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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 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2015

Spectroscopic investigations of band offsets of MgO|Al x Ga 1-x N epitaxial heterostructures with varying AlN content.

Epitaxial (111) Mg0 films were prepared on (0001) Al x Ga 1-x N via molecular-beam epitaxy for x=0 to x=0.67. Valence band offsets of Mg0 to Al x Ga 1-x N were measured using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy as 1.65 ± 0.07 eV, 1.36 ± 0.05 eV, and1.05 ± 0.09 eV for x=0, 0.28, and 0.67, respectively. This yielded conduction band offsets of 2.75 eV, 2.39 eV, and 1.63 eV for x=0, 0.28, and 0.67, respectively. All band offsets measured between Mg0 and Al x Ga 1-x N provide a > 1 eV barrier height to the semiconductor.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

Thermal generation of spin current in epitaxial CoFe 2 O 4 thin films

The longitudinal spin Seebeck effect (LSSE) has been investigated in high-quality epitaxial CoFe 2 O 4 (CFO) thin films. The thermally excited spin currents in the CFO films are electrically detected in adjacent Pt layers due to the inverse spin Hall effect (ISHE). The LSSE signal exhibits a linear increase with increasing temperature gradient, yielding a LSSE coefficient of –100 nV/K at room temperature. The temperature dependence of the LSSE is investigated from room temperature down to 30 K, showing a significant reduction at low temperatures, revealing that the total amount of thermally generated magnons decreases. Moreover, we demonstrate that the spin Seebeck effect is an effective tool to study the magnetic anisotropy induced by epitaxial strain, especially in ultrathin films with low magnetic moments.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

All-epitaxial Co{sub 2}FeSi/Ge/Co{sub 2}FeSi trilayers fabricated by Sn-induced low-temperature epitaxy

We demonstrate low-temperature growth of all-epitaxial Co{sub 2}FeSi/Ge/Co{sub 2}FeSi trilayer structures by developing Sn-induced surfactant-mediated molecular beam epitaxy (SMBE) of Ge on Co{sub 2}FeSi. Despite the growth of a semiconductor on a metal, we verify that the inserted Sn monolayers between Ge and Co{sub 2}FeSi enable to promote the 2D epitaxial growth of Ge up to 5 nm at a T{sub G} of 250 °C. An understanding of the mechanism of the Sn-induced SMBE leads to the achievement of all-epitaxial Co{sub 2}FeSi/Ge/Co{sub 2}FeSi trilayer structures with spin-valve-like magnetization reversals. This study will open a way for vertical-type and high-performance Ge-based spintronics devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Nanoselective area growth of GaN by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy on 4H-SiC using epitaxial graphene as a mask

We report the growth of high-quality triangular GaN nanomesas, 30-nm thick, on the C-face of 4H-SiC using nanoselective area growth (NSAG) with patterned epitaxial graphene grown on SiC as an embedded mask. NSAG alleviates the problems of defects in heteroepitaxy, and the high mobility graphene film could readily provide the back low-dissipative electrode in GaN-based optoelectronic devices. A 5–8 graphene-layer film is first grown on the C-face of 4H-SiC by confinement-controlled sublimation of silicon carbide. Graphene is then patterned and arrays of 75-nm-wide openings are etched in graphene revealing the SiC substrate. A 30-nm-thick GaN is subsequently grown by metal organic vapor phase epitaxy. GaN nanomesas grow epitaxially with perfect selectivity on SiC, in the openings patterned through graphene. The up-or-down orientation of the mesas on SiC, their triangular faceting, and cross-sectional scanning transmission electron microscopy show that they are biphasic. The core is a zinc blende monocrystal surrounded with single-crystal wurtzite. The GaN crystalline nanomesas have no threading dislocations or V-pits. This NSAG process potentially leads to integration of high-quality III-nitrides on the wafer scalable epitaxial graphene/silicon carbide platform.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Epitaxial niobium dioxide thin films by reactive-biased target ion beam deposition

Epitaxial NbO{sub 2} thin films were synthesized on Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} (0001) substrates via reactive bias target ion beam deposition. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectra were used to confirm the tetragonal phase of pure NbO{sub 2}. Through XPS, it was found that there was a ∼1.3 nm thick Nb{sub 2}O{sub 5} layer on the surface and the bulk of the thin film was NbO{sub 2}. The epitaxial relationship between the NbO{sub 2} film and the substrate was determined. Electrical transport measurement was measured up to 400 K, and the conduction mechanism was discussed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

The effect of nitridation parameters and initial growth conditions on the polarity of GaN epitaxial layers grown by plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy on Si(111) substrates

The dependence of the crystallographic polarity of GaN epitaxial layers produced by nitrogen plasma-enhanced molecular-beam epitaxy on Si(111) substrates on the nitridation parameters and initial growth conditions has been studied. A rapid procedure for determining the polarity of GaN epitaxial layers was developed. It was found experimentally that the nitridation parameters of the silicon substrate have no effect on the polarity of a GaN layer. It was shown that the substrate temperature in the stage of nucleation of a GaN epitaxial layer is one of the factors determining its polarity.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

