Microstructure evolution of Al–Mg–B thin films by thermal annealing

The growth of Al–Mg–B thin films on SiO2/Si(100) substrates was performed by nanosecond pulsed laser deposition at three different substrate temperatures (300 K, 573 K, and 873 K). The as-deposited films were then annealed at 1173 K or 1273 K for 2 h. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,x-ray diffraction(XRD), and atomic force microscope were employed to investigate the effects of processing conditions on the composition, microstructure evolution, and surface morphology of the Al–Mg–B films. The substrate temperatures were found to affect the composition of as-deposited films in that the Mg content decreases and C content increases at higher substrate temperatures, in particular for the 873 K-deposited film.XRD results show that the as-deposited films were amorphous, and this structure may be stable up to 1173 K. Annealing at 1273 K was found to fully crystallize the room temperature and 573 K-deposited Al–Mg–B films with the formation of the polycrystalline orthorhombic AlMgB14 phase, accompanied by the development of a pronounced (011) preferred orientation. Nevertheless, high C incorporation in the 873 K-deposited Al–Mg–B film inhibits the crystallization and the amorphous structure remains stable even during 1273 K annealing. The presence of Si in the room-temperature-deposited 1273 K-annealed film due to the interdiffusion between the substrate and film leads to the formation of an additional tetragonal α-FeSi2 phase, which is thought to cause the surface cracking and microstructural instability observed in this film

Commercial versus Legal Approaches: Alternative Strategies to Resolving Third- Party IPR Issues Confronting New Ventures

For many technology-based ventures, whether classic start-ups or corporate ventures, the viability of the business rests on intellectual property rights (IPR). The costs of registering and protecting IPR are well documented and often present a significant obstacle for entrepreneurs to overcome. In addition to these are the costs of inappropriate forms of due diligence, often involving IPR investigation, evidenced in the work of Molian and Solt (2002). "Conventional" due diligence outcomes involving IPR can create a limited set of options leading to the abandonment of a promising opportunity, where IPR - in particular patents - owned by a third-party are seen as the major stumbling-block. In this paper the authors present alternative, "commercial" approaches to dealing with the issues of third-party IPR ownership, which can circumvent the original problem. Unfortunately such strategies are often not considered by advisers. The approaches examined are based on examples drawn from the automotive industry, but the authors argue that both principles and application have wider relevance across industry and in particular to resource-constrained start-up businesses

Wear behavior of laser surface hardened gray and ductile cast irons, Part 1 – sliding wear

Introduction Solid particle impingement erosion is an important form of degradation of materials during their service in industrial operations. Minimization of erosive wear conserves energy, improves system reliability, and enhances overall productivity in several applications such as components of a gas turbine, steam turbine, fluidized bed, coal conversion systems, and mining equipment. Most of the research effort to reduce erosion has been devoted to the development of bulk-treated, rather than surface-modified, materials. The advantages of surface treatment technology are obvious and include the conservation of strategic and expensive alloys, superior product performance, and cost savings. Among the several methods of surface modification, laser hardening is a novel process that has been proven to reduce sliding and abrasive wear of materials. For example, Part 1 of this paper [1] described the beneficial effects of laser hardening on the sliding wear of ASTM-class 40 gray iron and class 80-55-06 ductile iron. This work is extended here to study the influence of laser surface hardening on the particle impingement erosion because of the commonly held view that hardness has either little effect or increases erosive wear in bulkheat-treated alloys [2