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

This thesis presents i-PI, a new path integral molecular dynamics code designed to capture nuclear quantum effects in ab initio electronic structure calculations of condensed phase systems. This software has an implementation of estimators used to calculate a wide range of static and dynamical properties and of state-of-the-art techniques used to increase the computational efficiency of path integral simulations. i-PI has been designed in a highly modular fashion, to ensure that it is as simple as possible to develop and implement new algorithms to keep up with the research frontier, and so that users can take maximum advantage of the numerous electronic structure programs which are freely available without needing to rewrite large amounts of code. Among the functionality of the i-PI code is a novel integrator for constant pressure dynamics, which is used to investigate the properties of liquid water at 750 K and 10 GPa, and efficient estimators for the calculation of single particle momentum distri- butions, which are used to study the properties of solid and liquid ammonia. These show respectively that i-PI can be used to make predictions about systems which are both difficult to study experimentally and highly non-classical in nature, and that it can illustrate the relative advantages and disadvantages of different theoretical methods and their ability to reproduce experimental data.

The controlled and targeted synthesis of new solid materials is still a challenge difficult to overcome. Slow diffusion rates and long diffusion lengths require long reaction times and high synthesis temperatures, resulting in limited control over the reaction pathway. The Modulated Elemental Reactants (MER) method uses compositionally modulated precursors with atomically thin elemental layers that form amorphous alloys upon annealing while maintaining composition modulation. In this amorphous intermediate, nucleation, not diffusion, control the formation of the product, enabling kinetic control of the reaction, and the synthesis of new metastable compounds, heterostructures with designed nanoarchitecture, and thin films with a high degree of texturing. This dissertation uses experimental and computational methods to investigate compounds synthesized by the MER method. Firth, the MER method is used to synthesize ferromagnetic CuCr2Se4 films that show a large degree of crystallographic alignment and interesting magnetic properties such as temperature-dependent easy axes and negative magnetoresistivity. The second part investigates ferecrystals, rotationally disordered members of the misfit layer compounds family. The MER method’s ability to control the nanoarchitecture of the products is used to synthesize a new type of structural isomers, allowing for the synthesis of thousands of ternary compounds using the same elements. Experimental methods are also used to monitor the formation of ferecrystalline compounds using [(SnSe)1+δ][VSe2] as a model system. Despite the vast number of compounds available, however, explaining the properties and stability of ferecrystals is still in its infancy. In the last part of this dissertation, ab initio methods are employed to investigate the components in our ferecrystals. Specifically, isolated layers of VSe2 with its structural distortions due to a charge density wave, SnSe with its thickness-dependent structures, and BiSe with its flexible lattice and anti-phase boundaries are investigated to complement experimental results. Some properties, such as the structural distortion in VSe2 and the different stabilities of BiSe layers, can be explained very well using this simplified model, but others, such as the structure of SnSe layers, are not exclusively determined by their dimensionality, underlining the complex nature of the interactions in ferecrystals. This dissertation includes previously published and unpublished co-authored material.

