Electron microscopic phase analysis of BN-thin films

A series of BN films was deposited by means of r.f. magnetron sputtering of a h-BN target onto Si(1OO) surfaces. Hereby, the substrate bias voltage was varied. Special interest is focussed to the influence of the deposition parameters on the orientation of the growing hexagonal BN film with respect to the substrate. For structural investigation, cross section samples were prepared. In addition to HRTEM and diffraction investigations, especially electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) was applied successfully for phase identification. For negative bias voltages of U _B =–300 V and U _B =–350V, we found a phase system consisting of a first-grown 25 nm thick layer of hexagonal structure with the c axis parallel to the substrate surface followed by the cubic phase.Dedicated to Professor Dr. rer. nat. Dr. h.c. Hubertus Nickel on the occasion of his 65th birthday     

COMBINED PARTIAL OXIDATION AND CARBONDIOXIDE REFORMING OF METHANE PROCESS TO SYNTHESIS GAS

IntroductionIthasbccndcmonstratcdthatmcthancrcformingt"ithcarbondioxidcpr0ducessynthcsisgasrichincarbonmonoxidc-x"hichisuscfulforthcs}nthcsisofaccticacid'dimcthylcthcrando.o-alcoholsll'2].Carbondioxidcref0rmingismorccndothcrmicthanstcamrcformingfCH4 CO2,'2CO 2H2Ai/'2,,=2473kJ..ol-1(l)Accordingl\"thisrcact1onnccdshighcrtcmpcraturcandlimitsspaccvclocityoffccdgas,Wehavcprct'ious1\studicdmcthancrcformingt"lthC02inthcmonotubcproccssl3J.Inordertoconvcrtmcthancinfccdgascomplctcl}',thcspaccvcloci…     

Residence times in kink sites and Markov chain model of alloy and intermetallic compound deposition

The concept of the residence time τ_ksp of an atom in a kink site has recently been suggested to understand the processes in electrochemical deposition of alloys and intermetallic compounds. Different kink sites with different residence times must be defined for alloys and intermetallic compounds. Based on this model, the finite Markov chain theory is applied to describe the selectivity of the growth process. An analytical relationship between the alloy composition and the metal ion concentrations in the electrolyte is derived. General model parameters are ratios g _i = K _ii/K _ij of equilibrium constants of the reaction of electrolyte ions with different kink sites on the surface (i, j representing different alloy components). These ratios are called selectivity constants. For simple conditions, the equation g _i ≈ τ_ii/τ_ij connects the g _i values with the residence times. The theory is tested in the deposition of alloys Co-Ni (anomalous co-deposition) and Ni-Mo (induced co-deposition). Additionally, Bi₂Te₃, an example of stoichiometric semiconductor deposition, is treated. Published in Russian in Elektrokhimiya, 2006, Vol. 42, No. 10, pp. 1216–1223. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

A surface adsorption model for electroless cobalt alloy thin films

Thin cobalt alloy films have been obtained using electroless deposition solution with two reducing agents: dimethylamine borane (DMAB) and sodium hypophosphite. This system allows spontaneous and self-activated deposition of barrier layers on Cu lines and via contacts for ultra large scale integration (ULSI) interconnects applications. This work presents a study of the solution composition effects on the material properties and composition of the films. First, we present the deposition rates, the electrical resistance, the various element profiles in the thin film, and the thin film roughness. Next, we discuss the film’s composition and its dependence on the ratio between the reducing agents composition in the solution. The experimental results suggest that the film phosphorous and boron composition is determined by the surface adsorption rates of the reducing agents. Therefore, a surface co-adsorption model of the two reducing agents is proposed, formulated, analyzed, and compared to the experimental results. Finally, we discuss the model and its significance to the formation of high-quality ultra-thin barrier layers. Dedicated to Professor Dr. Algirdas Vaskelis on the occasion of his 70th birthday.     

