Selective heteroepitaxial growth of α-Al2O3 thin films on a NiO layer was investigated using an electron-beam assisted pulsed laser deposition process. The epitaxial NiO layer was grown on an ultrasmooth sapphire (α-Al2O3 single crystal) (0001) substrate. The α-Al2O3 thin film could be grown epitaxially only in the electron-beam irradiated region of the epitaxial NiO layer at 300°C, while the amorphous Al2O3 film was grown in the non-irradiated region. The homoepitaxial growth of α-Al2O3 thin films could not be attained on the sapphire (0001) substrate at 300°C. This indicates that the electron-beam irradiation enhances heteroepitaxial growth of the α-Al2O3 thin films on the NiO layer at 300°C. When we annealed the epitaxial Al2O3/NiO bilayer film at 350°C in a hydrogen atmosphere, we could reduce only the NiO layer to an epitaxial Ni metal layer, allowing the fabrication of epitaxial Al2O3/Ni (insulator/metal structure) films. The fabricated Al2O3/Ni bilayer films exhibited a very smooth surface.

We summarize recent progress in growth and characterization of aligned-crystalline silicon (ACSi) films on polycrystalline metal and amorphous glass substrates. The ACSi deposition process uses, as a key technique, ion-beam-assisted deposition (IBAD) texturing on a non-single-crystalline substrate to achieve a biaxially-oriented (i.e., with preferred out-of-plane and in-plane crystallographic orientations) IBAD seed layer, upon which homo- and hetero-epitaxial buffer layers and hetero-epitaxial silicon (i.e., ACSi) films with good electronic properties can be grown. We have demonstrated the versatility of our approach by preparing ACSi films on customized architectures, including fully insulating and transparent IBAD layer and buffer layers based on oxides on glass and flexible metal tape, and conducting and reflective IBAD layer and buffer layers based on nitrides on flexible metal tape. Optimized 0.4-μm-thick ACSi films demonstrate out-of-plane and in-plane mosaic spreads of 0.8° and 1.3°, respectively, and a room-temperature Hall mobility of ∼90 cm2/V.s (∼50% of what is achievable with epitaxial single-crystalline Si films, and ∼1000 times that of amorphous Si films) for a p-type doping concentration of ∼4×1016 cm−3. By using various experimental techniques, we have confirmed the underlying crystalline order and the superior electrical characteristics of low-angle (<5°) grain boundaries in ACSi films. Forming gas anneal experiments indicate that Si films with low-angle grain boundaries do not need to be passivated to demonstrate improved majority carrier transport properties. Measurements on metal-insulator-semiconductor structures using ACSi films yield near-electronic-grade surface properties and low surface defect densities in the ACSi films. A prototype n+/p/p+–type diode fabricated using a 4.2-μm-thick ACSi film shows minority carrier lifetime of ∼3 μs, an estimated diffusion length of ∼30 μm in the p-Si layer with a doping concentration of 5×1016 cm−3, and external quantum efficiency of ∼80% at 450 nm with the addition of an MgO film anti-reflector.

We report on the formation of nanocrystalline Al thin films (180 nm thick) via magnetron sputtering technique using a step-wise deposition concept where columnar growth is inhibited, giving place to the development of a nanocrystalline mosaic grain arrangement with characteristic diameters of ≈ 30 nm and small size dispersion. The thermal evolution of the grain size distributions is investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in samples annealed in high vacuum for 3600 s. For the temperature range 300 ≤ T ≤ 462 °C the system presents a 3-D regular growth behavior up to sizes ≈ 70 nm. For T = 475 °C a rather sharp transition from normal to abnormal grain growth occurs. The grains extend to the film thickness and present mean lateral dimensions of ≈ 1000 nm. The observed phenomenon is discussed in terms of a synergetic grain boundary mobility effect caused by the characteristics of the initial nanogranular grain boundary morphology.

