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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 451 records · Page 25
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2018

Assessing epitaxial regrowth material quality on a micro-transfer printed GaAs substrate

Micro-transfer printing has demonstrated value for device- and array-level heterogeneous integration in a variety of applications. In this report it is used instead to assemble unique substrates with the potential to enable III–V growth templates that are both low-cost and specified at any desired lattice parameter within the range of III–V materials. Critical to this, epitaxial growth crystal quality must be established as comparable to that produced on conventional epi-ready substrates. We demonstrate epitaxial regrowth on gallium arsenide membranes that were transfer printed from their source substrate and onto a target handle. Both morphology and luminescence properties were characterized. Comparing the transfer printed membrane epitaxy with epitaxy on a conventional substrate, we found recombination rates and spatial uniformity from power-dependent photoluminescence and cathodoluminescence, respectively, to yield similar results, suggesting material quality was not adversely limited by the engineered substrate.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

GaAs solar cells grown on intentionally contaminated GaAs substrates

III-V materials such as GaAs and GaInP have some of the best electronic and optical properties of any semiconductor materials, but deposition of these materials relies on high-quality single crystal GaAs substrates for their superior performance. Unfortunately, the cost of these substrates makes these high-efficiency devices only accessible in high-value or niche markets. In this study, we explore the effect of growing bulk GaAs crystals with lower purity input materials in order to reduce their cost. We observe that intentional impurities added to the melt before the crystal growth occurs segregate to the top of the boule. Single junction GaAs solar cells grown on substrates made from contaminated boules showed no performance degradation compared to a high-purity control substrate. These results suggest that lower purity Ga and As source materials can be used during crystal growth to reduce the cost of substrates.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

First stage of reaction of molten Al with MgO substrate

The Al/MgO couple was produced in vacuum (~ 5 × 10{sup −} {sup 4} Pa) by contact heating from RT up to 1000 °C and holding at that temperature for 1 h of a small 4 × 4 × 4 mm aluminium (5 N) sample placed on the [100] MgO single crystal substrate. TEM observations backed with electron diffraction analysis indicated that the interaction between liquid aluminium and MgO starts from a redox reaction producing a continuous layer of MgAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} spinel on the substrate surface. Its growth is controlled by solid state out-diffusion of magnesium and oxygen towards the surface being in contact with liquid metal. The thickening of spinel layer is accompanied by its cracking and infiltration with aluminium. The above process enables local dissolution of the MgO substrate and formation in it of a thin region of interpenetrating metallic channels walled with spinel. The removal of dissolved magnesium through open aluminium channels towards the drop and to vacuum locally produces areas of aluminium enriched with dissolved oxygen, which results in the nucleation of α-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} at spinel clad walls. The growth of α-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} is controlled only by the dissolution rate of MgO by aluminium, liquid state diffusion of Mg to drop/vacuum and oxygen to the front of the of α-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} crystallites growing into MgO substrate. - Highlights: • New unique evidence of first stages of interaction of liquid Al with MgO substrates • Interaction of liquid Al with MgO starts with the formation of a layer MgAl{sub 2}O{sub 4}. • Growth of MgAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} is slow as controlled by solid state out-diffusion of Mg and O. • MgAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} serves as a nucleation site for Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} and consumed by it soon after. • Growth of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} is fast as controlled by diffusion in liquid state.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Broadband anti-reflective and water-repellent coatings on glass substrates for self-cleaning photovoltaic cells

Graphical abstract: High performance broadband antireflective and water-repellent coatings were fabricated on glass substrates, which can improve the short-circuit current of solar cells as much as 6.6% in comparison with glass substrates without the coatings. - Highlights: • Broadband anti-reflective and water-repellent coatings were fabricated. • Transmittance increased to 99.0%, significantly higher than that of commercial solar glasses. • The performance of standard solar cells with the AR coating was enhanced as much as 6.6%. - Abstract: High performance broadband antireflective (AR) and water-repellent coatings were fabricated on glass substrates by assembly of silica nanoparticles and polyelectrolytes via the layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly technique, followed by calcination and hydrophobic modification. A porous poly(diallyladimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA)/20 nm SiO{sub 2} nanoparticles (S-20) multilayer coating with AR property was prepared first. The maximum transmittance is as high as 99.0%, while that of the glass substrate is only 91.3%. After calcination and hydrophobic modification, the coating became water-repellent while maintaining the good AR property. Such water-repellent AR coatings can improve the short-circuit current of solar cells as much as 6.6% in comparison with glass substrates without the coatings. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the morphology and thickness of coatings. Transmission spectra and reflection spectra were characterized by UV–vis spectrophotometer. The surface wettability was studied by a contact angle/interface system.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Enhanced outcoupling in flexible organic light-emitting diodes on scattering polyimide substrates

