| 1. |
- Alami, Jones, et al.
(author)
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Plasma dynamics in a highly ionized pulsed magnetron discharge
- 2005
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In: Plasma sources science & technology. - : IOP Publishing. - 0963-0252 .- 1361-6595. ; 14:3, s. 525-531
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report on electrostatic probe measurements of a high-power pulsed magnetron discharge. Space- and time-dependent characteristics of the plasma parameters are obtained as functions of the process parameters. By applying high-power pulses (peak power of ~0.5 MW), with a pulse-on time of ~100 µs and a repetition frequency of 20 ms, peak electron densities of the order of ~1019 m− 3, i.e. three orders of magnitude higher than for a conventional dc magnetron discharge, are achieved soon after the pulse is switched on. At high sputtering gas pressures (>5 mTorr), a second peak occurs in the electron density curve, hundreds of microseconds after the pulse is switched off. This second peak is mainly due to an ion acoustic wave in the plasma, reflecting off the chamber walls. This is concluded from the time delay between the two peaks in the electron and ion saturation currents, which is shown to be dependent on the chamber dimensions and the sputtering gas composition. Finally, the electron temperature is determined, initially very high but decreasing rapidly as the pulse is turned off. The reduction seen in the electron temperature, close to the etched area of the cathode, is due to cooling by the sputtered metal atoms.
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| 2. |
- Albani, Giorgia, et al.
(author)
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Evolution in boron-based GEM detectors for diffraction measurements : From planar to 3D converters
- 2016
-
In: Measurement science and technology. - : IOP Publishing. - 0957-0233 .- 1361-6501. ; 27:11
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The so-called '3He-crisis' has motivated the neutron detector community to undertake an intense R&D programme in order to develop technologies alternative to standard 3He tubes and suitable for neutron detection systems in future spallation sources such as the European spallation source (ESS). Boron-based GEM (gas electron multiplier) detectors are a promising '3He-free' technology for thermal neutron detection in neutron scattering experiments. In this paper the evolution of boron-based GEM detectors from planar to 3D converters with an application in diffraction measurements is presented. The use of 3D converters coupled with GEMs allows for an optimization of the detector performances. Three different detectors were used for diffraction measurements on the INES instrument at the ISIS spallation source. The performances of the GEM-detectors are compared with those of conventional 3He tubes installed on the INES instrument. The conceptual detector with the 3D converter used in this paper reached a count rate per unit area of about 25% relative to the currently installed 3He tube. Its timing resolution is similar and the signal-to-background ratio (S/B) is 2 times lower.
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| 3. |
- Ali, Sharafat, Associate Professor, 1976-, et al.
(author)
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Effect of O/N content on the phase, morphology, and optical properties of titanium oxynitride thin films
- 2023
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In: Journal of Materials Science. - : Springer. - 0022-2461 .- 1573-4803. ; 58, s. 10975-10985
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Phase formation, morphology, and optical properties of Ti(O,N) thin films with varied oxygen-to- nitrogen ration content were investigated. The films were deposited by magnetron sputtering at 500°C on Si(100) and c-plane sapphire substrate. A competition between a NaCl B1 structure TiN1-xOx, a rhombohedral structure Ti2(O1-yNy)3, and an anatase structure Ti(O1-zNz)2 phase was observed. While the N-rich films were composed of a NaCl B1 TiN1-xOx phase, an increase of oxygen in the films yields the growth of rhombohedral Ti2(O1-yNy)3 phase and the oxygen-rich films are comprised of a mixture of the rhombohedral Ti2(O1-yNy)3 phase and anatase Ti(O1-zNz)2 phase. The optical properties of the films were correlated to the phase composition and the observation of abrupt changes in terms of refractive index and absorption coefficient. The oxide film became relatively transparent in the visible range while the addition of nitrogen into films increases the absorption. The oxygen rich-samples have bandgap values below 3.75 eV, which is higher than the value for pure TiO2, and lower than the optical bandgap of pure TiN. The optical properties characterizations revealed the possibility of adjusting the band gap and the absorption coefficient depending on the N-content, because of the phases constituting the films combined with anionic substitution.
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| 4. |
- Ali, Sharafat, et al.
(author)
-
Novel transparent Mg-Si-O-N thin films with high hardness and refractive index
- 2016
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In: Vacuum. - : Elsevier BV. - 0042-207X .- 1879-2715. ; 131, s. 1-4
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- There is an increasing demand for glass materials with better mechanical and optical properties for display and electronic applications. This paper describes the deposition of novel thin films of Mg-Si-O-N onto float glass substrates. Amorphous thin films in the Mg-Si-O-N system with high nitrogen and magnesium contents were deposited by reactive RF magnetron co-sputtering from Mg and Si targets in Ar/N2/O2 gas mixtures. The thin films studied span an unprecedented range of compositions up to 45 at% Mg and 80 at% N out of cations and anions respectively. Thin films in the Mg-Si-O-N system were found to be homogeneous and transparent in the visible region. Mechanical properties like hardness (H) and reduced elastic modulus (Er) show high values, up to 21 GPa and 166 GPa respectively. The refractive index (1.87-2.00) increases with increasing magnesium and nitrogen contents.
