Engineering topics

Mittemeijer, Eric J.

Publications and source records attributed to Mittemeijer, Eric J..

4 records

DOE OSTI2018

In Situ Strain Tuning of the Dirac Surface States in Bi 2 Se 3 Films

Elastic strain has the potential for a controlled manipulation of the band gap and spin-polarized Dirac states of topological materials, which can lead to pseudomagnetic field effects, helical flat bands, and topological phase transitions. However, practical realization of these exotic phenomena is challenging and yet to be achieved. Here we show that the Dirac surface states of the topological insulator Bi 2 Se 3 can be reversibly tuned by an externally applied elastic strain. Performing in situ X-ray diffraction and in situ angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements during tensile testing of epitaxial Bi 2 Se 3 films bonded onto a flexible substrate, we demonstrate elastic strains of up to 2.1% and quantify the resulting changes in the topological surface state. Our study establishes the functional relationship between the lattice and electronic structures of Bi 2 Se 3 and, more generally, demonstrates a new route toward momentum-resolved mapping of strain-induced band structure changes.

Flötotto, David↗

DOE OSTI2016

Interdiffusion and stress development in single-crystalline Pd/Ag bilayers

Interdiffusion and stress evolution in single-crystalline Pd/single-crystalline Ag thin films were investigated by Auger electron spectroscopy sputter-depth profiling and in-situ X-ray diffraction, respectively. The concentration-dependent chemical diffusion coefficient, as well as the impurity diffusion coefficient of Ag in Pd could be determined in the low temperature range of 356 °C–455 °C. As a consequence of the similarity of the strong concentration-dependences of the intrinsic diffusion coefficients, the chemical diffusion coefficient varies only over three orders of magnitude over the whole composition range, despite the large difference of six orders of magnitude of the self-diffusion coefficients of Ag in Ag and Pd in Pd. It is shown that the Darken-Manning treatment should be adopted for interpretation of the experimental data; the Nernst-Planck treatment yielded physically unreasonable results. Apart from the development of compressive thermal stress, the development of stress in both sublayers separately could be ascribed to compositional stress (tensile in the Ag sublayer and compressive in the Pd sublayer) and dominant relaxation processes, especially in the Ag sublayer. The effect of these internal stresses on the values determined for the diffusion coefficients is shown to be negligible.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

DOE OSTI2015

Concentration-dependent self-diffusion coefficients in amorphous Si{sub 1−x}Ge{sub x} solid solutions: An interdiffusion study

Self-diffusion coefficients of Si and Ge in amorphous Si{sub 1−x}Ge{sub x} (a-Si{sub 1−x}Ge{sub x}) solid solutions were determined quantitatively in the temperature range of 440 °C – 460 °C by the investigation of interdiffusion in amorphous Si/Si{sub 0.52}Ge{sub 0.48} multilayers using Auger electron spectroscopy sputter-depth profiling. The determined concentration dependent self-diffusion coefficients of Si and Ge in a-Si{sub 1−x}Ge{sub x} with 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.48 at. % Ge are about ten orders of magnitude larger than in the corresponding crystalline phases, due to the inherent, excess free volume in the amorphous phase. The self-diffusion coefficient of Si (or Ge) in a-Si{sub 1−x}Ge{sub x} increases in association with a decreasing activation enthalpy with increasing Ge concentration. This concentration dependence has been related to an overall decrease of the average bond strength with increasing Ge concentration.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2014

Coexistence of colossal stress and texture gradients in sputter deposited nanocrystalline ultra-thin metal films

This paper demonstrates experimentally that ultra-thin, nanocrystalline films can exhibit coexisting colossal stress and texture depth gradients. Their quantitative determination is possible by X-ray diffraction experiments. Whereas a uniform texture by itself is known to generally cause curvature in so-called sin{sup 2}ψ plots, it is shown that the combined action of texture and stress gradients provides a separate source of curvature in sin{sup 2}ψ plots (i.e., even in cases where a uniform texture does not induce such curvature). On this basis, the texture and stress depth profiles of a nanocrystalline, ultra-thin (50 nm) tungsten film could be determined.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