The two-dimensional phase of carbon known as graphene is actively being pursued as a primary material in future electronic devices. The goals of this thesis are to investigate the growth and electronic properties of epitaxial graphene on SiC, with a particular focus on nanostructured graphene. The first part of this thesis examines the kinetics of graphene growth on SiC(0001) and SiC(0001 ̅) by high-temperature sublimation of the substrate using a custom-built, ultra-high vacuum induction furnace. A first-principles kinetic theory of silicon sublimation and mass-transfer is developed to describe the functional dependence of the graphene growth rate on the furnace temperature and pressure. This theory can be used to calibrate other graphene growth furnaces which employ confinement controlled sublimation. The final chapter in this thesis involves a careful study of self-organized epitaxial graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) on SiC(0001). Scanning tunneling microscopy of the sidewall GNRs confirms that these self-organized nanostructures are susceptible to overgrowth onto nearby SiC terraces. Atomic-scale imaging of the overgrown sidewall GNRs detected local strained regions in the nanoribbon crystal lattice, with strain coefficients as high as 15%. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) of these strained regions demonstrate that the graphene electronic local density of states is strongly affected by distortions in the crystal lattice. Room temperature STS in regions with a large strain gradient found local energy gaps as high as 400 meV. Controllable, strain-induced quantum states in epitaxial graphene on SiC could be utilized in new electronic devices. / Per request of the author and the advisor, and with the approval of the graduate office, the Acknowledgements page was replaced with an errata.

In this thesis work several manufacturing methods for graphene is discussed followed by an indepth study of graphene grown by a high temperature sublimation method (sublimation of siliconcarbide). The graphene surfaces studied have been grown by Graphensic AB, both graphenegrown on the Si-face and the C-face of the silicon carbide were studied. Six graphene samplesgrown 4H-SiC substrates were examined for homogeneity and surface morphology as well assome surface roughness parameters using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). The graphene wasstudied to get a better understanding of the surfaces and the growth mechanisms to improvemanufacturing parameters while also being informative for graphene sample customers. Anadditional graphene sample grown on 6H-SiC epitaxial layer was also studied to get a betterunderstanding of the sublimation mechanism. If graphene could be manufactured in a cheaprepeatable way the applications are endless and a new era of technology could emerge muchlike the silicon era that began several decades ago. In this thesis work the results are presentedas topography images as well as tables and histograms in the results section. The growth onthe Si-face is found to be well ordered when compared to the C-face which shows signs of alargely complex growth. The graphene on the Si-face lies on top of silicon carbide steps like acarpet with a buer layer interface against the silicon carbide. On the C-face this buer layeris not present but the graphene is deformed by buckling which is suspected to originate fromdierences in thermal properties between the graphene and the C-face. The in uence of AFMsettings for characterization of graphene while using intermittent mode have been evaluated andrecommendations are given. Finally a method for evaluating the homogeneity of the graphenelm is proposed but is in need of further verication.

Graphene, a single sheet of carbon atoms sp2-bonded in a honeycomb lattice, is a possible all-carbon successor to silicon electronics. Ballistic conduction at room temperature and a linear dispersion relation that causes carriers to behave as massless Dirac fermions are features that make graphene promising for high-speed, low-power devices. The critical advantage of epitaxial graphene (EG) grown on SiC is its compatibility with standard lithographic procedures. Surface X-ray diffraction (SXRD) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) results are presented on the domain structure, interface composition and stacking character of graphene grown on both polar faces of semi-insulating 4H-SiC. The data reveal intriguing differences between graphene grown on these two faces. Substrate roughening is more pronounced and graphene domain sizes are significantly smaller on the SiC (0001) Si-face. Specular X-ray reflectivity measurements show that both faces have a carbon rich, extended interface that is tightly bound to the first graphene layer, leading to a buffering effect that shields the first graphene layer from the bulk SiC, as predicted by ab initio calculations. In-plane X-ray crystal truncation rod analysis indicates that rotated graphene layers are interleaved in C-face graphene films and corresponding superstructures are observed in STM topographs. These rotational stacking faults in multilayer C-face graphene preserve the linear dispersion found in single layer graphene, making EG electronics possible even for a multilayer material.

