure has been developed which includes removing edge overlapping, χ-data normalization and adopting the UWXAFS data analysis software package to perform EXELFS data analysis at the same level of sophistication. Pure aluminium and silicon carbide were used as calibration materials. A complex carbonitride material with unknown (but theoretically predicted) structure and thin-film nickel oxide samples were used for further demonstration of the technique's current capabilities as a tool for structural characterization in a wide range of materials applications. The K-edges of Al (at 1560 eV), Si (1839 eV), O (532 eV), N (402 eV), C (284 eV) were used for EXELFS analysis; for Ni, the L_2,3 edge (at 855 eV) was used. EXELFS spectra were measured and analyzed using theoretical calculations and r-space non-linear least-square fits to determine the structural parameters. Good agreements with the known and predicted structures were obtained.     

Surface and interface of Ti(film)/SiC(substrate) system: a soft X-ray emission and photoemission electron microscopy study

We have conducted a soft X-ray emission spectroscopy (SXES) and a photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM) study on the heat-treated Ti/4H–SiC system. This spectro-microscopy approach is an ideal surface and interface characterization techniques due to the non-destructive nature of SXES and the real-time surface imaging of PEEM.

The Si L_2,3 and C K soft X-ray emission spectra, which reflect Si (s+d) states and C p states, respectively, revealed formations of Ti₅Si₃ and TiC in the reacted interfacial region of Ti (50 nm)/4H–SiC(0 0 0 1) sample.

The surface of the Ti films on 4H–SiC samples during heat-treatment up to 850 °C was investigated by PEEM. The variation in brightness in the image of the sample was attributed to the surface deoxidation in the early stage of the treatment and to the formation of reacted region at the later stage. The darkening of the surface could be attributed to the formation of TiC and/or excess C atoms that could have migrated to the surface.     

Multivariate optimization of the synthesis and of the microwave dissolution of biomorphic silicon carbide ceramics

Biomorphic silicon carbide ceramics are a new class of materials that are used for various industrial applications owing to its attractive properties. The efficiency of the synthesis and the partly extreme properties of the biomorphic ceramic depend decisively on the synthesis parameters and on the impurities of the final ceramic. In the present article the synthesis as well as the decomposition of these materials is optimized using a multivariate methodology for the design of experiments. Three variables (initial amount of Si, infiltration temperature and reaction time) were considered as factors in the synthesis optimization and six variables (digestion time, ramp time, microwave power, volumes of concentrated HF, HNO₃ and H₂SO₄) in the microwave dissolution optimization. Interactions, between analytical factors and their optimised levels were investigated using full factorial, Plackett–Burman and central composite designs. The synthesis parameters that found higher percentage of SiC (quantified by FTIR) and the digestion procedure that found higher concentrations of metals (Co, Cr and Ni, determined by FI-ETAAS) were considered the optimum.     

Nanostructured core-shell Ni deposition on SiC particles by alkaline electroless coating

In this study, core-shell nanostructured nickel formation on silicon carbide (SiC) ceramic powders was achieved through the electroless deposition method using alkaline solutions. To produce a nano core-shell Ni deposition on the SiC surfaces, process parameters such as pH values, the type of reducer material, deposition temperature, stirring rate and activation procedure among others were determined. Full coverage of core-shell nickel structures on SiC surfaces was achieved with a grain size of between 100 and 300 nm, which was approximately the same deposition thickness on the SiC surfaces. The surface morphology of the coated SiC particles showed a homogenous distribution of nanostructured nickel grains characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques. The nanostructures of the crystalline Ni coatings were observed to be attractive for achieving both good bonding and dense structure. The thin core shell-structure of Ni on the SiC surfaces was assessed as a beneficial reinforcement for possible metal matrix composite manufacturing.