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Shu, Rui. "Nonstoichiometric Multicomponent Nitride Thin Films." Licentiate thesis, Linköpings universitet, Tunnfilmsfysik, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-170529.
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High entropy ceramics have rapidly developed as a class of materials based on high entropy alloys; the latter being materials that contain five or more elements in near-equal proportions. Their unconventional compositions and chemical structures hold promise for achieving unprecedented combinations of mechanical, electrical and chemical properties. In this thesis, high entropy ceramic films, (TiNbZrTa)Nx were deposited using reactive magnetron sputtering with segmented targets. The stoichiometry x was tuned with two deposition parameters, i.e., substrate temperature and nitrogen flow ratio fN, their effect on microstructure and mechanical, electric, and electrochemical properties were investigated. Understoichiometric MeNx (Me = TiNbZrTa, 0.25 ≤ x ≤ 0.59) films were synthesized at a constant fN when substrate temperature was varied from room temperature (RT) to 700 °C. For low-temperature deposition, the coatings exhibited fcc solid-solution polycrystalline structures. A NaCl-type structure with (001) preferred orientation was observed in MeN0.46 coating deposited at 400 ºC, while an hcp structure was found for the coatings deposited above 500 ºC. The maximum hardness value of 26 GPa as well as the highest
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Khoshman, Jebreel M. "Spectroscopic ellipsometry charactarization of single and multilayer aluminum nitride / indium nitride thin film systems." Ohio : Ohio University, 2005. http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd/view.cgi?ohiou1129584189.
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Kerdsongpanya, Sit. "Scandium Nitride Thin Films for Thermoelectrics." Licentiate thesis, Linköpings universitet, Tunnfilmsfysik, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-85917.
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Thermoelectric devices are one of the promising energy harvesting technologies, since they can convert heat (i.e. a temperature gradient) to electricity. This result leads us to use them to harvest waste heat from heat engines or in power plants to generate usable electricity. Moreover, thermoelectric devices can also perform cooling. The conversion process is clean, with no emission of greenhouse gases during the process. However, the converting efficiency of thermoelectrics is very low because of the materials limitations of the thermoelectric figure of merit (ZTm). Thus, there is high demand to maximize the ZTm. I have discovered that ScN has high power factor 2.5 mW/(mK2) at 800 K, due to low metalliclike electrical resistivity (∼3.0 μΩm) with retained relatively large Seebeck coefficient of -86 μV/K. The ScN thin films were grown by reactive dc magnetron sputtering from Sc targets. For ScN, X-ray diffraction, supported by transmission electron microscopy, show that we can obtain epitaxial ScN(111) on Al2O3(0001). We also reported effects on thermoelectric properties of ScN with small changes in the composition with the power factor changing one order of magnitude depending on e.g. oxygen, carbon and fluorine content which were determined by elastic recoil detection analysis. The presence of impurities may influence the electronic density of states or Fermi level (EF) which could yield enhancement of power factor. Therefore, the effects of defects and impurities on the electronic density of states of scandium nitride were investigated using first-principles calculations with general gradient approximation and hybrid functionals for the exchange correlation energy. Our results show that for Sc and N vacancies can introduce asymmetric peaks in the density of states close to the Fermi level. We also find that the N vacancy states are sensitive to total electron concentration of the system due to their possibility for spin polarization. Substitutional point defects shift the Fermi level in the electronic band according to their valence but do not introduce sharp features. The energetics and electronic structure of defect pairs are also studied. By using hybrid functionals, a correct description of the open band gap of scandium nitride is obtained, in contrast to regular general gradient approximation. Our results envisage ways for improving the thermoelectric figure of merit of ScN by electronic structure engineering through stoichiometry tuning and doping.
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Neidhardt, Jörg. "Fullerene-like carbon nitride thin solid films /." Linköping : Univ, 2004. http://www.bibl.liu.se/liupubl/disp/disp2004/tek877s.pdf.
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Sanchez, Mathon Gustavo. "Piezoelectric aluminum nitride thin films by PECVD." Limoges, 2009. https://aurore.unilim.fr/theses/nxfile/default/9224e391-3c48-4c10-9166-c2a2bed3c5f4/blobholder:0/2009LIMO4007.pdf.
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Des couches minces polycristallines d'AIN ont été réalisées en utilisant une technique CVD assistée par plasma micro-onde. Les paramètres, distance plasma - injecteur, température du substrat, polarisation RF du porte - substrat ont été optimisés. Il a été possible de contrôler l’orientation préférentielle <0001> ou <1010>, intéressantes pour des applications piézoélectriques. Les mécanismes de croissance qui ont conduit au développement des microstructures dans les différentes conditions ont été expliqués. La comparaison avec une technique PVD a permis d’enricher la discussion. Les performances piézoélectriques des couches obtenues ont été caractérisées par construction des dispositifs électroacoustiques d’onde de surface et d’onde de volume. Seules les couches orientées <0001> ont montré une réponse piézoélectrique et une vitesse acoustique adéquates. Une analyse exhaustive a été conduite pour expliquer les possibles raisons de ces comportementsPolycrystalline aluminum nitride thin films were produced with a microwave-plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique. The plasma-injector distance, the substrate temperature and the RF bias were the main variables which allowed achieving this objective. At the time, it was possible to control the preferential orientation as <0001> or <1010>, both interesting for piezoelectric applications. The growth mechanisms that conducted to film microstructure development under different process conditions were explained, enriched by the comparison with a physical vapor deposition sputtering technique. The obtained films were characterized in their piezoelectric performance, including the construction of surface acoustic wave devices and bulk acoustic wave devices. Adequate piezoelectric response and acoustic velocities were obtained for <0001> oriented films, while <1010> oriented films did not show piezoelectric response under the configurations essayed. An extensive analysis was done in order to explain these behaviors
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Knight, Patrick J. "Nitride formation at silicon surfaces." Thesis, University of Southampton, 1992. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.238903.
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Taylor, Matthew Bruce, and matthew taylor@rmit edu au. "A Study of Aluminium Nitride and Titanium Vanadium Nitride Thin Films." RMIT University. Applied Science, 2007. http://adt.lib.rmit.edu.au/adt/public/adt-VIT20080529.151820.
