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At least 991 records · Page 55
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

Optical functions of crystalline and amorphous TeO2

The optical functions of crystalline paratellurite (α-TeO2) and amorphous TeO2 were determined using several optical techniques: (1) standard spectroscopic two-modulator generalized ellipsometry (2-MGE) of paratellurite (200–850 nm, 6.2–1.46 eV), (2) near-normal-incidence two-modulator generalized ellipsometry microscopy (2-MGEM) of paratellurite (577 nm, 2.15 eV), (3) Mueller matrix transmission of paratellurite (320–798 nm, 3.87–1.55 eV), and (4) polarized transmission of paratellurite (323.6–334.3 nm, 3.83–3.71 eV). The 2-MGE measurements yielded highly accurate values of the dielectric functions and error estimates from 1.46 to 6.2 eV for both paratellurite and amorphous TeO2, whereas the polarization-dependent transmission yielded more accurate values of the absorption coefficient below the band edge of paratellurite. The 2-MGEM measured the diattenuation of paratellurite, which is related to the birefringence. Mueller matrix transmission measurements of paratellurite of a (001) cut crystal as a function of angle of incidence were used to determine both the birefringence and the rotary power as a function of photon energy.

Jellison Jr, Gerald [ORNL]↗
DOE OSTI2013

A field-shaping multi-well avalanche detector for direct conversion amorphous selenium

Purpose: A practical detector structure is proposed to achieve stable avalanche multiplication gain in direct-conversion amorphous selenium radiation detectors. Methods: The detector structure is referred to as a field-shaping multi-well avalanche detector. Stable avalanche multiplication gain is achieved by eliminating field hot spots using high-density avalanche wells with insulated walls and field-shaping inside each well. Results: The authors demonstrate the impact of high-density insulated wells and field-shaping to eliminate the formation of both field hot spots in the avalanche region and high fields at the metal-semiconductor interface. Results show a semi-Gaussian field distribution inside each well using the field-shaping electrodes, and the electric field at the metal-semiconductor interface can be one order-of-magnitude lower than the peak value where avalanche occurs. Conclusions: This is the first attempt to design a practical direct-conversion amorphous selenium detector with avalanche gain.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2014

Amorphous In–Ga–Zn–O thin-film transistor active pixel sensor x-ray imager for digital breast tomosynthesis

Purpose: The breast cancer detection rate for digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) is limited by the x-ray image quality. The limiting Nyquist frequency for current DBT systems is around 5 lp/mm, while the fine image details contained in the high spatial frequency region (>5 lp/mm) are lost. Also today the tomosynthesis patient dose is high (0.67–3.52 mGy). To address current issues, in this paper, for the first time, a high-resolution low-dose organic photodetector/amorphous In–Ga–Zn–O thin-film transistor (a-IGZO TFT) active pixel sensor (APS) x-ray imager is proposed for next generation DBT systems. Methods: The indirect x-ray detector is based on a combination of a novel low-cost organic photodiode (OPD) and a cesium iodide-based (CsI:Tl) scintillator. The proposed APS x-ray imager overcomes the difficulty of weak signal detection, when small pixel size and low exposure conditions are used, by an on-pixel signal amplification with a significant charge gain. The electrical performance of a-IGZO TFT APS pixel circuit is investigated by SPICE simulation using modified Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) TFT model. Finally, the noise, detective quantum efficiency (DQE), and resolvability of the complete system are modeled using the cascaded system formalism. Results: The result demonstrates that a large charge gain of 31–122 is achieved for the proposed high-mobility (5–20 cm{sup 2}/V s) amorphous metal-oxide TFT APS. The charge gain is sufficient to eliminate the TFT thermal noise, flicker noise as well as the external readout circuit noise. Moreover, the low TFT (<10{sup −13} A) and OPD (<10{sup −8} A/cm{sup 2}) leakage currents can further reduce the APS noise. Cascaded system analysis shows that the proposed APS imager with a 75 μm pixel pitch can effectively resolve the Nyquist frequency of 6.67 lp/mm, which can be further improved to ∼10 lp/mm if the pixel pitch is reduced to 50 μm. Moreover, the detector entrance exposure per projection can be reduced from 1 to 0.3 mR without a significant reduction of DQE. The signal-to-noise ratio of the a-IGZO APS imager under 0.3 mR x-ray exposure is comparable to that of a-Si:H passive pixel sensor imager under 1 mR, indicating good image quality under low dose. A threefold reduction of current tomosynthesis dose is expected if proposed technology is combined with an advanced DBT image reconstruction method. Conclusions: The proposed a-IGZO APS x-ray imager with a pixel pitch <75 μm is capable to achieve a high spatial frequency (>6.67 lp/mm) and a low dose (<0.4 mGy) in next generation DBT systems.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2021

