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abstract: In 2022, integrated circuit interconnects will approach 10 nm and the diffusion barrier layers needed to ensure long lasting devices will be at 1 nm. This dimension means the interconnect will be dominated by the interface and it has been shown the interface is currently eroding device performance. The standard interconnect system has three layers - a Copper metal core, a Tantalum Adhesion layer and a Tantalum Nitride Diffusion Barrier Layer. An alternate interconnect schema is a Tantalum Nitride barrier layer and Silver as a metal. The adhesion layer is removed from the system along with changing to an alternate, low resistivity metal. First principles are used to assess the interface of the Silver and Tantalum Nitride. Several stoichiometric 1:1 Tantalum Nitride polymorphs are assessed and it is found that the Fe2P crystal structure is actually the most stable crystal structure which is at odds with the published phase diagram for ambient crystal structure. The surface stability of Fe2P-TaN is assessed and the absorption enthalpy of Silver adatoms is calculated. Finally, the thermodynamic stability of the TaN-Ag interconnect system is assessed. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Materials Science and Engineering 2012

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PhD / SYNOPSIS OF THIS THESIS The aim of this thesis is to more fully understand and explain the binding mechanism of organic molecules to the Au(111) surface and to explore the conduction of such molecules. It consists of five discreet chapters connected to each other by the central theme of “The Single Molecule Device: Conductance and Binding”. There is a deliberate concentration on azine linkers, in particular those with a 1,10-phenanthroline-type bidentate configuration at each end. This linker unit is called a “molecular alligator clip” and is investigated as an alternative to the thiol linker unit more commonly used. Chapter 1 places the work in the broad context of Molecular Electronics and establishes the need for this research. In Chapter 2 the multiple break-junction technique (using a Scanning Tunnelling Microscope or similar device) was used to investigate the conductance of various molecules with azine linkers. A major finding of those experiments is that solvent interactions are a key factor in the conductance signal of particular molecules. Some solvents interfere with the molecule’s interaction with and attachment to the gold electrodes. One indicator of the degree of this interference is the extent of the enhancement or otherwise of the gold quantized conduction peak at 1.0 G0. Below 1.0 G0 a broad range for which the molecule enhances conduction indicates that solvent interactions contribute to a variety of structures which could bridge the electrodes, each with their own specific conductance value. The use of histograms with a Log10 scale for conductance proved useful for observing broad range features. vi Another factor which affects the conductance signal is the geometric alignment of the molecule (or the molecule-solvent structure) to the gold electrode, and the molecular alignment is explored in Chapters 3 for 1,10-phenanthroline (PHEN) and Chapter 4 for thiols. In Chapter 3 STM images, electrochemistry, and Density Functional Theory (DFT) are used to determine 1,10-phenanthroline (PHEN) structures on the Au(111) surface. It is established that PHEN binds in two modes, a physisorbed state and a chemisorbed state. The chemisorbed state is more stable and involves the extraction of gold from the bulk to form adatom-PHEN entities which are highly mobile on the gold surface. Surface pitting is viewed as evidential of the formation of the adatom-molecule entities. DFT calculations in this chapter were performed by Ante Bilic and Jeffery Reimers. The conclusions to Chapter 3 implicate the adatom as a binding mode of thiols to gold and this is explored in Chapter 4 by a timely review of nascent research in the field. The adatom motif is identified as the major binding structure for thiol terminated molecules to gold, using the explanation of surface pitting in Chapter 3 as major evidence and substantiated by emergent literature, both experimental and theoretical. Furthermore, the effect of this binding mode on conductance is explored and structures relevant to the break-junction experiment of Chapter 2 are identified and their conductance values compared. Finally, as a result of researching extensive reports of molecular conductance values, and having attempted the same, a simple method for predicting the conductance of single molecules is presented based upon the tunneling conductance formula.

