Ion Beam Sputtering Research Articles

Atomic-level insight into process and mechanism of ion beam machining on aluminum optical surface

Polycrystalline Al workpieces go through a complex surface atom sputtering and surface/subsurface atom diffusion throughout the ion beam machining process that plays a critical role in determining machining quality of optical mirror surfaces. Here, we leverage molecular dynamics method for the first time to reveal the machining mechanism and the polycrystalline effect of aluminum during ion beam sputtering, in term of cascade collision, atom trajectory, sputtering yield, and surface characteristic. Polycrystalline Al presents a significant low potential energy state, leading to milder cascade collision and weaker sputtering effects than monocrystalline Al during ion beam machining. The atom trajectory demonstrates irregular variation as the atom diffusion is blocked by grain boundary (GB) in polycrystalline Al, leading to the relief microstructure and poor surface quality. With incident ions increasing, the GBs are broken and atom diffusion enhancing, as well as lower subsurface defects and better finishing surface quality. The microscopic morphology evolves into gravel microstructure. Simulation results also reveal that atom diffusion will benefit from high ion concentration and low ion energy. Sputtering yield variation is more sensitive to ion energy. To acquiring better finishing surface quality of Al without influencing machining efficiency, ion concentration must be increased while the ion energy needs to be decreased appropriately but a large number of cascading collisions need to be ensured.

Studies on the structural and magnetic properties of PMMA/Ni nanocomposite system prepared by embedding Ni nanoparticles in the PMMA films

PMMA/Ni nanocomposite films have been prepared by embedding Ni nanoparticles and maintaining their different thickness (5–50 nm) in PMMA (polymethylmethacrylate) film matrix by using ion beam sputtering (IBS) technique. Grazing incidence x-ray diffraction (GIXRD) results reveal Ni is present in metallic form in the FCC phase. X-ray reflectivity (XRR) is used to measure the nominal thickness of the Ni nanoparticle layer. Surface morphology was studied using atomic force microscopes (AFM). SXAS (soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy) studies on PMMA/Ni nanocomposites were done using synchrotron radiation to understand the electronic structure of these films which reveals that Ni is present in metallic state confirming that PMMA as host matrix protects the magnetic Ni nanoparticles from external oxidation. The magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) magnetometer and MOKE microscope were employed to study the magnetic properties and simultaneously record the real time evolution of magnetic domains at 0°, 45°, and 90° azimuthal angles. All films show soft ferromagnetic behaviour and all the films show isotropic behaviour except one with Ni nanoparticle layer thickness of 40 nm. MOKE micrographs witness the gradual growth of magnetic domains with increase in thickness of Ni nanoparticle layer. These PMMA/Ni nanocomposite films may be viewed as potential candidate for futuristic functional material.

Study of surface morphology of Ag thin films prepared by sputtering and irradiation with keV Ar ion beam

In this paper, the possibility of preparing silver nanostructures with a high area density of nanoparticles of various shapes by the ion beam sputtering (IBS) method, using a glancing angle deposition (GLAD) configuration, and subsequent irradiation with heavy ions, was tested. In the experiment, keV Ar+ ions were used for both IBS and bombardment. The prepared nanostructures were analyzed by RBS and microscopic methods of SEM and AFM. It turned out that IBS/GLAD makes it possible to create silver nanostructures (networks of individual silver nanoparticles), but only with relatively low areal densities (∼ 70 µm2). The bombardment led to changes in the porosity only after high ion fluences, but also to disruption of the nanostructures. Even so, the IBS method with GLAD configuration has been shown to be a promising way to prepare high-porosity nanostructures. Nevertheless, further experimental efforts will be needed to find the optimal technology.

