Papers by Author: Masasuke Takata

Abstract: Nickel wire was used as a starting material to fabricate Ni nanoparticles. A glass substrate was placed above the wire to deposit the particles. The wire was heated by applying a d. c. voltage in the range of 2.2 ~ 4.0 V in oxygen atmosphere until the wire broke. White deposits were observed on the substrate after the heating. The TEM observation revealed that the deposits consisted of cubic nanoparticles with the edge lengths of 2 ~ 200 nm. The size of the particle tended to decrease with decreasing voltage. The particles were covered with films of approximately 4 nm in thickness. After reducing in hydrogen at 250°C for 30 min, the thickness of the films on the cubic particles decreased and the XRD peak intensity attributed to NiO decreased. Consequently the particles were found to be cubic Ni nanoparticles covered with NiO thin films.

Abstract: Zn wire was used as starting material in the fabrication of ZnO crystals in which a glass substrate was placed above the wire to grow ZnO crystals. The wire was heated by electric current in air. When the wire broke because of Joule heating, smoke arose from the wire and ZnO crystals were observed on the broken point, in the vicinity of the broken point, and on the glass substrate. The morphology and cathodoluminescence of the crystals were investigated. The crystals on the wire were 0.2–5 μm in size. The peak intensity ratio of ultraviolet (UV) emission to green emission increased with decreasing crystal size. The crystals on the substrate were tetrapod-like; the length and diameter of the tetrapod legs were 100–500 nm and 10–30 nm, respectively. The tetrapod-like nanocrystals produced only UV emissions.

Abstract: A ceramic rod of GdBa2Cu3O7-δ with Gd2BaCuO5 core was prepared using a dip coater and sintered at 950oC. A hot spot appeared when a certain voltage was applied to the rod. Oxygen sensing characteristics of the rod were investigated. It was found that the response time of the oxygen sensor using the rod with the core was shorter than that without the core, because the length of the oxygen diffusion in GdBa2Cu3O7-δ part in the rod with the core was shorter than that without the core.

Abstract: Tungsten trioxide films were deposited on the glass substrate by electric current heating method using tungsten wire in air. Applied voltages to the tungsten wire were increased at rates of 0.05, 0.5, 5 and 50 V/min. The resultant films consisted of particles. A particle size of the crystals increased with increasing voltage applying rate. The effects of an ultraviolet (UV) irradiation on the reflectance of the films were investigated. The reflectance in the wavelength range of 500 - 2500 nm decreased by the irradiation. When the films were left in dark after the irradiation, the reflectance returned to the initial. With increasing voltage applying rate, absorption peak shifted toward longer wavelength in the region of 1250 - 1500 nm and the peak intensity decreased.

Abstract: A glass substrate was sputter-etched by R. F. magnetron sputtering at the powers of 100 or 200 W for 60 min in Ar gas. Pd thin film as a sensing agent of hydrogen (H2) was deposited on the glass substrate. The durability of the sensor was evaluated during hydrogen absorption-desorption cycles. The Pd thin film on the glass substrate without sputter etching peeled off after dozens of the cycles. However, the Pd thin film on sputter-etched glass substrate didn’t peel off. The contact angle of water on the glass substrate with sputter etching was smaller than that without sputter etching, suggesting that the surface energy of the substrate was increased by employing the sputter etching process. The improvement of durability for the optical hydrogen sensor using sputter etched substrate was related to the increase of surface energy induced by the sputter etching.

Abstract: Aluminum nitride ceramics were sintered with 1.0 and 4.8 mass% Ca3Al2O6 (C3A) as a sintering additive. Temperature dependence of cathodoluminescence (CL) for the ceramics was investigated in order to obtain information on lattice defects. The CL peak intensity at 3.5 eV in the ceramics sintered with 1.0 mass% C3A decreased with increasing temperature, so called thermal quenching. The maximum CL peak intensity of the ceramics sintered with 4.8 mass% C3A was much lower than that with 1.0 mass% C3A, reflecting that the oxygen-induced defect density dramatically decreased with increasing amount of C3A. In case of the ceramics sintered with 4.8 mass% C3A, the CL peak intensity at 3.4 eV showed the thermal quenching in the range of 130 - 350 K, whereas in the range of 80 - 130 K and 350 - 475 K, it increased with increasing temperature, so called “negative” thermal quenching. From the results, we suggest a presence of at least two trapping levels in the ceramics sintered with C3A.

Abstract: Zinc oxide (ZnO) ceramics was coupled and reacted with alpha aluminum oxide (α-Al2O3) ceramics at 1200oC for 24 h. SEM observation and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis revealed the existence of diffusion layer of 10 μm thickness on the α-Al2O3 side of interface between ZnO and α-Al2O3. The diffusion layer is considered to consist of a ZnAl2O4, from the result of XRD. The cathodoluminescence of the diffusion layer was compared with that of zinc aluminate (ZnAl2O4) ceramics synthesized by conventional solid state reaction method. The single phase ZnAl2O4 showed weak emission peaked at 4.6 eV. On the other hand, the diffusion layer showed intense emission peaked at 3.75 eV. The ZnAl2O4 on the α-Al2O3 side of the interface synthesized by coupling of ZnO and α-Al2O3 is considered to be a excellent material as an ultraviolet light emitter.

Abstract: Beta gallium oxide (β-Ga2O3) ceramics was coupled and reacted with zinc oxide (ZnO) ceramics at 1200oC for 24 h. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis revealed the existence of diffusion layer near the interface between β-Ga2O3 and ZnO. Furthermore, the layer showed monochromatic and intense cathodoluminescence (CL) at 3.5 eV. On the other hand, very weak emissions were observed from the out of the layer. The compound in the layer is considered to be an attractive material for ultraviolet optoelectronics.

Abstract: We developed a new zinc oxide (ZnO) crystal growth method using Au combined with electric current heating. Au paste was placed on a ZnO ceramic bar. When a certain current flowed through the bar, the paste melted on the bar. Then crystals grew on the molten Au surface immediately. The shape of the crystals depended on the atmosphere during the growth. The whiskers with spherical top and the crystals consisting of a hexangular pyramidal base and needle head were grown on Au in air and Ar atmosphere, respectively. From cathodoluminescence at room temperature, the weak ultraviolet (UV) emission at approximately 3.2 eV and the strong visible emission at approximately 2.3 eV were observed from the whisker grown in air. The UV emission at approximately 3.3 eV dominated a spectrum from the pyramidal crystal grown in Ar atmosphere.

Abstract: The heteroepitaxial growth of 3C-SiC films on Si(100) substrates by the hot-mesh chemical vapor deposition (HM-CVD) method using monomethylsilane as a source gas was investigated. From the results of X-ray diffraction spectra, 3C-SiC crystal was epitaxially grown on Si substrates at substrate temperatures above 750°C. The SiC/Si interface was observed by cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy, and was confirmed to be void-free and smooth. The density of hydrogen radicals supplied to the substrate surface during the growth was also estimated measuring the optical absorbance change of tungsten phosphate glass plates. From the dependence of the growth rate on substrate temperature, the mechanism of SiC film growth by HM-CVD was considered.