Size and interface control of novel nanocrystalline materials using pulsed laser deposition

We have developed a novel method based upon pulsed laser deposition to produce nanocrystalline materials with an accurate grain size and interface control. Using this method, the grain size in the case of Cu thin films was controlled by introducing a few monolayers of insoluble elements having high surface energy such as W, which increases interfacial energy and provides more nucleation sites. The grain size is determined by the thickness of Cu layer and the substrate temperature at which it transforms into islands (nanocrystalline grains) of fairly uniform size which we desgnate as self-assembling approach. Using this approach, the grain size was reduced from 160 nm (Cu or Si (100) substrate) to 70–80 nm for a simple W layer (Cu/W/Si (100)) to 4 nm for a multilayer (Cu/W/Cu/W/Si (100)) thin film. The hardness of these films was evaluated using a nanoindentation technique, a significant increase in hardness from 2.0 GPa for coarse-grained 180 nm to 12.5 GPa for 7 nm films was observed. However, there is decrease in hardness below7 nm for copper nanocrystals. The increase in hardness with the decrease in grain size can be rationalized by Hall–Petch model. However, the decrease in slope and eventually the decrease in hardness below a certain grain size can be explained by a new model based upon grain-boundary deformation (sliding). We also used a similar materials processing approach to produce quantum dots in semiconductor heterostructures consisting of Ge and ZnO dots or nanocrystals in AlN or Al2O3 matrix. The latter composites exhibit novel optoelectronic properties with quantum confinement of phonons, electrons, holes and excitons. Similarly, we incorporated metal nanocrystals in ceramics to produce improved mechanical and optical properties.