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Thin film coatings are used to improve the properties of components and products in such diverse areas as tool coatings, wear resistant biological coatings, miniature integrated electronics, micro-mechanical systems and coatings for optical devices. This thesis focuses on understanding the development of intrinsic stress and microstructure in coatings of the technologically important materials of aluminium nitride (AlN) and titanium vanadium nitride (TiVN) deposited by filtered cathodic arc deposition. Thin films of AlN are fabricated under a variety of substrate bias regimes and at different deposition rates. Constant substrate bias was found to have a significant effect on the stress and microstructure of AlN thin films. At low bias voltages, films form with low stress and no preferred orientation. At a bias voltage of -200 V, the films exhibited the highest compressive stress and contained crystals preferentially oriented with their c axis in the plane of the film. At the highest bias of -350 V, the film forms with low stress yet continue to contain crystallites with their c axis constrained to lie in the plane of the film. These microstructure changes with bias are explained in terms of an energy minimisation model. The application of a pulsed high voltage bias to a substrate was found to have a strong effect on the reduction of intrinsic stress within AlN thin films. A model has been formulated that predicts the stress in terms of the applied voltage and pulsing rate, in terms of treated volumes known as thermal spikes. The greater the bias voltage and the higher the pulse rate, the greater the reduction in intrinsic stress. At high pulsing and bias rates, a strong preference for the c axis to align perpendicular to the substrate is seen. This observation is explained by dynamical effects of the incident ions on the growing film, encouraging channelling and preferential sputtering. For the first time, the effect of the rate of growth on AlN films deposited with high voltage pulsed bias was investigated and found to significantly change the stress and microstructure. The formation of films with highly tensile stress, highly compressive stress and nano-composites of AlN films containing Al clusters were seen. These observations are explained in terms of four distinct growth regions. At low rates, surface diffusion and shadowing causes highly porous structures with tensile stress; increased rates produced Al rich films of low stress; increasing the growth rate further led to a dense AlN film under compressive stress and the highest rates produce dense, low stress, AlN due to increased levels of thermal annealing. Finally this thesis analyses the feasibility of forming ternary alloys of high quality TiVN thin films using a dual cathode filtered cathodic arc. The synthesised films show exceptional hardness (greater than either titanium nitride or vanadium nitride), excellent mixing of the three elements and interesting optical properties. An optimum concentration of 23% V content was found to give the highest stress and hardness.
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Zhang, Xuefei. "Synthesis and Characterization of Zr1-xSixN Thin Film Materials." Fogler Library, University of Maine, 2007. http://www.library.umaine.edu/theses/pdf/ZhangX2007.pdf.
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Anutgan, Mustafa. "Investigation Of Plasma Deposited Boron Nitride Thin Films." Master's thesis, METU, 2007. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12608611/index.pdf.
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Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) thin films are deposited by plasma enhanced
chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). Effects of heat treatment and source gases on
the structure and physical properties are investigated. Chemical bonding is analyzed
in comparison with the better understood isoelectronic carbon compound, graphite. It
seems that the basic difference between h-BN and graphite arises from the different
electronegativities of boron and nitrogen atoms. Optical absorptions in UV-visible
range for crystalline and amorphous structures are outlined. The expressions used for
the evaluation of mechanical stress induced in thin films are derived. The deposited
films are considered to be turbostratic as they do not exhibit the characteristic optical
absorption spectra of a crystal. A new system, stylus profilometer, is implemented
and installed for thin film thickness and mechanical stress measurements. Hydrogen
atom density within the films, estimated from FTIR spectroscopy, is found to be a
major factor affecting the order and mechanical stress of the films. Heat treatment of
the films reduces the hydrogen content, does not affect the optical gap and slightly
increases the Urbach energy probably due to an increased disorder. Increasing the
nitrogen gas flow rate in the source gas results in more ordered films. The virtual
crystal of these films is detected to be unique. Relative bond concentrations of the constituent elements indicate a ternary boron-oxygen-nitrogen structure. The
physical properties of h-BN such as high resistivity and wide band gap seem suitable
for optoelectronic applications such as gate dielectrics in thin film transistors and
light emitting devices in the blue region.
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Joelsson, Torbjörn. "Nanostructural design of transition metal nitride thin films /." Linköping : Dept. of physics and measurement technology, Univ, 2005. http://www.bibl.liu.se/liupubl/disp/disp2005/tek923s.pdf.
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Rodil, Sandra Elizabeth. "Preparation and characterisation of carbon nitride thin films." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2001. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.621017.
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Tsui, Hei Chit Leo. "Characterisation of scandium-based III-nitride thin films." Thesis, Imperial College London, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/43378.
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Wurtzite III-nitrides are widely used in optoelectronic applications. However, the external quantum efficiency of III-nitride-based light emitting diodes in the deep-UV region is extremely low compared to those emitting in the visible region. This problem has motivated the search for better materials that can help. Theoretical calculations predict that alloying ScN and GaN can produce wurtzite-structure semiconducting ScxGa1-xN films with direct band gaps in the UV region and a lattice parameter – band gap relationship that differs significantly from that of the AlxGa1-xN alloys used conventionally. Therefore, this thesis investigates the growth, composition, microstructure and optical properties of ScxGa1-xN thin films. Epitaxial ScxGa1-xN (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.5) thin films were grown using molecular beam epitaxy under metal-rich conditions. The alloy composition was determined by four different techniques. A linear relationship was established between the Sc flux measured in the growth chamber and the Sc content measured by Rutherford backscattering, whereas the compositions measured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were 5–8% lower than that by Rutherford backscattering and information obtained from X-ray and electron diffraction (i.e. the a and c lattice parameters and the c/a ratio) cannot provide a reliable estimation of the Sc content. Structural analysis confirmed that ScxGa1-xN can be stabilised in the wurtzite structure up to x = 0.26 using metal-rich growth conditions, which is in line with theoretical predictions and is significantly greater than the value of x = 0.17 for the ScxGa1-xN films grown under N-rich conditions reported previously. UV-Vis absorption measurements showed that the direct optical band gap of ScxGa1-xN increases from 3.33 eV to 3.89 eV as Sc content increases from x = 0 to x = 0.26. This trend is consistent with theoretical predictions but contradicts the observations reported by other groups. Instead, nanoscale cubic inclusions, revealed by aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy, are responsible for the observed decrease in band gap as the Sc content increases. Finally, valence band offset measurements indicated that type I and type II heterojunctions can be formed by depositing ScxGa1-xN on AlN and on GaN respectively.
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Wang, Yimin. "Reactive Sputter Deposition of Molybdenum Nitride Thin Films." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2002. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1025108562.
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Chan, Chit-yiu. "Nucleation and growth of cubic boron nitride thin films /." access full-text access abstract and table of contents, 2005. http://libweb.cityu.edu.hk/cgi-bin/ezdb/thesis.pl?phd-ap-b19887693a.pdf.
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Thesis (Ph.D.)--City University of Hong Kong, 2005."Submitted to Department of Physics and Materials Science in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy" Includes bibliographical references (leaves 147-154)
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Maranon, Walter. "Characterization of Boron Nitride Thin Films on Silicon (100) Wafer." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2007. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc3942/.
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Cubic boron nitride (cBN) thin films offer attractive mechanical and electrical properties. The synthesis of cBN films have been deposited using both physical and chemical vapor deposition methods, which generate internal residual, stresses that result in delamination of the film from substrates. Boron nitride films were deposited using electron beam evaporation without bias voltage and nitrogen bombardment (to reduce stresses) were characterize using FTIR, XRD, SEM, EDS, TEM, and AFM techniques. In addition, a pin-on-disk tribological test was used to measure coefficient of friction. Results indicated that samples deposited at 400°C contained higher cubic phase of BN compared to those films deposited at room temperature. A BN film containing cubic phase deposited at 400°C for 2 hours showed 0.1 friction coefficient.
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Rissanen, Leena. "Manufacturing and irradiation of thin transition metal nitride films." Doctoral thesis, [S.l. : s.n.], 1999. http://deposit.ddb.de/cgi-bin/dokserv?idn=963553887.
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Todi, Vinit O. "Investigation of reactively sputtered boron carbon nitride thin films." Doctoral diss., University of Central Florida, 2011. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/5069.
