| 1. |
- Greczynski, Grzegorz, 1973-, et al.
(författare)
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Gas rarefaction effects during high power pulsed magnetron sputtering of groups IVb and VIb transition metals in Ar
- 2017
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Ingår i: Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology. A. Vacuum, Surfaces, and Films. - : American Institute of Physics (AIP). - 0734-2101 .- 1520-8559. ; 35:6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The authors use energy- and time-dependent mass spectrometry to analyze the evolution of metal- and gas-ion fluxes incident at the substrate during high-power pulsed magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) of groups IVb and VIb transition-metal (TM) targets in Ar. For all TMs, the time-and energy-integrated metal/gas-ion ratio at the substrate plane NMe+/NAr+ increases with increasing peak target current density J(T,peak) due to rarefaction. In addition, NMe+/NAr+ exhibits a strong dependence on metal/gas-atom mass ratio m(Me)/m(g) and varies from similar to 1 for Ti (m(Ti)/m(Ar) = 1.20) to similar to 100 for W (m(W)/m(Ar) = 4.60), with J(T,peak) maintained constant at 1 A/cm(2). Time-resolved ion-energy distribution functions confirm that the degree of rarefaction scales with m(Me)/m(g): for heavier TMs, the original sputtered-atom Sigmund-Thompson energy distributions are preserved long after the HiPIMS pulse, which is in distinct contrast to lighter metals for which the energy distributions collapse into a narrow thermalized peak. Hence, precise timing of synchronous substrate-bias pulses, applied in order to reduce film stress while increasing densification, is critical for metal/gas combinations with m(Me)/m(g) near unity, while with m(Me)/m(g) amp;gt;amp;gt; 1, the width of the synchronous bias pulse is essentially controlled by the metal-ion time of flight. The good agreement between results obtained in an industrial system employing 440 cm(2) cathodes and a laboratory-scale system with a 20 cm(2) target is indicative of the fundamental nature of the phenomena.
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| 2. |
- Halim, Joseph, 1985-
(författare)
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Synthesis and transport properties of 2D transition metal carbides (MXenes)
- 2018
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Since the isolation and characterization of graphene, there has been a growing interest in 2D materials owing to their unique properties compared to their 3D counterparts. Recently, a family of 2D materials of early transition metal carbides and nitrides, labelled MXenes, has been discovered (Ti2CTz, Ti3C2Tz, Mo2TiC2Tz, Ti3CNTz, Ta4C3Tz, Ti4N3Tz among many others), where T stands for surface-terminating groups (O, OH, and F). MXenes are mostly produced by selectively etching A layers (where A stands for group A elements, mostly groups 13 and 14) from the MAX phases. The latter are a family of layered ternary carbides and/or nitrides and have a general formula of Mn+1AXn (n = 1-3), where M is a transition metal and X is carbon and/or nitrogen. The produced MXenes have a conductive carbide core and a non-conductive O-, OH- and/or F-terminated surface, which allows them to work as electrodes for energy storage applications, such as Li-ion batteries and supercapacitors.Prior to this work, MXenes were produced in the form of flakes of lateral dimension of about 1 to 2 microns; such dimensions and form are not suitable for electronic characterization and applications. I have synthesized various MXenes (Ti3C2Tz, Ti2CTz and Nb2CTz) as epitaxial thin films, a more suitable form for electronic and photonic applications. These films were produced by HF, NH4HF2 or LiF + HCl etching of magnetron sputtered epitaxial Ti3AlC2, Ti2AlC, and Nb2AlC thin films. For transport properties of the Ti-based MXenes, Ti2CTz and Ti3C2Tz, changing n from 1 to 2 resulted in an increase in conductivity but had no effect on the transport mechanism (i.e. both Ti3C2Tx and Ti2CTx were metallic). In order to examine whether the electronic properties of MXenes differ when going from a few layers to a single flake, similar to graphene, the electrical characterization of a single Ti3C2Tz flake with a lateral size of about 10 μm was performed. These measurements, the first for MXene, demonstrated its metallic nature, along with determining the nature of the charge carriers