CHCl dissociation, CH abstraction, and Cl adsorption from the dissociative scattering of supersonic CHCl on Cu(111) and Cu(410)

Makino, Takamasa*; Tsuda, Yasutaka; Yoshigoe, Akitaka; Dio, W. A.*; Okada, Michio*

Applied Surface Science, 642, p.158568_1 - 158568_6, 2024/01

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2023.158568

Formation of high-quality SiO/GaN interfaces with suppressed Ga-oxide interlayer via sputter deposition of SiO

Onishi, Kentaro*; Kobayashi, Takuma*; Mizobata, Hidetoshi*; Nozaki, Mikito*; Yoshigoe, Akitaka; Shimura, Takayoshi*; Watanabe, Heiji*

Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, 62(5), p.050903_1 - 050903_4, 2023/05

https://doi.org/10.35848/1347-4065/acd1ca

While the formation of an GaO interlayer is key to achieving SiO/GaN interfaces with low defect density, it can affect the reliability and stability of metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices if the annealing conditions are not properly designed. In the present study, we aimed to minimize the growth of the GaO layer on the basis of the sputter deposition of SiO on GaN. Synchrotron radiation X-ray photoelectron spectrometry measurements confirmed the suppressed growth of the GaO layer compared with a SiO/GaN structure formed by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Negligible GaO growth was also observed when subsequent oxygen annealing up to 600C was performed. A MOS device with negligible capacitance-voltage hysteresis, nearly ideal flat-band voltage, and low leakage current was demonstrated by performing oxygen and forming gas annealing at temperatures of 600C and 400C, respectively.

Evaluation of doped potassium concentrations in stacked two-Layer graphene using real-time XPS

Ogawa, Shuichi*; Tsuda, Yasutaka; Sakamoto, Tetsuya*; Okigawa, Yuki*; Masuzawa, Tomoaki*; Yoshigoe, Akitaka; Abukawa, Tadashi*; Yamada, Takatoshi*

Applied Surface Science, 605, p.154748_1 - 154748_6, 2022/12

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2022.154748

Immersion of graphene in KOH solution improves its mobility on SiO/Si wafers. This is thought to be due to electron doping by modification with K atoms, but the K atom concentration C in the graphene has not been clarified yet. In this study, the C was determined by XPS analysis using high-brilliance synchrotron radiation. The time evolution of C was determined by real-time observation, and the C before irradiation of synchrotron radiation was estimated to be 0.94%. The C 1s spectrum shifted to the low binding energy side with the desorption of K atoms. This indicates that the electron doping concentration into graphene is decreasing, and it is experimentally confirmed that K atoms inject electrons into graphene.

Restoration of oxygen vacancies on an anatase TiO(001) surface with supersonic seeded oxygen molecular beam

Katsube, Daiki*; Ono, Shinya*; Inami, Eiichi*; Yoshigoe, Akitaka; Abe, Masayuki*

Vacuum and Surface Science, 65(11), p.526 - 530, 2022/11

https://doi.org/10.1380/vss.65.526

The oxidation of oxygen vacancies at the surface of anatase TiO (001) was investigated by synchrotron radiation photoelectron spectroscopy and supersonic O beam (SSMB). The oxygen vacancies at the top surface and subsurface could be eliminated by the supply of hyperthermal oxygen molecules. Oxygen vacancies are present on the surface of anatase TiO(001) when it is untreated before transfer to a vacuum chamber. These vacancies, which are stable in the ambient condition, could also be effectively eliminated by using oxygen SSMB. This result is promising as a surface processing for various functional oxides.

Electrical properties and energy band alignment of SiO/GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor structures fabricated on N-polar GaN(000) substrates

Mizobata, Hidetoshi*; Tomigahara, Kazuki*; Nozaki, Mikito*; Kobayashi, Takuma*; Yoshigoe, Akitaka; Hosoi, Takuji*; Shimura, Takayoshi*; Watanabe, Heiji*

Applied Physics Letters, 121(6), p.062104_1 - 062104_6, 2022/08

https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0095468

The interface properties and energy band alignment of SiO/GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) structures fabricated on N-polar GaN(000) substrates were investigated by electrical measurements and synchrotron-radiation X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. They were then compared with those of SiO/GaN MOS structures on Ga-polar GaN(0001). Although the SiO/GaN(000) structure was found to be more thermally unstable than that on the GaN(0001) substrate, excellent electrical properties were obtained for the SiO/GaN(000) structure by optimizing conditions for post-deposition annealing. However, the conduction band offset for SiO/GaN(000) was smaller than that for SiO/GaN(0001), leading to increased gate leakage current. Therefore, caution is needed when using N-polar GaN(000) substrates for MOS device fabrication.

Hydrogen absorption and diffusion behaviors in cube-shaped palladium nanoparticles revealed by ambient-pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

Tang, J.*; Seo, O.*; Rivera Rocabado, D. S.*; Koitaya, Takanori*; Yamamoto, Susumu*; Namba, Yusuke*; Song, C.*; Kim, J.*; Yoshigoe, Akitaka; Koyama, Michihisa*; et al.

