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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 613 records · Page 34
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2013

Amber-green light-emitting diodes using order-disorder Al x In 1-x P heterostructures

We demonstrate amber-green emission from Al x In 1– x P light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with luminescence peaked at 566 nm and 600 nm. The LEDs are metamorphically grown on GaAs substrates via a graded In y Ga 1– y As buffer layer and feature electron confinement based on the control of Al x In 1– x P CuPt atomic ordering. A control sample fabricated without order-disorder carrier confinement is used to illustrate device improvement up to a factor of 3 in light output due to confinement at drive currents of 40 A/cm 2 . The light output at room temperature from our Al x In 1– x P LED structure emitting at 600 nm is 39% as bright as a Ga x In 1– x P LED emitting at 650 nm.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2013

Control of tensile strain and interdiffusion in Ge/Si(001) epilayers grown by molecular-beam epitaxy

Tensile-strained and n-doped Ge has emerged as a potential candidate for the realization of optoelectronic devices that are compatible with the mainstream silicon technology. Tensile-strained Ge/Si epilayers can be obtained by using the difference of thermal expansion coefficients between Ge and Si. We have combined various surface, structural, and compositional characterizations to investigate the growth mode and the strain state in Ge/Si epilayers grown by molecular-beam epitaxy. The Ge growth was carried out using a two-step approach: a low-temperature growth to produce relaxed and smooth buffer layers, which is followed by a high-temperature growth to get high quality Ge layers. The existence of a substrate temperature window from 260 to 300 °C is evidenced, which allows to completely suppress the Ge/Si Stranski-Krastanov growth. As a consequence of the high temperature growth, a tensile strain lying in the range of 0.22%–0.24% is obtained. Concerning the effect of thermal annealing, it is shown that cyclic annealing may allow increasing the tensile strain up to 0.30%. Finally, we propose an approach to use carbon adsorption to suppress Si/Ge interdiffusion, which represents one of the main obstacles to overcome in order to realize pure Ge-based optoelectronic devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Interfacial band configuration and electrical properties of LaAlO{sub 3}/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/hydrogenated-diamond metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors

In order to search a gate dielectric with high permittivity on hydrogenated-diamond (H-diamond), LaAlO{sub 3} films with thin Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} buffer layers are fabricated on the H-diamond epilayers by sputtering-deposition (SD) and atomic layer deposition (ALD) techniques, respectively. Interfacial band configuration and electrical properties of the SD-LaAlO{sub 3}/ALD-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/H-diamond metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) with gate lengths of 10, 20, and 30 μm have been investigated. The valence and conduction band offsets of the SD-LaAlO{sub 3}/ALD-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} structure are measured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to be 1.1 ± 0.2 and 1.6 ± 0.2 eV, respectively. The valence band discontinuity between H-diamond and LaAlO{sub 3} is evaluated to be 4.0 ± 0.2 eV, showing that the MOS structure acts as the gate which controls a hole carrier density. The leakage current density of the SD-LaAlO{sub 3}/ALD-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/H-diamond MOS diode is smaller than 10{sup −8} A cm{sup −2} at gate bias from −4 to 2 V. The capacitance-voltage curve in the depletion mode shows sharp dependence, small flat band voltage, and small hysteresis shift, which implies low positive and trapped charge densities. The MOSFETs show p-type channel and complete normally off characteristics with threshold voltages changing from −3.6 ± 0.1 to −5.0 ± 0.1 V dependent on the gate length. The drain current maximum and the extrinsic transconductance of the MOSFET with gate length of 10 μm are −7.5 mA mm{sup −1} and 2.3 ± 0.1 mS mm{sup −1}, respectively. The enhancement mode SD-LaAlO{sub 3}/ALD-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/H-diamond MOSFET is concluded to be suitable for the applications of high power and high frequency electrical devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Optical properties of single ZnTe nanowires grown at low temperature

Optically active gold-catalyzed ZnTe nanowires have been grown by molecular beam epitaxy, on a ZnTe(111) buffer layer, at low temperature (350 °C) under Te rich conditions, and at ultra-low density (from 1 to 5 nanowires per μm{sup 2}). The crystalline structure is zinc blende as identified by transmission electron microscopy. All nanowires are tapered and the majority of them are <111> oriented. Low temperature micro-photoluminescence and cathodoluminescence experiments have been performed on single nanowires. We observe a narrow emission line with a blue-shift of 2 or 3 meV with respect to the exciton energy in bulk ZnTe. This shift is attributed to the strain induced by a 5 nm-thick oxide layer covering the nanowires, and this assumption is supported by a quantitative estimation of the strain in the nanowires.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Elastic properties of B-C-N films grown by N{sub 2}-reactive sputtering from boron carbide targets