This thesis discusses two different magnetic materials: epitaxial yttrium iron garnet (YIG) and heteromorphous CoFeB-SiO2 films. YIG films were grown by pulse laser deposition (PLD) techniques onto gadolinium gallium garnet (GGG) substrates of (111) and (001) crystal orientations. Using stoichiometric and overstoichiometric ablative targets, we developed two types of YIG submicron films. The films grown from overstoichiometric targets have magnetic properties slightly different from standard liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) YIGs. They also demonstrate good substrate matching and approximately 6% nonstoichiometry. In contrary, films grown from stoichiometric targets posses surprisingly high values of uniaxial anisotropy, meanwhile cubic anisotropy is reduced several times. These films also reveal strong lattice distortions and nonstoichiometry around 17%. Employing Weiss molecular field theory and single-ion anisotropy model we determined the preferential occupancy of the octahedral [a] positions in the YIG cubic lattices by Fe3+ vacancies. The vacancies were found to be preferentially oriented along the growth direction perpendicular to the film surface. We called this effect “deformation blockade”. Different magnetostatic surface wave (MSSW) filters were also demonstrated. The filters employ high uniaxial anisotropy in YIG submicron films with magnetic losses ΔH ~ 1 Oe.  Heteromorphous CoFeB-SiO2 films were deposited onto glass substrates employing carrousel magnetron sputtering. This novel technique allows amorphous films fabrication with record high in-plane anisotropy. The induced anisotropy fields here are approximately dozen times greater the values achieved using conventional growth technique when external bias field is applied during deposition process. Interesting observations were made studying CoFeB-SiO2 magnetization dynamics in the wide frequency range from 500 kHz up to 15 GHz.  Two different anomalies of the magnetic susceptibility were found at the field of in-plane anisotropy Hp and critical field Hcr (0 < Hcr < Hp). We explained the anomalies appearance by sequence of the domain walls transformations so that Néel-Bloch-Néel domain wall transition stands for the instability at H = ±Hcr and transition from the uniformly magnetized state to the domain state with Néel domain wall and vice versa is responsible for the instability at H = ±Hp. / QC 20111122

Oxide ultra-thin film surfaces have properties and structures that are significantly different from the terminations of the corresponding bulk crystals. For example, surface structures of epitaxial ultra-thin oxide films are highly influenced by the crystallinity and electronegativity of the metal substrates they grown on. Some enhanced properties of the novel reconstructions are related to catalysis, sensing and microelectronics, which has resulted in an increasing interest in this field. Ultra-thin TiO_x films were grown on Au(111) substrates in this work. Two well-ordered structures within monolayer coverage - honeycomb (HC) and pinwheel - were generated and investigated. Special attention has been paid to the uniform (2 x 2) Ti₂O₃ HC phase including its regular structure and imperfections such as domain boundaries (DBs) and point defects. Linear DBs with long-range repeating units have been observed; density functional theory (DFT) modelling has been used to simulate their atomic structures and calculate their formation energies. Rotational DBs/defects show up less frequently, however a six-fold symmetrical 'snowflake' DB loop stands out. Two types of point defects have been discovered and assigned to Ti vacancies and oxygen vacancies/hydroxyl groups. Their diffusion manners and pairing habits have been discussed within an experimental context. The results of growing NbO_x ultra-thin films on Au(111) are also presented in this thesis. An identical looking (2 x 2) HC structure to the Ti₂O₃ ultra-thin film has been formed; a stoichiometry of Nb2O3 is suggested. Another interesting reconstruction is a hollow triangle structure. Various sizes have been found, and sides of these equilateral triangles all show a double-line feature aligned along the { 1 ₁⁻ } directions of the Au(111) lattice. Chemical composition characterisations of NbO_x thin films are still required as is DFT modelling. Experimental techniques used in this thesis include scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM), low energy electron diffraction (LEED), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Ultra-thin oxide films were created by physical vapour deposition (PVD) in ultra-high vacuum (UHV) systems.