GIRÃO, Eduardo Costa. Adsorção de Trihalometanos em Nanotubos de Carbono. 2008. 99 f. Dissertação (Mestrado em Física) - Programa de Pós-Graduação em Física, Departamento de Física, Centro de Ciências, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, 2008. / Submitted by Edvander Pires (edvanderpires@gmail.com) on 2015-04-28T21:05:23Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2008_dis_ecgirao.pdf: 4549992 bytes, checksum: 10c808440592e6fefb005e5b81528a33 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Edvander Pires(edvanderpires@gmail.com) on 2015-04-29T17:50:52Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2008_dis_ecgirao.pdf: 4549992 bytes, checksum: 10c808440592e6fefb005e5b81528a33 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-29T17:50:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2008_dis_ecgirao.pdf: 4549992 bytes, checksum: 10c808440592e6fefb005e5b81528a33 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008 / In this work we study the interaction of thihalomethanes (THM) with single wall carbon nanotubes using first principles calculations based on the Density Functional Theory (DFT), implemented in the SIESTA code which uses pseudopotentials to describe core electrons and localized basis to expand the valence wavefunctions. The adsorption of CHCl3 (the most important and abundant THM) on pristine, vacant and carboxylated carbon nanotubes is simulated aiming to understand the interaction process in different geometries and pursuing the best route for the potential application of carbon nanotubes as filters. The metallic (5,5) and semiconducting (8,0) nanotubes are used in all calculations. A complementary study involving bromated THMs (CHCl2Br, CHClBr2 and CHBr3) is also performed in order to investigate the influence of the bromine atoms on the interaction between THMs and pristine nanotubes. Based on the analysis of structural, electronic and energetic properties it is verified that THMs are adsorbed on the carbon nanotube surface through a physisorption process (binding energies in the range -0,06 eV to -0,21 eV) in all cases. This fact makes carbon nanotubes as promissing candidates to extract THMs from aqueous solutions. The calculations also predict the stability of chemical groups (COCCl3 and COOCCl3) bounded on the nanotube surface. These chemical groups can be derived from possible chemical reactions, through coupling agents, between CHCl3 and the carboxyl groups anchored to the nanotube wall. The binding energies of these groups and the nanotubes are found to be in the range -1,31 eV to -2,26 eV. / Nesta dissertação, a adsorção de trihalometanos (THMs) em nanotubos de carbono de parede simples é estudada por meio de cálculos de primeiros princípios baseados na Teoria do Funcional da Densidade (DFT), implementada no código computacional SIESTA que faz uso de pseudopotenciais para descrever os elétrons de caroço e bases localizadas para expandir as funções de onda dos elétrons de valência. A interação do CHCl3 (o mais importante e abundante dos THMs) com nanotubos puros, com vacâncias e carboxilados é simulada a fim de se entender o processo de interação em diferentes geometrias e encontrar as melhores rotas para a possível utilização de nanotubos como filtros. Em todos os sistemas estudados foram utilizados o tubo metálico (5,5) e o semicondutor (8,0). Um estudo complementar com THMs bromados (CHCl2Br, CHClBr2 e CHBr3) também foi realizado. Com estes últimos cálculos, busca-se observar a influência do número de átomos de bromo do THM sobre a interação com os nanotubos puros. Através da análise de propriedades estruturais, eletrônicas e energéticas, é verificado que os THMs são adsorvidos fisicamente na superfície dos nanotubos (energias de ligação variando de -0,06 eV a -0,21 eV) em todos os sistemas, tornando-os candidatos para se extrair THMs de soluções aquosas. Os cálculos prevêem ainda a estabilidade de complexos formados por grupos químicos (como COCCl3 e COOCCl3 oriundos de possíveis reações químicas do CHCl3 com grupos carboxila) agregados na superfície dos tubos. A energia de ligação de tais grupos com os nanotubos variou de -1,31 eV até -2,26 eV.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Chemistry / Christine M. Aikens / The remarkable optical and luminescence properties of noble metal nanoparticles (with diameters < 2 nm) attract researchers due to potential applications in biomedicine, photocatalysis, and optoelectronics. Extensive experimental investigations on luminescence properties of thiolate-protected gold and silver nanoclusters during the past decade have failed to unravel their exact photoluminescence mechanism. Herein, density functional and time-dependent density functional theory (DFT and TDDFT) calculations are performed to elucidate electronic-level details of several such systems upon photoexcitation. Multiple excited states are found to be involved in photoemission from Au₂₅(SR)₁₈– nanoclusters, and their energies agree well with experimental emission energies. The Au₁₃ core-based excitations arising due to electrons excited from superatom P orbitals into the lowest two superatom D orbitals are responsible for all of these states. The large Stokes shift is attributed to significant geometrical and electronic structure changes in the excited state. The origin of photoluminescence of Ag₂₅(SR)₁₈– nanoclusters is analogous to their gold counterparts and heteroatom doping of each cluster with silver and gold correspondingly does not affect their luminescence mechanism. Other systems have been examined in this work to determine how widespread these observations are. We observe a very small Stokes shift for Au₃₈(SH)₂₄ that correlates with a relatively rigid structure with small bond length changes in its Au₂₃ core and a large Stokes shift for Au₂₂(SH)₁₈ with a large degree of structural flexibility in its Au₇ core. This suggests a relationship between the Stokes shift of gold−thiolate nanoparticles and their structural flexibility upon photoexcitation. The effect of ligands on the geometric structure and optical properties of the Au₂₀(SR)₁₆ nanocluster is explored. Comparison of the relative stability and optical absorption spectra suggests that this system prefers the [Au₇(Au₈SR₈)(Au₃SR₄)(AuSR₂)₂] structure regardless of whether aliphatic or aromatic ligands are employed. The real-time (RT) TDDFT method is rapidly gaining prominence as an alternative approach to capture optical properties of molecular systems. A systematic benchmark study is performed to demonstrate the consistency of linear-response (LR) and RT-TDDFT methods for calculating the optical absorption spectra of a variety of bare gold and silver nanoparticles with different sizes and shapes.