PhD / SYNOPSIS OF THIS THESIS The aim of this thesis is to more fully understand and explain the binding mechanism of organic molecules to the Au(111) surface and to explore the conduction of such molecules. It consists of five discreet chapters connected to each other by the central theme of “The Single Molecule Device: Conductance and Binding”. There is a deliberate concentration on azine linkers, in particular those with a 1,10-phenanthroline-type bidentate configuration at each end. This linker unit is called a “molecular alligator clip” and is investigated as an alternative to the thiol linker unit more commonly used. Chapter 1 places the work in the broad context of Molecular Electronics and establishes the need for this research. In Chapter 2 the multiple break-junction technique (using a Scanning Tunnelling Microscope or similar device) was used to investigate the conductance of various molecules with azine linkers. A major finding of those experiments is that solvent interactions are a key factor in the conductance signal of particular molecules. Some solvents interfere with the molecule’s interaction with and attachment to the gold electrodes. One indicator of the degree of this interference is the extent of the enhancement or otherwise of the gold quantized conduction peak at 1.0 G0. Below 1.0 G0 a broad range for which the molecule enhances conduction indicates that solvent interactions contribute to a variety of structures which could bridge the electrodes, each with their own specific conductance value. The use of histograms with a Log10 scale for conductance proved useful for observing broad range features. vi Another factor which affects the conductance signal is the geometric alignment of the molecule (or the molecule-solvent structure) to the gold electrode, and the molecular alignment is explored in Chapters 3 for 1,10-phenanthroline (PHEN) and Chapter 4 for thiols. In Chapter 3 STM images, electrochemistry, and Density Functional Theory (DFT) are used to determine 1,10-phenanthroline (PHEN) structures on the Au(111) surface. It is established that PHEN binds in two modes, a physisorbed state and a chemisorbed state. The chemisorbed state is more stable and involves the extraction of gold from the bulk to form adatom-PHEN entities which are highly mobile on the gold surface. Surface pitting is viewed as evidential of the formation of the adatom-molecule entities. DFT calculations in this chapter were performed by Ante Bilic and Jeffery Reimers. The conclusions to Chapter 3 implicate the adatom as a binding mode of thiols to gold and this is explored in Chapter 4 by a timely review of nascent research in the field. The adatom motif is identified as the major binding structure for thiol terminated molecules to gold, using the explanation of surface pitting in Chapter 3 as major evidence and substantiated by emergent literature, both experimental and theoretical. Furthermore, the effect of this binding mode on conductance is explored and structures relevant to the break-junction experiment of Chapter 2 are identified and their conductance values compared. Finally, as a result of researching extensive reports of molecular conductance values, and having attempted the same, a simple method for predicting the conductance of single molecules is presented based upon the tunneling conductance formula.

In dieser Arbeit werden das Wachstum und die optischen Eigenschaften von selbstorganisierten GaN Nanodrähten auf TiN und nanodrahtbasierten (In,Ga)N/GaN Heterostrukturen für LED Anwendungen untersucht. Zu diesem Zweck wird das selbstorganisierte Wachstum von langen, dünnen und nicht koaleszierten GaN Nanodrähten auf TiN mittels Molekularstrahlepitaxie demonstriert. In weiteren Untersuchungen werden diese gut separierten und nicht koaleszierten GaN Nanodrähte auf TiN als Basis für die Herstellung von axialen und radialen Heterostrukturen verwendet. Trotz der definierten Morphologie der aktiven Zonen ist die Lichtausbeute der axialen (In,Ga)N Quantentöpfen eher gering. Um das Potenzial der Molekularstrahlepitaxie für das Wachstum von Kern-Hüllen-Strukturen im Allgemeinen besser zu verstehen, wird der Aspekt, dass die Seitenfacetten der Nanodrähte nur sequentiell den verschiedenen Materialstrahlen ausgesetzt werden, durch Modellierung des Wachstums von GaN Hüllen auf GaN Nanodrähten untersucht. Es wird gezeigt, dass Ga Adatomdiffusionsprozesse zwischen verschiedenen Facetten das Wachstum auf den Seitenfacetten stark beeinflussen. Neben der Untersuchung von radialsymmetrischen (In,Ga)N Hüllen wird ein neuer Wachstumsansatz vorgestellt, der die kontrollierte Abscheidung von III-Nitridhüllen auf verschiedenen Seiten des Nanodrahtes ermöglicht. Unter Ausnutzung der Richtungsabhängigkeit der Materialstrahlen in einer Molekularstrahlepitaxieanlage ermöglicht der neuartige Ansatz die sequentielle Abscheidung verschiedener Verbundstoffmaterialien auf einer bestimmten Seite der Nanodrähte, um eine einseitige Schale zu wachsen. Diese sequentielle gerichtete Abscheidungsmethode ermöglicht prinzipiell die Kombination mehrerer aktiver Zonen mit unterschiedlichen Eigenschaften auf verschiedenen lateralen Seiten ein und derselben Nano- oder Mikrostruktur. Solche Architekturen könnten beispielsweise für die Realisierung von mehrfarbigen Pixeln für Mikro-LED-Displays interessant sein. / In this thesis, the growth and the optical characteristics of self-assembled GaN nanowires on TiN and nanowire-based (In,Ga)N/GaN heterostructures for LED applications is investigated. To this end, the self-assembled growth of long, thin and uncoalesced GaN nanowires on TiN by molecular beam epitaxy is demonstrated. Subsequently, these well-separated and uncoalesced GaN nanowires on TiN are used as a basis for the fabrication of axial and radial heterostructures. Despite the well-defined morphology of the active regions, the luminous efficiency of axial (In,Ga)N quantum wells is found to be rather low. To better understand the potential of molecular beam epitaxy for the growth of core-shell structures in general, the aspect of the side facets of the nanowires being only sequentially exposed to the different material beams is studied by modeling the shell growth of GaN shells on GaN nanowires. It is shown that Ga adatom diffusion processes between different facets strongly affect the growth on the side facets. Besides the fundamental investigation of the growth of radially symmetric (In,Ga)N shells, a new growth approach which allows the controlled deposition of III-nitride shells on different sides of the nanowire is presented. Using the directionality of the material beams in an molecular beam epitaxy system, the novel approach facilitates the sequential deposition of different compound materials on a specific side of the nanowires to grow a one-sided shell. This sequential directional deposition method may in principle allow the combination of multiple active regions with different properties on different lateral sides of one and the same nano- or microstructure. Such architectures, for instance, might be interesting for the realization of multi-color pixels for micro-LED displays.