and their mobility. This indicates that Ti3C2Tz is inherently of 2D nature independent of the number of stacked layers, unlike graphene, where the electronic properties change based on the number of stacked layers.Changing the transition metal from Ti to Nb, viz. comparing Ti2CTz and Nb2CTz thin films, the electronic properties and electronic conduction mechanism differ. Ti2CTz showed metallic-like behavior (resistivity increases with increasing temperature) unlike Nb2CTz where the conduction occurs via variable range hopping mechanism (VRH) - where resistivity decreases with increasing temperature.Furthermore, these studies show the synthesis of pure Mo2CTz in the form of single flakes and freestanding films made by filtering Mo2CTz colloidal suspensions. Electronic characterization of free-standing films made from delaminated Mo2CTz flakes was investigated, showing that a VRH mechanism prevails at low temperatures (7 to ≈ 60 K). Upon vacuum annealing, the room temperature, RT, conductivity of Mo2CTx increased by two orders of magnitude. The conduction mechanism was concluded to be VRH most likely dominated by hopping within each flake.Other Mo-based MXenes, Mo2TiC2Tz and Mo2Ti2C3Tz, showed VRH mechanism at low temperature. However, at higher temperatures up to RT, the transport mechanism was not clearly understood. Therefore, a part of this thesis was dedicated to further investigating the transport properties of Mo-based MXenes. This includes Mo2CTz, out-of-plane ordered Mo2TiC2Tz and Mo2Ti2C3Tz, and vacancy ordered Mo1.33CTz. Magneto-transport of free-standing thin films of the Mo-based MXenes were studied, showing that all Mo-based MXenes have two transport regimes: a VRH mechanism at lower temperatures and a thermally activated process at higher temperatures. All Mo-based MXenes except Mo1.33CTz show that the electrical transport is dominated by inter-flake transfer. As for Mo1.33CTz, the primary electrical transport mechanism is more likely to be intra-flake.The synthesis of vacancy ordered MXenes (Mo1.33CTz and W1.33CTz) raised the question of possible introduction of vacancies in all MXenes. Vacancy ordered MXenes are produced by selective etching of Al and (Sc or Y) atoms from the parent 3D MAX phases, such as (Mo2/3Sc1/3)2AlC, with in-plane chemical ordering of Mo and Sc. However, not all quaternary parent MAX phases form the in-plane chemical ordering of the two M metals; thus the synthesis of the vacancy-ordered MXenes is restricted to a very limited number of MAX phases. I present a new method to obtain MXene flakes with disordered vacancies that may be generalized to all quaternary MAX phases. As proof of concept, I chose Nb-C MXene, as this 2D material has shown promise in several applications, including energy storage, photothermal cell ablation and photocatalysts for hydrogen evolution. Starting from synthetizing (Nb2/3Sc1/3)2AlC quaternary solid solution and etching both the Sc and Al atoms resulted in Nb1.33C material with a large number of vacancies and vacancy clusters. This method may be applicable to other quaternary or higher MAX phases wherein one of the transition metals is more reactive than the other, and it could be of vital importance in applications such as catalysis and energy storage.
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| 3. |
- Halim, Joseph, 1985-, et al.
(författare)
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Synthesis of Two-Dimensional Nb1.33C (MXene) with Randomly Distributed Vacancies by Etching of the Quaternary Solid Solution (Nb2/3Sc1/3)2AlC MAX Phase
- 2018
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Ingår i: ACS Applied Nano Materials. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 2574-0970. ; 1:6, s. 2455-2460
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introducing point defects in two-dimensional (2D) materials can alter or enhance their properties. Here, we demonstrate how etching a laminated (Nb2/3Sc1/3)2AlC MAX phase (solid solution) of both the Sc and Al atoms results in a 2D Nb1.33C material (MXene) with a large number of vacancies and vacancy clusters. This method is applicable to any quaternary, or higher, MAX phase, wherein one of the transition metals is more reactive than the other and could be of vital importance in applications such as catalysis and energy storage. We also report, for the first time, on the existence of solid solution (Nb2/3Sc1/3)3AlC2 and (Nb2/3Sc1/3)4AlC3 phases.