Amorphization in extreme deformation of the CrMnFeCoNi high-entropy alloy

Ever-harsher service conditions in the future will call for materials with increasing ability to undergo deformation without sustaining damage while retaining high strength. Prime candidates for these conditions are certain high-entropy alloys (HEAs), which have extraordinary work-hardening ability and toughness. By subjecting the equiatomic CrMnFeCoNi HEA to severe plastic deformation through swaging followed by either quasi-static compression or dynamic deformation in shear, we observe a dense structure comprising stacking faults, twins, transformation from the face-centered cubic to the hexagonal close-packed structure, and, of particular note, amorphization. The coordinated propagation of stacking faults and twins along {111} planes generates high-deformation regions, which can reorganize into hexagonal packets; when the defect density in these regions reaches a critical level, they generate islands of amorphous material. These regions can have outstanding mechanical properties, which provide additional strengthening and/or toughening mechanisms to enhance the capability of these alloys to withstand extreme loading conditions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Amorphization mechanism of SrIrO 3 electrocatalyst: How oxygen redox initiates ionic diffusion and structural reorganization

The use of renewable electricity to prepare materials and fuels from abundant molecules offers a tantalizing opportunity to address concerns over energy and materials sustainability. The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is integral to nearly all material and fuel electrosyntheses. However, very little is known about the structural evolution of the OER electrocatalyst, especially the amorphous layer that forms from the crystalline structure. Here, we investigate the interfacial transformation of the SrIrO 3 OER electrocatalyst. The SrIrO 3 amorphization is initiated by the lattice oxygen redox, a step that allows Sr 2+ to diffuse and O 2− to reorganize the SrIrO 3 structure. This activation turns SrIrO 3 into a highly disordered Ir octahedral network with Ir square-planar motif. The final Sr y IrO x exhibits a greater degree of disorder than IrO x made from other processing methods. Our results demonstrate that the structural reorganization facilitated by coupled ionic diffusions is essential to the disordered structure of the SrIrO 3 electrocatalyst.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2011

Specific features of sample preparation from amorphous aluminum alloys for transmission electron microscopy

An aluminum amorphous alloy doped with transition (Fe and Ni) and rare earth (La) metals has been used as an object of systematic study of the structural transformations that are characteristic of different methods of sample preparation for transmission electron microscopy (the mechanical tearing of ribbons, electrochemical thinning, and Ar{sup +}-ion etching under different conditions). The results of X-ray diffraction analysis and a calorimetric study of the structure in comparison with electron microscopy data made it possible to determine the optimal method of sample preparation, which ensures minimum distortions in the structure of metastable amorphous alloys with a low crystallization temperature.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Relaxation of bending stresses and the reversibility of residual stresses in amorphous soft magnetic alloys

The reversibility of residual bending stresses is revealed in ribbon samples of cobalt- and iron-based amorphous alloys Co{sub 69}Fe{sub 3.7}Cr{sub 3.8}Si{sub 12.5}B{sub 11} and Fe{sub 57}Co{sub 31}Si{sub 2.9}B{sub 9.1}: the ribbons that are free of applied stresses and bent under the action of residual stresses become completely or incompletely straight upon annealing at the initial temperatures. The influence of annealing on the relaxation of bending stresses is studied. Preliminary annealing is found to sharply decrease the relaxation rate of bending stresses, and the initial stage of fast relaxation of these stresses is absent. Complete straightening of preliminarily annealed ribbons is shown to occur at significantly higher temperatures than that of the initial ribbons. Incomplete straightening of the ribbons is explained by the fact that bending stresses relaxation at high annealing temperatures proceeds due to both reversible anelastic deformation and viscous flow, which is a fully irreversible process. Incomplete reversibility is also caused by irreversible processes, such as the release of excess free volume and clustering (detected by small-angle X-ray scattering). The revealed differences in the relaxation processes that occur in the cobalt- and iron-based amorphous alloys are discussed in terms of different atomic diffusion mobilities in these alloys.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2018

Short-Range Order in Amorphous and Crystalline Ferroelectric Hf{sub 0.5}Zr{sub 0.5}O{sub 2}

