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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 1,783 records · Page 99
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

Interaction between water cluster ions and mica surface

Water cluster ion beams were irradiated on mica surfaces to investigate the interaction between molecular cluster ions and a mica surface. The contact angle of the mica surface increased with increasing dose of the water cluster ion beam, but the increase in the contact angle was smaller than that induced by an ethanol cluster ion beam. The surface roughness also increased with increasing dose of the water cluster ion beam, whereas the intensity of K 2p x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy peaks decreased with increasing dose of the water cluster ion beam. The decrease in the number of potassium atoms together with the increase in the surface roughness may be the causes of the increase in the contact angle.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Comparative study of GaN mesa etch characteristics in Cl{sub 2} based inductively coupled plasma with Ar and BCl{sub 3} as additive gases

GaN thin film etching is investigated and compared for mesa formation in inductively coupled plasma (ICP) of Cl{sub 2} with Ar and BCl{sub 3} gas additives using photoresist mask. Etch characteristics are studied as a function of ICP process parameters, viz., ICP power, radio frequency (RF) power, and chamber pressure at fixed total flow rate. The etch rate at each ICP/RF power is 0.1–0.2 μm/min higher for Cl{sub 2}/Ar mixture mainly due to higher Cl dissociation efficiency of Ar additive that readily provides Cl ion/radical for reaction in comparison to Cl{sub 2}/BCl{sub 3} mixture. Cl{sub 2}/Ar mixture also leads to better photoresist mask selectivity. The etch-induced roughness is investigated using atomic force microscopy. Cl{sub 2}/Ar etching has resulted in lower root-mean-square roughness of GaN etched surface in comparison to Cl{sub 2}/BCl{sub 3} etching due to increased Ar ion energy and flux with ICP/RF power that enhances the sputter removal of etch product. The GaN surface damage after etching is also evaluated using room temperature photoluminescence and found to be increasing with ICP/RF power for both the etch chemistries with higher degree of damage in Cl{sub 2}/BCl{sub 3} etching under same condition.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Smoothing single-crystalline SiC surfaces by reactive ion etching using pure NF{sub 3} and NF{sub 3}/Ar mixture gas plasmas

In pure NF{sub 3} plasma, the etching rates of four kinds of single-crystalline SiC wafer etched at NF{sub 3} pressure of 2 Pa were the highest and it decreased with an increase in NF{sub 3} pressure. On the other hand, they increased with an increase in radio frequency (RF) power and were the highest at RF power of 200 W. A smooth surface was obtained on the single-crystalline 4H-SiC after reactive ion etching at NF{sub 3}/Ar gas pressure of 2 Pa and addition of Ar to NF{sub 3} plasma increased the smoothness of SiC surface. Scanning electron microscopy observation revealed that the number of pillars decreased with an increase in the Ar-concentration in the NF{sub 3}/Ar mixture gas. The roughness factor (R{sub a}) values were decreased from 51.5 nm to 25.5 nm for the As-cut SiC, from 0.25 nm to 0.20 nm for the Epi-SiC, from 5.0 nm to 0.7 nm for the Si-face mirror-polished SiC, and from 0.20 nm to 0.16 nm for the C-face mirror-polished SiC by adding 60% Ar to the NF{sub 3} gas. Both the R{sub a} values of the Epi- and the C-face mirror-polished wafer surfaces etched using the NF{sub 3}/Ar (40:60) plasma were similar to that treated with mirror polishing, so-called the Catalyst-Referred Etching (CARE) method, with which the lowest roughness of surface was obtained among the chemical mirror polishing methods. Etching duration for smoothing the single-crystalline SiC surface using its treatment was one third of that with the CARE method.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Microstructural, nanomechanical, and microtribological properties of Pb thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition and thermal evaporation techniques

In this work, the authors compare the morphological, structural, nanomechanical, and microtribological properties of Pb films deposited by thermal evaporation (TE) and pulsed laser deposition (PLD) techniques onto Si (111) substrates. Films were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, surface probe microscopy, and x-ray diffraction in θ-2θ geometry to determine their morphology, root-mean-square (RMS) roughness, and microstructure, respectively. TE films showed a percolated morphology with densely packed fibrous grains while PLD films had a granular morphology with a columnar and tightly packed structure in accordance with the zone growth model of Thornton. Moreover, PLD films presented a more polycrystalline structure with respect to TE films, with RMS roughness of 14 and 10 nm, respectively. Hardness and elastic modulus vary from 2.1 to 0.8 GPa and from 14 to 10 GPa for PLD and TE films, respectively. A reciprocal friction test has shown that PLD films have lower friction coefficient and wear rate than TE films. Our study has demonstrated for first time that, at the microscale, Pb films do not show the same simple lubricious properties measured at the macroscale.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

