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Results for “Ion-implantation”

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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Modification of magnetocrystalline anisotropy via ion-implantation

The ability to systematically modify the magnetic properties of epitaxial La 0.7 Sr 0.3 MnO 3 thin films is demonstrated through the use of Ar + ion implantation. With increasing implant dose, a uniaxial expansion of the c-axis of the unit cell leads to a transition from in-plane toward perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Above a critical dose of 3 × 10 13 Ar + /cm 2 , significant crystalline disorder exists leading to a decrease in the average Mn valence state and near complete suppression of magnetization. Combined with lithographic techniques, ion implantation enables the fabrication of magnetic spin textures consisting of adjacent regions with tunable magnetic anisotropy in complex oxide thin films.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Magnetic metamaterials by ion-implantation

We present a method for the additive fabrication of planar magnetic nanoarrays with minimal surface roughness. Synthesis is accomplished by combining electron-beam lithography, used to generate nanometric patterned masks, with ion implantation in thin films. By implanting 56 Fe + ions, we are able to introduce magnetic functionality in a controlled manner into continuous Pd thin films, achieving 3D spatial resolution down to a few tens of nanometers. Our results demonstrate the application of this technique in fabricating square artificial spin ice lattices, which exhibit well-defined magnetization textures and interactions among the patterned magnetic elements.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Ion-implanted Al0.6Ga0.4N deep-ultraviolet avalanche photodiodes

A deep-ultraviolet Al0.6Ga0.4N p–i–n avalanche photodiode (APD) structure was grown on a (0001) AlN bulk substrate by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. The wafer was fabricated into 20 μm diameter mesa APD devices both with and without ion-implantation with nitrogen ions on the periphery of the p-type region of the diode mesa and tested. The dark current density vs bias, photoresponse, and the optical gain of the APDs with and without ion implantation were compared. The devices fabricated with ion implantation showed improved performance, exhibiting lower dark current densities of ∼1 × 10−9 A/cm2 and a higher optical gain of ∼5.2 × 105 at a current density limit of 0.3 A/cm2. The average temperature coefficients of the reverse-bias breakdown voltage were also compared. Although the data showed negative coefficients for APDs fabricated both with and without ion implantation, the ion-implanted APDs showed an improvement relative to the devices fabricated without ion-implantation.

Physics↗

Anomalous lattice expansion of bcc Ta in helium-loaded diamond anvil cells

Anomalous lattice expansion of bcc Ta is observed in helium-loaded diamond anvil cell (DAC) experiments near 6 GPa and above 400 K, while co-loaded W, Mo, and Au exhibit normal thermal expansion. The Ta volume expansion increases with temperature, reaching ~14% near 650 K before plateauing, and is largely retained after recovery to ambient conditions. Time-resolved measurements at 500 K reveal progressive expansion over several hours, consistent with gradual, thermally activated He incorporation. The largely retained expansion during subsequent cooling and holding at 400 K indicates that the incorporated He is predominantly kinetically trapped. The data reveal two distinct regimes: below ~550 K, modest and spatially uniform expansion consistent with interstitial He trapping at isolated, randomly distributed vacancies; above ~550 K, He-vacancy cluster growth producing dramatically larger expansion, peak broadening, and a core–shell microstructure revealed by micron-resolution X-ray diffraction mapping. These results demonstrate that He is not always a passive pressure medium in DAC experiments and reveal a previously unrecognized regime of He-mediated lattice modification in Ta, complementing conventional ion-implantation studies relevant to nuclear and fusion structural materials.

Diamond anvil cell↗

Micromachined Piezoresistive-sensed Diaphragms for Infrasonic Monitoring

Micromachined, piezoresistive-sensed diaphragms are designed and fabricated specifically for infrasound sensing applications. Relatively large diaphragms, up to 6 mm × 6 mm, are fabricated to meet the high sensitivity requirements of infrasonic monitoring. A double-stack SOI wafer process is used, resulting in a streamlined two-mask process without the need for doping or ion-implantation. Pressure-sensitivities of diaphragms are studied using a custom static calibration set-up. Here, the piezoresistance of longitudinal and transverse resistors are studied over a large pressure range of ±5,500 Pa so that the linear and nonlinear response regions of diaphragms are observed. Measurements are compared against a nonlinear finite element simulation—shown to accurately predict the sensor’s behavior over a large response range.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Controllable Formation of Threefold-Coordinated Oxygen in Graphene by Low-Energy Ion Implantation

The atomically precise engineering of impurities in graphene and the understanding of their structural and carrier-dependent electronic properties at the nanoscale are crucial for advancing graphene-based nanoelectronics, catalysis, and energy technologies. Here, we demonstrate controllable incorporation of the elusive 3-fold-coordinated O substitutions into graphene using low-energy O + ion implantation under ultrahigh-vacuum conditions. By combining high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy (STM/S), bond-resolved noncontact atomic force microscopy techniques, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we resolve both the structural and electronic properties of the O-related defects. The STM/S measurements, corroborated by DFT calculations, uncover a characteristic impurity state that is energetically pinned to the Dirac point across different charge-carrier doping regimes. Molecular dynamics simulations further reveal the distribution of implantation-induced configurations and identify the formation of 3-fold-coordinated O dopants. Furthermore, this work provides a viable route to incorporate 3-fold-coordinated O dopants and opens new opportunities for controlled defect engineering in graphene.

3-fold-coordinated oxygen↗