Ion Beam Sputtering of Quantum Dots: Techniques, Challenges, and Future Perspectives

Ion Beam Sputtering of Quantum Dots: Techniques, Challenges, and Future Perspectives

Uniformity optimization of ion beam sputtering coating equipment based on strong current ion source

The widespread application of ion beam sputtering coating, especially in optical devices, requires the improvement of beam current intensity and uniformity of large-area uniform coatings. The advent of high current Penning sources offers a potential solution. This study introduces an automated optimization simulation method based on a three-electrode extraction system to investigate its influence on ion beam quality and uniformity. Focusing on high current intensity and uniformity, our simulation explores the effects of plasma electrode, inhibition electrode, and extraction electrode angles and distances on ion beam performance. Evaluation metrics include average beam intensity density, average energy of a single particle, and reciprocal variance of each macro particle position, which are achieved through normalization functions, allowing comprehensive comparison of simulation results. To assess coating efficiency, we estimate sputtering yield and depth. The study identifies patterns among electrodes and emphasizes the influence of different ion ratios on beam extraction. The results indicate that optimizing the angle of the plasma electrode and the distance of the suppressed electrode yields a highly uniform ion beam for low charge ions. However, for highly charged ions, similar optimization will reduce the current strength, so compensation needs to be achieved through electrode shape optimization. This research provides a model for systematically optimizing the three-electrode extraction system, guiding researchers in achieving optimal solutions based on ion source characteristics and application requirements. Additionally, we introduce a method of estimating the sputtering depth of mixed ion beams. This study provides valuable insights for advancing ion beam sputtering coating technology and reference for making the decision on design and application of ion source.

Enhanced diffusion in thin-film Cu-Zr nanoglasses

Tracer measurements with both radioactive, 55Fe, as well as natural, mainly 56Fe, isotopes are used to investigate Fe diffusion in a Cu-Zr nanoglass in comparison to their diffusion rates in a homogeneous amorphous counterpart. The columnar-structured nanoglass and the homogeneous amorphous films are synthesized using radio-frequency magnetron sputtering. Ion beam sputtering (with the 55Fe radioisotope) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy (with natural Fe) are used for the diffusion experiments. Remarkably, faster Fe diffusion is observed in the columnar nanoglasses, supporting the concept of glass–glass interfaces. The relative diffusion enhancement is explained within the excess free volume concept that is supported by structural investigations using transmission electron microscopy. For the first time, the relaxation dynamics in a nanoglass as well as in a homogeneous thin-film glass of identical composition are evaluated via time-dependent diffusion measurements.

Ultra-Smooth Polishing of Single-Crystal Silicon Carbide by Pulsed-Ion-Beam Sputtering of Quantum-Dot Sacrificial Layers.

Single-crystal silicon carbide has excellent electrical, mechanical, and chemical properties. However, due to its high hardness material properties, achieving high-precision manufacturing of single-crystal silicon carbide with an ultra-smooth surface is difficult. In this work, quantum dots were introduced as a sacrificial layer in polishing for pulsed-ion-beam sputtering of single-crystal SiC. The surface of single-crystal silicon carbide with a quantum-dot sacrificial layer was sputtered using a pulsed-ion beam and compared with the surface of single-crystal silicon carbide sputtered directly. The surface roughness evolution of single-crystal silicon carbide etched using a pulsed ion beam was studied, and the mechanism of sacrificial layer sputtering was analyzed theoretically. The results show that direct sputtering of single-crystal silicon carbide will deteriorate the surface quality. On the contrary, the surface roughness of single-crystal silicon carbide with a quantum-dot sacrificial layer added using pulsed-ion-beam sputtering was effectively suppressed, the surface shape accuracy of the Ø120 mm sample was converged to 7.63 nm RMS, and the roughness was reduced to 0.21 nm RMS. Therefore, the single-crystal silicon carbide with the quantum-dot sacrificial layer added via pulsed-ion-beam sputtering can effectively reduce the micro-morphology roughness phenomenon caused by ion-beam sputtering, and it is expected to realize the manufacture of a high-precision ultra-smooth surface of single-crystal silicon carbide.