Applied Surface Science, 587, p.152797_1 - 152797_8, 2022/06

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2022.152797

The hydrogen absorption and diffusion mechanisms on cube-shaped Pd nanoparticles (NPs) which are important hydrogen-storage materials were studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and DFT calculations. In the surface region, hydrogen absorption showed almost similar behavior regardless of the NPs size. It was found that the octahedral sites are more favorable than the tetrahedral sites for hydrogen occupation. We also clarified that the hydrogen atoms absorbing on the smaller-sized Pd NPs diffuse to the subsurface more actively because of the weakened Pd-H bond by the surface disordering, which plays an important role in hydrogen adsorption at a low H pressure.

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy for observation of surface reactions under the gas atmosphere; History, applications, issues, and future prospect

Takakuwa, Yuji*; Ogawa, Shuichi*; Yoshigoe, Akitaka

Hoshako, 35(3), p.158 - 171, 2022/05

Ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy for in situ observation of surface reactions using high-brightness synchrotron radiation shows a rapid progress in the number of endstations since about 2005 and is applied to various practical research field for clarifying reactions at solid/gas interfaces of e.g. catalyst, solid/liquid interfaces of e.g. fuel cell, and gas/liquid interfaces of e.g. ion liquid. In this review, a history of the development of APXPS, real-time observation of the surface reactions for Si chemical vapor deposition and Si dry oxidation, issues of APXPS, and future prospects are described.

Comprehensive physical and electrical characterizations of NO nitrided SiO/4H-SiC(110) interfaces

Nakanuma, Takato*; Iwakata, Yu*; Watanabe, Arisa*; Hosoi, Takuji*; Kobayashi, Takuma*; Sometani, Mitsuru*; Okamoto, Mitsuo*; Yoshigoe, Akitaka; Shimura, Takayoshi*; Watanabe, Heiji*

Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, 61(SC), p.SC1065_1 - SC1065_8, 2022/05

https://doi.org/10.35848/1347-4065/ac4685

Nitridation of SiO/4H-SiC(110) interfaces with post-oxidation annealing in an NO ambient (NO-POA) and its impact on the electrical properties were investigated. Sub-nm-resolution nitrogen depth profiling at the interfaces was conducted by using a scanning X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy microprobe. The results showed that nitrogen atoms were incorporated just at the interface and that interface nitridation proceeded much faster than at SiO/SiC(0001) interfaces, resulting in a 2.3 times higher nitrogen concentration. Electrical characterizations of metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors were conducted through capacitance-voltage () measurements in the dark and under illumination with ultraviolet light to evaluate the electrical defects near the conduction and valence band edges and those causing hysteresis and shifting of the curves. While all of these defects were passivated with the progress of the interface nitridation, excessive nitridation resulted in degradation of the MOS capacitors. The optimal conditions for NO-POA are discussed on the basis of these experimental findings.

Oxidation mechanisms of hafnium overlayers deposited on an Si(111) substrate

Kakiuchi, Takuhiro*; Matoba, Tomoki*; Koyama, Daisuke*; Yamamoto, Yuki*; Yoshigoe, Akitaka

Langmuir, 38(8), p.2642 - 2650, 2022/03

https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.1c02711

0xidation processes at the interface and the surface of Si(111) substrate with thin Hf films were studied using photoelectron spectroscopy in conjunction with supersonic oxygen molecular beams (SOMB). The oxidation starts at the outermost Hf layers and produces stoichiometric HfO. Hf silicates (Hf-O-Si configuration) were generated in the vicinity of the HfO/Si interface in the case of the irradiation of 2.2 eV SOMB. The oxidation of the Si substrate takes place to generate SiO compounds. Si atoms were emitted from the SiO/Si interface region underneath the HfO overlayers to release the stress generated within the strained Si layers. The emitted Si atoms can pass through the HfO overlayers and react with the impinging O gas.

Revisit of XPS studies of supersonic O molecular adsorption on Cu(111); Copper oxides

Hayashida, Koki*; Tsuda, Yasutaka; Yamada, Takashi*; Yoshigoe, Akitaka; Okada, Michio*

ACS Omega (Internet), 6(40), p.26814 - 26820, 2021/10

https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.1c04663

We report the X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) characterization of the bulk CuO(111) surface and 8-type and 29-type oxide structures on Cu(111) prepared by using 0.5 eV O supersonic molecular beam (SSMB) source. We propose a new structural model for the 8-type oxide structure and also confirmed the previously proposed model for the [29] oxide structure on Cu(111), based on the O1s XPS spectra. The detection-angle dependence of the O 1s spectra supports that the nanopyramidal model is more preferable for the (X)R30 CuO(111). We also report the electronic excitations which O1s electrons suffer.