abstract: The absorption spectra of metal-centered phthalocyanines (MPc's) have been investigated since the early 1960's. With improved experimental techniques to characterize this class of molecules the band assignments have advanced. The characterization remains difficult with historic disagreements. A new push for characterization came with a wave of interest in using these molecules for absorption/donor molecules in organic photovoltaics. The use of zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) became of particular interest, in addition to novel research being done for azaporphyrin analogs of ZnPc. A theoretical approach is taken to research the excited states of these molecules using time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT). Most theoretical results for the first excited state in ZnPc are in only limited agreement with experiment (errors near 0.1 eV or higher). This research investigates ZnPc and 10 additional porphyrin analogs. Excited-state properties are predicted for 8 of these molecules using ab initio computational methods and symmetry breaking for accurate time- dependent self-consistent optimization. Franck-Condon analysis is used to predict the Q-band absorption spectra for all 8 of these molecules. This is the first time that Franck-Condon analysis has been reported in absolute units for any of these molecules. The first excited-state energy for ZnPc is found to be the closest to experiment thus far using a range-separated meta-GGA hybrid functional. The theoretical results are used to find a trend in the novel design of new porphyrin analog molecules. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Materials Science and Engineering 2014

Ce travail aborde le sujet des d efauts charg es dans le silicium. Jusqu' a pr esent, les d efauts charg es ont principalement et e etudi es en conditions p eriodiques (PBC). En e et, l'approche PBC est parfaite pour simuler unsolide in ni. Mais, comme je le montre dans ce chapitre, elle apporte aussi des artefacts. En particulier dans le traitement de l' electrostatique, o u des traitements math ematiques important doivent ^etre utilis es pour supprimer les interactions non d esir ees entre r epliques. Notre approche vise a simuler correctement un d efaut charg e, tout en conservant de bonne propri et es pourle mat eriau massif. Elle consiste a simuler le d efaut dans un nano-agr egat. Le traitement de l' electrostatique est correct dans un nano-agr egat et les r esultats obtenus peuvent ^etre extrapol es au mat eriau massif, comme il est montr e dans ce chapitre. Les perspectives de cette m ethode sont aussi abord ees ici. / In this work we have studied Si clusters with point defects in various charged states. Point defects in semiconductors affects the electronic structure of the material introducing new energy levels and consequently new modes of transport.Detailed study of the point defects have been undertaken in various approaches. The most common practice is to usesuper-cell calculations under the framework of Density Functional Theory with Periodic Boundary Conditions (PBC). Inthis formalism there are a lot of factors like defect-defect interactions, image charge interactions, that are to be correctedfor to achieve the " artefact-free" results. In this study we have used Free Boundary Conditions with nano-clusters of Sipassivated with Hydrogen at the surface. Previous works have undertaken in detail the geometrical effects in the nanoclusters. But a complete picture of the electrostatics and its effect on the energy states demand a complete study. Hence inour calculations we take another approach, devoid of the correction factors for cases with PBC, and produce an alternativeway to calculate the formation energy of the defects. We have described the formation and stability of the defects invarious charged states and provided with a detailed analysis of the properties pertaining to the nano-scale size. Finallymigration parameters are provided with respect to the charge states of the defects. Our results are also compared with thePBC calculations with critical discussions.

