Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “AMORPHIZATION”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 793 records · Page 44
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

Pressure-induced amorphization of a dense coordination polymer and its impact on proton conductivity

The proton conductivity of a dense coordination polymer (CP) was investigated under high-pressure conditions. Impedance measurements under high pressures revealed that the proton conductivity of the CP decreased more than 1000-fold at pressures of 3–7 GPa and that the activation energy for proton conduction almost doubled compared with that at ambient pressure. A synchrotron X-ray study under high pressure identified the amorphization process of the CP during compression, which rationally explains the decrease in conductivity and increase in activation energy. This phenomenon is categorized as reversible pressure-induced amorphization of a dense CP and is regarded as a demonstration of the coupling of the mechanical and electrical properties of a CP.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Controllable film densification and interface flatness for high-performance amorphous indium oxide based thin film transistors

To avoid the problem of air sensitive and wet-etched Zn and/or Ga contained amorphous oxide transistors, we propose an alternative amorphous semiconductor of indium silicon tungsten oxide as the channel material for thin film transistors. In this study, we employ the material to reveal the relation between the active thin film and the transistor performance with aid of x-ray reflectivity study. By adjusting the pre-annealing temperature, we find that the film densification and interface flatness between the film and gate insulator are crucial for achieving controllable high-performance transistors. The material and findings in the study are believed helpful for realizing controllable high-performance stable transistors.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Structure and electronic properties features of amorphous chalhogenide semiconductor films prepared by ion-plasma spraying

Structure of amorphous chalcogenide semiconductor glassy As-S-Se films, obtained by high-frequency (HF) ion-plasma sputtering has been investigated. It was shown that the length of the atomic structure medium order and local structure were different from the films obtained by thermal vacuum evaporation. Temperature dependence of dark conductivity, as well as the dependence of the spectral transmittance has been studied. Conductivity value was determined at room temperature. Energy activation conductivity and films optical band gap have been calculated. Temperature and field dependence of the drift mobility of charge carriers in the HF As-S-Se films have been shown. Bipolarity of charge carriers drift mobility has been confirmed. Absence of deep traps for electrons in the As{sub 40}Se{sub 30}S{sub 30} spectrum of localized states for films obtained by HF plasma ion sputtering was determined. Bipolar drift of charge carriers was found in amorphous As{sub 40}Se{sub 30}S{sub 30} films obtained by ion-plasma sputtering of high-frequency, unlike the films of these materials obtained by thermal evaporation.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Tellurium doping effect in avalanche-mode amorphous selenium photoconductive film

Amorphous selenium (a-Se) high-gain avalanche rushing amorphous photoconductor (HARP) film has been used for highly sensitive imaging devices. To improve the spectral response of a-Se HARP photoconductive film at a long wavelength, the tellurium (Te) doping effect in an 8-μm-thick a-Se HARP film was investigated. The thickness of the Te-doped a-Se layer in the 8-μm-thick a-Se HARP films was varied from 60 to 120 nm. The signal current increases significantly due to the avalanche multiplication when the target voltage is increased over the threshold voltage. In the 8-μm-thick a-Se HARP film with a Te-doped layer, the spectral response at a long wavelength was improved in comparison with the a-Se HARP film without a Te-doped layer. In addition, the increase of the lag in the 8-μm-thick a-Se HARP target with a Te-doped layer of 120 nm is caused by the photoconductive lag due to the electrons trapped in the Te-doped layer. Based on the current-voltage characteristics, spectral response, and lag characteristics of the 8-μm-thick a-Se HARP targets, the Te-doped layer thickness of 90 nm is suitable for the 8-μm-thick a-Se HARP film.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Pseudo single crystal, direct-band-gap Ge{sub 0.89}Sn{sub 0.11} on amorphous dielectric layers towards monolithic 3D photonic integration

We demonstrate pseudo single crystal, direct-band-gap Ge{sub 0.89}Sn{sub 0.11} crystallized on amorphous layers at <450 °C towards 3D Si photonic integration. We developed two approaches to seed the lateral single crystal growth: (1) utilize the Gibbs-Thomson eutectic temperature depression at the tip of an amorphous GeSn nanotaper for selective nucleation; (2) laser-induced nucleation at one end of a GeSn strip. Either way, the crystallized Ge{sub 0.89}Sn{sub 0.11} is dominated by a single grain >18 μm long that forms optoelectronically benign twin boundaries with others grains. These pseudo single crystal, direct-band-gap Ge{sub 0.89}Sn{sub 0.11} patterns are suitable for monolithic 3D integration of active photonic devices on Si.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Amorphous ZnAlSnO thin-film transistors by a combustion solution process for future displays

