Lattice Damage Research Articles

Microstructure Evolution of AlN:Eu Films at Different Annealing Temperatures

The microstructure evolution of AlN implanted with Eu during thermal treatment is characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high‐resolution X‐ray diffraction, and atomic force microscopy. Three regions with different contrast can be observed in the TEM for the implanted samples. The region A is 30 nm below the surface, the region B is about 30–100 nm below the surface and is the worst damaged area, and the region C is the area below the region B. There is a relatively large stress in the region B due to the large radius difference between Eu and Al ions. After annealing at 750 °C, the stress in region B is only partially released outward, resulting in the increase of lattice defects in regions A and C. Both A and C regions show the same contrast in the weak‐beam bright‐field image. After annealing at 1040 °C, there are almost no shadow regions, which indicates that the stress is completely released and the lattice damage is removed. Meanwhile, the results of cathodoluminescence (CL) show that the luminescence of Eu3+ is improved along with the stress releasing and damage removal.

Analysis of Strain in Ion Implanted 4H-SiC by Fringes Observed in Synchrotron X-Ray Topography

A novel high energy implantation system has been successfully developed to fabricate 4H-SiC superjunction devices for medium and high voltages via implantation of dopant atoms with multi-energy ranging from 13 to 66 MeV to depths up to 12um. Since the level of energies used is significantly higher than those employed for conventional implantation, lattice damage caused by such implantation must be characterized in detail to enhance the understanding of the nature of the damage. In regard to this, by employing the novel high energy system, 4H-SiC wafers with 12μm thick epilayers were blanket implanted by Al atoms at energies ranging from 13.8MeV to 65.7MeV and N atoms at energies ranging up to 42.99MeV. The lattice damages induced by the implantation were primarily characterized by Synchrotron X-ray Plane Wave Topography (SXPWT). 0008 topographs recorded from the samples are characterized by an intensity profile consisting of multiple asymmetric diffraction peaks with an angular separation of only 2” (arcseconds). Using Rocking-curve Analysis by Dynamical Simulation (RADS) program, diffracted intensity profile was used to extract the corresponding strain profile indicating an inhomogeneous strain distribution across the depth of the implanted layer.

Analysis of Basal Plane Dislocation Motion Induced by p+ Ion Implantation Using Synchrotron X-Ray Topography

Multiple PIN diodes with junction termination extension (JTE) were fabricated on 4H-SiC wafers with 10 μm thick epilayers by ion implantation with various dosages of Al ions at room temperature (RT) and high temperature (600 °C). The subsequent annealing process was conducted at 1650 °C for 10 minutes to activate the dopant atoms and recover the lattice damages introduced by the implantation. Synchrotron X-ray topography was used to characterize the defects in the devices, and it is observed that basal plane dislocations (BPDs) were generated during the annealing process from the boundaries between the high (P+) and low (P-) doping concentration in devices implanted with relatively high doses at RT. Further, topographs also manifest motion of BPDs due to implantation-induced stresses, where BPDs with opposite sign Burgers vectors move in directions accommodative of nature of stress (tensile/compressive). On the other hand, generation of BPDs due to implantation was not observed in devices implanted either at relatively low dosages at both temperatures or relatively high dosages at high temperature. Measurements of blocking behaviors of devices illustrate that devices with higher densities of process-induced BPDs yield higher leakage currents.

Photoluminescence properties and DFT simulations of the Cr ion-implanted (100)-oriented β-Ga2O3 single crystals

Beta-gallium oxide (β-Ga2O3) with tunable optical and electrical properties has great potential in power metal-semiconductor devices. In this work, (100)-oriented β-Ga2O3 single crystals were implanted with 190 keV Cr ions at different fluencies, and their photoluminescence, band structures, and electronic properties have been studied in detail. Our results clearly show that ion implantation-induced lattice damage could be recovered and the implanted Cr ions in (100)-oriented β-Ga2O3 can be activated to produce NIR (R-lines and broadband) emissions after the post-implantation annealing at 900 °C. Temperature-dependent photoluminescence (TDPL) measurements indicate that the increasing temperature could lead to weakness and redshifts of the R-lines emissions centered at about 692 nm, while the broadband emission centered at about 713 nm enhanced because of a higher thermal occupation at the 4T2 state than at the 2E state. Results from Density functional theory (DFT) calculations demonstrate that the Ga atom’s replacements with Cr atoms could occur at the tetrahedral or octahedral sites of the lattices, which allows the Cr atoms to be activated to act as the NIR emission centers.

