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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 487 records · Page 27
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2016

Grain size effect on yield strength of titanium alloy implanted with aluminum ions

The paper presents a transmission electron microscopy (TEM) study of the microstructure and phase state of commercially pure titanium VT1-0 implanted by aluminum ions. This study has been carried out before and after the ion implantation for different grain size, i.e. 0.3 µm (ultra-fine grain condition), 1.5 µm (fine grain condition), and 17 µm (polycrystalline condition). This paper presents details of calculations and analysis of strength components of the yield stress. It is shown that the ion implantation results in a considerable hardening of the entire thickness of the implanted layer in the both grain types. The grain size has, however, a different effect on the yield stress. So, both before and after the ion implantation, the increase of the grain size leads to the decrease of the alloy hardening. Thus, hardening in ultra-fine and fine grain alloys increased by four times, while in polycrystalline alloy it increased by over six times.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Optimization of SiV Defect Yield in Diamond Substrates

Color centers (defect complexes such as SiV) in diamond have shown potential in fields ranging from metrology, cybersecurity to quantum computation. Demonstrations in these fields have pushed the envelope of state-of-the-art operations – for example, single photon sources (SPS) making use of SiV centers in diamond for quantum key distribution have demonstrated all the requirements for SPS operation including: (1) stable operation with second correlation function <<1, (2) electrically driven single photon emission and (3) compatibility with frequenc y conversion to telecommunication frequencies. To-date, however, all these demonstrations have been on lab-scale one-off devices. The key question behind how to deterministically fabricate these devices, namely activation yield has been overlooked. For context, Si based semiconductor devices are hugely successful because we have a high activation yield for implanted dopants. This is not yet true for diamond color centers. As currently understood, the color center yield is dominated by a lack of vacancies in the immediate area of the implantation. We propose to optimize the activation yield of color center using a combination of (1) focused single ion implantation with in-situ detection to count the number of implanted Si ions and (2) localized point defect (vacancy) creation using a focused Li ion beam to improve the yield. These experiments build on the unique capabilities of the SNL nanoImplanter (nI) to produce focused ion beam with spatial resolution of < 10 nm of both Si and Li ions. This work will also leverage our world-leading single ion implantation and detection capabilities.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Effects of high-dose hydrogen implantation on defect formation and dopant diffusion in silver implanted ZnO crystals

This work reports on the effects of a deep high-dose hydrogen ion implant on damage accumulation, defect retention, and silver diffusion in silver implanted ZnO crystals. Single-crystal ZnO samples were implanted with Ag ions in a region ∼150 nm within the surface, and some of these samples were additionally implanted with hydrogen ions to a dose of 2 × 10{sup 16 }cm{sup −2}, close to the depth ∼250 nm. Rutherford backscattering/ion channeling measurements show that crystal damage caused by Ag ion implantation and the amount of defects retained in the near surface region following post-implantation annealing were found to diminish in the case with the H implantation. On the other hand, the additional H ion implantation resulted in a reduction of substitutional Ag atoms upon post-implantation annealing. Furthermore, the presence of H also modified the diffusion properties of Ag atoms in ZnO. We discuss these findings in the context of the effects of nano-cavities on formation and annihilation of point defects as well as on impurity diffusion and trapping in ZnO crystals.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2023

Measurement and Simulation of Ultra-Low-Energy Ion–Solid Interaction Dynamics

Ion implantation is a key capability for the semiconductor industry. As devices shrink, novel materials enter the manufacturing line, and quantum technologies transition to being more mainstream. Traditional implantation methods fall short in terms of energy, ion species, and positional precision. Here, we demonstrate 1 keV focused ion beam Au implantation into Si and validate the results via atom probe tomography. We show the Au implant depth at 1 keV is 0.8 nm and that identical results for low-energy ion implants can be achieved by either lowering the column voltage or decelerating ions using bias while maintaining a sub-micron beam focus. We compare our experimental results to static calculations using SRIM and dynamic calculations using binary collision approximation codes TRIDYN and IMSIL. A large discrepancy between the static and dynamic simulation is found, which is due to lattice enrichment with high-stopping-power Au and surface sputtering. Additionally, we demonstrate how model details are particularly important to the simulation of these low-energy heavy-ion implantations. Finally, we discuss how our results pave a way towards much lower implantation energies while maintaining high spatial resolution.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Selective amorphization of SiGe in Si/SiGe nanostructures via high energy Si+ implant

