Publications

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We report the successful growth of high-quality SrO films on highly-ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) and single-layer graphene by molecular beam epitaxy. The SrO layers have (001) orientation as confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) while atomic force microscopy measurements show continuous pinhole-free films having rms surface roughness of <1.5 Å. Transport measurements of exfoliated graphene after SrO deposition show a strong dependence between the Dirac point and Sr oxidation. Subsequently, the SrO is leveraged as a buffer layer for more complex oxide integration via the demonstration of (001) oriented SrTiO3 grown atop a SrO/HOPG stack.

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Composite material systems composed of a matrix of nanomaterials can achieve combinations of mechanical and thermophysical properties outside the range of traditional systems. The microstructure of the system dictates the rate, in which heat moves through the material. In this work, air/carbon nanofiber networks are studied to elucidate the system parameters influencing thermal transport. Thermal properties are measured with varying initial carbon fiber fill fraction, environment pressure, loading pressure, and heat treatment temperature (HTT) through a bidirectional modification of the 3ω technique. The nanostructure of the individual fibers is characterized with small angle X-ray scattering and Raman spectroscopy providing insight to individual fiber thermal conductivity. Measured thermal conductivity of the carbon nanofiber networks varied from 0.010 W/(m K) to 0.070 W/(m K). An understanding of the intrinsic properties of the individual fibers and the interactions of the two-phase composite is used to reconcile low measured thermal conductivities with predictive modeling. Accounting for fiber-to-fiber interactions and the nuanced changes in the composite as pressure is applied is necessary to successfully model thermal transport in system.

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Flip-chip heterogeneously integrated n-p-n InGaP/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) with integrated thermal management on wide-bandgap AlN substrates followed by GaAs substrate removal are demonstrated. Without thermal management, substrate removal after integration significantly aggravates self-heating effects, causing poor $I$-$V$ characteristics due to excessive device self-heating. An electrothermal codesign scheme is demonstrated that involves simulation (design), thermal characterization, fabrication, and evaluation. Thermoreflectance thermal imaging, electrical-temperature sensitive parameter-based thermometry, and infrared thermography were utilized to assess the junction temperature rise in HBTs under diverse configurations. In order to reduce the thermal resistance of integrated devices, passive cooling schemes assisted by structural modification, i.e., positioning indium bump heat sinks between the devices and the carrier, were employed. By implementing thermal heat sinks in close proximity to the active region of flip-chip integrated HBTs, the junction-to-baseplate thermal resistance was reduced over a factor of two, as revealed by junction temperature measurements and improvement of electrical performance. The suggested heterogeneous integration method accounts for not only electrical but also thermal requirements providing insight into realization of advanced and robust III-V/Si heterogeneously integrated electronics.

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We investigate thickness-limited size effects on the thermal conductivity of amorphous silicon thin films ranging from 3 to 1636 nm grown via sputter deposition. While exhibiting a constant value up to ∼100 nm, the thermal conductivity increases with film thickness thereafter. The thickness dependence we demonstrate is ascribed to boundary scattering of long wavelength vibrations and an interplay between the energy transfer associated with propagating modes (propagons) and nonpropagating modes (diffusons). A crossover from propagon to diffuson modes is deduced to occur at a frequency of ∼1.8 THz via simple analytical arguments. These results provide empirical evidence of size effects on the thermal conductivity of amorphous silicon and systematic experimental insight into the nature of vibrational thermal transport in amorphous solids.

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Pyrolyzed carbon as a mechanical material is promising for applications in harsh environments. In this work, we characterized the material and developed novel processes for fabricating carbon composite micro-electromechanical systems (CMEMS) structures. A novel method of increasing Young's modulus and the conductivity of pyrolyzed AZ 4330 was demonstrated by loading the films with graphene oxide prior to pyrolysis. By incorporating 2 wt.% graphene stiffeners into the film, a 65% increase in Young's modulus and 11% increase in conductivity were achieved. By reactive ion etching pyrolyzed blanket AZ 50XT thick film photoresist, a high aspect ratio process was demonstrated with films >7.5um thick. Two novel multi-level, volume-scalable CMEMS processes were developed on 6" diameter wafers. Young's modulus of 23 GPa was extracted from nanoindentation measurements of pyrolyzed AZ 50XT films. The temperature-dependent resistance was characterized from room temperature to 500C and found to be nearly linear over this range. By fitting the results of self-heated bridges in an inert ambient, we calculated that the bridges survived to 1000C without failure. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results showed the film to be largely amorphous, containing some sub-micrometer sized graphite crystallites. This was consistent with our Raman analysis, which also showed the film to be largely sp 2 bonded. The calculated average density of pyrolyzed AZ 4330 films was 1.32 g/cm 2 . Thin level of disorder and the conductivity of thin film resistors were found to unchanged by 2Mrad gamma irradiation from a Co 60 source. Thin film pyrolyzed carbon resistors were hermetically sealed in a nitrogen ambient in 24-pin dual in-line packages (DIP's). The resistance was measured periodically and remained constant over 6 months' time.

The contribution from loss of Li+ inventory to capacity fade is described for slow rates (C/10) and long-term cycling (up to 80 cycles). It was found through electrochemical testing and ex-situ Raman analysis that at these slow rates, the entirety of capacity loss up to 80 cycles can be explained by loss of Li+ inventory in the cell. The Raman spectrum of LiCoO2 is sensitive to the state of lithiation and can therefore be leveraged to quantify the state of lithiation for individual particles. With these Raman derived estimates, the lithiation state of the cathode in the discharged state is compared to electrochemical data as a function of cycle number. High correlation is found between Raman quantifications of cycleable lithium and the capacity fade. Additionally, the linear relationship between discharge capacity and cell overpotential suggests that the loss of capacity stems from an impedance rise of the electrodes, which based on Li inventory losses, is caused by SEI formation and repair.

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Oxidation of exfoliated gallium selenide (GaSe) is investigated through Raman, photoluminescence, Auger, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies. Photoluminescence and Raman intensity reductions associated with spectral features of GaSe are shown to coincide with the emergence of signatures emanating from the by-products of the oxidation reaction, namely, Ga2Se3 and amorphous Se. Photoinduced oxidation is initiated over a portion of a flake highlighting the potential for laser based patterning of two-dimensional heterostructures via selective oxidation.

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The thermal conductivity of amorphous TaOx memristive films having variable oxygen content is measured using time domain thermoreflectance. Thermal transport is described by a two-part model where the electrical contribution is quantified via the Wiedemann-Franz relation and the vibrational contribution by the minimum thermal conductivity limit for amorphous solids. The vibrational contribution remains constant near 0.9 W/mK regardless of oxygen concentration, while the electrical contribution varies from 0 to 3.3 W/mK. Thus, the dominant thermal carrier in TaOx switches between vibrations and charge carriers and is controllable either by oxygen content during deposition, or dynamically by field-induced charge state migration.