Mansour Mohamed

Experimental electronic structure of In2O3 and Ga2O3

Transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) pose a number of serious challenges. In addition to the pursuit of high-quality single crystals and thin films, their application has to be preceded by a thorough understanding of their peculiar electronic structure. It is of fundamental interest to understand why these materials, transparent up to the UV spectral regime, behave also as conductors. Here we investigate In2O3 and Ga2O3, two binary oxides, which show the smallest and largest optical gaps among conventional n-type TCOs. The investigations on the electronic structure were performed on high-quality n-type single crystals showing carrier densities of ~1019?cm?3 (In2O3) and ~1017?cm?3 (Ga2O3). The subjects addressed for both materials are: the determination of the band structure along high-symmetry directions and fundamental gaps by angular resolved photoemission (ARPES). We also address the orbital character of the valence- and conduction-band regions by exploiting photoemission cross sections in x-ray photoemission (XPS) and by x-ray absorption (XAS). The observations are discussed with reference to calculations of the electronic structure and the experimental results on thin films.

Schottky barrier height of Au on the transparent semiconducting oxide β-Ga2O3

The Schottky barrier height of Au deposited on (100) surfaces of n-type β-Ga2O3 single crystals was determined by current-voltage characteristics and high-resolution photoemission spectroscopy resulting in a common effective value of 1.04 ± 0.08 eV. Furthermore, the electron affinity of β-Ga2O3 and the work function of Au were determined to be 4.00 ± 0.05 eV and 5.23 ± 0.05 eV, respectively, yielding a barrier height of 1.23 eV according to the Schottky-Mott rule. The reduction of the Schottky-Mott barrier to the effective value was ascribed to the image-force effect and the action of metal-induced gap states, whereas extrinsic influences could be avoided.

The electronic structure of β-Ga2O3

β-Ga2O3 has the widest energy gap of the transparent conducting oxides. The interest in its electronic properties has recently increased because of its applications in various optoelectronic devices, semiconductor lasers, and ultrasensitive gas detecting systems. In contrast, information on the electronic structure of β-Ga2O3 is very scarce. Here, we present the experimental valence-band structure of β-Ga2O3 single crystals determined by high-resolution angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy utilizing synchrotron radiation. We find good matching of the experimental band structure with the advanced density functional theory calculations employing hybrid functionals and projector augmented wave potentials.

The surface band structure of β-Ga2O3

Ga2O3 belongs to the group of transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) with a wide band gap and electrical conductivity. It exhibits the largest band gap with Eg = 4.8 eV and thus a unique transparency from the visible into the UV region. The information on the electronic structure of β-Ga2O3 is very scarce. This is in part due to the challenging problem of growing high purity single crystals. Transparent semiconducting β-Ga2O3 single crystals were grown by the Czochralski method from an iridium crucible under a dynamic protective atmosphere to control partial pressures of volatile species of Ga2O3. The investigated samples were characterized by different techniques (LEED, Laue, and STM). The experimental valence band structure of the of β-Ga2O3 single crystals along Γ-Z and A-M symmetry directions of the (100)-surface of Brillouin zone was determined by high-resolution angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (ARPES) utilizing synchrotron radiation. The experimental band structure is compared and discussed with the theoretical calculations. The effect of changing the temperature from 300K to 20K on the experimental band structure β-Ga2O3 was studied.

A study on the thermal decomposition of iron-cobalt mixed hydroxides

Thermal decomposition of pure Fe(OH)3 and mixed with Co(OH)2 were studied using TG, DTA, kinetics of isothermal decomposition and electrical conductivity measurements. The thermal products were characterized by X-ray diffraction and IR spectroscopy. The TG and DTA analysis revealed the presence of Co2+ retards the decomposition of ferric hydroxide and the formation of α-Fe2O3. The kinetics of decomposition showed that the mixed samples need higher energy to achieve thermolysis. The investigation of thermal products of mixed samples indicated the formation of cobalt ferrite on addition ofx=1 or 1.5 cobalt hydroxide. The electrical conductivity accompanying the thermal decomposition decreases in presence of low ratio of Co2+ (x=0.2) via the consumption of holes created during thermal analysis. The continuous increase in σ values on increasing of Co2+ concentration corresponded to the electron hopping between Fe2+ and Co3+.ZusammenfassungMittels TG, DTA und der Kinetik von Messungen der isothermen Zersetzung und der elektrischen Leitfähigkeit wurde die Zersetzung von Fe(OH)3 in reinem Zustand und vermengt mit Co(OH)2 untersucht. Die thermischen Produkte wurden mittels Röntgendiffraktion und IR-Spektroskopie charakterisiert. TG und DTA zeigen, daß die Zersetzung von Eisen(III)-hydroxid und die Bildung von -Fe2O3 durch Gegenwart von Co2+ verzögert wird. Die Zersetzungskinetik zeigt, daß die Mischproben mehr Energie für die Thermolyse benötigen. Die Untersuchung der thermischen Produkte zeigt die Bildung von Cobaltferrit bei Zusatz vonx=1 oder 1,5 Cobalthydroxid. Die elektrische Leitfähigkeit nimmt bei der thermischen Zersetzung in Gegenwart von niedrigen Co2+-Konzentrationen (x=0.2) durch Verbrauch der bei der Thermoanalyse geschaffenen Löcher ab. Das monotone Ansteigen der -Werte bei steigender Co2+-Konzentration stimmt mit dem Überspringen von Elektronen zwischen Fe2+ und Co3+ überein.

