Scanning electron micrographs of indents in (111) silicon reveal that a thin layer of material immediately adjacent to the indenter is plastically extruded. The fact that the material can be deformed in this way indicates that it has metallic-like mechanical properties. This is presented as new evidence that a pressure-induced phase transformation to the metallic state occurs during the indentation of silicon.

Aluminum carbide was found to form catalytically at aluminum-silicon carbide interfaces upon exposure to water vapor. Samples, composed of approximately 2 nm thick layers of Al on SiC, were fabricated and reacted in vacuo, and analyzed using XPS. Enhanced carbide formation was detected in samples exposed to 500 Langmuirs H2O and subsequently reacted for 600 s at 873 K. The cause of the catalysis phenomenon is hypothesized to be the weakening of silicon-carbon bonds caused by very strong bonding of oxygen atoms to the silicon carbide surface. Aluminum carbide formation is of interest because of its degrading effect on the mechanical properties of aluminum/silicone carbide reinforced metal matrix composites, as well as its effect on the electrical properties of aluminum metallizations on silicon carbide layers in microelectronic components.

The transport critical current density Jc has been measured in high quality polycrystalline YBa2Cu3O7 samples made from extruded preforms. The hysteretic response of Jc to applied magnetic fields was studied as a function of temperature (77–87 K) and sample morphology for various field sweeps in the 0–5 KOe range. A variety of samples show a basic Jc ∼ H−n behavior where n depends on temperature, but is independent of the other variables. A simple model of the local magnetic field distribution is presented and compared to the data, and the theoretical implications of the power law behavior are considered.

The severity of degradation of YBa2Cu3O7−x from exposure to an aqueous phase has the following dependence: wet steam (condensed thin film) > bulk fluid phase > dry steam, other variables being constant. Also, the surface reactivity increases with oxygen deficiency. It is found that the early stages of degradation are associated with surface hydroxylation and preferential extraction of Ba. Subsequently, dissolution takes place, followed by solution saturation and sequential precipitation, nucleation, and growth of secondary phases. These observations form the basis of a model which incorporates surface hydroxylation and OH− penetration of the bulk, formation of planar defects and extraction of Ba, lattice dissolution, and mobility and solubility constraints.

Superconducting properties are studied for glass-ceramics which were prepared by reheating glass rods and the glass powder compacts in the BiSrCaCu2Al0.5Ox system, respectively. The glass-ceramic rod specimens obtained by reheating rod glass at 800–830 °C for 50 h have a Tc (R = 0) of 85 K, while the disk specimens obtained by reheating the powdered glass compacts in the same way do not exhibit superconductivity above 77 K. This difference in superconductivity between the specimens is discussed in terms of the crystallization process and the amount of oxygen absorption of the specimens during heating.

Nearly single phase sintered samples of the lead-doped high-Tc oxide superconductor of nominal composition Bi1.6Pb0.4Ca2Sr2Cu3Ox have been prepared using a precursor matrix reaction method. The experimental results indicate that in samples annealed under optimum conditions (200 h at 855 °C) the volume fraction of impurity phases is only about 3%. If the optimum annealing time is exceeded, the high-Tc phase begins to decompose into the low-Tc phase and nonsuperconducting phases. It is found that the precursor reaction matrix method minimizes loss of lead during processing.

The mechanical properties of single-quasicrystals of decagonal AlCoCuSi have been studied for the first time by applying the Vickers indentation method. The hardness has been determined as H ≃ 9.6 MPa. Estimates for the modulus of elasticity and the fracture toughness are given. The quasicrystals are highly strained internally. Scratching experiments show slight anisotropies in the abrasive friction coefficient. The dominant abrasive mechanism is microplowing.

We have grown extremely flat (2D) electrodeposited copper leaves that exhibit ramified patterns. These patterns are stable and can be withdrawn from the solution. A fractal analysis based on correlation function and branch counting was carried out. Also, x-ray and SEM pictures give insight into the fractal structure of this new type of aggregates and help to find the lower crossover to nonfractal compact substructure.

Bilayer samples of U/Al, U/Ti, U/Si, and U/C have been ion beam mixed with 400 keV Ar and U/Al with Xe ions at doses from 2 × 1015 to 1 × 1017 ions/cm2. Mixing experiments were performed at various temperatures between 77 and 420 K. The amount of interfacial mixing, 4Dt, follows a linear dose dependence below a critical temperature, depending on the system studied. Below this temperature, the mixing efficiency, defined as ∂(4Dt)Φ where 4Dt is the mixing and Φ is the dose, is temperature independent. Its value, as well as the value of the transition temperature, agrees well with the thermodynamical model of chemically biased diffusion in a thermal spike for the four systems tested. The transition between the thermal spike regime and the temperature enhanced mixing regime was interpreted on the basis of an intracascade mechanism. The formation of an intermetallic compound in the U/Al system was detected and interpreted on a qualitative basis by crystallographic considerations.