The buffer – Free semitransparent perovskite solar cells with ion-beam sputtered back electrode

Semitransparent perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have the potential for utilization in tandem photovoltaics (PV) and see-through PV for building integration. The passage of light through the thin-film device structure requires transparent contact at the front and back sides of the device. Typically, transparent contacts are made of wide bang-gap conductive oxides (In2O3:SnO2(ITO), etc.) deposited by magnetron sputtering (MS). The use of conventional MS usually requires the addition of a buffer layer to avoid the damage of the charge transporting layers. In this work, the semitransparent perovskite solar cell with p-i-n architecture is fabricated with ITO back electrode deposited directly on C60 electron transporting layer. A comparative analysis was conducted to evaluate the performance and properties of ITO films deposited using ion-beam sputtering (IBS) and the more common MS method. The IBS process was found to eliminate plasma-substrate interaction, resulting in improved deposition on organic layers. Conversely, the MS method resulted in poor output performance and S-shaped IV characteristics of the semitransparent-PSCs. By utilizing IBS fabrication for the back electrode, the relevant efficiency of 12.65% was achieved for the best device. The changes in chemical, optical, and transport properties of the ITO samples fabricated with different methods were investigated. This study represents the first successful utilization of ion-beam sputtering for the fabrication of semitransparent PSCs.

Oxide-Free SiC-SiC Direct Wafer Bonding and Its Characterization

There are different requirements for the production process and the final product of SiC-SiC wafer bonding. The manufacturing of devices that are sensitive to high temperature processing – due to broadened doping profiles and induced thermal stresses – requires room temperature bonding with high bond strength, while for electrical devices, it is mandatory that the bonding interface with a thin amorphous layer is oxide-free.[1] Reduced complexity of processes is also an important point for the final production. Hence, the goal of this work was to perform and characterize direct bonding of SiC-SiC without any added/deposited bonding layer. This type of bonded SiC wafers can be used for power electronics such as for the fabrication of traction inverter for automotive applications, DC/DC converter, on board charger or charging station.[2]For the wafer bonding processes standard 100 mm 4H SiC wafers were bonded with their Si-terminated faces in order to fabricate oxide-free bonds. The wafer bonding process was performed using the EVG ComBond® system: first the native oxides from both wafer surfaces were removed using an ion beam sputtering process, followed by the transfer of both wafers to the bonding process station operated in ultra-high vacuum (UHV) to significantly retard the oxidation process. Finally, the bonding process was performed at room temperature (RT).The goal of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility of the bonding process and to gain insight on the surface chemistry after activation. The investigations covered three areas: incoming inspection of the original wafer, characterization of activated single wafer and analysis of bonded wafer pairs. The focus was on compositional, chemical, mechanical and morphological analysis of the surfaces and of the bonded interfaces. In the case of single wafers, the focus of the incoming inspection was on whether the wafers fulfill the requirements of wafer bonding, and on the characterization of activated wafers to measure the surface modifications. Atomic force microscopy (AFM), white light interferometry (WLI) and spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) were used to determine the surface roughness, the wafer topography and the surface layer structure, respectively. All three parameters are essential for successful RT SiC-SiC wafer bonding. The change of the surface chemistry was investigated by angle resolved x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (AR-XPS). The quality of the bonded wafers and the bonding energy were verified using scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM) measurements (Fig. 1) as well as the Maszara blade test. Furthermore, cross-section transmission electron microscopy (X-TEM) showed a bonding interface with a thin amorphous layer and no noticeable additional oxygen containing layer (Fig. 2). In order to gain quantitative elemental distributions of oxygen and argon, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDXS) was applied.The work reported is a demonstration of the capability of the different characterization methods regarding SiC-SiC wafer bonding. Future work will focus on the investigation of the bonded interface characteristics in the function of the bonding process parameters and the annealing conditions.[1] F. Mu, M. Fujino, T. Suga, Y. Takahashi, H. Nakazawa and K. Iguchi, "Wafer bonding of SiC-SiC and SiC-Si by modified surface activated bonding method" 2015 International Conference on Electronics Packaging and iMAPS All Asia Conference (ICEP-IAAC), Kyoto, Japan, 2015, pp. 542-545, doi: 10.1109/ICEP-IAAC.2015.7111073.[2] Tsunenobu Kimoto, "Material science and device physics in SiC technology for high-voltage power devices" Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 54 040103 (2015), doi: 10.7567/JJAP.54.040103. Figure 1