A escolha do catalisador no processo de reforma a vapor de etanol é de suma importância na determinação da eficiência de produção de hidrogênio, utilizado em células combustíveis. Superfícies de metais de transição (MT) são normalmente utilizadas como catalisadores, porém resultados experimentais têm apresentado que clusters MT suportados em óxidos são mais eficientes e mais seletivos que seus análogos macroscópicos. Assim, para se compreender o mecanismo de interação de etanol e água, e também do radical hidroxila (simples caracterização da ligação O-H), com clusters mágicos MT13 (MT = Ni, Cu, Pd, Ag, Pt e Au), foram utilizados cálculos ab initio baseados na teoria do funcional da densidade com o funcional proposto por Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) e a aproximação de Tkatchenko-Scheffler para as correções de van der Waals (vdW). Os orbitais de Kohn-Sham foram expandidos através de orbitais numéricos centrados nos átomos (NAOs), que estão implementados no pacote Fritz Haber Institute - ab initio molecular simulations (FHI-aims). Foi encontrado que clusters 3d e 4d apresentam configurações mais compactas, enquanto os sistemas de Pt13 e Au13 adotam geometrias mais abertas. Em particular, Au13 possui uma estrutura planar como configuração mais estável, enquanto o seu primeiro isômero mais energético possui uma estrutura 3D. Para os cálculos de adsorção foram selecionados os clusters de menor energia (LOW), e os clusters icosaédricos (ICO). Observou-se que a hidroxila (OH) não possui sítio preferencial ou dependência geométrica durante adsorção, enquanto água e etanol se ligam preferencialmente através do oxigênio no sítio top. Para o caso do etanol também é possível se encontrar isômeros com energias mais altas, na ordem de kT, que se ligam via hidrogênio do grupo CH e que são prováveis a temperatura ambiente. OH possui um elétron desemparelhado, o que favorece a formação de ligações químicas entre a molécula e MT13, de forma que a energia de adsorção varia entre -4.11 e -2.94 eV, condizente com a transferência de carga do cluster para a molécula. Quando se compara a adsorção de água (etanol) sobre superfícies MT(111) e MT13, nota-se que a energia de adsorção, que segue a ordem 3d &gt; 4d &gt; 5d para MT(111), é maior em relação aos clusters e varia entre -255 meV (-317 meV) &lt; -Ead &lt; -670 meV (-837 meV); porém a magnitude da interação ocorre na ordem 3d &gt; 4d, mas 4d &lt; 5d. A quebra da tendência pode ser explicada através dos efeitos de tamanho, que potencializam a atividade catalítica dos clusters de platina e ouro. É possível se observar ainda que as moléculas interagem mais fortemente com os MT13 dos metais com orbitais d semi-preenchidos, uma vez que esses proporcionam um maior rearranjo da densidade eletrônica. Ocorre uma pequena transferência de carga das moléculas de água e etanol para os clusters, apontando para a fraca interação. Cálculos vibracionais suportam as modificações estruturais e energéticas que ocorrem no sistema, onde &nu;O-H aumenta para a hidroxila e diminui para água e etanol. / The choice of the catalyst in steam reforming of ethanol process has a central hole in determining the hydrogen production efficiency, used in fuel cells. Transition-metal (TM) surfaces are commonly used as catalysts, but experimental results have shown that TM clusters supported on oxides are more efficient and more selective than their macroscopic analogues. Therefore, to understand the mechanism of interaction between ethanol and water, and also the hydroxyl radical (simple characterization for the O-H bonding) with TM13 magic clusters (TM = Ni, Cu, Pd, Ag, Pt and Au), we performed ab initio calculations based on density functional theory within the functional proposed by Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) and Tkatchenko-Scheffler approach for van der Waals corrections (vdW). The Kohn-Sham orbitals were expanded by numerical atom-centered orbitals (NAOs), which are implemented at the Fritz Haber Institute - ab initio molecular simulations package (FHI-AIMS). We found that clusters 3d and 4d prefer more compact configurations, while Pt13 and Au13 systems adopt more open geometries. In particular case of Au13, our lowest energy configuration is a planar structure, while the first high energy isomer is a 3D configuration. For adsorption calculations, we selected the lowest energy configurations (LOW), and the icosahedral clusters (ICO). We observed that the hydroxyl (OH) has no adsorption site preference and also it does not show a geometric trend, while water and ethanol preferentially bind via oxygen at the top site. In the case of ethanol, it is also possible to find isomers with higher energies, which bind via hydrogen from CH group, and they are probable at room temperature. OH has an electron unpaired, which favors the formation of chemical bonds between the molecule and TM13, so that the adsorption energy varies from -4.11 to -2.94 eV, consistent with charge transfer