Homogeneous Epitaxial Growth of N,N '-di(n-butyl)quinacridone Thin Films on Ag(110)

The structural evolution of the ordered N-N' dibutyl-substituted quinacridone (QA4C) multilayers (3 MLs) has been monitored in situ and in real time at various substrate temperatures using low energy electron diffraction (LEED) during organic molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Experimental results of LEED patterns clearly reveal that the structure of the multilayer strongly depends on the substrate temperature. Multilayer growth can be achieved at the substrate temperatures below 300 K, while at the higher temperatures we can only get one ordered monolayer of QA4C. Two kinds of structures, the commensurate and incommensurate one, often coexist in the QA4C multilayer. With a method of the two-step substrate temperatures, the incommensurate one can be suppressed, and the commensurate, on the other hand, more similar to the (001) plane of the QA4C bulk crystal, prevails with the layer of QA4C increasing to 3 MLs. The two structures in the multilayers are compressed slightly in comparison to the original ones in the first monolayer.

Effects of the morphologies and structures of light-emitting layers on the performance of organic electroluminescent devices

Organic electroluminescent devices with a structure of ITO/ploy (9-vinylcarbazole)/tris (8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq3)/Mg:Ag are fabricated at different substrate temperatures (77, 298, and 438 K) during Alq3 deposition. It is found that the surface morphologies of Alq3 thin films greatly affect the I-V characteristics of the devices by the contact area between metal cathode and light-emitting layer. There is an increase in the luminous efficiency of the devices in the order 77 K < 298 K < 438 K. We attribute this trend to different structures of Alq3 thin films. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.

Growth of GaSb layers on GaAs (001) substrate by molecular beam epitaxy

GaSb 1 mu m-thick layers were grown by molecular beam epitaxy on GaAs (001). The effects of the growth conditions on the crystalline quality, surface morphology, electrical properties and optical properties were studied by double crystalline x-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, Hall measurement and photoluminescence spectroscopy, respectively. It was found that the surface roughness and hole mobility are highly dependent on the antimony-to-gallium flux ratios and growth temperatures. The crystalline quality, electrical properties and optical properties of GaSb layers were also studied as functions of growth rate, and it was found that a suitably low growth rate is beneficial for the crystalline quality and electrical and optical properties. Better crystal quality GaSb layers with a minimum root mean square surface roughness of 0.1 nm and good optical properties were obtained at a growth rate of 0.25 mu m h(-1).

Structual and optoelectronic properties of polycrystalline silicon thin films prepared by hot-wire chemical vapor deposition at low temperatures

Polycrystalline silicon thin films were prepared by hot-wire chemical vapor deposition ( HWCVD) on glass at 250 degreesC with W or Ta wire as the catalyzers. The structual and optoelectronic properties as functions of the filament temperature, deposition pressure and the filament-substrate distance were studied, and the optimized polycrystalline silicon thin films were obtained with X-c > 90 % ( X-c denotes the crystalline ratio of the film), crystal grain size about 30-40nm, R-d approximate to 0.8nm/s, sigma(d) about 10(-7) - 10(-6) Omega(-1) cm(-1), Ea(a) approximate to 0.5eV and E-opt less than or equal to 1.3eV.

Substrate temperature dependence of ZnTe epilayers grown on GaAs(001) by molecular beam epitaxy

ZnTe thin films have been grown on GaAs(0 0 1) substrates at different temperatures with constant Zn and Te beam equivalent pressures (BEPs) by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). In situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) observation indicates that two-dimensional (2D) growth mode can be established after around one-minute three-dimensional (3D) nucleation by increasing the substrate temperature to 340 degrees C. We found that Zn desorption from the ZnTe surface is much greater than that of Te at higher temperatures, and estimated the Zn sticking coefficient by the evolution of growth rate. The Zn sticking coefficient decreases from 0.93 to 0.58 as the temperature is elevated from 320 to 400 degrees C. The ZnTe epilayer grown at 360 degrees C displays the narrowest full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of 660 arcsec from (0 0 4) reflection in double-crystal X-ray rocking curve (DCXRC) measurements. The surface morphology of ZnTe epilayers is strongly dependent on the substrate temperature, and the root-mean-square (RMS) roughness diminishes drastically with the increase in temperature.