(Invited) Application of Synchrotron X-Ray Topography Techniques to the Analysis of Defect Microstructures in Bulk GaN Substrates and Epilayers for Power Devices

The study of defects and strain in GaN substrates and epilayers for vertical device development using synchrotron X-ray topography techniques is presented. Synchrotron monochromatic beam X-ray topography (SMBXT) studies show that ammonothermal-grown GaN substrate wafers have the lowest dislocation densities while patterned hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) GaN reveal a starkly heterogeneous distribution of dislocations with large areas containing low threading dislocation densities and HVPE GaN substrates contain high dislocation densities. Epitaxial growth does not nucleate new defects but interactions of dislocations with point defects can cause changes in dislocation configurations. Rocking curve Analysis by Dynamical Simulation (RADS) is shown to be effective in analysis of implantation by correlating the depth profile of strain with the doping profile. Removal of lattice damage induced by implantation requires annealing with proper capping or under high pressures to limit loss of material and lattice distortion. Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching may introduce strain in GaN material that can be partially recovered by TBCl etching. Diffusion doping does not introduce new strains in GaN material while neutron transmutation doping at low levels can lead to curing of defects while higher levels lead to irradiation damage and nucleation of new defects.

Heavy Ion Induced Degradation Investigation on 4H-SiC JBS Diode with Different P+ Intervals

The heavy ion radiation response and degradation of SiC junction barrier Schottky (JBS) diodes with different P+ implantation intervals (S) are studied in detail. The experimental results show that the larger the S, the faster the reverse leakage current increases, and the more serious the degradation after the experiment. TCAD simulation shows that the electric field of sensitive points directly affects the degradation rate of devices with different structures. The large transient energy introduced by the heavy ion impact can induce a local temperature increase in the device resulting in lattice damage and the introduction of defects. The reverse leakage current of the degraded device is the same at low voltage as before the experiment, and is gradually dominated by space-charge-limited-conduction (SCLC) as the voltage rises, finally showing ballistic transport characteristics at high voltage.

Towards a deeper understanding of temperature-dependent material removal of single-crystal AlN: An atomistic study

Temperature-dependent material attrition and subsurface lattice damage of single-crystal AlN at various scratching depths/forces are investigated at atomic level using molecular dynamics simulation. An ultimate removal precision of depth down to monolayer of AlN is achieved based on the present temperature-dependent critical conditions. The number of worn atoms, positively influenced by temperature due to the reduction of hardness, increases exponentially with increasing normal force in the plastic domain. Archard-type wear coefficient K values calculated at different temperatures increase linearly with normal force, and the slope is independent of temperature. Independently of load and temperature, a wear coefficient normalized with the tangential contact area, K/Atang, is developed to interpret the removal efficiency of AlN substrate with diamond abrasive.

Periodic surface structure of 4H-SiC by 46.9 nm laser.

This paper presents an experimental study on the laser-induced atomic and close-to-atomic scale (ACS) structure of 4H-SiC using a capillary-discharged extreme ultraviolet (EUV) pulse of 46.9 nm wavelength. The modification mechanism at the ACS is investigated through molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The irradiated surface is measured via scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The possible changes in the crystalline structure are investigated using Raman spectroscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy. The results show that the stripe-like structure is formed due to the uneven energy distribution of a beam. The laser-induced periodic surface structure at the ACS is first presented. The detected periodic surface structures with a peak-to-peak height of only 0.4 nm show periods of 190, 380, and 760 nm, which are approximately 4, 8, and 16 times the wavelength. In addition, no lattice damage is detected in the laser-affected zone. The study shows that the EUV pulse is a potential approach for the ACS manufacturing of semiconductors.

Low donor ionization energy in Si-implanted heteroepitaxial AlN

We obtained high n-type conductivity and low donor ionization energy for an AlN film grown on SiC by Si ion implantation. The room temperature conductivity reaches 0.26 Ω−1 cm−1, and the donor ionization energy is only 112 meV, which is the best result of Si-implanted heteroepitaxial AlN. The lattice damage caused by ion implantation can be almost completely repaired by annealing at 1330 °C for 2 h. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results show few O impurity in the sample. The low donor ionization energy is attributed to avoiding the introduction of O impurities and the mitigation of self-compensating effect. These results show the great potential of Si-implanted heteroepitaxial AlN for device applications.