from cluster to the molecule. When we compare the water and ethanol adsorption on surfaces TM(111) and on TM13, we note that the adsorption energy, that follows the order 3d &gt; 4d &gt; 5d for MT(111), is higher compared to the clusters energy. For water (ethanol), this property varies between -255 meV (-317 meV) &lt; -Ead &lt; -670 meV (-837 meV); however, the magnitude of the interaction occurs in the order 3d &gt; 4d, but also 4d &lt; 5d. The breaking of the trend can be explained by size effects, that enhances the catalytic activity of platinum and gold clusters. It is also observed that the stronger interaction between molecules and TM13 with d-orbitais partly occupied, since these metals provide a higher rearrangement of the electron density. There is a small charge transference from water and ethanol molecules to the clusters, pointing to the weak interaction. Vibrational calculations support the structural and energetic changes that occur in the system, where &nu;O-H increases for the hydroxyl and decreases to water and ethanol.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:27:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2006-11-10Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:56:28Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 tonelli_mc_me_bauru.pdf: 656379 bytes, checksum: 088ba2edc1bcc1ff564c0ee2c5f19b27 (MD5) / Secretaria de Educação do Estado de São Paulo / Neste trabalho foram realizados cálculos mecânico-quânticos periódicos, efetuados em nível ab initio e utilizando-se a teoria do funcional da densidade, combinada com dois diferentes funcionais híbridos: B3LYP e B3PW para dois tipos de peroviskitas de grande interesse tecnológico: BaZrO.3 e BaTiO.3. A simulação de modelos periódicos foi empregada para fazer um estudo sistemático das propriedades estruturais, eletrônicas e mecânicas com a finalidade de validar a metodologia aplicada, assim como o modelo proposto que inclui o nível de teoria aplicado e o conjunto de funções de base que descrevem matematicamente através de funções os orbitais atômicos. Com o objetivo de confrontar os resultados obtidos a partir da implementação do modelo com outros estudos teóricos e experimentais, foram analisadas as densidades de estados, estrutura de bandas e diagrama de energia. Esse estudo teórico possibilitou a identificação dos átomos que mais contribuem para as bandas de energia e também as energias na região entre os limites superiores da banda de valência e inferiores da banda de condução. / We used quantum-mechanical calculations at the Density Functional Theory level, applying periodical models with the B3LYP and B3PW methods to study two systems of technological interest: BaZrO.3 e BaTiO.3. The simulation of periodical models was used to perform a systematical study of the structural, electronic and mechanical properties of those materials with the aim to validate the applied methodology, the proposed model, the level of theory and the base functions that described the atomic orbital mathematically. The objective was to compare the results obtained using the methodology of the present work with the others methodologies utilized in another experimental as theoretical studies. We analyzed the density of states and the band structures and compared with results of others methodologies of study. From the results obtained in the present work could identify whose atoms can make the major contribution to the energy bands near the Fermi level and close to conduction band.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-14T12:14:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 4592851 bytes, checksum: 4953954b01488035e256132a9c9c39e2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-07-26 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / This work studies through first-principles method based on Density Functional Theory (DFT) implemented by computer code SIESTA, the stability of the structures and electronic properties of hybrids nanotubes containing atoms of boron, carbon and the presence of nitrogen and an electric field. We analyze the values gap energy, formation energy and the variation of the total energy with respect to the nanotubes without application of field. For the electronic structure, there is the chart analysis of LDOS and band structure of these nanotubes as well as their polarizability. / O presente trabalho busca estudar através do método de primeiros princípios baseado na Teoria do Funcional da Densidade (DFT) implementado pelo código computacional SIESTA, a estabilidade das estruturas e propriedades eletrônicas de nanotubos híbridos contendo átomos de boro, carbono e nitrogêngio na presença de um campo elétrico. Analisar valores do gap de energia, energia de formação e a variação da energia total em relação aos nanotubos sem aplicação do campo. Para a estrutura eletrônica, há a análise dos gráficos da densidade localizada de estados (LDOS) e estrutura de bandas desses nanotubos, bem como sua polarizabilidade.