The cohesive properties and electronic structures versus the structural stability of transition-metal trialuminides YAl3, ZrAl3, and NbAl3 in their cubic L12, tetragonal DO22, and naturally stable forms (i.e., the DO19 structure for YAl3 and the DO23 structure for ZrAl3) have been investigated using a total energy local-density approach. The variation of structural stability with transition-metal constituent can be simply understood in terms of the bandfilling of the bonding states in the rigid band sense, with the valence electrons gradually filling the bonding states on going from YAl3, ZrAl3 to NbAl3. This leads to a phase transition from the cubic L12 structure (for YAl3) to the tetragonal DO22 structure (for NbAl3). It is argued that this criterion may also apply to explain the variation of the structural stability of other transition-metal compounds (such as transition-metal carbides, nitrides, silicides, etc.) that are dominated by covalent interactions between the transition-metal d and the metalloid p states.

Implantation of Ta into single crystal Ni3Al was conducted to determine the degree of surface hardening in monolithic alloys in relation to its lattice location. Ta was implanted at 400 keV to doses of 0.07, 0.36, and 2.52 × 1016 cm−2 along the [100] axis of a [100] crystal of Ni3Al at room temperature. Composition versus depth profiles were determined by RBS, and lattice location of Ta was determined by channeling angular yield scans about the [100] axis. The hardness of the surface was measured by ultra-low load indentation. Results show that implantation softens the surface and that the Ta is randomly distributed between Ni and Al sites. Annealing at 1000 °C/1 h significantly reduces the damage and causes preferential occupation of Al sites by Ta, resulting in a slight increase in surface hardness. Further annealing at 1200 °C/0.25 h increases the surface hardness substantially and increases occupation of Al lattice sites to roughly 84%. Results are consistent with a model in which the as-implanted surface is softened by disordering, and subsequent diffusion of Ta to Al sites during thermal treatment causes hardening of the surface.

Atomistic computer simulations are used to systematically investigate the role of interfacial disorder on the elastic behavior of composition-modulated superlattices of fcc metals, represented by simple Lennard–Jones potentials. The structures, energies, and average elastic properties of four types of superlattices with various degrees of interfacial disorder are computed as a function of the modulation wavelength along [001]. The four superlattice types studied include perfectly coherent, incoherent, and two types derived from these by introducing relative twists about [001] between alternating layers. A 20% lattice-parameter mismatch between the two modulating materials is assumed. Results are compared with our earlier work on unsupported thin films, grain-boundary superlattices, and incoherent superlattices with a 10% lattice-parameter mismatch. The degree of structural disorder at the interfaces is found to correlate well with the magnitude of the elastic anomalies, which cannot be accounted for by anisotropic lattice-parameter changes alone. The grain-boundary superlattices studied earlier are found to provide a good model limit for the elastic behavior of interfacially disordered dissimilar-material superlattices.

Binary and ternary quasicrystals have been successfully separated by means of quantum structural diagrams in the light of new experimental data, and new potential candidates for the quasicrystalline state are presented. A general and simple classification of alloy systems, consistent with the experimental data, is proposed, which allows predictions of any type of binary and ternary quasicrystals. Quantum coordinates are analyzed and interpreted, and suggestions are given for an improvement of the present method.

The distribution and chemistry of hydrides produced in single and dual phase alloys with a composition near TiAl have been investigated by using a combination of TEM and x-ray diffraction techniques. The alloys were exposed at 650 °C to 13.8 MPa of gaseous H2 for 100 h. In the single-phase gamma alloy, large hydrides preferentially nucleated on the grain boundaries and matrix dislocations and a population of small hydrides was distributed throughout the matrix. X-ray and electron diffraction patterns from these hydrides indicated that they have an fcc structure with a lattice parameter of 0.45 nm. EDAX analysis of the hydrides showed that they were enriched in Ti. The hydrides were mostly removed by vacuum annealing at 800 °C for 24 h. On dissolution of the hydrides, the chemistry of hydride-free regions of the grain boundary returned to the matrix composition, suggesting that Ti segregation accompanied the hydride formation rather than Ti enrichment causing the formation of the hydride. The hydrogen content in the two-phase (γ-α2) alloy was approximately three times that of the single phase alloy, which was presumably a consequence of the presence of the α2-Ti3Al phase in the two-phase alloy. The hydrides in the two-phase material were shown by x-ray diffraction to have an fcc structure and were removed on annealing in vacuum at 800 °C for 24 h.

A 70-nm-thick, 19-μΩ · cm TiSi2 layer is formed using a Ti-ion implantation technique. TiN/TiSi2 double layers, whose surface morphology is superior to that obtained with conventional deposition and reaction techniques, can also be simultaneously formed by Ti-ion implantation into monocrystalline Si screened with the Si3N4 film. Discrete pn-junction diodes with a shallow TiSi2 layer and Ti-polycide-gate MOS capacitors are fabricated to determine the influences of Ti-ion implantation on electrical characteristics. The leakage current of the B-doped p+n junction and As/P-doped n+p junction with Ti-ion implanted silicide layer is low enough for device applications. Silicide formation on the gate polycrystalline-Si does not affect the breakdown electric field strength of a 20-nm-thick gate oxide. MOS capacitors showed normal C-V characteristics.