We demonstrate an upscalable approach to increase outcoupling in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) fabricated on flexible substrates. The outcoupling enhancement is enabled by introducing a thin film of microporous polyimide on the backside of silver nanowire (AgNW) electrodes embedded in neat colorless polyimide. This porous polyimide film, prepared by immersion precipitation, utilizes a large index contrast between the polyimide host and randomly distributed air voids, resulting in broadband haze (>75%). In addition, the composite polyimide/AgNW scattering substrate inherits the high thermal (>360 °C), chemical, and mechanical stability of polyimides. The outcoupling efficiency of the composite scattering substrate is studied via optical characterization of the composite substrate and electron microscopy of the scattering film. The flexible scattering substrates compared to glass/indium tin oxide (ITO) allows for a 74% enhancement in external quantum efficiency (EQE) for a phosphorescent green OLED, and 68% EQE enhancement for a phosphorescent white OLED. The outcoupling enhancement remains unharmed after 5000 bending cycles at a 2 mm bending radius. Moreover, the color uniformity over viewing angles is improved, an important feature for lighting applications.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2015

Identification of Salmonella Typhimurium deubiquitinase SseL substrates by immunoaffinity enrichment and quantitative proteomic analysis

Ubiquitination is a key protein post-translational modification that regulates many important cellular pathways and whose levels are regulated by equilibrium between the activities of ubiquitin ligases and deubiquitinases. Here we present a method to identify specific deubiquitinase substrates based on treatment of cell lysates with recombinant enzymes, immunoaffinity purification and global quantitative proteomic analysis. As model system to identify substrates, we used a virulence-related deubiquitinase secreted by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium into the host cells, SseL. By using this approach two SseL substrates were identified in RAW 264.7 murine macrophage-like cell line, S100A6 and het-erogeneous nuclear ribonuclear protein K, in addition to the previously reported K63-linked ubiquitin chains. These substrates were further validated by a combination of enzymatic and binding assays. Finally, this method can be used for the systematic identification of substrates of deubiquitinases from other organisms and applied to study their functions in physiology and disease.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2019

Surface-Synthesized Graphene Nanoribbons for Room Temperature Switching Devices: Substrate Transfer and ex Situ Characterization

Recent progress in the on-surface synthesis of graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) has given access to atomically precise narrow GNRs with tunable electronic band gaps which makes them excellent candidates for room temperature switching devices such as field-effect transistors (FET). However, in spite of their exceptional properties, significant challenges remain for GNR processing and characterization. This contribution addresses some of the most important challenges, including GNR fabrication scalability, substrate transfer, long-term stability under ambient conditions, and ex situ characterization. We focus on 7- and 9-atom-wide armchair graphene nanoribbons (i.e., 7-AGNR and 9-AGNR) grown on 200 nm Au(111)/mica substrates using a high throughput system. Transfer of both 7- and 9-AGNRs from their Au growth substrate onto various target substrates for additional characterization is accomplished utilizing a polymer-free method that avoids residual contamination. This results in a homogeneous GNR film morphology with very few tears and wrinkles, as examined by atomic force microscopy. Raman spectroscopy indicates no significant degradation of GNR quality upon substrate transfer and reveals that GNRs have remarkable stability under ambient conditions over a 24 month period. The transferred GNRs are analyzed using multiwavelength Raman spectroscopy, which provides detailed insight into the wavelength dependence of the width-specific vibrational modes. Finally, we characterize the optical properties of 7- and 9-AGNRs via ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Islands stretch test for measuring the interfacial fracture energy between a hard film and a soft substrate

We present a technique for measuring the interfacial fracture energy, {Gamma}{sub i}, between a hard thin film and a soft substrate. A periodic array of hard thin islands is fabricated on a soft substrate, which is then subjected to uniaxial tension under an optical microscope. When the applied strain reaches a critical value, delamination between the islands and the substrate starts from the edge of the islands. As the strain is increased, the interfacial cracks grow in a stable fashion. At a given applied strain, the width of the delaminated region is a unique function of the interfacial fracture energy. We have calculated the energy release rate driving the delamination as a function of delamination width, island size, island thickness, and applied strain. For a given materials system, this relationship allows determination of the interfacial fracture energy from a measurement of the delamination width. The technique is demonstrated by measuring the interfacial fracture energy of plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition SiN{sub x} islands on a polyimide substrate. We anticipate that this technique will find application in the flexible electronics industry where hard islands on soft substrates are a common architecture to protect active devices from fracture.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2013

Effects of boron dopants of Si (001) substrates on formation of Ge layers by sputter epitaxy method