A combustion solution method was developed to fabricate amorphous ZnAlSnO (a-ZATO) for thin-film transistors (TFTs). The properties of a-ZATO films and behaviors of a-ZATO TFTs were studied in detail. An appropriate Al content in the matrix could suppress the formation of oxygen vacancies efficiently and achieve densely amorphous films. The a-ZATO TFTs exhibited acceptable performances, with an on/off current ratio of ∼10{sup 6}, field-effect mobility of 2.33 cm{sup 2}·V{sup −1}·S{sup −1}, threshold voltage of 2.39 V, and subthreshold swing of 0.52 V/decade at an optimal Al content (0.5). The relation between on- and off-resistance of the ZATO TFT was also within the range expected for fast switching devices. More importantly, the introduced Al with an appropriate content had the ability to evidently enhance the device long-term stability under working bias stress and storage durations. The obtained indium- and gallium-free a-ZATO TFTs are very promising for the next-generation displays.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Atomic packing and diffusion in Fe{sub 85}Si{sub 2}B{sub 9}P{sub 4} amorphous alloy analyzed by ab initio molecular dynamics simulation

In the work reported in this paper, ab initio molecular dynamics simulation was performed on Fe{sub 85}Si{sub 2}B{sub 9}P{sub 4} amorphous alloy. Preferred atomic environment of the elements was analyzed with Voronoi polyhedrons. It showed that B and P atoms prefer less neighbors compared with Fe and Si, making them structurally incompatible with Fe rich structure and repulsive to the formation of α-Fe. However, due to the low bonding energy of B and P caused by low coordination number, the diffusion rates of them were considerably large, resulting in the requirement of fast annealing for achieving optimum nano-crystallization for its soft magnetic property. The simulation work also indicates that diffusion rate in amorphous alloy is largely determined by bonding energy rather than atomic size.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Structural and thermal investigations of an amorphous GaSe{sub 9} alloy using EXAFS, cumulant expansion, and reverse Monte Carlo simulations

In this article, we investigated structural and thermal properties of an amorphous alloy of the Ga–Se system. The amorphous GaSe{sub 9} alloy was produced by mechanical alloying and it was studied using EXAFS spectroscopy and cumulant expansion method. We also made reverse Monte Carlo simulations using the total structure factor S(K) obtained from x-ray diffraction and the EXAFS χ(k) oscillations on Se and Ga K edges as input data. Several parameters, such as average coordination numbers and interatomic distances, structural and thermal disorders, asymmetry of the partial distribution functions g{sub ij}(r), and Einstein and Debye temperatures, were determined. The g{sub ij}{sup E}(r) functions were reconstructed from the cumulants C{sub 1}, C{sub 2}, and C{sub 3} obtained from the Einstein model, and they were compared to the g{sub ij}{sup RMC}(r) functions obtained from the simulations. The simulations also furnished the partial bond angle distribution functions Θ{sub ijℓ}(cosθ), which describe the angular distribution of bonds between first neighbors, and give information about the kind of structural units present in the alloy.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2015

Electron microscopy study of Ni induced crystallization in amorphous Si thin films

The crystallization of amorphous silicon is studied by transmission electron microscopy. The effect of Ni on the crystallization is studied in a wide temperature range heating thinned samples in-situ inside the microscope. Two cases of limited Ni source and unlimited Ni source are studied and compared. NiSi{sub 2} phase started to form at a temperature as low as 250°C in the limited Ni source case. In-situ observation gives a clear view on the crystallization of silicon through small NiSi{sub 2} grain formation. The same phase is observed at the crystallization front in the unlimited Ni source case, where a second region is also observed with large grains of Ni{sub 3}Si{sub 2}. Low temperature experiments show, that long annealing of amorphous silicon at 410 °C already results in large crystallized Si regions due to the Ni induced crystallization.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Room-temperature amorphous alloy field-effect transistor exhibiting particle and wave electronic transport

