Abstract This research focuses on the morphologies of polymers after the heat treatment, as the different temperature and time. To make a polymeric light emitting device (PLED), the wet procedure is used to composite the organic layer, such as spin coating, and has the very tremendous influence to its efficiency and performance. Thermal annealing plays an important role on it, especially the relationship between the glass transition temperature (Tg) and the boiling temperature of the solvent. In the experiment of wet procedure, we dissolved the green light polymer (PFG) into the chlorobenzene, and the Tg of PFG is about 108¢XC, and the solvent has been boiled at 134¢XC. After spin coating in the glove box, the organic layer became the liquid thin film, and we must bake it to the solid state. It took different morphologies of the polymers by changing the thermal temperature and time. And we can suppose the molecular arrangement from the ultraviolet-visible absorption spectrometry (UV-vis) and photoluminescence spectrometry (PL). Otherwise, we analyzed the surface morphology by using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Though the measurement of X-ray diffraction made the crystallinity of polymers discovered. After all, we prepared ITO(140nm) / PEDOT:PSS(65nm) /PFG(60nm)/ LiF(1nm) / Ca(10nm) / Al(200nm) for the PLED structure. According to the characteristic of the device, we can discuss what happen to the light emitting layer after thermal annealed. In the conclusion, we got the best performance when thermal temperature is nearby or above the Tg with the longer baking time. Respectively, the green light had the maximum luminance at 10.5v of 38710 cd/m2, and the current efficiency was 7.62 cd/A, and power efficiency was 2.66 lm/watt. And we have found higher baking temperature than Tg, as more than 135oC, made the worse performance through the longer time; except the 125oC. A transition thermal temperature, a little higher than Tg, made the performance keep stable after baking for a long time.

No description available.

There is a drive for improving the surface uniformity of optical waveguide devices in the photonics lab. This report focuses on the exploration of annealed proton exchange (APE) waveguide fabrication on lithium niobate crystal as a method of producing optical waveguides. These waveguides aim to have little variation in step height or surface roughness in the transition area from the waveguide location to that of the bulk crystal, providing a uniform surface amenable to vertical device integration. This is a substantial improvement over the titanium diffused waveguide process, which can have surface variations in excess of 100nm. It is anticipated that the smoother surface will enable light to couple more easily into photonic devices, such as ring resonators, as compared to the current Ti diffused waveguide process. This work explores the design and fabrication aspects of annealed proton exchange waveguides. A review of literature on modeling hydrogen diffusion into lithium niobate is presented, as well as computer models for simulating the bidimensional fractional hydrogen proton concentration distribution. This is used to determine the change in refractive index of the waveguide needed to simulate the mode propagation and profile in the device. Fabrication processes involved in proton exchange waveguide formation are outlined, and measurements for working devices are presented. Best case loss for current devices are 0.5 dB/cm. These samples exhibit smooth surfaces with only ±60A in variation of surface uniformity. Concluding remarks present ideas to further the work by lowering propagation losses, improving mode matching to single mode fiber, and improving the consistency of fabrication conditions.

Chemical vapor deposition is a process that enables the deposition of thin films material with a high degree of thickness control, composition and film quality. In an ultra-high vacuum environment (UHV), films of high purity and controlled crystal structure can be achieved. The control of the crystal structure is achieved thanks to reduced contamination, e.g. oxygen, which allows the grown film to align itself with the underlying substrate. The film purity is also ensured by the reduced amount of contaminants present in the UHV environment. This master’s thesis discusses the design and construction of a cold wall reactor using a pyrolytic graphite heater encased in a thin layer of pyrolytic boron nitride, and an Oerlikon-Leybold Turbovac 361 turbomolecular pump. This heater is shown to achieve temperatures greater than 1200°C, as well as reach pressures in the 10-10 Torr range. Graphene growth on copper is discussed as well as the ultra-high vacuum annealing of graphene devices on boron nitride substrates. The graphene growth experiments coupled with this system’s annealing capabilities demonstrate the functionality and versatility of this type of chemical vapor deposition system. / text