Couches minces multiferroiques d’YMnO3 (YMO) films ont été synthétisée par MOCVD sur desubstrats de Si, STO, LAO et LSAT orientées (100). L'effet de l'épaisseur des couches et de lacomposition chimique sur les propriétés structurales et magnétiques a été étudié. YMO peutcristalliser dans deux structure : hexagonale (h-YMO) et orthorhombique (o-YMO), généralementconsidérée comme les phases stables et métastables, respectivement. Les deux phases, ainsi queleur phase précurseur amorphe sont étudiées dans cette thèse. D'un côté, une croissance sélectivede la phase amorphe, h-YMO ou o-YMO est réalisé sur des substrats de Si en ajustant lesconditions de dépôt. Une étude approfondie des conditions optimales a été réalisée. Unetransformation de phase irréversible de l'état amorphe à la phase cristalline o-YMO a lieu à unetempérature à peu près constante (~ 700 ° C) et dans un court période de temps (min ~). La phaseo-YMO ainsi obtenue est stable au moins jusqu'à 900 ° C.De l'autre côté, la phase o-YMO est stabilisé par épitaxie sur des substrats de type perovskite (STO,LAO, LSAT). Les films sur STO et LSAT présentent principalement l’orientation (010) tandis queceux sur les substrats de LAO sont orientées (101). Une orientation secondaire de domaines estobservée en particulier sur des substrats de STO: rotation de 90 ° dans le plan du domaine (010).A des faibles épaisseurs les couches sont contraintes. Les mesures magnétiques montrent uncomportement de verre de spin pour chacune de phase o- ou h-YMO, indépendamment du substrat. / Multiferroic YMnO3 (YMO) films have been grown by MOCVD on (100)-oriented Si, STO, LAOand LSAT substrates. The effect of the film thickness and the chemical composition on structuraland magnetic properties has been investigated. YMO can crystallize in two structure: hexagonal(h-YMO) and orthorhombic (o-YMO), generally considered as stable and metastable phases,respectively. Both phases, together with their amorphous precursor phase, are studied in this thesis.On one side, a selective growth of the amorphous, o-YMO or h-YMO phase is achieved on Sisubstrates through the deposition conditions. An extensive study of the optimal conditions hasbeen carried out. An irreversible phase transformation from amorphous to crystalline o-YMOphase takes place at an almost constant temperature (~ 700 °C) and in a short period of time (~min). The o-YMO phase thus obtained is stable at least up to 900 °C.On the other side, the o-YMO phase is epitaxially stabilized on perovskite type substrates (STO,LAO, LSAT). The films on STO and LSAT substrates present mainly the (010) orientation whilethose on LAO substrate are (101)-oriented. Secondary domain orientation are observe in particularon STO substrates: (010) in plane with 90° rotation. Strained films are observed for smallthicknesses. The magnetic measurements show a spin glass behavior for either o- or h-YMO phase,independently of the substrate.

La fabrication de jonctions implique de nombreux défis technologiques à mesure que les dispositifs se rétrécissent. Afin de mitiger les problèmes liés à la diminution agressive des dimensions des transistors, des substrats SOI ainsi que du silicium-germanium (SiGe) contraint ont été introduits dans les nœuds avancés. Ces nœuds nécessitent toutefois une jonction abrupte fortement activée, qui est réalisable avec la recristallisation en phase solide (SPER) et un faible budget thermique (500°C-5h).Dans ce manuscrit, la SPER du silicium, germanium et d’alliages SiGe est étudiée avec des méthodes atomistiques telles que le Monte Carlo Cinétique (KMC) et la dynamique moléculaire (MD). Le modèle KMC de SPER se base sur une équation d'Arrhenius et distingue des configurations locales à l'interface amorphe-cristal pour simuler la dépendance de la vitesse de SPER par rapport à l’orientation de substrat. Les simulations en dynamique moléculaire montrent que la vitesse de SPER sur les orientations de {111} est fortement dépendante de la taille de la cellule ainsi que de la température et du temps de recuit.Le modèle KMC est de plus étendu afin de considérer l'effet du bore pendant la SPER. Le bore peut en effet