Available for Licensing: High-Quality Actinide Thin Films via Molecular Beam Epitaxy for Quantum and Optoelectronic Devices
ENERGY, DEPARTMENT OF
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High-Quality Actinide Thin Films via Molecular Beam Epitaxy for Quantum and Optoelectronic Devices Description Researchers at INL have developed a process to deposit high-quality epitaxial crystalline thin films of uranium and thorium, as well as their nitrides, using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). MBE is a non-equilibrium vacuum deposition technique that provides precise control over the composition and interfaces of the material, making it ideal for fabricating high-purity, defect-free, single-crystalline thin films. Actinide thin films, particularly those of uranium and thorium, present significant challenges for ab initio modeling due to their complex electron correlations. High-quality samples are essential for providing feedback to develop accurate models. Additionally, the strong ele...