Feldspar Pb isotope evidence of cryptic impact-driven hydrothermal alteration in the Paleoproterozoic

Hypervelocity impacts throughout Earth's history have profoundly affected the evolution of the continental crust. Accessory minerals like zircon are typically used to date impact events and rock-forming minerals like quartz are routinely used as shock barometers. However, feldspar group minerals – a major constituent of most crustal rocks – are generally underutilized in the documentation of impact-induced deformation and alteration. Alkali feldspar contains appreciable amounts of Pb and analysis of Pb isotopes in feldspar may offer the opportunity to identify impact-related isotopic modifications of shocked crustal target rocks and estimate their timing. Here, we apply a combination of laser ablation inductively coupled plasma (LA-ICP) and thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) Pb isotope analysis with imaging techniques, including electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), cathodoluminescence (CL), and time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS), to shocked alkali feldspar from monzogranite in the oldest confirmed terrestrial impact structure (2229 ± 5 Ma) at Yarrabubba, Western Australia. Alkali feldspar preserves microstructures such as sub-planar and irregular fractures, sets of planar deformation bands that accommodate misorientations of up to ∼20°, sets of damage lamellae, and broad domains of lattice damage that can be linked to impact-related deformation. The Pb isotope compositions in alkali feldspar correlate with variations in electron diffraction band contrast – a proxy for crystallinity – and also the degree of misorientation and CL response. Less damaged alkali feldspar yields Pb model ages similar to the igneous zircon U–Pb crystallization age of the host monzogranite (∼2650 Ma), whereas younger Pb model ages correspond to zones of damage (high relative misorientation, low crystallinity, weak CL response). The observed Pb isotope behaviour implies radiogenic ingrowth of Pb, from decay of U and Th within damaged alkali feldspar, and therefore mixing with a grain-scale Pb reservoir that formed at the time of impact. The U and Th zonation in some shock-deformed alkali feldspar is broadly similar and follows the orientation of sub-planar fractures and damage lamellae. Detailed imaging reveals the zones of U and Th enrichment are associated with trains of monazite micro-inclusions, in conjunction with magnetite and/or hematite in places, which are inferred to have precipitated during impact-induced hydrothermal circulation. Hence, the Pb isotopic data record grain-scale hydrothermal alteration in superficially weakly altered monzogranite target rocks.

Quasi-static compressive behaviors of large-size titanium lattice sandwich structure based on pulse hot-wire arc additive manufacturing

Large-size lattice sandwich structure (LSS) has broad application prospects in the industrial field because of its specific stiffness and high strength. Quasi-static compression behavior is one of the basic mechanical properties of LSS. In this paper, large size titanium pyramid lattice sandwich structures were fabricated by pulse hot-wire arc additive manufacturing (PHWAAM). The mechanical properties and failure modes of pyramid LSS were studied by quasi-static axial compression tests. Theoretical and experimental analyses showed that the compression strength of 4-cells LSS differs greatly from that of 5-cells LSS, and the specific strength and specific stiffness also differ significantly. 5-cells LSS has better compression behavior, strength is 608.23 MPa higher than the 4-cells LSS. The process of lattice damage during the experiment was observed, and the failure mode was analyzed by theoretical calculation together with metallography and fracture. The main failure mode is brittle fracture, but there is plastic deformation in some lattice cells. The compression properties of the two kinds of LSS are studied by finite element method (FEM) and compared with the theoretical and experimental results. The research findings presented in this study provide a concise and effective guidance for quasi-static compressive behaviors of large-size LSS. The proposed conclusion is of great significance to the explore of the mechanical properties of LSS manufactured by WAAM.

Low leakage current in isolated AlGaN/GaN heterostructure on Si substrate by N ion implantation performed at an elevated temperature

Electrical characterizations of AlGaN/GaN heterojunctions isolated by N implantation at elevated temperatures were investigated. Three-terminal measurements were carried out to characterize leakage paths, and crystal lattice damage due to implantation was monitored by high-resolution x-ray diffraction. Compared with room temperature implantation, the current leakage was reduced by ∼103 times by the implantation at 300 °C. The low leakage was attributed to low acceptor-like energy levels due to low crystal lattice damage by the “dynamic annealing” effect at high-temperature implantation. The post-annealing process increased the current leakage by two orders of magnitude. This indicates that the implantation isolation process should be conducted after higher temperature processes (>450 °C) in the fabrication of GaN devices. These results can provide valuable information for the fabrication, reliability, and mass production of various GaN-based photonics and electronics.

Lattice damage and helium bubbles formation in KTaO3 crystals induced by helium ion implantation

Potassium tantalite (KTaO[Formula: see text] has shown an excellent performance in optoelectronic applications, proving its advantages with respect to fabricating single crystal thin films by ion implantation. This work introduces the damage formation of KTaO3 under 200 keV He ion implantation at room temperature and He bubbles accumulation. Ion implantation-induced lattice damage before and after annealing was quantitatively analyzed by using the Rutherford backscattering spectrometry in channeling technique. The crystals phase analysis of the samples under different fluences was studied by using the X-ray diffraction technique. For 200 keV He ions, the accumulation and migration of He bubbles were induced by the thermal annealing effect under high fluences of He[Formula: see text]. The He bubbles appear obviously coarsening and embrittlement with thermal annealing. The blistering phenomenon caused by He ion implantation is the physical basis for the smart-cut technique, which allows the preparation of high-quality single-crystal films.