Novel neuromorphic architectures based on crossbar arrays of (Co-Fe-B)<sub>x</sub>(LiNbO<sub>3</sub>)<sub>100−x</sub> nanocomposite memristors

Memristor-based neuromorphic computing systems (NСSs) provide a fast, high computational and energy efficient approach to neural network (NN) training and solving cognitive problems (pattern recognition, big data processing, prediction, etc.) [1]. Memristors could be organized in large crossbar arrays to perform vector-matrix multiplication (VMM) in a natural one-step way by the weighted electrical current summation (according to the Ohm’s and Kirchhoff’s laws) [1]. In contrast, being the most massively parallel operation in NN learning and inference, VMM is extremely time- and energy-expensive in traditional von Neumann architectures. Owing to this difference, memristor-based NCSs are of high interest. Memristors have already been successfully implemented for diverse NCS realizations, and such schemes as multi-layer perceptron (MLP) [2], long short-term memory and others have been demonstrated. Most of these NCSs are usually trained by various types of gradient descent learning algorithm, the hardware realization of which is challenging due to unreliable cycle-to-cycle (c2c) and device-to-device (d2d) variations of memristive devices. Several approaches have been proposed to partially mitigate these problems, including reservoir computing [3] and fine feature engineering [4]. The general idea of such approaches is to reduce the number of required weights (i.e. memristors) compared with fully connected NNs. In this respect, such novel architectures as convolutional NN (CNN) and MLP-mixer are of high interest as they provide significant weight reduction without classification efficiency drop. Although CNN based on memristors was already demonstrated, different aspects of its realization (such as hybrid hardware-software co-design) have yet to be studied. MLP-mixer was realized only in software. Therefore, in this work we have studied the possibility of hardware realization of CNN and MLP-mixer networks based on crossbar arrays of memristors. For this purpose, we studied (Co-Fe-B)x(LiNbO3)100−x nanocomposite (CFB-LNO NC) memristors, which operate through a multifilamentary resistive switching (RS) mechanism, demonstrate high endurance, long retention and possess multilevel RS [5]. Crossbar array of memristors was fabricated using laser photolithography for patterning electrode buses and ion-beam sputtering on the original facility for active layer deposition (~10 nm thick LiNbO3 and ~290 nm thick CFB-LNO NC with x ≈10–25 at.%). Details of the fabrication process could be found elsewhere [5]. I-V curves of the fabricated memristors showed small c2c and d2d variations, plasticity with 16 different resistive states and endurance of more than 105 cycles. Using the nanocomposite based crossbar arrays, we implemented a hybrid CNN, consisting of a hardware feature extractor with one/two kernels and a software classifier. Additionally, we have demonstrated in simulation that the usage of the memristors under study in the accurately adapted MLP-Mixer architecture results in high classification accuracy that is resilient to memristive variations and stuck devices.

Electrical and Optical Properties of Cobalt Oxide Thin Films, Prepared by Ion-Beam Sputtering

Electrical and Optical Properties of Cobalt Oxide Thin Films, Prepared by Ion-Beam Sputtering

High-Throughput Study of Amorphous Stability and Optical Properties of Superlattice-Like Ge-Sb-Te Thin Films.

A high-throughput ion beam sputtering system is used to synthesize compositional gradient superlattice-like (SLL) thin film libraries of Ge-Sb-Te alloys over the entire phase diagram. The optical properties and structural evolution of the Ge-Sb-Te combinatorial SLL thin film are investigated. A systematic screening over the annealing temperature, annealing time, and modulation period has elucidated the critical factors that affect the stability of the metastable phase and optical properties. It is found that amorphous stability and optical constant are highly dependent on the modulation period and chemical composition of the thin film. This data-driven approach offers new perspectives for accelerating the development of new materials with excellent optical and amorphous stability and for exploring their mechanisms, by greatly expanding the dataset of Ge-Sb-Te alloys with SLL structures through high-throughput experiments.

