Thermal stability of amorphous SiOC/crystalline Fe composite |
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| Authors: | Qing Su Jie Jian Haiyan Wang Michael Nastasi |
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| Institution: | 1. Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Research, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583-0857, USA;2. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas A&3. M University, College Station, TX 77843-3128, USA;4. Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583-0857, USA;5. Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0298, USA |
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| Abstract: | We examined the thermal stability of amorphous silicon oxycarbide (SiOC) and crystalline Fe composite by in situ and ex situ annealing. The Fe/SiOC multilayer thin films were grown via magnetron sputtering with controlled length scales on a surface-oxidized Si (100) substrate. These Fe/SiOC multilayers were in situ or ex situ annealed at temperature of 600 °C or lower. The thin multilayer sample (~10 nm) was observed to have a layer breakdown after 600 °C annealing. Diffusion starts from low groove angle triple junctions in Fe layers. In contrast, the thick multilayer structure (~70 nm) was found to be stable and an intermixed layer (FexSiyOz) was observed after 600 °C annealing. The thickness of the intermixed layer does not vary as annealing time goes up. The results suggest that the FexSiyOz layer can impede further Fe, Si and O diffusion, and assists in maintaining morphological stability. |
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| Keywords: | thermal stability amorphous silicon oxycarbide nanocrystalline Fe multilayer |
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