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| 5. |
- Ali, Sharafat, Associate Professor, 1976-, et al.
(author)
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Optical and mechanical properties of amorphous Mg-Si-O-N thin films deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering
- 2019
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In: Surface & Coatings Technology. - : Elsevier. - 0257-8972 .- 1879-3347. ; 372:25, s. 9-15
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this work, amorphous thin films in Mg-Si-O-N system typically containing >15 at.% Mg and 35 at.% N were prepared in order to investigate especially the dependence of optical and mechanical properties on Mg composition. Reactive RF magnetron co-sputtering from magnesium and silicon targets were used for the deposition of Mg-Si-O-N thin films. Films were deposited on float glass, silica wafers and sapphire substrates in an Ar, N2 and O2 gas mixture. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, spectroscopic ellipsometry, and nanoindentation were employed to characterize the composition, surface morphology, and properties of the films. The films consist of N and Mg contents up to 40 at.% and 28 at.%, respectively and have good adhesion to substrates and are chemically inert. The thickness and roughness of the films increased with increasing content of Mg. Both hardness (16–21 GPa) and reduced elastic modulus (120–176 GPa) are strongly correlated with the amount of Mg content. The refractive index up to 2.01 and extinction coefficient up to 0.18 were found to increase with Mg content. The optical band gap (3.1–4.3) decreases with increasing the Mg content. Thin film deposited at substrate temperature of 100 °C shows a lower value of hardness (10 GPa), refractive index (1.75), and higher values of reduced elastic modulus (124 GPa) as compared to the thin film deposited at 310 °C and 510 °C respectively, under identical synthesis parameters.
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| 6. |
- Ali, Sharafat, 1976-, et al.
(author)
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Synthesis and characterization of the mechanical and optical properties of Ca-Si-O-N thin films deposited by RF magnetron sputtering
- 2017
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In: Surface & Coatings Technology. - : Elsevier. - 0257-8972 .- 1879-3347. ; 315, s. 88-94
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Ca-Si-O-N thin films were deposited on commercial soda-lime silicate float glass, silica wafers and sapphire substrates by RF magnetron co-sputtering from Ca and Si targets in an Ar/N-2/O-2 gas mixture. Chemical composition, surface morphology, hardness, reduced elastic modulus and optical properties of the films were investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, nanoindentation, and spectroscopic ellipsometry. It was found that the composition of the films can be controlled by the Ca target power, predominantly, and by the reactive gas flow. Thin films in the Ca-Si-O-N system are composed of N and Ca contents up to 31 eq. % and 60 eq. %, respectively. The films thickness ranges from 600 to 3000 nm and increases with increasing Ca target power. The films surface roughness varied between 2 and 12 nm, and approximately decreases with increasing power of Ca target. The hardness (4-12 GPa) and reduced elastic modulus (65-145 GPa) of the films increase and decrease with the N and Ca contents respectively. The refractive index (1.56-1.82) is primarily dictated by the N content. The properties are compared with findings for bulk glasses in the Ca-Si-(Al)-O-N systems, and it is concluded that Ca-Si-O-N thin films have higher values of hardness, elastic modulus and refractive index than bulk glasses of similar composition. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 7. |
- Alves Machado Filho, Manoel, et al.
(author)
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Self-Induced Core–Shell InAlN Nanorods: Formation and Stability Unraveled by Ab Initio Simulations
- 2023
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In: ACS Nanoscience Au. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 2694-2496. ; 3:1, s. 84-93
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- By addressing precursor prevalence and energetics using the DFT-based synthetic growth concept (SGC), the formation mechanism of self-induced InAlN core–shell nanorods (NRs) synthesized by reactive magnetron sputter epitaxy (MSE) is explored. The characteristics of In- and Al-containing precursor species are evaluated considering the thermal conditions at a typical NR growth temperature of around 700 °C. The cohesive and dissociation energies of In-containing precursors are consistently lower than those of their Al-containing counterparts, indicating that In-containing precursors are more weakly bonded and more prone to dissociation. Therefore, In-containing species are expected to exhibit lower abundance in the NR growth environment. At increased growth temperatures, the depletion of In-based precursors is even more pronounced. A distinctive imbalance in the incorporation of Al- and In-containing precursor species (namely, AlN/AlN+, AlN2/AlN2+, Al2N2/Al2N2+, and Al2/Al2+ vs InN/InN+, InN2/InN2+, In2N2/In2N2+, and In2/In2+) is found at the growing edge of the NR side surfaces, which correlates well with the experimentally obtained core–shell structure as well as with the distinctive In-rich core and vice versa for the Al-rich shell. The performed modeling indicates that the formation of the core–shell structure is substantially driven by the precursors’ abundance and their preferential bonding onto the growing edge of the nanoclusters/islands initiated by phase separation from the beginning of the NR growth. The cohesive energies and the band gaps of the NRs show decreasing trends with an increment in the In concentration of the NRs’ core and with an increment in the overall thickness (diameter) of the NRs. These results reveal the energy and electronic reasons behind the limited growth (up to ∼25% of In atoms of all metal atoms, i.e., InxAl1–xN, x ∼ 0.25) in the NR core and may be qualitatively perceived as a limiting factor for the thickness of the grown NRs (typically <50 nm).
