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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 163 records · Page 9
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

Two-stage epitaxial growth of vertically-aligned SnO2 nano-rods on (001) ceria

Growth of high-aspect ratio oriented tin oxide, SnO2, nano-rods is complicated by a limited choice of matching substrates. We show that a (001) cerium oxide, CeO2, surface uniquely enables epitaxial growth of tin-oxide nano-rods via a two-stage process. First, (100) oriented nano-wires coat the ceria surface by lateral growth, forming a uniaxially-textured SnO2 deposit. Second, vertical SnO2 nano-rods nucleate on the deposit by homoepitaxy. We demonstrate growth of vertically oriented 1-2 mu m long nano-rods with an average diameter of approximate to 20 nm. 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Solovyov, VF↗
DOE OSTI2016

Epitaxial exchange-bias systems: From fundamentals to future spin-orbitronics

Exchange bias has been investigated for more than half a century and several insightful reviews, published around the year 2000, have already summarized many key experimental and theoretical aspects related to this phenomenon. Since then, due to developments in thin-film fabrication and sophisticated characterization methods, exchange bias continues to show substantial advances; in particular, recent studies on epitaxial systems, which is the focus of this review, allow many long-standing mysteries of exchange bias to be unambiguously resolved. The advantage of epitaxial samples lies in the well-defined interface structures, larger coherence lengths, and competing magnetic anisotropies, which are often negligible in polycrystalline samples. Beginning with a discussion of the microscopic spin properties at the ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic interface, we correlate the details of spin lattices with phenomenological anisotropies, and finally connect the two by introducing realistic measurement approaches and models. We conclude by providing a brief perspective on the future of exchange bias and related studies in the context of the rapidly evolving interest in antiferromagnetic spintronics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Competing Pathways for Nucleation of the Double Perovskite Structure in the Epitaxial Synthesis of La 2 MnNiO 6

Over the past decades a confluence of advanced synthesis techniques, data-driven characterization, and rapid increases in computing power has sparked a renaissance in materials engineering. The emerging “materials-by-design” approach, while radically transforming the development of multicomponent systems, has tended to overlook the complex kinetic pathways that define materials synthesis. Although we are able to envision almost limitless materials combinations, we are unable to synthesize all of them in practice, since existing characterization and modeling approaches often fail to capture the inherent complexity of such systems. There is currently a disconnect between highly local structural characterization and macroscale properties measurements, resulting in oversimplified or incomplete structure-property models. Here we describe a multi-technique approach that combines aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy with emerging oxide atom probe tomography to measure chemical ordering and extended defects in the model complex oxide, La2MnNiO6. We visualize cation ordering, as well as a three-dimensional network of secondary phases, which we describe in terms of ab initio structure calculations. We propose a defect model in which these phases alter their surrounding octahedral environment, severely disrupting cation superexchange. Through this array of experimental and theoretical techniques, we uncover fundamental structure-property relationships and illustrate a new approach to engineer complex, multicomponent systems.

atom probe tomography↗
DOE OSTI2015

Synthesis, Structure, and Spectroscopy of Epitaxial EuFeO 3 Thin Films

Rare earth iron perovskites RFeO3, where R is a rare earth cation, exhibit an array of magnetic, catalytic, optical, and electrochemical properties. Here we study EuFeO3 films synthesized by molecular beam epitaxy to improve our understanding of the optical properties of ferrites. A combination of X-ray diffraction, X-ray reflectivity, Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy, and scanning transmission electron microscopy was used to characterize the film structure and cation composition. X-ray absorption spectroscopy confirms the nominal 3+ valence states of Eu and Fe. The optical properties of EuFeO3 were investigated using variable-angle spectroscopic ellipsometry between the photon energies of 1.25 and 5 eV. We find that EuFeO3 is a semiconductor with an onset of optical absorption near 2.5 eV. The absorption spectrum of EuFeO3 is blue-shifted with respect to LaFeO3 films, a result that is attributed to the structural differences between the two materials.