créer des complexes à la fois dans l’amorphe et le cristal et augmenter la vitesse de SPER. Cette augmentation est toutefois saturée lorsque le bore atteint de trop fortes concentrations. Un modèle de réaction de défauts traitant les complexes a été adjoint au modèle de SPER afin de correctement simuler la vitesse de SPER pour toutes les concentrations de bore. Dans les alliages (100)SiGe relaxés, l'énergie d'activation de la SPER possède un maximum à 40% de concentration de Ge.Le modèle KMC doit introduire en plus des liaisons Si-Si et Ge-Ge, la liaison Si-Ge pour simuler correctement la recristallisation des alliages. Le modèle est également utilisé pour émettre des hypothèses sur la vitesse de SPER sur d'autres orientations. Les simulations en dynamique moléculaire confirment également le comportement de l’énergie d'activation dans les alliages SiGe.Des expériences de diffractions par rayons-X suivant en temps réel la recristallisation d’alliages de SiGe contraints ont été réalisées avec un rayonnement synchrotron. La contrainte est perdue dans les alliages riches en Ge et la température de recuit semble avoir un rôle sur la relaxation. La rugosité de l'interface pourrait être le lien entre la relaxation de la contrainte et la température, du fait que des simulations en dynamique moléculaires révèlent l’influence de la température de recuit sur la rugosité de l'interface et que les défauts relaxant la contrainte ont été associés à une interface rugueuse.En résumé, le SPER et ses diverses dépendances ont été étudiées dans ce manuscrit par des approches atomistiques. Les conclusions tirées améliorent la compréhension actuelle de la SPER, permettant ainsi une meilleure optimisation de la fabrication des jonctions. / The junction fabrication involve numerous technological challenges as the devices shrink. To alleviate issues brought by the aggressive device scaling, Fully Depleted SOI substrates as well as strained silicon-germanium (SiGe) have been introduced in advanced nodes. They however require a highly-activated abrupt junction achievable with solid phase epitaxial regrowth (SPER) and a low thermal budget (500$^circ$C-5h).In this manuscript, the SPER of silicon, germanium and SiGe alloys is investigated using Kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) and Molecular Dynamics (MD) methods. The KMC model of SPER uses an Arrhenius equation and distinguishes local configurations at the amorphous-crystalline interface to simulate the SPER rate dependence on substrate orientations. In MD simulations, the SPER rate on {111} orientations is found to heavily depends on the cell size, anneal temperature and time.The KMC model is furthermore refined to consider the effect of boron during SPER. Boron is known to create complexes in both amorphous and crystalline phases and increase the SPER rate. This increase however saturates at high boron concentrations. A defect reaction model handling the complexes has been conjoined to the SPER model to correctly simulate the SPER rate behaviour for all boron concentrations.In relaxed (100)SiGe alloys, the SPER activation energy possesses a maximum at 40% of Ge concentration. The KMC model introduces in addition to Si-Si and Ge-Ge bonds, the Si-Ge bond to correctly simulate alloy recrystallisation. The model is also used to hypothesise the rates on other orientations. MD simulations also confirm the activation energy behaviour in SiGe alloys.Finally, X-ray diffractions following in real-time the recrystallisation of strained SiGe alloys are performed with synchrotron radiations. The strain is lost in Ge-rich alloys. The strain relaxation can be related to the anneal temperature. The interface roughness could be the link between the strain relaxation and the temperature, as MD simulations exhibit an influence of the anneal temperature on the interface roughness and strain relaxing defects are associated to a rough interface.In summary, the SPER and its several dependencies are investigated in this manuscript with atomistic approaches. The drawn conclusions increase the current understanding of SPER, allowing a better optimisation of junction fabrication.