Here, the selective amorphization of SiGe in Si/SiGe nanostructures via a 1 MeV Si + implant was investigated, resulting in single-crystal Si nanowires (NWs) and quantum dots (QDs) encapsulated in amorphous SiGe fins and pillars, respectively. The Si NWs and QDs are formed during high-temperature dry oxidation of single-crystal Si/SiGe heterostructure fins and pillars, during which Ge diffuses along the nanostructure sidewalls and encapsulates the Si layers. The fins and pillars were then subjected to a 3 × 10 15 ions/cm 2 1 MeV Si + implant, resulting in the amorphization of SiGe, while leaving the encapsulated Si crystalline for larger, 65-nm wide NWs and QDs. Interestingly, the 26-nm diameter Si QDs amorphize, while the 28-nm wide NWs remain crystalline during the same high energy ion implant. This result suggests that the Si/SiGe pillars have a lower threshold for Si-induced amorphization compared to their Si/SiGe fin counterparts. However, Monte Carlo simulations of ion implantation into the Si/SiGe nanostructures reveal similar predicted levels of displacements per cm 3 . Molecular dynamics simulations suggest that the total stress magnitude in Si QDs encapsulated in crystalline SiGe is higher than the total stress magnitude in Si NWs, which may lead to greater crystalline instability in the QDs during ion implant. The potential lower amorphization threshold of QDs compared to NWs is of special importance to applications that require robust QD devices in a variety of radiation environments.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Electrical properties and electronic structure of Si-implanted hexagonal boron nitride films

Si ion implantation with a set of ion energies and ion doses was carried out to dope hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) thin films synthesized by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering. Hall effect measurements revealed n-type conduction with a low resistivity of 0.5 Ω cm at room temperature, corresponding to an electron concentration of 2.0 × 10{sup 19} cm{sup −3} and a mobility of 0.6 cm{sup 2}/V s. Temperature-dependent resistivity measurements in a wide temperature range from 50 to 800 K demonstrated two shallow donor levels in the hBN band gap induced by Si doping, which was in consistence with the theoretical calculation by density function theory.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2012

Optima MDxt: A high throughput 335 keV mid-dose implanter

The continuing demand for both energy purity and implant angle control along with high wafer throughput drove the development of the Axcelis Optima MDxt mid-dose ion implanter. The system utilizes electrostatic scanning, an electrostatic parallelizing lens and an electrostatic energy filter to produce energetically pure beams with high angular integrity. Based on field proven components, the Optima MDxt beamline architecture offers the high beam currents possible with singly charged species including arsenic at energies up to 335 keV as well as large currents from multiply charged species at energies extending over 1 MeV. Conversely, the excellent energy filtering capability allows high currents at low beam energies, since it is safe to utilize large deceleration ratios. This beamline is coupled with the >500 WPH capable endstation technology used on the Axcelis Optima XEx high energy ion implanter. The endstation includes in-situ angle measurements of the beam in order to maintain excellent beam-to-wafer implant angle control in both the horizontal and vertical directions. The Optima platform control system provides new generation dose control system that assures excellent dosimetry and charge control. This paper will describe the features and technologies that allow the Optima MDxt to provide superior process performance at the highest wafer throughput, and will provide examples of the process performance achievable.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Thermoelectric Properties of Nanocrystalline Silicon Films Prepared by Hot-Wire and Plasma-Enhanced Chemical-Vapor Depositions