This research explores the thermal stability of ZrCrAlN material system. For this purpose fourteen different compositions of ZrCrAlN coatings were deposited onto tungsten carbide substrates by using reactive cathodic arc evaporation. These compositions were further annealed at 800oC, 900oC, 1000oC and 1100oC temperatures. EDS was employed to specify the compositions. The crystal structure of the coatings were analysed by XRD, and the hardness of these coatings was determined by Nanoindentation. The experimental findings reported a significant age hardening of Zr0.16Cr0.12Al0.72N and a delayed h-AlN formation in Zr0.07Cr0.40Al0.52N. ZrCrAlN was thus proved to be thermally stable. / Multifilms,A4:2 Growth and characterization of Multicomponent Nitrides by Magnetron Sputtering and Arc evaporation

abstract: The object of this study is to investigate and improve the performance/stability of the flexible thin film transistors (TFTs) and to study the properties of metal oxide transparent conductive oxides for wide range of flexible electronic applications. Initially, a study has been done to improve the conductivity of ITO (indium tin oxide) films on PEN (polyethylene naphthalate) by inserting a thin layer of silver layer between two ITO layers. The multilayer with an optimum Ag mid-layer thickness, of 8 nm, exhibited excellent photopic average transmittance (~ 88 %), resistivity (~ 2.7 × 10-5 µ-cm.) and has the best Hackee figure of merit (41.0 × 10-3 Ω-1). The electrical conduction is dominated by two different scattering mechanisms depending on the thickness of the Ag mid-layer. Optical transmission is explained by scattering losses and absorption of light due to inter-band electronic transitions. A systematic study was carried out to improve the performance/stability of the TFTs on PEN. The performance and stability of a-Si:H and a-IZO (amorphous indium zinc oxide) TFTs were improved by performing a systematic low temperature (150 °C) anneals for extended times. For 96 hours annealed a-Si:H TFTs, the sub-threshold slope and off-current were reduced by a factor ~ 3 and by 2 orders of magnitude, respectively when compared to unannealed a-Si:H TFTs. For a-IZO TFTs, 48 hours of annealing is found to be the optimum time for the best performance and elevated temperature stability. These devices exhibit saturation mobility varying between 4.5-5.5 cm2/V-s, ION/IOFF ratio was 106 and a sub-threshold swing variation of 1-1.25 V/decade. An in-depth study on the mechanical and electromechanical stress response on the electrical properties of the a-IZO TFTs has also been investigated. Finally, the a-Si:H TFTs were exposed to gamma radiation to examine their radiation resistance. The interface trap density (Nit) values range from 5 to 6 × 1011 cm-2 for only electrical stress bias case. For "irradiation only" case, the Nit value increases from 5×1011 cm-2 to 2×1012 cm-2 after 3 hours of gamma radiation exposure, whereas it increases from 5×1011 cm-2 to 4×1012 cm-2 for "combined gamma and electrical stress". / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Materials Science and Engineering 2011

