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At least 1,549 records · Page 86
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

Spin and phonon anomalies in epitaxial self-assembled CoFe{sub 2}O{sub 4}-BaTiO{sub 3} multiferroic nanostructures

Temperature dependent magnetic and phonon anomalies in epitaxial self-assembled CoFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} (CFO) rods embedded in BaTiO{sub 3} (BTO) matrix nanostructures were investigated. The temperature dependence of A{sub 1}(2TO) phonon frequency of BTO indicates that the BTO matrix experiences structural transformations. The lattice strain produced during the structural transformations drives spin reorientation in CFO rods, resulting in anomalous changes of magnetization. Through correlating the phonon anomalies with the increase of in-plane spin ordering, we show the spin-phonon coupling induces the softening of A{sub 1g} and A{sub 1}(2TO) phonons. It suggests that spin strongly couples with lattice strain and phonons in this nanostructure.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2014

Precipitation control and activation enhancement in boron-doped p{sup +}-BaSi{sub 2} films grown by molecular beam epitaxy

Precipitation free boron (B)-doped as-grown p{sup +}-BaSi{sub 2} layer is essential for the BaSi{sub 2} p-n junction solar cells. In this article, B-doped p-BaSi{sub 2} layers were grown by molecular beam epitaxy on Si(111) substrates, and the influence of substrate growth temperature (T{sub S}) and B temperature (T{sub B}) in the Knudsen cell crucible were investigated on the formation of B precipitates and the activation efficiency. The hole concentration, p, reached 1.0 × 10{sup 19 }cm{sup −3} at room temperature for T{sub S} = 600 and T{sub B} = 1550 °C. However, the activation rate of B was only 0.1%. Furthermore, the B precipitates were observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). When the T{sub S} was raised to 650 °C and the T{sub B} was decreased to 1350 °C, the p reached 6.8 × 10{sup 19 }cm{sup −3}, and the activation rate increased to more than 20%. No precipitation of B was also confirmed by TEM.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Local vibrational modes competitions in Mn-doped ZnO epitaxial films with tunable ferromagnetism

We reported spectroscopic investigations of high quality Mn-doped ZnO (ZnMnO) films grown by oxygen plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. Raman scattering spectra revealed two local vibrational modes (LVMs) associated with Mn dopants at 523 and 712 cm{sup −1}. The LVMs and magnetic properties of ZnMnO films can be synchronously modulated by post annealing processing or by introducing tiny Co. The relative intensity of two LVMs clearly shows competitions arising from uncompensated acceptor and donor defects competition for ferromagnetic and nonmagnetic films. The experimental results indicated that LVM at 523 cm{sup −1} is attributed to Mn—(Zinc-vacancy) complexes, while LVM at 712 cm{sup −1} is attributed to Mn—(Oxygen-vacancy) complexes.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Electrical spin injection into InGaAs/GaAs quantum wells: A comparison between MgO tunnel barriers grown by sputtering and molecular beam epitaxy methods

An efficient electrical spin injection into an InGaAs/GaAs quantum well light emitting diode is demonstrated thanks to a CoFeB/MgO spin injector. The textured MgO tunnel barrier is fabricated by two different techniques: sputtering and molecular beam epitaxy. The maximal spin injection efficiency is comparable for both methods. Additionally, the effect of annealing is also investigated for the two types of samples. Both samples show the same trend: an increase of the electroluminescence circular polarization (P{sub c}) with the increase of annealing temperature, followed by a saturation of P{sub c} beyond 350 °C annealing. Since the increase of P{sub c} starts well below the crystallization temperature of the full CoFeB bulk layer, this trend could be mainly due to an improvement of chemical structure at the top CoFeB/MgO interface. This study reveals that the control of CoFeB/MgO interface is essential for an optimal spin injection into semiconductor.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Epitaxial ferromagnetic oxide thin films on silicon with atomically sharp interfaces

A bottleneck in the integration of functional oxides with silicon, either directly grown or using a buffer, is the usual formation of an amorphous interfacial layer. Here, we demonstrate that ferromagnetic CoFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} films can be grown epitaxially on Si(111) using a Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} buffer layer, and remarkably the Y{sub 2}O{sub 3}/Si(111) interface is stable and remains atomically sharp. CoFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} films present high crystal quality and high saturation magnetization.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Nanoscale monoclinic domains in epitaxial SrRuO{sub 3} thin films deposited by pulsed laser deposition

