We have grown the high quality AlGaN/GaN heterostructure by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. We obtained the mobility of two-dimensional electron gas of the AlGaN/GaN is 9300 cm2/Vs and carrier concentration is 7.9¡Ñ1012 cm-2 by conventional van der Pauw Hall measurement at 77K. The samples made of the AlGaN/GaN heterostructure were patterned to Hall bar geometry with a width of 20£gm by conventional photolithography. After the photolithography, the nanowire was fabricated by the process of focus ion beam (FIB), and the widths of nanowire were reduced to 900 nm, 500 nm, 300 nm, 200nm, 100 nm, 80 nm and 50 nm respectively. The SiO2 layer and Al electrode were deposed on the samples to form nanowired MOSFETs. We have studied the leakage current measurement on the AlGaN/GaN nanowired MOSFETs at 300K. On the 100 nm and 200 nm width of nanowires, we did not observe the leakage current for the gate voltage work range from -2.5 to 3.0 V and from -0.5 to 0.5 V respectively.

Skyrmion is a topologically protected nanometer-sized spin configuration, which makes it a promising candidate for future memory devices. All skyrmion applications are based on the formation and manipulation of spin textures in nanostructured elements. Therefore, fabrication of geometrically confined skyrmion-based nanodevices is an essential step in the investigation of skyrmion properties. In this study, my research mainly focuses on the fabrication of high-quality Fe3Sn2 nanostripes with different geometric parameters for Lorentz transmission electron microscopy (LTEM) by a focused ion beam (FIB) system. The observation of the skyrmions using LTEM was mainly performed by Dr. Qiang Zhang, although I have deeply involved the discussion on new samples to be fabricated based on the results obtained from LTEM and also performed some LTEM experiments. To investigate the formation process and thermal stability of skyrmions in a geometrically confined environment, I have fabricated more than fifty high-quality nanostripes with a width of 265-4,000 nm. Studying with LTEM, a distinct evolutionary path of stripe-skyrmion transformation is observed after gradually increasing the magnetic field (out-of-plane direction) and the critical magnetic field of skyrmion is found to decrease with an increasing strength of confinements. Moreover, a series of racetrack devices with controlled thicknesses (125-404 nm) is fabricated to study the effect of thickness in skyrmion formation. Overall, in order to obtain less damaged, flat skyrmion-based devices by FIB system, experimental parameters are optimized and fabrication skills are improved. This method develops the possible application of centrosymmetric frustrated magnet Fe3Sn2 in skyrmion-based racetrack devices.

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No / The work presented in this paper contributes to a wider research objective aiming at gaining a better understanding of the injection moulding process at microscales. More specifically, it contributes to the development of a new modelling approach combining experimental observation and mathematical modelling to characterise thermal contact resistance that results from the imperfections present on the surfaces when two surfaces are brought in contact. Thus, this paper describes micro and nano structuring technologies (Focus Ion beam and Laser Ablation) used to structure sapphire inserts that are used as ”windows” in the injection moulding process, allowing thermal measurements with a high speed thermal camera whilst sapphire structures are filled with polymer melt. / The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) under the grant EP/I014551/1 and the Interreg IVB project “ECOefficient LASER technology for FACTories of the future”.

The theme of this diploma thesis is the design of a scanning electron microscope with a focused ion beam. Specifically, the thesis is focused on the design of the microscope covers and the adjacent workplace of the operator for Tescan Orsay Holding a.s.. Design is solved as the first proposal aimed at future innovation of the design of the entire product line.

