Fabrication of transparent conducting amorphous Zn–Sn–In–O thin films by direct current magnetron sputtering

Amorphous ZnO–SnO2–In2O3 films were grown by direct current magnetron sputtering from vacuum hot pressed ceramic oxide targets of Zn:In:Sn cation ratios 1:2:1 and 1:2:1.5 onto glass substrates. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the microstructure remained amorphous during annealing at 200 °C for up to 5 hours. By monitoring the electrical resistivity, oxygen content and substrate temperature were optimized during deposition. The optimal films were characterized by Hall Effect, work function and optical spectroscopy measurements. Films of 1:2:1 composition showed the lowest resistivity (7.6×10−4 Ω-cm), when deposited onto substrates preheated to 300 °C. Transmissivity of all films exceeded 80% in the visible spectral region. The energy gap was 3.52–3.74 eV, and the work function ranged 5.08–5.22 eV, suitable for cathode applications in organic light emitting diodes. Overall, the film characteristics were comparable or superior to those of amorphous tin-doped indium oxide and zinc-doped indium oxide films and may serve as viable, lower-cost alternatives

Efficient white LEDs using liquid-state magic-sized CdSe quantum dots

Magic clusters have attracted significant interest to explore the dynamics of quantum dot (QD) nucleation and growth. At the same time, CdSe magic-sized QDs reveal broadband emission in the visible wavelength region, which advantageously offer simple integration of a single-type of nanomaterial and high color rendering ability for white light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Here, we optimized the quantum yield of magic-sized CdSe QDs up to 22% via controlling the synthesis parameters without any shelling or post-treatment process and integrated them in liquid-state on blue LED to prevent the efficiency drop due to host-material effect. The fabricated white LEDs showed colorrendering index and luminous efficiency up to 89 and 11.7 lm/W, respectively

TEM and STEM investigations of SrO-doped Sr(Ti,Nb)O3-δ thermoelectrics

Sr(Ti1-xNbx)O3-δ solid solutions are promising materials for n-type high-temperature thermoelectrics1. In our study 10 mol% of SrO excess was added to stoichiometric composition with x=0.2 in order to introduce Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) type-planar faults2,3 into the material, thus minimizing thermal conductivity. TEM and STEM were used to study possible ordering and/or distribution of Nb on Ti sites in the perovskite structure. All results were obtained in a Jeol ARM-200F with a CFEG and Cs probe corrector. HAADF imaging was performed at angles from 70 to 175 mrad, while ABF imaging from 11 to 23 mrad. EDXS spectra were acquired using JEOL Centurio Dry SD100GV SDD Detector. RP planar faults, as viewed along [001] zone axis, are shown in HRTEM micrograph in figure 1. The commonly observed number of perovskite unit cells between the planar faults is >2, which corresponds to various homologous compounds with the formula Srn+1(Ti,Nb)nO3n+1. However, solid solution Sr(Ti,Nb)O3-type grains with no RP faults can also be observed (bottom inset in Fig. 1). A HR HAADF STEM image of ordered RP faults (Fig. 2) shows that while the measured intensities of individual Sr atomic columns along a single fault do not scatter significantly, the (Ti,Nb)O atom columns exhibit quite large differences in measured intensities, thus indicating significant variation in Nb and Ti content within a single atom column. Quantitative analysis of measured intensities is in progress. The comparison between simultaneously acquired HAADF and ABF images of a single RP fault is shown in figure 3. While pure oxygen atomic columns cannot be resolved in the HAADF image, they can be readily observed using ABF imaging. The positions of oxygen atom columns along the planar faults are in full agreement with the structural model of a RP planar fault. Additional information on Nb distribution within perovskite matrix/RP faults was obtained by EDXS. While low magnification EDXS mappings show enrichment of Sr at RP faults accompanied by a corresponding decrease in Ti and Nb content, atom-resolved EDXS mappings confirm that individual mixed (Ti,Nb)O atom columns contain different Nb content (annotated atom column). Additionally, the spot EDXS line analysis (net counts) again shows much larger scatter in accumulated net counts for Ti as compared with Sr. The results being presented clearly show that no Nb is incorporated into the SrO RP faults and that the Nb is inhomogeneously incorporated within (Ti,Nb)O atom columns

