| 1. |
- Ali, Hasan, 1985-, et al.
(författare)
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Atomic resolution energy-loss magnetic chiral dichroism measurements enabled by patterned apertures
- 2020
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Ingår i: Physical Review Research. - College Park USA. - 2643-1564. ; 2:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Electron energy-loss magnetic chiral dichroism (EMCD) has the potential to measure magnetic properties of the materials at atomic resolution but the complex distribution of magnetic signals in the zone axis and the overlapping diffraction discs at higher beam convergence angles make the EMCD signal acquisition challenging. Recently, the use of ventilator apertures to acquire the EMCD signals with atomic resolution was proposed. Here we give the experimental demonstration of several types of ventilator apertures and obtain a clear EMCD signal at beam semiconvergence angles of 5 mrad. To simplify the experimental procedures, we propose a modified ventilator aperture which not only simplifies the complex scattering conditions but reduces the influence of lens aberrations on the EMCD signal as compared to the originally proposed ventilator apertures. In addition, this modified aperture can be used to analyze magnetic crystals with various symmetries and we demonstrate this feature by acquiring EMCD signals on different zone axis orientations of an Fe crystal. With the same aperture we obtain EMCD signals with convergence angles corresponding to atomic resolution electron probes. After the theoretical demonstration of the EMCD signal on a zone axis orientation at high beam convergence angles, this work thus overcomes the experimental and methodological hurdles and enables atomic resolution EMCD on the zone axis by using apertures.
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| 2. |
- Ali, Hasan, 1985-, et al.
(författare)
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Simultaneous mapping of EMCD signals and crystal orientations in a transmission electron microscope
- 2021
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Nature. - 2045-2322. ; 11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- When magnetic properties are analysed in a transmission electron microscope using the technique of electron magnetic circular dichroism (EMCD), one of the critical parameters is the sample orientation. Since small orientation changes can have a strong impact on the measurement of the EMCD signal and such measurements need two separate measurements of conjugate EELS spectra, it is experimentally non-trivial to measure the EMCD signal as a function of sample orientation. Here, we have developed a methodology to simultaneously map the quantitative EMCD signals and the local orientation of the crystal. We analyse, both experimentally and by simulations, how the measured magnetic signals evolve with a change in the crystal tilt. Based on this analysis, we establish an accurate relationship between the crystal orientations and the EMCD signals. Our results demonstrate that a small variation in crystal tilt can significantly alter the strength of the EMCD signal. From an optimisation of the crystal orientation, we obtain quantitative EMCD measurements.
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| 3. |
- Ali, Hasan, 1985-, et al.
(författare)
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Single scan STEM-EMCD in 3-beam orientation using a quadruple aperture
- 2023
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Ingår i: Ultramicroscopy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0304-3991 .- 1879-2723. ; 251
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The need to acquire multiple angle-resolved electron energy loss spectra (EELS) is one of the several critical challenges associated with electron magnetic circular dichroism (EMCD) experiments. If the experiments are performed by scanning a nanometer to atomic-sized electron probe on a specific region of a sample, the precision of the local magnetic information extracted from such data highly depends on the accuracy of the spatial registration between multiple scans. For an EMCD experiment in a 3-beam orientation, this means that the same specimen area must be scanned four times while keeping all the experimental conditions same. This is a non-trivial task as there is a high chance of morphological and chemical modification as well as non-systematic local orientation variations of the crystal between the different scans due to beam damage, contamination and spatial drift. In this work, we employ a custom-made quadruple aperture to acquire the four EELS spectra needed for the EMCD analysis in a single electron beam scan, thus removing the above-mentioned complexities. We demonstrate a quantitative EMCD result for a beam convergence angle corresponding to sub-nm probe size and compare the EMCD results for different detector geometries.
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| 4. |
- Ali, Hasan, 1985-
(författare)
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Towards atomically resolved magnetic measurements in the transmission electron microscope : A study of structure and magnetic moments in thin films
- 2020
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The magnetic properties of thin metallic films are significantly different from the bulk properties due to the presence of interfaces. The properties shown by such thin films are influenced by the atomic level structure of the films and the interfaces. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) has the potential to analyse the structure and the magnetic properties of such systems with atomic resolution. In this work, the TEM is employed to characterize the structure of the Fe/V and Fe/Ni multilayers and the technique of electron magnetic circular dichroism (EMCD) is developed to obtain the quantitative magnetic measurements with high spatial resolution.From TEM analysis of short period Fe/V multilayers, a coherent superlattice structure is found. In short period Fe/Ni multilayer samples with different repeat frequency, only the TEM technique could verify the existence of the multilayer structure in the thinnest layers. The methods of scanning TEM imaging and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) results were used and refined to determine interdiffusion at the interfaces. The confirmation of the multilayer structure helped to explain the saturation magnetization of these samples.Electron magnetic circular dichroism (EMCD) has the potential to quantitatively measure the magnetic moments of the materials with atomic resolution, but the technique presents several challenges. First, the EMCD measurements need to acquire two EELS spectra at two different scattering angles. These spectra are mostly acquired one after the other which makes it difficult to guaranty the identical experimental conditions and the spatial registration between the two acquisitions. We have developed a technique to simultaneously acquire the two angle-resolved EELS spectra in a single acquisition. This not only ensures the accuracy of the measurements but also improves the signal to noise ratio as compared to the previously used methods. The second important question is the effect of crystal orientations on the measured EMCD signals, considering the fact that the crystal orientation of a real crystal does not remain the same in the measured area. We developed the methodology to simultaneously acquire the EMCD signals and the local crystal orientations with high precision and experimentally showed that the crystal tilt significantly changes the magnetic signal. The third challenge is to obtain EMCD measurements with atomic resolution which is hampered by the need of high beam convergence angles. We further developed the simultaneous acquisition technique to obtain the quantitative EMCD measurements with beam convergence angles corresponding to atomic size electron probes.
