Growth and evolution of germanium (Ge) nanocrystals embedded into a silicon oxide (SiO2) system have been studied based on the Ge content of co-sputtered Ge-SiO2 films using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Xray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It was found that when the proportion of Ge relative to Ge oxide is 20%, TEM showed that annealing the samples at 800C for 60 min resulted in...

A quantitative method to determine the profile of the residual stress along the depth of a highly boron doped silicon film is reported. First, the stress profile relative to the stress at the neutral surface of the film is obtained by measuring deflection of p silicon cantilevers with different etch depths. Second, the average of the residual stress is obtained by using a rotating beam structur...

The design methodology and realization of nanocomposite films aiming for mechanical (superhardness, toughness) and functional (optical, microelectronic) properties were discussed in this paper. Superhard TiCrCN and nc-TiN/a-SiNx films and super-tough nc-TiC/a-C(Al) films were prepared through co-sputtering method by optimal design of microstructure. The nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si) passivate...

A simple and fast method was developed to determine the quantum efficiency and short circuit current of thin-film silicon solar cells prepared on periodically or randomly textured surfaces. The optics was studied for microcrystalline thin-film silicon solar cells with integrated periodic and random surface textures. Rigorous Coupled Wave Analysis (RCWA) was used to investigate the behaviour of ...

Thin-film solar cells enable a strong reduction of the amount of silicon needed to produce photovoltaic panels but their efficiency lowers. Placing metallic or dielectric nanoparticles over the silicon substrate increases the light trapping into the panel thanks to the plasmonic scattering from nanoparticles at the surface of the cell. The goal of this paper is to optimize the geometry of a thi...

Free-standing polycrystalline chemical vapor deposition diamond films grown on a silicon wafer, with electrical behavior similar to values currently mentioned in the literature, present microheterogeneity. A detailed analysis by micro Raman shows how the diamond and nondiamond phases are distributed within the film and also the distribution of the silicon related luminescence. This luminescence...

Three-dimensional atom probe tomography (APT) is successfully used to analyze the near-apex regions of an atomic force microscope (AFM) tip. Atom scale material structure and chemistry from APT analysis for standard silicon AFM tips and silicon AFM tips coated with a thin film of Cu is presented. Comparison of the thin film data with that observed using transmission electron microscopy indicate...

Thin films of polystyrene on silicon substrate were investigated for thickness-dependent interface properties. To better understand the desirable electrical, mechanical, and optical properties of a polymer thin film, the interfacial structures must be first understood. Using x-ray reflectivity, data from polystyrene-air and polystyrene-silicon interfaces were collected and correlated with a the...

A lithium niobate (LiNbO3)/silicon (Si) hybrid structure has been developed by the surface-activated bonding of LiNbO3 chips with gold (Au) thin film to Si substrates with patterned Au film. After organic contaminants on the Au surfaces were removed using argon radiofrequency plasma, Au-to-Au bonding was carried out in ambient air. Strong bonding at significantly low temperatures below 100◦C wi...

The use of fossil fuels to generate electricity has already been identified as a major contributor to global warming and climate change. Many countries have already made plans to reduce their fossil fuel consumption and increased the contribution of renewable energies in total energy supply. One of the commonly used renewable energy sources is the sun and the use of photovoltaic cells to conver...