Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “oxide interface”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 217 records · Page 12

Development of Ceramic Matrix Composites For High Temperature Applications

The microstructure and mechanical properties of carbon fiber reinforced silicon carbide (C/SiC) composites that incorporated molecular-level oxidation inhibitors designed to increase the material s high temperature durability were characterized. The viability of a fiber-level inhibitor incorporated as part of a layered interface system as well as a molecularly-integrated matrix-level oxidation inhibitor that is co-deposited with the SiC matrix during Chemical Vapor Infiltration (CVI) was determined. It was expected that the inhibitor would act as a glass former that will getter the oxygen and form a crack sealant to reduce further ingress of oxygen into the composite. Three composites were examined. Composite A was a baseline C(sub f)/SiC(sub m) composite that incorporated a approx. 0.4 micron pyrolytic carbon (PyC) fiber coating to promote strength and toughness, and a CVI-derived SiC matrix. Composite B was a C(sub f)/SiC(sub m) composite incorporating a approx 0.4 micron pyrolytic carbon (PyC) fiber coating to promote strength and toughness, a approx. 0.6 micron B4C fiber-level oxidation barrier coating, and a CVI-derived SiC matrix. Composite C was a C(sub f) /SiC(sub m) composite that incorporated a approx. 0.4 micron pyrolytic carbon (PyC) fiber coating to promote strength and toughness, a approx. 0.6 micron B4C fiber-level oxidation barrier coating, and a BxC-SiC oxidation-inhibited matrix produced by CVI co-deposition. All composites were reinforced with 10 plies of T-300 balanced plain weave carbon fabric with 3K tows at 12.5 ends per inch.

Heimann, Paula↗

The Oxidation of AlN in Dry and Wet Oxygen

The oxidation kinetics of AlN containing 3.5 wt% Y2O3 were studied by thermogravimetric analysis in dry oxygen and 10% H2O/balance oxygen at temperatures between 1000 and 1200 C for times between 48 and 100 h. The oxidation kinetics for AlN in dry oxygen were parabolic and of approximately the same magnitude and temperature dependence as other alumina forming materials. In this case, diffusion of oxygen and/or aluminum through the alumina scale is the rate limiting mechanism. The oxidation kinetics for AlN in wet oxygen were nearly linear and much more rapid than rates observed in dry oxygen. Numerous micropores were observed in the alumina formed on AIN in wet oxygen. These pores provide a fast path for oxygen transport. The linear kinetics observed in this case suggest that the interface reaction rate of AlN with wet oxygen is the oxidation rate limiting step.

Opila, Elizabeth↗

Evidence from transmission electron microscopy for an oxynitride layer in oxidized Si3N4

Microstructural and energy dispersive spectrometry evidence is produced, from transmission electron microscopy, to show that a silicon oxynitride inner layer is produced by the oxidation of silicon nitride in dry oxygen at 1350 C as proposed by Tressler et al. (1989). However, details of the microstructures at the oxide/nitride interface do not agree entirely with the rest of the Tressler model for the oxidation of Si3N4.

Ogbuji, Linus U. J. T.↗

Study of the effects of gaseous environments on the hot corrosion of superalloy materials

The effect of the gaseous corrodent NaCl on the high temperature oxidation and sodium sulfate induced hot corrosion behavior of alumina formers, chromia formers, and the superalloy B-1900 was examined. Isothermal experiments were conducted at 900 C and 1050 C in air in the presence and absence of NaCl vapors. Microstructural changes in oxide morphology and increased rates of oxidation were observed when NaCl(g) was present. It is hypothesized that the accelerated rates of oxidation are the result of removal of aluminum from the scale substrate interface and the weakening of the scale substrate bonds. The aluminum removed was redeposited on the surfaces in the form of alumina whiskers. For the superalloy B-1900, alumina whiskers are also formed, and the alloy oxidizes at catastrophic rates. In the case of Ni-25Cr alloy, NaCl vapors interact with the scale depleting it of chromium.