The microstructures of amorphous and polycrystalline ferroelectric Hf{sub 0.5}Zr{sub 0.5}O{sub 2} films are studied by X-ray spectroscopy and ellipsometry. EXAFS spectra demonstrate that the amorphous film consists of an “incompletely mixed” solid solution of metallic oxides HfO{sub 2} and ZrO{sub 2}. After rapid thermal annealing, the mixed Hf{sub 0.5}Zr{sub 0.5}O{sub 2} oxide films have a more ordered polycrystalline structure, and individual Hf and Zr monoxide islands are formed in the films. These islands are several nanometers in size and have a structure that is similar to the monoclinic structure of HfO{sub 2} and ZrO{sub 2}. The presence of the HfO{sub 2} and ZrO{sub 2} phases in the Hf{sub 0.5}Zr{sub 0.5}O{sub 2} films is also detected by ellipsometry.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2011

Specific features of photoelectric and optical properties of amorphous hydrogenated silicon films produced by plasmochemical deposition from monosilane-hydrogen mixture

Photoelectric and optical properties of amorphous hydrogenated silicon films produced by plasmochemical deposition from a monosilane-hydrogen mixture have been studied at a fraction of hydrogen in the mixture that corresponds to the onset of formation of a nanocrystalline phase in the structure of the films obtained. A behavior untypical of amorphous hydrogenated silicon films is observed for the photoconductivity and the spectral dependence of the absorption coefficient. The temperature dependences of the photoconductivity in the films under study are found to vary with the energy of incident photons. At a photon energy of 1.3 eV, temperature quenching of photoconductivity is observed. Prolonged illumination of the films led to a certain decrease in the absorption coefficient at photon energies in the range 1.2-1.5 eV. The results obtained are attributed to the possible presence of silicon nanocrystals in the structure of the films and to the influence of these nanocrystals on their photoelectric and optical properties.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2011

Photoluminescence in silicon implanted with silicon ions at amorphizing doses

Luminescent and structural properties of n-FZ-Si and n-Cz-Si implanted with Si ions at amorphizing doses and annealed at 1100 Degree-Sign C in a chlorine-containing atmosphere have been studied. An analysis of proton Rutherford backscattering spectra of implanted samples demonstrated that an amorphous layer is formed, and its position and thickness depend on the implantation dose. An X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that defects of the interstitial type are formed in the samples upon annealing. Photoluminescence spectra measured at 78 K and low excitation levels are dominated by the dislocation-related line D1, which is also observed at 300 K. The peak position of this line, its full width at half-maximum, and intensity depend on the conduction type of Si and implantation dose. As the luminescence excitation power is raised, a continuous band appears in the spectrum. A model is suggested that explains the fundamental aspects of the behavior of the photoluminescence spectra in relation to the experimental conditions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2012

Effect of the femtosecond laser treatment of hydrogenated amorphous silicon films on their structural, optical, and photoelectric properties

The effect of the femtosecond laser treatment of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) films on their structural, optical, and photoelectric properties is studied. Under the experimental conditions applied in the study, laser treatment of the film with different radiation intensities induces structural changes that are nonuniform over the film surface. An increase in the radiation intensity yields an increase in the contribution of the nanocrystalline phase to the structure, averaged over the sample surface, as well as an increase in the conductance and photoconductance of the samples. At the same time, for all of the samples, the absorption spectrum obtained by the constant-photocurrent method has a shape typical for those of amorphous silicon. Obtained results indicate the possibility of a-Si:H films photoconductance increase by femtosecond pulse laser treatment.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

The Role of Transition Metals in Crystallization of Amorphous Al–Ni–Co–Yb Alloys

Al{sub 86}Ni{sub 4}Co{sub 4}Yb{sub 6} and Al{sub 86}Ni{sub 6}Co{sub 2}Yb{sub 6} metallic ribbons have been obtained by a standard planar flow method. According to X-ray diffraction data, the ribbons are amorphous. Their crystallization kinetics at different heating rates and resistivity has been determined. These alloys remain amorphous in a wide range of compositions, and the crystallization process depends significantly on transition metal concentration.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

Characterization of high-purity germanium detectors with amorphous germanium contacts in cryogenic liquids

For the first time, planar high-purity germanium detectors with thin amorphous germanium contacts were successfully operated directly in liquid nitrogen and liquid argon in a cryostat at the Max-Planck-Institut für Physics in Munich. The detectors were fabricated at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of South Dakota, using crystals grown at the University of South Dakota. They survived long-distance transportation and multiple thermal cycles in both cryogenic liquids and showed reasonable leakage currents and spectroscopic performance. Also discussed are the pros and cons of using thin amorphous semiconductor materials as an alternative contact technology in large-scale germanium experiments searching for physics beyond the Standard Model.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Amorphous topological matter: Theory and experiment

