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The Role of Secondary Electron Emission in the Charging of Thin-Film Phase Plates
摘要： In the past few years, physical phase plates (PP) have become a viable tool to enhance the contrast of weak-phase objects in transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Thin-film PPs, such as the Zernike and Hilbert PP, are based on the mean inner potential of microstructured thin films [1,2]. Typically, a thin amorphous carbon (aC)-film is applied, whose thickness is adjusted to induce a well-defined phase shift between unscattered and scattered electrons. However, the illumination with high-energy electrons initiates an irreversible degeneration of the aC-film, which causes electrostatic charging and affects the phase-shifting properties. Taking even advantage of charging, hole-free PPs were recently developed [3,4]. Electrostatic charging plays a central role in the application of thin-film PPs. However, the mechanisms of charging are not well-understood. This work shows that charging is dominated by secondary electron emission. For this purpose, Hilbert PPs were fabricated from different materials to study their charging behavior under electron beam illumination. Besides aC-films, thin films of the metallic glass alloy Pd77.5Cu6.0Si16.5 (PCS) were used for PP fabrication. The PCS-alloy is characterized by an amorphous structure and a high electrical conductivity, which is three orders of magnitude higher than that of aC [5,6]. Moreover, the PCS-alloy exhibits a strong resistance towards oxidation, which suggests less charging of PCS-films.
关键词： transmission electron microscopy,thin-film,secondary electron emission,charging,phase plates
更新于2025-11-21 11:20:48
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Influence of RbF post deposition treatment on heterojunction and grain boundaries in high efficient (21.1%) Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells
摘要： Post deposition treatments (PDT) by alkali fluorides applied to chalcopyrite-based absorbers have produced record efficiencies in thin-film solar devices in the past few years and recently the efficiency of 22.6 % was achieved with Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) using rubidium fluoride (RbF) PDT. However, the effects of RbF-PDT towards changes in its interfacial and grain boundary (GB) properties are still not fully understood. In this work, cells with efficiency higher than 21% are investigated by combination of atom probe tomography (APT) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to show how changes in GB and interface chemistry may facilitate high efficiencies. APT studies, carried out at the interface between CIGS absorber and solution-grown CdS buffer layer, show In enrichment and Cu depletion along with traces of Rb. Our APT studies reveal higher amounts of Rb (1.5 at. %) and lower amounts of Na and K (<0.5 at. %) at GBs as compared with previous studies (on non-PDT samples) thus indicating substitution of Na and K by Rb. However, concentration of all alkali elements inside the grain bulk is below detection limit of APT. The concentration of Rb at the GBs in CIGS is measured depth-dependent using both APT and TEM, which consistently shows the increase in Rb towards the Mo back contact. In addition, a pronounced Cu depletion is observed at the GBs which might enhance hole-barrier properties of the GBs, thus improving charge carrier collection and hence the overall efficiency of the device. Thus, understanding effects of RbF-PDT at the atomic scale provides new insights concerning the further improvement of CIGS absorber and interfaces.
关键词： Cu(In,Ga)Se2,Thin-film solar cell,heterojunction,atom probe tomography,post deposition treatments,transmission electron microscopy
更新于2025-11-21 11:20:48
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Molten salt synthesis of highly ordered and nanostructured hexagonal boron nitride
摘要： Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is a well-known ceramic that has wide application areas ranging from electronics to metallurgy. However, highly ordered h-BN is conventionally synthesized at high temperatures above 1800 °C. In this work, we investigated the formation of BN from boric acid (H3BO3)-ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) mixture in the sodium chloride (NaCl)-potassium chloride (KCl) eutectic salt. We report the synthesis of highly ordered and nanostructured h-BN at 1000 °C using molten salt synthesis. The effect of starting composition, synthesis temperature, and dwell time on BN formation and its structural ordering were systematically investigated. It is concluded that the molten salt plays important roles in the formation of BN and its structural ordering, which is achieved by i) decomposing the boron (B)-nitrogen (N) bearing reactants that lead to the formation of BN layers, and ii) increasing the mobility of BN layers formed. Furthermore, we propose a possible reaction mechanism that governs the BN formation from the reactant mixture in molten salts and explain the observations based on thermodynamic and kinetic considerations.