PHOTOLUMINESCENCE SPECTRA OF STRAINED HETEROSTRUCTURE OF INP ON GAAS SUBSTRATE GROWN BY METAL-ORGANIC CHEMICAL VAPOR-DEPOSITION

A high-energy shift of the band-band recombination has been observed in photoluminescence spectra of the strained InP layer grown on GaAs substrate. The InP layer is under biaxial compressive strain at temperatures below the growth temperature, because the thermal expansion coefficient of InP is smaller than that of GaAs. The strain value determined by the energy shift of the band-edge peak is in good agreement with the calculated thermal strain. A band to carbon acceptor recombination is also identified.

Lamella reorientation in thin films of a symmetric poly(L-lactic acid)-block-polystyrene upon crystallization at different temperatures

The thin films of a symmetric crystalline-coil diblock copolymer of poly(L-lactic acid) and polystyrene (PLLA-b-PS) formed lamellae parallel to the substrate surface in melt. When annealed at temperatures well above the glass transition temperature of PLLA block (T-g(PLLA)), the PLLA chains started to crystallize, leading to reorientation of lamellae. Such reorientation behavior exhibited dependence on the correlation between the crystallization temperature (T-c), the glass transition temperature of PS (T-g(PS)), the peak melting point of PLLA crystals (T-m(PLLA)), and the end melting point of PLLA crystals (T-m,end(PLLA)). When annealed at (T-c =) 80 degrees C (T-c < T-g(PS) < T-ODT, order-disorder transition temperature), 123 degrees C (T-g(PS) < T-c < T-m(PLLA) < T-ODT). 165 degrees C (T-g(PS) < T-m(PLLA) < T-c < T-m,end(PLLA) < T-ODT), the parallel lamellae became perpendicular to the substrate surface, exclusively starting at the edge of surface relief patterns. Meanwhile, the corresponding lamellar spacing was significantly enhanced.

Investigation of the Mechanical Properties of Thin Films by Nanoindentation, Considering the Effects of Thickness and Different Coating-Substrate Combinations

In order to further investigate nanoindentation data of film-substrate systems and to learn more about the mechanical properties of nanometer film-substrate systems, two kinds of films on different substrate systems have been tested with a systematic variation in film thickness and substrate characteristics. The two kinds of films are aluminum and tungsten, which have been sputtered on to glass and silicon substrates, respectively. Indentation experiments were performed with a Nano Indent XP II with indenter displacements typically about two times the nominal film thicknesses. The resulting data are analyzed in terms of load-displacement curves and various comparative parameters, such as hardness, Young's modulus, unloading stiffness and elastic recovery. Hardness and Young's modulus are investigated when the substrate effects are considered. The results show how the composite hardness and Young's modulus are different for different substrates, different films and different film thicknesses. An assumption of constant Young's modulus is used for the film-substrate system, in which the film and substrate have similar Young's moduli. Composite hardness obtained by the Joslin and Oliver method is compared with the directly measured hardness obtained by the Oliver and Pharr method.

Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Peeling a DNA Molecule on Substrate

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are performed to study adhesion and peeling of a short fragment of single strand DNA (ssDNA) molecule from a graphite surface. The critical peel-off force is found to depend on both the peeling angle and the elasticity of ssDNA. For the short ssDNA strand under investigation, we show that the simulation results can be explained by a continuum model of an adhesive elastic band on substrate. The analysis suggests that it is often the peak value, rather than the mean value, of adhesion energy which determines the peeling of a nanoscale material.

Size Effect and Geometrical Effect of Polycrystals and Thin Film/Substrate System in Micro-indentation Test

Micro-indentation test at scales on the order of sub-micron has shown that the measured hardness increases strongly with decreasing indent depth or indent size, which is frequently referred to as the size effect. Simultaneously, at micron or sub-micron scale, the material microstructure size also has an important influence on the measured hardness. This kind of effect, such as the crystal grain size effect, thin film thickness effect, etc., is called the geometrical effect by here. In the present research, in order to investigate the size effect and the geometrical effect, the micro-indentation experiments are carried out respectively for single crystal copper and aluminum, for polycrystal aluminum, as well as for a thin film/substrate system, Ti/Si3N4. The size effect and geometrical effect are displayed experimentally. Moreover, using strain gradient plasticity theory, the size effect and the geometrical effect are simulated. Through comparing experimental results with simulation results, length-scale parameter appearing in the strain gradient theory for different cases is predicted. Furthermore, the size effect and the geometrical effect are interpreted using the geometrically necessary dislocation concept and the discrete dislocation theory. Member Price: $0; Non-Member Price: $25.00

Applicability Range of Stoneys Formula and Modified Formulas for a Film/Substrate Bilayer

In addition to the layer thickness and effective Young’s modulus, the impact of the kinematic assumptions, interfacial condition, in-plane force, boundary conditions, and structure dimensions on the curvature of a film/substrate bilayer is examined. Different models for the analysis of the bilayer curvature are compared. It is demonstrated in our model that the assumption of a uniform curvature is valid only if there is no in-plane force. The effects of boundary conditions and structure dimensions, which are not-fully-included in previous models are shown to be significant. Three different approaches for deriving the curvature of a film/substrate bilayer are presented, compared, and analyzed. A more comprehensive study of the conditions regarding the applicability of Stoney’s formula and modified formulas is presented.

