Nicola Nedev
Universidad Autonoma de Baja California, Engineering, Faculty Member
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A physical model is presented which allows calculation of the carrier and potential distributions and the output voltage of a one dimensional position sensitive detector based on an ITO/a-Si:H/Pd structure. The calculation results are in... more
A physical model is presented which allows calculation of the carrier and potential distributions and the output voltage of a one dimensional position sensitive detector based on an ITO/a-Si:H/Pd structure. The calculation results are in agreement with those experimentally measured. Using the experimental data the effective electron diffusion length in the ITO layer is estimated to be about 0.65 cm. The effect of surface recombination on the device characteristics is studied by a numerical method.
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First results on resistive switching in SiOx film containing crystalline silicon nanoparticles are reported. SiOx layers (x = 1.15) with thickness of 50 nm were deposited on n-Si crystalline substrates and annealed for 60 min at 1000oC to... more
First results on resistive switching in SiOx film containing crystalline silicon nanoparticles are reported. SiOx layers (x = 1.15) with thickness of 50 nm were deposited on n-Si crystalline substrates and annealed for 60 min at 1000oC to grow crystalline nanoparticles. Part of the samples were annealed in an inert atmosphere, while the rest were subjected to a two-step (O2+N2/N2) annealing process. Current-voltage (I-V) characteristics were by applying positive or negative voltage to the top contact. For both types of samples the I-V characteristics were asymmetric with lower currents measured at negative voltage, especially in the case of two-step annealed samples. In most of the N2 annealed structures switching behavior high-low/low-high resistance state was observed in both polarities at voltages with amplitudes in the range (2 - 4) V. Uncontrolled switching low/high resistance was also seen, more frequently at positive voltages. In contrast, the two-step annealed samples showed stable behavior. The transition high-low resistance state was achieved by negative voltages in the (-2, -5) V range leading to an increase of the current by more than three orders of magnitude. The structures were reset to the high resistive state, by positive voltage in the range (3 - 4) V. Uncontrolled switching was not observed in the two-step annealed samples for both polarities and they showed higher reliability regarding the number of switching cycles.
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Research Interests: Engineering, Materials Engineering, Materials Science, Hydrogen, Chemical Vapor Deposition, and 15 morePhysical sciences, Non crystalline solids, Methane, Radio Frequency, Laser Ablation, Ceramic, Hydrogenated Amorphous Silicon, CHEMICAL SCIENCES, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Epitaxy, Growth rate, Amorphous carbon, Bulk Density, Crystallite, and Elastic Recoil Detection Analysis
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Hydrogen sulphide (H2S) is considered one of the most corrosive atmospheric pollutants. It is a weak, diprotic, reducing acid, readily soluble in water and dispersed into the air by winds when emitted from natural, industrial, and... more
Hydrogen sulphide (H2S) is considered one of the most corrosive atmospheric pollutants. It is a weak, diprotic, reducing acid, readily soluble in water and dispersed into the air by winds when emitted from natural, industrial, and anthropogenic sources. It is a pollutant with a high level of toxicity impairing human health and the environment quality. It attacks copper forming thin films of metallic sulphides or dendrite whiskers, which are cathodic to the metal substrate, enhancing corrosion. H2S is actively involved in microbially influenced corrosion (MIC) which develops in water, involving sulphur based bacteria, in oxidizing and reducing chemical reactions. H2S is found in concentrated geothermal brines, in the atmosphere of geothermal fields, and in municipal sewage systems. Other active atmospheric pollutants include SOX, NOX, and CO. This investigation reports on the effects of H2S on copper in microelectronic components of equipment and devices, with the formation of noncon...
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Zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films were grown at 70 °C by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition using H2O and O2 plasmas. Plasma oxidants were used in order to improve the ZnO crystallinity and optoelectronic properties, avoiding... more
Zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films were grown at 70 °C by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition using H2O and O2 plasmas. Plasma oxidants were used in order to improve the ZnO crystallinity and optoelectronic properties, avoiding high-temperature synthesis. The deposition parameters were optimized to achieve saturation in each reaction step. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) reveals high purity of the obtained ZnO films. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements indicate that the grown layers are polycrystalline and that the H2O plasma synthesis leads to better crystallinity than the O2 plasma as inferred from the intensity of the (100) and (002) peaks. The films are with high optical transmission, ~90%, as inferred from UV–visible (UV–Vis) transmittance measurements, and optical band gaps of 3.22 and 3.23 eV for H2O and O2 plasma, respectively. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) indicates that the films are smooth, with an average roughness of ~ 0.22 nm. The growth rate was found to be in the range of 1.2–1.4 Å/cycle. The XPS, XRD, UV–Vis, and AFM results prove the possibility to obtain high-quality ZnO films by O2 and H2O plasma processes at 70 °C with chemical, structural, and optical properties promising for flexible electronics. ZnO films were successfully deposited on polyethylene terephthalate substrates using the optimal conditions for H2O plasma process. No damage of the film surface or substrate was observed.