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| 8. |
- Anastasopoulos, M., et al.
(author)
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Multi-Grid detector for neutron spectroscopy : Results obtained on time-of-flight spectrometer CNCS
- 2017
-
In: Journal of Instrumentation. - : IOP PUBLISHING LTD. - 1748-0221. ; 12:4
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Multi-Grid detector technology has evolved from the proof-of-principle and characterisation stages. Here we report on the performance of the Multi-Grid detector, the MG.CNCS prototype, which has been installed and tested at the Cold Neutron Chopper Spectrometer, CNCS at SNS. This has allowed a side-by-side comparison to the performance of 3He detectors on an operational instrument. The demonstrator has an active area of 0.2 m2. It is specifically tailored to the specifications of CNCS. The detector was installed in June 2016 and has operated since then, collecting neutron scattering data in parallel to the He-3 detectors of CNCS. In this paper, we present a comprehensive analysis of this data, in particular on instrument energy resolution, rate capability, background and relative efficiency. Stability, gamma-ray and fast neutron sensitivity have also been investigated. The effect of scattering in the detector components has been measured and provides input to comparison for Monte Carlo simulations. All data is presented in comparison to that measured by the 3He detectors simultaneously, showing that all features recorded by one detector are also recorded by the other. The energy resolution matches closely. We find that the Multi-Grid is able to match the data collected by 3He, and see an indication of a considerable advantage in the count rate capability. Based on these results, we are confident that the Multi-Grid detector will be capable of producing high quality scientific data on chopper spectrometers utilising the unprecedented neutron flux of the ESS.
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| 9. |
- Andersen, Ken, et al.
(author)
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B-10 multi-grid proportional gas counters for large area thermal neutron detectors
- 2013
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In: Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research. Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors, and Associated Equipment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0167-5087 .- 0168-9002 .- 1872-9576. ; 720, s. 116-121
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- He-3 was a popular material in neutrons detectors until its availability dropped drastically in 2008. The development of techniques based on alternative convertors is now of high priority for neutron research institutes. Thin films of B-10 or (B4C)-B-10 have been used in gas proportional counters to detect neutrons, but until now, only for small or medium sensitive area. We present here the multi-grid design, introduced at the ILL and developed in collaboration with ESS for LAN (large area neutron) detectors. Typically thirty (B4C)-B-10 films of 1 mu m thickness are used to convert neutrons into ionizing particles which are subsequently detected in a proportional gas counter. The principle and the fabrication of the multi-grid are described and some preliminary results obtained with a prototype of 200 cm x 8 cm are reported; a detection efficiency of 48% has been measured at 2.5 angstrom with a monochromatic neutron beam line, showing the good potential of this new technique. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 10. |
- Aquila, Andrew L., et al.
(author)
-
Measurements of the optical constants of scandium in the 50-1300 eV range
- 2004
-
In: SPIE 5538, Optical Constants of Materials for UV to X-Ray Wavelengths. - : SPIE - International Society for Optical Engineering. ; , s. 64-71
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Scandium containing multilayers have been produced with very high reflectivity in the soft x-ray spectrum. Accurate optical constants are required in order to model the multilayer reflectivity. Since there are relatively few measurements of the optical constants of Scandium in the soft x-ray region we have performed measurements over the energy range of 50-1,300 eV. Thin films of Scandium were deposited by ion-assisted magnetron sputtering at Linkoping University and DC Magnetron sputtering at CXRO. Transmission measurements were performed at the Advanced Light Source beamline 6.3.2. The absorption coefficient was deduced from the measurements and the dispersive part of the index of refraction was obtained using the Kramers-Kronig relation. The measured optical constants are used to model the near-normal incidence reflectivity of Cr/Sc multilayers near the Sc L2,3 edge.
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