Crystalline silicon (c-Si) photovoltaics dominate the solar industry, yet further advancements hinge on passivating and carrier-selective contacts to overcome e

Ti─Si─N thin films exhibiting a near-zero temperature coefficient of resistivity (0.05 ppm K−1) across 80–420 K is developed for precision electronics. Achieved through atomic layer deposition, the f...

The grants will help students within 1 year of completion of their degree

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is demonstrated as an effective technique for conformally coating nanoparticles with ultrathin diffusion barrier layers to control grain growth during sintering. In this study, ALD aluminum oxide (Al2O3) films are deposited on zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (∼60 nm diameter) and subjected to sintering at 850 °C under uniaxial loading of 150 MPa. Uncoated ZnO forms a densified ceramic with grain sizes of 2.76 ± 0.50 μm. In contrast, ALD-coated nanoparticles exhibit restricted grain growth. A 1 nm Al2O3 coating limits the sintered ZnO grains to 89 ± 23 nm, and a 10 nm coating restricts the ZnO grains to 55 ± 7 nm. These results underscore the effectiveness of ALD to engineer grain boundary diffusion barriers and, when integrated with conventional processing methods, its potential for enabling the scalable manufacturing of nanocrystalline ceramics for use as transparent bulk materials with noncubic crystal structures.

The etching of ZnO thin films using acetylacetone (Hacac) doses with long exposure times, followed by purging and subsequent exposure to O2 plasma, is studied i

Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) enables precise surface engineering by exerting control over film structure and composition at the nanoscale. This idea has led to the use of ALD for developing efficient...