Working Gas Pressure Research Articles

Effect of Shell Coating Techniques on Dynamic Response of Photoconductive Core/Shell Nanorod Arrays

Efficient carrier collection in the core/shell nanowire (nanorod) arrays requires a high quality interface between core and shell materials. A highly conformal shell layer around nanorods can lead to fast dynamic response in photoconductive devices by a radial charge flow. Therefore, choice of the deposition technique for the conformal shell layer becomes crucial. In this study, the dynamic response of indium sulfide (In2S3) nanorods/silver (Ag) core/shell devices is compared in which Ag shell layers are deposited by different physical vapor deposition (PVD) techniques. In2S3 nanorods are fabricated by glancing angle deposition. The core/shell devices with Ag shell sputtered at a relatively high working gas pressure (≈3 × 10−2 mbar) produce the highest photocurrent compared to other devices in which more directional incident flux (with working gas pressure of ≈3 × 10−3 mbar) is utilized for Ag shell layer. The reduced transit times indicate a conformal shell achieved by the high pressure sputtering technique that has a wide angular distribution flux. In addition, a more directional flux yet with a small angle (≈30°) incidence with respect to the substrate surface normal also helps increase the photocurrent. Such simple and scalable PVD techniques are shown to offer alternative fabrication approaches in producing high quality core/shell nanostructures.

Implementation plasma chemical etching in submicron technology wsi structure

With the development of a range of sub–micron devices elements inthralnyh large schemes, a number of problems, which either did not exist in the development of technology of integrated circuits with minimum dimensions of elements, or they did not identify significant. Thus reducing the geometric dimensions topology structures LSI, accompanied by a decrease in the thickness of the functional layers of multilayer structures used to represent a theoretical requirements for selectivity and anisotropy etching layers introduced defects and radiation damage to the surface of the processed wafers of silicon or gallium arsenide structures of integrated circuits. To determine the optimal technological regimes digestion ranged basic operating parameters of the process – the composition and working gas pressure, bias voltage and holder, holder distance to the source plasma. This article reveals the same perspective and alternative use of submicron technology of plasma chemical etching.

New model of calculating the energy transfer efficiency for the spherical theta-pinch device

Ion-beam-plasma-interaction plays an important role in the field of Warm Dense Matter (WDM) and Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF). A spherical theta pinch is proposed to act as a plasma target in various applications including a plasma stripper cell. One key parameter for such applications is the free electron density. A linear dependency of this density to the amount of energy transferred into the plasma from an energy storage was found by C. Teske. Since the amount of stored energy is known, the energy transfer efficiency is a reliable parameter for the design of a spherical theta pinch device. The traditional two models of energy transfer efficiency are based on assumptions which comprise the risk of systematical errors. To obtain precise results, this paper proposes a new model without the necessity of any assumption to calculate the energy transfer efficiency for an inductively coupled plasma device. Further, a comparison of these three different models is given at a fixed operation voltage for the full range of working gas pressures. Due to the inappropriate assumptions included in the traditional models, one owns a tendency to overestimate the energy transfer efficiency whereas the other leads to an underestimation. Applying our new model to a wide spread set of operation voltages and gas pressures, an overall picture of the energy transfer efficiency results.

Features of the growth of amorphous silicon thin films synthesized by magnetron sputtering

Features of the growth of amorphous silicon films synthesized by DC magnetron sputtering are studied. The effect of the working-gas pressure on the film-surface roughness and growth rate is investigated. It is shown that the film-growth rate decreases with increasing gas pressure in the working chamber and film-surface roughness changes in proportion to the pressure variation. The obtained experimental dependences can be used in modifying the technique for growing films with specified characteristics.

TiO2 thin and thick films grown on Si/glass by sputtering of titanium targets in an RF inductively coupled plasma

TiO2 thin and thick films were deposited on silicon/glass substrates using RF inductive plasma in continuous wave. The films thickness, as well as phases control, is achieved with a gradual increase in temperature substrates varying supplied RF power or working gas pressure besides deposition time as well. The deposition conditions were: argon 80%/oxygen 20% carefully calibrated mixture of 2 to 7×10−2 mbar as working gas pressure range. Deposition time 0.5 to 5 hours, 500 or 600 W RF power at 13.56 MHz frequency and 242-345 °C substrates temperature range. The titanium dioxide deposited on the substrates is grown by sputtering of a titanium target negatively polarized at 3-5 kV DC situated 14 mm in front of such substrates. The plasma reactor is a simple Pyrex-like glass cylindrical vessel of 50 cm long and 20 cm in diameter. Using the before describe plasma parameters we obtained films only anatase and both anatase/rutile phases with stoichiometric different. The films were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), stylus profilometer, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Raman spectroscopy.

