Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology

JVST is proud to be a part of this impressive portfolio! 🏅

We're pleased to share 2025 metrics from our #MaterialsScience portfolio! 👏

We can't wait to see what the future continues to bring to our community of authors, reviewers, and readers!

🔗 https://aippub.org/4qD0c7v

Impact of cluster size on sputtering effects in hybrid organic/inorganic materials during cluster SIMS depth profiling This study systematically investigates the sputtering effects and optimized analytical performance of various cluster ion beams for the depth profiling of tande

Authors from Ionoptika, Ltd. and Cambridge Univ. team up to expand the use of SIMS in materials analysis by exploring the use of a variety of giant gas cluster ion beams in sputtering & depth profiling of complex inorganic/organic materials.

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Boosting boron nitride’s high-temperature performance Coating boron nitride nanotube fabrics with aluminum oxide improved its thermal conductivity and oxidation resistance.

Boron nitride is stable up to about 900 degrees Celsius and exhibits excellent thermal conductivity, making it a useful material for dissipating heat in electronics, batteries, and other high-temperature applications. #Scilight

Learn more 👇
https://aippub.org/3OAc6BK

We invite researchers to submit abstracts for the International Workshop on Gallium Oxide and Related Materials (#IWGO2026) August 2-7, 2026, in College Park, Maryland

⏳Submit by March 18,
▶️https://iwgo2026.avs.org/
▶️https://conta.cc/49LmxcR

#GalliumOxide

Investigation of x-ray energy characteristics in x-ray fluorescence applications using dual pyroelectric crystals The pyroelectric effect enables the generation of a strong electric field, which can lead to the emission and acceleration of electrons, ultimately resulting in

Authors from @uni-magdeburg.de use the pyroelectric effect to create a compact, energy-efficient X-ray source & show a performance boost by moving from single to double-crystal config. This opens the door to portable, low-power systems for materials analysis.
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Tabletop extreme ultraviolet test platform for optical property evaluation of lithography materials Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, owing to its ultrashort wavelength and high photon energy, serves as a key technology in advanced semiconductor manufactu

In #JVSTB, researchers present a tabletop EUV test platform designed for lab-scale evaluation of lithography materials to reduce reliance on large, costly facilities while still enabling reliable measurements

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Impact of residual triphenylphosphine oxide on the crystallization of vapor-deposited metal halide perovskite films Thermal evaporation is an industrially compatible technique for fabricating metal halide perovskite thin films, without the requirement for hazardous solvents.

Residues left behind from vapor deposition experiments can significantly influence film growth.

Researchers from @ox.ac.uk show how residual TPPO alters perovskite crystallization behavior, marking contamination control as critical for vacuum-based processing.

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Si content in methacrylamide-containing A-b-(B-r-C) block copolymers and its impact on reactive ion etching properties Block copolymers (BCPs) of an A-block-(B-random-C) architecture have been explored as materials for nanolithography because the composition and chemistry of the

Researchers from @uchicagopme.bsky.social and @berkeleylab.lbl.gov explore why certain “smart” material tweaks don’t work the way we expect—and how to design around that reality.

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SiMiC: Context-aware silicon microstructure characterization using attention-based convolutional neural networks for field-emission tip analysis Accurate characterization of silicon microstructures is essential for advancing microscale fabrication, quality control, and device performance. Traditional ana

This study describes a machine-learning algorithm using attention-based CNNs, offering the first dataset and high-accuracy, context-aware characterization of silicon microstructures for field-emission tip analysis.

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MeV-SIMS measurement of negative electrode surface of lithium ion battery after charging and discharging The MeV-SIMS technique uses heavy ion beams with energies in the MeV range, allowing samples to be measured under ambient conditions due to the high transmissio

The Li-ion battery is essential for powering our everyday devices.💻📱

Developing rechargeable LIBs w/ high power density & durability requires understanding the reactions that occur during charging & discharging.