Anodic stripping voltammetry of sulphide at a nickel film: towards the development of a reagentless sensor

The determination of sulphide at an electrochemically generated nickel oxide layer at glassy carbon and screen-printed electrodes in acidic media has been examined and appraised. The NiO layer was found to produce a stripping-like signal to sulphide and gave a linear peak current response from 20 to 90 μM. The response was further enhanced by repetitive cycling allowing accumulation of nickel sulphide at the electrode surface such that lower micromolar levels of sulphide (i.e. 5 μM) can be determined. The response at the NiO layer to sulphide is shown to be reproducible over a period of 24 h, thereby offering the development of a disposable amperometric sensor for sulphide.     

Concentration profiles and breakthrough curves in non-linear chromatography

The treatment of the non-linear isotherm in chromatography by one of the authors [1] is extended to other cases of practical interest. The original paper dealt with the case of an initially thin zone resulting in a Poisson distribution the asymmetry of which is a function of the plate number and the non-linearity constant. The present work shows that the same relations apply to initially thick zones and to the cases of washing and deposition leading to simple relations for breakthrough curves. For significantly non-linear isotherms other quasi-Gaussian distributions can give a better fit.     

Microstructure and electrical properties of BaTiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> and (Ba,Sr)TiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> ferroelectric thin films on nickel electrodes

Nickel thin films have been sputtered on standard Si/SiO₂ substrates with TiO₂ as an adhesive layer. The thermal stability of these substrates was analyzed. SEM images show an increase in grain size with annealing temperature. They were found to be stable till 800°C, beyond which the nickel layer disintegrated. These substrates were used for deposition of BaTiO₃ and (Ba,Sr)TiO₃ dielectric thin films under a reducing atmosphere. The dielectric thin films were processed with various pyrolysis and annealing temperatures in order to optimize the dielectric properties. Increased pyrolysis temperatures showed an increase in the grain size. Results on these nickelised substrates were finally compared with dielectric films deposited on platinized silicon substrates under identical conditions but crystallized in an oxygen atmosphere.     

2,2''''-联吡啶和亚铁氰化钾对乙醛酸化学镀铜的影响

以乙醛酸作还原剂、Na2EDTA为络合剂、2,2'-联吡啶和亚铁氰化钾作为添加剂组成化学镀铜体系,研究了两种添加剂对化学镀铜速率、镀层表面形貌、组成和结构的影响.结果表明:添加适量的2,2'-联吡啶和亚铁氰化钾,不仅提高了镀液的稳定性,而且使沉积速率增加1倍.这两种添加剂的同时使用,使镀层颜色变亮,形貌发生变化.所得镀层是多晶铜,没有发现夹杂Cu20.     

Chemical Liquid Phase Deposition of Thin Aluminum Oxide Films

Introduction Inorganic oxide films have attracted a lot of interest in the last several decades. Among them, silicon dioxide films are widely used in modern microelectronics, optics and mechanics. This material has been grown by various methods including thermal oxidation, chemical vapor phase deposition, plasma-enhanced chemical vapor phase deposition, and so on.1,2 Recently, Nagayama et al.3 have reported that SiO2 thin films could be produced by a new chemical method of liquid phase depos…     

Fabrication of high performance thin films from metal fluorocomplex aqueous solution by the liquid phase deposition

The hetro-structured oxide thin films from metal fluorocomplex solution have been prepared by the liquid phase deposition (LPD) method. The Pt/Nb₂O₅ and Au/Nb₂O₅ composite films can be prepared from a mixed solution of niobium source, H₃BO₃, Pt(NH₃)₄Cl₂ and HAuCl₄ aqueous solutions under the ambient temperature and atmosphere. In the case of Au/SiO₂ composite film, (NH₄)₂SiF₆ solution is used as a mother solution. The Pt and Au ionic species are deposited in Nb₂O₅ and SiO₂ matrices. They are reduced to their metallic state after treatment above 200 °C. The size of dispersed particles can be controlled by heat treatment temperature. It is also clear that, gold nanoparticles are also found to interact with SiO₂, although the interaction is smaller than that with Nb₂O₅ showing the size of Au nanoparticles remain smaller in Nb₂O₅ that in SiO₂.