Comparison of the high-temperature corrosion of aluminium nitride, alumina, magnesia and zirconia ceramics by coal ashes

Higher-grade reactor lining materials are needed to withstand the higher working temperatures and gas pressures used in gasification reactors to improve their efficiency. Both conventional oxide materials and nonoxide materials such as SiC and AlN are suitable refractory materials for the reducing atmospheres prevailing in gasifiers. Interactions between the reactor lining and the slag constitute the main corrosion mechanism. In previous investigations on the high-temperature corrosion of aluminium nitride by coal ash [1] AlN materials were tested in basic and acidic coal ashes at temperatures of 900–1300°C. In the present work the high-temperature corrosion of aluminium nitride by different coal ashes is compared with that of alumina, magnesia and zirconia.

Factors determining the efficiency of magnetron sputtering. Optimization criteria

We report on the results of experimental study of the dependence of sputtering energy efficiency Kw in a dc planar magnetron sputtering setup on the discharge power, working gas pressure, magnetic field, cathode erosion depth, and the structure of the gas puffing system and anode. We propose that this parameter be used for comparing the degree of perfection of the magnetron design irrespective of the magnetron size and structural features. The results of measurements of Kw in sputtering of Al, Ti, Cr, Cu, Zn, Zr, Nb, Mo, Ag, In, Sn, Ta, W, Pt, and Au are considered. The optimization criterion is worked out for the magnetic system of the magnetron, which ensures the minimal working pressure and the maximal sputtering rate for the cathode. The results are analyzed theoretically.

Angular distribution of energetic argon ions emitted by a 90 kJ Filippov-type plasma focus

Characteristics of the energetic argon ions emitted by a 90 kJ Filippov-type plasma focus are studied by employing an array of Faraday cups. The Faraday cups are designed to minimize the secondary electron emission effects on their response. Angular distribution of the ions is measured, and the results indicate a highly anisotropic emission with a dip at the device axis and a local maximum at the angle of 7° with respect to the axis. It has been argued that this kind of anisotropic emission may be related to the surfatron acceleration mechanism and shown that this behavior is independent of the working gas pressure. It has been also demonstrated that this mechanism is responsible for the generation of MeV ions. Measuring the total ion number at different working gas pressures gives an optimum pressure of 0.3 Torr. In addition, the energy spectrum of ions is measured by taking into account of the ambient gas effects on the energy and charge of the ions. The current neutralization effect of electrons trapped in the ion beam as well as the effect of conducting boundaries surrounding the beam, on the detected signals are investigated.

Monitoring the thin film formation during sputter deposition of vanadium carbide.

The thin film formation of magnetron sputtered polycrystalline coatings was monitored by in situ X-ray reflectivity measurements. The measured intensity was analyzed using the Parratt algorithm for time-dependent thin film systems. Guidelines for the on-line interpretation of the data were developed. For thick coatings, the experimental resolution needs to be included in the data evaluation in order to avoid misinterpretations. Based on a simple layer model, the time-dependent mean electron density, roughness and growth velocity were extracted from the data. As an example, the method was applied to the hard coating material vanadium carbide. Both instantaneous and slowly varying changes of the coating could be detected. It was shown that the growth velocity is proportional to the DC power. Significant changes of the microstructure induced by the working gas pressure are mainly driven by the chemical composition.

Investigations on Chemo-Mechano Stabilities of the Molybdenum Thin Films Deposited by DC-Sputter Technique

Abstract This paper reports the chemical and mechanical stability of Molybdenum (Mo) thin films deposited by direct current magnetron sputtering technique onto soda lime glass substrates. Mo thin films were deposited at various Ar (working) gas pressures to get optimized structural, morphological, adhesive and electrical properties. Mo thin films were further characterized by field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), X-ray diffraction, Hall measurements and the cross hatch tape test. To study their chemical stability the prepared Mo thin films were further dipped in acetic acid and ammonia solution for 6 h. Mechanical stability of Mo thin films was tested by high speed ultrasonication for an hour. Both the chemical and mechanical stability studies showed that Mo thin films were highly stable since morphology, adhesion and electrical properties did not alter significantly. FE-SEM results showed that the grain size of the chemo-mechano stability tested Mo thin films remained significantly similar with an unimportant effect on the film thickness. Electrical properties showed that electrical resistivity and hall mobility for as-deposited Mo thin films were 2.7 · 10 –5 Ω cm and 5.1 cm2/Vs, respectively and remained nearly stable regardless of chemical and mechanical treatment. All of the films passed the cross hatch tape test and showed an excellent adhesion with glass substrates. The wettability investigations showed that all the Mo thin films were hydrophilic in nature and having contact angles in the range of 35○ to 40○.

