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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 127 records · Page 7
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

GaAs Substrate Recycling Using in-situ Deposited NaCl Layers via Molecular Beam Epitaxy

This work presents an alternative method to conventional III-V substrate recycling methods via growth of NaCl on nearly-lattice matched GaAs (001) substrates. Reflection high energy electron diffraction and transmission electron microscopy confirm an epitaxial relationship between the NaCl layers and the underlying GaAs. If the sample is heated too much prior to GaAs deposition, the NaCl fully desorbs from the surface. The quality of the deposition of GaAs on NaCl ranges from amorphous at low temperature to polycrystalline at intermediate temperatures. Exposure to electron beams during growth results in larger and (001) textured grains. The substrate is separated from the GaAs film in seconds via submersion in water, revealing a substrate surface comparable to the original.

electron beams↗
DOE OSTI2015

Photodiodes based on self-assembled GeSi/Si(001) nanoisland arrays grown by the combined sublimation molecular-beam epitaxy of silicon and vapor-phase epitaxy of germanium

We investigate the photosensitivity spectra of photodiodes based on Si p-i-n structures with single-layered and multilayer self-assembled GeSi/Si(001) nanoisland arrays in the i region, which are grown using a technique combining Si molecular-beam epitaxy and Ge vapor-phase epitaxy, in dependence on the temperature, diode bias, and GeSi nanoisland parameters. We show that the temperature and field dependences of the diode photosensitivity in the spectral range of the interband optical absorption in GeSi nanoislands are determined by the ratio between the rate of emission of photoexcited holes from the nanoislands and the rate of the recombination of excess carriers in them. We demonstrate the possibility of determination of the hole recombination lifetime in GeSi nanoislands from the temperature and field dependences of the photosensitivity.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2012

Spectroscopic and magnetic properties of Mn doped GaN epitaxial films grown by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy

Graphical abstract: We report here that micro-Raman scattering spectrum for Mn doped GaN thin film has displayed a new peak manifested at 578 cm{sup −1}, by which it is attributed to interior LVM originated by the incorporation of Mn ions in place of Ga sites. Mn doped GaN thin film also showed the typical negative magnetoresistance up to ∼50 K, revealing that the film showed magnetic ordering of spins below 50 K. Display Omitted Highlights: ► GaN and Mn doped GaN single phase wurtzite structures grown by PAMBE. ► The phase purity of the epilayers investigated by HRXRD, HRSEM and EDX. ► The red shift in near band edge emission has been observed using micro-PL. ► A new peak related LVM at 578 cm{sup −1} in micro-Raman scattering measurements confirmed Mn doped into GaN. ► Negative-magnetoresistance investigations have showed that the film has T{sub c} < 50 K. -- Abstract: Spectroscopic and magnetic properties of Mn doped GaN, and GaN epitaxial films have been investigated by employing micro-photoluminescence, micro-Raman, and temperature dependent magneto-resistance measurements. The HR-XRD profiles have shown that the epitaxial films are in hexagonal wurtzite structures. Morphology and composition of the films have been examined by field emission scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis. Micro-photoluminescence spectrum displayed a dominant near band edge emission at 362 nm, which is assigned to near band edge transition within the hexagonal structure of GaN. Raman scattering profiles showed a new vibrational mode at 578 cm{sup −1}, which is attributed to the vacancy-related local vibrational mode of Mn occupying the Ga site. Temperature dependent negative magnetoresistance measurements provide a direct evidence of magnetic ordering below 50 K for the Mn doped GaN thin film.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Controlling the structure and ferroic properties of strained epitaxial NiTiO3 thin films on sapphire by post-deposition annealing

Ferroelectrically induced weak ferromagnetism had been predicted earlier in compounds MTiO3 (M = Fe, Mn, Ni) with the LiNbO3-type structure. In order to stabilize this metastable structure by oxide heteroepitaxy, we attempted to grow epitaxial NiTiO3 films on the nonpolar, non-magnetic substrate Al2O3 by pulsed laser deposition. Given the structural imperfections of the as-deposited films arising from the large lattice mismatch, which resulted in weak ferroic ordering, we investigated the effect of post-synthesis annealing on the films’ properties. Our structural data from x-ray diffraction and electron microscopy suggest that the crystalline quality of the NiTiO3 films was greatly improved by annealing the films at 600-1000 oC for 8 hours, with new phase formation along the interface at 1000 oC. Our physical property characterization indicates increased ferromagnetism and polarization after 600 oC, but a change in the magnetic state to likely ferrimagnetism, and a loss of polarization after the 1000 oC treatment. Our results suggest that the ferroic domain properties of the NiTiO3 films can be favorably altered by post-synthesis heat treatment at the proper temperature to manipulate interfacial strain and enhance the multiferroic properties. Improvement in the ferroic properties can be explained by a combination of crystallite growth, interfacial strain relief, and thermodynamic phase stability arguments. At the same time, exceeding temperatures may drive the system to a thermodynamically more favored crystalline order, and eventually to phase segregation and decomposition.

