Effects of the Fabrication Processes of NC-Si:H Films on Their Mechanical Properties

Studies of nanoindentation were performed on nc-Si:H films to evaluate the effects of the fabrication processes on their mechani-cal properties. It is observed that with the decrease of the SiH4 contents, the grain size of the films increases gradually, and as does the crystalline volume fraction. The smaller the grains become, the more homogeneous the films, and the more even the hardness as well as the modulus will be. The hardness and the modulus will increase with the substrate’s temperature rising. The hardness and the modulus of the nc-Si:H films on the Si substrate prove to be higher than those on the glass substrate given the same technology parameters. How-ever, the films on the glass substrate appear to be more homogeneous.     

Preparation and Mechanical Properties of Glass Coats with High Temperature Radar Absorber

BaO-La2O3-B2O3 （BLB） glass, suitable to be used as a sealing between metals, was chosen to be the binder in preparing glass coats on the Ti-alloy substrate. The SiCN nano-powder was introduced as the filler for the absorbing coat because it is considered to be a good high temperature absorber. The effect of the coating temperature and coating time on the tensile strength of the glass coat was investigated and the proper coating parameters to get good mechanical properties were determined. In addition, the effects of the SiCN content on the tensile strength of the absorbing coat were also discussed. Results show that it is possible to prepare the glass coat using the BLB glass as a binder. That the coat formed at 730℃ for 30 min has the best tensile strength witnesses 730 ℃, 30 min to be the proper parameter to prepare the glass coat. The BLB glass coat without SiCN powder possesses good tensile strength and the introduction of the SiCN absorber into the glass coat will lower the tensile strength. As the SiCN content increases, the tensile strength of the absorbing coat decreases, which could be attributed to the aggregation of SiCN in the coats.     

Fabrication of Diamond-like Carbon Films by Ion Assisted Middle Frequency Unbalanced Magnetron Sputtering

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films are deposited by the Hall ion source assisted by the mid-frequency unbalanced magnetron sput-tering technique. The effects of the substrate voltage bias, the substrate temperature, the Hall discharging current and the argon/nitrogen ratio on the DLC film’s performance were studied. The experimental results show that the film’s surface roughness, the hardness and the Young’s modulus increase firstly and then decrease with the bias voltage incrementally increases. Also when the substrate temperature rises, the surface roughness of the film varies slightly, but its hardness and Young’s modulus firstly increase followed by a sharp decrease when the temperature surpassing 120 ℃. With the Hall discharging current incrementally rising, the hardness and Young’s modulus of the film decrease and the surface roughness of the film on 316L stainless steel firstly decreased and then remains constant.     

Preparation, Growth Mechanisms and Characterizations of ZnSe Films via the Solvothermal Method

With diethylamine as a solvent, ZnSe films were formed on the Si substrate directly from zinc and selenium through the modified solvothermal method. The effects of holding temperature, deposition time and substrate surface treatment on the quality and morphologies of the ZnSe films were investigated. The growth mechanism of ZnSe films was proved to be a layer-nucleation growth process, which was tied in with the Stranski-Krastanov （SK） model. ZnSe films were identified by the X-ray diffraction pattern （XRD）, the scanning electron microscope （SEM）, the X-ray photoelectron spectroscope （XPS） and the photoluminescence （PL） techniques. The results indicate that the modified solvothermal method with diethylamine as a solvent is suitable to prepare high quality ZnSe films.     

Fabrication of Diamond-like Carbon Films by Ion Assisted Middle Frequency Unbalanced Magnetron Sputtering

Diamond-like carbon （DLC） films are deposited by the Hall ion source assisted by the mid-frequency unbalanced magnetron sputtering technique. The effects of the substrate voltage bias, the substrate temperature, the Hall discharging current and the argon/nitrogen ratio on the DLC film＇s performance were studied. The experimental results show that the film＇s surface roughness, the hardness and the Young＇s modulus increase firstly and then decrease with the bias voltage incrementally increases. Also when the substrate temperature rises, the surface roughness of the film varies slightly, but its hardness and Young＇s modulus firstly increase followed by a sharp decrease when the temperature surpassing 120 ℃. With the Hall discharging current incrementally rising, the hardness and Young＇s modulus of the film decrease and the surface roughness of the film on 316L stainless steel firstly decreased and then remains constant.     

Preparation,Growth Mechanisms and Characterizations of ZnSe Films via the Solvothermal Method

With diethylamine as a solvent, ZnSe films were formed on the Si substrate directly from zinc and selenium through the modified solvothermal method. The effects of holding temperature, deposition time and substrate surface treatment on the quality and morpholo-gies of the ZnSe films were investigated. The growth mechanism of ZnSe films was proved to be a layer-nucleation growth process, which was tied in with the Stranski-Krastanov (SK) model. ZnSe films were identified by the X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD), the scan-ning electron microscope (SEM), the X-ray photoelectron spectroscope (XPS) and the photoluminescence (PL) techniques. The results indicate that the modified solvothermal method with diethylamine as a solvent is suitable to prepare high quality ZnSe films.     