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| 5. |
- Antonio Cabas, Vidani, et al.
(författare)
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Influence of the Rear Interface on Composition and Photoluminescence Yield of CZTSSe Absorbers: A Case for an Al2O3 Intermediate Layer
- 2021
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Ingår i: ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1944-8244 .- 1944-8252. ; 13:16, s. 19487-19496
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The rear interface of kesterite absorbers with Mo back contact represents one of the possible sources of nonradiative voltage losses (Delta V-oc,V-nrad) because of the reported decomposition reactions, an uncontrolled growth of MoSe2, or a nonoptimal electrical contact with high recombination. Several intermediate layers (IL), such as MoO3, TiN, and ZnO, have been tested to mitigate these issues, and efficiency improvements have been reported. However, the introduction of IL also triggers other effects such as changes in alkali diffusion, altered morphology, and modifications in the absorber composition, all factors that can also influence Delta V-oc,V-nrad. In this study, the different effects are decoupled by designing a special sample that directly compares four rear structures (SLG, SLG/Mo, SLG/Al2O3, and SLG/Mo/Al2O3) with a Na-doped kesterite absorber optimized for a device efficiency >10%. The IL of choice is Al2O3 because of its reported beneficial effect to reduce the surface recombination velocity at the rear interface of solar cell absorbers. Identical annealing conditions and alkali distribution in the kesterite absorber are preserved, as measured by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The lowest Delta V-oc,V-nrad of 290 mV is measured for kesterite grown on Mo, whereas the kesterite absorber on Al2O3 exhibits higher nonradiative losses up to 350 mV. The anticipated field-effect passivation from Al2O3 at the rear interface could not be observed for the kesterite absorbers prepared by the two-step process, further confirmed by an additional experiment with air annealing. Our results suggest that Mo with an in situ formed MoSe2 remains a suitable back contact for high-efficiency kesterite devices.
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| 6. |
- Chen, Zhang, et al.
(författare)
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Making monolayer graphene photoluminescent by electron-beam-activated fluorination approach
- 2023
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Ingår i: Applied Surface Science. - : Elsevier. - 0169-4332 .- 1873-5584. ; 608
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The past one and half decades have witnessed a tremendous development of graphene electronics, and the key to the success of graphene is its exceptional properties. The lacking of an inherent bandgap endows graphene with excellent electrical properties but considerably limits its applications in light-emitting and high-performance graphene-based devices. Herein, an approach for the direct writing of semiconducting and photoluminescent fluorinated graphene (C4F) patterns on monolayer graphene by an optimized electron-beam-activated fluorination technique is reported. A series of characterization approaches, such as atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy were used to demonstrate the successful preparation of C4F for maskless lithography. Specially, a sharp and strong photoluminescence located at the purple light range of ∼380 nm was observed in C4F, demonstrating a desirable semiconducting nature, and the bandgap was further confirmed by follow-up electrical measurements, where the C4F filed-effect transistor exhibited a p-type semiconductor behavior and significantly enhanced on/off ratio. Therefore, this work provides a novel technique for the fabrication of graphene devices for promising electronic and optoelectronic applications, but also opens a route towards the tailoring and engineering of electronic properties of graphene.
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| 7. |
- Duan, Tianbo, et al.
(författare)
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Electron-Beam-Induced Fluorination Cycle for Long-Term Preservation of Graphene under Ambient Conditions
- 2022
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Ingår i: Nanomaterials. - : MDPI AG. - 2079-4991. ; 12:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aging in air inevitably results in the accumulation of airborne hydrocarbon contaminations on a graphene surface, which causes considerable difficulties in the subsequent application of graphene. Herein, we report an electron-beam-activated fluorination/defluorination cycle for achieving a long-term preservation of CVD graphene. After experiencing such cycle, the accumulation of airborne hydrocarbon on the graphene surfaces is strongly reduced, and the initial chemical status of graphene can be restored, which is confirmed by employing atomic force microscopy and X-ray photoelectron microscopy. Our reported approach provides an efficient method for the cleaning and long-term preservation of graphene, and it is particularly useful for graphene microscopy characterizations.
