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27 records · Page 2

Hall effect study of electron irradiated Si(Li)

Measurement of the Hall coefficient as a function of temperature between 15 and 300 K allows the separate determination of donor and acceptor concentrations in silicon samples which were irradiated at 240 K by 1-MeV electrons and then thermally annealed at 300 K. In both lithium- and phosphorus-doped silicon irradiation increased the acceptor concentration and decreased the donor concentration due to the formation of vacancy donor pairs. Annealing did not change either concentration in phosphorus-doped silicon and caused both concentrations to decrease in silicon doped with moderate amounts of lithium. In addition to this, in both lithium- and phosphorus-doped silicon the concentration and energy level of the A center were measured at each point in the sample's history. This experiment was limited to float-zoned silicon doped with less than 6 x 10 to the 14th power donors per cu cm.

Stannard, J.↗

Surface disordering of Pb(110)

A molecular dynamics simulation of Pb(110), using embedded atom method energy functional and two-body potential derived for the purpose, shows that near 400 K the three surface layers begin to disorder well before the bulk (interior) layers. Transfer of atoms from the first subsurface layer to the surface layer occurs. Disordering propagates beyond the top three layers above 550 K, accompanied by formation of an adlayer and vacancies in the top three layers. Behavior of the two-dimensional layer structure factors indicates that disordering is anisotropic. Simulation results are consistent with experimental observations of surface roughening near 400 K and more extensive surface ordering above 525 K. Results are consistent with simulations for Ni and Al.

Tibbits, P.↗

Analysis of the Defect Structure of B2 Feal Alloys

The Bozzolo, Ferrante and Smith (BFS) method for alloys is applied to the study of the defect structure of B2 FeAI alloys. First-principles Linear Muffin Tin Orbital calculations are used to determine the input parameters to the BFS method used in this work. The calculations successfully determine the phase field of the B2 structure, as well as the dependence with composition of the lattice parameter. Finally, the method is used to perform 'static' simulations where instead of determining the ground state configuration of the alloy with a certain concentration of vacancies, a large number of candidate ordered structures are studied and compared, in order to determine not only the lowest energy configurations but other possible metastable states as well. The results provide a description of the defect structure consistent with available experimental data. The simplicity of the BFS method also allows for a simple explanation of some of the essential features found in the concentration dependence of the heat of formation, lattice parameter and the defect structure.

Bozzolo, Guillermo↗

Inefficient Growth of Refractory Grains: Implications for Grains in the Solar Nebula

Introduction: We report the results of a sounding rocket experiment in which SiO nucleation and growth in an argon atmosphere was observed in microgravity starting from a vapor generated by evaporation of waterglass deposited on a heated Ta wire. The temperature and pressure at the point of nucleation was determined using a double wavelength Mach–Zehnder-type interferometer. The particle composition and grain size distribution were measured after payload recovery using a Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM; JEM-2100F. JEOL Ltd., Tokyo). The results were analyzed using Modified Classical Nucleation Theory (MCNT)[1]. We report a measurement of the SiO-silicate grain sticking coefficient of 0.016, indicating very inefficient grain growth from the vapor. In other words, for every 100 SiO molecules that collide with a growing grain only one to two are captured. In the only two previous studies of the growth of solid particles from the gas phase the calculated sticking coefficients were much lower. For zinc atoms colliding with zinc crystals only three out of 100,000 collisions resulted in grain growth [2]. Iron atoms colliding with growing iron particles similarly showed an efficiency of ~0.00002 [3]. For zinc, we can explain inefficient growth due to the difficulty of the colliding atom coming upon a vacancy in the growing crystal lattice before it evaporates from the grain surface. The much higher sticking coefficient of SiO molecules on silica grains is reasonable because the silica grains are highly amorphous or glassy and therefore provide a much higher defect density where SiO molecules can be captured into the grains. In the case of similar Fe experiment, the critical cluster was the dimer. In this case the forming dimer returns to the vapor phase by dissociation due to the excess energy from the formation of the Fe-Fe bond.

Joseph A Nuth↗

Initial aging phenomena in copper-chromium alloys

The effects of quenching and aging temperatures on the initial aging curves of Cu-Cr alloy were examined mainly by means of electrical resistivity measurements. Three Cu-Cr alloy specimens having 0.24, 0.74, and 1.0% Cr were solution-treated at 950-1050 C, quenched into ice-water, and subsequently aged at 300-500 C. The results were as follows: (1) At the very early stage of aging (within about 30 sec), an abrupt decrease of resistivity with lowering aging tempratures. (T sub A) and rising solution temperatures (T sub S) was observed at (T sub A) up to about 400 C. In contrast, a transient increase of resistivity with rising T sub A and lowering T sub S was observed at T sub A from about 450 to 500 C. These phenomena seem to be caused by a rapid formation of solute clusters and the reversion of clusters formed during quenching, which are enhanced by quenched-in vacancies, respectively. (2) The amount of precipitation increased at the latter stage of aging with rising T sub S and T sub A as generally expected, where T sub S was not so high as to form secondary defects. (3) As a result, the initial aging phenomena in Cr-Cr alloy were revealed to be complicated against expectations. This was considered to be due to the migration energy of vacancies so larger in Cu-base.

