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At least 145 records · Page 8

Growth and micro structural studies on Yittria Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ) and Strontium Titanate (STO) buffer layers

Microstructure of Yittria Stabilized Zirconia (YSZ) and Strontium Titanate (STO) of radio frequency magnetron sputtered buffer layers was studied at various sputtering conditions on Si (100), Sapphire and LaAlO3 (100) substrates. The effect of substrate temperatures up to 800 C and sputtering gas pressures in the range of 50 mTorr. of growth conditions was studied. The buffer layers of YSZ and STO showed a strong tendency for columnar growth was observed above 15 mTorr sputtering gas pressure and at high substrate temperatures. Post annealing of these films in oxygen atmosphere reduced the oxygen deficiency and strain generated during growth of the films. Strong c-axis oriented superconducting YBa2Cu3O7-x (YBCO) thin films were obtained on these buffer layers using pulsed laser ablation technique. YBCO films deposited on multilayers of YSZ and STO were shown to have better superconducting properties.

Srinivas, S.↗

Smart Material Demonstrators Based on Shape Memory Alloys and Electroceramics

This paper describes the development and characterization of two technology demonstrators that were produced under the auspices of an ARPA sponsored smart materials synthesis and processing effort. The ARPA Smart Materials and Synthesis (SMS) Program was a 2 year, $10M partnership led by Martin Marietta Laboratories - Baltimore and included Lockheed Missiles & Space Co., NRL, AVX Corp., Martin Marietta Astronautics Groups, BDM Federal, Inc., Virginia Tech, Clemson, University of Maryland, Denver University, and The Johns Hopkins University. In order to demonstrate the usefulness of magnetron sputtered shape memory foil and the manufacturability of reliable, reproducible electrostrictive actuators, the team designed a broadband active vibration cancellation device for suppressing the vibration load on delicate instruments and precision pointing devices mounted on orbiting satellites and spacecraft. The results of extensive device characterization and bench testing are discussed. Initial simulation results show excellent control authority and amplitude attenuation over the range of anticipated disturbance frequencies. The SMS Team has also developed an active 1-3 composite comprising micro-electrostrictive actuators embedded in a polymeric matrix suitable for underwater applications such as sonar quieting and listening arrays, and for medical imaging. Follow-on programs employing these technologies are also described.

Cooke, Arther V.↗

Metal-Coated Optical Fibers for High Temperature Applications

A DC magnetron sputtering system has been used to actively coat optical fibers with hermetic metal coatings during the fiber draw process. Thin films of Inconel 625 have been deposited on optical fibers and annealed in air at 2000 F. Scanning electron microscopy and Auger electron microscopy have been used to investigate the morphology and composition of the films prior to and following thermal cycling. Issues to be addressed include film adhesion, other coating materials, and a discussion of additional applications for this novel technology.

Zeakes, Jason↗

MS212--A Homogeneous Sputtered Solid Lubricant Coating for Use to 800 C

Composite coatings containing chromium carbide, stable fluorides and silver were prepared by magnetron sputtering. The microstructure of the coatings is very homogeneous compared to that of plasma sprayed and sintered versions of the same chemical composition. Friction and wear of MS212-coated and baseline uncoated aluminum and Inconel X-750 are compared. At room temperature, the friction and wear of coated aluminum is dramatically better compared to the baseline. The acceptable load is limited by deformation of the soft aluminum substrate. In the case of the nickel alloy, lower friction is observed for the coated alloy at all temperatures up to the maximum test temperature of 800 C. Pin wear factors for sliding against the coated alloy are lower than the baseline at room temperature and 350 C, and comparable to baseline wear at higher test temperatures. Low baseline wear at high temperatures is due to the lubricious nature of the natural oxides formed on nickel-chromium alloys in a hot, oxidizing atmosphere. No load limit was found for coated Inconel X-750 at loads up to five times the load limit for coated aluminum.

Sliney, Harold E.↗

Evaluation of the Effect of Microalloying on Cleavage of Monocrystalline NiAl Using a Miniaturized Disk-Bend Test

It was originally proposed to investigate the effect of microalloying on the ductility of monocrystalline NiAl. The idea was to deposit selected elements on oriented crystals of NiAl using magnetron sputtering, followed by annealing at high temperatures to produce the doped specimens. The project was terminated before that stage of the research was reached, but useful results needed for that study were obtained during the lifetime of the program. Those results are described in this report.

