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NASA NTRS1978

Catalysts for electrochemical generation of oxygen

Single crystal surfaces of platinum and gold and transition metal oxides of the spinel type were studied to find more effective catalysts for the electrolytic evolution of oxygen and to understand the mechanism and kinetics for the electrocatalysis in relation to the surface electronic and lattice properties of the catalyst. The single crystal studies involve the use of low energy electron diffraction (LEED) and Auger electron spectroscopy as complementary tools to the electrochemical measurements. Modifications to the transfer system and to the thin-layer electrochemical cell used to facilitate the transfer between the ultrahigh vacuum environment of the electron surface physics equipment and the electrochemical environment with a minimal possibility of changes in the surface structure, are described. The electrosorption underpotential deposition of Pb onto the Au(111), (100) and (110) single crystal surfaces with the thin-layer cell-LEED-Auger system is discussed as well as the synthesis of spinels for oxygen evolution studies.

Hagans, P.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Metal-dielectric interactions

Metal direlectric surface interactions and dielectric films on metal substrates were investigated. Since interfacial interaction depends so heavily on the nature of the surfaces, analytical surface tools such as Auger emission spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and field ion microscopy were used to assist in surface and interfacial characterization. The results indicate that with metals contacting certain glasses in the clean state interfacial, bonding produces fractures in the glasses while when a film such as water is present, fractures occur in the metal near the interface. Friction forces were used to measure the interfacial bond strengths. Studies with metals contacting polymers using field ion microscopy revealed that strong bonding forces could develop being between a metal and polymer surface with polymer transferring to the metal surface in various ways depending upon the forces applied to the surface in contact. With the deposition of refractory carbides, silicides and borides onto metal and alloy substrates the presence of oxides at the interface or active gases in the deposition plasma were shown to alter interfacial properties and chemistry. Auger ion depth profile analysis indicated the chemical composition at the interface and this could be related to the mechanical, friction, and wear behavior of the coating.

Buckley, D. H.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Polycrystalline silicon on tungsten substrates

Thin films of electron-beam-vaporized silicon were deposited on fine-grained tungsten substrates under a pressure of about 1 x 10 to the -10th torr. Mass spectra from a quadrupole residual-gas analyzer were used to determine the partial pressure of 13 residual gases during each processing step. During separate silicon depositions, the atomically clean substrates were maintained at various temperatures between 400 and 780 C, and deposition rates were between 20 and 630 A min. Surface contamination and interdiffusion were monitored by in situ Auger electron spectrometry before and after cleaning, deposition, and annealing. Auger depth profiling, X-ray analysis, and SEM in the topographic and channeling modes were utilized to characterize the samples with respect to silicon-metal interface, interdiffusion, silicide formation, and grain size of silicon. The onset of silicide formation was found to occur at approximately 625 C. Above this temperature tungsten silicides were formed at a rate faster than the silicon deposition. Fine-grain silicon films were obtained at lower temperatures.

Bevolo, A. J.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Secondary Electron Emission Yields

The secondary electron emission (SEE) characteristics for a variety of spacecraft materials were determined under UHV conditions using a commercial double pass CMA which permits sequential Auger electron electron spectroscopic analysis of the surface. The transparent conductive coating indium tin oxide (ITO) was examined on Kapton and borosilicate glass and indium oxide on FED Teflon. The total SEE coefficient ranges from 2.5 to 2.6 on as-received surfaces and from 1.5 to 1.6 on Ar(+) sputtered surfaces with 5 nm removed. A cylindrical sample carousel provides normal incidence of the primary beam as well as a multiple Faraday cup measurement of the approximately nA beam currents. Total and true secondary yields are obtained from target current measurements with biasing of the carousel. A primary beam pulsed mode to reduce electron beam dosage and minimize charging of insulating coatings was applied to Mg/F2 coated solar cell covers. Electron beam effects on ITO were found quite important at the current densities necessary to do Auger studies.

Krainsky, I.↗

NASA NTRS1981

Application of surface analysis to solve problems of wear

Results are presented for the use of surface analytical tools including field ion microscopy, Auger emission spectroscopy analysis (AES), cylindrical mirror Auger analysis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Data from the field ion microscope reveal adhesive transfer (wear) at the atomic level with the formation of surface compounds not found in the bulk, and AES reveals that this transfer will occur even in the presence of surface oxides. Both AES and XPS reveal that in abrasive wear with silicon carbide and diamond contacting the transition metals, the surface and the abrasive undergo a chemical or structural change which effects wear. With silicon carbide, silicon volatilizes leaving behind a pseudo-graphitic surface and the surface of diamond is observed to graphitize.