Obtenir une interface transparente entre le graphène et un supraconducteur s'est révélé être difficile et pourtant essentiel pour induire des corrélations supraconductrices dans le graphène par effet de proximité. Cette thèse présente une étude par spectroscopie tunnel (STS) à très basse température (50 mK) d'un système nouveau qui réalise ce bon couplage électronique en faisant croitre du graphène par épitaxie sur du rhénium supraconducteur. La fabrication et sélection des films minces de rhénium de haute qualité cristalline sont brièvement expliquées, suivies par le procédé de croissance CVD du graphène sur divers métaux et en particulier sur du rhénium. Les images topographiques obtenues par STM révèlent un moiré qui résulte de la différence de paramètre de maille entre le graphène et le rhénium. Nous identifions ce système à une monocouche de graphène en forte interaction avec le substrat, résultat corroboré par des calculs DFT. Des analyses STS dans une gamme d'énergie de plusieurs centaines de meV montrent une modulation spatiale de la densité d'états (DOS) à l'échelle du moiré, indiquant différentes forces de couplage entre les ‘collines' et les ‘vallées' du moiré. Les propriétés supraconductrices de l'échantillon en volume sont sondées par des mesures de transport, desquelles nous extrayons la température de transition Tc~2K et la longueur de cohérence supraconductrice ξ=18nm. Le gap supraconducteur est extrait de la DOS mesurée par STS à 50 mK (Δ=330µeV) et trouvé homogène à l'échelle du moiré. L'état mixte supraconducteur est étudié sous champ magnétique et un réseau de vortex d'Abrikosov est mis à jour. Enfin, une étude sur diverses morphologies de surface présente un effet de proximité supraconducteur latéral anormal, en contradiction avec les modèles existants. / Obtaining a transparent interface between graphene and a superconductor has proved to be very challenging and yet essential to induce superconducting correlations in graphene via the so-called proximity effect. This thesis presents a scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) study at very low temperature (50 mK) of a novel system achieving such a good electronic contact by the growth of epitaxial graphene on superconducting rhenium. The fabrication and selection of high-crystallographic quality rhenium thin films are briefly explained, followed by the CVD growth process of graphene on various metal substrates and in particular rhenium. STM topographic images reveal a moiré pattern due to the lattice mismatch between graphene and rhenium. We identify this system to a graphene monolayer in strong interaction with the underlying substrate, as corroborated by DFT calculations. STS analyses in the hundreds-meV energy range show a spatial modulation of the density of states (DOS) at the moiré scale, indicating different coupling strengths between ‘hills' and ‘valleys' regions. The bulk superconducting properties are probed by transport measurements, from which we extract the transition temperature Tc~2K and a superconducting coherence length ξ=18nm. The superconducting gap is extracted from the DOS at 50 mK (Δ=330µeV) and found homogeneous at the moiré scale. The superconducting mixed state is studied under magnetic field and an Abrikosov vortex-lattice is uncovered. Finally, a study on various surface morphologies exhibits an anomalous lateral superconducting proximity effect in contradiction with the existing models.

Le but de cette thèse est d'étudier l'effet de l’alignement et le contrôle de la morphologie de films minces de polythiophènes et de les corréler avec les propriétés optiques, de transport de charges et thermoélectriques. Puisque les polymères semiconducteurs sont intrinsèquement anisotropes, il est essentiel de les aligner afin de comprendre leur propriétés. Cette étude a été réalisée en employant deux techniques qui ont permises d’obtenir des films minces orientés. Le brossage à haute température et la cristallisation épitaxiale directionnelle (CED) ont conduit à des films de polythiophène hautement orientés avec des paramètres d'ordre allant jusqu'à 0.87 et des taux de crystallinité jusqu'à 65%. La technique de brossage nous a permis de contrôler avec précision les tailles des domaines cristallins dans des films de P3HT brossés. Par cette méthode, nous avons pu également déterminer les températures de fusion à l'équilibre de différents poly(3-alkyl-thiophène). Nous avons appris que la largeur de bande du couplage excitonique W dépend des dimensions des cristaux dans les films minces brossés. Cette étude à aussi montrer l’importance de la planarité des chaînes pontant les domaines cristallins à travers les zones amorphes sur les propriétés de transport de charges. Nous avons également mis en évidence la morphologie particulière du poly (3-butylthiophène) (P3BT) et le rôle des groupements butyles. La méthode de cristallisation epitaxialle a été utilisée pour orienter des films de poly(3-dioctylphenyl-thiophène) (PDOPT). Nous avons examiné l'effet de la masse