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PATENT SUMMARY:
The invention generally relates to ion texturing methods and articles.
In part, the invention relates to the realization that, by selecting the appropriate combination of parameters, multiple ion beams (e.g., two, three, four, etc.) can be used to increase the degree of texture of the surface (e.g, a noncrystalline surface) of a layer of material (e.g., a layer of an already deposited material, such as an already deposited buffer layer) so that the surface of the material has a predetermined crystallographic orientation. The crystallographic orientation of the ion textured surface can be different than the natural growth orientation of the layer of material.
The surface to be textured can be, for example, that of a substrate, a buffer layer, a protective layer or a layer of superconductor material. In certain embodiments, a multi-layer article (e.g., a multi-layer superconductor article, such as a coated superconductor article) can include more than one layer having an ion textured (or at least partially ion textured surface).
Materials that can be ion textured include, for example, metals, alloys, oxides of metals, nitrides of metals, oxides of alloys and nitrides of alloys. Such materials include, for example, nickel, nickel alloys, silver, MgO, titanium nitride, zirconia, zirconium nitride, TbO.sub.x, GaO.sub.x, ceria (CeO.sub.2), yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ), Y.sub.2 O.sub.3, LaAlO.sub.3, SrTiO.sub.3, Gd.sub.2 O.sub.3, LaNiO.sub.3, LaCuO.sub.3, SrRuO.sub.3, NdGaO.sub.3, ruthenium oxide, barium titanate, lanthanum gallate, indium oxide and NdAlO.sub.3.
In some embodiments, the combination of appropriate parameters (e.g., the angle of the ion beams relative to the surface normal, the angle of the ion guns relative to each other and/or the crystal structure of the layer of material exposed to the ion beams) can be used to provide the predetermined crystallographic orientation of the surface in a relatively short period of time.
The multiple ion beams can be simultaneously active, or the multiple ion beams can be used in sequence. In some embodiments, some or all of the ion beams can be simultaneously active for a portion of the ion bombardment, and some or all of the ion beams can be used sequentially for a portion of the ion bombardment.
Please view the patent at the link below for more information on this technology.
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