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Radio frequency magnetron sputtering is used for preparing aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on a Si[O.sub.2]/Si substrate, with simultaneous in situ catalyst deposition. The structural differences are attributed to the size of the W and Ni particles and also to a different diffusion behavior of C in the two kinds of metallic clusters.

Graphene-based materials are among the most innovative and promising materials for the development of high-performance sensing devices, mainly due to the large surface area and the possibility to modify their reactivity by suitable functionalization. In the field of sensing applications, the peculiarities of innovative materials can be exploited only if chemical and physical properties are fully understood and correlated with each other. To this aim, in this work, graphene oxide (GO) and ethanol-treated GO (GOEt) were investigated from chemical and structural points of view. Electrical characterization was performed by depositing GO and GOEt between two electrodes by dielectrophoresis. All the investigations were repeated on GO materials after thermal treatment in a low temperature range (60 °C-300 °C). Furthermore, the electrical conductivity of GO was investigated by changing the temperature and the environment (air or N2) during the characterization: an increase in the conductivity of the as-deposited GO was observed when the device is cooled down and this effect is reversible with the temperature. GOEt and the thermally treated GO and GOEt show an opposite trend, confirming the key role of the oxygen functionalities in the conduction mechanisms and, therefore, in the conductivity of the GO layers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

O:Er concentration effects on structural, electrical and optical properties of Si:Er:O layers are examined.

The addition of a TiO2 seed layer when growing textured PbTiO3 and Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 thin films on textured Pt(111) thin film substrates allows the PcTiO3 texture to be turned from (100) to (111) orientation. X-ray photoelectron diffraction measurements indicate epitaxial ordering in the seed layer. The textured microstructure of the seed layer most probably corresponds to rutile(110). A crystalline, few nanometer thick TiO2 film has been shown to be a very efficient seed layer for the nucleation of PZT(111).