Varga, Tamas↗
DOE OSTI2020

Reversible Oxidation Quantified by Optical Properties in Epitaxial Fe2CrO4+d Films on (001) MgAl2O4

We report on the structural and optical properties of Fe2CrO4+d epitaxial films grown by molecular beam epitaxy on MgAl2O4 (001) as a function of ?. The average Fe valence can be correlated with the out-of-plane lattice parameter and the extent of light absorption in the infrared spectral region. Over-oxidized films (0 < d < 0.5) exhibit reduced lattice parameters and suppressed infrared absorption. We discuss the behavior of a novel infrared transition at ~0.6 eV in stoichiometric Fe2CrO4 films deposited on MgAl2O4 (MAO) at or above 400 °C. This research provides new insight into the atomic structure, optical processes, oxidation states, electronic structure, and application potentials of Fe2CrO4+d.

ellipsometry, Epitaxy, thin film, oxidation, reduc↗
DOE OSTI2011

X-ray magnetic circular dichroism of ferromagnetic Co{sub 4}N epitaxial films on SrTiO{sub 3}(001) substrates grown by molecular beam epitaxy

5-nm thick Co{sub 4}N layers capped with 3-nm thick Au layers were grown epitaxially on SrTiO{sub 3}(001) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy using solid Co and a radio-frequency NH{sub 3} plasma. Spin and orbital magnetic moments of the Co{sub 4}N layers were estimated using x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) measurements at 300 K. The site-averaged Co 3d spin magnetic moment is evaluated to be about 1.4 {mu}{sub B}, which is smaller than that predicted theoretically (1.58 {mu}{sub B}). The element-specific XMCD intensities for the Co L{sub 3} edge and N K edge show that the magnetic moment is induced at the N atoms.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2012

Strain relaxation in single crystal SrTiO{sub 3} grown on Si (001) by molecular beam epitaxy

An epitaxial layer of SrTiO{sub 3} grown directly on Si may be used as a pseudo-substrate for the integration of perovskite oxides onto silicon. When SrTiO{sub 3} is initially grown on Si (001), it is nominally compressively strained. However, by subsequent annealing in oxygen at elevated temperature, an SiO{sub x} interlayer can be formed which alters the strain state of SrTiO{sub 3}. We report a study of strain relaxation in SrTiO{sub 3} films grown on Si by molecular beam epitaxy as a function of annealing time and oxygen partial pressure. Using a combination of x-ray diffraction, reflection high energy electron diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy, we describe the process of interfacial oxidation and strain relaxation of SrTiO{sub 3} on Si (001). Understanding the process of strain relaxation of SrTiO{sub 3} on silicon will be useful for controlling the SrTiO{sub 3} lattice constant for lattice matching with functional oxide overlayers.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2012

Molecular beam epitaxy growth of high quality p-doped SnS van der Waals epitaxy on a graphene buffer layer

We report on the systematic investigation of optoelectronic properties of tin (IV) sulfide (SnS) van der Waals epitaxies (vdWEs) grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) technique. Energy band simulation using commercial CASTEP code indicates that SnS has an indirect bandgap of size 0.982 eV. Furthermore, our simulation shows that elemental Cu can be used as a p-type dopant for the material. Growth of high quality SnS thin films is accomplished by MBE technique using graphene as the buffer layer. We observed significant reduction in the rocking curve FWHM over the existing published values. Crystallite size in the range of 2-3 {mu}m is observed which is also significantly better than the existing results. Measurement of the absorption coefficient, {alpha}, is performed using a Hitachi U-4100 Spectrophotometer system which demonstrate large values of {alpha} of the order of 10{sup 4} cm{sup -1}. Sharp cutoff in the values of {alpha}, as a function of energy, is observed for the films grown using a graphene buffer layer indicating low concentration of localized states in the bandgap. Cu-doping is achieved by co-evaporation technique. It is demonstrated that the hole concentration of the films can be controlled between 10{sup 16} cm{sup -3} and 5 x 10{sup 17}cm{sup -3} by varying the temperature of the Cu K-cell. Hole mobility as high as 81 cm{sup 2}V{sup -1}s{sup -1} is observed for SnS films on graphene/GaAs(100) substrates. The improvements in the physical properties of the films are attributed to the unique layered structure and chemically saturated bonds at the surface for both SnS and the graphene buffer layer. Consequently, the interaction between the SnS thin films and the graphene buffer layer is dominated by van der Waals force and structural defects at the interface, such as dangling bonds or dislocations, are substantially reduced.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2013