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Research efforts have been focused in the development of hard and wear resistant coatings over the last few decades. These protective coatings find applications in the industry such as cutting tools, automobile and machine part etc. Various ceramic thin films like TiN, TiAlN, TiC, SiC and diamond-like carbon (DLC) are examples of the films used in above applications. However, increasing technological and industrial demands request thin films with more complicated and advanced properties. For this purpose, B-C-N ternary system which is based on carbon, boron and nitrogen which exhibit exceptional properties and attract much attention from mechanical, optical and electronic perspectives. Also, boron carbonitride (BCN) thin films contains interesting phases such as diamond, cubic BN (c-BN), hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), B[sub4]C, β-C[sub3]N[sub4]. Attempts have been made to form a material with semiconducting properties between the semi metallic graphite and the insulating h-BN, or to combine the cubic phases of diamond and c-BN (BC[sub2]N heterodiamond) in order to merge the higher hardness of the
diamond with the advantages of c-BN, in particular with its better chemical resistance to iron and oxygen at elevated temperatures. New microprocessor CMOS technologies require interlayer dielectric materials with lower dielectric constant than those used in current technologies to meet RC delay goals and to minimize cross-talk. Silicon oxide or fluorinated silicon oxide (SiOF) materials having dielectric constant in the range of 3.6 to 4 have been used for many technology nodes. In order to meet the aggressive RC delay goals, new technologies require dielectric materials with K<3. BCN shows promise as a low dielectric constant material with good mechanical strength suitable to be used in newer CMOS technologies. For optical applications, the deposition of BCN coatings on polymers is a promising method for protecting the polymer surface against wear and scratching. BCN films have high optical transparency and thus can be used as mask substrates for X-ray lithography. Most of the efforts from different researchers were focused to deposit cubic boron nitride and boron carbide films. Several methods of preparing boron carbon nitride films have been reported, such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma assisted CVD, pulsed laser ablation and ion beam deposition. Very limited studies could be found focusing on the effect of nitrogen incorporation into boron carbide structure by sputtering. In this work, the deposition and haracterization of amorphous thin films of boron carbon nitride (BCN) is reported. The BCN thin films were deposited by radio frequency (rf) magnetron sputtering system. The BCN films were deposited by sputtering from a high purity B[sub4]C target with the incorporation of nitrogen gas in the sputtering ambient. Films of different compositions were deposited by varying the ratios of argon and nitrogen gas in the sputtering ambient. Investigation of the oxidation kinetics of these materials was performed to study high temperature compatibility of the material. Surface characterization of the deposited films was performed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and optical profilometry. Studies reveal that the chemical state of the films is highly sensitive to nitrogen flow ratios during sputtering. Surface analysis shows that smooth and uniform BCN films can be produced using this technique. Carbon and nitrogen content in the films seem to be sensitive to annealing temperatures. However depth profile studies reveal certain stoichiometric compositions to be stable after high temperature anneal up to 700ºC. Electrical and optical characteristics are also investigated with interesting results. The optical band gap of the films ranged from 2.0 eV - 3.1 eV and increased with N[sub2]/Ar gas flow ratio except at the highest ratio. The optical band gap showed an increasing trend when annealed at higher temperatures. The effect of deposition temperature on the optical and chemical compositions of the BCN films was also studied. The band gap increased with the deposition temperature and the films deposited at 500[degrees]C had the highest band gap. Dielectric constant was calculated from the Capacitance-Voltage curves obtained for the MOS structures with BCN as the insulating material. Aluminum was used as the top electrode and the substrate was p-type Si. Effect of N[sub2]/Ar gas flow ratio and annealing on the values of dielectric constant was studied and the dielectric constant of 2.5 was obtained for the annealed BCN films. This by far is the lowest value of dielectric constant reported for BCN film deposited by sputtering. Lastly, the future research work on the BCN films that will be carried out as a part of the dissertation is proposed.ID: 030422822; System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader.; Mode of access: World Wide Web.; Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Central Florida, 2011.; Includes bibliographical references (p. 112-130).
Ph.D.
Doctorate
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Engineering and Computer Science
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LeClair, Patrick R. (Patrick Royce) 1976. "Titanium nitride thin films by the electron shower process." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/50025.
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Gunasekar, Naresh Kumar. "Electron channelling contrast imaging of nitride semiconductor thin films." Thesis, University of Strathclyde, 2012. http://oleg.lib.strath.ac.uk:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=18575.
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This work reports on the development of a scanning electron microscopy based technique known as electron channelling contrast imaging for characterising extended defects in nitride semiconductors. Extended defects in nitride semiconductors act as scattering centres for light and charge carriers and thus limit the performance of optoelectronic devices. Developing the capability to rapidly analyse extended defects, namely threading dislocation and stacking fault densities without any sample preparation represents a real step forward in the development of more efficient nitride-based semiconductor devices. In electron channelling contrast imaging, changes in crystallographic orientation, or changes in lattice constant due to local strain, are revealed by changes in grey scale in an image constructed by monitoring the intensity of backscattered electrons as an electron beam is scanned over a suitably oriented sample. Extremely small orientation changes are detectable, enabling small an gle tilt and rotation boundaries and extended defects to be imaged. Images with a resolution of tens of nanometres are obtainable with electron channelling contrast imaging. Vertical threading dislocations are revealed as spots with black-white contrast in electron channelling contrast imaging. A simple geometric procedure was developed which exploits the differences observed in the direction of this black-white contrast for screw, edge, and mixed dislocations for two electron channelling contrast images acquired from two symmetrically equivalent crystal planes. By using this procedure, an order of magnitude reduction in the time required to obtain quantitative information on dislocations is envisaged compared to the presently available techniques. The use of electron channelling contrast imaging to reveal and characterise basal plane stacking faults and partial dislocations in m-InGaN thin films and quantifying threading dislocations in InAlN thin films is also demonstrated. Preliminary work on combining electron channelling contrast imaging and cathodoluminescence imaging has been demonstrated for the first time to understand the effect of threading dislocations on light emission characteristics in nitride semiconductors.
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Fager, Hanna. "Growth and Characterization of Amorphous Multicomponent Nitride Thin Films." Doctoral thesis, Linköpings universitet, Tunnfilmsfysik, 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-106576.
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This thesis explores deposition of amorphous thin films based on the two transition metal nitride systems, TiN and HfN. Additions of Si, Al and B have been investigated using three different deposition techniques: dc magnetron sputtering, cathodic arc evaporation, and high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HIPIMS). The effect of elemental composition, bonding structure, growth temperature, and low-energy ion bombardment during growth has been investigated and correlated to the resulting microstructure and mechanical properties of the films. The thermal stability has been investigated by annealing experiments. Deposition by cathodic arc evaporation yields dense and homogeneous coatings with essentially fully electron-diffraction amorphous structures with additions of either Al+Si, B+Si or B+Al+Si to TiN. The B-containing coatings have unusually few macroparticles. Annealing experiments show that Ti-Al-Si-N coatings have an age hardening behavior, which is not as clear for B-containing coatings. Compositional layering, due to rotation of the sample fixture during deposition, is present but not always visible in the as-deposited state. The layering acts as a template for renucleation during annealing. The coatings recrystallize by growth of TiN-rich domains. Amorphous growth by conventional dc magnetron sputtering is possible over a wide range of compositions for Ti-B-Si-N thin films. The Ti content in the films is reduced compared to the content in the sputtering target. Without Si, the films consist of a BN onion-like structure surrounding TiN nanograins. With additions of Si the films eventually grows fully amorphous. The growth temperature has only minor effect on the microstructure, due to the limited surface diffusion at the investigated temperature range (100-600 °C). Ion assisted growth leads to nanoscale densification of the films and improved mechanical properties. Ti-B-Si-N thin films are also deposited by a hybrid technique where dc magnetron sputtering is combined with HIPIMS. Here, the Ti:B ratio remains equal to the target composition. Films with low Si content are porous with TiN nanograins separated by BN-rich amorphous channels and have low hardness. Increasing Si contents yield fully electron-amorphous films with higher hardness. Finally, Hf-Al-Si-N single-layer and multilayer films are grown by dc magnetron sputtering from a single Hf-Al-Si target. Amorphous growth is achieved when the growth temperature was kept at its minimum. Low-energy substrate bias modulation is used to grow nanocomposite/nanocolumnar multilayers from the single Hf-Al-Si target, where the layers has essentially the same composition but different Si bonding structure, and different degree of crystallinity.