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Abstract Colloidal nickel nanoparticles were prepared by a top-down approach using an electric discharge. The method was improved by a computerized control unit implemented with virtual instrumentation. A controlled electric arc discharge... more
Abstract Colloidal nickel nanoparticles were prepared by a top-down approach using an electric discharge. The method was improved by a computerized control unit implemented with virtual instrumentation. A controlled electric arc discharge between two nickel electrodes generates a plasma, which rapidly disintegrates the nickel to form nanoparticles in deionized water. Dynamic light scattering and scanning electron microscopy show synthesis of nickel nanoparticles with size distributions that depend on the discharge parameters.
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X-ray Diffraction and Reflectivity, Transmission Electron Microscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy were applied to study the effect of thermal annealing on the properties of thin SiOx films (~ 15 nm) prepared by thermal evaporation of SiO... more
X-ray Diffraction and Reflectivity, Transmission Electron Microscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy were applied to study the effect of thermal annealing on the properties of thin SiOx films (~ 15 nm) prepared by thermal evaporation of SiO in vacuum. It has been shown that furnace annealing at 1000 oC causes phase separation and formation of uniformly distributed Si nanocrystals into a SiO2 matrix. Clockwise hysteresis has been observed in the C-V curves measured and explained by assuming charging and discharging of the NCs with carriers, which tunnel from the Si substrate.
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The effect of annealing temperature on the properties of c-Si wafer/SiOx interface (x = 1.15 and 1.3) is studied by Transmission Electron Microscopy and Capacitance/Conductance-Voltage measurements. Furnace annealing for 60 min at 700 and... more
The effect of annealing temperature on the properties of c-Si wafer/SiOx interface (x = 1.15 and 1.3) is studied by Transmission Electron Microscopy and Capacitance/Conductance-Voltage measurements. Furnace annealing for 60 min at 700 and 1000 °C is used to grow amorphous or crystalline Si nanoparticles. The high temperature process leads to an epitaxial overgrowth of the Si wafer and an increase of the interface roughness, 3-4 monolayers at 700 °C and 4-5 monolayers at 1000 °C. The increased surface roughness is in correlation with the higher density of electrically active interface states.
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Si0 2 films deposited by reactive r.f. magnetron sputtering at two applied powers, 420 and 560 W, and at partial pressure ratios between oxygen and Ar in the range 1 - 0.1 are studied. FTIR spectra show that all films have compositions... more
Si0 2 films deposited by reactive r.f. magnetron sputtering at two applied powers, 420 and 560 W, and at partial pressure ratios between oxygen and Ar in the range 1 - 0.1 are studied. FTIR spectra show that all films have compositions close to the stoichiometric one. High temperature annealing at 1000°C shifts the band due to the Si-O-Si symmetric stretching vibration to values typical of stoichiometric Si0 2 . The MOS structures with Si0 2 deposited at P = 420 W and a gas pressure ratio R = 1 have lower densities of defects at the SiO 2 /c-Si interface than those deposited at the same R but at P = 560 W. For both series of samples, a decrease in the oxygen partial pressure leads to an increase in the interface defect density. In all MOS structures, the main component of the current flowing through the oxide at electric fields higher than 4 MV/cm is due to Fowler-Nordheim tunnelling.
