arXiv subjects

Joseph W. Brill

Publications and source records attributed to Joseph W. Brill.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Laser-Ablated Au Electrodes with Preferred Orientation and Flat Interface on Oxides

Gold (Au) thin-film electrodes deposited on oxides by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) exhibit distinctive structural properties compared with thermally evaporated Au films. While thermally evaporated Au forms polycrystalline films with randomly oriented grains, PLD-grown Au films show a strong preferred [111] orientation perpendicular to the substrate surface, likely due to the energetic nature of the laser-ablated Au plume. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy reveals atomically flat interfaces between the PLD-grown Au electrodes and epitaxial oxide thin films, separated by nanometer-scale gaps comparable to interlayer spacings in van der Waals materials. The highly ordered microstructure and flat interfacial morphology result in enhanced adhesion of the Au films to oxide surfaces. These results demonstrate that PLD can produce both high-quality Au electrodes and oxide thin films within a single deposition platform, offering improved interfacial control and potential benefits for a wide range of oxide electronic and functional devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Enhanced Patterned Fluorescence from Polystyrene through Focused Electron Beam Irradiation under Various Gases

We report on a novel method for tuning and enhancing fluorescence from irradiated polystyrene through electron-beam exposure in gaseous environments. We describe the effect of electron dose and ambient gas on the photoluminescence spectra and yield of irradiated PS films on insulating and conductive substrates. PS films were exposed in an environmental scanning electron microscope using a 20 keV electron beam, ambient gas pressures from high vacuum to 3 mbar, and electron doses from 1.8 to 45 mC cm-2. Irradiated PS films were characterized using confocal microscopy, TEM, EDS and FTIR spectroscopy. From emission spectra collected using confocal microscopy we found that the emission wavelength and photon yield of the irradiated film can be tuned by both dose and gas pressure. The emission wavelength blue-shifts with increasing pressure and red-shifts with increasing dose enabling an overall tuning range of 451 - 544 nm. Significant enhancement in the PL intensity, up to 18 times on sapphire substrates under helium when compared to high vacuum, are observed. Overall, the highest PL yield is observed on soda lime glass substrates under argon. Also, the photon-yield on conductive substrates is significantly smaller than that yield from insulating substrates. TEM images revealed e-beam irradiated PS is amorphous in nature and elemental mapping EDS revealed no signs of film oxidation. FTIR spectroscopy revealed that under gaseous environments the decay of aromatic and aliphatic C-H stretches is reduced compared to the high vacuum exposure; in all cases, features associated with the phenyl rings are preserved. Localized e-beam synthesis of fluorophores in PS can be controlled by both dose and by ambient gas pressure. This technique could enable new approaches to photonics where fluorophores with tunable emission properties can be locally introduced by e-beam patterning.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2012

Dynamic Infrared Electro-Optic Response of Soluble Organic Semiconductors in Thin Film Transistors

We use a frequency-dependent electro-optic technique to measure the hole mobility in small molecule organic semiconductors, such as 6,13 bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl)-pentacene. Measurements are made on semiconductor films in bottom gate, bottom contact field-effect transistors (FETs.) Because of the buried metal layer effect the maximum response, due to absorption in the charge layer, will be for a dielectric film ~ 1/4 of a wavelength (in the dielectric) (e.g. ~ 1 micron thick in the infrared.) Results are presented for FETs prepared with both spin-cast polymer and alumina dielectrics prepared by atomic layer deposition. At low frequencies the results are fit to solutions to a non-linear differential equation describing the spatial dependence of flowing charge in the FET channel, which allows us to study multiple crystals forming across one set of drain-source contacts. FETs prepared on alumina dielectrics show interesting deviations from the model at high frequencies, possibly due to increased contact impedance.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2008

Phase transitions in LaFeAsO: structural, magnetic, elastic, and transport properties, heat capacity and Mossbauer spectra

We present results from a detailed experimental investigation of LaFeAsO, the parent material in the series of "FeAs" based oxypnictide superconductors. Upon cooling this material undergoes a tetragonal-orthorhombic crystallographic phase transition at ~160 K followed closely by an antiferromagnetic ordering near 145 K. Analysis of these phase transitions using temperature dependent powder X-ray and neutron diffraction measurements is presented. A magnetic moment of ~0.35 Bohr magnetons per iron is derived from Mossbauer spectra in the low temperature phase. Evidence of the structural transition is observed at temperatures well above the structural transition (up to near 200 K) in the diffraction data as well as the polycrystalline elastic moduli probed by resonant ultrasound spectroscopy measurements. The effects of the two phase transitions on the transport properties (resistivity, thermal conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, Hall coefficient), heat capacity, and magnetization of LaFeAsO are also reported, including a dramatic increase in the magnitude of the Hall coefficient below 160 K. The results suggest that the structural distortion leads to a localization of carriers on Fe, producing small local magnetic moments which subsequently order antiferromagnetically upon further cooling. Evidence of strong electron-phonon interactions in the high-temperature tetragonal phase is also observed.

cond-mat.supr-con↗