NSF-DFG: Advances in ion-surface interaction-driven manufacturing of one-dimensional metal oxide heterostructures

本课题致力于探索利用斜角沉积和辅助离子轰击（iGLAD）原理，反应生长空间相干、均匀、高质量的复合一维纳米异质结构的先进制造方法。在制造过程中实现的一个辅助离子源将随后用于i)通过离子侵蚀对衬底进行预图像化，ii)通过反应性离子轰击控制相和化学计量，以及iii)通过离子计算控制纳米结构尺寸。以ZrO2-MoO3-x为模型物质，采用假设驱动的方法研究了金属氧化物纳米异质结构的成核、生长、界面形成、表面图像化和纳米结构制作与离子能量、离子电流密度、入射角和离子质量等工艺参数的关系。在任意样品位置的原位光谱椭偏仪将被应用于实时监测制造过程中的材料发展。制备工艺的进步伴随着离子辅助生长过程中粒子通量的全面分析，以及基于蒙特卡罗的沉积过程中粒子传输的模拟。如果成功，将建立一维纳米结构中离子轰击和斜粒子通量函数的改进桑顿图。该提案基于双方对先进增材制造的低能反应离子束加工的科学兴趣，并结合了美国内布拉斯加-林肯大学副教授Eva Schubert博士和德国莱布尼茨表面工程研究所离子束辅助图形化和平滑部门负责人Frank Frost博士的专业知识。高分辨率STEM成像结合EDX元素分析将由来自德国哈勒/萨勒的IOM分包商fraunhofer材料与系统微结构研究所的混合系统团队经理ren<s:1> Feder博士进行。

This proposal is dedicated to the exploration of advanced manufacturing methods for the reactive growth of spatially coherent, homogeneous, and high-quality compound one-dimensional nano-heterostructures by principles of oblique angle deposition and assist ion bombardment (iGLAD). One assist ion source implemented into the fabrication process will be subsequentially operated for i) substrate pre-patterning via ion erosion, ii) control of phase and stoichiometry via reactive ion bombardment, and iii) nanostructure size control via ion figuring. A hypothesis driven approach is employed to investigate nucleation, growth, interface formation, surface patterning and nanostructure crafting for the fabrication of metal oxide nano-heterostructures in correlation to process parameters such as ion energy, ion current density, angle of incidence and ion mass, using ZrO2-MoO3-x as a model substance. In-situ spectroscopic ellipsometry at arbitrary sample positions will be applied to monitor material development during manufacturing in real-time. The advancements of the fabrication process are accompanied by a comprehensive analysis of particle fluxes which are involved in the ion assisted growth process, and by Monte-Carlo based simulations of the particle transport during deposition. If successful, a modified Thornton diagram of microstructure evolution in 1D nanostructures as a function of ion bombardment and oblique particle fluxes will be established. This proposal is based on mutual scientific interest in low-energy reactive ion beam processing for advanced additive manufacturing and combines expertise from Dr. Eva Schubert, Associate Professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (U.S.A.) and Dr. Frank Frost, Head of Division for Ion Beam Assisted Patterning and Smoothing at the Leibniz-Institute for Surface Engineering (Germany). High resolution STEM imaging in combination with EDX elemental analysis will be conducted by Dr. René Feder, Team Manager Hybrid Systems, from IOM sub-contractor Fraunhofer-Institute for Microstructures of Materials and Systems in Halle/Saale (Germany).