Buckley, D. H.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Photovoltaic investigation of minority carrier lifetime in the heavily-doped emitter layer of silicon junction solar cell

The results of experiments on the recombination lifetime in a phosphorus diffused N(+) layer of a silicon solar cell are reported. The cells studied comprised three groups of Czochralski grown crystals: boron doped to one ohm-cm, boron doped to 6 ohm-cm, and aluminum doped to one ohm-cm, all with a shunt resistance exceeding 500 kilo-ohms. The characteristic bulk diffusion length of a cell sample was determined from the short circuit current response to light at a wavelength of one micron. The recombination rates were obtained by measurement of the open circuit voltage as a function of the photogeneration rate. The recombination rate was found to be dependent on the photoinjection level, and is positive-field controlled at low photoinjection, positive-field influence Auger recombination at a medium photoinjection level, and negative-field controlled Auger recombination at a high photoinjection level.

Ho, C.-T.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Matrix effects in ion-induced emission as observed in Ne collisions with Cu-Mg and Cu-Al alloys

Ion induced Auger electron emission is used to study the surfaces of Al, Mg, Cu - 10 at. % Al, Cu - 19.6 at. % Al, and Cu - 7.4 at. % Mg. A neon (Ne) ion beam whose energy is varied from 0.5 to 3 keV is directed at the surface. Excitation of the lighter Ne occurs by the promotion mechanism of Barat and Lichten in asymmetric collisions with Al or Mg atoms. Two principal Auger peaks are observed in the Ne spectrum: one at 22 eV and one at 25 eV. Strong matrix effects are observed in the alloys as a function of energy in which the population of the second peak is greatly enhanced relative to the first over the pure materials. For the pure material over this energy range this ratio is 1.0. For the alloys it can rise to the electronic structure of alloys and to other surface tools such as secondary ion mass spectroscopy.

Ferrante, J.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Automated Coal-Mining System

Proposed system offers safety and large return on investment. System, operating by year 2000, employs machines and processes based on proven principles. According to concept, line of parallel machines, connected in groups of four to service modules, attacks face of coal seam. High-pressure water jets and central auger on each machine break face. Jaws scoop up coal chunks, and auger grinds them and forces fragments into slurry-transport system. Slurry pumped through pipeline to point of use. Concept for highly automated coal-mining system increases productivity, makes mining safer, and protects health of mine workers.

Gangal, M. D.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Aspects of silicon bulk lifetimes

The best lifetimes attained for bulk crytalline silicon as a function of doping concentrations are analyzed. It is assumed that the dopants which set the Fermi level do not contribute to the recombination traffic which is due to the unknown defect. This defect is assumed to have two charge states: neutral and negative, the neutral defect concentration is frozen-in at some temperature T sub f. The higher doping concentrations should include the band-band Auger effect by using a generalization of the Shockley-Read-Hall (SRH) mechanism. The generalization of the SRH mechanism is discussed. This formulation gives a straightforward procedure for incorporating both band-band and band-trap Auger effects in the SRH procedure. Two related questions arise in this context: (1) it may sometimes be useful to write the steady-state occupation probability of the traps implied by SRH procedure in a form which approximates to the Fermi-Dirac distribution; and (2) the effect on the SRH mechanism of spreading N sub t levels at one energy uniformly over a range of energies is discussed.

Landsberg, P. T.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Recombination phenomena in high efficiency silicon solar cells

The dominant recombination phenomena which limit the highest efficiency attainable in silicon solar cells under terrestrial sunlight are reviewed. The ultimate achievable efficiency is limited by the two intrinsic recombination mechanisms, the interband Auger recombination and interband Radiative recombination, both of which occur in the entire cell body but principally in the base layer. It is suggested that an optimum (26%) cell design is one with lowly doped 50 to 100 micron thick base, a perfect BSF, and zero extrinsic recombination such as the thermal mechanism at recombination centers the Shockley-Read-Hall process (SRH) in the bulk, on the surface and at the interfaces. The importance of recombination at the interfaces of a high-efficiency cell is demonstrated by the ohmic contact on the back surface whose interface recombination velocity is infinite. The importance of surface and interface recombination is demonstrated by representing the auger and radiative recombination losses by effective recombination velocities. It is demonstrated that the three highest efficiency cells may all be limited by the SRH recombination losses at recombination centers in the base layer.