Preparation And Tribology Studies of Alkyl Carboxylic Acid Monolayer Films on Pei-Coated Glass Substrate

首次在涂敷PEI的玻璃表面上制备了癸酸及全氟癸酸的单分子层膜。研究了成膜机理及摩擦特性。结果表明。脱水剂DCCD促进了癸酸或全氟癸酸与PEI酞胺化的反应。导致两种羧酸在PEI表面产生了靠化学键（酞胺键）连接的稳定的单分子层膜,摩擦、磨损实验表明。单分子层有机膜的摩擦特性受膜的组成、表面能及有序性和堆积密度的重要影响。表面能越低,有序性和堆积密度越高。摩擦系数越低。与碳氢化合物相比。碳氟化合物形成的有序膜具有更高的强度和抗磨性能。

Surface Tension and Its Temperature Coefficient of Molten Tin Determined with the Sessile Drop Method at Different Oxygen Partial Pressures

The surface tension of molten tin has been determined by the sessile drop method at The surface tension of molten tin has been determined by the sessile drop method at temperatures ranging from 523 to 1033 K and in the oxygen partial pressure (P-O2) range from 2.85 x 10(-19) to 8.56 x 10(-6) MPa, and its dependence on temperature and oxygen partial pressure has been analyzed. At P-O2 = 2.85 x 10(-19) and 1.06 x 10(-15) MPa, the surface tension decreases linearly with the increase of temperature and its temperature coefficients are -0.151 and -0.094 mNm(-1) K-1, respectively. However, at high P-O2 (3.17 x 10(-10), 8.56 x 10(-6) MPa), the surface tension increases with the temperature near the melting point (505 K) and decreases above 723 K. The surface tension decrease with increasing P-O2 is much larger near the melting point than at temperatures above 823 K. The contact angle between the molten tin and the alumina substrate is 158-173degrees, and the wettability is poor.

Characterization of a Laser-Discrete Quenched Steel Substrate/Chromium System by Dissolving Coatings

A laser-discrete quenched steel (LDQS) substrate/as-deposited chromium (top high-contraction (HC) and underlying low-contraction (LC) chromium) system was investigated by dissolving coatings in order to reveal the mechanism that the service life of the coated parts is largely improved using the hybrid technique of laser pre-quenching plus chromium post-depositing. It was found that the surface characteristics of the substrate, LC and HC chromium layer can be simultaneously revealed owing to the dissolution edge effect of chromium coatings. Moreover, the periodical gradient morphologies of the LDQS substrate are clearly shown: the surfaces of laser transformation-hardened regions are rather smooth; a lot of fine micro-holes exist in the transition zones; there are many micro-dimples in the original substrate. Furthermore, the novel method of dissolving coatings with sharp interfaces may be used to reveal the structural features of a substrate/coating system, explore the effect of the substrate on the initial microstructure and morphologies of coatings, and check the quality of the coated-parts.

Substrate Effects on the Micro/Nanomechanical Properties of TiN Coatings

Nanoindentation and nanoscratch tests were performed for titanium nitride (TiN) coatings on different tool steel substrates to investigate the indentation/scratch induced deformation behavior of the coatings and the adhesion of the coating–substrate interfaces and their tribological property. In this work, TiN coatings with a thickness of about 500 nm were grown on GT35, 9Cr18 and 40CrNiMo steels using vacuum magnetic-filtering arc plasma deposition. In the nanoindentation tests, the hardness and modulus curves for TiN/GT35 reduced the slowest around the film thickness 500 nm with the increase of indentation depth, followed by TiN/9Cr18 and TiN/40CrNiMo. Improving adhesion properties of coating and substrate can decrease the differences of internal stress field. The scratch tests showed that the scratch response was controlled by plastic deformation in the substrate. The substrate plays an important role in determining the mechanical properties and wear resistance of such coatings. TiN/GT35 exhibited the best load-carrying capacity and scratch/wear resistance. As a consequence, GT35 is the best substrate for TiN coatings of the substrate materials tested.