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All water based nanoscale electron beam lithography using polyacrylic acid hydrogel as a resist This work investigates improving pattern resolution and contrast in polyacrylic acid (PAA) hydrogel films as a resist to below 100 nm lateral dimensions using e

Selective, solvent-free nanoscale patterning is crucial as devices integrate more sensitive & unconventional materials.

From @gatechengineers.bsky.social, this work presents an all-water-based electron beam lithography approach w/ polyacrylic acid hydrogel as a resist.

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Prediction of atomic layer deposition chemistry of Ru onto TaN for interconnect stack using the RuO4 precursor Interconnects are crucial for the operation of electronic devices and consist of a diffusion barrier, liner layer, and the metal copper. However, this trilayer

Authors from @tyndallinstitute.bsky.social use theoretical modeling to predict #ALDep chemistry of Ru on TaN using a RuO₄ precursor — an area of growing importance for advanced interconnect stacks.

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Directional atomic layer etching of MgO-doped lithium niobate using Br-based plasma Lithium niobate ( LiNbO 3, LN) is a nonlinear optical material of high interest for integrated photonics with applications ranging from optical communications t

#ALEtch is a promising technique for the nanofabrication of thin-film lithium niobate, used in nanophotonics.

Authors from @caltech.edu & @unevadareno.bsky.social report an atomically precise etch process which could enable unprecedented device performance.

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Polymer assisted area selective ALD of multilayered materials using alkylamine precursors Area selective atomic layer deposition (AS-ALD) has gained considerable attention in nanomanufacturing due to its potential for precise material placement. Whil

Multilayer oxide structures with:
High precision? ✅
Complex lithography? ❌
Multiple masking steps? ❌

Authors from Ghent University demonstrate a polymer-assisted AS-ALD method that allows stacked multilayer oxides to be formed with a single polymer template.

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Diffusion-reaction modeling of atomic layer etching We present a diffusion-reaction model of plasma-assisted atomic layer etching (ALE) of silicon (Si) with alternating exposure to chlorine gas ( Cl 2) and argon

From @princeton.edu & TEL Technology Center, Americas, authors develop a diffusion–reaction model of spatial & temporal evolution of reactive species during plasma-assisted #ALEtch. It links diffusion, reaction kinetics, & ion-driven effects in a physically meaningful way.
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Thermal atomic layer etching of SnO2 by fluorination and ligand-exchange/conversion reactions using sequential hydrogen fluoride and Al(CH3)3 exposures Thermal atomic layer etching (ALE) of SnO2 was performed using a sequence of self-limiting fluorination and subsequent ligand-exchange/conversion reactions. The

From @colorado.edu & SEMES, authors use thermal #ALEtch on SnO₂ with sequential self-limiting ligand-exchange/conversion & fluorination reactions. Self-limiting surface chemistry enables controlled, atomic-scale removal of SnO₂ with purely thermal processes.

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GeSn alloys with ∼21% Sn grown by effusion cell molecular beam epitaxy We report the epitaxial growth of high quality GeSn alloys with Sn compositions up to 21.25 ± 1% by effusion-cell molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Achieving such a

From the @uarkansas.bsky.social, authors employ a unique #MBE strategy to grow GeSn at low substrates temps & low fluxes, resulting in crystalline films with high Sn content. This paves a promising path for silicon-based photonic and quantum device applications with GeSn!

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Recently highlighted, this article is now featured on our latest cover of #JVSTA!

Next time you publish with us, submit an eye-catching image for the cover. We would love to feature your research, too!

Read this featured article here: doi.org/10.1116/6.00...

Influence of metal-induced doping on different 2D MoS2 epilayers for field effect transistors Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), a prominent member of the transition metal dichalcogenide family, stands out for its unique electronic and optical properties. To d

Authors from @pennstateuniv.bsky.social use Raman spectroscopy to investigate the fundamental effects of metal-induced doping on different MoS₂ epilayer thicknesses, helping to tailor MoS₂ devices to meet the demands of advanced electronic applications.