Ardell, Alan J.↗

Evaluation of the Effect of Microalloying on Cleavage of Monocrystalline NiAl using a Miniaturized Disk-Bend Test

It was originally proposed to investigate the effect of microalloying on the ductility of monocrystalline NiAl. The idea was to deposit selected elements on oriented crystals of NiAl using magnetron sputtering, followed by annealing at high temperatures to produce the doped specimens. The project was terminated before that stage of the research was reached, but useful results needed for that study were obtained during the lifetime of the program. Those results are described in this resort.

Ardell, Alan J.↗

Sliding Wear and Fretting Wear of DLC-Based, Functionally Graded Nanocomposite Coatings

Improving the tribological functionality of diamondlike carbon (DLC) films--developing, good wear resistance, low friction, and high load-carrying capacity-was the aim of this investigation. Nanocomposite coatings consisting of an amorphous DLC (a-DLC) top layer and a functionally graded titanium-titanium carbon-diamondlike carbon (Ti-Ti(sub x) C(sub y)-DLC) underlayer were produced on AISI 440C stainless steel substrates by the hybrid technique of magnetron sputtering and pulsed-laser deposition. The resultant DLC films were characterized by Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and surface profilometry. Two types of wear experiment were conducted in this investioation: sliding friction experiments and fretting wear experiments. Unidirectional ball-on-disk sliding friction experiments were conducted to examine the wear behavior of an a-DLC/Ti-Ti(sub x) C(sub y)-DLC-coated AISI 440C stainless steel disk in sliding contact with a 6-mm-diameter AISI 440C stainless steel ball in ultrahigh vacuum, dry nitrogen, and humid air. Although the wear rates for both the coating and ball were low in all three environments, the humid air and dry nitrogen caused mild wear with burnishing, in the a-DLC top layer, and the ultrahigh vacuum caused relatively severe wear with brittle fracture in both the a-DLC top layer and the Ti-Ti(sub x) C(sub y)-DLC underlayer. For reference, amorphous hydrogenated carbon (H-DLC) films produced on a-DLC/Ti-Ti(sub x) C(sub y)-DLC nanocomposite coatings by using an ion beam were also examined in the same manner. The H-DLC films markedly reduced friction even in ultrahigh vacuum without sacrificing wear resistance. The H-DLC films behaved much like the a-DLC/Ti-Ti(sub x) C(sub y)-DLC nanocomposite coating in dry nitrogen and humid air, presenting low friction and low wear. Fretting wear experiments were conducted in humid air (approximately 50% relative humidity) at a frequency of 80 Hz and an amplitude of 75 micron on an a-DLC/Ti-Ti(sub x) C(sub y)-DLC-coated AISI 440C disk and on a titanium-6 wt % aluminum-4 wt% vanadium (Ti-6Al-4V) flat, both in contact with a 9.4-mm-diameter, hemispherical Ti-6Al-4V pin. The resistance to fretting wear and damage of the a-DLC/Ti-6Al-4V materials pair was superior to that of the Ti-6Al-4V/Ti-6AI-4V materials pair.

Miyoshi, K.↗

Vibration Method for Tracking the Resonant Mode and Impedance of a Microwave Cavity

A vibration technique his been developed to continuously maintain mode resonance and impedance much between a constant frequency magnetron source and resonant cavity. This method uses a vibrating metal rod to modulate the volume of the cavity in a manner equivalent to modulating an adjustable plunger. A similar vibrating metal rod attached to a stub tuner modulates the waveguide volume between the source and cavity. A phase sensitive detection scheme determines the optimum position of the adjustable plunger and stub turner during processing. The improved power transfer during the heating of a 99.8% pure alumina rod was demonstrated using this new technique. Temperature-time and reflected power-time heating curves are presented for the cases of no tracking, impedance tracker only, mode tracker only and simultaneous impedance and mode tracking. Controlled internal melting of an alumina rod near 2000 C using both tracking units was also demonstrated.