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| 4. |
- Meshkian, Rahele, 1984-
(författare)
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Synthesis and characterization of Mo- and W-based atomic laminates
- 2018
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Mn+1AXn (MAX) phases are inherently nanolaminated compounds based on transition metals (M), A group elements (A), and carbon or/and nitrogen (X), which exhibit a unique combination of ceramic and metallic properties. My thesis work has focused on exploring novel MAX phase chemistries, including elemental combinations beyond those traditionally used for MAX phases, and their graphene-analogous 2D counterpart, MXenes. The first part of the thesis investigates Mo-based MAX phases, which are among the least studied, despite indication of superconducting properties and potential for derivation of Mo-based MXenes. Initially, I performed theoretical calculations focused on evaluation of phase stability of the Mon+1GaCn MAX phases, and synthesized the predicted stable Mo2GaC in thin film form using DC magnetron sputtering. Close to phase pure epitaxial films were grown at ~590 °C, and electrical resistivity measurements using a four-point probe technique suggest a superconducting behavior with a critical temperature of ~7 K. The follow-up of this work, was synthesis of a new MAX related material, Mo2Ga2C, also by means of DC magnetron sputtering. The theoretical predictions as well as the materials characterization by X-ray diffraction and neutron powder diffraction, suggested a Ga bilayer interleaved between a set of Mo2C blocks, arranged in a simple hexagonal structure. It is known that selectively etching of the A-layer in a MAX phase, shown for A=Al, can lead to realization of a MXene. Hence, the next step in my research was to explore the possibility of etching of A=Ga in Mo2GaC as well as in Mo2Ga2C, targeting a Mo2C MXene, as motivated by theoretically proposed superior thermoelectric properties of this 2D material. While Mo2GaC did not allow removal of the A-layer, I showed that Mo2C MXene could be realized from etching Mo2Ga2C thin films, removing the Ga bilayer, in 50% hydrofluoric acid at a temperature of ~50 °C for a duration of ~3 h. Hence, the results did not only produce the first Mo-based MXene, it also showed that MXenes can be obtained for etching A-elements other than Al. This, in turn, increase the pathways for expanding the family of MXenes. I thereafter set out to explore the magnetic properties resulting from Mn-alloying of the non-magnetic Mo2GaC MAX phase. For that purpose, (Mo,Mn)2GaC was synthesized using a DC magnetron sputtering system with Ga and C as elemental targets and a 1:1 atomic ratio Mo:Mn compound target. Heteroepitaxial films on MgO(111) substrates were grown at ~530 °C, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction. Compositional analysis using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy showed a 2:1 ratio of the M- and A-elements and a 1:1 ratio for the Mo and Mn atoms in the film. Vibrating sample magnetometry was utilized to measure the magnetic behavior of the films, showing a magnetic response up to at least 300 K, and with a coercive field of 0.06 T, which is the highest reported for any MAX phase to date. The second part of my research has been dedicated to realizing new MAX phase related, chemically ordered compounds and their MXene derivatives, and to initiate exploration of their properties. Materials synthesis was performed by pressureless bulk sintering, and inspired by theoretical calculations we showed evidence for a new so called o-MAX phase, Mo2ScAlC2, with an out-of-plane chemically ordered structure. It is the first experimentally verified Sc-containing MAX phase, which makes its corresponding MXene, Mo2ScC2, also presented in this work, the first MXene including Sc. Moreover, I discovered two so called i-MAX phases including W, (W2/3Sc1/3)2AlC and (W2/3Y1/3)2AlC, which display in-plane chemical ordering in the M-layer. Furthermore, both was shown to allow synthesis of their corresponding 2D counterpart; W1.33C MXene, with ordered vacancies. Initial test on these novel MXenes showed a high potential for hydrogen evolution reaction. Altogether, I have in my thesis work realized 6 novel MAX phases and related materials, and have shown evidence for 4 new MXenes. These materials inspire a wide range of future studies, with respect to fundamental properties as well as potential for future applications.
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| 5. |
- Palisaitis, Justinas, 1983-, et al.