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Abstract Thin NiOx layers were prepared by oxidation at 400, 500 and 600 °C of metallic Ni deposited by electron beam evaporation. The bandgap of NiOx determined from optical measurements increases from 3.6 to 3.7 eV with the increase of... more
Abstract Thin NiOx layers were prepared by oxidation at 400, 500 and 600 °C of metallic Ni deposited by electron beam evaporation. The bandgap of NiOx determined from optical measurements increases from 3.6 to 3.7 eV with the increase of oxidation temperature from 400 to 500°C. Higher temperature leads to larger grain sizes, 12.6 nm at 400 °C, 15.3 nm at 500 °C and 16.1 nm 600 °C. Photodiodes based on NiOx/Si heterostructure were fabricated by evaporation of semitransparent Au top contacts. The structures with NiOx obtained at 500 °C showed superior diode characteristics compared to the other two types of devices with dark current
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Research Interests: Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Transmission Electron Microscopy, Physical Vapor Deposition, and 14 moreThin Film, Physical sciences, Refractive Index, CHEMICAL SCIENCES, Silicon Oxide, X ray diffraction, Phase Separation, Spectroscopic Ellipsometry, Microstructures, Film Thickness, X Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, Capacitance voltage, Transition Region, and X Ray Spectroscopy
Nanolaminate multilayers made of Al2O3 and Y2O3 bilayer slabs were grown at 250 C by means of thermal Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD). Several samples were prepared, where the number of ALD cycles for the Al2O3 slab was kept constant at 17... more
Nanolaminate multilayers made of Al2O3 and Y2O3 bilayer slabs were grown at 250 C by means of thermal Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD). Several samples were prepared, where the number of ALD cycles for the Al2O3 slab was kept constant at 17 ALD cycles, while the number for the Y2O3 slabs was varied from 1 to 100. An optical model was built and adapted for each sample considering the Cauchy relationship, which was used to simulate the optical response for transparent materials. The thickness obtained from the optical model was in agreement with the thickness of cross-sectional SEM images. The optical band gap, obtained from single-effective-oscillator model, varied from 5.45 to 4.24 eV as a function of the Y2O3 slab thickness. The refractive index as well as the optical band gap can be modulated systematically using the Al2O3:Y2O3 ratio as control parameter. By means of simulated propagation modes it is shown that there is a multimode behavior for thickness around 200 nm at wavelengths ...
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Epitaxial beta-gallium oxide (b-Ga2O3) has been deposited on c-plane sapphire by plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy technique using two methods. One method relied on a compound Ga2O3 source with oxygen plasma while the second used... more
Epitaxial beta-gallium oxide (b-Ga2O3) has been deposited on c-plane sapphire by plasma-assisted molecular-beam epitaxy technique using two methods. One method relied on a compound Ga2O3 source with oxygen plasma while the second used elemental Ga source with oxygen plasma. A side-by-side comparison of the growth parameters between these two methods has been demonstrated. With various substrate temperatures, pure phase ð 201Þ oriented b-Ga2O3 thin films were obtained using both sources. Reflection high energy electron diffraction patterns displayed a threefold reconstruction during the growth. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis showed a shift in the binding energy of the Ga 2p peaks consistent with a Ga being in a þ3 oxidation state. For transparent oxide like b-Ga2O3, it is important to determine the index of refraction (n) and its functional dependence on the wavelength. The Cauchy dispersion relation was employed to evaluate the refractive index, film thickness, roughness ...
Al2O3 layers with thicknesses in the 25–120 nm range were deposited by plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition at 70 °C. Trimethylaluminum was used as organometallic precursor, O2 and H2O as oxidant agents and Ar as a purge gas. The... more
Al2O3 layers with thicknesses in the 25–120 nm range were deposited by plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition at 70 °C. Trimethylaluminum was used as organometallic precursor, O2 and H2O as oxidant agents and Ar as a purge gas. The deposition cycle consisted of 50 ms TMA pulse/10 s purge time/6 s of plasma oxidation at 200 W/10 s purge time. The optical constants and thicknesses of the grown layers were determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry, while the roughness was measured by atomic force microscopy, giving RMS values in the 0.29–0.32 nm range for films deposited under different conditions and having different thicknesses. High transmittance, ~90%, was measured by UV–Vis spectroscopy. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that, with both types of oxidants, the obtained films are close to stoichiometric composition and, with high purity, no carbon was detected. Electrical characterization showed good insulating properties of both types of films, though the H2O oxidant leads ...
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β-Ga2O3 thin films were grown on c-plane sapphire substrates by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The films were grown using an elemental gallium source and oxygen supplied by an RF plasma source. Reflection high-energy electron... more
β-Ga2O3 thin films were grown on c-plane sapphire substrates by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The films were grown using an elemental gallium source and oxygen supplied by an RF plasma source. Reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) was used to monitor the surface quality in real time. Both in situ RHEED and ex situ X-ray diffraction confirmed the formation of single crystal β-phase films with excellent crystallinity on c-plane sapphire. Spectroscopic ellipsometry was used to determine the film thicknesses, giving values in the 11.6–18.8 nm range and the refractive index dispersion curves. UV-Vis transmittance measurements revealed that strong absorption of β-Ga2O3 starts at ∼270 nm. Top metal contacts were deposited by thermal evaporation for I-V characterization, which has been carried out in dark, as well as under visible and UV light illumination. The optical and electrical measurements showed that the grown thin films of β-Ga2O3 are excellent candidates fo...