In this paper, we analyze the structural distortions observed by transmission electron microscopy in thin epitaxial SrRuO{sub 3} layers used as bottom electrodes in multiferroic coatings onto SrTiO{sub 3} substrates for future multiferroic devices. Regardless of the nature and architecture of the multilayer oxides deposited on the top of the SrRuO{sub 3} thin films, selected area electron diffraction patterns systematically revealed the presence of faint diffraction spots appearing in forbidden positions for the SrRuO{sub 3} orthorhombic structure. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) combined with Geometric Phase Analysis (GPA) evidenced the origin of these forbidden diffraction spots in the presence of structurally disordered nanometric domains in the SrRuO{sub 3} bottom layers, resulting from a strain-driven phase transformation. The local high compressive strain (−4% ÷ −5%) measured by GPA in the HRTEM images induces a local orthorhombic to monoclinic phase transition by a cooperative rotation of the RuO{sub 6} octahedra. A further confirmation of the origin of the forbidden diffraction spots comes from the simulated diffraction patterns obtained from a monoclinic disordered SrRuO{sub 3} structure.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Dynamic grazing incidence fast atom diffraction during molecular beam epitaxial growth of GaAs

A Grazing Incidence Fast Atom Diffraction (GIFAD) system has been mounted on a commercial molecular beam epitaxy chamber and used to monitor GaAs growth in real-time. In contrast to the conventionally used Reflection High Energy Electron Diffraction, all the GIFAD diffraction orders oscillate in phase, with the change in intensity related to diffuse scattering at step edges. We show that the scattered intensity integrated over the Laue circle is a robust method to monitor the periodic change in surface roughness during layer-by-layer growth, with oscillation phase and amplitude independent of incidence angle and crystal orientation. When there is a change in surface reconstruction at the start of growth, GIFAD intensity oscillations show that there is a corresponding delay in the onset of layer-by-layer growth. In addition, changes in the relative intensity of different diffraction orders have been observed during growth showing that GIFAD has the potential to provide insight into the preferential adatom attachment sites on the surface reconstruction during growth.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Controlled epitaxial graphene growth within removable amorphous carbon corrals

We address the question of control of the silicon carbide (SiC) steps and terraces under epitaxial graphene on SiC and demonstrate amorphous carbon (aC) corrals as an ideal method to pin SiC surface steps. aC is compatible with graphene growth, structurally stable at high temperatures, and can be removed after graphene growth. For this, aC is first evaporated and patterned on SiC, then annealed in the graphene growth furnace. There at temperatures above 1200 °C, mobile SiC steps accumulate at the aC corral that provide effective step flow barriers. Aligned step free regions are thereby formed for subsequent graphene growth at temperatures above 1330 °C. Atomic force microscopy imaging supports the formation of step-free terraces on SiC with the step morphology aligned to the aC corrals. Raman spectroscopy indicates the presence of good graphene sheets on the step-free terraces.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Polycrystalline indium phosphide on silicon by indium assisted growth in hydride vapor phase epitaxy

Polycrystalline InP was grown on Si(001) and Si(111) substrates by using indium (In) metal as a starting material in hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) reactor. In metal was deposited on silicon substrates by thermal evaporation technique. The deposited In resulted in islands of different size and was found to be polycrystalline in nature. Different growth experiments of growing InP were performed, and the growth mechanism was investigated. Atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy for morphological investigation, Scanning Auger microscopy for surface and compositional analyses, powder X-ray diffraction for crystallinity, and micro photoluminescence for optical quality assessment were conducted. It is shown that the growth starts first by phosphidisation of the In islands to InP followed by subsequent selective deposition of InP in HVPE regardless of the Si substrate orientation. Polycrystalline InP of large grain size is achieved and the growth rate as high as 21 μm/h is obtained on both substrates. Sulfur doping of the polycrystalline InP was investigated by growing alternating layers of sulfur doped and unintentionally doped InP for equal interval of time. These layers could be delineated by stain etching showing that enough amount of sulfur can be incorporated. Grains of large lateral dimension up to 3 μm polycrystalline InP on Si with good morphological and optical quality is obtained. The process is generic and it can also be applied for the growth of other polycrystalline III–V semiconductor layers on low cost and flexible substrates for solar cell applications.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Chemical solution deposition derived (001)-oriented epitaxial BiFeO{sub 3} thin films with robust ferroelectric properties using stoichiometric precursors (invited)