The quantitative description of surfaces that are created during the fracture process is one of the fundamental issues in materials science. In this study, single crystal silicon was selected as a model material in which to study the correlation of fracture surface features as characterized by their fractal dimension for two different orientations of fracture with the fracture toughness of the material as measured using the strength-indentation and fracture surface analysis techniques. The fracture toughness on the {110} fracture plane of single crystal silicon was determined to be 1.19 MPa m1/2 for the {100} tensile surface and 1.05 MPa m1/2 for the {110} tensile surface using the indentation-strength three-point bending method. The fracture surface features of these two orientations are correspondingly different. Within our limitations of measurements (1–100 μm), the fractal dimension appeared different in different regions of the fracture surface. It has a higher value in the branching region and a lower value in the pre-branching and post-branching regions. The fractal dimensions are about the same in the pre-branching regions and post-branching region for these two orientations (D = 1.01 ± 0.01), i.e., nearly Euclidean (smooth); but the fractal dimensions are higher in the branching region for these two orientations. The fractal dimension is 1.10 ±0.4 for the {100} tensile surface and is 1.04 ±0.3 for the {110} tensile surface. If we select the highest dimension on a surface to represent the dimensionality of the surface, then a material with a higher fracture toughness has a higher fractal dimension in the branching region.

The near-interface structure of diamond films grown from a methane and hydrogen gas mixture by microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition has been studied. Freestanding diamond films grown on both silica and silicon at two different methane concentrations were analyzed by scanning and transmission electron microscopies, electron diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and secondary ion mass spectroscopy. It was found that the substrate chemistry greatly influenced the nature of the carbon initially deposited on the substrate surface. Diamond formed large flat contact areas on silicon, whereas on silica a particulate type of intermediate layer formed first because of the chemical reactions occurring on and/or with the surface. It was found that the phase content of the films was greatly affected by the methane concentration in hydrogen. At the low (1.0% or less) methane concentrations in hydrogen, phase pure diamond formed; while at the high (5.0%) methane concentration in hydrogen, graphite and disordered carbon were codeposited along with diamond during the early growth stages. Silicon carbide was detected at the diamond interfaces which appeared in discrete areas on silica as opposed to a rather continuous layer as is believed to form on silicon.

Polycrystalline diamond thin films have been deposited on single crystal silicon substrates at low temperatures (⋚ 600 °C) using a mixture of hydrogen and methane gases by high pressure microwave plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition. Low temperature deposition has been achieved by cooling the substrate holder with nitrogen gas. For deposition at reduced substrate temperature, it has been found that nucleation of diamond will not occur unless the methane/hydrogen ratio is increased significantly from its value at higher substrate temperature. Selective deposition of polycrystalline diamond thin films has been achieved at 600 °C. Decrease in the diamond particle size and growth rate and an increase in surface smoothness have been observed with decreasing substrate temperature during the growth of thin films. As-deposited films are identified by Raman spectroscopy, and the morphology is analyzed by scanning electron microscopy.

X-ray diffraction from a synchrotron source was employed in an attempt to identify the crystal structures in zirconia ceramics produced by the sol-gel method. The particles of chemically precipitated zirconia, after calcination below 600 °C, are very fine, and have a diffracting particle size in the range of 7–15 nm. As the tetragonal and cubic structures of zirconia have similar lattice parameters, it is difficult to distinguish between the two. The tetragonal structure can be identified only by the characteristic splittings of the Bragg profiles from the “c” index planes. However, these split Bragg peaks from the tetragonal phase in zirconia overlap with one another due to particle size broadening. In order to distinguish between the tetragonal and cubic structures of zirconia, three samples were studied using synchrotron radiation source. The results indicated that a sample containing 13 mol% yttria-stabilized zirconia possessed the cubic structure with a0 = 0.51420 ± 0.00012 nm. A sample containing 6.5 mol% yttria stabilized zirconia was found to consist of a cubic phase with a0 = 0.51430 ± 0.00008 nm. Finally, a sample which was precipitated from a pH 13.5 solution was observed to have the tetragonal structure with a0 = 0.51441 ± 0.00085 nm and c0 = 0.51902 ± 0.00086.

Polycrystalline CdSe and CdTe layers were fabricated by putting liquid Cd in contact with Se or Te vapors under constant Ar flow. The crystalline structure, surface properties, and semiconducting properties of these materials have been determined. Both materials were found to be n-type semiconductors. The results show that, under the proper experimental conditions, the liquid metal-vapor reaction enables the synthesis of polycrystalline CdSe photoelectrodes with a 6.9% energy conversion efficiency when used in an electrochemical photovoltaic cell under 80 mW/cm2 of white light illumination. This efficiency rates amongst the highest ones measured under similar conditions using polycrystalline CdSe. These CdSe layers have a majority charge carrier density of ND = 2.6 × 1017 cm−3 and possess a highly textured surface which is assumed to be mainly responsible for the high photovoltaic efficiency. The highly textured CdTe samples obtained by this process, however, show a photovoltaic conversion efficiency of only 0.2%, and this is seen to be mainly due to their high majority charge carrier density of ND = 7.8 × 1019 cm−3.