Barmatz, M.↗

Pressure Effect in ZnO Films Using Off-Axis Sputtering Deposition

ZnO films are deposited on (0001) sapphire, (001) Si and quartz substrates using the off-axis reactive magnetron sputtering deposition. Based on film thickness measurements, three transport regions of sputtered particles are observed when films are deposited in the pressure regions of 5 mtorr - 150 mtorr. X-ray diffraction, scanning probes microscopy, and electrical measurements are also used to characterize these films. The full width at half maximum of theta rocking curves for epitaxial films is less than 0.5 deg. In textured films, it rises to several degrees. The epitaxial films deposited at high pressure reveal a flat surface with some hexagonal facets. The density of hexagonal facets decreases when the growth pressure is reduced. The resistivity of these epitaxial films also depends on the growth pressures. A relationship between the pressure effects and film properties are discussed.

Zhu, Shen↗

High Temperature Superconductor/Semiconductor Hybrid Microwave Devices and Circuits

Contents include following: film deposition technique; laser ablation; magnetron sputtering; sequential evaporation; microwave substrates; film characterization at microwave frequencies; complex conductivity; magnetic penetration depth; surface impedance; planar single-mode filters; small antennas; antenna arrays phase noise; tunable oscillations; hybrid superconductor/semiconductor receiver front ends; and noise modeling.

Romanofsky, Robert R.↗

Polarity Effects of Substrate Surface in Epitaxial ZnO Film Growth

Epitaxial ZnO films were grown on the two polar surfaces (0-face and Zn-face) of (0001) ZnO single crystal substrates using off-axis magnetron sputtering deposition. As a comparison, films are also deposited on the (000 I) Al203 substrates. It is found that the two polar surfaces have different photoluminescence (PL) spectrum, surface structure and morphology, which are strongly inference the epitaxial film growth. The morphology and structure of epitaxial films on the ZnO substrates are different from the film on the Al203 substrates. An interesting result shows that high temperature annealing of ZnO single crystals will improve the surface structure on the O-face surface rather than the opposite Surface. The measurements of PL, low-angle incident x-ray diffraction, and atomic force microscopy of ZnO films indicate that the O-terminated surface is better for ZnO epitaxial film growth using reactive sputtering deposition.

Zhu, Shen↗

Surface Morphology of Undoped and Doped ZnSe Films

Rare-earth doped ions in polar II-VI semiconductors have recently played an important role in the optical properties of materials and devices. In this study, undoped ZnSe and erbium doped ZnSe films were grown by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering method. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) was used together with optical microscopy and UV-Vis spectroscopy to characterize the films. Doped samples were found to have higher surface roughness and quite different surface morphology compared to that of undoped samples. The grown films generally show a relatively smooth and uniform surface indicating that they are of overall good quality. The impact of plasma etching on ZnSe:Er film examined under AFM is also discussed.

George, T.↗

Low Energy Sputtering Experiments for Ion Engine Lifetime Assessment

The sputtering yield of molybdenum under xenon ion bombardment was measured using a Quartz Crystal Microbalance. The measurements were made for ion kinetic energies in the range 100-1keV on molybdenum films deposited by magnetron sputtering in conditions optimized to reproduce or approach bulk-like properties. SEM micrographs for different anode bias voltages during the deposition are compared, and four different methods were implemented to estimate the density of the molybdenum films. A careful discussion of the Quartz Crystal Microbalance is proposed and it is shown that this method can be used to measure mass changes that are distributed unevenly on the crystal electrode surface, if an analytical expression is known for the differential mass-sensitivity of the crystal and the erosion profile. Finally, results are presented that are in good agreement with previously published data, and it is concluded that this method holds the promise of enabling sputtering yield measurements at energies closer to the threshold energy in the very short term.

Duchemin Olivier B.↗

Substrate Preparations in Epitaxial ZnO Film Growth

Epitaxial ZnO films were grown on the two polar surfaces (O-face and Zn-face) of (0001) ZnO single crystal substrates using off-axis magnetron sputtering deposition. Annealing-temperature dependence of ZnO substrates was studied. ZnO films grown on sapphire substrates have also been investigated for comparison purposes and the annealing temperature of A1203 substrates is 1000 C. Substrates and films were characterized using photoluminescence (PL) spectrum, x-ray diffraction, atomic force microscope, energy dispersive spectrum, and electric transport measurements. It has been found that the ZnO film properties were different when films were grown on the two polarity surfaces of ZnO substrates and the A1203 substrates. An interesting result shows that high temperature annealing of ZnO single crystals will improve the surface structure on the O-face surface rather than the opposite surface. The measurements of homoepitaxial ZnO films indicate that the O-terminated surface is better for ZnO epitaxial film growth.