Phase pure bismuth ferrite (BiFeO{sub 3}) thin films with (001)-oriented epitaxial structure are realized on lanthanum strontium manganite (La{sub 0.67}Sr{sub 0.33}MnO{sub 3}) buffered (001)-SrTiO{sub 3} substrates by chemical solution deposition. The annealing process is optimized such that a stoichiometric precursor can be used to accurately control the Bi:Fe ratio. Ferroelectric, dielectric, and resistive switching behaviours are investigated for 40 nm, 70 nm, and 150 nm BFO thin films. While the thinnest film (40 nm) shows very leaky loops, square and fully saturated polarization hysteresis loops are shown for the thicker films. The highest remanent polarization (2P{sub r} = 100 μC/cm{sup 2}) and relative dielectric constant (ε{sub r} = 613) are obtained in the 150 nm BFO thin film. High cycle fatigue tests show that the thick films are resistant to polarization fatigue. Piezoresponse force microscopy results show that the domain structure varies with thickness. Resistive switching and polarization mediated diode effects are also observed. These robust properties suggest that chemical solution deposition derived BiFeO{sub 3} thin films can offer a viable low cost alternative.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of Li{sub x}Ni{sub 1−x}O epitaxial thin films with a high lithium content

The core-level and valence-band electronic structures of Li{sub x}Ni{sub 1−x}O epitaxial thin films with x = 0, 0.27, and 0.48 were studied by hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. A double peak structure, consisting of a main peak and a shoulder peak, and a satellite structure were observed in the Ni 2p{sub 3/2} core-level spectra. The intensity ratio of the shoulder to main peak in this double peak structure increased with increasing lithium content in Li{sub x}Ni{sub 1−x}O. This lithium doping dependence of the Ni 2p{sub 3/2} core-level spectra was investigated using an extended cluster model, which included the Zhang–Rice (ZR) doublet bound states arising from a competition between O 2p – Ni 3d hybridization and the Ni on-site Coulomb interaction. The results indicated that the change in the intensity ratio in the main peak is because of a reduction in the ZR doublet bound states from lithium substitutions. This strongly suggests that holes compensating Li doping in Li{sub x}Ni{sub 1−x}O are of primarily ZR character.

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

Enhancement of minority carrier lifetime of GaInP with lateral composition modulation structure grown by molecular beam epitaxy

We report the enhancement of the minority carrier lifetime of GaInP with a lateral composition modulated (LCM) structure grown using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The structural and optical properties of the grown samples are studied by transmission electron microscopy and photoluminescence, which reveal the formation of vertically aligned bright and dark slabs corresponding to Ga-rich and In-rich GaInP regions, respectively, with good crystal quality. With the decrease of V/III ratio during LCM GaInP growth, it is seen that the band gap of LCM GaInP is reduced, while the PL intensity remains high and is comparable to that of bulk GaInP. We also investigate the minority carrier lifetime of LCM structures made with different flux ratios. It is found that the minority carrier lifetime of LCM GaInP is ∼37 times larger than that of bulk GaInP material, due to the spatial separation of electrons and holes by In-rich and Ga-rich regions of the LCM GaInP, respectively. We further demonstrate that the minority carrier lifetime of the grown LCM GaInP structures can easily be tuned by simply adjusting the V/III flux ratio during MBE growth, providing a simple yet powerful technique to tailor the electrical and optical properties at will. The exceptionally high carrier lifetime and the reduced band gap of LCM GaInP make them a highly attractive candidate for forming the top cell of multi-junction solar cells and can enhance their efficiency, and also make them suitable for other optoelectronics devices, such as photodetectors, where longer carrier lifetime is beneficial.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Electronic and magnetic properties of (1 1 1)-oriented CoCr{sub 2}O{sub 4} epitaxial thin film

We report on the fabrication of high quality (1 1 1)-oriented ferrimagnetic normal spinel CoCr{sub 2}O{sub 4} epitaxial thin films on single crystal Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} substrates. The structural, electronic, and magnetic properties were characterized by in-situ reflection high energy electron diffraction, atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy, dc magnetization measurement, and element resolved resonant X-ray magnetic scattering. The comprehensive characterization reveals that no disorder in the cation distribution or multivalency issue is present in the samples. As a result, Kagomé and triangular layers are naturally formed via this specific growth approach. These findings offer a pathway to fabricate two dimensional Kagomé heterostructures with exotic quantum many-body phenomena by means of geometrical design.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Growth of GaAs{sub 1−x}Bi{sub x} by molecular beam epitaxy: Trade-offs in optical and structural characteristics