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| 8. |
- Duan, Tianbo, 1992-
(författare)
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Functionalized Graphene as Superlattice and Gas Sensor
- 2021
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Graphene, an atomic-thin carbon sheet with carbon atoms tightly packed honeycomb-like lattice, has attracted enormous interest due to its unique chemical and physical properties. However, the intrinsic zero bandgap characteristic of graphene has so far prevented graphene from building effective electronic and optoelectronic devices. To address this concern, different functionalization methods have been proposed to modify the electronic properties of graphene. This thesis focuses on different graphene surface functionalizations and their applications in gas detections and superlattices.First of all, the surface cleanness of graphene plays a crucial role in the performance of graphene devices. To achieve a controlled removal of polymer residues on graphene surface, a facile solvent based method has been proposed, which can drastically improve the charge carrier mobility of graphene devices by a factor of 3, indicating a potential ballistic transport of graphene under ambient condition. In addition, an electron beam induced fluorination cycle is proposed to eliminate the airborne hydrocarbon contamination related to aging effects on the graphene surface. Subsequent spectroscopic analysis confirms the long-term preservation of graphene using such technique. A similar technique, ion beam induced covalent functionalization has been used to locally fluorinate graphene, which could enhance the sensitivity of NH3 sensing as compared to a pristine graphene gas sensor by a factor of 8. The use of non-covalent, π-π stacking interactions for the functionalization of graphene opens a pathway to bind the functionalizing groups from nearly unlimited variety of p conjugated molecules. Here, we demonstrate that the use of BP2T molecules functionalizing graphene leads to an enhanced sensitivity to NH3 by a factor of 3 comparing with that of pristine graphene. This particle beam induced functionalization technique can be used for the fabrication of graphene superlattices. Here, a direct nanostructuring technique by employing electron beam induced etching with different precursor gases has been proposed to achieve localized structuring of graphene/hBN structures. Suspended fluorinated graphene can be obtained by using this dual-beam process, suggesting the capability of printing antidot superlattices where graphene would be suspended in a controllable way. When functionalizing a graphene bilayer by electron beam activated fluorination, a new type of moiré superlattice with rectangular periodicity can be formed due to the crystalline mismatch between the topmost fluorographene and underneath pristine graphene. Recently, rotational moiré superlattices of graphene were shown to be superconducting. We believe that this unique structure has the potential to equally reveal novel properties of 2D materials.
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| 9. |
- Duan, Tianbo, 1992-, et al.
(författare)
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Towards Ballistic Transport CVD Graphene by Controlled Removal of Polymer Residues
- 2022
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Ingår i: Nanotechnology. - : IOP Publishing. - 0957-4484 .- 1361-6528. ; 33:49, s. 495704-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Polymer-assisted wet transfer of chemical vapor deposited (CVD) graphene has achieved great success towards the true potential for large-scale electronic applications, while the lack of an efficient polymer removal method has been regarded as a crucial factor for realizing high carrier mobility in graphene devices. Hereby, we report an efficient and facile method to clean polymer residues on graphene surface by merely employing solvent mixture of isopropanol (IPA) and water (H2O). Raman spectroscopy shows an intact crystal structure of graphene after treatment, and the x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicates a significant decrease in the C–O and C=O bond signals, which is mainly attributed to the removal of polymer residues and further confirmed by subsequent atomic force microscopy analysis. More importantly, our gated measurements demonstrate that the proposed approach has resulted in a 3-fold increase of the carrier mobility in CVD graphene with the electron mobility close to 10 000 cm2 V−1 S−1, corresponding to an electron mean free path beyond 100 nm. This intrigues the promising application for this novel method in achieving ballistic transport for CVD graphene devices.
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| 10. |
- Fu, Le, et al.
(författare)
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Far from equilibrium ultrafast high-temperature sintering of ZrO2-SiO2 nanocrystalline glass-ceramics
- 2023
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Ingår i: Journal of The American Ceramic Society. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0002-7820 .- 1551-2916. ; 106:7, s. 4005-4012
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ultrafast high-temperature sintering (UHS) is a novel sintering technique with ultrashort firing cycles (e.g., a few tens of seconds). The feasibility of UHS has been validated on several ceramics and metals; however, its potential in consolidating glass-ceramics has not yet been demonstrated. In this work, an optimized carbon-free UHS was utilized to prepare ZrO2-SiO2 nanocrystalline glass-ceramics (NCGCs). The phase composition, grain size, densification behavior, and microstructures of NCGCs prepared by UHS were investigated and compared with those of samples sintered by pressureless sintering. Results showed that NCGCs with a high relative density (similar to 95%) can be obtained within similar to 50 s discharge time by UHS. The UHS processing not only hindered the formation of ZrSiO4 and cristobalite but also enhanced the stabilization of t-ZrO2. Meanwhile, owing to the ultrashort firing cycles, the UHS technology allowed the NCGCs to be consolidated in a far from equilibrium state. The NCGCs showed a microstructure of spherical monocrystalline ZrO2 nanocrystallites embedded in an amorphous SiO2 matrix.
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