Compression performances and damage mechanisms of Al2O3 ceramic lattices fabricated by additive manufacturing: Imitating metal crystal structures

It is important for deformation and damage resistance of lightweight engineering to develop novel lattices by additive manufacturing. In this work, we developed five novel lattice structures, tested their compressive properties from x, y, and z directions, and summarized their damage mechanisms from macro to micro view. That the pseudoplastic stress and strain trend of lattices was consistent with the plasticity trend of metal crystal, FCC > BCC > HCP, was a new discovery. Compression behaviors included the short elastic stage, the pseudoplastic stage with fluctuant peaks, and the collapse stage. Tensile and compressive damage models were used to predict lattice damage behaviors, and geometric truss and cantilever beam theories were applied to evaluate the structure stability. Lattice compression performances and damage mechanisms were clarified adequately for the first time. Besides, the geometric structure evolution and defect direction and weakening were the reasons of different compressive strength on three directions. Finally, SFCC lattices had the largest compressive strength, 155.35 MPa, in all lattices with 0.9 mm strut diameter.

Optimization of chemical mechanical polishing of (010) β-Ga2O3

Smooth (< 0.5 nm rms) and subsurface damage-free (010) β-Ga2O3 was achieved with low-pressure chemical mechanical polishing. An applied pressure of 1 kPa along with colloidal silica and poromeric polyurethane polishing pads rotating at 30 rpm was found to be the optimal polishing parameters for (010) β-Ga2O3. Using higher pressures typically employed in the current literature induced subsurface damage in the substrates. Diffuse scatter intensity of triple-axis x-ray rocking curves was used to determine the presence of subsurface lattice damage, which was quantified by measuring peak widths below the half maximum (i.e., FWXM where X < 0.5). The initially rough surfaces of (010) β-Ga2O3 substrates due to wafer slicing and grinding were lapped and polished. A 5 μm Al2O3 slurry followed by a 0.3 μm Al2O3 slurry was used as the primary lap material removal step. The material removal rates were ∼20 and ∼9 μm/h, respectively. Then, chemical mechanical polishing was performed using colloidal alumina followed by colloidal silica. The removal rates were ∼1.3 and ∼0.4 μm/h, respectively. Only colloidal silica showed the complete removal of subsurface damage. The final (020) β-Ga2O3 rocking curve FWHM was ∼13″ and FW(0.001)M was ∼120″, which matches the widths of commercially available pristine (010) β-Ga2O3. A final cleaning step using dilute bleach and dilute citric acid to remove residual silica slurry particles from the surface was demonstrated.

Intense luminescence emission and lattice damage of the implanted Eu ions in KTiOPO4 crystals

The doping of rare earth elements revolutionized applications of optoelectronic devices. Europium (Eu) ions acting as activators can provide the fundamental effect on luminescence of host materials. We investigate photoluminescence, lattice damage formation of Eu-implanted potassium titanyl phosphate (KTiOPO4) crystals using 400-keV Eu ions with a fluence of 5 × 1015 ions / cm2 at room temperature. Effective doping is achieved in the depth range of about 50 to 200 nm from the surface of KTiOPO4 crystal, and the luminescent activity of Eu ions is inhibited due to significant implantation damage. However, the samples showed intense luminescence emission at room temperature through the lattice recovery after annealing at 600°C and 700°C. The lattice damage of as-implanted and annealed samples was investigated by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry in channeling configuration. Furthermore, the relative strain depth curves of Eu implanted KTiOPO4 samples at different annealing temperatures were studied using the high resolution x-ray diffraction and Raman spectra. The present research reveals that Eu implanted KTiOPO4 samples have great prospects in the field of optical applications and waveguide quantum reservoirs.

