Effect of impurities on morphology and growth mode of (111) and (001) epitaxial-like ScN films

ScN material is an emerging semiconductor with an indirect bandgap. It has attracted attention for its thermoelectric properties, use as seed layers, and for alloys for piezoelectric application. ScN or other transition metal nitride semiconductors used for their interesting electrical properties are sensitive to contaminants, such as oxygen or fluorine. In this present article, the influence of depositions conditions on the amount of oxygen contaminants incorporated in ScN films were investigated and their effects on the electrical properties (electrical resistivity and Seebeck coefficient) were studied. The epitaxial-like films of thickness 125 +-5 nm to 155 +-5 nm were deposited by D.C.-magnetron sputtering on c-plane Al2O3, MgO(111) and r-plane Al2O3 at a substrate temperature ranging from 700 to 950 degree C. The amount of oxygen contaminants presents in the film, dissolved into ScN or as an oxide, was related to the adatom mobility during growth, which is affected by the deposition temperature and the presence of twin domain growth. The lowest values of electrical resistivity of 50 micro-ohm cm were obtained on ScN(111)/MgO(111) and on ScN(001)/r-plane Al2O3 grown at 950 degree C with no twin domains and the lowest amount of oxygen contaminant. At the best, the films exhibited an electrical resistivity of 50 micro-ohm cm with Seebeck coefficient values maintained at -40 microV K-1, thus a power factor estimated at 3.2 10-3 W m-1 K-2 (at room temperature)

Are Politicians Office or Policy Motivated? The Case of U.S. Governors\u27 Environmental Policies

Are elected politicians primarily motivated by holding office, thus choosing environmental policies accordingly? Or are they motivated by the chance to implement their preferred environmental policies? Do governors have character, in the sense that they promise and implement environmental policies consistent with their own preferences? To answer these questions, we study the differences in environmental spending across both re-electable and lame duck governors from the two main political parties. In our empirical analysis, we make use of parametric and non-parametric regression-discontinuity approaches. While re-electable governors do not set significantly different policies, lame duck governors do. We argue that in the area of environmental policy governors appear to be primarily office motivated and lack character

An upgraded ultra-high vacuum magnetron-sputtering system for high-versatility and software-controlled deposition

Magnetron sputtering is a widely used physical vapor deposition technique. Reactive sputtering is used for the deposition of, e.g, oxides, nitrides and carbides. In fundamental research, versatility is essential when designing or upgrading a deposition chamber. Furthermore, automated deposition systems are the norm in industrial production, but relatively uncommon in laboratory-scale systems used primarily for fundamental research. Combining automatization and computerized control with the required versatility for fundamental research constitutes a challenge in designing, developing, and upgrading laboratory deposition systems. The present article provides a detailed description of the design of a lab-scale deposition chamber for magnetron sputtering used for the deposition of metallic, oxide, nitride and oxynitride films with automated controls, dc or pulsed bias, and combined with a coil to enhance the plasma density near the substrate. LabVIEW software (provided as Supplementary Information) has been developed for a high degree of computerized or automated control of hardware and processes control and logging of process details.Comment: 17 pages, 8 figure

The role of information exchange in supply chain collaboration : a case study of a Vietnam ship parts supplier

This research paper examines collaborative supply chain strategies of an anonymized company in a developing region, hereafter called Ship Parts (SP) Vietnam, a pipes and valves supplier for the shipbuilding industry. Our research applies descriptive analysis approach to examine the question; what is the role of information exchange in customer collaboration practices in management of the supply chain. We examine the practice of Vendor Managed Inventory in these relationships. The units of analysis are different types of relationships that SP Vietnam has with its key customer stakeholders in its network. The names of all key stakeholders are all anonymized. In this paper we investigate SP Vietnam’s relationship only with its customers. These include longtime international partner WAKE, the newly acquired Japanese customer Chūbu Shipyard (Chūbu), and the growing potential customer VESSELS Group in Vietnam.publishedVersio

PROJECT HALF DOUBLE: Training practitioners, working with visuals, practice reflections and small and medium-sized enterprises

Since the beginning of Project Half Double in 2015, the overall goal has been to deliver "Projects in half the time with double the impact" where projects in half the time should be understood as half the time to impact and not as half the time for project execution. The research team at Aarhus University has published three Project Half Double reports on the Half Double Methodology and the results from applying the methodology on "real life" pilot projects in order to evaluate how the overall goal mentioned above has been achieved.The aim of this report is to document some of the learnings obtained throughout the years. Four themes were selected for this report: 1) practitioner training, 2) working with visuals, 3) practice reflections, and finally 4) small and medium-sized enterprises