Boron-carbon-nitrogen films were grown by RF reactive sputtering from a B{sub 4}C target and N{sub 2} as reactive gas. The films present phase segregation and are mechanically softer than boron carbide films (a factor of more than 2 in Young's modulus). This fact can turn out as an advantage in order to select buffer layers to better anchor boron carbide films on substrates eliminating thermally induced mechanical tensions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Improving the performance of organic thin film transistors formed on a vacuum flash-evaporated acrylate insulator

A systematic investigation has been undertaken, in which thin polymer buffer layers with different ester content have been spin-coated onto a flash-evaporated, cross-linked diacrylate gate-insulator to form bottom-gate, top-contact organic thin-film transistors. The highest device mobilities, ∼0.65 cm{sup 2}/V s and ∼1.00 cm{sup 2}/V s for pentacene and dinaphtho[2,3-b:2′,3′-f]-thieno[3,2-b]thiophene (DNTT), respectively, were only observed for a combination of large-grain (∼1–2 μm) semiconductor morphology coupled with a non-polar dielectric surface. No correlation was found between semiconductor grain size and dielectric surface chemistry. The threshold voltage of pentacene devices shifted from −10 V to −25 V with decreasing surface ester content, but remained close to 0 V for DNTT.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Upward ferroelectric self-poling in (001) oriented PbZr{sub 0.2}Ti{sub 0.8}O{sub 3} epitaxial films with compressive strain

Upward self-poling phenomenon was observed in PbZr{sub 0.2}Ti{sub 0.8}O{sub 3} ferroelectric films which were grown on (001) SrTiO{sub 3} substrate with either p-type La{sub 0.7}Sr{sub 0.3}MnO{sub 3} or n-type SrRuO{sub 3} buffered layer, or on n-type (001) Nb-SrTiO{sub 3} substrate. Both upward self-poling and epitaxial strain are strong in the super-thin PbZr{sub 0.2}Ti{sub 0.8}O{sub 3} epitaxial films, while they become weak and finally disappear in thick epitaxial films or thin epitaxial films with high-density oxygen vacancies. Besides, both of them disappear in PbZr{sub 0.2}Ti{sub 0.8}O{sub 3} polycrystalline films on Pt/TiO{sub 2}/SiO{sub 2}/Si substrate. Therefore, the main origin of upward self-poling is epitaxial strain rather than p-n/Schottky junction or charged vacancies in PbZr{sub 0.2}Ti{sub 0.8}O{sub 3} epitaxial films here.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

High resolution InSb quantum well ballistic nanosensors for room temperature applications

We report the room temperature operation of a quasi-ballistic InSb quantum well Hall sensor that exhibits a high frequency sensitivity of 560nT/√Hz at 20uA bias current. The device utilizes a partitioned buffer layer design that suppresses leakage currents through the mesa floor and can sustain large current densities.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Annealing temperature and thickness dependence of magnetic properties in epitaxial L1{sub 0}-Mn{sub 1.4}Ga films

Mn{sub 1.4}Ga films with high perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and high crystalline quality were grown on MgO substrates with Cr buffer layer using molecular beam epitaxy. The crystalline structure and the surface morphology of the films have been systematically investigated as functions of in-situ annealing temperature (T{sub a}) and film thickness. It is found that the magnetic properties can be largely tuned by adjusting T{sub a}. As T{sub a} increases, both saturation magnetization (M{sub s}) and uniaxial perpendicular magnetic anisotropy constant (K{sub u}) increase to the maximum values of 612 emu/cc and 18 Merg/cc at 300 °C, respectively, and then decrease. The morphology also changes with T{sub a}, showing a minimum roughness of 2.2 Å at T{sub a} = 450 °C. On the other hand, as the thickness increases, M{sub s} and K{sub u} increase while coercivity decreases, which indicates there is a magnetic dead layer with a thickness of about 1.5 nm at the interfaces. The detailed examination on the surface morphology of the films with various thicknesses shows a complicated film growth process, which can be understood from the relaxation mechanism of the interfacial strain.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Tunnel magnetoresistance effect in magnetic tunnel junctions using Fermi-level-tuned epitaxial Fe{sub 2}Cr{sub 1−x}Co{sub x}Si Heusler alloy