Effect of Sb thickness on the performance of bialkali-antimonide photocathodes

The alkali species Cs and K were codeposited using an effusion source, onto relatively thick layers of Sb (50 nm to ∼7 μm) grown on GaAs and Ta substrates inside a vacuum chamber that was baked and not-vented, and also baked and vented with clean dry nitrogen but not rebaked. The characteristics of the Sb films, including sticking probability, surface roughness, grain size, and crystal properties were very different for these conditions, yet comparable values of photocathode yield [or quantum efficiency (QE)] at 284 V were obtained following codeposition of the alkali materials. Photocathodes manufactured with comparatively thick Sb layers exhibited the highest QE and the best 1/e lifetime. The authors speculate that the alkali codeposition enabled optimized stoichiometry for photocathodes manufactured using thick Sb layers, which could serve as a reservoir for the alkali materials.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2016

Sputtering of silicon and glass substrates with polyatomic molecular ion beams generated from ionic liquids

The effect of irradiating 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium positive (EMIM{sup +}) or dicyanamide negative (DCA{sup –}) ion beams using an ionic liquid ion source was characterized concerning its sputtering properties for single crystalline Si(100) and nonalkaline borosilicate glass substrates. The irradiation of the DCA{sup –} ion beam onto the Si substrate at an acceleration voltage of 4 and 6 kV exhibited detectable sputtered depths greater than a couple of nanometers with an ion fluence of only 1 × 10{sup 15} ions/cm{sup 2}, while the EMIM{sup +} ion beam produced the same depths with an ion fluence 5 × 10{sup 15} ions/cm{sup 2}. The irradiation of a 4 kV DCA{sup –} ion beam at a fluence of 1 × 10{sup 16} ions/cm{sup 2} also yields large etching depths in Si substrates, corresponding to a sputtering yield of Si/DCA{sup – }= 10, and exhibits a smoothed surface roughness of 0.05 nm. The interaction between DCA{sup –} and Si likely causes a chemical reaction that relates to the high sputtering yield and forms an amorphous C-N capping layer that results in the smooth surface. Moreover, sputtering damage by the DCA{sup –} irradiation, which was estimated by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy with the channeling technique, was minimal compared to Ar{sup +} irradiation at the same condition. In contrast, the glass substrates exhibited no apparent change in surface roughnesses when sputtered by the DCA{sup –} irradiation compared to the unirradiated glass substrates.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2016

Are those bugs reflective? Non-destructive biofilm imaging with white light interferometry

White light interferometry (WLI) is not typically used to image bacterial biofilms that are immersed in water because there is insufficient refractive index contrast to induce reflection from the biofilm’s interface. The soft structure and water-like bulk properties of hydrated biofilms make them difficult to characterize in situ by any means, especially in a non-destructive manner. Here we describe a new method for measuring and monitoring the thickness and topology of live biofilms using a WLI microscope. A microfluidic system was used to create a reflective interface on the surface of biofilms. Live biofilm samples were monitored non-destructively over time. The method enables surface metrology measurements (roughness, surface area) and a novel approach to measuring thickness of the thin hydrated biofilms. Increase in surface roughness preceded observable increase in biofilm thickness, indicating that this measure may be used to predict future development of biofilms. We have also developed a flow cell that enables WLI biofilm imaging in a dynamic environment. We have used this flow cell to observe changes in biofilm structure in response to changes in environmental conditions - flow velocity, availability of nutrients, and presence of biocides.

bacteria↗
DOE OSTI2013

Formation of ultrasmooth thin silver films by pulsed laser deposition

Ultrasmooth thin silver films have been formed on a quartz substrate with a buffer yttrium oxide layer by pulsed laser deposition. The dependence of the surface morphology of the film on the gas (N{sub 2}) pressure in the working chamber and laser pulse energy is investigated. It is found that the conditions of film growth are optimal at a gas pressure of 10{sup -2} Torr and lowest pulse energy. The silver films formed under these conditions on a quartz substrate with an initial surface roughness of 0.3 nm had a surface roughness of 0.36 nm. These films can be used as a basis for various optoelectronics and nanoplasmonics elements.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