The realization of room-temperature macroscopic field effect transistors (FETs) will lead to new epoch-making possibilities for electronic applications. The I{sub d}-V{sub g} characteristics of the millimeter-sized aluminum-oxide amorphous alloy (Ni{sub 0.36}Nb{sub 0.24}Zr{sub 0.40}){sub 90}H{sub 10} FETs were measured at a gate-drain bias voltage of 0–60 μV in nonmagnetic conditions and under a magnetic fields at room temperature. Application of dc voltages to the gate electrode resulted in the transistor exhibiting one-electron Coulomb oscillation with a period of 0.28 mV, Fabry-Perot interference with a period of 2.35 μV under nonmagnetic conditions, and a Fano effect with a period of 0.26 mV for Vg and 0.2 T under a magnetic field. The realization of a low-energy controllable device made from millimeter-sized Ni-Nb-Zr-H amorphous alloy throws new light on cluster electronics.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Widely bandgap tunable amorphous Cd–Ga–O oxide semiconductors exhibiting electron mobilities ≥10 cm{sup 2 }V{sup −1 }s{sup −1}

Amorphous oxide semiconductors exhibit large electron mobilities; however, their bandgaps are either too large for solar cells or too small for deep ultraviolet applications depending on the materials system. Herein, we demonstrate that amorphous Cd–Ga–O semiconductors display bandgaps covering the entire 2.5–4.3 eV region while maintaining large electron mobilities ≥10 cm{sup 2 }V{sup −1 }s{sup −1}. The band alignment diagram obtained by ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy and the bandgap values reveal that these semiconductors form type-II heterojunctions with p-type Cu{sub 2}O, which is suitable for solar cells and solar-blind ultraviolet sensors.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Highly efficient ultrathin-film amorphous silicon solar cells on top of imprinted periodic nanodot arrays

The addressing of the light absorption and conversion efficiency is critical to the ultrathin-film hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) solar cells. We systematically investigate ultrathin a-Si:H solar cells with a 100 nm absorber on top of imprinted hexagonal nanodot arrays. Experimental evidences are demonstrated for not only notable silver nanodot arrays but also lower-cost ITO and Al:ZnO nanodot arrays. The measured external quantum efficiency is explained by the simulation results. The J{sub sc} values are 12.1, 13.0, and 14.3 mA/cm{sup 2} and efficiencies are 6.6%, 7.5%, and 8.3% for ITO, Al:ZnO, and silver nanodot arrays, respectively. Simulated optical absorption distribution shows high light trapping within amorphous silicon layer.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Systematic comparison of crystalline and amorphous phases: Charting the landscape of water structures and transformations

Systematically resolving different crystalline phases starting from the atomic positions, a mandatory step in algorithms for the prediction of structures or for the simulation of phase transitions, can be a non-trivial task. Extending to amorphous phases and liquids which lack the discrete symmetries, the problem becomes even more difficult, involving subtle topological differences at medium range that, however, are crucial to the physico-chemical and spectroscopic properties of the corresponding materials. Typically, system-tailored order parameters are devised, like global or local symmetry indicators, ring populations, etc. We show that a recently introduced metric provides a simple and general solution to this intricate problem. In particular, we demonstrate that a map can be traced displaying distances among water phases, including crystalline as well as amorphous states and the liquid, consistently with experimental knowledge in terms of phase diagram, structural features, and preparation routes.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2015

Femtosecond laser-induced crystallization of amorphous N-doped Ge{sub 8}Sb{sub 92} films and in situ characterization by coherent phonon spectroscopy

Femtosecond laser-irradiation-induced phase change of amorphous N-doped Ge{sub 8}Sb{sub 92} films is in situ studied by coherent phonon spectroscopy. We have observed that a new coherent optical phonon (COP) mode occurs as laser irradiation fluence reaches certain thresholds, indicating laser-induced phase changes. Additionally, this new phonon mode has also been verified in heat-annealing-crystallized N-doped Ge{sub 8}Sb{sub 92} films, confirming the emergence of laser-irradiation-induced crystallization. By measuring the pump fluence dependence of COP dynamics in laser-crystallized N-doped Ge{sub 8}Sb{sub 92} films, we found that the frequency and lifetime of COP decrease with the increasing of pump fluence, which suggests good crystallinity in laser-crystallized N-doped Ge{sub 8}Sb{sub 92} films. It has also been observed that the crystallization temperature of amorphous N-doped Ge{sub 8}Sb{sub 92} films increases with N-doping content. Our results indicate promising applications of N-doped Ge{sub 8}Sb{sub 92} films in optical phase-change memory devices.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Angular magnetoresistance in semiconducting undoped amorphous carbon thin films

Thin films of undoped amorphous carbon thin film were fabricated by using Chemical Vapor Deposition and their structure was investigated by using High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy and Raman Spectroscopy. Angular magnetoresistance (MR) has been observed for the first time in these undoped amorphous carbon thin films in temperature range of 2 ∼ 40 K. The maximum magnitude of angular MR was in the range of 9.5% ∼ 1.5% in 2 ∼ 40 K. The origin of this angular MR was also discussed.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