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Kerdsongpanya, Sit. "Design of Transition-Metal Nitride Thin Films for Thermoelectrics." Doctoral thesis, Linköpings universitet, Tunnfilmsfysik, 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-117760.
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Thermoelectric devices are one of the promising energy harvesting technologies, because of their ability to convert heat (temperature gradient) to electricity by the Seebeck effect. Furthermore, thermoelectric devices can be used for cooling or heating by the inverse effect (Peltier effect). Since this conversion process is clean, with no emission of greenhouse gases during the process, this technology is attractive for recovering waste heat in automobiles or industries into usable electricity. However, the conversion efficiency of such devices is rather low due to fundamental materials limitations manifested through the thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT). Thus, there is high demand on finding materials with high ZT or strategies to improve ZT of materials. In this thesis, I discuss the basics of thermoelectrics and how to improve ZT of materials, including present-day strategies. Based on these ideas, I propose a new class of materials for thermoelectric applications: transition-metal nitrides, mainly ScN, CrN and their solid solutions. Here, I employed both experimental and theoretical methods to synthesize and study their thermoelectric properties. My study envisages ways for improving the thermoelectric figure of merit of ScN and possible new materials for thermoelectric applications. The results of my studies show that ScN is a promising thermoelectric material since it exhibits high thermoelectric power factor 2.5x10-3 Wm-1K-2 at 800 K, due to low metallic-like electrical resistivity while retained relatively large Seebeck coefficient. My studies on thermal conductivity of ScN also suggest a possibility to control thermal conductivity by tailoring the microstructure of ScN thin films. Furthermore, my theoretical studies on effects of impurities and stoichiometry on the electronic structure of ScN suggest the possibly to improve ScN ZT by stoichiometry tuning and doping. For CrN and Cr1-xScxN solid solution thin films, the results show that the power factor of CrN (8x10-4 Wm-1K-2 at 770 K) can be retained for the solid solution Cr0.92Sc0.08N. Finally, density functional theory was used to enable a systematic predictionbased strategy for optimizing ScN thermoelectric properties via phase stability of solid solutions. Sc1-xGdxN and Sc1-xLuxN are stabilized as disordered solid solutions, while in the Sc-Nb-N and Sc-Ta-N systems, the inherently layered ternary structures ScNbN2 and ScTaN2 are stable.Sedan den industriella revolutionen har fossila bränslen varit vår huvudkälla till energi i motorer för transport, elproduktion och uppvärmning av byggnader. Eftersom mänskligheten och vår teknik växer för varje år som går, fortsätter efterfrågan på fossila bränslen att öka. Med tanke på att fossila bränslen inte är förnybara, riskerar vi att de tar slut. Dessutom är resultatet av denna ständiga förbränning av fossila bränslen generering av växthusgaser, t.ex. kolmonoxid och koldioxid, som orsakar klimatförändringar, som ett ytterligare problem. Således finns det ett ökande behov av nya former av energikällor som kan ersätta fossila bränslen. För närvarande finns det olika typer av tekniker för förnybar energi som solceller, vätgasteknik (bränsleceller), vindkraftverk, vattenkraft, etc. Ett annat koncept som har studerats är energiåtervinning, vilket innebär att fånga eller lagra spillenergi och förvandla det till användbar energi. Spillenergi är den energi, oftast värmeförluster, som förloras i generatorer, vibrationer från motorer, och så vidare. Ungefär 60% av den ursprungliga energin avges som spillvärme. Om vi kan återvinna all denna förlust till användbar energi igen, kan vi spara stora mängder bränslen utsläppen av koldioxid kommer att minska. Med hänsyn till dessa krav, så är termoelektriska komponenter intressanta kandidater. En termoelektriska komponent är tillverkad av material som direkt återvinner värme (en temperaturgradient) till elektrisk energi utan utsläpp av växthusgaser. De kan också kyla genom den omvända processen, när de genererar en temperaturgradient från en pålagd ström. Detta innebär att de kyler utan rörliga delar eller något kylmedel som kan orsaka miljöproblem. Verkningsgraden är emellertid låg, för närvarande 10% -15%, dessutom är de flesta av dagens termoelektriska material giftiga. Jag har därför studerat en ny klass av material, övergångsmetallnitrider, som en kandidat för termoelektriska tillämpningar. Övergångsmetallnitrider är kända för sina utmärkta mekaniska egenskaper, de används till exempel som beläggningar på skärverktyg i syfte att förbättra prestanda och livslängd. De uppvisar ocksåolika elektriska egenskaper (metaller, halvledare och supraledare). Min studie är inriktad på att förstå de termoelektriska egenskaperna hos övergångsmetallnitrider, främst skandiumnitrid och kromnitrid. Resultaten visar att båda materialen kan vara bra kandidater för termoelektriska tillämpningar.
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Law, Ka Cheong. "Temperature parameter at synthesis of cubic boron nitride films." access abstract and table of contents access full-text, 2005. http://libweb.cityu.edu.hk/cgi-bin/ezdb/dissert.pl?msc-ap-b21174477a.pdf.
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Thesis (M.Sc.)--City University of Hong Kong, 2005.At head of title: City University of Hong Kong, Department of Physics and Materials Science, Master of Science in materials engineering & nanotechnology dissertation. Title from title screen (viewed on Sept. 1, 2006) Includes bibliographical references.
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Maranon, Walter Nasrazadani Seifollah. "Characterization of boron nitride thin films on silicon (100) wafers." [Denton, Tex.] : University of North Texas, 2007. http://digital.library.unt.edu/permalink/meta-dc-3942.
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Ribeiro, A. Tome. "A study of the i-transition in rf-sputtered titanium nitride films." Thesis, Cranfield University, 1990. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.386196.
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Farrell, Ian Laurence. "Growth of Metal-Nitride Thin Films by Pulsed Laser Deposition." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Physics and Astronomy, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/5011.
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The growth of thin-film metal nitride materials from elemental metal targets by plasma-assisted pulsed laser deposition (PLD) has been explored and analysed.
A new UHV PLD growth system has been installed and assembled and its system elements were calibrated. A series of GaN thin films have been grown to calibrate the system. In-situ RHEED indicated that the films were single crystal and that growth proceeded in a three-dimensional fashion. SEM images showed heavy particulation of film surfaces that was not in evidence for later refractory metal nitride films. This may be connected to the fact that Ga targets were liquid while refractory metals were solid. Most GaN films were not continuous due to insufficient laser fluence. Continuous films did not exhibit photoluminescence.