Suzuki, H.↗

Crystallography of the NiHfSi Phase in a NiAl (0.5 Hf) Single-Crystal Alloy

Small additions of Hf to conventionally processed NiAl single crystals result in the precipitation of a high density of cuboidal G-phase along with a newly identified silicide phase. Both of these phases form in the presence of Si which is not an intentional alloying addition but is a contaminant resulting from contact with the ceramic shell molds during directional solidification of the single-crystal ingots. The morphology, crystal structure and Orientation Relationship (OR) of the silicide phase in a NiAl (0.5 at.%Hf) single-crystal alloy have been determined using transmission electron microscopy, electron microdiffraction and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Qualitative elemental analysis and indexing of the electron microdiffraction patterns from the new phase indicate that it is an orthorhombic NiHfSi phase with unit cell parameters, a = 0.639 nm, b = 0.389 nm and c = 0.72 nm, and space group Pnma. The NiHfSi phase forms as thin rectangular plates on NiAl/111/ planes with an OR that is given by NiHfSi(100))(parallel) NiAl(111) and NiHfSi zone axes(010) (parallel) NiAl zone axes (101). Twelve variants of the NiHfSi phase were observed in the alloy and the number of variants and rectangular morphology of NiHfSi plates are consistent with symmetry requirements. Quenching experiments indicate that nucleation of the NiHfSi phase in NiAI(Hf) alloys is aided by the formation of NiAl group of zone axes (111) vacancy loops that form on the NiAl /111/ planes.

Garg, A.↗

Annealing and anomalous high-energy electron irradiation effects in low-cost silicon N+P solar cells

Silicon solar cells of N(+)P type were subjected to 1 MeV electron irradiation (up to 10 to the 16th electrons/sq cm) and then annealed at 450 C for 20 min or annealed with no electron irradiation. Electron irradiation resulted in a degradation of longer wavelength cell response, but produced a marked enhancement of response at shorter wavelengths with a peak change of 40% at 0.44 microns. Subsequent thermal anneal at 450 C reduced the long-wavelength degradation, but enhancement at shorter wavelengths persisted. Excitation at the shorter wavelengths was in the N(+)-diffused layer and in the junction region of the cell. Anneal of unirradiated cells produced shorter-wavelength enhancement with a similar peaking at 0.44 microns, but with a relative change of only 20%. More enhancement was produced in the longer wavelength region (up to 0.8 microns). These effects in the different cell regions are explained by a decrease in the interstitial oxygen-impurity complexes (deep recombination levels) and the formation of substantial oxygen-silicon vacancy centers (donors).

Garlick, G. F. J.↗

Energetics and crystal chemistry of Ruddlesden-Popper type structures in high T(sub c) ceramic superconductors

The formation of Ruddlesden-Popper type layers (alternating slabs of rocksalt and perovskite structures) is seen in these oxides which is similar in many respects to what is seen in the system Sr-Ti-O. However, it was observed that there are some significant differences, for example the rocksalt and perovskite blocks in new superconducting compounds are not necessarily electrically, unlike in Sr-Ti-O systems. This will certainly render an additional coulombic bonding energy between two different types of blocks and may well lead to significant differences in their structural chemistry. In the higher order members of the various homologous series, additional Cu-O planes are inserted in the perovskite blocks. In order for the unit cell to electrically neutral the net positive charge on rocksalt block (which remains constant throughout the homologous series) should be balanced by an equal negative charge on perovskite block. It, thus becomes necessary to create oxygen vacancies in the basic perovskite structure, when width of the perovskite slab changes on addition of extra Cu-O planes. Results of atomistic simulations suggest that these missing oxygen ions allow the Cu-O planes to buckle in these compounds. This is also supported by the absence of buckling in the first member of Bi-containing compounds in which there are no missing oxygen ions and the Sr-Ti-O series of compounds. Additional results are presented on the phase stability of polytypoid structures in these crystal chemically complex systems. The studies will focus on the determination of the location of Cu(3+) in the structures of higher order members of the La-Cu-O system and whether Cu(3+) ions or oxygen vacancies are energetically more favorable charge compensating mechanism.

Dwivedi, Anurag↗

Electronic Structure of TlBa2CaCu2O(7-Delta)

The core levels of TlBa2CaCu2O(7-delta) (Tl-1212) epitaxial films have been measured with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The valence electronic structure has been determined using the full-potential linear muffin-tin-orbital band-structure method and measured with XPS. The calculations show that a van Hove singularity (VHS) lies above the Fermi level (E(sub F)) for the stoichiometric compound (delta = 0.5), while for 50% oxygen vacancies in the Tl-O layer (delta = 0.5) E(sub F) is in close proximity to the VHS. Samples annealed in nitrogen (to reduce the hole overdoping by the removal of oxygen) exhibit higher core-level binding energies and a higher T(sub c), consistent with a shift of E(sub F) closer to the VHS. Comparisons are made to the core levels and valence bands of Tl2Ba2CaCu2O(8 + delta)(Tl-2212) and HgBa2CaCu2O)6 + delta) (Hg- 1212). The similarity of the Cu 2p(sub 3/2) spectra for Tl-1212 and Tl-2212 indicates that the number of Tl-O layers has little effect on the Cu-O bonding. However, the Tl-1212 and Hg-1212 Cu 2p(sub 3/2) signals exhibit differences which suggest that the replacement of T(sup 3+) with Hg(sup 2+) results in a decrease in the O 2p right arrow Cu 3d charge-transfer energy and differences in the probabilities of planar vs apical oxygen charge transfer and/or Zhang-Rice singlet-state formation. Differences between the Tl-1212 and the Tl-2212 and Hg-1212 measured valence bands are consistent with the calculated Cu 3d and (Tl,Hg) 6s/5d partial densities of states.

Vasquez, R. P.↗