(författare)
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On the Structural Stability of MXene and the Role of Transition Metal Adatoms
- 2018
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Ingår i: Nanoscale. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2040-3364 .- 2040-3372. ; 10:23, s. 10850-10855
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the present communication, the atomic structure and coordination of surface adsorbed species on Nb2C MXene is investigated over time. In particular, the influence of the Nb adatoms on the structural stability and oxidation behavior of the MXene is addressed. This investigation is based on plan-view geometry observations of single Nb2C MXene sheets by a combination of atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) and STEM image simulations.
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| 6. |
- Persson, Ingemar, 1985-
(författare)
-
Surface characterization of 2D transition metal carbides (MXenes)
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Research on two-dimensional (2D) materials is a rapidly growing field owing to the wide range of new interesting properties found in 2D structures that are vastly different from their three-dimensional (3D) analogues. In addition, 2D materials embodies a significant surface area that facilitates a high degree of surface reactions per unit volume or mass, that is imperative in many applications such as catalysis, energy storage, energy conversion, filtration, and single molecule sensing. MXenes constitute a family of 2D materials consisting of transition metal carbides and/or nitrides, which are typically formed after selective etching of their 3D parent MAX phases. The latter, are a family of nanolaminated compounds that typically follow the formula Mn+1AXn (n=1-3), where M is a transition metal, A is a group 13 or 14 element, and X is C and or N. Selective etching by aqueous F- containing acids removes the A layer leaving 2D Mn+1Xn slabs instantly terminated by a mix of O-, OH- and F-groups. The first and most investigated MXene is Ti3C2TX, where TX stands for surface termination, which has shown record properties in a range of applications (eg. electrode in Li-batteries, supercapacitors, sieving membrane, electromagnetic interference shielding, and carbon capture). Adding to that, over 30 different MXenes have been discovered since 2011, exhibiting alternative or superior properties. Most importantly, elegant routes for property design in the MXene family has been demonstrated, by means of either varying the chemistry in the Mn+1Xn compound, by alloying two M elements, or by changing the structure of the MXene by introducing vacancies.The present work has a led to an additional route for post synthesis property tuning in MXenes by manipulation of surface termination elements. This enables a unique toolbox for property tuning which is not available to other 2D materials and is highly beneficial for applications that is dependent on surface reactions. Furthermore, chemical and structural characterization of terminations on single sheets is essential to rule out the influence of intercalants or contamination that is typically present in multilayer MXene samples or thin films. For that purpose, a method for preparing isolated contamination free single sheets of MXene samples for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) characterization was established. In order to determine vacancy and termination sites, atomically resolved scanning (S)TEM imaging and image simulations was carried out. Two main processes were employed to substitute the termination elements.1) An initial thermal treatment in vacuum facilitates F desorption and it was shown that O-terminations rearranges on the evacuated sites. H2 gas exposure in a controlled environment demonstrated a removal of the remaining O-terminations. As a result, termination-free MXene is possible to realize under vacuum conditions.2) CO2 was introduced as a first non-inherent termination on MXene by in situ CO2 gas exposure at low temperatures. That was a first demonstration of Ti3C2TX as promising material for carbon capture. Additionally, O-saturated surfaces were demonstrated after introduction of O2 gas on the F-depleted Ti3C2TX MXene, which is highly relevant for hydrogen evolution reactions where fully O-terminated Ti3C2TX are predicted to improve efficiency.A Lewis acid melt synthesis method was used to realize the first MXene exclusively terminated with Cl. Moreover, this was the first report of a MXene directly synthesised with terminations other than O, OH, and F.Furthermore, we have expanded the space of property tuning by introduction of chemical ordering, by selective etching of Y in an alloyed (Mo2/3Y1/3)2CTX MXene. This either produced chemical ordering with one M (Mo) element and vacancies, or ordering between two M (Mo and Y) elements. This was further reported to significantly increase volumetric capacitance because of the increased number of active sites around vacancies, leading to an increasing charge density. As a final note, the stability of Nb2CTX MXene under ambient conditions was investigated. It was found that the surface Nb adatoms, present after etching, got oxidized over time which resulted in local clustering and effectively degraded the MXene.This work has demonstrated reproducible surface characterization methods for determining termination elements and sites in 2D MXenes, that is ultimately governing MXene properties. Most importantly, we report on a new approach for MXene property tuning as well as contributing to several existing property tuning approaches.