The effect of Argon ion irradiation on the thickness and structure of ultrathin amorphous carbon films

Carbon films synthesized by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) and filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA) exhibit a layered structure consisting of a bottom (interface) and a top (surface) layer rich in sp{sup 2} atomic carbon bonding and a middle (bulk) layer of much higher sp{sup 3} content. Because of significant differences in the composition, structure, and thickness of these layers, decreasing the film thickness may negatively affect its properties. In this study, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) were used to examine the effect of Ar{sup +} ion irradiation on the structure and thickness of ultrathin films of hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) and hydrogen-free amorphous carbon (a-C) deposited by PECVD and FCVA, respectively. The TEM and EELS results show that 2-min ion irradiation decreases the film thickness without markedly changing the film structure and composition, whereas 4-min ion irradiation results in significant film thinning and a moderate decrease of the sp{sup 3} content of the bulk layer. This study demonstrates that Ar{sup +} ion irradiation is an effective post-deposition process for reducing the thickness and tuning the structure of ultrathin carbon films. This capability has direct implications in the synthesis of ultrathin protective carbon overcoats for extremely high-density magnetic recording applications.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2016

A new structural relaxation pathway of low-density amorphous ice

Low-density amorphous (LDA) ice is involved in critical cosmological processes and has gained prominence as one of the at least two distinct amorphous forms of ice. Despite these accolades, we still have an incomplete understanding of the structural diversity that is encompassed within the LDA state and the dynamic processes that take place upon heating LDA. Heating the high-pressure ice VIII phase at ambient pressure is a remarkable example of temperature-induced amorphisation yielding LDA. We investigate this process in detail using X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy and show that the LDA obtained from ice VIII is structurally different from the more “traditional” states of LDA which are approached upon thermal annealing. This new structural relaxation pathway involves an increase of structural order on the intermediate range length scale. In contrast with other LDA materials the local structure is more ordered initially and becomes slightly more disordered upon annealing. We also show that the cascade of phase transitions upon heating ice VIII at ambient pressure includes the formation of ice IX which may be connected with the structural peculiarities of LDA from ice VIII. Overall, this study shows that LDA is a structurally more diverse material than previously appreciated.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2016

Ice Ih anomalies: Thermal contraction, anomalous volume isotope effect, and pressure-induced amorphization

Ice Ih displays several anomalous thermodynamic properties such as thermal contraction at low temperatures, an anomalous volume isotope effect (VIE) rendering the volume of D{sub 2}O ice greater than that of H{sub 2}O ice, and a pressure-induced transition to the high-density amorphous (HDA) phase. Furthermore, the anomalous VIE increases with temperature, despite its quantum-mechanical origin. Here, embedded-fragment ab initio second-order many-body perturbation (MP2) theory in the quasiharmonic approximation (QHA) is applied to the Gibbs energy of an infinite, proton-disordered crystal of ice Ih at wide ranges of temperatures and pressures. The quantum effect of nuclei moving in anharmonic potentials is taken into account from first principles without any empirical or nonsystematic approximation to either the electronic or vibrational Hamiltonian. MP2 predicts quantitatively correctly the thermal contraction at low temperatures, which is confirmed to originate from the volume-contracting hydrogen-bond bending modes (acoustic phonons). It qualitatively reproduces (but underestimates) the thermal expansion at higher temperatures, caused by the volume-expanding hydrogen-bond stretching (and to a lesser extent librational) modes. The anomalous VIE is found to be the result of subtle cancellations among closely competing isotope effects on volume from all modes. Consequently, even ab initio MP2 with the aug-cc-pVDZ and aug-cc-pVTZ basis sets has difficulty reproducing this anomaly, yielding qualitatively varied predictions of the sign of the VIE depending on such computational details as the choice of the embedding field. However, the temperature growth of the anomalous VIE is reproduced robustly and is ascribed to the librational modes. These solid-state MP2 calculations, as well as MP2 Born–Oppenheimer molecular dynamics, find a volume collapse and a loss of symmetry and long-range order in ice Ih upon pressure loading of 2.35 GPa or higher. Concomitantly, rapid softening of acoustic phonons is observed starting around 2 GPa. They constitute a computational detection of a mechanical instability in ice Ih and the resulting pressure-induced amorphization to HDA.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