Work function tuning of tin-doped indium oxide electrodes with solution-processed lithium fluoride

Solution-processed lithium fluoride (sol-LiF) nanoparticles synthesized in polymeric micelle nanoreactors enable tuning of the surface work function of tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) films. The micelle reactors provide the means for controlling surface coverage by progressively building up the interlayer through alternating deposition and plasma etch removal of the polymer. In order to determine the surface coverage and average interparticle distance, spatial point pattern analysis is applied to scanning electron microscope images of the nanoparticle dispersions. The work function of the sol-LiF modified ITO, obtained from photoelectron emission yield spectroscopy analysis, is shown to increase with surface coverage of the sol-LiF particles, suggesting a lateral depolarization effect. Analysis of the photoelectron emission energy distribution in the near threshold region reveals the contribution of surface states for surface coverage in excess of 14.1%. Optimization of the interfacial barrier is achieved through contributions from both work function modification and surface states

TEM and STEM investigations of Sr(Ti,Nb)O3-δ thermoelectric with the addition of CaO and SrO

It is known that thermoelectric properties, i.e. figure of merit ZT of oxide-based polycrystalline thermoelectric materials can be improved by introducing planar faults into the microstructure of these materials. It is assumed that in-grown planar faults will reduce thermal conductivity without reducing electrical properties which would consequently increase the ZT value. In order to successfully tailor thermoelectric properties of chosen thermoelectric materials, it is prerequisite to know the structure and chemical composition of introduced planar faults. This is why we used HR TEM and HAADF STEM imaging with EDXS in order to study structure and chemical composition of the Ruddlesden-Popper-type (RP) planar faults1,2 in Sr(Ti,Nb)O3-d (STNO) thermoelectric material with the addition of SrO and/or CaO. All results were obtained in a Jeol ARM-200F with a CFEG and Cs probe corrector. HAADF imaging was performed at angles from 70 to 175 mrad (ADF from 42 to 168 mrad). EDX spectra were acquired using JEOL Centurio Dry SD100GV SDD Detector. TEM bright-field images of pure STNO showed that the STNO solid solution grains contained no planar faults of any kind. Furthermore, the interfaces between the grains were clean with no observable interface phase. However, when SrO and/or CaO were added to the STNO, various nanostructured features were observed. In SrO-doped STNO, one can observe three distinctly different regions, i.e. the STNO solid solution, the regions with ordered SrO faults and the region with a network of random SrO planar faults (Figure 1). In the ordered regions one SrO layer is always followed by two perovskite STNO blocks, which corresponds to the Sr3(Ti1-xNbx)2O7 RP-type phase in which Nb and Ti occupy the same crystallographic site. While the measured HAADF intensities across Sr atomic columns at the RP fault do not scatter significantly, the mixed (Ti1-xNbx)O6 atom columns on the other hand exhibit significant differences in measured intensities thus indicating variation in Nb and Ti content within a single mixed atom column (Figure 2). Semi-quantitative HAADF STEM of the perovskite matrix, i.e. the comparison of measured integrated intensities of the atom columns with the calculated intensities showed that that the Nb content on the Ti sites within the perovskite structure varied from app. X=0.05 to X=0.35 (from Sr(Ti0.95Nb0.05)O3-d to Sr(Ti0.65Nb0.35)O3-d). When RP-type planar faults are isolated they run parallel to the {001} low-index zone axes of the perovskite structure. A similar structural phenomenon was observed in STNO with excess of CaO. Again, ordered and/or random 3D networks of RP-type planar faults were observed in the STNO grains (Figure 3). In very thin regions of CaO-doped STNO specimen many orthogonal loops of RP faults were observed that were not detected in SrO doped STNO (Figure 4). The EDX analysis from a single fault and from the matrix showed higher concentration of Ca at the fault. This is in agreement with previously reported investigations3 since smaller Ca ions are easier incorporated at the RP fault than in the perovskite matrix. The TEM and STEM investigations thus confirmed that the addition of SrO and/or CaO to the STNO perovskite solid solution is structurally compensated via the formation of RP-type planar faults within the STNO grains. Finally, thermoelectric measurements confirmed that the existence of RP-type faults in the perovskite STNO matrix reduced the thermal conductivity of this oxide thermoelectric material