Preparation and Mechanical Properties of Glass Coats with High Temperature Radar Absorber

BaO-La2O3-B2O3 (BLB) glass, suitable to be used as a sealing between metals, was chosen to be the binder in preparing glass coats on the Ti-alloy substrate. The SiCN nano-powder was introduced as the filler for the absorbing coat because it is considered to be a good high temperature absorber. The effect of the coating temperature and coating time on the tensile strength of the glass coat was investigated and the proper coating parameters to get good mechanical properties were determined. In addition, the effects of the SiCN content on the tensile strength of the absorbing coat were also discussed. Results show that it is possible to prepare the glass coat using the BLB glass as a binder. That the coat formed at 730 ℃ for 30 min has the best tensile strength witnesses 730 ℃, 30 min to be the proper parameter to prepare the glass coat. The BLB glass coat without SiCN powder possesses good tensile strength and the introduc-tion of the SiCN absorber into the glass coat will lower the tensile strength. As the SiCN content increases, the tensile strength of the absorbing coat decreases, which could be attributed to the aggregation of SiCN in the coats.     

Kinetic Monte Carlo Simulation of EB-PVD Film： Effects of Substrate Temperature

The 2D kinetic Monte Carlo （KMC） simulation was used to study the effects of different substrate temperatures on the microstructure of Ni-Cr films in the process of deposition by the electron beam physical vapor deposition （EB-PVD）. In the KMC model, substrate was assumed to be a ＂surface＂ of tight-packed rows, and the simulation includes two phenomena： adatom-surface collision and adatom diffusion. While the interaction between atoms was described by the embedded atom method, the jumping energy was calculated by the molecular static （MS） calculation. The initial location of the adatom was defined by the Momentum Scheme. The results reveal that there exists a critical substrate temperature which means that the lowest packing density and the highest surface roughness structure will be achieved when the temperature is lower than the smaller critical value, while the roughness of both surfaces and the void contents keep decreasing with the substrate temperature increasing until it reaches the higher critical value. The results also indicate that the critical substrate temperature rises as the deposition rate increases.     

Preparation and Microstructure of Highly - Oriented LaNiO3 Thin Films by RF Sputtering Method

In an attempt of being used as buffer layers and electrodes for the textured BaTiO3 （BTO） ferroelectric thin films, highly （100）-oriented LaNiO3 （LNO） thin films of different thicknesses were deposited directly on Si （100） substrate with radio-frequency （RF） magnetron sputtering method. It is observed that the substrate temperatures and the film thicknesses bring main influences on the microstructures and orientation of the thin film. The effects of the thicknesses and substrate temperatures on the orientation of the films were studied on the LNO films of different thicknesses. The highly （100）-oriented LNO thin films were obtained at the substrate temperature of 600℃. The existence of epitaxially grown BTO films indicates that the oriented LNO thin films obtained in this work could be used as a buffer layer for epitaxial growth.     

Preparation and Microstructure of Highly-Oriented LaNiO_3 Thin Films by RF Sputtering Method

In an attempt of being used as buffer layers and electrodes for the textured BaTiO3 (BTO) ferroelectric thin films, highly (100)-oriented LaNiO3 (LNO) thin films of different thicknesses were deposited directly on Si (100) substrate with radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering method. It is observed that the substrate temperatures and the film thicknesses bring main influences on the micro-structures and orientation of the thin film. The effects of the thicknesses and substrate temperatures on the orientation of the films were studied on the LNO films of different thicknesses. The highly (100)-oriented LNO thin films were obtained at the substrate temperature of 600 ℃. The existence of epitaxially grown BTO films indicates that the oriented LNO thin films obtained in this work could be used as a buffer layer for epitaxial growth.     

Kinetic Monte Carlo Simulation of EB-PVD Film:Effects of Substrate Temperature

The 2D kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) simulation was used to study the effects of different substrate temperatures on the microstruc-ture of Ni-Cr films in the process of deposition by the electron beam physical vapor deposition (EB-PVD). In the KMC model, substrate was assumed to be a “surface” of tight-packed rows, and the simulation includes two phenomena: adatom-surface collision and adatom diffusion. While the interaction between atoms was described by the embedded atom method, the jumping energy was calculated by the molecular static (MS) calculation. The initial location of the adatom was defined by the Momentum Scheme. The results reveal that there exists a critical substrate temperature which means that the lowest packing density and the highest surface roughness structure will be achieved when the temperature is lower than the smaller critical value, while the roughness of both surfaces and the void contents keep decreasing with the substrate temperature increasing until it reaches the higher critical value. The results also indicate that the critical substrate temperature rises as the deposition rate increases.     