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| 7. |
- Petruhins, Andrejs, 1987-
(författare)
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Synthesis and characterization of magnetic nanolaminated carbides
- 2018
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- MAX phases are a group of nanolaminated ternary carbides and nitrides, with a composition expressed by the general formula Mn+1AXn (? = 1 − 3), where M is a transition metal, A is an A-group element, and X is carbon and/or nitrogen. MAX phases have attracted interest due to their unique combination of metallic and ceramic properties, related to their inherently laminated structure of a transition metal carbide (Mn+1Xn) layer interleaved by an A-group metal layer.This Thesis explores synthesis and characterization of magnetic MAX phases, where the A-group element is gallium (Ga). Due to the low melting point of Ga (T = 30 °C), conventional thin film synthesis methods become challenging, as the material is in liquid form at typical process temperatures. Development of existing methods has therefore been investigated, for reliable/reproducible synthesis routes, including sputtering from a liquid target, and resulting high quality material. Routes for minimizing trial-and-error procedures during optimization of thin film synthesis have also been studied, allowing faster identification of optimal deposition conditions and a simplified transfer of essential deposition parameters between different deposition systems.A large part of this Thesis is devoted towards synthesis of MAX phase thin films in the Cr-Mn-Ga-C system. First, through process development, thin films of Cr2GaC were deposited by magnetron sputtering. The films were epitaxial, however with small amount of impurity phase Cr3Ga, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements. The film structure was confirmed by scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and the composition by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) inside the TEM.Inspired by predictive ab initio calculations, the new MAX phase Mn2GaC was successfully synthesized in thin film form by magnetron sputtering. Structural parameters and magnetic properties were analysed. The material was found to have two magnetic transitions in the temperature range 3 K to 750 K, with a first order transition at around 214 K, going from non-collinear antiferromagnetic state at lower temperature to an antiferromagnetic state at higher temperature. The Neél temperature was determined to be 507 K, changing from an antiferromagnetic to a paramagnetic state. Above 800 K, Mn2GaC decomposes. Furthermore, magnetostrictive, magnetoresistive and magnetocaloric properties of the material were iv determined, among which a drastic change in lattice parameters upon the first magnetic transition was observed. This may be of interest for magnetocaloric applications.Synthesis of both Cr2GaC and Mn2GaC in thin film form opens the possibility to tune the magnetic properties through a solid solution on the transition metal site, by alloying the aforementioned Cr2GaC with Mn, realizing (Cr1-xMnx)2GaC. From a compound target with a Cr:Mn ratio of 1:1, thin films of (Cr0.5Mn0.5)2GaC were synthesized, confirmed by TEM-EDX. Optimized structure was obtained by deposition on MgO substrates at a deposition temperature of 600 ºC. The thin films were phase pure and of high structural quality, allowing magnetic measurements. Using vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), it was found that (Cr0.5Mn0.5)2GaC has a ferromagnetic component in the temperature range from 30 K to 300 K, with the measured magnetic moment at high field decreasing by increasing temperature. The remanent moment and coercive field is small, 0.036 μB, and 12 mT at 30 K, respectively. Using ferromagnetic resonance spectroscopy, it was also found that the material has pure spin magnetism, as indicated by the determined spectroscopic splitting factor g = 2.00 and a negligible magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy.Fuelled by the recent discoveries of in-plane chemically ordered quaternary MAX phases, so called i-MAX phases, and guided by ab initio calculations, new members within this family, based on Cr and Mn, were synthesized by pressureless sintering methods, realizing (Cr2/3Sc1/3)2GaC and (Mn2/3Sc1/3)2GaC. Their structural properties were determined. Through these phases, the Mn content is the highest obtained in a bulk MAX phase to date.This work has further developed synthesis processes for sputtering from liquid material, for an optimized route to achieve thin films of controlled composition and a high structural quality. Furthermore, through this work, Mn has been added as a new element in the family of MAX phase elements. It has also been shown, that alloying with different content of Mn gives rise to varying magnetic properties in MAX phases. As a result of this Thesis, it is expected that the MAX phase family can be further expanded, with more members of new compositions and new properties.
