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A Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM)-based method is suggested to measure the composition of SiGe in 3-D structures using Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy (EELS). The method accounts for the presence of films other than SiGe within the TEM lamella in the electron beam direction. The partial cross section of inelastic scattering of Ge was calibrated using a reference structure, which was earlier analyzed by Electron Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDX) and Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry. The composition of SiGe in the p-FET Fin Field Effect Transistor devices with the overlaying Si oxynitride films was measured as a demonstration of the method. We show that the application of EELS yields smaller measurement errors of the SiGe composition as compared to EDX. The effect of beam damage in thin SiGe films surrounded by Si oxynitride is evaluated and compared to the blanket Si/SiGe structures. The method can be applied to the development of novel devices and state-of-the-art processes where the composition of SiGe plays a critical role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phonon Boltzmann transport equation with the frequency-dependent model is solved numerically to study the thermal conductivity in nanoporous thin film and nanocomposite. Local angle between heat fluxes, defined as the angle between the directions of heat flux component qx and the local heat flux q, is introduced. At a fixed porosity or interface area, the thermal conductivity, local angle distribution, and the average angle of the two-dimensional nanoporous thin films with circular, hexagonal, square, and triangular pores are reported, and the thermal conductivity decreases with the increase in the interface area or porosity. Furthermore, the relationship between the thermal conductivity and average angle is also discussed for the three-dimensional nanoporous thin films with aligned or staggered pores, and silicon-germanium embedded and compacted nanocomposites. All the results show that the nanostructured material with a larger average angle between heat fluxes has a lower thermal conductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Controlling the thermal conductivity of thermoelectric materials continues to be a goal for energy conversion applications. The Phonon Boltzmann Transport Equation is solved by using the Discrete Ordinates Method to numerically study the phonon thermal conductivity of nano-structured silicon thin film with pores in this study. The effects of the film thickness, film porosity, and porous structure are concerned. The numerical results show that the nano-pores are able to reduce the thermal conductivity of the silicon thin film sharply by the phonon boundary scattering, and the scattering boundary area has significant effect on the thermal conductivity. The method of local angle distribution between heat fluxes is introduced for the first time to optimize the pore placement for reducing the thermal conductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses in situ stress evolution of two-component FexPt1-x, where x spanned 0 to 1, alloy thin films. The stresses of the high-temperature, quenched-in, solid solution phase was determined by in situ wafer curvature measurements during ambient temperature growth. The measured stresses were shown to be compositional dependent and spanned both compressive and tensile stress states. Under specific growth conditions, a “zero-stress” state could be achieved. The alloy stress states did not show any significant stress recovery upon ceasing the deposition, i.e. the stress state during growth was retained in the film. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and atom probe tomography were used to characterize the microstructures of each thin film. The evolution of the stress state with composition is described in terms of a chemical potential term for preferential segregation of one species in the alloy to the grain boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ti-doped MgB[sub 2]/Cu tapes with Ta as a buffer layer were prepared through the in situ powder in tube method by using Mg, Ti, and B powders. The phase compositions, microstructure features, and superconducting properties were investigated by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, and superconducting quantum interference device magnetometer. It is found that TiB[sub 2] phase was formed in Ti-doped MgB[sub 2] tape. Magnetization measurement results show that the critical transition temperature of MgB[sub 2]/Ta/Cu tape with Ti doping is around 38 K. The irreversibility field H[sub irr] and critical current density J[sub c] can be greatly enhanced by Ti doping. H[sub irr] of the Mg[sub 0.9]Ti[sub 0.1]B[sub 2] tape is as high as 7.4 T at 10 K. The high critical current density J[sub c] of 1.5 × 10[sup 6] A/cm² (10 K, self field) and 9.3 × 10[sup 5] A/cm² (20 K, self field) are obtained in the Mg[sub 0.9]Ti[sub 0.1]B[sub 2] tape. In addition, a suitable amount of Ti doping can lead to a high density and fine grain size of MgB[sub 2], which may be the reason for high J[sub c] in Ti-doped MgB[sub 2] tapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]