Microstructure and Optical Characterization of Magnetron Sputtered NbN Thin Films

Some fundamental studies on the preparation, structure and optical properties of NbN films were carried out. NbN thin films were deposited by DC reactive magnetron sputtering at different N2 partial pressures and different substrate temperatures ranging from –50 ℃ to 600 ℃. X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were employed to characterize their phase com- ponents, microstructures, grain sizes and surface morphology. Optical properties inclusive of refractive indexes, extinction coefficients and transmittance of the NbN films under different sputtering conditions were measured. With the increase in the N2 partial pressure, δ-NbN phase structure gets forming and the grain size and lattice constant of the cubic NbN increasing. The deposited NbN film has relatively high values of refractive index and extinction coefficient in the wavelength ranging from 240 nm to 830 nm. Substrate tem- perature exerts notable influences on the microstructure and optical transmittance of the NbN films. The grain sizes of the δ-NbN film remarkably increase with the rise of the substrate temperature, while the transmittance of the films with the same thickness decreases. Ultra-fine granular film with particle size of several nanometers forms when the substrate is cooled to –50 ℃, and a remarkable aug- mentation of transmittance could be noticed under so low a temperature.     

Luminescent Nanocrystalline Silicon Carbide Thin Film Deposited by Helicon Wave Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition

Hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon carbide （SIC） thin films were deposited on the single-crystal silicon substrate using the helicon wave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition （HW-PECVD） technique. The influences of magnetic field and hydrogen dilution ratio on the structures of SiC thin film were investigated with the atomic force microscopy （AFM）, the Fourier transform infrared absorption （FTIR） and the transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The results indicate that the high plasma activity of the helicon wave mode proves to be a key factor to grow crystalline SiC thin films at a relative low substrate temperature. Also, the decrease in the grain sizes from the level of microcrystalline to that of nanocrystalline can be achieved by increasing the hydrogen dilution ratios. Transmission electron microscopy measurements reveal that the size of most nanocrystals in the film deposited under the higher hydrogen dilution ratios is smaller than the doubled Bohr radius of 3C-SiC （approximately 5.4 nm）, and the light emission measurements also show a strong blue photoluminescence at the room temperature, which is considered to be caused by the quantum confinement effect of small-sized SiC nanocrystals.     

Study on the Microstructure and Dielectric Properties of Barium Strontium Titanate Thin Films Prepared by Sol-gel Method

Sr0.5Ba0.5–xBixTiO3 (BST) thin films were fabricated on a Pt/SiO2/Si substrate by the sol-gel method. Then follows an investigation of the influences of bismuth (Bi) on the microstructures and the dielectric properties of Sr0.5Ba0.5-xBixTiO3 (BST) thin films. The micro-structures of the BST thin films were examined by the XRD and the TEM techniques. Tetragonal perovskite crystal grains were observed in BST thin films. Increasing Bi3 doping ration in BST will lead to decrease of the grain size. It is found that Bi3 doping decreases the dielectric loss and improves the frequency dispersion of the BST thin films. Not only is compressed the peak of temperature-dependence of dielectric constant of Bi3 -doped BST thin films but also moves into the low-temperature region. Moreover, the average Curie tem-perature decreases gradually with the Bi3 contents increasing.     

Photoluminescence Properties of Nanocrystalline 3C-SiC Films

Nanocrystalline (nc) 3C-SiC films on the Si substrate were prepared by the helicon wave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposi-tion (HW-PECVD) technique. With the SiH4-CH4 gas flow ratio changing, the films exhibit different photoluminescence (PL) character-istics. Under the stoichiometric condition, the PL peak redshift from 470 nm to 515 nm is detected with the increase of excitation wave-length, which can be attributed to the quantum confinement effect radiation of 3C-SiC nanocrystals of different sizes. However, the ap-pearance of an additional PL band at 436 nm in Si-rich film might be sourced back to the excess of Si defect centers in it. This is also the case for C-rich film for its PL band lying at 570 nm. The results above quoted indicate an important influence of gas flow ratio on the PL properties of the SiC films providing an effective guidance for analyzing the luminescence mechanism and exploring the high-efficiency light emission of the SiC films.     