We report thermoelectric measurements over a temperature range of 80 K to 300 K of heavily boron-doped nanocrystalline silicon films prepared by hot-wire and plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor depositions. The nanocrystalline silicon films were doped by either gaseous deposition precursors or post-deposition ion implantation, resulting in boron concentrations ranging from 1 -2 x 10 20 cm -3 to 3 x 10 21 cm -3 . Reasonable values of the Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity were obtained at 300 K, comparable to many other research work. We also report thermal conductivity measurements on these films before doping, which we use to estimate their prospective thermoelectric efficiency. These measurements show values as low as 0.76 W/mK at 300 K which depend highly upon the grain sizes of the nc-Si films. We find that post-deposition doping by ion-implantation is more effective at enhancing the power factor than gaseous doping, and the power factor is only weakly dependent upon doping concentration for the films doped by ion implantation. We conclude that improvements of the thermoelectric efficiency of nc -Si films may depend more on a reduction of their thermal conductivity than doping optimization. The small grain sizes and the low thermal conductivity of the undoped nc -Si films accomplished in this work are therefore encouraging developments.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2012

MeV Au Ion Irradiation in Silicon and Nanocrystalline Zirconia Film Deposited on Silicon Substrate

Nanocrystalline zirconia (ZrO2) film with thickness of 305 nm deposited on a silicon substrate was irradiated with 2 MeV Au ions to different fluences at different temperatures. The implanted ion profiles were measured by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) and simulated using the stopping and range of ions inmatter (SRIM) code, respectively. The experimental results show that a large fraction of the incident Au ions penetrates through the ZrO2 film and are deposited into the Si substrate. At the interface of ZrO2 and Si, a sudden decrease of Au concentration is observed due to the much larger scattering cross section of Au in ZrO2 than in Si. The depth profile of the Au ions is measured in both the ZrO2 films and the Si substrates, and the results show that the Au distribution profiles do not exhibit a dependence on irradiation temperature. The local Au concentration increases proportionally with the irradiation fluence, suggesting that no thermal or irradiation-induced redistribution of the implanted Au ions. However, the Au concentration in the ZrO2 films, as determined by SIMS, is considerably lower than that predicted by the SRIM results, and the penetration depth from the SIMS measurements is much deeper than that from the SRIM predictions. These observations can be explained by an overestimation of the electronic stopping power, used in the SRIM program, for heavy incident ions in light targets. Over-estimation of the heavy-ion electronic stopping power may lead to errors in local dose calculation and underestimation of the projected range of slow heavy ions in targets that contain light elements. A quick estimate based on a reduced target density may be used to compensate the overestimation of the electronic stopping power in the SRIM program to provide better ion profile prediction.

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory↗
DOE OSTI2012

Arsenic redistribution after solid phase epitaxial regrowth of shallow pre-amorphized silicon layers

The behavior of ultra shallow ion implants of arsenic in Si following solid phase epitaxial re-growth process is reported. A 16 nm amorphous layer was created by ion implantation of Si{sup +} at energy 5 keV and a dose 1 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 15} at/cm{sup 2}. As ion were implanted at 2 keV using 3 different doses: 1 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 14}, 5 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 14} and 1 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 15} at/cm{sup 2}. The resulting As distributions, confined in the amorphous layer, were thermally treated at 550 Degree-Sign C for 5-300 s in order to electrically activate dopant atoms. Crystal re-growth and As redistribution was investigated by secondary ion mass spectrometry and medium energy ion scattering. A growth rate depending on the As concentration was observed, the rate being slower for higher As content. Arsenic re-distribution to the surface and at the end-of-range defects was observed and a segregation model was developed. Finally, the substitutional fraction of As atoms was related to sheet resistance measurements revealing a higher fraction of electrically active dopant atoms in pre-amorphized samples compared to not pre-amorphized.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2012

Beam current improvement and source life performance of diboron tetrafluoride (B{sub 2}F{sub 4}) for boron implantation on applied materials VIISta high current implanters

