Course Description
Nucleation and Growth: Theory of homo- and heterogeneous nucleation. Nucleation rate. Diffusion transformations in solids. Nuclei growth and interphase migration. Growth controlling mechanisms. Second-phase shape: interfacial energy, misfit strain and the shape of precipitates. Nucleation at solid/vapor and solid/liquid interphases. Growth from the melt & growth of dendrites.
Materials’ growth methods: Growth from the melt (Chochralski and Bridgman). Thermodynamics of bulk growth. Growth rate, impurity incorporation and distribution inhomogeneities. Zone methods and impurity redistribution. Analysis of bulk-growth related problems. Growth of thin films. Physical vapor and chemical vapor deposition (PVD and CVD, respectively). CVD: growth mechanism, parameters controlling the growth rate, effect of reactor geometry, CVD modifications. Plasma technology and its applications in materials growth: PECVD, sputter deposition, plasma spray, plasma ashing. Molecular beam epitaxy (MBE): growth mechanism, vacuum requirements, impurity control, modifications of MBE. Effects of mismatch on the crystalline quality of the epi-layer. Pseudomorphic growth. In-situ & real-time characterization methods (AES, XPS, LEED, RHEED). The initial stages of epitaxial growth.
Thermodynamics and Phase Diagrams: Basic thermodynamics of phase diagrams. Thermodynamic equilibrium. Gibbs free energy of single component systems and binary solutions. Ideal, regular, and real solid solutions. Construction of binary phase diagrams from Gibbs free energy curves. Isomorphous and partial miscibility systems. The lever rule. Eutectic and peritectic reactions. Construction of binary phase diagrams from cooling curves. Phase diagrams with intermetallic compounds. Complex phase diagrams. The Fe-C system. Examples – Exercises.
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Course Info
Code: ΠΥΥ103
Group: Compulsory
Semester: First Semester
Hours / Week: 5
ECTS Units: 7
Instructors: T. Kehagias, E. Paloura