The formation of Ge layers on boron-doped Si (001) substrates by our sputter epitaxy method has been investigated. The surface morphology of Ge layers grown on Si substrates depends on the substrate resistance, and flat Ge layers are obtained on Si substrates with 0.015 Ω cm resistivity. Highly boron-doped Si substrates cause a transition in the dislocation structure from complex dislocations with 60° dislocation glide planes to 90° pure-edge dislocations, resulting in the formation of flat Ge layers. Furthermore, we have found that the surface morphology of the Ge layers improves with increasing Ge layer thickness. Ge atoms migrating on the deposited Ge layers tend to position themselves at the reactive sites, where the reactivity is related to the number of bonding contacts between the Ge atom and the surface. This modifies the surface morphology, resulting in a flatter surface. Boron dopants together with the sputter epitaxy method effectively suppress the growth of Ge islands and result in the formation of flat Ge layers.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Growth mechanism of Cobalt(II) Phthalocyanine(CoPc) thin films on SiO{sub 2} and muscovite substrates

Thin films of Cobalt(II) Phthalocyanine (CoPc) were grown by thermal evaporation technique on two different substrates namely SiO{sub 2} and atomically cleaned muscovite mica(001) at various substrate temperatures. Deposition rate has been maintained to 0.3Å/sec during the growth of the films. The growth process is studied by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM). Films on SiO{sub 2} exhibit only three-dimensional islands and uniformity of these islands improved with substrate temperatures, whereas films on mica (001) consist of long oriented percolated structures. The results revealed that the growth mechanism of CoPc strongly depends on substrate temperatures as well as nature of substrate used. Optical properties were characterized by UV-Visible spectroscopy and structural properties were studied using X-ray diffraction.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Thin SiGe virtual substrates for Ge heterostructures integration on silicon

The possibility to reduce the thickness of the SiGe virtual substrate, required for the integration of Ge heterostructures on Si, without heavily affecting the crystal quality is becoming fundamental in several applications. In this work, we present 1 μm thick Si{sub 1−x}Ge{sub x} buffers (with x > 0.7) having different designs which could be suitable for applications requiring a thin virtual substrate. The rationale is to reduce the lattice mismatch at the interface with the Si substrate by introducing composition steps and/or partial grading. The relatively low growth temperature (475 °C) makes this approach appealing for complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor integration. For all the investigated designs, a reduction of the threading dislocation density compared to constant composition Si{sub 1−x}Ge{sub x} layers was observed. The best buffer in terms of defects reduction was used as a virtual substrate for the deposition of a Ge/SiGe multiple quantum well structure. Room temperature optical absorption and photoluminescence analysis performed on nominally identical quantum wells grown on both a thick graded virtual substrate and the selected thin buffer demonstrates a comparable optical quality, confirming the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Effects of ion and nanosecond-pulsed laser co-irradiation on the surface nanostructure of Au thin films on SiO{sub 2} glass substrates

Ion irradiation and short-pulsed laser irradiation can be used to form nanostructures on the surfaces of substrates. This work investigates the synergistic effects of ion and nanosecond-pulsed laser co-irradiation on surface nanostructuring of Au thin films deposited under vacuum on SiO{sub 2} glass substrates. Gold nanoparticles are randomly formed on the surface of the substrate after nanosecond-pulsed laser irradiation under vacuum at a wavelength of 532 nm with a repetition rate of 10 Hz and laser energy density of 0.124 kJ/m{sup 2}. Gold nanoparticles are also randomly formed on the substrate after 100-keV Ar{sup +} ion irradiation at doses of up to 3.8 × 10{sup 15} ions/cm{sup 2}, and nearly all of these nanoparticles are fully embedded in the substrate. With increasing ion irradiation dose (number of incident laser pulses), the mean diameter of the Au nanoparticles decreases (increases). However, Au nanoparticles are only formed in a periodic surface arrangement after co-irradiation with 6000 laser pulses and 3.8 × 10{sup 15} ions/cm{sup 2}. The periodic distance is ∼540 nm, which is close to the wavelength of the nanosecond-pulsed laser, and the mean diameter of the Au nanoparticles remains at ∼20 nm with a relatively narrow distribution. The photoabsorption peaks of the ion- or nanosecond-pulsed laser-irradiated samples clearly correspond to the mean diameter of Au nanoparticles. Conversely, the photoabsorption peaks for the co-irradiated samples do not depend on the mean nanoparticle diameter. This lack of dependence is likely caused by the periodic nanostructure formed on the surface by the synergistic effects of co-irradiation.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Thermodynamic model of coherent island formation on vicinal substrate