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Happy Holidays from our team! Wishing you the best during this holiday season and into the new year. We look forward to sharing more exciting research with you in 2026.✨

Featured on the latest #JVSTA cover, Joshua Wagner & Steven J. Sibener from the University of Chicago investigate how atomic oxygen affects the behavior of C₆₀ molecules on 2D materials.

Read the featured article here! doi.org/10.1116/6.00...

Development for high-aspect-ratio hole etching with hydrogen fluoride gas based cryogenic process We demonstrate a novel plasma process capable of etching the ONON (silicon oxide/silicon nitride) hole structure for manufacturing 3D-NAND devices with a depth

Researchers from Tokyo Electron & TEL Technology Center, Americas demonstrate a novel etching process capable of fabricating 3D-NAND memory channel hole structures with a depth of 10 μm and an aspect ratio of 100.
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Electron beam generated ion-ion plasmas produced in Ar/SF6 and Ar/NF3 mixtures for plasma anodization In this work, electron beam generated plasmas in Ar/SF6 and Ar/NF3 mixtures are used to form ion-ion plasmas from which one can extract F− ions. These negative

Electron beam generated plasmas are useful in the production of ion-ion plasmas due to their low electron temp. Authors examine characteristics of these plasmas in Ar/SF₆ & Ar/NF₃ mixtures, linking them to the efficacy of the F layer growth process.

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Crystal structure and thermoelectric efficiency of FeSi films on Si substrates: Shunting effects and first-principles calculations of lattice thermal conductivity The crystal structure and thermoelectric parameters (conductivity, Seebeck coefficient, and power factor) of ultrathin (3–3.5 nm) stoichiometric monoclinic FeSi

A major challenge in improving thermoelectric materials is understanding how structural & substrate effects impact performance. Here, authors study the effect various qualities of FeSi films grown on Si substrates have on key transport properties.
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Positive electron beam resists for lithography below 5 nm We compare two promising new positive self-developing electron beam resists that enable the direct patterning of nanostructures at the 1–5 nm scale. Myo-inosito

Researchers from @caltech.edu are pushing electron-beam lithography to the true single-nanometer frontier! In this study, authors describe two new resists that can reliably pattern features as small as 5 nm—even in 100-nm-thick films.
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Hybrid sputtering approach for reliable TOF-SIMS depth profiling of inorganic–organic multilayer films Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) combined with argon gas cluster ion beam (Ar-GCIB) enables low-damage, high-resolution depth profiling

A hybrid sputtering approach combining low-energy Cs+ with Ar-GCIB enhances inorganic sputtering while preserving organic signals, enabling accurate TOF-SIMS depth profiling of inorganic-organic multilayers.
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Formation and stability of ammonium fluorosilicate during etching of SiNx in CH2F2/Ar and SF6/H2 plasmas During reactive ion etching of SiNx in fluorine-based plasmas where HF is produced through a combination of gas-phase and surface reactions, ammonium fluorosili

What hidden surface chemistry governs when ammonium fluorosilicate forms during SiNx etching—& why does it only sometimes cause an etch stop? Researchers from @coschoolofmines.bsky.social & @lamresearch.com explore variables impacting etching using ATR–FTIR spectroscopy. doi.org/10.1116/6.00...

Superconducting platinum silicide analyzed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy Platinum silicide has garnered increased attention due to its potential applications as a superconductor within silicon technology. In this work, we characteriz

PtSi has lots of applications due to its unique metallic & superconducting properties, promising for the scalability of quantum computing systems.

Authors from @brookhavenlab.bsky.social Lab provide reference XPS data for the material for use as its applications expand.

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Al composition dependence of band alignment in NiO/(AlxGa1−x)2O3 heterojunctions This study investigates the electronic band alignment of the p-NiO/n-(AlxGa1−x)2O3 heterojunction, a promising candidate for next-generation power electronics.

Type-II band alignment in p-NiO/n-(AlGa)₂O₃ lets holes stay confined while electrons escape easily. Tunable offsets via Al content boost rectifier performance and guide next-gen power device design.
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