Insights into the effects of Al-ion implantation temperature on material properties of 4H-SiC

In this study, Al implantation in 4H-SiC at the dose of 1 × 1014 cm−2 was investigated. The impacts of implantation temperature on the lattice quality, microstructure, surface composition, and band structure were all studied experimentally and theoretically. Atomic force microscope (AFM) images showed the difference in surface morphology between high-temperature and low-temperature implantation. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) characterization indicated the lattice damage induced by implantation was recovered after the post-annealing at 1750 °C, except for the samples implanted at room temperature. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis suggested an oxidation effect during and after the implantation process, and it was more serious at lower implantation temperatures. As the implantation temperature incremented, the ratio of Si-C composition with high binding energy increased, the element valence became closer to that of ideal Al-doped 4H-SiC calculated by density functional theory (DFT); and the Fermi level shifted toward the valence band maximum (VBM), demonstrating the formation of efficient p-type doping. A more obvious asymmetric broadening in Raman spectroscopy was observed at higher implantation temperature. The theoretically obtained band structures and bond lengths from DFT calculations corroborated the experimental results, providing physical insights into the possible effect mechanism. In sum, correlations between the implantation process, external material properties, and internal crystal structure were recorded, paving the way for further research and future applications.

Environment-Dependent Radiation Tolerance of Graphene Transistors under Proton Irradiation.

Electronic devices based on two-dimensional materials are promising for application in space instrumentation because of their small size and low power consumption, and irradiation tolerance of these devices is required because of the existence of energetic particles in aerospace conditions. We investigate the performance degradation of graphene field effect transistors (GFETs) with 3 MeV protons by using an in situ irradiation facility. Our results indicate that GFET performance degraded severely at the ion fluence of 8 × 1011 cm-2. Surprisingly, although the performance of the proton-irradiated GFETs is difficult to recover in vacuum, it can nearly completely recover within hours when the GFET is moved into an air environment, indicating that the performance change is due to the charge accumulation in SiO2 under proton irradiation rather than the lattice damage of graphene. Our results have great importance for the application of 2D devices in aerospace and other radiative environments.

Theory of tip structure–dependent microtubule catastrophes and damage-induced microtubule rescues

Microtubules are essential cytoskeletal polymers that exhibit stochastic switches between tubulin assembly and disassembly. Here, we examine possible mechanisms for these switches, called catastrophes and rescues. We formulate a four-state Monte Carlo model, explicitly considering two biochemical and two conformational states of tubulin, based on a recently conceived view of microtubule assembly with flared ends. The model predicts that high activation energy barriers for lateral tubulin interactions can cause lagging of curled protofilaments, leading to a ragged appearance of the growing tip. Changes in the extent of tip raggedness explain some important but poorly understood features of microtubule catastrophe: weak dependence on tubulin concentration and an increase in its probability over time, known as aging. The model predicts a vanishingly rare frequency of spontaneous rescue unless patches of guanosine triphosphate tubulin are artificially embedded into microtubule lattice. To test our model, we used invitro reconstitution, designed to minimize artifacts induced by microtubule interaction with nearby surfaces. Microtubules were assembled from seeds overhanging from microfabricated pedestals and thus well separated from the coverslip. This geometry reduced the rescue frequency and the incorporation of tubulins into the microtubule shaft compared with the conventional assay, producing data consistent with the model. Moreover, the rescue positions of microtubules nucleated from coverslip-immobilized seeds displayed a nonexponential distribution, confirming that coverslips can affect microtubule dynamics. Overall, our study establishes a unified theory accounting for microtubule assembly with flared ends, a tip structure-dependent catastrophe frequency, and a microtubule rescue frequency dependent on lattice damage and repair.

Degradation of thin carbon-backed lithium fluoride targets bombarded by 68 MeV 17O beams

To analyze the cause of the destruction of thin, carbon-backed lithium fluoride targets during a measurement of the fusion of 7Li and 17O, we estimate theoretically the lifetimes of carbon and LiF films due to sputtering, thermal evaporation, and lattice damage and compare them with the lifetime observed in the experiment. Sputtering yields and thermal evaporation rates in carbon and LiF films are too low to play significant roles in the destruction of the targets. We estimate the lifetime of the target due to lattice damage of the carbon backing and the LiF film using a previously reported model. In the experiment, elastically scattered target and beam ions were detected by surface silicon barrier (SSB) detectors so that the product of the beam flux and the target density could be monitored during the experiment. The areas of the targets exposed to different beam intensities and fluences were degraded and then perforated, forming holes with a diameter around the beam spot size. Overall, the target thickness tends to decrease linearly as a function of the beam fluence. However, the thickness also exhibits an increasing interval after SSB counts per beam ion decreases linearly, extending the target lifetime. The lifetime of thin LiF film as determined by lattice damage is calculated for the first time using a lattice damage model, and the calculated lifetime agrees well with the observed target lifetime during the experiment. In experiments using a thin LiF target to induce nuclear reactions, this study suggests methods to predict the lifetime of the LiF film and arrange the experimental plan for maximum efficiency.