This paper reports a systematic investigation on the structural and magnetic properties of Fe{sub 2}Cr{sub 1−x}Co{sub x}Si Heusler alloys with various compositions of x by co-sputtering Fe{sub 2}CrSi and Fe{sub 2}CoSi targets and their applications in magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs). Fe{sub 2}Cr{sub 1−x}Co{sub x}Si films of high crystalline quality have been epitaxially grown on MgO substrate using Cr as a buffer layer. The L2{sub 1} phase can be obtained at x = 0.3 and 0.5, while B2 phase for the rest compositions. A tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) ratio of 19.3% at room temperature is achieved for MTJs using Fe{sub 2}Cr{sub 0.3}Co{sub 0.7}Si as the bottom electrode with 350 °C post-annealing. This suggests that the Fermi level in Fe{sub 2}Cr{sub 1−x}Co{sub x}Si has been successfully tuned close to the center of band gap of minority spin with x = 0.7 and therefore better thermal stability and higher spin polarization are achieved in Fe{sub 2}Cr{sub 0.3}Co{sub 0.7}Si. The post-annealing effect for MTJs is also studied in details. The removal of the oxidized Fe{sub 2}Cr{sub 0.3}Co{sub 0.7}Si at the interface with MgO barrier is found to be the key to improve the TMR ratio. When the thickness of the inserted Mg layer increases from 0.3 to 0.4 nm, the TMR ratio is greatly enhanced from 19.3% to 28%.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

High Mg-content wurtzite MgZnO alloys and their application in deep-ultraviolet light-emitters pumped by accelerated electrons

High Mg-content single-phase wurtzite MgZnO alloys with a bandgap of 4.35 eV have been obtained on sapphire substrate by introducing a composition-gradient Mg{sub x}Zn{sub 1−x}O buffer layer. By employing the accelerated electrons obtained in a solid-state structure as an excitation source, an emission at around 285 nm, which is originated from the near-band-edge emission of the Mg{sub 0.51}Zn{sub 0.49}O active layer, has been observed. The results reported in this paper may provide a promising route to high performance deep-ultraviolet light-emitting devices by bypassing the challenging doping issues of wide bandgap semiconductors.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Polarity characterization by anomalous x-ray dispersion of ZnO films and GaN lateral polar structures

We demonstrate the use of anomalous x-ray scattering of constituent cations at their absorption edge, in a conventional Bragg-Brentano diffractometer, to measure absolutely and quantitatively the polar orientation and polarity fraction of unipolar and mixed polar wurtzitic crystals. In one set of experiments, the gradual transition between c+ and c− polarity of epitaxial ZnO films on sapphire as a function of MgO buffer layer thickness is monitored quantitatively, while in a second experiment, we map the polarity of a lateral polar homojunction in GaN. The dispersion measurements are compared with piezoforce microscopy images, and we demonstrate how x-ray dispersion and scanning probe methods can provide complementary information that can discriminate between polarity fractions at a material surface and polarity fractions averaged over the film bulk.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

The multiferroic properties of polycrystalline Bi{sub 1−x}Y{sub x}FeO{sub 3} films

Polycrystalline Bi{sub 1−x}Y{sub x}FeO{sub 3} films with varying x from 0 to 0.30 were prepared by pulsed laser deposition on surface oxidized Si (100) substrates with LaNiO{sub 3} as buffer layer. The influence of Y doping on the structure, ferroelectric properties, and exchange bias have been systematically investigated. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy studies revealed the structural transition from rhombohedral R3c to orthorhombic Pn2{sub 1}a with increasing x above 0.10. The leakage current density of BiFeO{sub 3} has been effectively suppressed by Y doping, and well saturated P–E loops have been observed in Bi{sub 1−x}Y{sub x}FeO{sub 3} (0.01 ≤ x ≤ 0.07). Exchange bias field with a 3.6 nm thick NiFe layer increases with increasing x to 0.01, then decreases with further increasing x.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Synthesis of ZrO{sub 2} nanoparticles by hydrothermal treatment

Zirconium oxide (zirconia, ZrO{sub 2}) is the most common material used for electrolyte of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). Zirconia has attracted attention for applications in optical coatings, buffer layers for growing superconductors, thermal-shield, corrosion resistant coatings, ionic conductors, and oxygen sensors, and for potential applications including transparent optical devices and electrochemical capacitor electrodes, fuel cells, catalysts, and advanced ceramics. In this work, zirconia particles were synthesized from ZrCl{sub 4} precursor with hydrothermal treatment in a batch reactor. Hydrothermal treatment may allow obtaining nanoparticles and sintered materials with controlled chemical and structural characteristics. Hydrothermal treatment was carried out at temperatures of 150 – 200°C with precursor concentration of 0.1 – 0.5 M. Zirconia particles obtained from this treatment were analyzed by using SEM, PSD and XRD to characterize the morphology, particle size distribution, and crystallinity, respectively. Based on the analysis, the size of zirconia particles were around 200 nm and it became smaller with decreasing precursor concentration. The increasing temperature caused the particles formed having uniform size. Zirconia particles formed by hydrothermal treatment were monoclinic, tetragonal and cubic crystal.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Enhancement of short-circuit current density in polymer bulk heterojunction solar cells comprising plasmonic silver nanowires