HfN films have been grown by PLD for the first time. Films grown have been shown to have high reflectivity in the visible region and low resistivity. These factors, along with their crystal structure, make them suitable candidates to be used as back-contacts in GaN LEDs and could also serve as buffer layers to enable the integration of GaN and Si technologies. Growth factors affecting the films’ final properties have been investigated. Nitrogen pressure, within the operating range of the plasma source, has been shown to have little effect on HfN films. Substrate temperature has been demonstrated to have more influence on the films’ properties, with 500 °C being established as optimum. ZrN films have also been grown by PLD. Early results indicated that they exhibit reflectivities 50 % ± 5 % lower than those of HfN. However, further growth and characterisation would be required in order to establish this as a fundamental property of ZrN as nitride targets were mostly used in ZrN production.
Single-crystal epitaxial GdN and SmN films have been produced by PLD. This represents an improvement in the existing quality of GdN films reported in the literature, which are mostly polycrystalline. In the case of SmN, these are the first epitaxial films of this material to be grown. Film quality has been monitored in-situ by RHEED which has allowed growth to be tailored to produce ever-higher crystal quality. Post-growth analyses by collaborators was also of assistance in improving film growth. Substrate temperatures and nitrogen plasma parameters have been adjusted to find optimum values for each. In addition, laser fluence has been altered to minimise the presence of metal particulates in the films, which interfere with magnetic measurements carried out in analyses. Capping layers of Cr, YSZ or AlN have been deposited on the GdN and SmN prior to removal from vacuum to prevent their degradation upon exposure to atmospheric water vapour. The caps have been steadily improved over the course of this work, extending the lifetime of the nitride films in ambient. However, they remain volatile and this may persist since water vapour can enter the film at the edge regardless of capping quality. Optical transmission has shown an onset of absorption at 1.3 eV for GdN and 1.0 eV for SmN.
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Schmidt, Susann. "Carbon Nitride and Carbon Fluoride Thin Films Prepared by HiPIMS." Doctoral thesis, Linköpings universitet, Tunnfilmsfysik, 2013. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-90912.
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The present thesis focuses on carbon based thin films prepared by high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) and direct current magnetron sputtering (DCMS). Carbon nitride (CNx: 0 < x < 0.20) as well as carbon fluoride (CFx: 0.16 < x < 0.35) thin films were synthesized in an industrial deposition chamber by reactive magnetron sputtering of graphite in Ne/N2, Ar/N2, Kr/N2, Ar/CF4, and Ar/C4F8 ambients. In order to increase the understanding of the deposition processes of C in the corresponding reactive gas mixture plasmas, ion mass spectroscopy was carried out. A detailed evaluation of target current and target voltage waveforms was performed when graphite was sputtered in HiPIMS mode. First principle calculations targeting the growth of CFx thin films revealed most probable film forming species as well as CFx film structure defining defects. In order to set different process parameters into relation with thin film properties, the synthesized carbon based thin films were characterized with regards to their chemical composition, chemical bonding, and microstructure. A further aspect was the thin film characterization for possible applications. For this, mainly nanoindentation and contact angle measurements were performed. Theoretical calculations and the results from the characterization of the deposition processes were successfully related to the thin film properties. The reactive graphite/N2/inert gas HiPIMS discharge yielded high ion energies as well as elevated C+ and N+ abundances. Under such conditions, amorphous CNx thin films with hardnesses of up to 40 GPa were deposited. Elastic, fullerene like CNx thin films, on the other hand, were deposited at increased substrate temperatures in HiPIMS discharges exhibiting moderate ion energies. Here, a pulse assisted chemical sputtering at the target and the substrate was found to support the formation of a fullerene-like microstructure. CFx thin films were found to have surface energies equivalent to super-hydrophobic materials for x > 0.26 while such films were polymeric in nature accounting for hardnesses below 1 GPa. Whereas, an amorphous structure for carbon-based films with fluorine contents ranging between 16 % and 23 % was observed. For those films, the hardness increased with decreasing fluorine content and ranged between 16 GPa and 4 GPa. The HiPIMS process in fluorinecontaining atmosphere was found to be a powerful tool in order to change the surface properties of carbon based thin films.
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Mangin, Weston T. "Nanoindentation Techniques for the Evaluation of Silicon Nitride Thin Films." DigitalCommons@CalPoly, 2016. https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/theses/1690.
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Silicon nitride thin films are of interest in the biomedical engineering field due to their biocompatibility and favorable tribological properties. Evaluation and understanding of the properties of these films under diverse loading and failure conditions is a necessary prerequisite to their use in biomedical devices. Three wafers of silicon nitride-coated silicon were obtained from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and used to create 96 samples. Samples were subjected to nanoindentation testing to evaluate the mechanical properties of the film. Samples were subjected to nanoimpact testing to compare the damage resistance of the film to separate nanoimpact types. Samples were subjected to nanoscratch testing to evaluate the consistency of the critical load of the film. Results showed that there were no significant differences in the mechanical properties of the film across the tested groups. There was a significant difference observed in the rate of damage to the film between pendulum oscillation nanoimpact testing and sample oscillation nanoimpact testing, with the former causing more damage with all experiment variables controlled for. Results showed that the critical load measure for the film was significantly different between different nanoscratch test parameters. The conclusions from this study will support future work for in vitro and in vivo testing of ceramic thin films for biomedical applications.
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Lorenzzi, Jean Carlos da Conceição. "Boron nitride thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering on Si3N4." Master's thesis, Universidade de Aveiro, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10773/2307.