Sah, C. T.↗

NASA NTRS1985

Effect of recombination on the open-circuit voltage of a silicon solar cell

A theoretical study of the influence of band-band Auger, band-trap Auger, and the ordinary Shockley-Read-Hall mechanism for carrier recombination on the open-circuit voltage VOC of a solar cell is presented. Under reasonable assumptions for the magnitude of rate constants and realistic values for trap densities, surface recombination velocities and band-gap narrowing, the maximum VOC for typical back surface field solar cells is found to lie in the range between 0.61 and 0.72 V independent of base width.

Von Roos, O.↗

NASA NTRS1986

Oxidation-resistant reflective surfaces for solar dynamic power generation in near Earth orbit

Reflective surfaces for space station power generation systems are required to withstand the atomic oxygen-dominated environment of near Earth orbit. Thin films of platinum and rhodium, which are corrosion resistant reflective metals, have been deposited by ion beam sputter deposition onto various substrate materials. Solar reflectances were then measured as a function of time of exposure to a RF-generated air plasma. Similarly, various protective coating materials, including MgF2, SiO2, Al2O3, and Si3N4, were deposited onto silver-coated substrates and then exposed to the plasma. Analysis of the films both before and after exposure by both ESCA and Auger spectroscopy was also performed. The results indicate that Pt and Rh do not suffer any loss in reflectance over the duration of the tests. Also, each of the coating materials survived the plasma environment. The ESCA and Auger analyses are discussed as well.

Gulino, D. A.↗

NASA NTRS1987

Laser induced OMCVD growth of AlGaAs on GaAs

A major factor limiting the efficiency of the GaAs-GaAlAs solar cell is the rate of recombination at the GaAs-AlGaAs interface. Evidence has been previously reported which indicates that recombination at this interface can be greatly reduced if the AlGaAs layer is grown at lower than normal temperatures. The authors examine the epitaxial growth of AlGaAs on GaAs using a horizontal OMCVD reactor and an excimer laser operating in the UV (lambda = 193 nm) region. The growth temperatures were 450 and 500 C. The laser beam was utilized in two orientations: 75 deg angle of incidence and parallel to the substrate. Film composition and structure were determined by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Auger analysis of epilayers grown at 500 C with the laser impinging show no carbon or oxygen contamination of the epitaxial layers or interfaces. TEM diffraction patterns of these same epilayers exhibit single crystal (100) zone axis patterns.

Wilt, David M.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Characterization of ZrO2 buffer layers for sequentially evaporated Y-Ba-CuO on Si and Al2O3 substrates

Thin film high temperature superconductors have the potential to change the microwave technology for space communications systems. For such applications it is desirable that the films be formed on substrates such as Al2O3 which have good microwave properties. The use of ZrO2 buffer layers between Y-Ba-Cu-O and the substrate has been investigated. These superconducting films have been formed by multilayer sequential electron beam evaporation of Cu, BaF2 and Y with subsequent annealing. The three layer sequence of Y/BaF2/Cu is repeated four times for a total of twelve layers. Such a multilayer film, approximately 1 micron thick, deposited directly on SrTiO3 and annealed at 900 C for 45 min produces a film with a superconducting onset of 93 K and critical temperature of 85 K. Auger electron spectroscopy in conjunction with argon ion sputtering was used to obtain the distribution of each element as a function of depth for an unannealed film, the annealed film on SrTiO3 and annealed films on ZrO2 buffer layers. The individual layers were apparent. After annealing, the bulk of the film on SrTiO3 is observed to be fairly uniform while films on the substrates with buffer layers are less uniform. The Y-Ba-Cu-O/ZrO2 interface is broad with a long Ba tail into the ZrO2, suggesting interaction between the film and the buffer layer. The underlying ZrO2/Si interface is sharper. The detailed Auger results are presented and compared with samples annealed at different temperatures and durations.