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de NÃvel Superior / Os aÃos inoxidÃveis austenÃticos sÃo conhecidos pela sua maior resistÃncia à corrosÃo e boas propriedades mecÃnicas a altas temperaturas. No entanto estes aÃos sÃo suscetÃveis à corrosÃo intergranular, causada pela segregaÃÃo de carboneto de cromo (M23C6) nos contornos de grÃo. Esse tipo de corrosÃo à causado pelo empobrecimento de cromo nas regiÃes adjacentes aos contornos de grÃo, fazendo com que o aÃo se caracterize como sensitizado. Uma alternativa para reduzir esse efeito à a reduÃÃo do teor de carbono em soluÃÃo sÃlida, diminuindo assim a formaÃÃo de carbonetos a elevadas temperaturas. Neste trabalho foi avaliada a resistÃncia à sensitizaÃÃo dos aÃos AISI 317 e AISI 317L a partir do estado como recebido quando submetido na faixa de temperatura de 400ÂC a 700ÂC por diferentes perÃodos de tempo. Foi tambÃm estudado um tratamento de solubilizaÃÃo adequado para minimizar os efeitos da sensitizaÃÃo no material como recebido submetido nas condiÃÃes escolhidas de tratamento tÃrmico. Foram realizados tratamentos tÃrmicos nos tempos de 1h, 12h, 24h, 72h e 96h nas temperaturas de 400ÂC, 500ÂC, 600ÂC e 700ÂC. Foram realizados tratamentos de solubilizaÃÃo na temperatura de 1100ÂC por 20, 60 e 240 minutos em ambos os aÃos e em seguida foram repetidos os tratamentos tÃrmicos nas condiÃÃes onde o material apresentou sensitizaÃÃo na condiÃÃo como recebido. ApÃs cada tratamento foi realizada uma caracterizaÃÃo microestrutural pelas tÃcnicas de microscopia eletrÃnica de varredura e microscopia Ãtica. Foram realizados ensaios de reativaÃÃo potenciocinÃtica por Double Loop (DL-EPR) para uma avaliaÃÃo quantitativa do grau de sensitizaÃÃo das amostras. A exposiÃÃo dos aÃos na temperatura de 700ÂC acarretou a sensitizaÃÃo dos mesmos, porÃm na condiÃÃo como recebido, o aÃo AISI 317L mostrou-se sensitizado mais cedo em comparaÃÃo ao aÃo AISI 317. O tratamento tÃrmico de solubilizaÃÃo à 1100ÂC foi mais efetivo em reduzir a sensitizaÃÃo do aÃo AISI 317L, mostrando que o tempo de 20 minutos à suficiente para melhorar sua resistÃncia ao empobrecimento de cromo. / Austenitic stainless steels are known for their higher corrosion resistance and good mechanical properties at high temperatures. However, these steels are susceptible to intergranular corrosion caused by segregation of chromium carbide (M23C6) at grain boundaries. This type of corrosion is caused by the depletion of chromium in the regions adjacent to grain boundaries, making the steel as sensitized. An alternative to reduce this effect is to reduction of the carbon content in solid solution, thus decreasing the formation of carbides at high temperatures. In this work it was evaluated the resistance to sensitization of AISI 317 and AISI 317L steels from the state as received when submitted in the temperature range 400  C to 700  C for different periods of time. It was also investigated a solution annealing temperature appropriate that it could minimize the sensitization effects for the material in the as received condition under the selected conditions of heat treatment. Heat treatments were performed in the time of 1h, 12h, 24h. 72h and 96h at temperatures of 400 ÂC, 500 ÂC, 600 ÂC and 700 ÂC. Solution annealing treatments were performed at temperature of 1100ÂC for 20, 60 and 240 minutes in both steel and then heat treatments were repeated under conditions where the material presented in the sensitization condition as received. After each treatment a micro structural characterization was held using both a metallurgical and a scanning electron microscope. Tests were performed with Double Loop potenciokinetic reactivation method (DL-EPR) to quantitatively assess the sensitization degree of the samples. The exposure of the samples at a temperature of 700  C led to the sensitization, but as received AISI 317L steel was sensitized early in comparison to the AISI 317 steel. The solution anneal heat treatment at 1100ÂC was more effective in reducing the sensitization of the AISI 317L steel, showing that the time of 20 minutes is enough to improve their resistance to depletion of chromium.

No description available.

DNA origami templates have been studied due the versatility of shapes that can be designed and their compatibility with various materials. This has potential for future electronic applications. This work presents studies performed on the electrical properties of DNA origami templated gold nanowires. Using a DNA origami tile, gold nanowires are site specifically attached in a “C” shape, and with the use of electron beam induced deposition of metal, electrically characterized. These wires are electrically conductive with resistivities as low as 4.24 x 10-5 Ω-m. During moderate temperature processing nanowires formed on DNA origami templates are shown to be affected by the high surface mobility of metal atoms. Annealing studies of DNA origami gold nanowires are conducted, evaluating the effects of atom surface mobility at various temperatures. It is shown that the nanowires separate into individual islands at temperatures as low as 180° C. This work shows that with the use of a polymer template the temperature at which island formation occurs can be raised to 210° C. This could allow for post processing techniques that would otherwise not be possible.

No description available.