Choquette, Amber K.↗
DOE OSTI2011

Communication: Stable carbon nanoarches in the initial stages of epitaxial growth of graphene on Cu(111)

To fully exploit the device potential of graphene, reliable production of large-area, high-qualitysamples is required. Epitaxial growth on metal substrates have shown promise in this regard, butfurther improvement would be facilitated by a more complete understanding of the atomistic processes involved in the early growth stages. Using first-principles calculations within density functionaltheory, we have investigated the energetics and kinetics of graphene nucleation and growthon a Cu(111) surface. Our calculations have revealed an energetic preference for the formationof stable one-dimensional carbon nanoarches consisting of 3–13 atoms when compared to twodimensionalcompact islands of equal sizes. We also estimate the critical cluster size that marksthe transition from nanoarch dominance to island dominance in the growth sequence. Our findingsmay provide the structural link between nucleated carbon dimers and larger carbon nanodomes,and are expected to stimulate future experimental efforts.

Van Wesep, Robert G.↗
DOE OSTI2017

Electronic and magnetic properties of epitaxial SrRh O 3 films

The strong interplay of fundamental order parameters in complex oxides is known to give rise to exotic physical phenomena. The 4$d$ transition-metal oxide SrRh O 3 has generated much interest, but advances have been hindered by difficulties in preparing single-crystalline phases. Here we epitaxially stabilize high-quality single-crystalline SrRh O 3 films and investigate their structural, electronic, and magnetic properties. Lastly, we determine that their properties significantly differ from the paramagnetic metallic ground state that governs bulk samples and are strongly related to rotations of Rh O 6 octahedra.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
NASA NTRS1988

Molecular beam epitaxy and metalorganic chemical vapor deposition growth of epitaxial CdTe on (100) GaAs/Si and (111) GaAs/Si substrates

Epitaxial CdTe has been grown on both (100)GaAs/Si and (111)GaAs/Si substrates. A combination of molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) has been employed for the first time to achieve this growth: the GaAs layers are grown on Si substrates by MBE and the CdTe film is subsequently deposited on GaAs/Si by MOCVD. The grown layers have been characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and photoluminescence.

Nouhi, A.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Transient-mode liquid phase epitaxial growth of GaAs on GaAs-coated Si substrates prepared by migration-enhanced molecular beam epitaxy

Planar oxide-maskless growth of GaAs was demonstrated by transient-mode liquid phase epitaxy (TMLPE) on GaAs-coated Si substrates that were prepared by migration-enhanced molecular beam epitaxy (MEMBE). In TMLPE, the cool substrate was brought into contact with hot melts for a short time. A GaAs layer as thick as 30 microns was grown in 10 sec. The etch pits observed in TMLPE-grown layers became longer in one direction and decreased in density with increasing the TMLPE epilayer thickness. The density of etch pits in a 20 micron-thick layer was approximately 5 x 10 the 6th/sq cm. Strong bandgap emission elliptically polarized with a major axis perpendicular to the surface was observed at about 910 nm, while deep-level emission from the TMLPE/MEMBE GaAs interface was detected at 980 nm. The photoluminescence intensity divided by the carrier concentration of the TMLPE-grown layer was about 270 times larger than that of the MEMBE-grown layer used as a substrate.

Nakamura, Shuji↗
DOE OSTI2017

Glass-Like Through-Plane Thermal Conductivity Induced by Oxygen Vacancies in Nanoscale Epitaxial La 0.5 Sr 0.5 CoO 3– δ [Glass-Like Thermal Conductivity Induced by Oxygen Vacancies in Nanoscale Epitaxial La 0.5 Sr 0.5 CoO 3– δ ]