Zhu, Shen↗

Homoepitaxial ZnO Film Growth

ZnO films have high potential for many applications, such as surface acoustic wave filters, UV detectors, and light emitting devices due to its structural, electrical, and optical properties. High quality epitaxial films are required for these applications. The Al2O3 substrate is commonly used for ZnO heteroepitaxial growth. Recently, high quality ZnO single crystals are available for grow homoepitaxial films. Epitaxial ZnO films were grown on the two polar surfaces (O-face and Zn-face) of (0001) ZnO single crystal substrates using off-axis magnetron sputtering deposition. As a comparison, films were also deposited on (0001) Al2O3 substrates. It was found that the two polar ZnO surfaces have different photoluminescence (PL) spectrum, surface structure and morphology, which strongly influence the epitaxial film growth. The morphology and structure of homoepitaxial films grown on the ZnO substrates were different from heteroepitaxial films grown on the Al2O3. An interesting result shows that high temperature annealing of ZnO single crystals will improve the surface structure on the O-face surface rather than the opposite surface. The measurements of PL, low-angle incident x-ray diffraction, and atomic force microscopy of ZnO films indicate that the O-terminated surface is better for ZnO epitaxial film growth.

Zhu, Shen↗

Increased Surface Fatigue Lives of Spur Gears by Application of a Coating

Hard coatings have potential for increasing gear surface fatigue lives. Experiments were conducted using gears both with and without a metal-containing, carbonbased coating. The gears were case-carburized AISI 9310 steel spur gears. Some gears were provided with the coating by magnetron sputtering. Lives were evaluated by accelerated life tests. For uncoated gears, all of fifteen tests resulted in fatigue failure before completing 275 million revolutions. For coated gears, eleven of the fourteen tests were suspended with no fatigue failure after 275 million revolutions. The improved life owing to the coating, approximately a six-fold increase, was a statistically significant result.

Krantz, Timothy L.↗

A microwave-powered sterilizable interface for aseptic access to bioreactors that are vulnerable to microbial contamination

Novel methods and apparatus that employ the rapid heating characteristics of microwave irradiation to facilitate the aseptic transfer of nutrients, products, and other materials between microbially sensitive systems and the external environment are described. The microwave-sterilizable access port (MSAP) consists of a 600-W magnetron emitting at a frequency of 2.45 GHz, a sterilization chamber with inlet and outlet flow lines, and a specimen transfer interface. Energy is routed to the sterilization chamber via a coaxial transmission line where small quantities of water couple strongly with the incident radiation to produce a superheated vapor phase. The efficiency of energy transfer is enhanced through the use of microwave susceptors within the sterilization chamber. Mating surfaces are thermally sterilized through direct contact with the hot gas. Efficacy has been demonstrated using the thermophile Bacillus stearothermophilus.

Validation Studies↗

Preparation and Analysis of Platinum Thin Films for High Temperature Sensor Applications

A study has been made of platinum thin films for application as high temperature resistive sensors. To support NASA Glenn Research Center s high temperature thin film sensor effort, a magnetron sputtering system was installed recently in the GRC Microsystems Fabrication Clean Room Facility. Several samples of platinum films were prepared using various system parameters to establish run conditions. These films were characterized with the intended application of being used as resistive sensing elements, either for temperature or strain measurement. The resistances of several patterned sensors were monitored to document the effect of changes in parameters of deposition and annealing. The parameters were optimized for uniformity and intrinsic strain. The evaporation of platinum via oxidation during annealing over 900 C was documented, and a model for the process developed. The film adhesion was explored on films annealed to 1000 C with various bondcoats on fused quartz and alumina. From this compiled data, a list of optimal parameters and characteristics determined for patterned platinum thin films is given.

Wrbanek, John D.↗