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Mestrado em Ciência e Engenharia de MateriaisO Nitreto de boro é um material polimorfo, sendo as fases hexagonal (h-BN) ecúbicas (c-BN) as predominantes. A fase hexagonal do nitreto de boro apresenta uma estrutura em camadas sp2, semelhante a grafite, enquanto que a fase cúbica do nitreto de boro tem forte ligações sp3, como o diamante. O h- BN apresenta boas propriedades dieléctricas, é um material refractário, resistente a corrosão, é conhecido por ser um lubrificante sólido que tem aplicações na protecção de moldes de injecção e em outros processos mecânicos de elevadas temperaturas ou lubrificação em ambientes de elevada humidade. Contudo, o h-BN é extremamente macio. Em contraste, o c-BN apresenta excelentes propriedades térmicas, eléctricas e ópticas, sendo ainda um dos materiais conhecidos com dureza mais elevada (70 GPa). Além disso, c-BN apresenta propriedades superiores em relação ao diamante quando aplicado em ferramentas de corte na maquinagem de materiais ferrosos, devido a sua alta estabilidade química a altas temperaturas durante a maquinagem. Essa combinação de propriedades faz dele um forte candidato no campo das ferramentas de corte e em dipositivos electrónicos. No presente trabalho, filmes finos de nitreto de boro foram depositados por DC e RF magnetron sputtering, utilizando alvos de B4C e h-BN prensados a quente, numa atmosfera de deposição contituída por misturas de Ar e N2. Os filmes finos de BN foram depositados simultâneamente em dois tipos de substratos: cerâmicos de Si3N4 com diferentes acabamentos superficiais e em discos de Si(100). A influência dos parâmetros de deposição, tais como a temperatura do substrato, composição da atmosfera de deposição na espessura dos filmes, taxa de deposição, cristalinidade, tensão residual, fases presentes e dureza, foram sistematicamente investigados usando técnicas como, SEM, XRD, FT-IR e nanodureza. O h-BN foi a principal fase observada nas análises dos espectros de FT-IR e nos difractogramas de XRD. O estado de tensão dos filmes finos de BN films é estremamente afectado pela temperatura do substrato, composição do gás de trabalho e pelo acabamento superficial dos substratos. O estudo da influência da temperatura mostraram que a taxa de deposição aumenta com o aumento da temperatura do substrato. Tensões residuais elevadas ocorrem para altas concentrações de árgon e para substratos polidos em suspensão de diamante 15 μm. Nos espectros de FT-IR, a forma das bandas de vibração variam de uma forma alargada para uma configuração estreita, correspondendo a uma menor desordem da fase hexagonal do BN, devido a variação da composição da atmosfera de deposição. Os valores de dureza obtidos estão numa faixa que vai desde os valores do h-BN macio (6 GPa) até valores próximos dos limites encontrados para filmes contendo a fase cúbica (16 GPa ), acima de 40%. ABSTRACT: Boron nitride is a polymorphic material, the hexagonal (h-BN) and the cubic (c- BN) being its main crystalline structure. The hexagonal boron nitride has a layered sp2-bonded structure, similar to graphite, while the cubic boron nitride has a hard sp3-bonded diamond-like structure. h-BN presents good dielectric properties, refractoriness, corrosion-resistant characteristics, low friction and low wear rate, and it is a well-known solid lubricant which has wide applications in metal-forming dies and other metal working processes at high temperatures or lubrication in high relative humidity environments. However, h-BN is mechanically soft. In contrast, c-BN presents excellent thermal, electrical and optical properties, with a hardness up to 70 GPa. Moreover, c-BN is superior to diamond as cutting tool for ferrous materials due to its high thermal chemical stability during machining. In the present work, thin films of boron nitride have been deposited by D.C. and R.F. magnetron sputtering from hot-pressed B4C and h-BN targets, using mixtures of Ar and N2, as working gases. The BN thin films were deposited simultaneously on two different substrates: Si3N4 ceramics with different surface finishing and Si(100) wafers. The influence of parameters such as substrate temperature and working gas composition ratio, on film thickness, deposition rate, cristallinity, residual stress, phase composition and hardness, were systematically investigated using techniques like SEM, XRD, FT-IR and nanohardness. h-BN was the main observed phase. The stress-state of the thin BN films is largely affected by the substrate temperature, working gas composition and the substrate surface finishing. The substrate temperature studies show that the deposition rate increases with an increasing of the substrate temperature. Large high residual stresses are developed for higher argon ratios and for substrate finishing with 15 μm diamond paste. In the FT-IR spectra, the shape of the vibration band changes from broad to narrow, corresponding to a less disorder h-BN phase, due to the working gas composition. The hardness values obtained are typical in the range of a soft h-BN (6 GPa) to values approaching the limit of the range reported for films containing a fraction of cubic phase (16 GPa ) up to 40%.
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Li, Zhiying. "Microbridge tests on galium[sic] nitride and parylene-c thin films /." View abstract or full-text, 2010. http://library.ust.hk/cgi/db/thesis.pl?MECH%202010%20LI.
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Chan, Victory Tak Wah. "Temperature parameter at synthesis of cubic boron nitride films by chemical vapor desposition." access abstract and table of contents access full-text, 2005. http://libweb.cityu.edu.hk/cgi-bin/ezdb/dissert.pl?msc-ap-b21173989a.pdf.
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Thesis (M.Sc.)--City University of Hong Kong, 2005.At head of title: City University of Hong Kong, Department of Physics and Materials Science, Master of Science in materials engineering & nanotechnology dissertation. Title from title screen (viewed on Aug. 31, 2006) Includes bibliographical references.
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Fong, Tsz Wang. "Surface roughness parameter at synthesis of cubic boron nitride films." access abstract and table of contents access full-text, 2005. http://libweb.cityu.edu.hk/cgi-bin/ezdb/dissert.pl?msc-ap-b21174143a.pdf.
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Thesis (M.Sc.)--City University of Hong Kong, 2005.At head of title: City University of Hong Kong, Department of Physics and Materials Science, Master of Science in materials engineering & nanotechnology dissertation. Title from title screen (viewed on Aug. 31, 2006) Includes bibliographical references.
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Eyhusen, Sören. "Phase formation processes in the synthesis of boron nitride thin films." [S.l.] : [s.n.], 2005. http://webdoc.sub.gwdg.de/diss/2005/eyhusen.
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Awan, Shamshad Akhtar. "Electrical properties of RF magnetron-sputtered insulating silicon nitride thin films." Thesis, Keele University, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.311646.
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Si3N4 thin films were prepared by RF magnetron sputtering using N2 or Ar as the sputtering gas. The films were amorphous, with the deposition rate for Ar-sputtered films increasing with RF power and Ar pressure. Sandwich samples having both Al and Au electrodes were prepared. Capacitancevoltage measurements indicated that the contacts for Nj-sputtcred samples were ohmic, while Ar-sputtered samples with Al electrodes exhibited depletion regions. Values of the relative permittivity of 6.3 (AI electrodes) and 6.8 (Au electrodes) were determined from geometric capacitance variations in Ny-sputrered films. Current density-voltage characteristics normally showed ohmic and space charge limited conductivity with trap levels distributed exponentially within the insulator band gap, but exceptionally in N2-sputtered films with Au electrodes electroforming behaviour was observed, with Poole-Frenkel conductivity in the preformed region. Hopping was dominant at low temperatures. AC conductivity was higher for Ar-sputtering, and with Au electrodes. These effects were related to the possible structure of the films, and the diffusion of Au. AC conductivity increased with increasing frequency and temperature, appearing to be via a free band process at high temperatures and hopping at low temperatures. Plausible values of the density of localised states were deri ved using Elliott's model, but this could not be considered uni versally applicable. Loss tangent was also frequency and temperature dependent in Ny-sputtered films, showing a minimum value which shifted towards higher frequencies with increasing temperature. In Ar-sputtered samples minima were not observed in the frequency range covered. The model of Goswami and Goswami appears consistent with these results, particularly in the former case. Variations in the loss tangent values with the sputtering gas and electrode species were consistent with the observed conducti vity variations. Optical properties were also investigated. In Ar-sputtered films, the optical band-gap appeared narrower and the optical absorption higher than for Ny-sputtered films, and a direct transition was also identified. Values of the electrical properties determined for such sputtered films are comparable to those prepared using more sophisticated methods, particularly in the case of Nj-sputtered films. Sputtering may therefore prove useful in semiconductor processing, where a relatively inexpensive method of deposition is required.
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Long, Yi. "Hardness of nitride thin films made by ionised magnetron sputter deposition." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2005. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.614990.
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Gharavi, Mohammad Amin. "Nitride Thin Films for Thermoelectric Applications : Synthesis, Characterization and Theoretical Predictions." Licentiate thesis, Linköpings universitet, Tunnfilmsfysik, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-136533.
