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Micron-Scale Wedge Thin Films Deposition Made Simple
From
Advanced Science News, September 12, 2017, by Bette Nijboer:
"In a new study
conducted by researchers from the National Research Council in Seville
and The Polytechnic University in Madrid, Spain a simple procedure
leading to the formation of micron size wedge thin films has been
developed. It relies on a conventional method of thin film deposition,
Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition. A simple, but straightforward
modification of this procedure applied to the deposition of ZnO, has
been used to grow wedge thin films of different lengths and slopes
according to requirements. The outstanding optical properties shown
in the study support the use of wedge films as references or standards
for optical metrology with micron size lateral resolution to test
ellipsometry and reflectometry optical tools.
"
READ FULL ARTICLE.
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Electrically Heated Textiles Now Possible
From University of Massachusetts Amherst, September 28, 2017:
"
Scientists
at the University of Massachusetts Amherst used a vapor deposition
method for nano-coating fabric to create sewable, weavable, electrically
heated material. The demonstration glove they made can keep fingers
toasty for up to eight hours. The three-layered glove, with one layer
coated by the conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxytiophene), also
known as PEDOT. The glove is powered by a small coin battery and they
run on nano-amps of current, not enough to pass current through your
skin or to hurt you. The coating works even when it's completely dunked
in water, it will not shock you.
"
READ FULL ARTICLE.
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Chemical Vapor Deposition Coatings Extend Aerospace Component Life
From
Advanced Materials and Processes, September 2017, by Yuri Zhuk (Hardide Coatings Inc.):
"Extreme operating conditions for
aircraft push materials and components to the edge of their design
capabilities. Until now, researchers have investigating hard chrome
plating (HCP) and high velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) deposited coatings.
They are considered too brittle and are deposited using high process
temperatures that are prohibitively expensive.
By comparison,
test results of Hardide nanostructured tungsten-tungsten carbide CVD
coatings show that low temperature CVD coatings are tough, provide a
practical solution that is both technically and commercially viable, and
can dramatically increase aircraft component life. The Hardide CVD
coating has been used by BAE Systems Col, UK, to prevent galling and
wear on parts for its Eurofighter Typhoon jet aircraft since 2005."
READ FULL ARTICLE.
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Tracing the Recorded History of Thin-Film Sputter Deposition: From the 1800s to 2017
From
Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology A, September/ October 2017, by Joe E. Greene:
"Thin films, ubiquitous in today's
world, have a documented history of more than 5000 years. However,
thin-film growth by sputter deposition, which required the development
of vacuum pumps and electrical power in the 1600s and the 1700s, is a
much more recent phenomenon. First reported in the early 1800s, sputter
deposition already dominated the optical-coating market by 1880.
Roll-to-roll sputter coating on flexible substrates was introduced in
the mid-1930s, and the initial demonstration of sustained
self-sputtering (i.e., sputtering without gas) was performed in 1970.
The first kinetic models of reactive sputtering appeared in the 1960s;
high-rate reactive sputtering, based on partial-pressure control, was
developed in the early 1980s. No less than eight Nobel Laureates in
Physics and Chemistry played major roles in the evolution of modern
sputter deposition.
"
READ FULL ARTICLE.
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Tungsten Offers Nano-Interconnects a Path of Least Resistance
From
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, October 4, 2017 by AIP News Staff
:
"
As microchips become ever smaller and
therefore faster, the shrinking size of their copper interconnects leads
to increased electrical resistivity at the nanoscale. One promising
solution involves reducing the resistivity size effect by altering the
crystalline orientation of interconnect materials. A pair of researchers
from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute conducted electron transport
measurements in epitaxial single-crystal layers of tungsten (W) as one
such potential interconnect solution. They performed first-principles
simulations, finding a definite orientation-dependent effect. The
anisotropic resistivity effect they found was most significant between
layers with two particular orientations of the lattice structure, namely
W(001) and W(110).
"
READ FULL ARTICLE.
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Digging Sensors Out of an Efficiency Hole
From
A*STAR Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, September 15, 2017:
"
Joel Yang from the A*STAR Institute of
Materials Research and Engineering was part of an international
collaboration that achieved a 20,000-fold increase in the
photoluminescence of a one atom-thick layer of tungsten diselenide, by
mounting it on a gold surface patterned with narrow trenches.
Tungsten diselenide is promising for ultra-sensitive, ultra-thin light
sensors, solar cells and light-emitting diodes, because of its ability
to absorb light and re-emit at a different frequency. However this
effect only occurs for a single atom layer, so its efficiency is very
low. Yang's inspiration was to mount the layer on a gold surface and
trap the light energy at the interface of the two layers in the form of
surface plasmons. To enhance the absorption of light, they added
trenches to the gold layer under the tungsten diselenide. To create
the structure, the team etched a very flat silicon crystal to create a
grid of ridges. Next they deposited a layer of gold onto the silicon and
then peeled it off to reveal trenches where the ridges had been.
"
READ FULL ARTICLE.
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2D Electronics' Metal or Semiconductor? Both?
From
the Institute for Basic Science (Korea), September 19, 2017 by Letizia Diamante:
"
A research team at the Center for Artificial Low Dimensional Electronic Systems, within the Institute for Basic Science
(IBS), has developed the first 2D field-effect transistor circuit (FET)
made of a single material. The major issue for 2D FET transistors is
the existence of a large contact resistance at the interface between the
2D semiconductor and any bulk metal. To address this, the team devised a
new technique to produce 2D transistors with semiconductor and metal
made of the same chemical compound, molybdenum telluride (MoTe2). IBS scientists used the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique to build high quality metallic or semiconducting MoTe2 crystals. It is a polymorphic material, meaning that it can be used both as metal and as semiconductor."
