I Types ofmethods
Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD)
Sputtering, e-beam evaporation and sublimation 12
Despite the simplicity of these methods, they have not been particularly popular in research. Fine control over evaporation rates is advantageous in a process where the evaporation rates of the constituent materials are as varied as in MgB2 •However, in light of the above evidence, there is no good reason to expect that radiative evaporation electronic would be especially better than other process. Indeed, early experiments by Moon et al. 2001) produced thin films comparable to the best PLD results using standard two-step, ex-situ annealing, starting with a Bori precursor layer.
The group found that by precisely varying the rate of evaporation of the two materials and controlling the temperature of the substrate, it was actually possible to deposit films that would superconduct without the need for further annealing. However, this is a promising route and makes considerable sense in terms of the thermodynamic considerations presented later in this review. Spraying is perhaps the most complex method in terms of the apparatus used.
The films were of good quality (Tc of 37.5K,le . of 2.6 x 107A/cmz in zero field at 15K), but not particularly remarkable by any means compared to the bulk of the literature. In fact, MBE is a highly complex and sophisticated method of thin film growth, both in terms of the underlying physics and the apparatus used.
Other methods
Diborane is introduced at 1000 ppm in H2•The H2 provides excellent capture of stray oxygen, resulting in oxygen contamination free films (with the possible exception of a thin layer of MgO on the surface of Ah03 substrates due to substrate film response). Active species in the plasma combine with surface particles of the substance to be etched. It was now possible to make the plasma completely at the tip of the aerial.
In the case of MgBz, the sample is actually part of the antenna, because it is conductive. It is speculated that the nature of the inert gas affects the heat transfer and diffusion in the reactor (Farhat et al., 2001). In this process, nanotubes are formed by the chemical reaction of ethanol and transition metal oxides such as NiO and CO2 O3. The ethanol reduces the oxides to pure metal catalysts which then catalyze the ethanol solution at a temperature of 550°C to form nanotubes.
PECVD has not been attempted with MgB2. The addition of such plasma is used in many processes to artificially change the thermodynamic state experienced by the substrate surface. Kim M.S., Rodriguez N.M., Baker R.T.K. Interplay between sulfur adsorption and carbon deposition on cobalt catalysts", Journal of Catalysis, vol!.
Thermodynamics ofthe MgB2 system
Hybrid Physical Chemical Vapour Deposition (HPCVD)
The same group that uncovered the thermodynamics of the system used their results to produce what remains the only method to date to produce near-perfect epitaxial films (Zeng et al., 2002; Xi et al., 2003; Progrebnyakov et al. , 2003). The susceptor is then heated to the relevant deposition temperature (optimallynODc. in Progrebnyakov et al., 2003). Diborane is introduced from the top of the reactor and dissociates in the presence of the heated substrate, forming boron.
Using this method, it was possible to grow coarse-grained, smooth (surface roughness 25-40 A) epitaxial films with a Tc of 41.7 K and a sharp superconducting transition O.IK. The getter action of hydrogen has proven to be much more effective in keeping oxygen contamination to a minimum than the use of extremely good vacuums.
EXPERIMENTAL - THE BASIC PREMISE 18
PLD
Plasma processes
For example, in the semiconductor industry, chlorine gas is decomposed in a plasma reactor to form chloride ions and atomic chlorine. These active species will readily adsorb to the surface of a silicon wafer where they react and form a new, gaseous product. Active species in the plasma (dark gray circles) move to the surface of the substrate where they chemically attach to surface atoms of the substrate (light circles).
The idea of using etching to create a Boron flux came mainly from the work of Reinke et al. In this work, a hydrogen plasma was used to etch a cubic boron nitride (cBN) thin film. The question then becomes that if cBN can be etched like this, then why not pure boron.
And if boron could be etched, the exhaust from the etchant would have to contain a boron stream that could be used to deliver boron to the substrate in a HPCVD type setup. As long as a reasonably cheap and easily manufactured source of plasma can be found, this technique could be successful.
Heat Pipe . 21
At this point, the vapor pressure of Mg is equal to PI, the pressure of the external argon gas. Thus, the tube temperature is uniquely determined by the PI pressure, which can be easily controlled, and vice versa. In a transverse concentric heat pipe, the central heat pipe bisects the larger outer heat pipe, which actually serves as an oven to precisely control the temperature of the inner heat pipe.
This would mean that at least part of the system would have to be made of expensive Tantalum. Frequencies of the power source vary all the way from dc to the microwave range. The wavelength of the photon emissions as the electrons decay to lower energy levels allows the sample to be identified by means of spectroscopy.
The entire outer waveguide section of the coaxial part would also need to be enclosed in an airtight thin film deposition chamber. TIA was certainly one of the most promising candidates, but for its rather boring construction.
Microwave Plasma Torch (MPT)
As shown in the figure above, the TIA consists of two intersecting waveguides: a rectangular section that runs horizontally, and a coaxial section that runs vertically. Movable shorts are provided to allow tuning and the plasma itself forms entirely within the nozzle of the device. The device essentially converts the TEol mode running in the rectangular waveguide to the TEM mode in the coaxial section.
However, it is more complex to build and set up than some alternatives, mainly due to its rather complex tuning mechanism. Granted, these are minor issues, but simplicity was the key and it will soon become apparent that promising alternatives existed. From the image above, it can be seen that the MPT is not completely different from the TIA.
However, there is no doubt that the electronics engineering workshop could have built such an apparatus to the required specifications. A more subtle problem is that while magnetrons are widely available due to the ubiquity of microwave ovens, these magnetrons derive their power from rectangular waveguides, not coaxial ones.
CoronaDischarge
The primary difference is that input power is coupled through a coaxial line and the tuning mechanism is simplified.
Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) . 30
In different implementations of this basic design (see for example, Woskov and Hadidi, 2002 vs. Moon and Choe, 2002) there may be differences in the actual nature of the plasma flame. Another tube of IS mm internal diameter (ID) was attached to the top of the sphere. Obviously this is related to the strength of the E field concentrated at the top of the antenna.
Plasma would often form at both the top of the antenna and the base. Stainless steel hex nuts clamp the coil to the ends of the stainless steel rods. The final output was attached to the thin inlet tube of the plasma chamber via the high temperature hose.
The parameters remained the same as those used in the E2 direction, except for the antenna. This means that it is quite possible for the USB module (a 5V device) or the PlC (also connected to the bus) to apply 5V to the ADC FIFO outputs.