Effect of dissipated power due to antenna resistive heating on E- to H-mode transition in inductively coupled oxygen plasma

The problem of the effective power input into plasma is investigated for the inductively coupled RF oxygen discharge operated at 13.56 MHz. The power significantly deviates especially at the E- to H-mode transition. In order to enlighten this phenomenon the U–I characteristics of the discharge are recorded. With these data, we have recalculated the power deposited into plasma and determined the effective power losses due to the resistive antenna heating. The E–H mode transition is investigated in the pressure range from 10 to 200 Pa. With an increase of the working gas pressure, the threshold for the E–H transition moves towards the higher powers. The transition exhibits a hysteresis for the pressures higher than 10 Pa. When the dissipated power due to the antenna resistive heating is taken into account, the characteristic hysteresis profile skews towards lower power as compared to the case of taking generator power as a relevant parameter. This means that the E-mode is strongly affected by the way the power is obtained, while for the H-mode the generator power can be considered as a relatively good external parameter.

Effect of Gas Pressure and Temperature on Stereometric Properties of Al+Al2O3 Composite Coatings Deposited by LPCS Method

Abstract The paper deals with effect of working gas pressure and temperature on surface stereometry of coatings deposited by low-pressure cold spray method. Examinations were focused on aluminium coatings which are commonly used to protect substrate against corrosion. A commercial Al spherical feedstock powder with admixture of Al2O3 (Al + 60vol.-% Al2O3), granulation -50+10 µm, was used to coat steel, grade S235JR. Thedeposited coatings were studied to determine their stereometry, i.e. roughness, transverse and longitudinal waviness, topography of surface and thickness as the functions of gas pressure and temperature. A profilometer and focal microscope were used to evaluate the stereometric properties. In order to reduce the number of variables, the remaining process parameters, i.e. shape and size of de Laval nozzle, nozzle-to-substrate distance, powder mass flow rate, linear velocity of spraying gun, were kept unchanged. The investigation confirmed influence of temperature and pressure on coating thickness as well as on the surface seterometry.

Formation of porous zinc nanostructures during self-organization of critically small steady-state supersaturations

Porous zinc nanosystems have been obtained with help of a technological approach, which is based on the self-organization in plasma-condensate systems during vapor deposition at critically small supersaturations. The main advantage of the proposed approach is the outstanding reproducibility of the structural and morphological characteristics of the nanostructured condensates films. The experimental results have shown that three structure formation zones can be distinguished depending on the deposition parameters, such as the working gas pressure PAr and the discharge power Pw. Within each zone morphologically identical porous layers are formed. The first zone corresponds to nanowire formation with diameters ranging from 60 to 200 nm, which are connected into nodes. The transition to the second zone is observed at PAr greater than 5 Pa and Pw less than 27 W. The increase of PAr and the decrease of Pw in the described range cause an increase of the supersaturation value. As a result a gradual transition to the formation of faceted crystals occurs. It is established, that the presence of chemically active residual gases suppresses the nanowire formation for the whole range of the parameters used.

Investigation of deuterated target effects on neutron yield in plasma focus device SBUMTPF1

In this research, the effect of inserting deuterated solid target in plasma focus device ‘SBUMTPF1’ on neutron yield has been investigated. The deuterated target with the diameter of 2.5 cm was placed at different heights relative to the anode tip. In each height, the best place of target (where the ion density is highest) was found from observing the effects of ions struck on the aluminum samples. Also for each height, 20 shots were performed at the optimum pressure of deuterium working gas and operating voltage, which are equal to 1.5 mbar and 24 kV, respectively. The neutron production was measured with two activation counters, which placed in 0○ and 90○ relative to the anode axis. Neutron scattering from two activation counters was calculated with MCNP4C code and the results showed that this effect is negligible. In this article, the probability of implanting deuterium ions into the titanium target was also investigated. Deviation angle of the ion emission relative to the anode axis was measured experimentally in this research and it was about 3.1○.

Cycling performance of density modulated multilayer silicon thin film anodes in Li-ion batteries

The high volumetric expansion/contraction of silicon (Si) anodes in Li-ion batteries by about ∼400% during lithiation/delithiation causes considerably high stress followed by cracking, pulverization, and the loss of electrical contact; and finally results in capacity fading and failing. In this work, we present a new density modulated multilayer Si thin film anode approach, which can provide a robust high capacity electrode for Li-ion batteries. Alternating high and low density layers have been achieved by simply changing the working gas pressure between low and high values, respectively during magnetron sputter deposition of Si thin film anodes. Our results reveal that density modulated Si films can provide a high coulombic efficiency up to 99% and reversible specific capacity as high as ∼1700 mAh g−1 after 50 cycles. Low-density layers are believed to be performing as compliant layers during volume change making the films more durable compared to conventional Si film anodes. The results of this work can lead to Si thin film anode materials with superior capacity and mechanical stability compared to conventional Si anodes.

