Isotropic Atomic Layer Etching of ZnO Using Acetylacetone and O2 Plasma

Atomic layer etching (ALE) provides Ångström-level control over material removal and holds potential for addressing the challenges in nanomanufacturing faced by conventional etching techniques. Recent research has led to the development of two main classes of ALE: ion-driven plasma processes yielding anisotropic (or directional) etch profiles...

Structural transformation of layered double hydroxides: An in situ TEM analysis

A comprehensive nanoscale understanding of layered double hydroxide thermal evolution is critical for their current and future applications as catalysts, flame retardants and oxygen evolution performers. In this report, we applied in situ transmission electron microscopy to extensively characterise the thermal progressions of nickel-iron...

Poly-crystalline silicon-oxide films as carrier-selective passivating contacts for c-Si solar cells

The poly-Si carrier-selective passivating contacts (CSPCs) parasitically absorb a substantial amount of light, especially in the form of free carrier absorption. To minimize these losses, we developed CSPCs based on oxygen-alloyed poly-Si (poly-SiOx) and deployed them in c-Si solar cells. Transmission electron microscopy analysis indicates the...

Real-Time Monitoring of Size and Concentration of Nanoparticles Inside a Reactor Using Ultrasound

Nanoparticles are applied in an increasing number of products (e.g. medicine, food and cosmetics). There is a need to real-time monitor the growth of nanoparticles during production inside the chemical reactor. However, standard particle sizing methods such as dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) cannot do...

Plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition of conformal Pt films in high aspect ratio trenches

To date, conventional thermal atomic layer deposition (ALD) has been the method of choice to deposit high-quality Pt thin films grown typically from (MeCp)PtMe3 vapor and O2 gas at 300 °C. Plasma-assisted ALD of Pt using O2 plasma can offer several advantages over thermal ALD, such as faster nucleation and deposition at lower temperatures. In...