High-mobility BaSnO{sub 3} grown by oxide molecular beam epitaxy

High-mobility perovskite BaSnO{sub 3} films are of significant interest as new wide bandgap semiconductors for power electronics, transparent conductors, and as high mobility channels for epitaxial integration with functional perovskites. Despite promising results for single crystals, high-mobility BaSnO{sub 3} films have been challenging to grow. Here, we demonstrate a modified oxide molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) approach, which supplies pre-oxidized SnO{sub x}. This technique addresses issues in the MBE of ternary stannates related to volatile SnO formation and enables growth of epitaxial, stoichiometric BaSnO{sub 3}. We demonstrate room temperature electron mobilities of 150 cm{sup 2} V{sup −1} s{sup −1} in films grown on PrScO{sub 3}. The results open up a wide range of opportunities for future electronic devices.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Understanding the Electronic Structure Evolution of Epitaxial LaNi1-xFexO3 Thin Films for Water Oxidation

Rare earth nickelates including LaNiO3 are promising catalysts for water electrolysis to produce oxygen gas. Recent studies report that Fe substitution for Ni can significantly enhance the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity of LaNiO3. However, the role of Fe in increasing activity remains ambiguous, with potential origins both structural and electronic in nature. Here, by utilizing a series of epitaxial LaNi1-xFexO3 thin films synthesized by oxygen-assisted molecular beam epitaxy, we report that Fe substitution tunes the oxidation state of Ni in LaNi1-xFexO3 and a volcano-like OER trend is observed with x = 0.375 being the most active. Spectroscopy and ab initio modeling reveal that the high-valent Fe3+? B-site cationic species strongly increases the transition metal (TM) 3d bandwidth via Ni-O-Fe bridges and enhances the TM 3d-O 2p hybridization, boosting the OER activity. Furthermore, pH-dependent electrochemical measurements suggest that the OER on LaNi1-xFexO3 involves a lattice oxygen-mediated mechanism.

LaNiO3, Fe substitution, charge transfer, lattice ↗
DOE OSTI2020

Demonstration of nearly pinhole-free epitaxial aluminum thin films by sputter beam epitaxy

Superconducting resonators with high quality factors have been fabricated from aluminum films, suggesting potential applications in quantum computing. Improvement of thin film crystal quality and removal of void and pinhole defects will improve quality factor and functional yield. Epitaxial aluminum films with superb crystallinity, high surface smoothness, and interface sharpness were successfully grown on the c-plane of sapphire using sputter beam epitaxy. This study assesses the effects of varying substrate preparation conditions and growth and prebake temperatures on crystallinity and smoothness. X-ray diffraction and reflectivity measurements yield extensive Laue oscillations and Kiessig thickness fringes for films grown at 200 °C under 15 mTorr Ar, indicating excellent crystallinity and surface smoothness; moreover, an additional substrate preparation procedure which involves (1) a modified substrate cleaning procedure and (2) prebake at 700 °C in 20 mTorr O 2 is shown by atomic force microscopy to yield nearly pinhole-free film growth while maintaining epitaxy and high crystal quality. The modified cleaning procedure is environmentally friendly and eliminates the acid etch steps common to conventional sapphire preparation, suggesting potential industrial application both on standard epitaxial and patterned surface sapphire substrates.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2017

Metallic atomically-thin layered silicon epitaxially grown on silicene/ZrB 2

Using low energy electron diffraction (LEED) and scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM), we observe a new two-dimensional (2D) silicon crystal that is formed by depositing additional Si atoms onto spontaneously-formed epitaxial silicene on a ZrB2 thin film. From scanning tunnelling spectroscopy (STS) studies, we find that this atomically-thin layered silicon has distinctly different electronic properties. Angle resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES) reveals that, in sharp contrast to epitaxial silicene, the layered silicon exhibits significantly enhanced density of states at the Fermi level resulting from newly formed metallic bands. The 2D growth of this material could allow for direct contacting to the silicene surface and demonstrates the dramatic changes in electronic structure that can occur by the addition of even a single monolayer amount of material in 2D systems.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Experimental determination of electron attenuation lengths in complex materials by means of epitaxial film growth: advantages and challenges

Accurate electron attenuation lengths are of critical importance in using electron spectroscopic methods to quantitatively characterize complex materials. Here we show that analysis of core-level and valence-band x-ray photoelectron spectra excited with monochromatic AlK? x-rays from the substrate and measured as a function of film thickness can be used to determine electron attenuation lengths in epitaxial SrTiO3 films on Ge(001). Closely lattice-matched epitaxial heterojunctions are ideal systems for determining attenuation lengths provided the films grow in a layer-by-layer fashion, leading to atomically flat surfaces, and the buried interfaces are atomically abrupt. In principle, either the rate of attenuation of substrate peak intensities or the rate of increase of film peak intensities can be used for this purpose. However, we find that structural nonuniformities in the films reduce the accuracy of electron attenuation lengths determined from photoelectrons that originate within the films. A more reliable source of information is found in photoelectrons from the substrate which traverse the film. By using the energy dependence of calculated electron attenuation lengths from the NIST database in combination with Ge 3d core and Ge-derived valence band intensities, we determine electron attenuation length as a function of kinetic energy for SrTiO3.