关键词： Molten salt synthesis,NaCl-KCl eutectic salt,Boron nitride,Structural ordering,High-resolution transmission electron microscopy
更新于2025-11-21 11:01:37
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Nondestructive nanofabrication on monocrystalline silicon via site-controlled formation and removal of oxide mask
摘要： A nondestructively patterned silicon substrate serves as an ideal support for forming high-quality optical structures or devices. A new approach was proposed for fabricating site-controlled structures without destruction on a monocrystalline silicon surface via local anodic oxidation (LAO) and two-step postetching. The nondestruction was demonstrated by conductivity detection with conductive atomic force microscopy (AFM), and an almost perfect crystal lattice was observed from the fabricated hillock by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). By programming AFM tip traces for LAO processing, site-controlled nondestructive patterns with di?erent layouts can be produced. This approach provides a new route for realizing nondestructive optical substrates.
关键词： conductive atomic force microscopy,high-resolution transmission electron microscopy,local anodic oxidation,nondestructive nanofabrication,monocrystalline silicon
更新于2025-11-14 17:04:02
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Detailed surface analysis of V-defects in GaN films on patterned silicon(111) substrates by metal–organic chemical vapour deposition
摘要： The growth mechanism of V-defects in GaN films was investigated. It was observed that the crystal faces of both the sidewall of a V-defect and the sidewall of the GaN film boundary belong to the same plane family of {10￣11}, which suggests that the formation of the V-defect is a direct consequence of spontaneous growth like that of the boundary facet. However, the growth rate of the V-defect sidewall is much faster than that of the boundary facet when the V-defect is filling up, implying that lateral growth of {10￣11} planes is not the direct cause of the change in size of V-defects. Since V-defects originate from dislocations, an idea was proposed to correlate the growth of V-defects with the presence of dislocations. Specifically, the change in size of the V-defect is determined by the growth rate around dislocations and the growth rate around dislocations is determined by the growth conditions.
关键词： transmission electron microscopy,threading dislocations,gallium nitride
更新于2025-11-14 17:04:02
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Asymmetric strain: A critical role in domain evolution in (111) - Oriented ferroelectric films
摘要： Domain behavior of (111)- oriented perovskite ferroelectric films is significantly different from (001)-/(101)- oriented ones, resulting in enhancing property responses such as a superior susceptibility and a reduced coercive field. However, the domain structures and evolutions with the thickness of (111)-oriented ferroelectric films, which are crucial to further understand the distinctive properties, are still obscure. In this study, the ferroelectric domains of (111)- oriented PbTiO3 films are investigated by transmission electronic microscopy (TEM) and piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM). We identify the domain evolution with the film thicknesses under anisotropic strains imposed by the orthorhombic GdScO3 (101)O substrates. Contrast analysis and electron diffraction patterns reveal that only four ferroelectric variants evolve in PTO films: d2+, d2-, d3+ and d3-, with the polarization directions along [010], [010], [001] and [001], respectively. Two kinds of domain walls are formed: 'inclined' (011) domain walls for d2-/d3+ (d2+/d3-) domains, 'normal' (011) domain walls for d2+/d3- (d2-/d3+) domains. The width of periodically distributed d2+/d3+ (d2-/d3-) domains increases with film thickness following the square root rule. Aberration-corrected scanning transmission electronic microscopy demonstrates the lattice characteristics of domains in (111)- oriented PbTiO3 films are consistent with tetragonal ferroelectric domains. PFM studies reveal that both the out-of-plane and in-plane polarization components of d2-/d3+ (d2+/d3-) domains are non-identical, whereas the d2+/d3+ (d2-/d3-) domains possess uniform out-of-plane polarization component and non-uniform in-plane polarization component. This study discloses the domain structure in (111)-oriented tetragonal ferroelectric films under anisotropic strains and the association with the ferroelectric properties.