Valco, George J.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Growth of diamond by RF plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition

A system has been designed and constructed to produce diamond particles by inductively coupled radio-frequency, plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition. This is a low-pressure, low-temperature process used in an attempt to deposit diamond on substrates of glass, quartz, silicon, nickel, and boron nitride. Several deposition parameters have been varied including substrate temperature, gas concentration, gas pressure, total gas flow rate, RF input power, and deposition time. Analytical methods employed to determine composition and structure of the deposits include scanning electron microscopy, absorption spectroscopy, scanning Auger microprobe spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. Analysis indicates that particles having a thin graphite surface, as well as diamond particles with no surface coatings, have been deposited. Deposits on quartz have exhibited optical bandgaps as high as 4.5 eV. Scanning electron microscopy analysis shows that particles are deposited on a pedestal which Auger spectroscopy indicates to be graphite. This is a phenomenon that has not been previously reported in the literature.

Meyer, Duane E.↗

NASA NTRS1989

Diffusion of Si in thin CoSi2 layers

Evidence of silicon diffusion in 100-A CoSi2 layers grown by room-temperature codeposition and annealing on Si(111) substrates was from Auger peak height ratios, which were interpreted in terms of a Si overlayer. It was found that this layer could be removed by chemical etching and reformed by subsequent annealing. By measuring the intensity of the plasmon energy loss peak associated with the CoL23 VV Auger peak, the effective thickness of the Si overlayer was measured as a function of annealing temperature, by calibrating the plasmon loss data against known overlayer thicknesses on unannealed samples. Similar results were found for samples grown both with and without the addition of a 10-A Si cap to prevent pinhole formation in the CoSi2; moreover, Si diffusion was also observed at temperatures well below the point where pinhole formation is first found, suggesting that Si diffusion does not depend on the presence of observable pinholes.

Schowengerdt, F. D.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Surface characterization of hydrogen charged and uncharged alpha-2 and gamma titanium aluminide alloys using AES and REELS

The surfaces of selected uncharged and hydrogen charged alpha-2 and gamma titanium aluminide alloys with Nb additions were characterized by Auger electron (AES) and reflected electron energy loss (REELS) spectroscopy. The alloy surfaces were cleaned before analysis at room temperature by ion sputtering. The low energy (500 eV) ion sputtering process preferentially sputtered the surface concentration. The surface concentrations were determined by comparing AES data from the alloys with corresponding data from elemental references. No differences were observed in the Ti or Nb Auger spectra for the uncharged and hydrogen charged alloys, even though the alpha-2 alloy had 33.4 atomic percent dissolved hydrogen. Also, no differences were observed in the AES spectra when hydrogen was adsorbed from the gas phase. Bulk plasmon energy shifts were observed in all alloys. The energy shifts were induced either by dissolved hydrogen (alpha-2 alloy) or hydrogen adsorbed from the gas phase (alpha-2 and gamma alloys). The adsorption induced plasmon energy shifts were greatest for the gamma alloy and cp-Ti metal.

Shanabarger, M. R.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Small band gap superlattices as intrinsic long wavelength infrared detector materials

Intrinsic long wavelength (lambda greater than or equal to 10 microns) infrared (IR) detectors are currently made from the alloy (Hg, Cd)Te. There is one parameter, the alloy composition, which can be varied to control the properties of this material. The parameter is chosen to set the band gap (cut-off wavelength). The (Hg, Cd)Te alloy has the zincblend crystal structure. Consequently, the electron and light-hole effective masses are essentially inversely proportional to the band gap. As a result, the electron and light-hole effective masses are very small (M sub(exp asterisk)/M sub o approx. M sub Ih/M sub o approx. less than 0.01) whereas the heavy-hole effective mass is ordinary size (M sub hh(exp asterisk)/M sub o approx. 0.4) for the alloy compositions required for intrinsic long wavelength IR detection. This combination of effective masses leads to rather easy tunneling and relatively large Auger transition rates. These are undesirable characteristics, which must be designed around, of an IR detector material. They follow directly from the fact that (Hg, Cd)Te has the zincblend crystal structure and a small band gap. In small band gap superlattices, such as HgTe/CdTe, In(As, Sb)/InSb and InAs/(Ga,In)Sb, the band gap is determined by the superlattice layer thicknesses as well as by the alloy composition (for superlattices containing an alloy). The effective masses are not directly related to the band gap and can be separately varied. In addition, both strain and quantum confinement can be used to split the light-hole band away from the valence band maximum. These band structure engineering options can be used to reduce tunneling probabilities and Auger transition rates compared with a small band gap zincblend structure material. Researchers discuss the different band structure engineering options for the various classes of small band gap superlattices.

Smith, Darryl L.↗