Crystalline structure and surface morphology of tin oxide films grown by DC reactive sputtering

Tin oxide thin films were deposited by direct current (DC) reactive sputtering at gas pressures of 0.015 mbar–0.15 mbar. The crystalline structure and surface morphology of the prepared SnO2 films were introduced by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). These films showed preferred orientation in the (110) plane. Due to AFM micrographs, the grain size increased non-uniformly as the working gas pressure increased.

Studies on hydrogen plasma and dust charging in low-pressure filament discharge

The effect of working gas pressure and dust charging on electron energy probability function has been studied for hydrogen plasma in a multi-dipole dusty plasma device. A cylindrical Langmuir probe is used to evaluate the plasma parameters and electron energy probability function (EEPF) for different working pressures. For lower energy range (below 10 eV), the EEPF follows a bi-Maxwellian shape at very low pressure (6 × 10−5 mbar), while elevating the working pressure up to ∼2 × 10−3 mbar, the shape of the EEPF transforms into a single Maxwellian. Some dip structures are observed at high energy range (ε > 10 eV) in the EEPF of hydrogen plasma at all the working conditions. In presence of dust particles, it is observed that the shape of the EEPF changes due to the redistribution of the high and low-energy electron populations. Finally, the effect of working pressure on charge accumulation on dust particles is studied with the help of a Faraday cup and electrometer. From the observations, a strong influence of working pressure on plasma parameters, EEPF and dust charging is observed.

Spatial distribution of the RF power absorbed in a helicon plasma source

The spatial distributions of the RF power absorbed by plasma electrons in an ion source operating in the helicon mode (ω ci < ω < ω ce < ω pe ) are studied numerically by using a simplified model of an RF plasma source in an external uniform magnetic field. The parameters of the source used in numerical simulations are determined by the necessity of the simultaneous excitation of two types of waves, helicons and Trivelpiece-Gould modes, for which the corresponding transparency diagrams are used. The numerical simulations are carried out for two values of the working gas (helium) pressure and two values of the discharge chamber length under the assumption that symmetric modes are excited. The parameters of the source correspond to those of the injector of the nuclear scanning microprobe operating at the Institute of Applied Physics, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. It is assumed that the mechanism of RF power absorption is based on the acceleration of plasma electrons in the field of a Trivelpiece-Gould mode, which is interrupted by pair collisions of plasma electrons with neutral atoms and ions of the working gas. The simulation results show that the total absorbed RF power at a fixed plasma density depends in a resonant manner on the magnetic field. The resonance is found to become smoother with increasing working gas pressure. The distributions of the absorbed RF power in the discharge chamber are presented. The achievable density of the extracted current is estimated using the Bohm criterion.

Ultraviolet-B radiation enhancement in dielectric barrier discharge based xenon chloride exciplex source by air

A single barrier dielectric barrier discharge tube of quartz with multi-strip Titanium-Gold (Ti-Au) coatings have been developed and utilized for ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation production peaking at wavelength 308 nm. The observed radiation at this wavelength has been examined for the mixtures of the Xenon together with chlorine and air admixtures. The gas mixture composition, chlorine gas content, total gas pressure, and air pressure dependency of the UV intensity, has been analyzed. It is found that the larger concentration of Cl2 deteriorates the performance of the developed source and around 2% Cl2 in this source produced optimum results. Furthermore, an addition of air in the xenon and chlorine working gas environment leads to achieve same intensity of UV-B light but at lower working gas pressure where significant amount of gas is air.

Simulation of Nitrogen and Oxygen Spectra Emitted from High Density Hot Plasma

The expected emission spectra of nitrogen and oxygen high density plasma have been studied for different conditions. Expected nitrogen and oxygen plasma spectra at certain electron temperature range have been plotted. Suitable electron temperature ranges for nitrogen and oxygen plasma soft X-ray emission and extreme ultraviolet emission have been investigated. Numerical experiments confirm the possibility of developing nitrogen and oxygen plasma focus as a powerful X-ray radiation source for water-window X-ray microscopy, by selecting the working gas pressure, choosing corresponding design and operating parameters of the device. We have illustrated that the results obtained from XRAYFIL simulation could be used to provide spectroscopic information of the plasma focus simulated by Lee model.