Characteristics of Disorder and Defect in Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon Nitride Thin Films Containing Silicon Nanograins

The hydrogenated amorphous silicon nitride （SiNx） thin films embedded with nano-structural silicon were prepared and the micro- structures at the interface of silicon nano-grains/SiNx were identified by the optical absorption and Raman scattering measurements. Characterized by the exponential tail of optical absorption and the band-width of the Raman scattering TO mode, the disorder in the interface region increases with the gas flow ratio increasing. Besides, as reflected by the sub-gap absorption coefficients, the density of interface defect states decreases, which can be attributed to the structural mismatch in the interface region and also the changes of hydrogen content in the deposited films. Additional annealing treatment results in a significant increase of defects and degree of disorder, for which the hydrogen out-diffusion in the annealing process would be responsible.     

Effect of Processing and Composition on the Structure and Properties of P/M EP741NP Type Alloys

A study was carried out on the effects of processing and composition on the structure and properties of P/M EP741NP type alloys. The objectives of this study were to understand the role of Hf in a P/M superalloy containing high niobium used in aircraft engines and to determine the effects of extrusion and forging the powders as contrasted to HIPing (hot isostatic pressing) only. Two alloys of the P/M EP741NP composition were atomized: one alloy contained 0.26%Hf and the other was Hf free. After the as-atomized powders from both alloys were characterized, the powders were extruded into billets, forged and heat treated. After each process, the microstructures were characterized by SEM and the phases were extracted and identified by X-ray diffraction. The presence of Hf in the residues was probed by EDS (energy dispersive spectroscopy). The alloys were given the published Russian heat treatment as well as a more conventional heat treatment more typical of western powder alloys. Tensile, creep and stress rupture mechanical property tests were run. Results of the structural behavior of the alloys after each processing step will be presented and discussed. The role of the Hf on the mechanical proper- ties will be discussed.     

Study on the Microstructure and Dielectric Properties of Barium Strontium Titanate Thin Films Prepared by Sol-gel Method

Sr05Ba0.5-xBixTiO3 （BST） thin films were fabricated on a Pt/SiO2/Si substrate by the sol-gel method. Then follows an investigation of the influeoces of bismuth （Bi） on the microstructures and the dielectric properties of Sr0.5Ba0.5-xBixTiO3 （BST） thin films. The microstructures of the BST thin films were examined by the XRD and the TEM techniques. Tetragonal perovskite crystal grains were observed in BST thin films. Increasing Bi^3＋ doping ration in BST will lead to decrease of the grain size. It is found that Bi^3＋ doping decreases the dielectric loss and improves the frequency dispersion of the BST thin films. Not only is compressed the peak of temperature-dependence of dielectric constant of Bi^3＋-doped BST thin films but also moves into the low-temperature region. Moreover, the average Curie tem- perature decreases gradually with the Bi^3＋ contents increasing.     

Effect of Sintering Conditions on Structure of Manganese Zinc Ferrite Powders

The structures of the Mn-Zn ferrites synthesized under different sintering conditions by the sol-gel method were investigated by the X-ray diffraction （XRD） and the scanning electron microscopy （SEM） with focus on two factors： the pre-sintering treatment and the calcining time. The results show that the sintering conditions have significant effects on the structures and the particle size of the Mn-Zn ferrites. Compared with the products without pre-sintering, those pre-sintered at 500℃ have a single phase and no diffraction peaks of Fe2O3 that could be found. The effects of the pre-sintering temperature on the structures of the ferrites were also studied. As a result, 500℃ proves to be the favorite in the pre-sintering treatment. The XRD patterns of the ferrites calcined at 1 200℃ for 6 h will present diffraction peaks of pure crystallization of spinel phase while those for 2 h or 4 h will show peaks of Fe2O3. The SEM also bears witness to well-grown grains of pure Mn-Zn ferrites if calcined for 6 hours.     

Experimental study on effect of inclination angles to ammonia pulsating heat pipe

In this paper, a novel study on performance of closed loop pulsating heat pipe（CLPHP）using ammonia as working fluid is experimented. The tested CLPHP, consisting of six turns, is fully made of quartz glass tubes with 6 mm outer diameter and 2 mm inner diameter. The filling ratio is50%. The visualization investigation is conducted to observe the oscillation and circulation flow in the CLPHP. In order to investigate the effects of inclination angles to thermal performance in the ammonia CLPHP, four case tests are studied. The trends of temperature fluctuation and thermal resistance as the input power increases at different inclination angles are highlighted. The results show that it is very easy to start up and circulate for the ammonia CLPHP at an inclining angle.The thermal resistance is low to 0.02 K/W, presenting that heat fluxes can be transferred from heating section to cooling section very quickly. It is found that the thermal resistance decreases as the inclination angle increases. At the horizontal operation, the ammonia CLPHP can be easy to start up at low input power, but hard to circulate. In this case, once the input power is high,the capillary tube in heating section will be burnt out, leading to worse thermal performance with high thermal resistance.