Recent work has shown that Bi incorporation increases during molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) when surface processes are kinetically limited through increased growth rate. Herein we explore how the structural and optical properties of GaAs{sub 1−x}Bi{sub x} films are modified when grown under conditions with varying degrees of kinetic limitations realized through growth temperature and growth rate changes. Within the typical window of MBE growth conditions for GaAs{sub 1−x}Bi{sub x}, we compare films with similar (∼3%) compositions grown under conditions of reduced kinetic limitations, i.e., relatively low gallium supersaturation achieved at higher temperatures (∼350 °C) and lower growth rates (∼0.5 μm/h), to those grown farther from equilibrium, specifically, higher supersaturation achieved at lower growth temperatures (∼290 °C) and higher growth rates (∼1.4 μm/h). Both the x-ray diffraction full width at half maximum of the omega-2theta scan and the 300 K photoluminescence intensity increase when samples are grown under less kinetically limited conditions. We interpret these findings in relation to the incorporation of Bi-related microstructural defects that are more readily formed during less kinetically limited growth. These defects lead to enhanced luminescence efficiency due to the spatial localization of carriers.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

X-ray analysis of strain distribution in two-step grown epitaxial SrTiO{sub 3} thin films

Epitaxial SrTiO{sub 3} (STO) thin films were grown on (001)-oriented LaAlO{sub 3} (LAO) substrates using a two-step growth method by ion beam sputter deposition. An STO buffer layer was initially grown on the LAO substrate at a low temperature of 150 °C prior to growing the STO main layer at 750 °C. The thickness of the STO buffer layer was varied at 3, 6, and 10 nm, while the total film thickness was kept constant at approximately 110 nm. According to x-ray structural analysis, we show that the STO buffer layer plays an essential role in controlling the strain in the STO layer grown subsequently. It is found that the strains in the STO films are more relaxed with an increase in buffer layer thickness. Moreover, the strain distribution in two-step grown STO films becomes more homogeneous across the film thickness when compared to that in directly grown STO film.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Tuning carrier density across Dirac point in epitaxial graphene on SiC by corona discharge

We demonstrate reversible carrier density control across the Dirac point (Δn ∼ 10{sup 13 }cm{sup −2}) in epitaxial graphene on SiC (SiC/G) via high electrostatic potential gating with ions produced by corona discharge. The method is attractive for applications where graphene with a fixed carrier density is needed, such as quantum metrology, and more generally as a simple method of gating 2DEGs formed at semiconductor interfaces and in topological insulators.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Epitaxial growth of large area single-crystalline few-layer MoS{sub 2} with high space charge mobility of 192 cm{sup 2} V{sup −1} s{sup −1}

We report on the vapor-solid growth of single crystalline few-layer MoS{sub 2} films on (0001)-oriented sapphire with excellent structural and electrical properties over centimeter length scale. High-resolution X-ray diffraction scans indicated that the films had good out-of-plane ordering and epitaxial registry. A carrier density of ∼2 × 10{sup 11 }cm{sup −2} and a room temperature mobility of 192 cm{sup 2}/Vs were extracted from space-charge limited transport regime in the films. The electron mobility was found to exhibit in-plane anisotropy with a ratio of ∼1.8. Theoretical estimates of the temperature-dependent electron mobility including optical phonon, acoustic deformation potential, and remote ionized impurity scattering were found to satisfactorily match the measured data. The synthesis approach reported here demonstrates the feasibility of device quality few-layer MoS{sub 2} films with excellent uniformity and high quality.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Magnetic properties and interlayer coupling of epitaxial Co/Cu films on Si

Thin films of Co and Co/Cu/Co trilayers with wedged Cu interlayers were grown epitaxially on Cu buffer layers on hydrogen passivated Si(001) wafers. We find that single Co layers have a well-defined four-fold anisotropy but with smaller in-plane anisotropies than observed in Co grown on Cu crystals. Ruderman–Kittel–Kasuya–Yosida (RKKY) interlayer coupling is observed in one Co/Cu/Co sample which is the smoothest of the films as measured by atomic force microscopy. Some of the films also form a dot-like structure on the surface. Intermixing at elevated temperatures between the Cu buffer and Si limits the ability to form flat surfaces to promote RKKY coupling.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