The role of AlGaN buffers and channel thickness in the electronic transport properties of Al{sub x}In{sub 1–x}N/AlN/GaN heterostructures

We try to theoretically analyze the reported experimental data of the Al{sub x}In{sub 1–x}N/AlN/GaN heterostructures grown by MOCVD and quantitatively investigate the effects of AlGaN buffers and the GaNchannel thickness on the electrical transport properties of these systems. Also, we obtain the most important effective parameters of the temperature-dependent mobility in the range 35–300 K. Our results show that inserting a 1.1 μm thick Al{sub 0.04}Ga{sub 0.96}N buffer enhances electron mobility by decreasing the effect of phonons, the interface roughness, and dislocation and crystal defect scattering mechanisms. Also, as the channel thickness increases from 20 nm to 40 nm, the electron mobility increases from 2200 to 2540 cm{sup 2}/(V s) and from 870 to 1000 cm{sup 2}/(V s) at 35 and 300 K respectively, which is attributed to the reduction in the dislocation density and the strain-induced field. Finally, the reported experimental data show that inserting a 450 nm graded AlGaN layer before an Al{sub 0.04}Ga{sub 0.96}N buffer causes a decrease in the electron mobility, which is attributed to the enhancement of the lateral size of roughness, the dislocation density, and the strain-induced field in this sample.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Mechanisms of fracture of the free surface of shock-compressed metals

The mechanisms of the ejection of aluminum and copper microparticles from the free surfaces of these metals have been studied under conditions of the escape of a moderate-intensity shock wave from a sample. The free surfaces of samples contained 0.7–0.9 mm deep artificial wells and protrusions simulating (on a greater scale of 10: 1) the natural surface roughness retained upon mechanical processing. The pressure in a shock-wave pulse at the base of a protrusion was controlled within P = 5–20 GPa (i.e., below the melting region), and the variable duration of pressure pulses was 0.02, 0.2, and 1 μs. Analysis of the free surfaces of postloaded samples showed that, for certain loading and roughness parameters, the ejection of metal from vertices of protruding ridges or pyramids (as a result of the longitudinal fracture) was about ten times greater than the amount of metal ejected in the form of cumulative jets from wells. The amount of ejected metal and the size distribution of metal microparticles were quantitatively characterized using “soft collecting targets” and by measuring mass losses of samples upon fracture.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2019

Characteristics of Shock-Induced Dust Flux from the Surface of Lead and Copper Samples under Pressure in the Shock Wave of 45–50 GPa with Unloading into Vacuum

The results of experimental studies of the shock-induced particle ejection (“dusting”) from a free rough (R{sub z} = 20) surface of lead and copper samples into an evacuated medium are presented. The experimental methods were based on different physical principles. To determine the size of particles by shadow laser-optical imaging more efficiently, a narrow strip was isolated in the center of the free surface of a sample from which an optically transparent stream of particles was ejected. The rest of the surface, substantially larger in size, ejected particles, parameters of which were reliably recorded using optical heterodyne interferometry detection, radiographic imaging, and piezoelectric techniques. This made it possible to obtain more reliable data on the particle size distribution, the velocity of the front of a particle flux, and the density (weight) distribution of the flow in the direction of its motion, necessary to refine the existing models and create more reliable models to describe the phenomenon. Using lead and copper samples, the material of which melts or does not melt under shock wave loading in selected close conditions (amplitude of the shock wave and roughness of the free surface), made it possible to clearly demonstrate the effect of melting on the qualitative pattern and quantitative characteristics of the shock-induced dusting process.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Impact of growth and annealing conditions on the parameters of Ge/Si(001) relaxed layers grown by molecular beam epitaxy

Influence of the Ge layer thickness and annealing conditions on the parameters of relaxed Ge/Si(001) layers grown by molecular beam epitaxy via two-stage growth is investigated. The dependences of the threading dislocation density and surface roughness on the Ge layer thickness, annealing temperature and time, and the presence of a hydrogen atmosphere are obtained. As a result of optimization of the growth and annealing conditions, relaxed Ge/Si(001) layers which are thinner than 1 μm with a low threading dislocation density on the order of 10{sup 7} cm{sup –2} and a root mean square roughness of less than 1 nm are obtained.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Study of modification methods of probes for critical-dimension atomic-force microscopy by the deposition of carbon nanotubes