READ FULL ARTICLE.
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A Self-Healing, Self-Lubricating Tribofilm
From Tech Briefs, October 1, 2017, by Argonne National Laboratory:
"
Tribologists have developed a diamond-like
film that is generated by the heat and pressure of an automotive engine.
The ultra-durable, self-lubricating tribofilm - a film that forms
between moving surfaces - can be made to develop self-healing,
diamond-like carbon (DLC) tribofilms. The film generates itself by
breaking down the molecules of the lubricating oil, and can regenerate
the tribofilm as it is worn away.
"
READ FULL ARTICLE.
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Five Major Trends of the Global PV Module Market
From Solar Industry, October 2017, by Edurne Zoco:
"
Back in
2007, less than 5 GW of solar PV was installed globally; last year, it
was almost 78 GW was installed. At IHS Markit, we are currently
forecasting that we could even reach the magic 100 GW level by next
year, representing 20x growth within one decade.
This article is an overview
and future outlook of what have been the five major trends shaping the
global PV module market since 2007 to bring it to its current state.
1. China runs the solar show.
2. Scale and cost reduction have made
solar the most affordable source of energy in some regions.
3. Policy changes, trade disputes and legal barriers continue to shape the PV module industry.
4. Business models: from vertical integration to increased specialization.
5. The on-going search for high-efficiency PV technology and modules.
"
READ FULL ARTICLE.
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Terahertz Spectroscopy Goes Nano-Probing Electrical Properties
From
Brown University, October 19, 2017:
"
Brown University researchers have demonstrated a way to bring a powerful form of spectroscopy into the nano-world. Laser
terahertz emission microscopy (LTEM) is a burgeoning means of
characterizing the performance of solar cells, integrated circuits and
other systems and materials. Laser pulses illuminating a sample material
cause the emission of terahertz radiation, which carries important
information about the sample's electrical properties.
Their
work has improved the resolution of the LTEM technique so it can be
used to characterize individual nanostructures. Typically, LTEM
measurements are performed with resolution of a few tens of microns, but
this new technique enables measurements down to a resolution of 20
nanometers, roughly 1,000 times the resolution previously possible using
traditional LTEM techniques.
"
READ FULL ARTICLE.
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Scientists Invent a New Mode of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM)-Direct Piezoelectric Force Microscopy
From Nanowerk News, October 24, 2017:
"
A group of scientists from the Spain's
Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC), together
with scientists from the
French National Center for Scientific Research
(CNRS), have implemented a new method of
microscopy called Direct Piezoelectric Force Microscopy. This technique
allows researchers to measure the small currents that are generated by
piezoelectric effect in a quantitative way and to the nanoscale. This
new AFM mode enhances this microscopy technique as a standard
characterization technique available for material research specifically
for the case of piezoelectricity and ferroelectricity.
"
READ FULL ARTICLE.
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The Flat and the Curious- 2D Silicene
From Argonne National Laboratory, November 6, 2017 by Joan Koka:
"
One obstacle to realizing applications of 2-D materials is the cost and time needed for experimental studies. At
the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory,
researchers have simulated the growth of silicene, a 2-D material with
attractive electronic properties. Their work delivers new and useful
insights on the material's properties and behavior and offers a
predictive model for other researchers studying 2-D materials. Now,
others can avoid much of the trial and error within the lab. Instead
they can experiment using the optimized set of conditions the model
predicts to best yield the structures and properties they desire.
"
READ FULL ARTICLE.
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Solid State Technology.
The
leader in covering semiconductor manufacturing and packaging
technology, materials, products and news for over 50 years provides the
same level of expertise and insights to decision makers for MEMs,
display, LED and power electronics manufacturing-in our magazine, six
e-Newsletters, comprehensive website and at The ConFab. www.electroiq.com
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Society of Vacuum Coaters Foundation
Founding Principle:
The Society of Vacuum Coaters recognizes that in
order to sustain its growth, it is important to attract young, well
trained individuals to the field of Vacuum Coatings.
The SVC Foundation
pursues this principle by providing scholarships
to well qualified students planning to enter fields related to vacuum
coatings, and/or providing stipends for travel expenses to attend the
annual SVC Technical Conference, usually to present technical papers.
The Society of Vacuum Coaters (SVC), the SVCF's founder, and AIMCAL, an
organization committed to advancing vacuum roll-coating technology, and
their members, provides support for the Foundation to pursue these
goals.
Since its inception in 2002, the SVCF has
awarded more than 50 scholarships and travel awards totaling over
$180,000 to students from 18 countries. Our support can really have an
impact in the life of these students; quoting a recent award recipient:
"Not only does the scholarship give the gift of
financial support and the possibility to continue learning, it also
gives those that have a passion for vacuum coating the blessing of
attending such a wonderful program [SVC TechCon] to network and further
their knowledge."
Inviting scholarship recipients to the SVC
TechCon is an important element of the overall strategy for attracting
new talent to our industry. Scholarship beneficiaries carry a special
identification on the TechCon badge and we encourage you to meet them
and make them feel welcome.
Scholarship Applications must be postmarked by November 30th of each year.
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Do You Have an Interesting Article to Share?
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Interested in sharing the latest news in vacuum coating technology?
Forward us a link to an article you want to share with the rest of the SVC readership to
svcinfo@svc.org
.
Purchase advertising space in this newsletter by contacting SVC at
svcinfo@svc.org
.
SVConnections Contributing Editors:
Carl M. Lampert, SVC Technical Director
Joyce Lampert
Society of Vacuum Coaters
PO Box 10628
Albuquerque, NM 87184
505.897.7743
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