Joule magnetostriction and volume magnetostriction of Iron Gallium thin films

The main aim of this work is to evaluate magnetostriction performances, including Joule magnetostriction and volume magnetostriction, of FeGa thin films synthesized by electrodeposition and ion-beam sputtering. This research demonstrated that the electrodeposited Fe(100-x)Gax (x: 19 ∼ 26) films had a tensile stress, and the ion-beam sputtered Fe81Ga19 film had a compressive stress. In both films, the easy axis of magnetization was in the in-plane direction. Both films exhibited nearly (110)-oriented polycrystalline structures. For the ion-beam sputtered Fe81Ga19 film, the observed volume magnetostriction was 39 ppm, approximately one-third of the Joule magnetostriction of 116 ppm. For electrodeposited Fe81Ga19, the Joule and volume magnetostrictions were 64 ppm and 46 ppm, respectively. An important conclusion of this research was that the FeGa films formed by non-equilibrium growth processes displayed a large volume magnetostriction.

Microstructure, mechanical properties and thermal stability of Cr/WC nano-multilayered coating synthesized by ion beam sputtering

Cr/WC nano-multilayered coatings with fixed period ratio (Cr:WC=1:2) were synthesized by using ion beam sputtering method. The microstructure, mechanical properties and the thermal stability of coatings were investigated by X-ray diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy and nanoindentation. Well-defined laminar amorphous microstructure and uniform monolayers, which consists of amorphous WC1-x and Cr, can be found in the as-deposited nano-multilayered coatings with series modulation period. Although the hardness of Cr/WC nano-multilayered coating increases with the increasing of modulation period, it is still lower than the value predicted by Hill model. Almost all the toughness of Cr/WC nano-multilayered coatings are lower than that of monolayer Cr coating, however, they are higher than that of monolayer WC coating, indicating that the addition of Cr and nano-multilayered architecture can improve the toughness of monolayer WC coating. Both microstructure and mechanical properties of Cr/WC nano-multilayered coatings were stable when the vacuum heat treatment temperature was lower than 400 °C. As the heat treatment temperature was 600 °C, some nanocrystalline W2C, W and WC1-x were enclosed in the amorphous WC sublayer which is beneficial to its hardness enhancement while it is harmful to its toughness. As the heat treatment temperature was 800 °C, the nano-multilayered structure was destroyed completely and its mechanical properties were seriously degraded.

Cryogenic mechanical loss of amorphous germania and titania-doped germania thin films

The mechanical loss of amorphous thin films of germania (GeO2) and titania-doped germania (Ti:GeO2) deposited by ion-beam sputtering onto silicon double-paddle oscillators was studied from 10 K to 290 K. Undoped germania was found to show a wide cryogenic mechanical loss peak centered at K with , which decreases to as Ti-concentration increases to 44%. In addition to decreasing the height of this low-temperature peak, Ti-doping increases its width, and shifts its position toward lower temperatures. Annealing reduces the room temperature mechanical loss of Ti:GeO2 and increases its cryogenic mechanical loss, which is consistent with trends observed in most amorphous oxides.

Growth of magnetooptical cerium-substituted yttrium iron garnet on yttrium aluminum garnet using ion beam sputtering

Cerium-substituted yttrium iron garnet (Ce:YIG, Ce0.9Y2.1Fe5O12) was epitaxially grown on a (111)-oriented yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) substrate using radio frequency ion beam sputtering. Magnetic hysteresis loops, transmissivity spectra, and magnetooptical (MO) responses, including Faraday rotation and Faraday ellipticity, were measured. The structural properties of the grown Ce:YIG were characterized using the x-ray rocking curve, reciprocal space map, pole figure, and x-ray reflectivity. X-ray photoelectron spectrometry revealed a dominant Ce3+ state in the grown Ce:YIG, but the transmission electron microscopy images showed columnar growth of Ce:YIG. This study demonstrates integration of epitaxial Ce:YIG on YAG, marking a significant step toward the fusion of MO garnets and laser crystals.

