2020/10/28 by R. Cummings, R. Bassiri, Cummings, Rebecca B. +5
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #Geophysics and Gravity Measurements #Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci) #Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research #Spacecraft and Cryogenic Technologies
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2010.14893
openalex publication_date 2020/10/28 · openalex created_date 2022/07/25 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The argon content of titanium dioxide doped tantalum pentoxide thin films was\nquantified in a spatially resolved way using HAADF images and DualEELS. Films\nannealed at 300\∘C, 400\∘C and 600\∘C were investigated\nto see if there was a relationship between annealing temperature and bubble\nformation. It was shown using HAADF imaging that argon is present in most of\nthese films and that bubbles of argon start to form after annealing at\n400\∘C and coarsen after annealing at 600\∘C. A semi-empirical\nstandard was created for the quantification using argon data from the EELS\natlas and experimental data scaled using a Hartree Slater cross section. The\ndensity and pressure of argon within the bubbles was calculated for 35 bubbles\nin the 600\∘C sample. The bubbles had a mean diameter, density and\npressure of 22 rA, 870kg/m3 and 400MPa, respectively. The pressure was\ncalculated using the Van der Waals equation. The bubbles may affect the\nproperties of the films, which are used as optical coatings for mirrors in\ngravitational wave detectors. This spatially resolved quantification technique\ncan be readily applied to other small noble gas bubbles in a range of\nmaterials.\n