Environmentally-assisted cracking (EAC) phenomena affect the in-service behaviour of austenitic stainless steels in nuclear power plants. EAC includes such degradation phenomena as Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) and Corrosion Fatigue (CF). Factors affecting EAC include the material type, microstructure, environment, and stress. This is an important degradation issue for both current and Gen III+ light water reactors, particularly as nuclear power plant lifetimes are extended ( > 60 years). Thus, it is important to understand the behaviour of the alloys used in light water reactors, and phenomena such as SCC to avoid failures. Although there is no agreement on the mechanism(s) of SCC, the importance of localized electrochemical reactions at the material surface is widely recognised. Considerable research has been performed on SCC and CF crack growth, but the initiation phenomena are not fully understood. In this project, novel in situ analytical TEM techniques have been developed and applied to explore localised reactions in Type 304 austenitic stainless steel. In situ transmission electron microscopy has become an increasingly important and dynamic research area in materials science with the advent of unique microscope platforms and a range of specialized in situ specimen holders. In metals research, the ability to image and perform X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (XED) analyses of metals in liquids are particularly important for detailed study of the metal-environment interactions with specific microstructural features. To further facilitate such studies a special hybrid specimen preparation technique involving electropolishing and FIB extraction has been developed in this thesis to enable metal specimens to be examined in the liquid cell TEM specimen holder using both distilled H2O and H2SO4 solutions. Furthermore, a novel electrode configuration has been designed to permit the localized electrochemical measurement of electron-transparent specimens in the TEM. These novel approaches have been benchmarked by extensive ex situ experiments, including both conventional electrochemical measurements and microcell measurements. The results are discussed in terms of validation of in situ test data as well as the role of the electron beam in the experiments. In situ liquid cell TEM experiments have also explored the localized dissolution of MnS inclusions in H2O, and correlated the behaviour with ex situ experiments. Based on the research performed in this thesis, in situ liquid cell and in situ electrochemical cell experiments can be used to study nanoscale reactions pertaining to corrosion and localized dissolution leading to "precursor" events for subsequent EAC phenomena.

Magnetické nanostruktury mají zajímavé vlastnosti, které umožňují jejich aplikace v základním výzkumu i průmyslu. Jednou z těchto vědeckých disciplín je i magnonika - výzkumný obor, který se zabývá fyzikou spinových vln, které lze použít v nediskrétních výpočtech s nízkými ztrátami energie. Výroba magnetických struktur fokusovaným iontovým svazkem (FIB) je alternativní metoda k běžně používaným litografickým metodám. Materiál použitý v této práci - metastabilní železo - je schopen při ozáření iontovým svazkem podstoupit fázovou transformaci z paramagnetické plošně centrované kubické krystalové struktury na feromagnetickou fázi s prostorově centrovanou kubickou krystalovou strukturou. Jednou z vlastností, která ovlivňuje šíření spinových vlny, je magnetická anizotropie. Tato práce představuje vliv depozičních podmínek v ultra vysokém vakuu během přípravy metastabilní železné vrstvy na magnetickou anizotropii struktur vytvořených pomocí FIB do tohoto filmu. Dále prezentujeme souvislosti mezi parametry FIB, krystalografickými vlastnostmi výsledných struktur a jejich magnetickou anizotropií.