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Thermoelectrics is the reversible process which transforms a temperature gradient across a material into an external voltage through a phenomenon known as the Seebeck effect. This has resulted in niche applications such as solid-state cooling for electronic and optoelectronic devices which exclude the need for a coolant or any moving parts and long-lasting, maintenance-free radioisotope thermoelectric generators used for deep-space exploration. However, the high price and low efficiency of thermoelectric generators have prompted scientists to search for new materials and/or methods to improve the efficiency of the already existing ones. Thermoelectric efficiency is governed by the dimensionless figure of merit 𝑧𝑇, which depends on the electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity and Seebeck coefficient value of the material and has rarely surpassed unity. In order to address these issues, research conducted on early transition metal nitrides spearheaded by cubic scandium nitride (ScN) thin films showed promising results with high power factors close to 3000 μWm−1K−2 at 500 °C. In this thesis, rock-salt cubic chromium nitride (CrN) deposited in the form of thin films by reactive magnetron sputtering was chosen for its large Seebeck coefficient of approximately -200 μV/K and low thermal conductivity between 2 and 4 Wm−1K−1. The results show that CrN in single crystal form has a low electrical resistivity below 1 mΩcm, a Seebeck coefficient value of -230 μV/K and a power factor close to 5000 μWm−1K−2 at room temperature. These promising results could lead to CrN based thermoelectric modules which are cheaper and more stable compared to traditional thermoelectric material such as bismuth telluride (Bi2Te3) and lead telluride (PbTe). In addition, the project resulting this thesis was prompted to investigate prospective ternary nitrides equivalent to ScN with (hopefully) better thermoelectric properties. Scandium nitride has a relatively high thermal conductivity value (close to 10 Wm−1K−1), resulting in a low 𝑧𝑇. A hypothetical ternary equivalent to ScN may have a similar electronic band structure and large power factor, but with a lower thermal conductivity value leading to better thermoelectric properties. Thus the elements magnesium, titanium, zirconium and hafnium were chosen for this purpose. DFT calculations were used to simulate TiMgN2, ZrMgN2 and HfMgN2. The results show the MeMgN2 stoichiometry to be stable, with two rivaling crystal structures: trigonal NaCrS2 and monoclinic LiUN2.The series name Linköping Studies in Science and Technology Licentiate Thesis is incorrect. The correct series name is Linköping Studies in Science and Technology Thesis.
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Spitsyn, Alexey B. "Crystallization of diamond and diamond-like nitride films from gas phase /." free to MU campus, to others for purchase, 2003. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/mo/fullcit?p3099640.
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Piggins, Nicholas. "A study of the optical and electronic properties of amorphous silicon nitride." Thesis, University of Leicester, 1988. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/35764.
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Amorphous a-SiNx (:H) films have been prepared by radio-frequency sputtering in an argon-nitrogen-hydrogen atmosphere. Both hydrogenated and non-hydrogenated films were studied along with films prepared by the glow-discharge decomposition of a gaseous mixture of silane and ammonia. Photoemission experiments were performed on the sputtered samples. The position and strength of the core levels were determined, along with the plasma energies as a function of x. A comprehensive study of the number and types of defects present within a-SiN(:H) was undertaken. Films sputtered at room temperature and at 200°C, both with and without hydrogen, were studied along with films prepared by the glow-discharge technique. The results obtained are discussed in the light of existing models. Certain characteristic energies obtainable from optical data have been found for hydrogenated and non-hydrogenated films. These results are then related to other experimental results, in particular those from photoemission measurements. Reflection measurements have been made in the range 0.5eV to 12eV on the sputtered and glow-discharge films. From the reflection measurements e2 spectra were determined by Kramers-Kronig analysis. The dependence of the optical joint density of states with alloying was found from the data. It was found from these measurements that the top of the valence band gradually changes from Si3p states to N 2p states.
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Chang, Ko-Min. "Two-carrier charge trapping and dielectric breakdown in thin silicon nitride films /." The Ohio State University, 1985. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1487262825076869.
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Chong, Yat Ming. "The study of cubic boron nitride/diamond composite films for sensing and mechanical applications /." access full-text access abstract and table of contents, 2009. http://libweb.cityu.edu.hk/cgi-bin/ezdb/thesis.pl?phd-ap-b23749003f.pdf.
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Thesis (Ph.D.)--City University of Hong Kong, 2009."Submitted to Department of Physics and Materials Science in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 127-136)
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Kabulski, Adam. "Aluminum nitride thin films and structures for piezoelectric microelectromechanical systems (PMEMS) applications." Morgantown, W. Va. : [West Virginia University Libraries], 2008. https://eidr.wvu.edu/etd/documentdata.eTD?documentid=5952.
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Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2008.Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vi, 70 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 67-70).
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Sadowski, Grzegorz. "Multicomponent TiNbCrAl nitride films produced by DCMS and HiPIMS." Thesis, Linköpings universitet, Tunnfilmsfysik, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-174701.
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High entropy alloys (HEAs) are made of at least five principal elements in near-equimolar proportions. The vast number of possible alloys and unconventional combinations of properties are the main benefits of HEAs. Ti, Nb, Cr, Al and N were chosen in order to create a hard, corrosion resistant coating with good thermal stability. TiNbCrAl multicomponent nitride thin films with Ti content between 0 to 14.4 at.% were deposited using multi-magnetron reactive high power impulse magnetron sputtering (R-HiPIMS) to investigate the feasibility of this method and to study how the Ti content affects the properties of the film. The samples deposited using reactive direct current magnetron sputtering (R-DCMS) were used as benchmarks. The settings required for near-equimolar composition were fixed, with Ti magnetron power as the only variable. Substrate was grounded and not intentionally heated. The composition of HiPIMS samples was more stable while the DCMS samples had significant fluctuations in Al and N content when varying the Ti target power, and were understoichiometric in nitrogen, (T iCrN bAl)1N1−δ, due to low degree of ionization of N. All crystalline samples had NaCl-type fcc structure. Crystalline DCMS samples were (111) textured, while the higher ionization characteristic for HiPIMS resulted in samples with competitive growth between two growth directions. The energetic particle bombardment caused the columnar structure of the film to be denser and less jagged, while DCMS samples containing Ti were significantly more porous. Denser, harder and stiffer films with significantly higher compressive stress were produced with HiPIMS. The hardness and stiffness were almost linearly dependent on Ti content, with density slightly decreasing as the Ti content increased. Higher Ti content increased the rate of corrosion of the films.
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Jehanathan, Neerushana. "Thermal stability of plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposited silicon nitride thin films." University of Western Australia. School of Mechanical Engineering, 2007. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2007.0069.
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[Truncated abstract] This study investigates the thermal stability of Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposited (PECVD) silicon nitride thin films. Effects of heat-treatment in air on the chemical composition, atomic bonding structure, crystallinity, mechanical properties, morphological and physical integrity are investigated. The chemical composition, bonding structures and crystallinity are studied by means of X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The mechanical properties, such as hardness and Young’s modulus, are determined by means of nanoindentation. The morphological and physical integrity are analyzed using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) . . . The Young’s modulus (E) and hardness (H) of the film deposited at 448 K were measured to have E=121±1.8 GPa and H=11.7±0.25 GPa. The film deposited at 573 K has E=150±3.6 GPa and H=14.7±0.6 GPa. For the film deposited at 573 K, the Young’s modulus is not affected by heating up to 1148 K. Heating at 1373 K caused significant increase in Young’s modulus to 180∼199 GPa. This is attributed to the crystallization of the film. For the film deposited at 448 K, the Young’s modulus showed a moderate increase, by ∼10%, after heating to above 673 K. This is consistent with the much lower level of crystallization in this film as compared to the film deposited at 573 K. In summary, low temperature deposited PECVD SiNx films are chemically and structurally unstable when heated in air to above 673 K. The main changes include oxidation to SiO2, crystallization of Si3N4 and physical cracking. The film deposited at 573 K is more stable and damage and oxidation resistant than the film deposited at 448 K.