Smeggil, J. G.↗

Electron loss study of the native oxide of tin

Using electron loss spectroscopy in combination with ion beam depth profiling, it has been established that the oxide of tin formed by electropolishing followed by room temperature aging is metal free and composed of a mixture of SnO2 and SnO. In a fresh oxide layer, the SnO2 is confined to the outer portion of the predominantly SnO oxide. In an aged oxide layer, SnO2 is present up to the oxide/metal interface with an ever decreasing concentration as the interface is approached.

Bevolo, A. J.↗

Electron trapping in rad-hard RCA IC's irradiated with electrons and gamma rays

Enhanced electron trapping has been observed in n-channels of rad-hard CMOS devices due to electron and gamma-ray irradiation. Room-temperature annealing results in a positive shift in the threshold potential far beyond its initial value. The slope of the annealing curve immediately after irradiation was found to depend strongly on the gate bias applied during irradiation. Some dependence was also observed on the electron dose rate. No clear dependence on energy and shielding over a delidded device was observed. The threshold shift is probably due to electron trapping at the radiation-induced interface states and tunneling of electrons through the oxide-silicon energy barrier to fill the radiation-induced electron traps. A mathematical analysis, based on two parallel annealing kinetics, hole annealing and electron trapping, is applied to the data for various electron dose rates.

Danchenko, V.↗

1986 Annual Conference on Nuclear and Space Radiation Effects, 23rd, Providence, RI, July 21-23, 1986, Proceedings

The present conference on the effects of nuclear and space radiation on electronic hardware gives attention to topics in the basic mechanisms of radiation effects, dosimetry and energy-dependent effects, electronic device radiation hardness assurance, SOI/SOS radiation effects, spacecraft charging and space radiation, IC radiation effects and hardening, single-event upset (SEU) phenomena and hardening, and EMP/SGEMP/IEMP phenomena. Specific treatments encompass the generation of interface states by ionizing radiation in very thin MOS oxides, the microdosimetry of meson energy deposited on 1-micron sites in Si, total dose radiation and engineering studies, plasma interactions with biased concentrator solar cells, the transient imprint memory effect in MOS memories, mechanisms leading to SEU, and the vaporization and breakdown of thin columns of water.

Ellis, Thomas D.↗

CMCs for the long run

The structural and environmental requirements for ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) are most demanding in aerospace applications involving human transport; this need for extreme reliability has led to intensive investigations of criteria for high CMC integrity. The ideal properties of a fiber-reinforced CMC have been found to depend on the use of high aspect ratio fibers capable of maximum strength retention during fabrication, uniform fiber infiltration by the matrix material, high matrix oxidation resistance in elevated temperature applications, and a fiber/matrix interface that accommodates debonding in the presence of matrix cracks.

Dicarlo, James A.↗

Chemical interactions in the aluminum-carbon and aluminum-silicon carbide systems

XPS was used to investigate the influence of O2 and H2O on the formation of aluminum carbide at Al-C and Al-SiC interfaces. It was determined that dosing the interfaces with H2O catalyzed the formation of aluminum carbide in both systems. This result is consistent with the oxidation model of carbide formation (developed to understand the kinetics of aluminum carbide formation at graphite-aluminum interfaces). These results imply that the formation of aluminum carbide in graphite- and SiC-reinforced metal-matrix composites, which severely degrades the composite mechanical properties by degrading the fiber and interface strength is catalyzed.

Maruyama, Benji↗

Mechanism of incipient oxidation of bulk chemical vapor deposited Si3N4

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was employed, in conjunction with ion bombardment, to analyze the chemical composition profile across thin (less than 50 nm) oxide films on chemically vapor deposited Si3N4. The thermal oxides were grown in dry oxygen at 1100 C on samples with or without native oxide film (formed in room air). The results show that the thermal oxidation product was silicon oxynitride of graded N:O ratio, and that the presence of a native oxide film promotes the formation of a SiO2 crust over the oxynitride. It is proposed that the fundamental mechanism of Si3N4 oxidation is progressive O-for-N substitution in the silicon oxynitride unit tetrahedron, which is best designated SiN(2-x)O(2+x), where x is also an index of depth. The corresponding equation for nonstoichiometric oxidation of Si3N4 describes a bulk (rather than an interface) reaction process, with significant implications for O2 and N2 fluxes and diffusivities.