High dose p-type boron doping is a significant productivity challenge for conventional beamline ion implant tools in semiconductor wafer fabrication. Currently, the primary feed gas for boron implantation is boron trifluoride, BF{sub 3}. This paper discusses the testing performed on Applied Materials VIISta high current implanters using diboron tetrafluoride, B{sub 2}F{sub 4}, as an alternative gaseous boron source material that can be a replacement for BF{sub 3}. Both the beam current and source life for B{sub 2}F{sub 4} were evaluated. B{sub 2}F{sub 4} enables a significant beam current improvement over BF{sub 3} while maintaining good source life, beam stability, and a high automatic beam setup success rate.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Enhanced light extraction efficiency of GaN-based light-emittng diodes by nitrogen implanted current blocking layer

Highlights: • A nitrogen implanted current-blocking layer was successfully demonstrated. • Light-extraction efficiency and radiant intensity was increased by more than 20%. • Ion implantation was successfully implemented in GaN based light-emitting diodes. - Abstract: GaN-based light emitting diodes (LEDs) with a nitrogen implanted current-blocking layer (CBL) were successfully demonstrated for improving the light extraction efficiency (LEE) and radiant intensity. The LEE and radiant intensity of the LEDs with a shallow implanted CBL with nitrogen was greatly increased by more than 20% compared to that of a conventional LED without the CBL due to an increase in the effective current path, which reduces light absorption at the thick p-pad electrode. Meanwhile, deep implanted CBL with a nitrogen resulted in deterioration of the LEE and radiant intensity because of formation of crystal damage, followed by absorption of the light generated at the multi-quantum well(MQW). These results clearly suggest that ion implantation method, which is widely applied in the fabrication of Si based devices, can be successfully implemented in the fabrication of GaN based LEDs by optimization of implanted depth.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Negative hydrogen ion beam extraction from an AC heated cathode driven Bernas-type ion source

A plasma grid structure was installed to a Bernas-type ion source used for ion implantation equipment. A negative hydrogen (H{sup −}) ion beam was extracted by an AC driven ion source by adjusting the bias to the plasma grid. The extracted electron current was reduced by positively biasing the plasma grid, while an optimum plasma grid bias voltage for negative ion beam extraction was found to be positive 3 V with respect to the arc chamber. Source operations with AC cathode heating show extraction characteristics almost identical to that with DC cathode heating, except a minute increase in H{sup −} current at higher frequency of cathode heating current.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
NASA NTRS1988

The 30-GHz monolithic receive module

The fourth year progress is described on a program to develop a 27.5 to 30 GHz GaAs monolithic receive module for spaceborne-communication antenna feed array applications, and to deliver submodules for experimental evaluation. Program goals include an overall receive module noise figure of 5 dB, a 30 dB RF to IF gain with six levels of intermediate gain control, a five bit phase shifter, and a maximum power consumption of 250 mW. Submicron gate length single and dual gate FETs are described and applied in the development of monolithic gain control amplifiers and low noise amplifiers. A two-stage monolithic gain control amplifier based on ion implanted dual gate MESFETs was designed and fabricated. The gain control amplifier has a gain of 12 dB at 29 GHz with a gain control range of over 13 dB. A two-stage monolithic low noise amplifier based on ion implanted MESFETs which provides 7 dB gain with 6.2 dB noise figure at 29 GHz was also developed. An interconnected receive module containing LNA, gain control, and phase shifter submodules was built using the LNA and gain control ICs as well as a monolithic phase shifter developed previously under this program. The design, fabrication, and evaluation of this interconnected receiver is presented. Progress in the development of an RF/IF submodule containing a unique ion implanted diode mixer diode and a broadband balanced mixer monolithic IC with on-chip IF amplifier and the initial design of circuits for the RF portion of a two submodule receiver are also discussed.