This project is in collaboration with the Hydro-Quebec Research Institute (IREQ) and the Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy (CCEM) on the mechanical test performance of miniature-scale micro-tensile specimens. The objective of the thesis project is to create an efficient and reliable fabrication route for producing micro-tensile specimens and to validate the accuracy of a newly custom-built micro-tensile bench at IREQ. The fabrication techniques developed and outlined in this thesis use the underlying fundamental physical mechanisms of secondary electron microscopy (SEM), focused-ion beam (FIB), and the femtosecond (fs)-laser machining for producing optimal quality micro-tensile specimens. The mechanical testing of the specimens is geared towards studying the localized deformation occurring in the microstructure when the size of the specimen only limits a number of grains and grain boundaries in order to target the specific detailed measurement of the mechanical behaviour of individual grains and interfaces. The goal for creating an optimal fabrication route for micro-tensile specimens is to carry out micro-mechanical testing of the primary turbine steels of 415 martensitic stainless steel used in the manufacture of Francis turbine components at Hydro-Quebec. The mechanical testing of single phase and interphase interface 415 steel micro-tensile specimens are considered building blocks to developing digital twin models of the steel microstructure. The experimental data from the mechanical tests would be fed into the crystal plasticity finite element models (CPFEM) that are currently being developed by researchers at IREQ. With the development of digital twin models, engineers at IREQ would be able to predict crack initiation at the microstructure level (prior to crack propagation into macro-scale cracks) by observing the evolution of the grain’s crystallographic orientation and morphology, as well as deformation mechanisms such as martensite formation and twinning produced from localized induced strains in the microstructure. In addition, self-organized dislocation processes such as dislocation nucleation and dislocation escape through the free surface can also be studied using the CPFEM models for size-limited mechanical deformation behaviour of miniature-scale mechanical test specimens. The fabrication routes studied in this thesis project use the combination of the fs-laser and plasma focused ion beam (PFIB) to machine the micro-tensile specimens. (100) single crystal copper was the ideal material chosen to validate the accuracy of the micro-tensile bench and quality of the fs-laser-machined tensile specimens, due to its ductile nature and well-characterized properties studied in literature. A mechanical size effect was studied for single crystal copper specimens with different gauge thicknesses. It was observed from the micro-tension testing that the strength of the specimens increased with decreasing gauge thickness occurring in the size-limited tensile gauges. In addition, it was determined there was negligible differences in the size effect seen between the PFIB-machined copper micro-tensile specimens and the fs-laser-machined micro-tensile specimens, demonstrating that the fs-laser is a reliable machining route for the micro-tensile specimens. X-ray computed tomography was used to validate the correct geometry of the machined gauge section produced from an innovative gauge thinning method adopted from IREQ’s research collaborator, Dr. Robert Wheeler. As well, finite-element analysis (FEA) was performed to determine the deformation behaviour under both linear-elastic and non-linear elastoplastic conditions of (100) copper and 415 steel models simulated in pure tension, prior to the fabrication of the micro-tensile specimens, respectively. Furthermore, significant progress has been made towards targeting martensite grains in the 415-steel microstructure using electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) analysis to produce single crystal and interphase interface micro-tensile specimens. A workflow towards grain targeting using EBSD analysis has been developed, as well as for the relocation of grains using reference fiducial marks for future fabrication of the single crystal and interphase interface 415 micro-tensile specimens. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc) / Hydro-Quebec is an energy utilities company that operates the design of Francis hydro-turbines to supply hydroelectric power across the province of Quebec. The hydro-turbines have an expected service life of 70 years. Unfortunately, the turbines can get replaced by new ones prior to reaching half of its service life, due to the development of severe fatigue crack growth in the primary components of the turbines. A solution proposed by the researchers at the Hydro-Quebec Research Institute (IREQ) is to determine a linkage between the turbine’s steel’s microstructure and the mechanical behaviour of the turbine steels. Deformation of the material starts at the microstructure level, where dislocations glide through the material lattice, causing both reversible (elastic) and irreversible (plastic) deformation. Therefore, a solution was proposed by the researchers at IREQ to create computational models of the steel microstructure to predict the deformation of the steel’s microstructure. Being able to predict the deformation mechanisms through the simulation models of the microstructures allows for engineers at Hydro-Quebec to schedule regular maintenance of the turbines more efficiently and provide metallurgists the knowledge on what is occurring at the microstructure level and what can be done to improve the chemical and physical composition of the steel. To develop the digital twin models, experimental data must be collected through mechanical testing of miniature mechanical test specimens of the turbine steels. The mechanical properties of the single phases and interphase interface specimens are fed into the models as building blocks to building a microstructure map of the turbine steels. Micro-tension testing of micro-tensile specimen provides direct information about the material’s mechanical properties. In this work, a reliable and efficient fabrication route for micro-tensile specimens was developed for the purpose of extracting mechanical properties of single phase and interphase interface turbine steel specimens using focused ion beam (FIB) and femtosecond laser machining.