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Point defects were introduced into specimens of three heat-treated tempers of alloy 7075 by neutron irradiation. Continuous ultrasonic monitoring allowed crack growth to be observed. Effects on stress-corrosion susceptibility, elongation, hardness, and yield strength are noted and compared for the three tempers.
The defect structure of processed edge defined film-fed growth (EFG) silicon ribbons was studied using a variety of electron microscopic techniques. Comparison between the present results and previous studies on as-grown ribbons has shown that solar cell processing introduces additional defects into the ribbons. The creation of point defects during high temperature phosphorus diffusion induces dislocation climb, resulting in the formation of dislocation helices in the diffused layer.
A novel Micro-Raman technique was designed and used to detect extended defects in 4H-SiC homoepitaxy. The technique uses above band-gap high-power laser densities to induce a local increase of free carriers in undoped epitaxies (n < 10{sup 16} at/cm{sup −3}), creating an electronic plasma that couples with the longitudinal optical (LO) Raman mode. The Raman shift of the LO phonon-plasmon-coupled mode (LOPC) increases as the free carrier density increases. Crystallographic defects lead to scattering or recombination of the free carriers which results in a loss of coupling with the LOPC, and in a reduction of the Raman shift. Given that the LO phonon-plasmon coupling is obtained thanks to the free carriers generated by the high injection level induced by the laser, we named this technique induced-LOPC (i-LOPC). This technique allows the simultaneous determination of both the carrier lifetime and carrier mobility. Taking advantage of the modifications on the carrier lifetime induced by extended defects, we were able to determine the spatial morphology of stacking faults; the obtained morphologies were found to be in excellent agreement with those provided by standard photoluminescence techniques. The results show that the detection of defects via i-LOPC spectroscopy is totally independent from the stacking fault photoluminescence signals that cover a large energy range up to 0.7 eV, thus allowing for a single-scan simultaneous determination of any kind of stacking fault. Combining the i-LOPC method with the analysis of the transverse optical mode, the micro-Raman characterization can determine the most important properties of unintentionally doped film, including the stress status of the wafer, lattice impurities (point defects, polytype inclusions) and a detailed analysis of crystallographic defects, with a high spectral and spatial resolution.
The effects of irradiation by X rays and protons on the dielectric and piezoelectric response of highly (100)-textured polycrystalline Pb(Zr{sub x}Ti{sub 1-x})O{sub 3} (PZT) thin films have been studied. Low-field dielectric permittivity, remanent polarization, and piezoelectric d{sub 33,f} response all degraded with exposure to radiation, for doses higher than 300 krad. At first approximation, the degradation increased at higher radiation doses, and was stronger in samples exposed to X rays, compared to the proton-irradiated ones. Nonlinear and high-field dielectric characterization suggest a radiation-induced reduction of the extrinsic contributions to the response, attributed to increased pinning of the domain walls by the radiation-induced point defects.
In the present work, influences of the cold deformation on electrochemical and passive response of pure nickel in three solutions with adjusted pH values of 8.5, 9.0, and 9.5 at 298 ± 1 K (25 ± 1 °C) were investigated. A cold deformation process was applied by means of cold rolling. Implementation of the cold deformation process resulted in samples having a finer microstructure. Also, the cold work and grain refinement led to increased hardness. In addition, open-circuit potential and potentiodynamic polarization tests were performed and results showed that corrosion current density was reduced by applying the cold deformation. Moreover, the results of the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and Mott–Schottky analyses indicated higher corrosion resistance of pure nickel after cold deformation. This behavior is attributed to the growth of much thicker, with less point defects, passive layer on the surface of cold-deformed samples.
An experimental investigation on the mutual influence of pre-existing residual stress and point defect following ion implantation is presented. The study has been carried out using polycrystalline titanium samples energetically implanted with krypton ions at different fluences. Ion beam analysis was used to determine the concentration profile of the injected krypton ions, while synchrotron X-ray diffraction has been used for stress determination. Ion beam analysis and synchrotron X-ray diffraction stress profile measurements of the implanted titanium samples show a clear evidence of stress-enhanced diffusion of krypton ions in titanium. It is further observed that for the titanium samples implanted at low fluence, ion implantation modifies the pre-existing residual stress through the introduction of point and open volume defects. The stress fields resulting from the ion implantation act to drift the krypton inclusions towards the surface of titanium.
