Metal oxide/LiNbO3 heterostructures were immersed in aqueous AgNO3 solutions and illuminated with ultraviolet (UV) light to form Ag nanoparticle patterns. Alternatively, Al2O3 and SiO2/ZnO heterostructures were immersed in K3PO4 buffer solutions and studied for photoelectrochemical reactions. A fundamental aspect of the heterostructures is the band alignment and band bending, which was deduced from in situ photoemission measurements.
This research has provided insight to three aspects of the heterostructures. First, the band alignment at the interface of metal oxides/LiNbO3, and Al2O3 or SiO2/ZnO were used to explain the possible charge transfer processes and the direction of carrier flow in the heterostructures. Second, the effect of metal oxide coatings on the LiNbO3 with different internal carrier concentrations was related to the surface photochemical reactions. Third is the surface passivation and degradation mechanism of Al2O3 and SiO2 on ZnO was established. The heterostructures were characterized after stability tests using atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and cross-section transmission electron microscopy (TEM).
The results indicate that limited thicknesses of ZnO or TiO2 on polarity patterned LiNbO3 (PPLN) enhances the Ag+ photoinduced reduction process. ZnO seems more efficient than TiO2 possibly due to a higher carrier mobility. However, an increase of the ZnO thickness (≥ 4 nm) reduced the effect of the PPLN substrate on the Ag nanoparticle pattern. For the case of Al2O3 and SiO2/ZnO heterostructures, SiO2 remains intact through 1 h stability tests. Unlike SiO2, Al2O3 shows surface degradation after a short stability test of a few minutes. Thus, SiO2 provides improved passivation over Al2O3. A detailed microscopy analysis indicates the underneath ZnO photocorrodes in the SiO2/ZnO samples, which is possibly due to transport of ions through the SiO2 protective layer.
The objective of this experiment was to use water contact angle (WCA) to measure the effectiveness of adhesion, Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD), and cleaning techniques within different operations at Intel Corporation. Using the Sessile Drop Method, goniometer instrument, and a Video Contact Angle system (VCA), the water contact angle across silicon wafers at various operations were determined. Based on the results, it was concluded that Operation 5 and Step 4.4 within Operation 5 were suspected to cause lack of uniformity across the wafers, which is detrimental to the durability of the wafer and the overall high performance of a microchip. Due to proprietary reasons, it could not be disclosed as to whether adhesion, ALD, or cleaning techniques were implemented and suspected to cause non-uniformity across the wafer, but despite any operation, the topography of the wafer should be leveled. The absolute slopes of Operation 5 and Step 4.4 were 2.445 and 3.189, respectively. These slopes represented the change in contact angles across different positions of the wafer. In comparison, these showed the greatest variation of contact angles across the wafers, meaning the surface topography was more concentrated in certain areas of the wafer than others. Given these characteristics, Operation 5 and Step 4.4 are not qualified to produce high performing microchips because their techniques and methods are prone to cause surface defects, wafer stress, and wafer breakage.