Au impact on GaAs epitaxial growth on GaAs (111){sub B} substrates in molecular beam epitaxy

GaAs growth behaviour under the presence of Au nanoparticles on GaAs {l_brace}111{r_brace}{sub B} substrate is investigated using electron microscopy. It has been found that, during annealing, enhanced Ga surface diffusion towards Au nanoparticles leads to the GaAs epitaxial growth into {l_brace}113{r_brace}{sub B} faceted triangular pyramids under Au nanoparticles, governed by the thermodynamic growth, while during conventional GaAs growth, growth kinetics dominates, resulting in the flatted triangular pyramids at high temperature and the epitaxial nanowires growth at relatively low temperature. This study provides an insight of Au nanoparticle impact on GaAs growth, which is critical for understanding the formation mechanisms of semiconductor nanowires.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Energy band alignment of atomic layer deposited HfO{sub 2} on epitaxial (110)Ge grown by molecular beam epitaxy

The band alignment properties of atomic layer HfO{sub 2} film deposited on epitaxial (110)Ge, grown by molecular beam epitaxy, was investigated using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy exhibited a sharp interface between the (110)Ge epilayer and the HfO{sub 2} film. The measured valence band offset value of HfO{sub 2} relative to (110)Ge was 2.28 {+-} 0.05 eV. The extracted conduction band offset value was 2.66 {+-} 0.1 eV using the bandgaps of HfO{sub 2} of 5.61 eV and Ge bandgap of 0.67 eV. These band offset parameters and the interface chemical properties of HfO{sub 2}/(110)Ge system are of tremendous importance for the design of future high hole mobility and low-power Ge-based metal-oxide transistor devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Ultra-high frequency photoconductivity decay in GaAs/Ge/GaAs double heterostructure grown by molecular beam epitaxy

GaAs/Ge/GaAs double heterostructures (DHs) were grown in-situ using two separate molecular beam epitaxy chambers. High-resolution x-ray rocking curve demonstrates a high-quality GaAs/Ge/GaAs heterostructure by observing Pendelloesung oscillations. The kinetics of the carrier recombination in Ge/GaAs DHs were investigated using photoconductivity decay measurements by the incidence excitation from the front and back side of 15 nm GaAs/100 nm Ge/0.5 {mu}m GaAs/(100)GaAs substrate structure. High-minority carrier lifetimes of 1.06-1.17 {mu}s were measured when excited from the front or from the back of the Ge epitaxial layer, suggests equivalent interface quality of GaAs/Ge and Ge/GaAs. Wavelength-dependent minority carrier recombination properties are explained by the wavelength-dependent absorption coefficient of Ge.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2013

Band offsets of La{sub 2}O{sub 3} on (0001) GaN grown by reactive molecular-beam epitaxy

La{sub 2}O{sub 3} films were prepared on (0001)-oriented GaN substrates via reactive molecular-beam epitaxy. Film orientation and phase were assessed using reflection high-energy electron and X-ray diffraction. Films were observed to grow as predominantly hexagonal La{sub 2}O{sub 3} for thicknesses less than 10 nm while film thickness greater than 10 nm favored mixed cubic and hexagonal symmetries. Band offsets were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy on hexagonally symmetric films and valence band offsets of 0.63 {+-} 0.04 eV at the La{sub 2}O{sub 3}/GaN interface were measured. A conduction band offset of approximately 1.5 eV could be inferred from the measured valence band offset.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Epitaxial growth of AlN films via plasma-assisted atomic layer epitaxy