Determination of structure and chemistry of long-persistence strontium aluminate phosphor compounds in aberration-corrected tem/stem

Representing a source of short-term stored energy, strontium aluminate phosphor compounds of nominal stoichiometry (SrO)•(Al2O3)2 co-doped with 1 mol% Eu2+ and 1 mol% Dy3+ (SA2ED) exhibit long persistence that is even further extended by the incorporation of boron1. To elucidate the effect of boron on afterglow persistence, we synthesized the phosphor powders using a sol-gel (i.e., modified Pechini) method2 and investigated the chemistry and structure by applying high-resolution STEM imaging, energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, and electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS). Large single-crystal grains were analyzed from as-reduced powders suspended on carbon-coated lacey formvar on copper support grids. Individual crystalline particles were tilted onto a low-index [0001] zone axis and imaged in both high resolution TEM and STEM, using a JEOL JEM-ARM 200CF, equipped with a cold field-emission tip and a probe-side Cs aberration corrector. High-angle annular dark-field (HAADF) images were formed using an annular detector with an inner diameter of 70 mrad and an outer diameter of 175 mrad, while annular bright-field (ABF) images were obtained from an annular detector of 11-mrad inner diameter and 23-mrad outer diameter. EDX spectra were collected using a JEOL Centurio Dry SD100GV SDD detector. EELS analysis was enabled by a Gatan GIF Quantum ER spectrometer. Rietveld refinement of XRD spectra obtained from the powders revealed a mixture of (SrO)4•(Al2O3)7, (SrO)•(Al2O3)2 , and (SrO)•(Al2O3)6 phases. Single crystal particles of the (SrO)•(Al2O3)6 phase were the most stable and allowed for tilting onto the [0001] zone axis for qualitative identification of the atomic columns in HAADF and ABF micrographs. Quantitative image simulations of the measured intensities are in progress. Local variations were observed in the energy loss near-edge fine structure of the B-K, O-K, Al-L2,3 edges

Solution-processed LiF for work function tuning in electrode bilayers

Although ambient processing is the key to low-cost organic solar cell production, high vacuum thermal evaporation of LiF is often a limiting step, motivating the exploration of solution processing of LiF as an alternative electrode interlayer. Sub-monolayer films are realized with the assistance of polymeric micelle reactors that enable LiF particle deposition with controlled nanoscale surface coverage. Scanning Kelvin probe reveals a work function tunable with nanoparticle coverage, with higher values than that of bare tin-doped indium oxide

Reconstruction of the gravitational wave signal h(t)h(t) during the Virgo science runs and independent validation with a photon calibrator

The Virgo detector is a kilometer-scale interferometer for gravitational wave detection located near Pisa (Italy). About 13 months of data were accumulated during four science runs (VSR1, VSR2, VSR3 and VSR4) between May 2007 and September 2011, with increasing sensitivity. In this paper, the method used to reconstruct, in the range 10 Hz-10 kHz, the gravitational wave strain time series $h(t)$ from the detector signals is described. The standard consistency checks of the reconstruction are discussed and used to estimate the systematic uncertainties of the $h(t)$ signal as a function of frequency. Finally, an independent setup, the photon calibrator, is described and used to validate the reconstructed $h(t)$ signal and the associated uncertainties. The uncertainties of the $h(t)$ time series are estimated to be 8% in amplitude. The uncertainty of the phase of $h(t)$ is 50 mrad at 10 Hz with a frequency dependence following a delay of 8 $\mu$s at high frequency. A bias lower than $4\,\mathrm{\mu s}$ and depending on the sky direction of the GW is also present.Comment: 35 pages, 16 figures. Accepted by CQ