Te doping effects on the ferromagnetic performance of the MnGe/Si quantum dots grown by ion beam sputtering deposition

Dilute magnetic MnGe quantum dots (QDs) have been a popular research topic due to their great potential application on spintronics and their natural compatibility with today's highly developed silicon-based complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology. However, the relatively low Curie temperature impedes their ability to maintain the ferromagnetic phase and creates difficulty for their practical application in spintronics at room temperature. Here, we report the first preparation of the Te-doped dilute-magnetic Mn0.064Ge0.895Te0.041/Si QDs by using the ion beam composite target sputtering technique. Growth temperature and deposition thickness dependent QDs density and magnetic properties were investigated systematically. The experimental results indicate that the QD density of Mn0.064Ge0.895Te0.041/Si sample increases first and then reduces with the deposited thickness, while the QDs' diameters increase monotonously from 10.18 ± 0.21–33.6 ± 0.34 nm. Curie temperature of 369 K observed in Mn0.064Ge0.895Te0.041 QDs is higher than that of 295 K observed in Mn0.061Ge0.939 counterparts grown at the same conditions. Correspondingly, the saturation and residual magnetization in the former are much higher than in the latter. The ferromagnetic enhancement can be attributed to that the nonpolar Mn0.064Ge0.936 QDs transform into Rashba polar Mn0.064Ge0.895Te0.041 QDs with the doping of Te ions, which obviously promotes the exchange coupling between holes and Mn atoms. Our work provides a practical approach for improving the ferromagnetism and Curie temperature of silicon-based diluted magnetic semiconductor QDs.

Competition between ion beam sputtering and self-organization of point defects for surface nanostructuring on germanium

Nanostructuring via ion beam irradiation on Ge substrates can be activated by ion beam sputtering and self-organization of point defects (SPDs). For evaluating the mechanism by which these formation factors compete, we studied nanostructuring on Ge substrates subjected to sputtering-dominant conditions, viz., the low-energy ion incidence. A focused ion beam was used for nanostructuring and adjusting an angle of ion incidence to the surface normal range of 0°–60°. The ions accelerated for irradiation were Ga+ with an incident energy of 5–30 keV, and the fluence and beam current were 1 × 1020–1 × 1022 ions/m2 and 0.5–16.7 nA, respectively. Based on the results of serial experiments, the incident energy of 5 keV can be the threshold for the activation of nanostructuring by SPD.

Structure and electrical properties of (Mg/ZrO<sub>2</sub>)<sub>52</sub> multilayer nanostructures

Multilayer (Mg/ZrO2)52 nanostructures differing from each other in the thickness of the Mg layers and the same thickness of the ZrO2 layers were obtained by ion-beam sputtering of two targets in an argon. The thickness of one bilayer (Mg + ZrO2) varies from 3.6 to 8.5 nm. It was found that the use of zirconium dioxide prevented the oxidation of the magnesium phase. The presence of an electric percolation threshold was found when the morphology of magnesium layers changes (transition from discrete to continuous) as a result of an increase in the bilayer thickness. A change of the electrotransport mechanism in the (Mg/ZrO2)52 multilayer nanostructures upon passing through the percolation threshold has been established.

Magnetic, magnetoresistive and structural properties of Cox(CoO)100-x thin film composites

The structural, magnetic, and magnetoresistive properties of Cox(CoO)100-x thin film composites synthesized by ion-beam sputtering of a composite target in an argon and mixed atmosphere (argon + oxygen) has been studied. The experimentally determined percolation threshold was significantly lower than that for most of the studied previously nanocomposites: ∼ 12.2 at % Co and ∼8.3 at % Co for films fabricated in inert and mixed atmosphere, respectively. This is explained by the special morphology of the films when small metallic Co nanoparticles are located on the surface of larger CoO particles. A negative tunnel-type magnetoresistance reaching 2.4% in 9 kOe field at room temperature was found for composites with close to the percolation threshold Co content. The magnetoresistance is proportional to the square of magnetization and is characterized by hysteresis, which correlates well with magnetic hysteresis. Magnetic hysteresis with a coercivity of the order of 700 Oe is observed for dielectric compositions up to 4 at. % Co. A possible reason for this behavior, along with the special morphology, is the appearance of thin layers of antiferromagnetic oxide at the interface between Co nanoparticles and CoO particles, which causes a significant increase in magnetic anisotropy.