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    Site-controlled formation of single Si nanocrystals in a buried SiO2 matrix using ion beam mixing
    (Frankfurt am Main : Beilstein-Institut zur Förderung der Chemischen Wissenschaften, 2018) Xu, X.; Prüfer, T.; Wolf, D.; Engelmann, H.-J.; Bischoff, L.; Hübner, R.; Heinig, K.-H.; Möller, W.; Facsko, S.; von Borany, J.; Hlawacek, G.
    For future nanoelectronic devices - such as room-temperature single electron transistors - the site-controlled formation of single Si nanocrystals (NCs) is a crucial prerequisite. Here, we report an approach to fabricate single Si NCs via medium-energy Si+ or Ne+ ion beam mixing of Si into a buried SiO2 layer followed by thermally activated phase separation. Binary collision approximation and kinetic Monte Carlo methods are conducted to gain atomistic insight into the influence of relevant experimental parameters on the Si NC formation process. Energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy is performed to obtain quantitative values on the Si NC size and distribution in dependence of the layer stack geometry, ion fluence and thermal budget. Employing a focused Ne+ beam from a helium ion microscope, we demonstrate site-controlled self-assembly of single Si NCs. Line irradiation with a fluence of 3000 Ne+/nm2 and a line width of 4 nm leads to the formation of a chain of Si NCs, and a single NC with 2.2 nm diameter is subsequently isolated and visualized in a few nanometer thin lamella prepared by a focused ion beam (FIB). The Si NC is centered between the SiO2 layers and perpendicular to the incident Ne+ beam.
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    Phase separation in rapid solidified Ag-rich Ag-Cu-Zr alloys
    (São Carlos : Universidade Federal de São Carlos, 2015) Niyomsoan, Saisamorn; Gargarella, Piter; Chomsaeng, Natthaphol; Termsuksawad, Preecha; Kühn, Utha; Eckert, Jürgen
    The microstructure and phase formation of rapid solidified Ag-rich Ag-Cu-Zr alloys were investigated. Two types of structure; interconnected- and droplet-type structures, were obtained due to phase separation mechanisms. The former was spinodal decomposition and the later was nucleation and growth mechanism. Depending on the alloy compositions, three crystalline phases; FCC-Ag, AgZr and Cu10Zr7 phases were observed along with an in-situ nanocrystalline/amorphous composite. Vickers hardness testing indicated a significant increase of hardness in the nanocrystalline/amorphous-composite alloy.
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    Phase transition and anomalous low temperature ferromagnetic phase in Pr 0.6Sr 0.4MnO 3 single crystals
    (New York, NY : Springer Science + Business Media B.V., 2009) Rößler, S.; Harikrishnan, S.; Naveen Kumar, C.M.; Bhat, H.L.; Elizabeth, S.; Rößler, U.K.; Steglich, F.; Wirth, S.
    We report on the magnetic and electrical properties of Pr 0.6Sr 0.4MnO 3 single crystals. This compound undergoes a continuous paramagnetic-ferromagnetic transition with a Curie temperature T C301 K and a first-order structural transition at T S64 K. At T S, the magnetic susceptibility exhibits an abrupt jump, and a corresponding small hump is seen in the resistivity. The critical behavior of the static magnetization and the temperature dependence of the resistivity are consistent with the behavior expected for a nearly isotropic ferromagnet with short-range exchange belonging to the Heisenberg universality class. The magnetization (M-H) curves below T S are anomalous in that the virgin curve lies outside the subsequent M-H loops. The hysteretic structural transition at T S as well as the irreversible magnetization processes below T S can be explained by phase separation between a high-temperature orthorhombic and a low-temperature monoclinic ferromagnetic phase.
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    Unveiling the phonon scattering mechanisms in half-Heusler thermoelectric compounds
    (Cambridge : RSC Publ., 2020) He, Ran; Zhu, Taishan; Wang, Yumei; Wolff, Ulrike; Jaud, Jean-Christophe; Sotnikov, Andrei; Potapov, Pavel; Wolf, Daniel; Ying, Pingjun; Wood, Max; Liu, Zhenhui; Feng, Le; Perez Rodriguez, Nicolas; Snyder, G. Jeffrey; Grossman, Jeffrey C.; Nielsch, Kornelius; Schierning, Gabi
    Half-Heusler (HH) compounds are among the most promising thermoelectric (TE) materials for large-scale applications due to their superior properties such as high power factor, excellent mechanical and thermal reliability, and non-toxicity. Their only drawback is the remaining-high lattice thermal conductivity. Various mechanisms were reported with claimed effectiveness to enhance the phonon scattering of HH compounds including grain-boundary scattering, phase separation, and electron–phonon interaction. In this work, however, we show that point-defect scattering has been the dominant mechanism for phonon scattering other than the intrinsic phonon–phonon interaction for ZrCoSb and possibly many other HH compounds. Induced by the charge-compensation effect, the formation of Co/4d Frenkel point defects is responsible for the drastic reduction of lattice thermal conductivity in ZrCoSb1−xSnx. Our work systematically depicts the phonon scattering profile of HH compounds and illuminates subsequent material optimizations.