In this study, we made the heterojunction solar cells on Si substrate by fabricating a nanocrystalline Si/SiO2 superlattice emitter structure. Amorphous silicon and silicon dioxide superlattice were prepared by rf Si sputtering and plasma oxidation, respectively. The deposited amorphous silicon was crystallized at high temperature. Microstructure studies by TEM show that amorphous silicon was c...

A phenomenon resembling natural ball lightning can be produced via electrical arcing through silicon. We use lump silicon instead of silicon wafers to achieve higher production rates and larger, longer-lived luminous balls than previously reported. The luminous balls consist of a silicon core surrounded by a porous network of loosely bound silicon dioxide nanoparticles. We find that the balls c...

A new optical fiber and method of manufacturing the same developed for use with surgical laser systems. The fiber core utilizes an ultra-low expansion (ULE) material. The preferred ULE fiber consists of silicon dioxide core doped with titanium dioxide which is cladded and jacketed for chemical and abrasion resistance. The resulting fiber is stable against degradation due to thermal expansion.

The Minnesota Nano Center’s Keller Hall facility includes an atomic layer deposition (ALD) machine that is capable of depositing uniform alumina (Al2O3), hafnium oxide (HfO2), silicon dioxide (SiO2), zinc oxide (ZnO), and titanium dioxide (TiO2). ALD works by building alternate layers on a film using two different precursor gases – one usually supplying the metallic atoms and water vapor (H2O) ...

Field-effect transistors (FETs) in conventional electronic circuits are in contact with the high-thermal-conductivity substrate. In contrast, FETs in novel silicon-on-insulator (SOl) circuits are separated from the substrate by a thermally resistive silicon-dioxide layer. The layer improves the electrical performance of SO1 circuits. But it impedes conduction cooling of transistors and intercon...

A new optical fiber and method of manufacturing the same developed for use with surgical laser systems. The fiber core utilizes an ultra-low expansion (ULE) material. The preferred ULE fiber consists of silicon dioxide core doped with titanium dioxide which is cladded and jacketed for chemical and abrasion resistance. The resulting fiber is stable against degradation due to thermal expansion.

Silicon dioxide thin film is a common component in electronic devices and in MEMS, but its mechanical properties have rarely been studied. Techniques have been adapted and developed to conduct tensile tests on 1.0 μm thick silicon dioxide specimens that are 100, 150, and 200 μm wide and either 1 or 2 mm long. One end of the specimen remains fastened to the substrate, and the other is glued to a...

We demonstrate a vertical integration of high-Q silicon nitride microresonators into the silicon-on-insulator platform for applications at the telecommunication wavelengths. Low-loss silicon nitride films with a thickness of 400 nm are successfully grown, enabling compact silicon nitride microresonators with ultra-high intrinsic Qs (~ 6 × 10(6) for 60 μm radius and ~ 2 × 10(7) for 240 μm radius...

The ion implantation of heavy dopant species through very thin silicon oxide gate insulators d?grades the insulating properties of the oxide inducing an enhanced leakage current in MOS siructures as well as a decrease of the dielectric breakdown voltage. In the present work we study quantitatively the possible physico-chemical causes of these degradation phenomena a l d of their recovery by the...