The effect of Mg doping on the microstructure of InN epitaxial films in relation to their free-charge carrier properties has been investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and aberration corrected scanning TEM. We observe a direct correlation between Mg concentration and the formation of stacking faults. The threading dislocation density is found to be independent of Mg concentration. The critical Mg concentration for the on-set of stacking faults formation is determined and found to correlate with the switch from p- to n-type conductivity in InN. Potential mechanisms involving stacking faults and point defect complexes are invoked in order to explain the observed conductivity reversal. Finally, the stacking faults are structurally determined and their role in the reduction of the free electron mobility in highly doped InN:Mg is discussed.
In this work we report, for the first time, on microwave assisted synthesis of wurtzite ZnS quantum dots (QDs) in controlled reaction at temperature as low as 150 Degree-Sign C. The synthesis can be done in different microwave absorbing solvents with multisource or single source precursors. The QDs are less than 3 nm in size as characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) using selected area electron diffraction (SAED) patterns to confirm the wurtzite phase of ZnS QDs. The optical properties were investigated by UV-Vis absorption which shows blue shift in absorption compared to bulk wurtzite ZnS due to quantum confinement effects. The photoluminescence (PL) spectra of QDs reveal point defects related emission of ZnS QDs. - Graphical abstract: Microwave assisted synthesis of wurtzite ZnS quantum dots (QDs) have been achieved in controlled reaction at temperature as low as 150 Degree-Sign C. The synthesis was performed in different microwave absorbing solvents with multisource or single source precursors for very short reaction periods due to effective heating with microwaves. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Wurtzite a high temperature phase of ZnS was synthesized at low temperature. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Low temperature synthesis was possible because of the use of microwave absorbing solvents. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Capping agent was used to control the size of Quantum Dots. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Two different systems were developed using single molecular precursor and multisource precursors.
InGaN-based light emitting diodes and multiple quantum wells designed to emit in the green spectral region exhibit, in general, lower internal quantum efficiencies than their blue-emitting counter parts, a phenomenon referred to as the “green gap.” One of the main differences between green-emitting and blue-emitting samples is that the quantum well growth temperature is lower for structures designed to emit at longer wavelengths, in order to reduce the effects of In desorption. In this paper, we report on the impact of the quantum well growth temperature on the optical properties of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells designed to emit at 460 nm and 530 nm. It was found that for both sets of samples increasing the temperature at which the InGaN quantum well was grown, while maintaining the same indium composition, led to an increase in the internal quantum efficiency measured at 300 K. These increases in internal quantum efficiency are shown to be due reductions in the non-radiative recombination rate which we attribute to reductions in point defect incorporation.
We investigate the structural properties of GaAsBi layers grown by molecular beam epitaxy on GaAs at substrate temperatures between 220–315 °C. Irrespective of the growth temperature, the structures exhibited similar Bi compositions, and good overall crystal quality as deduced from X-Ray diffraction measurements. After thermal annealing at temperatures as low as 500 °C, the GaAsBi layers grown at the lowest temperatures exhibited a significant reduction of the lattice constant. The lattice variation was significantly larger for Bi-containing samples than for Bi-free low-temperature GaAs samples grown as a reference. Rutherford backscattering spectrometry gave no evidence of Bi diffusing out of the layer during annealing. However, dark-field and Z-contrast transmission electron microscopy analyses revealed the formation of GaAsBi clusters with a Bi content higher than in the surrounding matrix, as well as the presence of metallic As clusters. The apparent reduction of the lattice constant can be explained by a two-fold process: the diffusion of the excess As incorporated within As{sub Ga} antisites to As clusters, and the reduction of the Bi content in the GaAs matrix due to diffusion of Bi to GaAsBi clusters. Diffusion of both As and Bi are believed to be assisted by the native point defects, which are present in the low-temperature as-grown material.
The low energy electron beam irradiation (LEEBI) effect on optical properties of planar and nanopillar InGaN/GaN muliple quantum well light emitting structures was studied by the cathodoluminescence (CL) method. On the planar structures LEEBI leads to a formation of new InGaN-related emission bands red shifted in comparison with initial one at small irradiation doses and blue shifted at doses higher than 0.5 C/cm{sup 2}. It was observed that after dry etching used for the nanopillar formation the main InGaN-related emission line moves from 2.92 to 2.98 eV that can be explained by a strain relaxation in the quantum wells. The optical properties of nanopilars start to change under LEEBI at a dose of about one order of magnitude lower than that for planar structures. At high irradiation doses the behavior of both structures under LEEBI is similar. The results obtained were explained by the formation and reconstruction of quantum dots inside the quantum wells due to a point defect generation and redistribution stimulated by the electron beam irradiation.