Influence of annealing temperature on the structural and optical properties of As30Te70 thin films

Abstract Chalcogenide glasses have attracted much attention largely due to their interesting physical and chemical properties. Though few published articles exist on the As-Te system, little is known about the optical properties of eutectic or near eutectic composition of As-Te system upon heat treatment. Therefore, this paper reports the effects of annealing temperature on the structural and optical parameters of As30Te70 thin films. The bulk and thin films of 150 nm thick As30Te70 chalcogenide glasses were prepared by melt-quenching and thermal evaporation techniques, respectively. The glass transition and crystallization reactions of the bulk samples were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The influence of annealing temperature on the transformation of the crystal structure was studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), while the surface morphology of the annealed samples was examined using scanning electron microscope (SEM). The optical band gap, refractive index and extinction coefficient were also calculated. The DSC scans showed that the melting temperature remains constant at 636.56 K. In addition, other characteristic temperatures such as the glass transition temperature, the onset crystallization temperature, and the crystallization peak temperature increase with increasing the heating rate. The crystalline phases for the as-prepared and annealed films consist of orthorhombic As, hexagonal Te, and monoclinic As2Te3 phases. Furthermore, the average crystallite size, strain, and dislocation density depend on the annealing temperature. The optical absorption results revealed that the investigated films have a direct transition, and their optical energy gap decreases from 1.82 eV to 1.49 eV as the annealing temperature increases up to 433 K. However, the refractive index, extinction coefficient, dielectric constant and the ratio of free carrier concentration to its effective mass, increase with increasing the annealing temperature.

Influence of iron ion additions on the thermal decomposition of basic zinc carbonate

Thermal decomposition of pure basic zinc carbonate (BZC) and doped or mixed with iron ions were studied using TG, DTA and kinetics of isothermal decomposition. The TG and DTA investigations revealed that, the presence of iron ions retards the decomposition processes of (BZC). Also, the retardation effect increases on increasing of iron concentration up to 50 at.%. The curves of isothermal decomposition show the usual sigmoidal character. The decomposition velocity contsant (K) values are plotted vs. 1/T according to Arrhenius equation gave a plot of good straight lines with activation energies of 43.7, 48.2, 53.2 and 57.1 kJ mol−1 for pure (BZC) and incorporated with 1, 10, 30 and 50 at.% Fe2+ respectively. The products of the thermal decomposition of pure BZC and mixed with iron ions are characterized using X-ray diffraction, IR spectroscopy, surface area determination and the surface porosity. These investigations showed that iron ions are effectively incorporated into zinc oxide lattice in the range of 30–50 at.%, which gave a ZnFe2O4 spinel.ZusammenfassungMittels TG, DTA und der Kinetik der isothermen Zersetzung wurde der thermische Abbau von reinem bzw. von mit Eisenionen versetztem basischen Zinkcarbonat (BZC) untersucht. TG- und DTA-Untersuchungen zeigen, da\ der Zersetzungsproze\ von BZC durch Eisenionen gehemmt wird. Dieser Hemmungseffekt wÄchst bis zu einer Eisenionenkonzentration von 50 mol%. Die Kurven der isothermen Zersetzung zeigen den üblichen sigmoiden Charakter. Aus dem Auftragen der Geschwindigkeitskonstantek des Zersetzungsprozesses (gemÄ\ der Arrhenius-Gleichung) gegen 1/T ergeben sich in guter NÄherung Geraden mit den Aktivierungsenergien 43.7, 48.2, 53.2 und 57.1 kJmol−1 für BZC mit einem Fe+-Gehalt von 0, 1, 10, 30 bzw. 50 mol%. Die thermischen Zersetzungsprodukte von reinem bzw. von mit Eisenionen versetztem BZC wurden unter Zuhilfenahme von Röntgendiffraktion, IR-Spektroskopie, OberflÄchenbestimmung und OberflÄchenporositÄt charakterisiert. Diese Untersuchungen ergaben, da\ Eisenionen im Bereich 30–50 mol% in das Zinkoxidgitter eingebaut werden und dabei ein ZnFe2O4 Spinell entsteht.

Structural and optical characterization of annealed As30Te60Ga10 thin films prepared by thermal evaporation technique

Abstract Effect of annealing temperature on the structural and optical properties of As30Te60Ga10 thin film was studied using various techniques such as differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The DSC analysis revealed that the As30Te60Ga10 glass has a single glass transition and crystallization peak while XRD results confirmed that the as-prepared and annealed films have crystalline nature. The coexistence of the crystalline phases in the investigated films could be attributed to the formation of orthorhombic As, hexagonal Ga7Te10, and monoclinic As2Te3 phases. It was found that the average crystallite size and optical parameters of the studied films depend on the annealing temperature. For example, the optical band gap decreased from 1.54 eV to 1.11 eV as the annealing temperature increased from 300 K to 433 K.

Study of non-isothermal crystallization kinetics of Ge 20 Se 70 Sn 10 chalcogenide glass

The glass transition and non-isothermal crystallization behavior of Ge20Se70Sn10 glass prepared by the melt-quenching technique was investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) at continuous different heating rates. The structure and surface morphology of as-prepared and annealed samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy. The as-prepared samples showed the amorphous glassy nature, while the annealed ones are polycrystalline. Furthermore, XRD phase analysis allowed us to find the SnSe2, GeSe2, Ge4Se9 and Sn0.5 SeGe0.5 phases in the annealed samples. According to the value of Avrami index (n), the crystallization process of studied composition has more than one crystal growth mechanism. In addition, the results of DSC showed that the investigated glass has only a single glass transition and double crystallization stages. Furthermore, the activation energy of transition as well as the crystallization has been determined based on different approximation methods. In addition, the experimental DSC data of the first and second crystallization peak were compared with that calculated with the Johnson–Mehl–Avrami and Sestak–Berggren SB(M, N) model. The results revealed that the SB(M, N) model is more suitable for describing the crystallization kinetics of studied glass.