In this paper, we study the metal-catalyzed synthesis of Si nanowires (Si-NWs) in a plasma based chemical vapor deposition system. In these deposition systems due to the high efficiency of precursor molecule dissociation, both uncatalyzed and catalyzed growth mechanisms can take place. The first one gives rise to the formation of the quasi one-dimensional (1D) Si-NWs, while the second one to a continuous two-dimensional (2D) Si layer over the substrate or on the nucleated Si-NWs. The Si-NWs formation is then the result of the competition between these two processes. The control parameters ruling these two contributions are here explored. Samples with different weights of 1D and 2D growth are deposited and characterized by using a plasma based chemical vapor deposition apparatus operating at T < 400 °C. It is found that the main control parameter of these processes is the plasma power through the distribution of the precursor dissociation products. By properly tuning the power, Si-NWs with 1 × 1010 cm-2 of density, up to 1 μm long and without uncatalyzed growth are obtained. The optical functionality of the samples, grown with different 1D/2D contributions, is investigated and it is demonstrated that the uncatalyzed layer produces a total reflectance as high as ∼40%, similar to that found in a planar Si wafer, while the highly dense Si-NWs, without the uncatalyzed deposition, produce a total reflectance of ∼15%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have investigated the formation and the morphology of carbon deposit on the cathode, after arc discharge between two graphite electrodes immersed in liquid nitrogen. We show that the deposit is mainly composed of disordered carbon structures at the bottom and at the external part of the deposit, forming like a bowl, whereas randomly oriented carbon nanotubes (CNTs) aggregated as pillars are found at the center of the deposit. The spatial distribution of the two kinds of structures in the deposit, the size and the sharpness of the CNT pillars are found to depend both on the applied voltage and the current values used for the arc discharge. A correlation between the plasma temperature field and the morphology of the deposit is reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arc discharge between two graphite rods in liquid nitrogen has been investigated in order to identify the main factors ruling the formation of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and linear C chains. The influence of the experimental parameters on the structural properties of the produced materials was evaluated and interpreted, taking into account the existing models. We found that the electrode size and discharge current values greatly influence the structural quality of the nanotubes (e.g., presence of carbonaceous impurities, innermost tube diameter) and a proper combination of these parameters allows one to control the synthesis of CNTs and/or CNT-linear C chain hybrid systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radio frequency magnetron sputtering has been used for the synthesis of aligned carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on a SiO2/Si substrate, with simultaneous in situ catalyst deposition. This method allows the use of substrates without the need of a surface predeposition of catalytic particles. In particular, among the metals considered, we observed the formation of CNTs using W or Ni as catalysts. Only in the case of Ni did we find that the CNTs are aligned along the target-substrate direction, unlike the randomly oriented CNTs observed when W was used as catalyst. Scanning and transmission electron microscopies show that the catalytic Ni nanoparticle is found mostly on the tip of the obtained bamboolike CNTs, while W nanoparticles are encapsulated inside hollow nanotubes, at different points along their length. We ascribe not only the observed structural differences to the size of the W and Ni particles but also to a different diffusion behavior of C in the two kinds of metallic clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth of thin cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC) buffer layers in an horizontal hot-wall chemical vapor deposition reactor, through the carbonization of differently oriented Si surfaces, is presented. A qualitative and quantitative study has been performed on statistical parameters related to voids due to the buffer layer growth on the different substrate orientations emphasizing shape, size, and density as a function of the substrate orientation. Variation in the void parameters can be attributed to the atomic packing density related to the substrate orientations, which were (100) Si, (111) Si, and (110) Si in this study. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were performed to analyze the surface and the crystalline quality of the 3C-SiC films grown and, eventually, an empirical model for the carbonization of Si surfaces formulated. Large platens characterize the 3C-SiC films with shapes related to the orientations of the substrate. These platens derive from the two-dimensional growth of different SiC islands which enlarge during the process due to the continuous reaction between Si and C atoms. The interior part of platens was characterized by the presence of a pure crystalline material with the presence of small tilts affecting some grains in the 3C-SiC layer in order to relief the stress generated with the substrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction between indium and boron coimplanted in silicon has been investigated. In particular, the effects of the coimplantation on the diffusion and the electrical activation have been studied in comparison with the single B or In implanted samples. It is shown that, by means of coimplantation, it is possible to obtain p-type carrier concentration profiles with a concentration peak higher than the ones achievable by the single In doping, but with the further advantage of a shallower carrier distribution with respect to the single B implant. It is found that this is due to the formation of In–B complexes with an acceptor level deeper than the one related to substitutional B. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work we investigate the diffusion and the electrical activation of In atoms implanted into silicon with energies ranging from 40 to 360 keV and doses of 5 × 10[SUP12] and 5 ×10[SUP13]In/cm[SUP2] during rapid thermal processing. Our investigation shows a clear dependence of In outdiffusion and electrical activation on the implant depth. For a fixed dose, the electrical activation was found to increase with the implant energy. We propose that the data can be explained by considering the balance between the local In concentration and the C background. The occurrence of coupling between the C present in the substrate and the implanted In, depending on the C/In ratio, may in fact give rise to significant formation of C-In complexes. Such complexes play a role in the enhanced electrical activation due to the shallower level they introduce into the Si band gap (E[SUBν + 0.111 eV), with respect to the rather deep level (E[SUBν] + 0.156 eV) of In alone [R. Baron et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 30, 594 (1977); R. Baron et al., ibid. 34, 257 (1979)]. The interaction of In atoms with the C background inside the silicon substrate has been, therefore, identified as the most likely origin of this behavior. In and C coimplantation has also been studied in this work, in order to further investigate the key role of C in the increase of electrical activation. A large increase of electrical activation has been detected in the coimplanted samples, up to a factor of about 8 after annealing at 900°C. However, C precipitation occurs at 1100°C, and has dramatic effects on the carrier concentration that falls by even two orders of magnitude. This limits the maximum thermal budget that can be used for In activation in C coimplanted material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermal oxidation of Ge-implanted Si single crystals has been investigated for different Ge doses (3 × l0[sup 15] cm[sup -2] and 3 × 10[sup 16] cm[sup -2]) and different oxidation processes (in wet ambient at 920 °C for 30, 60, and 120 min, or dry ambient at ll00 °C for 30 min). The oxide roughness, the oxidation rate, the Ge diffusion, precipitation, and clustering, have been monitored by several experimental techniques: atomic force microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, and x-ray absorption spectroscopy. We found that the surface roughness is related to the segregation of Ge at the oxide/substrate interface, occurring when the oxidation rate is faster than the Ge diffusion, in particular at the higher implanted dose (3 × 10[sup 16] cm[sup -2]) when processed in a wet ambient. For these conditions, we also observed an oxidation rate enhancement with respect to pure Si, and a strong indication that pure Ge clusters were formed. When a critical Ge concentration at the interface is reached, the oxidation mechanisms change and the oxidation rate is reduced, along with Ge diffusion into the substrate and a consequent reduction of the Ge fraction at the interface. Nevertheless, the oxide roughness still increases despite the Ge concentration reduction, resulting from the initial nucleation of precipitates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]