Microstructure of GaN Grown on (111) Si by MOCVD

Gallium nitride was grown on (111) Si by MOCVD by depositing an AIN buffer at 108O"C and then GaN at 1060 {degrees}C. The 2.2pm layer cracked along {1-100} planes upon cooling to room temperature, but remained adherent. We were able to examine the microstructure of material between cracks with TEM. The character and arrangement of dislocation are much like those of GaN grown on Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}: -2/3 pure edge and - 1/3 mixed (edge + screw), arranged in boundaries around domains of GaN that are slightly disoriented with respect to neighboring material. The 30 nm AIN buffer is continuous, indicating that AIN wets the Si, in contrast to GaN on Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}

Surface Morphology and Microstructure of Al-O Alloys Grown by ECR Plasma Deposition

The growth of polycrystalline and amorphous aluminum-oxygen alloy films using electron-beam evaporation of Al in the presence of an O{sub 2} electron-cyclotron-resonance (ECR) plasma was investigated for film compositions varying from 40% Al (Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}) to near 100% Al (AlO{sub x}). Processing parameters such as deposition temperature and ion energy were varied to study their effects on surface texture and film microstructure. The Al-rich films (AlO{sub x}) contain polycrystalline fcc Al grains with finely dispersed second-phase particles of {gamma}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} (1-2 nm in size). The surface roughness of these films was measured by atomic force microscopy and found to increase with sample bias and deposition temperature. Stoichiometric Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} films grown at 100{degrees}C and 400{degrees}C without an applied bias were amorphous, while an applied bias of -140 V formed a nanocrystalline {gamma}-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} film at 400{degrees}C. The surface roughness of the Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} increased with temperature while ion irradiation produced a smoother surface

Evaluating mechanical properties of thin layers using nanoindentation and finite-element modeling: Implanted metals and deposited layers

We present a methodology based on finite-element modeling of nanoindentation data to extract reliable and accurate mechanical properties from thin, hard films and surface-modified layers on softer substrates. The method deduces the yield stress, Young`s modulus, and hardness from indentations as deep as 50% of the layer thickness

Interfaces in InAsSb/InGaAs strained-layer superlattices grown by MOCVD for use in infrared emitters

The authors have prepared InAsSb/InGaAs strained-layer superlattices (SLSs) using metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). X-ray diffraction was used to determine lattice matching as well as composition and structure of the SLS`s. The presence of an InGaAsSb interface layer was indicated by x-ray diffraction for samples grown under non-optimized conditions. Interfacial layers were also identified with transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Two types of interfaces were observed by TEM. The different contrasts observed by TEM could be due to a difference in composition at the interfaces. The width of the x-ray peaks can be explained by a variation of the layer thickness

Growth and mechanical and tribological characterization of multi-layer hard carbon films

Vacuum-arc deposition is used to deposit multilayer C films by modulating the sample bias during deposition. Effect of varying the sublayer thickness in multilayer films consisting of alternating layers of ``hard`` (68.4 GPa, -100 V bias) and ``soft`` (27.5 GPa, - 200 V bias) was investigated. Films consisting of equal thickness layers of hard and soft material and an individual layer thickness varying from 10 to 35 nm were deposited. Mechanical property measurements were obtained by finite element modeling of nanoindentation load-displacement curves. The film hardness values were about 20% below the average of the component layers and relatively independent of the layer thickness. TEM revealed deterioration of the multilayer structure when the sublayer thickness was below 15 nm due to implantation damage of the hard layers caused by the energetic C{sup +} ions of the soft layers (-2000 V bias) deposited over them. Pin-on-disk wear tests show that the wear rate drops when sublayer thickness is decreased below 20 nm and remains constant with further decreases in the layer thickness

Growth and Mechanical and Tribological Characterization of Multi-Layer Hard Carbon Films

Vacuum-arc deposition is used to deposit multilayer C films by modulating the sample bias during deposition. Effect of varying the sublayer thickness in multilayer films consisting of alternating layers of ``hard`` (68.4 GPa, -100 V bias) and ``soft`` (27.5 GPa, - 200 V bias) was investigated. Films consisting of equal thickness layers of hard and soft material and an individual layer thickness varying from 10 to 35 nm were deposited. Mechanical property measurements were obtained by finite element modeling of nanoindentation load-displacement curves. The film hardness values were about 20% below the average of the component layers and relatively independent of the layer thickness. TEM revealed deterioration of the multilayer structure when the sublayer thickness was below 15 nm due to implantation damage of the hard layers caused by the energetic C{sup +} ions of the soft layers (-2000 V bias) deposited over them. Pin-on-disk wear tests show that the wear rate drops when sublayer thickness is decreased below 20 nm and remains constant with further decreases in the layer thickness

Stability of multi-component epilayers and nanopattern formation

A uniform multi-component epilayer may lose stability under the combined action of spinodal decomposition and epilayer–substrate interaction, separating into multiple phases. The phases may further self-organize into regular patterns. This paper investigates the compositional stability of a ternary epliayer and the subsequent emergence of nanoscale patterns. Multiple energetic forces and kinetic processes involving phase separation, phase coarsening and phase refining are incorporated into a continuous phase field model. Linear stability analysis is performed by perturbing a uniform concentration field into a sinusoidal field with small amplitude and arbitrary wavelength. The analysis shows that the epilayer–substrate interaction counteracts the coarsening effect of phase boundary energy and may lead to the formation of steady nanoscale patterns. Detailed analysis also reveals the interaction of multi-phases and its effect on the stability condition. Numerical simulation of evolving concentration field is discussed at the end of the paper. The simulations show that the pattern formation process of multi-component epilayers involves remarkably rich dynamics.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/43296/1/11051_2004_Article_3304.pd

Mechanical properties of high strength aluminum alloys formed by pulsed laser deposition

Very high-strength alloys of A1(O) have been formed using a pulsed laser deposition (PLD) system to deposit from alternating targets of A1 and A1{sub 2}O{sub 3}. Ion beam analysis and transmission electron microscopy show that the deposited material is uniform in composition with up to 33 at. % O and has a highly refined microstructure consisting of a fine, uniform dispersion of {approximately}1 nm diameter {gamma}-A1{sub 2}O{sub 3} precipitates. Ultra-low-load indentation testing combined with finite-element modeling is used to determine the mechanical properties of the layers. Yield stresses as high as 5.1 GPa have been measured in these materials, greatly exceeding the strengths of aerospace Al alloys (-0.5 GPa) and even high strength steels. The key to the properties of these materials is the dispersion of small, hard precipitates spaced only a few Burgers vectors apart; dislocations are apparently unable to cut through and must bow around them