Topological phases of matter are ubiquitous in crystals, but less is known about their existence in amorphous systems, that lack long-range order. Here, we review the recent progress made on defining amorphous topological phases, their new phenomenology. We discuss the open questions in the field which promise to significantly enlarge the set of materials and synthetic systems benefiting from the robustness of topological matter.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2012

Characterization of Amorphous Zinc Tin Oxide Semiconductors

Amorphous zinc tin oxide (ZTO) was investigated to determine the effect of deposition and post annealing conditions on film structure, composition, surface contamination, and thin film transistor (TFT) device performance. X-ray diffraction results indicated that the ZTO films remain amorphous even after annealing to 600 °C. We found that the bulk Zn:Sn ratio of the sputter deposited films were slightly tin rich compared to the composition of the ceramic sputter target, and there was a significant depletion of zinc at the surface. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy also indicated that residual surface contamination depended strongly on the sample post-annealing conditions where water, carbonate and hydroxyl species were absorbed to the surface. Electrical characterization of ZTO films, using TFT test structures, indicated that mobilities as high as 17 cm2/Vs could be obtained for depletion mode devices.

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory↗
DOE OSTI2018

Why natural monazite never becomes amorphous: Experimental evidence for alpha self-healing

Monazite, a common accessory rare-earth orthophosphate mineral in the continental crust widely used in U-Pb geochronology, holds promise for (U-Th)/He thermochronology and for the immobilization of Pu and minor actinides (MA) coming from spent nuclear fuel reprocessing. Previous results obtained on natural and plutonium-doped monazite have demonstrated the ability of this structure to maintain a crystalline state despite high radiation damage levels. However, the low critical temperature (180 °C), above which amorphization cannot be achieved in natural monazite under ion irradiation, does not explain this old and unsolved paradox: why do natural monazites, independent of their geological history, remain crystalline even when they did not experience any thermal event that could heal the defects? This is what the present study aims to address. Synthetic polycrystals of LaPO 4 -monazite were irradiated sequentially and simultaneously with α particles (He) and gold (Au) ions. Here, our results demonstrate experimentally for the first time in monazite, the existence of the defect recovery mechanism, called α-healing, acting in this structure due to electronic energy loss of α particles, which explains the absence of amorphization in natural monazite samples. This mechanism is critically important for monazite geo- and thermochronology and to design and predictively model the long-term behavior of ceramic matrices for nuclear waste conditioning.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

Enriched Boron-Doped Amorphous Selenium Based Position-Sensitive Solid-State Thermal Neutron Detector for MPACT Applications

High-efficiency thermal neutron detectors with compact size, low power-rating and high spatial, temporal and energy resolution are essential to execute non-proliferation and safeguard protocols. The demands of such detector are not fully covered by the current detection system such as gas proportional counters or scintillator-photomultiplier tube combinations, which are limited by their detection efficiency, stability of response, speed of operation, and physical size. Furthermore, world-wide shortage of 3 He gas, required for widely used gas detection method, has further prompted to design an alternative system. Therefore, a solid-state neutron detection system without the requirement of 3 He will be very desirable. To address the above technology gap, we had proposed to develop new room temperature solidstate thermal neutron detectors based on enriched boron ( 10 B) and enriched lithium ( 6 Li) doped amorphous Se (As- 0.52%, Cl 5 ppm) semiconductor for MPACT applications. The proposed alloy materials have been identified for its many favorable characteristics - a wide bandgap (~2.2 eV at 300 K) for room temperature operation, high glass transition temperature (t g ~ 85°C), a high thermal neutron cross-section (for boron ~ 3840 barns, for lithium ~ 940 barns, 1 barn = 10 -24 cm 2 ), low effective atomic number of Se for small gamma ray sensitivity, and high radiation tolerance due to its amorphous structure.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2023

Ab initio study of the structure and properties of amorphous silicon hydride from accelerated molecular dynamics simulations

This paper presents a large-scale ab initio simulation study of amorphous silicon hydride (a-Si 1-x H x ) with an emphasis on the structure and properties of the material across a range of hydrogen concentration by combining accelerated molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with first-principles density-functional calculations. The accelerated MD scheme relied on classical metadynamics, which enabled the development of 2600+ high-quality structural models of a-Si 1-x H x , with system sizes ranging from 150 to 6,000 atoms and hydrogen concentrations vary from 6 to 20 at. %. The resulting amorphous networks were found to be completely free from any coordination defects and that they all exhibited a pristine band-gap in their electronic spectrum. The microstructural properties of hydrogen distributions were examined with great emphasis on the presence of isolated and clustered environments of hydrogen atoms. The results were compared with a suite of experimental data obtained from x-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, spectroscopic ellipsometry and nuclear magnetic resonance studies.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