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1. Bandgap of Epitaxial Single-Crystal BiFe1−xMnxO3 Films Grown Directly on SrTiO3/Si(001)

   https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18092022  

   Cantrell, Samuel R; Miracle, John T; Cottier, Ryan J; Lindsey, Skyler; Theodoropoulou, Nikoleta (May 2025, Materials)

   We report the growth and optical characterization of single-crystal BiFe1−xMnxO3 thin films directly on SrTiO3/Si(001) substrates using molecular beam epitaxy. X-ray diffraction confirmed epitaxial growth, film crystallinity, and sharp interface quality. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy verified uniform film morphology and successful Mn incorporation. Spectroscopic ellipsometry revealed a systematic bandgap reduction with increasing Mn concentration, from 2.7 eV in BiFeO3 to 2.58 eV in BiFe0.74Mn0.26O3, consistent with previous reports on Mn-doped BiFeO3. These findings highlight the potential of BiFe1₋xMnxO3 films for bandgap engineering, advancing their integration into silicon-compatible multifunctional optoelectronic and photovoltaic applications. 

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2. Epitaxial growth of α-(Al x Ga1− x )2O3 by suboxide molecular-beam epitaxy at 1 µm/h

   https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0170095  

   Steele, Jacob; Azizie, Kathy; Pieczulewski, Naomi; Kim, Yunjo; Mou, Shin; Asel, Thaddeus_J; Neal, Adam_T; Jena, Debdeep; Xing, Huili_G; Muller, David_A; et al (April 2024, APL Materials)

   We report the use of suboxide molecular-beam epitaxy (S-MBE) to grow α-(AlxGa1−x)2O3 films on (110) sapphire substrates over the 0 < x < 0.95 range of aluminum content. In S-MBE, 99.98% of the gallium-containing molecular beam arrives at the substrate in a preoxidized form as gallium suboxide (Ga2O). This bypasses the rate-limiting step of conventional MBE for the growth of gallium oxide (Ga2O3) from a gallium molecular beam and allows us to grow fully epitaxial α-(AlxGa1−x)2O3 films at growth rates exceeding 1 µm/h and relatively low substrate temperature (Tsub = 605 ± 15 °C). The ability to grow α-(AlxGa1−x)2O3 over the nominally full composition range is confirmed by Vegard’s law applied to the x-ray diffraction data and by optical bandgap measurements with ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy. We show that S-MBE allows straightforward composition control and bandgap selection for α-(AlxGa1−x)2O3 films as the aluminum incorporation x in the film is linear with the relative flux ratio of aluminum to Ga2O. The films are characterized by atomic-force microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). These α-(AlxGa1−x)2O3 films grown by S-MBE at record growth rates exhibit a rocking curve full width at half maximum of ≊ 12 arc secs, rms roughness <1 nm, and are fully commensurate for x ≥ 0.5 for 20–50 nm thick films. STEM imaging of the x = 0.78 sample reveals high structural quality and uniform composition. Despite the high structural quality of the films, our attempts at doping with silicon result in highly insulating films. 

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3. Comparison of Hafnium Dioxide and Zirconium Dioxide Grown by Plasma-Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition for the Application of Electronic Materials

   https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst10020136  

   Xiao, Zhigang; Kisslinger, Kim; Chance, Sam; Banks, Samuel (February 2020, Crystals)

   We report the growth of nanoscale hafnium dioxide (HfO2) and zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) thin films using remote plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PE-ALD), and the fabrication of complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuits using the HfO2 and ZrO2 thin films as the gate oxide. Tetrakis (dimethylamino) hafnium (Hf[N(CH3)2]4) and tetrakis (dimethylamino) zirconium (IV) (Zr[N(CH3)2]4) were used as the precursors, while O2 gas was used as the reactive gas. The PE-ALD-grown HfO2 and ZrO2 thin films were analyzed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The XPS measurements show that the ZrO2 film has the atomic concentrations of 34% Zr, 2% C, and 64% O while the HfO2 film has the atomic concentrations of 29% Hf, 11% C, and 60% O. The HRTEM and XRD measurements show both HfO2 and ZrO2 films have polycrystalline structures. n-channel and p-channel metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (nFETs and pFETs), CMOS inverters, and CMOS ring oscillators were fabricated to test the quality of the HfO2 and ZrO2 thin films as the gate oxide. Current-voltage (IV) curves, transfer characteristics, and oscillation waveforms were measured from the fabricated transistors, inverters, and oscillators, respectively. The experimental results measured from the HfO2 and ZrO2 thin films were compared. 

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4. Digital Tuning of the Transition Temperature of Epitaxial VO ₂ Thin Films on MgF ₂ Substrates by Strain Engineering

   https://doi.org/10.1002/admi.202001790  

   Howard, Sebastian A.; Evlyukhin, Egor; Páez Fajardo, Galo; Paik, Hanjong; Schlom, Darrell G.; Piper, Louis F. J. (March 2021, Advanced Materials Interfaces)

   Abstract Straining the vanadium dimers along the rutilec‐axis can be used to tune the metal‐to‐insulator transition (MIT) of VO₂but has thus far been limited to TiO₂substrates. In this work VO₂/MgF₂epitaxial films are grown via molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) to strain engineer the transition temperature (T_MIT). First, growth parameters are optimized by varying the synthesis temperature of the MgF₂(001) substrate (T_S) using a combination of X‐ray diffraction techniques, temperature dependent transport, and soft X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It is determined thatT_Svalues greater than 350 °C induce Mg and F interdiffusion and ultimately the relaxation of the VO₂layer. Using the optimized growth temperature, VO₂/MgF₂(101) and (110) films are then synthesized. The three film orientations display MITs with transition temperatures in the range of 15–60 °C through precise strain engineering. 

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5. A new semiconductor: Ti0.5Mg0.5N(001)

   https://doi.org/10.1109/NANOTECH.2018.8653564  

   Wang, Baiwei; Gall, Daniel (November 2018, 2018 IEEE Nanotechnology Symposium (ANTS), Albany, NY, 2018)

   Ti0.5Mg0.5N has recently been predicted to be a semiconductor with a 1.3 eV band gap and promising properties for thermoelectric and plasmonic devices. As a first step towards experimental validation, epitaxial Ti0.5Mg0.5N(001) layers are deposited on MgO(001) by reactive magnetron co-sputtering from titanium and magnesium targets at 600 °C in pure N2 atmospheres. X-ray diffraction ω-2θ scans, ω-rocking curves, φ-scans, and high resolution reciprocal space maps show that Ti0.5Mg0.5N alloys form a pseudobinary rocksalt structure and are single crystals with a cube-on-cube epitaxial relationship with the substrate: (001)TiMgN║(001)MgO and [100]TiMgN║[100]MgO. A 275-nm-thick Ti0.5Mg0.5N layer is fully relaxed and exhibits a 002 ω-rocking curve width ω = 0.73°, while a 36-nm-thick layer is fully strained and has a ω = 0.49°. These results indicate a thickness-dependent strain state which suggests a critical thickness for misfit dislocation nucleation and glide which is between 36 and 275 nm. A measured negative temperature coefficient of resistivity in combination with a low optical absorption coefficient of 0.25 × 105 cm 1 for λ = 740 nm, and a vanishing density of states at the Fermi level measured by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy support the prediction that Ti0.5Mg0.5N is a semiconductor. 

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