Ogbuji, L. U. T.↗

Root-Associated Methane Oxidation and Methanogenesis: Key Determinants of Wetland Methane Emissions

During the award period, we have assessed the extent and controls of methane oxidation in north temperate wetlands. It is evident that wetlands have been a major global source of atmospheric methane in the past, and are so at present. It is also evident that microbial methane oxidation consumes a variable fraction of total wetland methane production, perhaps 10%-90%. Methane oxidation is thus a potentially important control of wetland methane emission. Our efforts have been designed to determine the extent of the process, its controls, and possible relationships to changes that might be expected in wetlands as a consequence of anthropogenic or climate-related disturbances. Current work, has emphasized controls of methane oxidation associated with rooted aquatic plants. As for the sediment-water interface, we have observed that oxygen availability is a primary limiting factor. Our conclusion is based on several different lines of evidence obtained from in vitro and in situ analyses. First, we have measured the kinetics of methane oxidation by intact plant roots harboring methane-oxidizing bacteria, as well as the kinetics of the methanotrophs themselves. Values for the half-saturation constant (apparent K(sub m)) are approximately 5 microns. These values are roughly equivalent to, or much less than porewater methane concentrations, indicating that uptake is likely saturated with respect to methane, and that some other parameter must limit activity. Methane concentrations in the lacunar spaces at the base of plant stems are also comparable to the half-saturation constants (when expressed as equivalent dissolved concentrations), providing further support for limitation of uptake by parameters other than methane.

King, G. M.↗

Effect of nitrogen-containing plasma on adherence, friction, and wear of radiofrequency-sputtered titanium carbide coatings

Friction and wear experiments on 440C steel surfaces that were rf sputtered with titanium carbide when a small percentage of nitrogen was added to the plasma were conducted. Both X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction were used to analyze the resultant coatings. Results indicate that the small partial pressure of nitrogen (approximately 0.5 percent) markedly improves the adherence, friction, and wear properties when compared with coatings applied to sputter-etched surfaces, oxidized surfaces, or in the presence of a small oxygen partial pressure. The improvements are related to the formation of an interface containing a mixture of the nitrides of titanium and iron, which are harder than their corresponding oxides.

Brainard, W. A.↗

Use of a nitrogen-argon plasma to improve adherence of sputtered titanium carbide coatings on steel

Friction and wear experiments on 440-C steel surfaces that had been RF-sputtered with titanium carbide when a small percentage of nitrogen was added to the plasma were conducted. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction were used to analyze the resultant coatings. Results indicate that a small partial pressure of nitrogen (about 0.5%) markedly improves the adherence, friction, and wear properties when compared with coatings applied on sputter-etched oxidized surfaces or in the presence of a small oxygen partial pressure. The improvements are related to the formation of an interface containing a mixture of the nitrides of titanium and iron, which are harder than their corresponding oxides.

