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  • Published Article: Structural and mechanical properties of nanocrystalline Ga 2 O 3 films made by pulsed laser deposition onto transparent quartz substrates
Title: Structural and mechanical properties of nanocrystalline Ga 2 O 3 films made by pulsed laser deposition onto transparent quartz substrates
Abstract

This work reports on the correlation between structure, surface/interface morphology and mechanical properties of pulsed laser deposited (PLD)β-Ga2O3films on transparent quartz substrates. By varying the deposition temperature in the range of 25 °C–700 °C, ∼200 nm thick Ga2O3films with variable microstructure and amorphous-to-nanocrystalline nature were produced onto quartz substrates by PLD. The Ga2O3films deposited at room temperature were amorphous; nanocrystalline Ga2O3films were realized at 700 °C. The interface microstructure is characterized with a typical nano-columnar morphology while the surface exhibits the uniform granular morphology. Corroborating with structure and surface/interface morphology, and with increasing deposition temperature, tunable mechanical properties were seen in PLD Ga2O3films. At 700 °C, for nanocrystalline Ga2O3films, the dense grain packing reduces the elastic modulus Erwhile improving the hardness. The improved crystallinity at elevated temperatures coupled with nanocrystallinity, theβ-phase stabilization is accounted for the observed enhancement in the mechanical properties of PLD Ga2O3films. The structure-morphology-mechanical property correlation in nanocrystalline PLDβ-Ga2O3films deposited on quartz substrates is discussed in detail.
Authors:
; ; ; ;
Award ID(s):
1827745
Publication Date:
NSF-PAR ID:
10361433
Journal Name:
Nano Express
Volume:
2
Issue:
2
Page Range or eLocation-ID:
Article No. 020006
ISSN:
2632-959X
Publisher:
IOP Publishing
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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