Zeitschriftenaufsätze

Controlling the surface formation of the group-V face of (111)-oriented III-V semiconductors is crucial for subsequent successful growth of III-V nanowires for electronic and optoelectronic applications. With a view to preparing GaP/Si(111) virtual substrates, we investigate the atomic structure of the MOVPE (metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy)-prepared GaP(111)B surface (phosphorus face). We find that upon high-temperature annealing in the H2-based MOVPE process ambience, the surface is phosphorus-depleted, as evidenced by X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS). However, a combination of density functional theory calculations and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) suggests the formation of a partially H-terminated phosphorus surface, where the STM contrast is due to electrons tunneling from non-terminated dangling bonds of the phosphorus face. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) reveals that a high proportion of the surface is covered by islands, which are confirmed as Ga-rich by Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). We conclude that the STM images of the samples after high-temperature annealing only reflect the flat regions of the partially H-terminated phosphorus face, whereas an increasing coverage with Ga-rich islands, as detected by AFM and AES, forms upon annealing and underlies the higher proportion of Ga in the XPS measurements.

We present a systematic study of the magnetic properties of ZnFe2O4 thin films fabricated by pulsed laser deposition at low and high oxygen partial pressure and annealed in oxygen and argon atmosphere, respectively. The as-grown films show strong magnetization, closely related to a non-equilibrium distribution of defects, namely, Fe cations among tetrahedral and octahedral lattice sites. While the concentration of tetrahedral Fe cations declines after argon treatment at 250 ˚C, the magnetic response is enhanced by the formation of oxygen vacancies, evident by the increase in near-infrared absorption due to the Fe2+-Fe3+ exchange. After annealing at temperatures above 300 ˚C, the weakened magnetic response is related to a decline in disorder with a partial recrystallization toward a less defective spinel configuration.

Glass ceramics are highly specialized composite materials, which have a partly polycrystalline and a partly glassy state. Due to their special properties such as good mechanical strength, low thermal expansion, and excellent thermal shock resistance, they are especially well known for their use in consumer goods industry. But also in the high-tech sector, like optics or microsystems technology, the applications for glass ceramics are constantly growing. Simultaneously, the continuing miniaturization of microelectronic components requires precise, high-resolution processing methods. While mechanical processing is limited due to the brittle-hard properties of the material, ultrashort pulse lasers can serve as an ideal tool for this purpose. The pulse durations in the pico- and femtosecond range are known to enable a highly precise and gentle processing with very small thermal load for the workpiece. Therefore, the process is often referred to as cold ablation. It has been known for some time, however, that if pulse energies and repetition rates are sufficiently high, heat accumulation effects can occur. In this article, we report on surface modifications on glass ceramics arising during femtosecond ablation. Using Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramics (LTCC) as an example, we show that even at low repetition rates of 100 kHz and moderate average laser power below 3 W several micrometer thick molten patterns can emerge. Another peculiarity of the observed phenomenon lies in the increase of the vitreous layer with decreasing pulse duration. The dependence of the effect on the material structure is investigated by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements.

Electroplated chromium is an important industrial coating. Both in the decorative and functional field, research is being carried out to develop trivalent chromium electrolytes. In this work, the interaction between CrIII ions and carboxylic acids (malonic acid, malic acid, oxalic acid and glycolic acid) is investigated. The use of carboxylic acids to improve the current efficiency in trivalent chromium plating baths has been known for a long time. But the thermodynamics and kinetics of the associated complexing reactions are not well understood. It is shown that the complexes form at different rates depending on the acid and its concentration and have a varying influence on chromium deposition. For the development of a technical bath, care must be taken to ensure that the molar ratios between chromium and carboxylic acids can be controlled. This is possible with the HPLC method presented here.