The results of an experimental study of the modification of probes for critical-dimension atomicforce microscopy (CD-AFM) by the deposition of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to improve the accuracy with which the surface roughness of vertical walls is determined in submicrometer structures are presented. Methods of the deposition of an individual CNT onto the tip of an AFM probe via mechanical and electrostatic interaction between the probe and an array of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs) are studied. It is shown that, when the distance between the AFM tip and a VACNT array is 1 nm and the applied voltage is within the range 20–30 V, an individual carbon nanotube is deposited onto the tip. On the basis of the results obtained in the study, a probe with a carbon nanotube on its tip (CNT probe) with a radius of 7 nm and an aspect ratio of 1:15 is formed. Analysis of the CNT probe demonstrates that its use improves the resolution and accuracy of AFM measurements, compared with the commercial probe, and also makes it possible to determine the roughness of the vertical walls of high-aspect structures by CD-AFM. The results obtained can be used to develop technological processes for the fabrication and reconditioning of special AFM probes, including those for CD-AFM, and procedures for the interoperational express monitoring of technological process parameters in the manufacturing of elements for micro- and nanoelectronics and micro- and nanosystem engineering.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2016

Study of the surface of GaAs after etching in high-frequency and glow discharge plasma by atomic force microscopy

The quality of the surface of a semiconductor structure after plasma-chemical etching in plasma of HCl/Ar, HCl/Cl{sub 2}, HCl/H{sub 2} mixtures, and freon R12 plasma is studied. It is shown that the optimal combination of the etch rate and surface roughness is achieved in the hydrogen chloride and argon mixture. In mixtures with hydrogen, the etch rates are too low for high surface quality; in mixtures with chlorine, the surface roughness exceeds technologically acceptable values due to high etch rates. The high-frequency discharge in freon R12 can be effectively used to etch semiconductors, providing technologically acceptable interaction rates, while retaining a uniform and clean surface.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Finishing Surface Treatment of Potassium Titanyl Phosphate Single Crystals by Argon Cluster Ions

It is demonstrated that a argon cluster ion beam can be used for the finishing treatment of ultrasmooth surfaces (with initial root-mean-square roughness below 0.3 nm) of potassium titanyl phosphate single crystals. Analysis of the power spectral density function of surface roughness showed that cluster-ion irradiation leads to removal of residual chemical contaminations from the subsurface layer and produces additional smoothing of the crystal surface in a broad range of spatial frequencies (ν = 0.2–100 μm{sup –1}).

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Laser Polishing: Green Path to Improved Accelerator Surfaces

We pursued three paths toward reducing the initial cost and operating expense of particle accelerators. First, we investigated laser surface melting as an alternative to the present cavity processing approach using noxious chemicals. We successfully demonstrated a process that can be scaled up and defined the path to do so. Second, we sought to develop tailored laser pulsing as a way to simulate the thermal fatigue environment responsible for damaging accelerator components. Though the first three steps along the path were successfully accomplished, the final segment depended on collaborators with unique facilities, whose program was terminated. The third segment aimed to acquire a fundamental understanding of the widely used chemical process that yields the rough surfaces smoothed by laser melting. We found that the roughness is an inherent and unavoidable outcome that limits the performance of components processed thusly.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Magnetic-Pulse Shaping of Internal Pipe-Blank Surfaces

A finite-element model is proposed for the shaping of internal pipe-blank surfaces by means of the pressure of a magnetic pulse. The roughness of the internal surface after compression onto a mandrel is expressed as a function of the number of loading cycles, the pressure of the pulsed magnetic field, and the initial roughness of the blank.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2018

Electrolytic Plasma Surface Polishing of Complex Components Produced by Selective Laser Melting

The applicability of electrolytic plasma surface polishing to complex components produced by selective laser melting (SLM) is analyzed. By electrolytic plasma polishing by electrolyte spraying, the surface quality of components produced by SLM may be improved. This technology is found to decrease the surface roughness from R{sub a} = 5.6 μm to 1.4 μm. The optimal pressure of the electrolyte jet is 0.02–0.05 MPa. At high pressures, the process becomes unstable. By electrolytic plasma polishing on the basis of electrolyte jets, uniform external and internal surface roughness of components produced by SLM may be ensured.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