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The design route, synthesis, and characterization of spherical copper nanoparticles with antifungal potential are reported in the present work. Copper nanoparticles were synthesized by a novel, inexpensive, and eco-friendly chemical... more
The design route, synthesis, and characterization of spherical copper nanoparticles with antifungal potential are reported in the present work. Copper nanoparticles were synthesized by a novel, inexpensive, and eco-friendly chemical reduction method using ascorbic acid as a reductant and stabilizer under reflux conditions. The characterization results showed the formation of homogeneous, dispersed, and stable spherical ascorbic acid-capped copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) with a diameter of 250 nm. The CuNPs exhibited sustained antifungal activity against Candida albicans (C. albicans) after 24 h and even 48 h of incubation. Using enhanced dark-field microscopy, we presented the in situ interaction between CuNPs and C. albicans. Here, part of the interaction of CuNPs among the C. albicans, studied without the use of any chemical and/or physical fixing method, is discussed. The results indicate that part of the antifungal mechanism involves a promoted adhesion of CuNPs onto the cell wall...
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Carbon nanohybrid material (CNF/γ-Fe2O3) was obtained via a modified sol-gel technique consisting of two steps: functionalization of carbon nanofibers (CNF) in H2SO4/HNO3 followed by synthesis using Fe(NO3)3∙9H2O. As a result, the iron... more
Carbon nanohybrid material (CNF/γ-Fe2O3) was obtained via a modified sol-gel technique consisting of two steps: functionalization of carbon nanofibers (CNF) in H2SO4/HNO3 followed by synthesis using Fe(NO3)3∙9H2O. As a result, the iron content of the CNF/γ-Fe2O3 was increased by more than twice from about 40% to about 87% mass percent, compared to the pristine CNF and oxidized CNF specimens, as proved by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence. Scanning electron microscopy images exhibited “cumulus” on the CNF/γ-Fe2O3 specimen surface, which showed the highest iron mass percentage, proved by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Transmission electron microscopy images confirmed attachment of γ-Fe2O3 cumulus to the inner and outer surfaces of the CNF walls after synthesis. The characteristic peaks of Fe 2p3/2 and Fe 2p1/2 appeared in the XPS spectra obtained on CNF/γ-Fe2O3. In addition, X-ray diffraction (XRD) results indicated formation of γ-Fe2O3 during the synthesis process. The Rama...
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We have provided evidence that the beneficial effect of super-oxidized water (SOW) disinfected Ti6Al4V-TiO2 nanotubes (NTs) can reduce bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation. However, the need of antifungal nanostructured surfaces with... more
We have provided evidence that the beneficial effect of super-oxidized water (SOW) disinfected Ti6Al4V-TiO2 nanotubes (NTs) can reduce bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation. However, the need of antifungal nanostructured surfaces with osteoactive capabilities is an important goal that has been arising for dental implants (DI) applications. Thus, in the present study we isolated and tested the effects of Candida albicans (C. albicans) on disinfected, wetter and nanoroughness NTs compared to a non-modified control. Moreover, we elucidated part of the fungal adhesion mechanism by studying and relating the mycotic adhesion kinetics and the formation of fungal nanoadhesion bonds among the experimental materials, to gain new insight of the fungal-material-interface. Similarly, the initial behavior of human alveolar bone osteoblasts (HAOb) was microscopically evaluated. NTs significantly reduced the yeasts adhesion and viability with non-outcomes of biofilm than the non-modified surface...
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Selective UV sensitivity was observed in Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor structures with Si nanoclusters. Si nanocrystals and amorphous Si nanoparticles (a-Si NPs) were obtained by furnace annealing of SiOx films with x = 1.15 for 60 min in N2... more
Selective UV sensitivity was observed in Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor structures with Si nanoclusters. Si nanocrystals and amorphous Si nanoparticles (a-Si NPs) were obtained by furnace annealing of SiOx films with x = 1.15 for 60 min in N2 at 1000 and 700 °C, respectively. XPS and TEM analysis prove phase separation and formation of Si nanocrystals in SiO2, while the a-Si NPs are formed in SiO1.7 matrix. Both types of structures show selective sensitivity to UV light; the effect is more pronounced in the structure with nanocrystals. The responsivity of the nanocrystal structure to 365 nm UV light is ~ 4 times higher than that to green light at 4 V applied to the top contact. The observed effect is explained by assuming that only short wavelength radiation generates photocarriers in the amorphous and crystalline nanoclusters.