Bauhahn, P.↗
DOE OSTI2017

Vacancy effects on the formation of helium and krypton cavities in 3-C-SiC irradiated and annealed at elevated temperatures

Polycrystalline 3C-SiC was sequentially irradiated at 400 and 750°C with 120 keV He 2+ and 4 MeV Kr 15+ ions to 10 17 and 41016 cm -2 , respectively. The Kr 15+ ions penetrated the entire depth of the He 2+ ion implantation region. Three areas of He 2+ , Kr 15+ and He 2+ + Kr 15+ ion implanted 3C-SiC were created through masked overlapping irradiations. The sample was subsequently annealed at 1600°C in vacuum and characterized using cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. Compared to the He 2+ ion only implanted 3C-SiC, helium cavities in the He 2+ and Kr15+ co-implanted 3C-SiC had a smaller size but higher density. At 25 dpa, presence of He in the co-implanted 3C-SiC significantly promoted cavity growth; much smaller voids were formed in the Kr 15+ ion only irradiated 3C-SiC at the same dose. In addition, local Kr migration and trapping at cavities occurred, but long-range Kr diffusion in 3C-SiC was not observed up to 1600°C.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Arrays of Si vacancies in 4 H -SiC produced by focused Li ion beam implantation

Point defects in SiC are an attractive platform for quantum information and sensing applications because they provide relatively long spin coherence times, optical spin initialization, and spin-dependent fluorescence readout in a fabrication-friendly semiconductor. The ability to precisely place these defects at the optimal location in a host material with nano-scale accuracy is desirable for integration of these quantum systems with traditional electronic and photonic structures. Here, we demonstrate the precise spatial patterning of arrays of silicon vacancy (${V}_{Si}$) emitters in an epitaxial 4H -SiC (0001) layer through mask-less focused ion beam implantation of Li + . We characterize these arrays with high-resolution scanning confocal fluorescence microscopy on the Si-face, observing sharp emission lines primarily coming from the ${V1}^{{\prime}}$ zero-phonon line (ZPL). The implantation dose is varied over 3 orders of magnitude, leading to ${V}_{Si}$ densities from a few per implantation spot to thousands per spot, with a linear dependence between ZPL emission and implantation dose. Optically-detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) is also performed, confirming the presence of V2 ${V}_{Si}$. Our investigation reveals scalable and reproducible defect generation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Radiation Damage Mechanisms in Oxide-Based Solid Electrolytes

Ion implantation is a promising approach to mitigate dendrite formation in metal anode solid-state batteries by modifying the chemical and mechanical properties of oxide-based electrolyte surfaces such as Li 7 La 3 Zr 2 O 12 (LLZO). Yet, the detailed atomistic mechanisms and potentially adverse side effects of ion implantation remain poorly understood. In this study, we used molecular dynamics simulations to elucidate the evolution of radiation-induced damage in LLZO. The results reveal that radiation damage is primarily driven by recoils from heavy ions in the lattice, producing antisite defect clusters whose density decreases as recoil energy increases, a counterintuitive finding that highlights complex cascade fragmentation. Radiation-induced disruption to the crystal sublattice connectivity, especially in the La–O network critical for Li-ion transport, leads to degradation in ionic pathways at low energies, while higher energy cascades can form new conduction pathways via enhanced Zr–O network connectivity. These findings provide a mechanistic foundation for optimizing ion implantation strategies that balance disruption of the lattice for surface modification for dendrite resistance with preservation of essential ionic conductivity.

Defects↗
NASA NTRS1976

The effects of incomplete annealing on the temperature dependence of sheet resistance and gage factor in aluminum and phosphorus implanted silicon on sapphire

Partial annealing of damage to the crystal lattice during ion implantation reduces the temperature coefficient of resistivity of ion-implanted silicon, while facilitating controlled doping. Reliance on this method for temperature compensation of the resistivity and strain-gage factor is discussed. Implantation conditions and annealing conditions are detailed. The gage factor and its temperature variation are not drastically affected by crystal damage for some crystal orientations. A model is proposed to account for the effects of electron damage on the temperature dependence of resistivity and on silicon piezoresistance. The results are applicable to the design of silicon-on-sapphire strain gages with high gage factors.

Pisciotta, B. P.↗