This licentiate thesis presents the density functional theory study on clean energy materials relevant for catalysis applications, and for solid oxide fuel cells. In the first part of the thesis the metal supported ultrathin films, namely ScN/Mo, MgO/Mo and NaF/Mo are considered, and the Cu atom adsorption and charging on them is explored.The comparative study of these different films allows us to provide recommendations regarding the choice of materials, in order to promote adatom charging. The modulation of the adatom charge, by changing the material of the film, also paves the way for the design of novel catalysts. Moreover, the detailed investigation of the Cu/NaF/Mo caseshows a correlation between the charge redistribution upon the adsorption and the anharmonicity of the accompanying distortion. Overall, the research commands a fresh view on the adatom charging mechanism. In the second part of the thesis the gadolinium doped ceria, used asoxide electrolyte in solid oxide fuel cells, is studied. The employment of the cluster expansion method together with the density functional theory calculations provides the description of the configurational energy spectrum of dopants and oxygen vacancies in terms of effective pair and three site interactions. The chosen method allows one to predict the energy of anarbitrary configuration. Moreover, the effect of volume change on the strength of interactions is investigated, which is relevant for the modelling ofoxide electrolytes at operating temperatures of solid oxide fuel cells,i.e. when volume expansion is notable. / <p>QC 20150521</p>

Thin films are produced from layers of materials ranging from nanometres to micrometres in height. They are increasingly common and are being used in integrated circuit design, optical coatings, protective coatings, and environmental sensing. Thin films can be fabricated using a variety of methods involving chemical reactions or physical transport of matter. Glancing angle deposition (GLAD) thin films are produced using physical vapour deposition techniques under high vacuum conditions where exploitation of the geometric conditions between the source and the substrate causes enhanced atomic self shadowing to produce structured thin films. This work deals with the modification of these films, emph{in situ} by altering growing conditions through substrate temperatures control, or post-deposition through reactive ion etching (RIE). The first part of the thesis deals with the modification of TiO$_2$ GLAD humidity sensors using RIE with CF$_4$. The data presented demonstrates improved response times to step changes in humidity. Characterization revealed response times of better then 50~ms (instrument-limited measurement). An etch recipe for complete removal of TiO$_2$ was also demonstrated with shadow masking to transfer patterns into GLAD films. The subsequent chapter focuses on modification of thin film growth conditions by increasing adatom mobility. A radiative heating system was designed and implemented with the ability to achieve chuck temperatures of 400$^circ$C. Capping layers on top of GLAD films were grown to demonstrate effects of emph{in situ} heating, and a quantitative analysis of crack reduction with increased temperatures is presented. Lithographic pattern transfer onto a capped GLAD film was demonstrated. Opposite to the goal of the preceding chapter, the focus of the final experimental chapter was to limit adatom mobility. A LN$_2$-based cooling system was designed and implemented for the purpose of studying the growth by GLAD of lower melting point materials, which under regular growth conditions do not form well-defined structures. Chuck temperatures of $-60$$^circ$C can be achieved during deposition while still allowing substrate rotation. The growth of helical copper films was used to demonstrate the effects of emph{in situ} substrate cooling. / Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) and Nanotechnology

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