Chambers, Scott A.↗
DOE OSTI2015

Strain-dependence Of The Structure And Ferroic Properties Of Epitaxial NiTiO3 Thin Films Grown On Different Substrates

Polarization-induced weak ferromagnetism has been predicted a few years back in perovskite MTiO3 (M = Fe, Mn, Ni) [Fennie, Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 167203 (2008)]. We set out to stabilize this metastable perovskite structure by growing NiTiO3 epitaxially on different substrates, and to investigate the dependence of polar and magnetic properties on strain. Epitaxial NiTiO3 films were deposited on Al2O3, Fe2O3, and LiNbO3 substrates by pulsed laser deposition, and characterized using several techniques. The effect of substrate choice on lattice strain, film structure, and physical properties was investigated. Our structural data from x-ray diffraction and electron microscopy shows that substrate-induced strain has a marked effect on the structure and crystalline quality of the films. Physical property measurements reveal a dependence of the weak ferromagnetism and lattice polarization on strain, and highlight our ability to control the ferroic properties in NiTiO3 thin films by the choice of substrate. Our results are also consistent with the theoretical prediction that the ferromagnetism in acentric NiTiO3 is polarization-induced. From the substrates studied here, the perovskite substrate LiNbO3 proved to be the most promising one for strong multiferroism.

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory↗
DOE OSTI2022

Remote epitaxy and selective epitaxy on vdW materials for layer transfer

Remote epitaxy is recently gaining huge attention for the growth of single-crystal thin films and their isolation from the substrate for heterogeneous integration. Despite the recent progress, there are challenges in engineering the interface and optimizing the material quality. Here, we introduce two approaches that could overcome the issues. As the first approach, we show directly grown 2D materials as a template for remote epitaxy of III-V and III-N materials. This ensures a pristine interface without transfer process-related contaminations and damages. Second, we show the use of nanopatterned graphene for selective epitaxy and lateral overgrowth of single-crystal films. This allows for the use of materials as substrates and epilayers which is not possible in remote epitaxy.

Kim, Hyunseok↗
DOE OSTI2014

Effect of growth temperature on defects in epitaxial GaN film grown by plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy

We report the effect of growth temperature on defect states of GaN epitaxial layers grown on 3.5 μm thick GaN epi-layer on sapphire (0001) substrates using plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The GaN samples grown at three different substrate temperatures at 730, 740 and 750 °C were characterized using atomic force microscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The atomic force microscopy images of these samples show the presence of small surface and large hexagonal pits on the GaN film surfaces. The surface defect density of high temperature grown sample is smaller (4.0 × 10{sup 8} cm{sup −2} at 750 °C) than that of the low temperature grown sample (1.1 × 10{sup 9} cm{sup −2} at 730 °C). A correlation between growth temperature and concentration of deep centre defect states from photoluminescence spectra is also presented. The GaN film grown at 750 °C exhibits the lowest defect concentration which confirms that the growth temperature strongly influences the surface morphology and affects the optical properties of the GaN epitaxial films.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Greatly improved interfacial passivation of in-situ high κ dielectric deposition on freshly grown molecule beam epitaxy Ge epitaxial layer on Ge(100)

A high-quality high-κ/Ge interface has been achieved by combining molecule beam epitaxy grown Ge epitaxial layer and in-situ deposited high κ dielectric. The employment of Ge epitaxial layer has sucessfully buried and/or removed the residue of unfavorable carbon and native oxides on the chemically cleaned and ultra-high vacuum annealed Ge(100) wafer surface, as studied using angle-resolved x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Moreover, the scanning tunneling microscopy analyses showed the significant improvements in Ge surface roughness from 3.5 Å to 1 Å with the epi-layer growth. Thus, chemically cleaner, atomically more ordered, and morphologically smoother Ge surfaces were obtained for the subsquent deposition of high κ dielectrics, comparing with those substrates without Ge epi-layer. The capacitance-voltage (C-V) characteristics and low extracted interfacial trap density (D{sub it}) reveal the improved high-κ/Ge interface using the Ge epi-layer approach.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Dislocations limited electronic transport in hydride vapour phase epitaxy grown GaN templates: A word of caution for the epitaxial growers

GaN templates grown by hydride vapour phase epitaxy (HVPE) and metal organic vapour phase epitaxy (MOVPE) techniques are compared through electronic transport measurements. Carrier concentration measured by Hall technique is about two orders larger than the values estimated by capacitance voltage method for HVPE templates. It is learnt that there exists a critical thickness of HVPE templates below which the transport properties of epitaxial layers grown on top of them are going to be severely limited by the density of charged dislocations lying at layer-substrate interface. On the contrary MOVPE grown templates are found to be free from such limitations.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