Effect of CoSi_2 buffer layer on structure and magnetic properties of Co films grown on Si(001) substrate

Buffer layer provides an opportunity to enhance the quality of ultrathin magnetic films. In this paper, Co films with different thickness of Co Si2 buffer layers were grown on Si（001） substrates. In order to investigate morphology, structure,and magnetic properties of films, scanning tunneling microscope（STM）, low energy electron diffraction（LEED）, high resolution transmission electron microscopy（HRTEM）, and surface magneto-optical Kerr effect（SMOKE） were used. The results show that the crystal quality and magnetic anisotropies of the Co films are strongly affected by the thickness of Co Si2 buffer layers. Few Co Si2 monolayers can prevent the interdiffusion of Si substrate and Co film and enhance the Co film quality. Furthermore, the in-plane magnetic anisotropy of Co film with optimal buffer layer shows four-fold symmetry and exhibits the two-jumps of magnetization reversal process, which is the typical phenomenon in cubic（001） films.

Suppressing Effects of Ag Wetting Layer on Surface Conduction of Er Silicide/Si(001) Nanocontacts

Current-voltage electrical characteristics of Er silicide/Si（001） nanocontacts are measured in situ in a scanning tunneling microscopy system. Introduced as a new technique to suppress surface leakage conduction on Si（001）,a silver wetting layer is evaporated onto the substrate surface kept at room temperature with Er Si2 nanoislands already existing. The effects of the silver layer on the current-voltage characteristics of nanocontacts are discussed.Our experimental results reveal that the silver layer at coverage of 0.4–0.7 monolayer can suppress effectively the current contribution from the surface conduction path. After the surface leakage path of nanocontacts is obstructed, the ideality factor and the Schottky barrier height are determined using the thermionic emission theory, about 2 and 0.5 eV, respectively. The approach adopted here could shed light on the intrinsic transport properties of metal-semiconductor nanocontacts.

Nanomechanical and Electrochemical Properties of Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) Films Deposited by Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) Technique

Diamond-like carbon （DLC） films was deposited successfully on stainless steel sub- strates with Si/SiC intermediate layers by combining plasma enhanced unbalanced magnetron sputtering physical vapor deposition （PEUMS-PVD） and microwave electron cyclotron resonance plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition （MW-ECR PECVD） techniques. The effect of sil- icon dopant on the structure, morphology, nanomechanical properties and electrochemical be- havior of DLC films were investigated by Raman spectroscopy, nano-indentation, atomic force microscopy （AFM） and potentiodynamic method and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy （EIS）. It showed that the incorporated silicon atoms substituted sp2-bonded carbon atoms in the ring structures, promoting the formation of sp3-bonds. The structural transition from C-C to C-Si bonds resulted in the relaxation of the residual stress, leading to the decrease in films hardness. The DLC films with Si/SiC intermediate layers led to significant improvement in the corrosion resistance of the stainless steel substrate due to effective isolation and good chemical inertness of the DLC films.

Impact of strained silicon on the device performance of a bipolar charge plasma transistor

In this manuscript we analyze a unique approach to improve the performance of the bipolar charge plasma transistor(BCPT) by introducing a strained Si/SiGe1-x layer as the active device region. For charge plasma realization different metal work-function electrodes are used to induce n+ and p+ regions on undoped strained silicon-on-insulator(sSOI or SiGe) to realize emitter, base, and collector regions of the BCPT. Here,by using a calibrated 2-D TCAD simulation the impact of a Si mole fraction x(in SiGe) on device performance metrics is investigated. The analysis demonstrates the band gap lowering with decreasing Si content or effective strain on the Si layer, and its subsequent advantages. This work reports a significant improvement in current gain, cutoff frequency, and lower collector breakdown voltage(BVCEO) for the proposed structure over the conventional device. The effect of varying temperature on the strained Si layer and its implications on the device performance is also investigated. The analysis demonstrates a fair device-level understanding and exhibits the immense potential of the SiGematerial as the device layer. In addition to this, using extensive 2-D mixed-mode TCAD simulation, a considerable improvement in switching transient times are also observed compared to its conventional counterpart.

Steady-state solution growth of microcrystalline silicon on nanocrystalline seed layers on glass

The growth of polycrystalline silicon layers on glass from tin solutions at low temperatures is presented.This approach is based on the steady-state solution growth of Si crystallites on nanocrystalline seed layers, which are prepared in a preceding process step. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy investigations reveal details about the seed layer surfaces, which consist of small hillocks, as well as about Sn inclusions and gaps along the glass substrate after solution growth. The successful growth of continuous microcrystalline Si layers with grain sizes up to several ten micrometers shows the feasibility of the process and makes it interesting for photovoltaics.

Mechanism of primary Si and Fe-segregation for a hypereutectic 90 wt.%Si-Ti alloy melt in directional solidification via electromagnetism

The electromagnetic directional solidification(DS)phase separation experiments of high silicon 90 wt.%Si–Ti alloy were performed under various pulling-down speeds.The results showed that Si enriched layer,Si+TiSi_(2)-rich layer and Si–Ti–Fe alloy layer appeared successively in axial direction of ingot after electromagnetic DS of 90 wt.%Si–Ti alloy melt at different pulling-down speeds.Separation of primary Si and segregation mechanism of metal impurities(Fe)during the electromagnetic DS process were controlled by pulling-down speed of ingot and electromagnetic stirring.When pulling-down speed was 5μm/s,minimum thickness of the Si enriched layer was 29.4 mm,and the highest content of primary Si in this layer was 92.46 wt.%;meanwhile,the highest removal rate of Fe as metal impurity was 92.90%.The type of inclusions in the Si enriched layer is determined by Fe content of segregated Si enriched layer.When the pulling-down speed was 5μm/s,the inclusions in the Si enriched layer were TiSi_(2).Finally,when the pulling-down speed reached greater than 5μm/s,the inclusions in the Si enriched layer evolved into TiSi_(2)+τ_(5).

Fabrication of High Quality SiGe Virtual Substrates by Combining Misfit Strain and Point Defect Techniques

High quality strain-relaxed thin SiGe virtual substrates have been achieved by combining the misfit strain technique and the point defect technique. The point defects were first injected into the coherently strained SiGe layer through the ＂inserted Si layer＂ by argon ion implantation. After thermal annealing, an in- termediate SiGe layer was grown with a strained Si cap layer. The inserted Si layer in the SiGe film serves as the source of the misfit strain and prevents the threading dislocations from propagating into the next epitaxial layer. A strained-SilSiGelinserted-SilSiGe heterostructure was achieved with a threading dislocation density of 1×10^4 cm-2 and a root mean square surface roughness of 0.87 nm. This combined method can effectively fabricate device-quality SiGe virtual substrates with a low threading dislocation density and a smooth surface.