Ion-beam assisted deposition (IBAD) offers the possibility to prepare thin textured films on amorphous or non-textured substrates. It was shown within the last decade that the ion beam influences the nucleation in material with a rocksalt structure leading to a strong cube texture already within the first 10 nanometres. Among these materials, transition metal nitrides exhibit interesting physical properties as superconductivity, metallic behaviour or superior hardness. Therefore, a reactive IBAD process was applied for the preparation of highly textured transition metal nitride layers using pulsed laser deposition of pure metals in combination with a nitrogen-containing ion beam. The results on the in-plane textured growth of TiN are promising for the development of conducting buffer layer architectures for YBCO coated conductors based on the IBAD approach. Furthermore, this approach was used to prepare other highly textured transition metal nitride thin films like NbN and ZrN.

It is important to obtain single crystalline organic thin films for electronics and optics applications. Due to the mismatching in the crystal symmetry, it is difficult to align the crystalline grains of organic molecular films even on single crystalline surfaces. We have developed several techniques for the artificial grain alignment in organic epitaxial growth. (1) Use of nanoscale-textured surfaces prepared by step bunching of vicinally-cut single crystalline surfaces, in which the height of the steps is critically important. (2) Application of external electric field. (3) Optical excitation of the molecules which can be applied to the polar semiconducting molecules. These techniques might be applicable to other materials including ionic materials and ferroelectrics.

Ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) is used to biaxially texture magnesium oxide (MgO), which is useful as a template for the heteroepitaxial growth of various thin film devices and most notably as a template layer for high temperature superconductors. Improvements in the quality of IBAD MgO films have been largely empirical and there is uncertainty as to the exact mechanism by which this biaxial texture is developed. Using a specially built quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) as both a substrate and monitor in conjunction with reflected high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) acting on the same surface, we have probed the initial stages of IBAD MgO growth in-situ. We have correlated corresponding RHEED images with real-time mass accumulation QCM data during the film growth. During IBAD growth, the mass accumulation exhibits a sharp change in slope corresponding to a sudden decrease in growth rate. Corresponding RHEED images show an abrupt onset of crystallographic texture at this point. A simple model incorporating differential etch rates of the MgO film and silicon nitride substrate can be used to fit the data but is inconsistent with the behavior during ion etching with no growth. It is, therefore, postulated that a more complex mechanism is responsible for the observed behavior.

SuperPower's IBAD (ion beam assisted deposition) MgO process has been changed to reactive ion beam sputtering of Mg metal target instead of MgO ceramic target, which gives ∼ 60 % increase in deposition rate. The process speed was increased from 195 m/h to 360 m/h. Texture of IBAD MgO tapes by this reactive process was found to degrade faster during long length run. This uniform issue was resolved with feedback control during long run and from run to run. The bottleneck of alumina layer process due to slow ion beam sputtering deposition was removed by new high rate reactive magnetron sputtering at transition mode. The new alumina process speed can be as high as 3,000 m/h in our Pilot Buffer system. The yttria layer process was also changed to high rate reactive magnetron sputtering at transition mode with achievable speed as high as 10,000 m/h in our Pilot Buffer system. The routine production speed of alumina and yttria is 750 m/h due to limitation of tape driving system. The high rate magnetron-sputtered alumina/yttria yields the same texture of IBAD MgO as ion beam sputtered alumina/yttria. Now we are routinely producing IBAD MgO template tapes of ∼ 1.4 km with a uniform in-plane texture ∼ 6-7 degrees. Record high critical current of 813 A/cm over a one meter length and a world record critical current times length value of > 233,8100A-m was obtained with our routinely-produced high throughput IBAD MgO buffers. The requirements for a better IBAD texturing layer than IBAD MgO are also suggested.