Thin AlN layers were grown at 200–650 °C by plasma assisted atomic layer epitaxy (PA-ALE) simultaneously on Si(111), sapphire (1120), and GaN/sapphire substrates. The AlN growth on Si(111) is self-limited for trimethyaluminum (TMA) pulse of length > 0.04 s, using a 10 s purge. However, the AlN nucleation on GaN/sapphire is non-uniform and has a bimodal island size distribution for TMA pulse of ≤0.03 s. The growth rate (GR) remains almost constant for T{sub g} between 300 and 400 °C indicating ALE mode at those temperatures. The GR is increased by 20% at T{sub g} = 500 °C. Spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) measurement shows that the ALE AlN layers grown at T{sub g} ≤ 400 °C have no clear band edge related features, however, the theoretically estimated band gap of 6.2 eV was measured for AlN grown at T{sub g} ≥ 500 °C. X-ray diffraction measurements on 37 nm thick AlN films grown at optimized growth conditions (T{sub g} = 500 °C, 10 s purge, 0.06 s TMA pulse) reveal that the ALE AlN on GaN/sapphire is (0002) oriented with rocking curve full width at the half maximum (FWHM) of 670 arc sec. Epitaxial growth of crystalline AlN layers by PA-ALE at low temperatures broadens application of the material in the technologies that require large area conformal growth at low temperatures with thickness control at the atomic scale.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Growth and phase transition characteristics of pure M-phase VO{sub 2} epitaxial film prepared by oxide molecular beam epitaxy

VO{sub 2} epitaxial film with large size has been prepared by oxide-molecular beam epitaxy method on Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} (0001) substrate. The VO{sub 2} film shows a perfect crystal orientation, uniformity, and distinct metal-insulator phase transition (MIT) characteristics. It is observed that the MIT character is closely associated with the crystal defects such as oxygen vacancies. By controlling the growth condition, the MIT temperature can be tuned through modifying the content of oxygen vacancies. The role of the oxygen vacancies on the phase transition behavior of this VO{sub 2} film is discussed in the framework of the hybridization theory and the valence state of vanadium.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Self-corrected Sensors Based On Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy For Atom Flux Measurements In Molecular Beam Epitaxy

A high sensitivity atom flux sensor based on atomic absorption spectroscopy has been designed and implemented to control electron beam evaporators and effusion cells in a molecular beam epitaxy system. Using a high-resolution spectrometer and a two-dimensional charge coupled device (CCD) detector in a double-beam configuration, we employ a non-resonant line or a resonant line with lower absorbance from the same hollow cathode lamp as the reference for nearly perfect background correction and baseline drift removal. This setup also significantly shortens the warm-up time needed compared to other sensor technologies and drastically reduces the noise coming from the surrounding environment. In addition, the high-resolution spectrometer allows the most sensitive resonant line to be isolated and used to provide excellent signal-to-noise ratio.

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory↗
DOE OSTI2015

Thickness-dependent metal-insulator transition in epitaxial SrRuO{sub 3} ultrathin films

Transport characteristics of ultrathin SrRuO{sub 3} films, deposited epitaxially on TiO{sub 2}-terminated SrTiO{sub 3} (001) single-crystal substrates, were studied as a function of film thickness. Evolution from a metallic to an insulating behavior is observed as the film thickness decreases from 20 to 4 unit cells. In films thicker than 4 unit cells, the transport behavior obeys the Drude low temperature conductivity with quantum corrections, which can be attributed to weak localization. Fitting the data with 2-dimensional localization model indicates that electron-phonon collisions are the main inelastic relaxation mechanism. In the film of 4 unit cells in thickness, the transport behavior follows variable range hopping model, indicating a strongly localized state. Magnetoresistance measurements reveal a likely magnetic anisotropy with the magnetic easy axis along the out-of-plane direction.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Growth of very large InN microcrystals by molecular beam epitaxy using epitaxial lateral overgrowth

Very thick InN (∼40 μm) was grown by molecular beam epitaxy using the epitaxial lateral overgrowth (ELO) technique. In some regions, the ELO of InN was observed as expected, indicating an important step toward fabricating quasi-bulk InN substrates. Interestingly, most parts of the sample consist of large flat-topped microcrystals and well-faceted microstructures. This is likely due to local growth condition variations during ELO, which is supported by an experiment where ELO of InN was performed on a substrate with various stripe mask patterns. TEM characterization of a flat top InN microcrystal revealed few stacking faults and only related threading dislocations. Defect-free small faceted microcrystals were also observed. The thick InN crystals show a narrow photoluminescence spectrum with a peak at 0.679 eV and linewidth of 16.8 meV at 4 K.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