We demonstrate that the influence of plasmonic effects based on silver nanowires (Ag NWs) on the characteristics of polymer solar cells (PSCs). The solution-processed Ag NWs are situated at the interface of anode buffer layer and active layer, which could enhance the performance especially the photocurrent of PSCs by scattering, localized surface plasmon resonance, and surface plasmon polaritons. Plasmonic effects are confirmed by the enhancement of extinction spectra, external quantum efficiency, and steady state photoluminescence. Consequently, the short-circuit current density (J{sub sc}) and power conversion efficiency enhance about 24% and 18%, respectively, under AM1.5 illumination when Ag NWs plasmonic nanostructure incorporated into PSCs.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Yttria-stabilized zirconia buffered silicon to optimize in-plane electrical conductivity of [Ca{sub 2}CoO{sub 3}]{sub 0.62}[CoO{sub 2}] thin films

The monolithic integration of thermoelectric generators and magnetoresistive functionality on the basis of misfit cobaltate [Ca{sub 2}CoO{sub 3}]{sub 0.62}[CoO{sub 2}] thin films into silicon technology is a prerequisite for their application in miniaturized electric circuits. Here, we report on [Ca{sub 2}CoO{sub 3}]{sub 0.62}[CoO{sub 2}] thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition on (001)-silicon with a thin epitaxial yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) buffer layer. X-ray diffraction and cross-sectional high resolution transmission electron microscopy analysis reveal that high quality c-axis oriented heteroepitaxial [Ca{sub 2}CoO{sub 3}]{sub 0.62}[CoO{sub 2}] films with a 12-fold in-plane rotational symmetry can be grown, which exhibit remarkable lower electrical resistivity compared to those with random in-plane orientation. This result is explained by energetically preferred epitaxial growth directions of the pseudo hexagonal [CoO{sub 2}] sublayer in monoclinic [Ca{sub 2}CoO{sub 3}]{sub 0.62}[CoO{sub 2}] onto the cubic (001)-YSZ surface leading to a highly symmetric in-plane mutual orientation of the charge transporting CoO{sub 2} sublayer domains.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Impact of environmental conditions on the chemical surface properties of Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se){sub 2} thin-film solar cell absorbers

Environmentally driven aging effects play a crucial role in thin-film solar cells based on Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se){sub 2}, both for long-term stability and short air exposure during production. For a better understanding of such effects, Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se){sub 2} absorber surfaces were investigated by x-ray photoelectron and Auger electron spectroscopy after exposure to different environmental conditions. Identical absorbers were stored in a nitrogen atmosphere, in damp heat, and under ambient conditions for up to 14 days. We find varying degrees of diffusion of sulfur, copper, and sodium towards the surface, with potential impact on the electronic surface structure (band gap) and the properties of the interface to a buffer layer in a solar cell device. Furthermore, we observe an oxidation (in decreasing order) of indium, copper, and selenium (but no oxidation of sulfur). And finally, varying amounts of carbon- and oxygen-containing adsorbates are found. In particular, the findings suggest that, for ambient air exposure, sodium carbonate is formed at the surface.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Ferroelectric and ferromagnetic properties in BaTiO{sub 3} thin films on Si (100)

In this paper, we report on the epitaxial integration of room temperature lead-free ferroelectric BaTiO{sub 3} thin (∼1050 nm) films on Si (100) substrates by pulsed laser deposition technique through a domain matching epitaxy paradigm. We employed MgO and TiN as buffer layers to create BaTiO{sub 3}/SrRuO{sub 3}/MgO/TiN/Si (100) heterostructures. C-axis oriented and cube-on-cube epitaxial BaTiO{sub 3} is formed on Si (100) as evidenced by the in-plane and out-of-plane x-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. X-ray photoemission spectroscopic measurements show that Ti is in 4(+) state. Polarization hysteresis measurements together with Raman spectroscopy and temperature-dependent x-ray diffraction confirm the room temperature ferroelectric nature of BaTiO{sub 3}. Furthermore, laser irradiation of BaTiO{sub 3} thin film is found to induce ferromagnetic-like behavior but affects adversely the ferroelectric characteristics. Laser irradiation induced ferromagnetic properties seem to originate from the creation of oxygen vacancies, whereas the pristine BaTiO{sub 3} shows diamagnetic behavior, as expected. This work has opened up the route for the integration of room temperature lead-free ferroelectric functional oxides on a silicon platform.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