moléculaire du PDOPT sur le degré de cristallinité et l'alignement. Ceci nous a permis de proposer un modèle structural montrant l’absence de pi-stacking dans ce polythiophène. Finalement, nous proposons une méthode en deux étapes d’élaboration de films minces conducteurs alignés. Le brossage des films puis le dopage des polymères semiconducteurs de type-P a permis d’obtenir des propriétés thermoélectriques anisotropes améliorées.Cette thèse démontre l'importance du contrôle de la morphologie et de l'alignement des polymères semiconducteurs et conducteurs pour comprendre leurs propriétés fortement anisotropes. / The aim of this thesis is to study the effect of alignment and morphological control on polythiophene thin films and to correlate this control with the optical, charge transport and thermoelectric properties. Since semiconducting polymers are inherently anisotropic by nature, studying these polymers in the aligned state was essential to understand their properties. This study could be achieved by employing two techniques that are successful in orienting polymers in thin films. High-temperature rubbing (HTR) along with directional epitaxial crystallization (DEC) produced highly oriented polythiophene thin films with order parameters reaching 0.87 and crystallinities up to 65%. HTR was a successful method to control crystal sizes in rubbed poly(3-hexyl-thiophene) P3HT films. By this method, the equilibrium melting temperatures of other poly(3-alkyl-thiophene) P3ATs were calculated. We learned that the free excitonic bandwidth depends on the crystal dimensions in the rubbed thin films. We also learned that the planarity of tie-chains linking consecutive crystalline domains plays a very important role in field-effect mobility. We also discuss the peculiar morphology of poly(3-butyl-thiophene) (P3BT) and the role of the butyl side groups. Then DEC method was proposed to orient poly(3-dioctylphenyl-thiophene) (PDOPT) thin films. We examined the effect of molecular weight of PDOPT on the level of crystallinity and alignment. Consequently, this relation provided fundamental information that helped us refine the crystal structure of PDOPT. Finally, a versatile method to produce highly aligned conducting polymers was proposed. HTR followed by P-type doping proved to be an excellent way to produce highly aligned conducting thin films with enhanced thermoelectric properties. This thesis brings value to the importance of morphology control and the alignment of semiconducting thin films to understand the various properties of these highly anisotropic systems.

L’activation à basse température est prometteuse pour l’intégration 3D séquentielle où lebudget thermique du transistor supérieur est limité (<650 ºC) pour ne pas dégrader letransistor inférieur, mais aussi dans le cas d’une intégration planaire afin d’atteindre des EOTultra fines et de contrôler le travail de sortie de la grille sans recourir à une intégration de type« gate-last ». Dans ce travail, l’activation par recroissance en phase solide (SPER) a étéétudiée afin de réduire le budget thermique de l’activation des dopants.L’activation à basse température présente plusieurs inconvénients. Les travauxprécédents montrent que les fuites de jonctions sont plus importantes dans ces dispositifs.Ensuite, des fortes désactivations de dopants ont été observées. Troisièmement, la faiblediffusion des dopants rend difficile la connexion des jonctions source et drain avec le canal.Dans ce travail, il est montré que dans un transistor FDSOI, l’augmentation des fuites dejonctions et la désactivation du Bore peuvent être évités grâce à la présence de l’oxyde enterré.De plus les conditions d’implantation ont été optimisées et les transistors activés à650 ºC atteignent les performances des transistors de référence. / Low temperature (LT) process is gaining interest in the frame of 3D sequentialintegration where limited thermal budget (<650 ºC) is needed for top FET to preserve bottomFET from any degradation and also in the standard planar integration for achieving ultra-thinEOT and work function control with high-k metal gate without gate-last integration scheme.In this work, LT Solid Phase Epitaxial Regrowth (SPER) has been investigated for reducingthe most critical thermal budget which is dopant activation.From previous works, LT activated devices face several challenges: First, higher junctionleakage limits their application to high performance devices. Secondly, strong deactivation ofthe metastable activated dopants was observed with post anneals. Thirdly, the dopant weakdiffusion makes it difficult to connect the channel with S/D.In this work, it is shown that the use of FDSOI enables to overcome junction leakage andBoron deactivation issues thanks to the defect cutting off and sinking effect of buried oxide.As a consequence, dopant deactivation in FDSOI devices is no longer an issue. Finally,implants conditions of LT transistors have been optimized to reach similar performance thanits standard high temperature counterparts.