In standard ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD), the growing film is exposed to inclined ion etching in order to achieve a preferable in-plane orientation of the crystalline structure. Recently, we suggested exposing the film periodically to deposition pulses and to etching pulses, i.e. to assisted beam pulses. As a long sequence of alternations of these two pulses is needed, we named this method “alternating beam assisted deposition” (ABAD). In real application, the substrates exposed to the molecular/atomic flow originating from the sputter source acquire a few nanometer thick layer of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ). In the next step, this layer undergoes ion etching with an Ar ion beam emitted from the source with a particle energy between 200 and 300 eV. Simultaneously with ion-beam exposition, an additional electron beam provides neutralizing of the electrical change in the substrate plane. The ion beam guided 55° at a 55° angle of incidence provides selective etching of the YSZ layer, leading finally after numerous deposition-etching cycles to a sufficiently high quality of in-plane texture in the YSZ layer with the best FWHM values of 8°-9°.

Several methods to induce grain alignment in polycrystalline thin films are discussed, in which directional effects can dominate over the normal evolution of fiber texture during thin film growth. Early experiments with ion beam assisted deposition showed the importance of channeling directions in selecting grain orientations with low sputtering yield or low ion damage energy density. Examples of this approach include the formation of biaxial fiber textures in Nb, Al and AlN. Grain orientations may also be selected by the release of stored energy during abnormal grain growth initiated by solute precipitation (Cu-Co) or phase transformation (TiSi2). Other energy sources such as mechanical deformation, crystallization or compound formation may also contribute to producing desired grain alignments. In multicomponent thin films, combinations of these mechanisms provide opportunities for more specific control of grain orientations.

We investigated crystallization processes of amorphous Si (a-Si) during the excimer laser annealing in the complete-melting and near-complete-melting conditions by using molecular dynamics simulations. The initial a-Si configuration was prepared by quenching liquid Si (l-Si) in a MD cell with a size of 50×50×150Å3 composed of 18666 atoms. KrF excimer laser (wavelength: 248nm) annealing processes of a-Si were calculated by taking account of the change in the optical constant upon melting during a laser pulse shot with the intensity Ioexp[−(t–t0)2/ς2] (Io: laser fluence, t: irradiation time). The refractive indices of a-Si and l-Si were set at n+ik=1.0+3.0i and n+ik=1.8+3.0i, respectively. The simulated results well reproduced the observed melting rate and the near-complete-melting and complete-melting conditions were obtained for Io = 160mJ/cm2 and 180mJ/cm2, respectively. It was found that larger grains were obtained in the near-complete-melting condition. Our MD simulations also suggest that nucleation occurs first in a-Si and subsequent crystallization proceeds toward l-Si in the near-complete-melting case.

Isotactic Polypropylene (iPP) nanocomposites with low concentrations of multiwall carbon nanotubes (CNTs) 0-1% were studied, using differential scanning calorimetry and Avrami analysis. The nanocomposites were isothermally crystallized at 135°C, in order to measure the effect of nanotubes on the kinetics of crystallization. In our study there is a great effect of the CNTs on the iPP crystallization kinetics. The Avrami analysis shows increase in the crystallization rate constant and constancy the Avrami exponent with increase of the CNTs concentration. The full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the heat flow exotherm and the peak time for crystallization (tp) change dramatically. For iPP, the carbon nanotubes serve as nucleation agents to speed up the crystallization process.

Ion-beam assisted deposition (IBAD) offers the possibility to prepare thin textured films on amorphous or non-textured substrates. In particular, the textured nucleation of TiN is promising for the development of a conducting buffer layer architecture for YBCO coated conductors based on the IBAD approach. Accordingly, cube textured IBAD-TiN layers have been deposited reactively using pulsed laser deposition on Si/Si3N4 substrates as well as on polished Hastelloy tapes using different amorphous seed layers. Metallic buffer layers such as Au, Pt or Ir were grown epitaxially on top of the TiN layer showing texture values similar to the IBAD layer. Smooth layers were obtained using a double layer of Au/Pt or Au/Ir. Biaxially textured YBCO layers were achieved using SrRuO3 or Nb-doped SrTiO3 as a conductive oxide cap layer. Finally, different amorphous conducting seed layers were applied for the IBAD-TiN process. Highly textured TiN films were achieved on amorphous Ta0.75Ni0.25 layers showing a similar in-plane orientation of about 8° as on standard seed layers.