Return to search

Atomic Layer Deposition of H-BN(0001) on Transition Metal Substrates, and In Situ XPS Study of Carbonate Removal from Lithium Garnet Surfaces

The direct epitaxial growth of multilayer BN by atomic layer deposition is of critical significance forfo two-dimensional device applications. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and low energy electron diffraction (LEED) demonstrate layer-by-layer BN epitaxy on two different substrates. One substrate was a monolayer of RuO2(110) formed on a Ru(0001) substrate, the other was an atomically clean Ni(111) single crystal. Growth was accomplished atomic layer deposition (ALD) cycles of BCl3/NH3 at 600 K substrate temperature and subsequent annealing in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV). This yielded stoichiometric BN layers, and an average BN film thickness linearly proportional to the number of BCl3/NH3 cycles. The BN(0001)/RuO2(110) interface had negligible charge transfer or band bending as indicated by XPS and LEED data indicate a 30° rotation between the coincident BN and oxide lattices. The atomic layer epitaxy of BN on an oxide surface suggests new routes to the direct growth and integration of graphene and BN with industrially important substrates, including Si(100). XPS and LEED indicated epitaxial deposition of h-BN(0001) on the Ni(111) single crystal by ALD, and subsequent epitaxially aligned graphene was deposited by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of ethylene at 1000 K. Direct multilayer, in situ growth of h-BN on magnetic substrates such as Ni is important for spintronic device applications. Solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) are of significant interest for their promise as lithium-ion conducting materials but are prone to degradation due to lithium carbonate formation on the surface upon exposure to atmosphere, adversely impacting Li ion conduction. In situ XPS monitored changes in the composition of the SSE Li garnet (Li6.5La3Zr1.5Ta0.5O12, LLZTaO) upon annealing in UHV and upon Ar+ ion sputtering. Trends in core level spectra demonstrate that binding energy (BE) calibration of the Li 1s at 56.4 eV, yields a more consistent interpretation of results than the more commonly used standard of the adventitious C 1s at 284.8 eV. Annealing one ambient-exposed sample to >1000 K in UHV effectively reduced surface carbonate and oxygen, leaving significant amounts of carbon in lower oxidation states. A second ambient-exposed sample was subjected to 3 keV Ar+ ion sputtering at 500 K in UHV, which eliminated all surface carbon, and reduced the O 1s intensity and BE. These methods present alternative approaches to lithium carbonate removal than heating or polishing in inert atmospheres and are compatible with fundamental surface science studies. In particular, the data show that sputtering at mildly elevated temperatures yields facile elimination of carbonate and other forms of surface carbon. This is in contrast to annealing in either UHV or in noble gas environments, which result in carbonate reduction, but with significant remnant coverages of other forms of carbon.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:unt.edu/info:ark/67531/metadc1703333
Date05 1900
CreatorsJones, Jessica C.
ContributorsKelber, Jeffry A., Verbeck, Guido, Marshall, Paul, Du, Jincheng
PublisherUniversity of North Texas
Source SetsUniversity of North Texas
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis or Dissertation
Formatxi, 114 pages, Text
RightsPublic, Jones, Jessica C., Copyright, Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights Reserved.

Page generated in 0.003 seconds