关键词： PbTiO3,Transmission electron microscopy,Ferroelectric,T,Perovskites,Piezoresponse force microscopy
更新于2025-09-23 15:23:52
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(S)TEM methods contributions to improve the fabrication of InGaN thin films on Si, and InN nanostructures on flat Si and rough InGaN
摘要： The main results of a complete study by Transmission and Scanning-Transmission Electron Microscopies ((S)TEM) are described for (i) InGaN/Si (111) heterostructures in the whole compositional range of the alloys, and (ii) InN quantum dots (InN QDs) directly grown on Si wafers or on relatively rough InGaN/Si (111) templates. The combination of many (S)TEM-based techniques allowed to evaluate different characteristics of the systems under study: (InN QD/) InGaN/Si and InN QD/Si interfaces and crystal qualities, structural and chemical imperfections and other important features. InxGa1-xN thin films are often identified as single-crystalline, very homogeneous in composition, and mostly wurtzite-type, remarkably at any value of x. Also, (S)TEM techniques revealed that the InN nanostructures were hexagonal single crystals, mostly epitaxial to the supporting lattice. The InN crystals also exhibited partially cubic arrangements when allocated onto In-rich InxGa1-xN (i.e. x > 0.7).
关键词： Semiconductors,TEM,Heterojunctions,Crystal structure.,Nitride materials,Crystal growth,Transmission Electron Microscopy
更新于2025-09-23 15:23:52
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Dislocation bending and stress evolution in Mg-doped GaN films on Si substrates
摘要： P-type doping using Mg is essential for realizing a variety of electronic and optoelectronic III-nitride devices involving hetero-epitaxial thin films that also contain a significant number of dislocations. We report on the effect of Mg incorporation on dislocation and stress evolution during the growth of GaN thin films by using in situ curvature measurements and ex situ transmission electron microscopy. A complete picture involving the interplay between three effects—dopant size effect, dislocation bending, and polarity inversion—is presented. Mg aids dislocation bending, which in turn generates tensile stresses in Mg-doped GaN films. As a result, the compressive stress expected due to the dopant size difference effect can only be discerned clearly in films with dislocation densities below 5 × 10^9 cm^?2. Polarity inversion at doping exceeding 10^19 cm^?3 is associated with a sharp drop in screw dislocation density. A kinetic stress evolution model has been developed to capture dislocation bending and size difference effects, and a match between calculated bending angle from the model and that measured from TEM images is obtained.
关键词： Mg doping,stress evolution,dislocation bending,in situ curvature measurements,transmission electron microscopy,polarity inversion,GaN
更新于2025-09-23 15:23:52
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Silver Nanostructures on Graphene Oxide as the Substrate for Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS)
摘要： Nanosized surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates fabricated by the controlled growth of metal nanostructures on water-dispersed two-dimensional nanomaterials can open a new avenue for SERS analysis of liquid samples in biological fields. In this work, regular and uniform Ag nanostructures were grown on the surface of graphene oxide (GO) through a microwave-assisted hydrothermal method. Polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers were assembled on the surface of GO to form GO/PAMAM templates for growing Ag nanostructures, which are primarily comprised of Ag dimers and trimers. The prepared Ag/GO nanocomposites are highly dispersed and stable in aqueous solution and may be used as substrates for enhanced Raman detection of rhodamine 6 G (R6G) in aqueous solution. This special substrate provides high-performance SERS and suppresses R6G fluorescence in aqueous solution and is promising as a nanosized material for the enhanced Raman detection of liquid samples in biological diagnostics.
关键词： graphene oxide (GO),Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS),polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers,transmission electron microscopy (TEM),Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy,rhodamine 6G (R6G)
更新于2025-09-23 15:23:52
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Localized Deformation and Fracture Behaviors in InP Single Crystals by Indentation
摘要： The indentation-induced deformation mechanisms in InP(100) single crystals were investigated by using nanoindentation and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (XTEM) techniques. The results indicated that there were multiple “pop-in” events randomly distributed in the loading curves, which were conceived to arise primarily from the dislocation nucleation and propagation activities. An energetic estimation on the number of nanoindentation-induced dislocations associated with pop-in effects is discussed. Furthermore, the fracture patterns were performed by Vickers indentation. The fracture toughness and the fracture energy of InP(100) single crystals were calculated to be around 1.2 MPa·m1/2 and 14.1 J/m2, respectively.
关键词： InP(100) single crystal,nanoindentation,fracture toughness,transmission electron microscopy,Pop-in
更新于2025-09-23 15:23:52