A thermodynamic model has been proposed to address the formation of coherent island on the vicinal substrate. The morphological transition from square based island to elongated based one with various substrate misorientations is described. The initial stage of nucleation and growth process of islands in Stranski–Krastanow system is studied by taking into account the elastic deformations and the change of energy in the case of two-dimensional growth mode. The theoretical analysis shows the minimum nucleation barrier of island is on the decrease with increment of substrate misorientation, which means the nucleation of island on vicinal substrate is more favorable than that on flat substrate. By using the fitting data of experimental results done by Persichetti et al., [Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 036104 (2010) and Phys. Rev. B 82, 121309(R) (2010)], we provide a meaningful explanation of the experimental observations.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Improved electrical mobility in highly epitaxial La:BaSnO{sub 3} films on SmScO{sub 3}(110) substrates

Heteroepitaxial growth of BaSnO{sub 3} and Ba{sub 1−x}La{sub x}SnO{sub 3} (x = 7%) lanthanum doped barium stannate thin films on different perovskite single crystal (SrTiO{sub 3} (001) and SmScO{sub 3} (110)) substrates has been achieved by pulsed laser deposition under optimized deposition conditions. X-ray diffraction measurements indicate that the films on either of these substrates are relaxed due to the large mismatch and present a high degree of crystallinity with narrow rocking curves and smooth surface morphology while analytical quantification by proton induced X-ray emission confirms the stoichiometric La transfer from a polyphasic target, producing films with measured La contents above the bulk solubility limit. The films show degenerate semiconducting behavior on both substrates, with the observed room temperature resistivities, Hall mobilities, and carrier concentrations of 4.4 mΩ cm, 10.11 cm{sup 2} V{sup −1} s{sup −1}, and 1.38 × 10{sup 20} cm{sup −3} on SmScO{sub 3} and 7.8 mΩ cm, 5.8 cm{sup 2} V{sup −1} s{sup −1}, and 1.36 × 10{sup 20} cm{sup −3} on SrTiO{sub 3} ruling out any extrinsic contribution from the substrate. The superior electrical properties observed on the SmScO{sub 3} substrate are attributed to reduction in dislocation density from the lower lattice mismatch.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Influence of substrate material, orientation, and surface termination on GaN nanowire growth

In this work, we investigate the fundamental role of the substrate material, surface orientation, and termination on GaN nanowire (NW) nucleation and growth. First of all, the use of a patterned a-Si/diamond substrate confirms that NW shape and dimension are mainly determined by the applied growth conditions instead of the nature of the substrate. More important is the surface orientation as it defines growth direction and epitaxial relationship towards the GaN NWs, where both (111) and (100) surfaces yield NW growth for equivalent growth conditions. (110) substrates are found to be not suited for NW growth. Finally, the surface termination of diamond is demonstrated to survive the employed growth conditions and, therefore, to affect the nucleation of nanowires and the electronic properties of the heterointerface by its surface dipoles. This difference in nucleation is exploited as an alternative approach for selective area growth without deposition of a foreign mask material, which might also be transferable to other substrates.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Single-layer MoS{sub 2} roughness and sliding friction quenching by interaction with atomically flat substrates

We experimentally study the surface roughness and the lateral friction force in single-layer MoS{sub 2} crystals deposited on different substrates: SiO{sub 2}, mica, and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN). Roughness and sliding friction measurements are performed by atomic force microscopy. We find a strong dependence of the MoS{sub 2} roughness on the underlying substrate material, being h-BN the substrate which better preserves the flatness of the MoS{sub 2} crystal. The lateral friction also lowers as the roughness decreases, and attains its lowest value for MoS{sub 2} flakes on h-BN substrates. However, it is still higher than for the surface of a bulk MoS{sub 2} crystal, which we attribute to the deformation of the flake due to competing tip-to-flake and flake-to-substrate interactions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Influence of vicinal sapphire substrate on the properties of N-polar GaN films grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition

The influence of vicinal sapphire substrates on the growth of N-polar GaN films by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition is investigated. Smooth GaN films without hexagonal surface feature are obtained on vicinal substrate. Transmission electron microscope results reveal that basal-plane stacking faults are formed in GaN on vicinal substrate, leading to a reduction in threading dislocation density. Furthermore, it has been found that there is a weaker yellow luminescence in GaN on vicinal substrate than that on (0001) substrate, which might be explained by the different trends of the carbon impurity incorporation.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Phonon scattering in graphene over substrate steps

We calculate the effect on phonon transport of substrate-induced bends in graphene. We consider bending induced by an abrupt kink in the substrate, and provide results for different step-heights and substrate interaction strengths. We find that individual substrate steps reduce thermal conductance in the range between 5% and 47%. We also consider the transmission across linear kinks formed by adsorption of atomic hydrogen at the bends and find that individual kinks suppress thermal conduction substantially, especially at high temperatures. Our analysis show that substrate irregularities can be detrimental for thermal conduction even for small step heights.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