We report on voltage-bias annealing (VBA) experiments performed on CIGS and CZTSe solar cells. In these experiments, completed devices were annealed at moderate temperatures and subsequently quenched with continuously applied voltage bias. These treatments resulted in substantial reversible changes in device characteristics. Photovoltaic (PV) conversion efficiency of the CIGS device varied from below 3% to above 15%, with corresponding changes in CIGS hole density from ~1014 cm-3 to ~1017 cm-3. In the CZTSe device, open-circuit voltage varied from 289 meV to 446 meV, caused by an approximately factor of fifty change in the CZTSe hole density. We interpret these findings in terms of reversible changes to the metastable point-defect populations that control key properties in these materials. Implications for optimization of PV materials and connections to long-term stability of PV devices are discussed.
X-ray and femtosecond UV photoelectron spectroscopy, secondary ion mass spectrometry and photoluminescence imaging were used to investigate the electronic and elemental properties of the CZTS,Se surface and its oxides. Oxide removal reveals a very Cu poor and Zn rich surface relative to bulk composition. O and Na are observed at the surface and throughout the bulk. Upward bending of the valence bands indicates the presence of negative charge in the surface region and the Fermi level is found near the band gap center. The presence of point defects and the impact of these findings on grain boundary properties will be described.
Changes in the conductivity of p-Si single-crystals irradiated at room temperature during their mechanical compression and stress relief are studied. It is shown that irradiation is accompanied by the generation of point defects in silicon, which play the role of stoppers for dislocation motion. The effect of “radiation memory” in “electronic” silicon crystals is detected.
The distributions of internal stresses in undoped and tin-doped silicon and the influence of electron irradiation with an energy of 5 MeV and of heat treatment at 450°C on the stresses are studied. The stresses are measured by a method based on the detection of birefringence by modulation polarimetry. It is shown that tin-doped silicon includes stripes of point defects with a nonuniform distribution of residual stresses of up to 20 kg cm{sup –2}. Heat treatment at 450°C induces an increase in the residual stresses in the sample to 50 kg cm{sup –2}. It is established that the radiation defects formed upon the irradiation of tin-doped silicon reduce the residual stresses to 2–3 kg cm{sup –2}.
The ceramic Pb{sub 0.99}Nb{sub 0.02}[(Zr{sub 0.57}Sn{sub 0.43}){sub 0.92}Ti{sub 0.08}]{sub 0.98}O{sub 3} can exist in either an antiferroelectric or a ferroelectric phase at room temperature, depending on the thermal and electrical history. The antiferroelectric phase can be partially recovered from the induced ferroelectric phase when the applied field reverses polarity. Therefore, polarization cycling of the ferroelectric phase in the ceramic under bipolar fields at room temperature is accompanied with repeated phase transitions. In this letter, the stability of the recovered antiferroelectric phase upon electrical cycling of the ceramic is investigated. Ex-situ X-ray diffraction reveals that bipolar cycling suppresses the antiferroelectric phase; this is indirectly supported by piezoelectric coefficient d{sub 33} measurements. It is speculated that the accumulated charged point defects during polarization cycling stabilize the polar ferroelectric phase. The findings presented are important to the fundamental studies of electric fatigue and field-induced phase transitions in ferroelectrics.
The shape and fine structure of lines due to Tm{sup 3+} f −f electronic transitions in multifunctional Y{sub 3}Al{sub 5}O{sub 12} garnet crystals have been studied by high-resolution spectroscopy. The observed inhomogeneously broadened lines have a Lorentzian shape, suggesting that point defects make a predominant contribution to the inhomogeneous broadening. Moreover, Y{sub Al} antisite defects, which are formed during high-temperature melt growth, produce spectral satellites near the main lines. (paper)
This final report presents work carried out on the project “First Principles Modeling of Mechanisms Underlying Scintillator Non-Proportionality” at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory during 2013-2015. The scope of the work was to further the physical understanding of the microscopic mechanisms behind scintillator nonproportionality that effectively limits the achievable detector resolution. Thereby, crucial quantitative data for these processes as input to large-scale simulation codes has been provided. In particular, this project was divided into three tasks: (i) Quantum mechanical rates of non-radiative quenching, (ii) The thermodynamics of point defects and dopants, and (iii) Formation and migration of self-trapped polarons. The progress and results of each of these subtasks are detailed.