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Bamber, Matthew Joseph. "The structural and mechanical properties of transition metal nitride multilayer thin films." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2005. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.492041.
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Archer, Lucy Elizabeth. "Optical properties of ultra-thin niobium nitride films for single photon detectors." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/112044.
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Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Physics, 2017.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 75-78).
In this thesis I made a study of the properties of reactively sputtered ultra-thin films of niobium nitride (NbN) and niobium titanium nitride (NbTiN). Using Variable Angle Spectral Ellipsometry (VASE), I found that the optical properties of NbN films appear to have a critical thickness above which the optical parameters stabilize. I also found that the deposition process has better stability over time for thicker films than for thinner ones; that is, when films are deposited weeks apart, the thinner films show more variation in thickness and optical properties than do the thicker films. The data also suggest that the crystallinity of the substrate upon which the NbN is deposited has a significant effect on the optical parameters. The set of films deposited for the optical study was also tested against a universal scaling law for thin film superconductors, which seems to support the existence of the critical thickness, below which the properties change significantly and do not conform to the power law scaling that holds for thicker films. Finally, I explored recipes for depositing NbTiN with our sputtering system, in the hope of creating films that have better properties than NbN to be used in device manufacturing. I was able to create films with the same properties as our current NbN films with minimal optimization, and further work in this area should result in NbTiN films that are better than our NbN films.
by Lucy Elizabeth Archer.
S.M.
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Johnson, Saccha Ellen. "Atmospheric pressure chemical vapour deposition of titanium nitride from titanium tetrachloride and ammonia." Thesis, University of Southampton, 1996. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.242208.
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Liljeholm, Lina. "Reactive Sputter Deposition of Functional Thin Films." Doctoral thesis, Uppsala universitet, Fasta tillståndets elektronik, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-175666.
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Thin film technology is of great significance for a variety of products, such as electronics, anti-reflective or hard coatings, sensors, solar cells, etc. This thesis concerns the synthesis of thin functional films, reactive magnetron sputter deposition process as such and the physical and functional characterization of the thin films synthesized. Characteristic for reactive sputtering processes is the hysteresis due to the target poisoning. One particular finding in this work is the elimination of the hysteresis by means of a mixed nitrogen/oxygen processing environment for dual sputtering of Alumina-Zirconia thin films. For a constant moderate flow of nitrogen, the hysteresis could be eliminated without significant incorporation of nitrogen in the films. It is concluded that optimum processing conditions for films of a desired composition can readily be estimated by modeling. The work on reactively sputtered SiO2–TiO2 thin films provides guidelines as to the choice of process parameters in view of the application in mind, by demonstrating that it is possible to tune the refractive index by using single composite Six/TiO2 targets with the right composition and operating in a suitable oxygen flow range. The influence of the target composition on the sputter yield is studied for reactively sputtered titanium oxide films. It is shown that by using sub-stoichiometric targets with the right composition and operating in the proper oxygen flow range, it is possible to increase the sputter rate and still obtain stoichiometric coatings. Wurtzite aluminum nitride (w-AlN) thin films are of great interest for electro-acoustic applications and their properties have in recent years been extensively studied. One way to tailor material properties is to vary the composition by adding other elements. Within this thesis (Al,B)N films of the wurtzite structure and a strong c-axis texture have been grown by reactive sputter deposition. Nanoindentation experiments show that the films have nanoindentation hardness in excess of 30 GPa, which is as hard as commercially available hard coatings such as TiN. Electrical properties of w-(Al,B)N thin films were investigated. W-(Al,B)N thin films are found to have a dielectric strength of ~3×106 V/cm, a relatively high k-value around 12 and conduction mechanisms similar to those of AlN. These results serve as basis for further research and applications of w-(Al,B)N thin films. An AlN thin film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR) and a solidly mounted resonator (SMR) together with a microfluidic transport system have been fabricated. The fabrication process is IC compatible and uses reactive sputtering to deposit piezoelectric AlN thin films with a non-zero mean inclination of the c-axis, which allows in-liquid operation through the excitation of the shear mode. The results on IC-compatibility, Q-values, operation frequency and resolution illustrate the potential of this technology for highly sensitive low-cost micro-biosensor systems for applications in, e.g. point-of-care testing.
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Frost, Robert Lewis. "Slow positron annihilation spectroscopy applied to the analysis of the semiconductor, silicide, and titanium nitride structures." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 1990. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/17298.
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Ren, Yuxing. "Experiments on the elastic size dependence of LPCVD silicon nitride /." View abstract or full-text, 2004. http://library.ust.hk/cgi/db/thesis.pl?MECH%202004%20REN.
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Moseley, Michael William. "Study of III-nitride growth kinetics by molecular-beam epitaxy." Diss., Georgia Institute of Technology, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/47641.
Full textAbstract:
Since the initial breakthroughs in structural quality and p-type conductivity in GaN during the late 1980s, the group-III nitride material system has attracted an enormous amount of interest because of its properties and applications in both electronics and optoelectronics. Although blue light-emitting diodes have been commercialized based on this success, much less progress has been made in ultraviolet emitters, green emitters, and photovoltaics. This lack of development has been attributed to insufficient structural and electrical material quality, which is directly linked to the growth of the material. The objective of this work is to expand the understanding of III-nitride growth towards the improvement of current device capabilities and the facilitation of novel device designs.
Group-III nitride thin films are grown by molecular-beam epitaxy in a pulsed, metal-rich environment. The growths of nitride binaries and ternaries are observed in situ by transient reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) intensities, which respond to the behavior of atoms on the growing surface. By analyzing and interpreting these RHEED signatures, a comprehensive understanding of nitride thin film growth is obtained.
The growth kinetics of unintentionally doped GaN by metal-rich MBE are elucidated, and a novel method of in situ growth rate measurement is discovered. This technique is expanded to InN, highlighting the similarity in molecular-beam epitaxy growth kinetics between III-nitride binaries. The growth of Mg-doped GaN is then explored to increase Mg incorporation and electrical activation. The growth of InxGa1-xN alloys are investigated with the goal of eliminating phase separation, which enables single-phase material for use in photovoltaics. Finally, the growth of unintentionally doped and Mg-doped AlGaN is investigated towards higher efficiency light emitting diodes.
These advancements in the understanding of III-nitride growth will address several critical problems and enable devices relying on consistent growth in production, single-phase material, and practical hole concentrations in materials with high carrier activation energies.
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Lung, Kai Chun. "Cubic boron nitride/nanodiamond composite films for the application in SAW devices." access abstract and table of contents access full-text, 2005. http://libweb.cityu.edu.hk/cgi-bin/ezdb/dissert.pl?msc-ap-b21175020a.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (M.Sc.)--City University of Hong Kong, 2005.At head of title: City University of Hong Kong, Department of Physics and Materials Science, Master of Science in materials engineering & nanotechnology dissertation. Title from title screen (viewed on Sept. 4, 2006) Includes bibliographical references.