Here, ultrafast time-domain thermoreflectance (TDTR) is utilized to extract the through-plane thermal conductivity (Λ LSCO ) of epitaxial La 0.5 Sr 0.5 CoO 3–δ (LSCO) of varying thickness (<20 nm) on LaAlO 3 and SrTiO 3 substrates. These LSCO films possess ordered oxygen vacancies as the primary means of lattice mismatch accommodation with the substrate, which induces compressive/tensile strain and thus controls the orientation of the oxygen vacancy ordering (OVO). TDTR results demonstrate that the room-temperature Λ LSCO of LSCO on both substrates (1.7 W m –1 K –1 ) are nearly a factor of four lower than that of bulk single-crystal LSCO (6.2 W m –1 K –1 ). Remarkably, this approaches the lower limit of amorphous oxides (e.g., 1.3 W m –1 K –1 for glass), with no dependence on the OVO orientation. Through theoretical simulations, origins of the glass-like thermal conductivity of LSCO are revealed as a combined effect resulting from oxygen vacancies (the dominant factor), Sr substitution, size effects, and the weak electron/phonon coupling within the LSCO film. The absence of OVO dependence in the measured Λ LSCO is rationalized by two main effects: (1) the nearly isotropic phononic thermal conductivity resulting from the imperfect OVO planes when δ is small; (2) the missing electronic contribution to Λ LSCO along the through-plane direction for these ultrathin LSCO films on insulating substrates.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2012

Deep levels in a-plane, high Mg-content Mg{sub x}Zn{sub 1-x}O epitaxial layers grown by molecular beam epitaxy

Deep level defects in n-type unintentionally doped a-plane Mg{sub x}Zn{sub 1-x}O, grown by molecular beam epitaxy on r-plane sapphire were fully characterized using deep level optical spectroscopy (DLOS) and related methods. Four compositions of Mg{sub x}Zn{sub 1-x}O were examined with x = 0.31, 0.44, 0.52, and 0.56 together with a control ZnO sample. DLOS measurements revealed the presence of five deep levels in each Mg-containing sample, having energy levels of E{sub c} - 1.4 eV, 2.1 eV, 2.6 V, and E{sub v} + 0.3 eV and 0.6 eV. For all Mg compositions, the activation energies of the first three states were constant with respect to the conduction band edge, whereas the latter two revealed constant activation energies with respect to the valence band edge. In contrast to the ternary materials, only three levels, at E{sub c} - 2.1 eV, E{sub v} + 0.3 eV, and 0.6 eV, were observed for the ZnO control sample in this systematically grown series of samples. Substantially higher concentrations of the deep levels at E{sub v} + 0.3 eV and E{sub c} - 2.1 eV were observed in ZnO compared to the Mg alloyed samples. Moreover, there is a general invariance of trap concentration of the E{sub v} + 0.3 eV and 0.6 eV levels on Mg content, while at least and order of magnitude dependency of the E{sub c} - 1.4 eV and E{sub c} - 2.6 eV levels in Mg alloyed samples.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Quality of epitaxial InAs nanowires controlled by catalyst size in molecular beam epitaxy

In this study, the structural quality of Au-catalyzed InAs nanowires grown by molecular beam epitaxy is investigated. Through detailed electron microscopy characterizations and analysis of binary Au-In phase diagram, it is found that defect-free InAs nanowires can be induced by smaller catalysts with a high In concentration, while comparatively larger catalysts containing less In induce defected InAs nanowires. This study indicates that the structural quality of InAs nanowires can be controlled by the size of Au catalysts when other growth conditions remain as constants.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Electrical properties of scandium nitride epitaxial films grown on (100) magnesium oxide substrates by molecular beam epitaxy

Scandium nitride (ScN) films were grown on (100) MgO single crystals by a molecular beam epitaxy method. The effects of growth conditions, including [Sc]/[N] ratio, growth temperature, and nitrogen radical state, on the electrical properties of the ScN films were studied. The ScN films comprised many small columnar grains. Hall coefficient measurements confirmed that the ScN films were highly degenerate n-type semiconductors and that the carrier concentration of the ScN films was sensitive to the growth temperature and the nitrogen radical states during the film growth. The carrier concentrations of the ScN films ranged from 10{sup 19}–10{sup 21} cm{sup −3} while the Hall mobilities ranged from 50–130 cm{sup 2}·V{sup −1}·s{sup −1} for undoped films. The temperature-dependent Hall coefficient measurements showed that the carrier concentration is nearly independent of temperature, indicating that the change in resistivity with temperature is explained by a change in the Hall mobility. The temperature-dependence of the Hall mobility was strongly affected by the growth conditions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