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| 8. |
- Qin, Leiqiang, et al.
(författare)
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High-Performance Ultrathin Flexible Solid-State Supercapacitors Based on Solution Processable Mo1.33C MXene and PEDOT:PSS
- 2018
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Ingår i: Advanced Functional Materials. - : Wiley. - 1616-301X .- 1616-3028. ; 28:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- MXenes, a young family of 2D transition metal carbides/nitrides, show great potential in electrochemical energy storage applications. Herein, a high performance ultrathin flexible solid-state supercapacitor is demonstrated based on a Mo1.33C MXene with vacancy ordering in an aligned layer structure MXene/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonic acid) (PEDOT:PSS) composite film posttreated with concentrated H2SO4. The flexible solid-state supercapacitor delivers a maximum capacitance of 568 F cm(-3), an ultrahigh energy density of 33.2 mWh cm(-3) and a power density of 19 470 mW cm(-3). The Mo1.33C MXene/PEDOT:PSS composite film shows a reduction in resistance upon H2SO4 treatment, a higher capacitance (1310 F cm(-3)) and improved rate capabilities than both pristine Mo1.33C MXene and the nontreated Mo1.33C/PEDOT:PSS composite films. The enhanced capacitance and stability are attributed to the synergistic effect of increased interlayer spacing between Mo1.33C MXene layers due to insertion of conductive PEDOT, and surface redox processes of the PEDOT and the MXene.
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| 9. |
- Rosén, Johanna, 1975-, et al.
(författare)
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In- and Out-of-Plane Ordered MAX Phases and Their MXene Derivatives
- 2019
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Ingår i: 2D Metal Carbides and Nitrides (MXenes). - Cham : Springer. - 9783030190262 - 9783030190255 - 9783030190286 ; , s. 37-52
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The family of MXenes has expanded since the discovery of chemical order in parent quaternary MAX phases, displaying either out-of-plane (o-MAX) or in-plane (i-MAX) order upon alloying. Through selective chemical etching of these materials, corresponding MXenes can be derived, with out-of-plane and in-plane ordering of elements, as well as with ordering of vacancies. Both o-MAX and i-MAX phases have increased the number of metals that can be incorporated in these laminated carbides and nitrides. Examples of realized MXenes with out-of-plane order are Mo2Ti2C3 and Mo2ScC2, and for in-plane ordering of vacancies, there are Mo1.33C and W1.33C. Their versatile chemistry shows a high promise for a range of applications, including energy storage and catalysis
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| 10. |
- Zhirkov, Igor, 1980-, et al.
(författare)
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Effect of Si on DC arc plasma generation from Al-Cr and Al-Cr-Si cathodes used in oxygen
- 2017
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Ingår i: Journal of Applied Physics. - : AMER INST PHYSICS. - 0021-8979 .- 1089-7550. ; 121:8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Al2O3 alloyed with Cr is an important material for the tooling industry. It can be synthesized from an arc discharge using Al-Cr cathodes in an oxygen atmosphere. Due to formation of Al-rich oxide islands on the cathode surface, the arc process stability is highly sensitive to oxygen pressure. For improved stability, the use of Al0.70Cr0.25Si0.05 cathodes has previously been suggested, where Si may reduce island formation. Here, we have investigated the effect of Si by comparing plasma generation and thin film deposition from Al0.7Cr0.3 and Al0.7Cr0.25Si0.05 cathodes. Plasma ion composition, ion energies, ion charge states, neutral species, droplet formation, and film composition have been characterized at different O-2 flow rates for arc currents of 60 and 90 A. Si and related compounds are detected in plasma ions and in plasma neutrals. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis show that the cathode composition and the film composition are the same, with Si present in droplets as well. The effect of Si on the process stability, ion energies, and ion charge states is found to be negligible compared to that of the arc current. The latter is identified as the most relevant parameter for tuning the properties of the reactive discharge. The present work increases the fundamental understanding of plasma generation in a reactive atmosphere, and provides input for the choice of cathode composition and process parameters in reactive DC arc synthesis.
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