Brainard, W. A.↗

Residual Stresses Modeled in Thermal Barrier Coatings

Thermal barrier coating (TBC) applications continue to increase as the need for greater engine efficiency in aircraft and land-based gas turbines increases. However, durability and reliability issues limit the benefits that can be derived from TBC's. A thorough understanding of the mechanisms that cause TBC failure is a key to increasing, as well as predicting, TBC durability. Oxidation of the bond coat has been repeatedly identified as one of the major factors affecting the durability of the ceramic top coat during service. However, the mechanisms by which oxidation facilitates TBC failure are poorly understood and require further characterization. In addition, researchers have suspected that other bond coat and top coat factors might influence TBC thermal fatigue life, both separately and through interactions with the mechanism of oxidation. These other factors include the bond coat coefficient of thermal expansion, the bond coat roughness, and the creep behavior of both the ceramic and bond coat layers. Although it is difficult to design an experiment to examine these factors unambiguously, it is possible to design a computer modeling "experiment" to examine the action and interaction of these factors, as well as to determine failure drivers for TBC's. Previous computer models have examined some of these factors separately to determine their effect on coating residual stresses, but none have examined all the factors concurrently. The purpose of this research, which was performed at DCT, Inc., in contract with the NASA Lewis Research Center, was to develop an inclusive finite element model to characterize the effects of oxidation on the residual stresses within the TBC system during thermal cycling as well as to examine the interaction of oxidation with the other factors affecting TBC life. The plasma sprayed, two-layer thermal barrier coating that was modeled incorporated a superalloy substrate, a NiCrAlY bond coat, and a ZrO2-8 wt % Y2O3 ceramic top coat. We examined the effect on stress during burner rig thermal cycling of the following independent variables: creep in the bond coat and top coat, oxidation, bond coat coefficient of thermal expansion, number of thermal cycles, and interfacial roughness. All these factors were suspected of influencing TBC failure. The model showed that all the material properties studied had a significant effect on the coating's residual stresses if the interface of the bond coat was rough. Bond coat expansion, bond coat oxidation, and bond coat creep had the highest effect on coating stresses, and these were highly interactive. The model also showed that the mechanism of stress generation during thermal cycling changed with the number of thermal cycles. Bond coat and top coat creep dominated stress generation during early thermal cycles, greatly increasing delamination stresses at the peaks of the bond coat. Therefore, creep is the prime driver for delamination cracking early in life, but cracking is limited to the bond coat peak region. Oxidation of the bond coat, on the other hand, tended to dominate stress generation during later cycles by greatly increasing delamination stresses over bond coat valleys. These results indicate that oxidation is the driver for the continued cracking necessary to cause ceramic layer spallation.

Freborg, A. M.↗

Radiation-induced defects in SiO2 as determined with XPS

An analytical method based on oxide/substrate intensity ratios is used to deduce the product of the atomic number density and electron mean free path as a function of depth, for the cases of device-quality gate oxides grown on Si substrates and irradiated with zero to 20 eV electrons during in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. These structures had been thinned stepwise to 25-60 A by means of a wet chemical depth-profiling procedure. Si(3+) species are formed in the Si/SiO2 interface region, and their observation during their relaxation and annihilation is correlated with strained Si-O-Si bonds. The observation of bond of cleavage and bond strain gradients in these samples is used to extend silica devitrification models for the explanation of fixed oxide charge generation and interface states.

Grunthaner, F. J.↗

Trapping effects in irradiated and avalanche-injected MOS capacitors

The trapping parameters for holes, and for electrons in the presence of trapped holes, have been measured from a set of wafers with different oxide thickness processed under controlled conditions. The trap cross-sections and densities indicate at least three trap species, including an interfacial species, a dominant bulk species which is determined to tail off from the silicon interface, and a third, lower density bulk species that is distributed throughout the oxide.

Bakowski, M.↗

Characterization on C/SiC Ceramic Matrix Composites with Novel Fiber Coatings

Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMCs) are attractive candidate materials in the aerospace industry due to their high specific strength, low density and higher temperature capabilities. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is pursuing the use of CMC components in advanced Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) propulsion applications. Carbon fiber-reinforced silicon carbide (C/SiC) is the primary material of interest for a variety of RLV propulsion applications. These composites offer high- strength carbon fibers and a high modulus, oxidation-resistant matrix. For comparison, two types of carbon fibers were processed with novel types of interface coatings (multilayer and pseudoporous). For RLV propulsion applications, environmental durability will be critical. The coatings show promise of protecting the carbon fibers from the oxidizing environment. The strengths and microstructures of these composite materials are presented.

Petko, Jeanne↗