The AlN/TiN/MgO(001) interfaces, prepared by molecular beam epitaxy, have been characterized by cross-sectional high-resolution electron microscopy (HREM). The thin TiN buffer layer, with the thickness of 40 nm, is epitaxially grown on the MgO(001) substrate. Owing to the same structure-type as well as the small mismatch of their lattice parameters, the growth is governed by the parallel orientation relationship of (001)TiN||(001)MgO, (010)TiN||(010)MgO, and (111)TiN||(111)MgO. Two kinds of processes of the hexagonal AlN epitaxial growth on the as-received TiN(001), differed by the (0001)AlN plane parallel to, and the (1012) plane approximately parallel to the MgO substrate surface, respectively, are identified, and within them, several cases are classified which are based on the consideration of crystallographic symmetry. Theoretical calculations based on the geometrical model that was recently proposed and applied to a number of epitaxial systems have been carried out to rationalize these observations.

Alkaline earth and rare-earth fluoride thin films were prepared on silica glass substrates by a sol-gel process using trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) as a fluorine source. Homogeneous solutions were obtained by stirring a mixture of alkaline earth or rare-earth metal acetates, TFA and H2O, dissolved in isopropanol. The solutions were spin-coated and heated at 300–800 °C. The fluoride thin films were obtained by heat treatment around 400 °C in air. The crystallization behavior, the surface morphology, and the optical properties of the films depended on the heating temperature as well as the chemical species of the metal ions.

Diamondlike carbon (DLC) films have been prepared on radio-frequency (rf) biased substrates maintained at low temperature (∼60 °C) using electron cyclotron resonance CH4 –Ar plasma. The structures of the resultant films were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), Raman, and ultraviolet/visible (UV/VIS) spectrometry. The studies revealed that the deposited structures were DLC films with sp3/sp2 bond hybridization, extremely high hardness (>3000 kgf/mm2), and high electrical resistivity (up to 1014 Ω cm). The DLC films deposited on colorless (transparent) polymer plastics were examined to determine visible light transparencies and optical bandgaps. The results indicate that electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma processing with low negative rf bias, low deposition temperature, and suitable CH4/Ar gas composition can form optically visible light transparent and hard protective DLC films on polymer plastic surfaces.

Epitaxial PbTiO3 (PTO) thin films were grown on (001) LaAlO3 (LAO) substrates by a preseeded, two-step process via spin coating a Pb–Ti double alkoxide precursor solution. In the first step, a substrate was preseeded with epitaxial islands of PTO by coating the substrate with a very thin layer of the precursor solution and heat treating to 800 °C for 1 h. The isolated islands had an epitaxial orientation relationship of [100] (001)PTO || [100] (001)LAO. In the second step, another PTO thin film was deposited by spin coating to produce an epitaxial film via grain growth from the seeded islands. The sequence of epitaxy during heating between 400 and 800 °C was characterized by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). This sequence was compared to the case where the LAO substrate was not seeded. Regardless of whether the substrate was seeded or not, perovskite PTO grains nucleated and grew within the pyrolyzed, amorphous film. Films grown on the unseeded substrates were, at best, only highly textured, polycrystalline films. TEM observations showed that only a low number of epitaxial nuclei formed at the substrate/film interface due, apparently, to the large strain energy associated with the large lattice mismatch (~4%) between PTO and LAO. Other, unoriented, PTO grains that nucleated within the amorphous film were not consumed as the epitaxial grains grew larger with increasing temperature. On the other hand, good epitaxial films could be produced when the number density of epitaxial nuclei was increased by first forming a seeded substrate.

Erasable optical storage on an organic complex thin film m-nitrobenzal malononitrile and diamine benzene (m-NBMN/DAB) has been demonstrated. High contrast pattern can be produced by 780 nm laser pulses and can be erased by heating. The static optical recording characteristics were studied by the homemade static characterizer, and the structural properties of the thin films were investigated by the high resolution scanning electron microscope (HRSEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM).

The effect of heat treatment on the corrosion behavior of seven amorphous melt-spun Mg–Ni–Nd alloys containing 10–20 at.% Ni and 5–15 at.% Nd has been studied. Hydrogen evolution testing was used to determine the dissolution rate of the heat-treated specimens immersed in a 3% NaCl solution saturated with Mg(OH)2. The dissolution rates of the partially crystallized specimens were found to be lower than those of the untreated specimens, while the fully crystallized specimens exhibited marked deterioration of corrosion resistance. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies on the heat-treated specimens revealed precipitation of Mg3Nd, Mg12Nd, and Mg2Ni phases during the crystallization. TEM results show that the partially crystallized structure consists of uniform dispersion of either Mg3Nd or Mg2Ni in the amorphous matrix. In contrast, multiple phases precipitate in the fully crystallized specimen.

Thin films of polychloroprene (CR; Neoprene-W) were made by casting its solution (2.0 wt%) in benzene onto the water surface, and some of them were stretched by a desired amount of strain (ε) in their “molten” state. The specimens thus prepared were then crystallized and examined by transmission electron microscopy. Morphological observations in bright- and dark-field imaging modes and selected-area electron diffraction analysis revealed directly that filamentous entities observed in the bright-field image are the edge-on lamellar crystals. It was, therefore, confirmed that the morphological results obtained from the thin specimens of CR without any electron staining are basically in accord with those reported so far for the OsO4-stained thin films of CR.

Manganese oxide films for lithium secondary batteries were prepared using a reactive evaporation method. Mn was evaporated from a molybdenum boat by resistive heating and deposited on a glass slide under oxygen atmosphere. These films were examined with x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and x-ray diffraction. The Mn oxide films with a wide valency of Mn were prepared in this study. A rapid change of the back pressure was found as the deposition of Mn was started. This implies that Mn atoms start to react with O2. This means that in situ detection of reactive evaporation process can be utilized.

The microstructure of the amorphous, silicide, and crystalline Fe films grown on Si(001) substrates by a radio-frequency (rf) magnetron sputtering was studied in synchrotron x-ray scattering experiments. During the growth, iron-silicide interlayers were always formed. The silicide interlayer became crystalline β–FeSi2 at high rf power (⩾20 W/cm2) and at the substrate temperature of 100 °C. The formation of the β–FeSi2 was also promoted by postannealing to 300 °C. The Fe films grown on top of the silicide interlayer were amorphous at low substrate temperatures (⩽100 °C). It became crystalline only at high substrate temperature (300 °C) with the low rf power of 2 W/cm2. The crystalline Fe film was nonepitaxial but had the [111] preferred orientation.

The effect of in situ vapor phase salt-encapsulation on particle size and morphology was systematically investigated in a sodium co-flow/furnace reactor. The temperature of the furnace was varied, and the primary particle size and degree of agglomeration of the resulting silicon and germanium particles were determined from transmission electron micrograph images of particles sampled in situ. Particle size increased with increasing temperature, a trend expected from our understanding of particle formation in a high-temperature process in the absence of an encapsulant. Germanium, which coalesces faster than silicon, formed larger particles than silicon at the same temperatures, also in agreement with observations of particle growth in more traditional aerosol processes. At the highest temperatures, unagglomerated particles were formed, while at low temperatures, agglomerated particles were formed, with agglomerate shape following the shape of the salt coating.