There is provided a continuous thin film comprising a metal chalcogenide, wherein the metal is selected from the periodic groups 13 or 14 and the chalcogen is: sulphur (S), selenide (Se), or tellurium (Te), and wherein the thin film has a thickness of less than 20 nm. There is also provided a method of forming the continuous thin film. In a particular embodiment, molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) is used to grow indium selenide (In.sub.2Se.sub.3) thin film from two precursors (In.sub.2Se.sub.3 and Se) and said thin film is used to fabricate a ferroelectric resistive memory device.

The present invention relates to the technical field of superlattice magneto-optical material technologies, and in particular, to a superlattice material, and a preparation method and application thereof. According to description of embodiments, the superlattice material provided in the present invention has both a relatively good magnetic property of a ferrous garnet material and a good photoelectric absorption characteristic of a two-dimensional semiconductor material such as graphene. Magneto-optical Kerr effect data obtained through testing shows that: A saturated magneto-optical Kerr angle of the superlattice material in the present invention is 13 mdeg in a magnetic field of 2500 Oe, and a magneto-optical Kerr angle of the superlattice material is increased by 2.5 times compared with a nonsuperlattice ferrimagnetic thin film material into which no two-dimensional material is inserted, thereby achieving magneto-optical effect enhancement.

The present invention relates to the technical field of superlattice magneto-optical material technologies, and in particular, to a superlattice material, and a preparation method and application thereof. According to description of embodiments, the superlattice material provided in the present invention has both a relatively good magnetic property of a ferrous garnet material and a good photoelectric absorption characteristic of a two-dimensional semiconductor material such as graphene. Magneto-optical Kerr effect data obtained through testing shows that: A saturated magneto-optical Kerr angle of the superlattice material in the present invention is 13 mdeg in a magnetic field of 2500 Oe, and a magneto-optical Kerr angle of the superlattice material is increased by 2.5 times compared with a nonsuperlattice ferrimagnetic thin film material into which no two-dimensional material is inserted, thereby achieving magneto-optical effect enhancement.

Inorganic compounds having the formula LiMP.sub.2Q.sub.6, where M is Ga, In, Bi, Sb, As, Al, or a combination thereof, and Q is S and/or Se, are provided. Methods and devices for detecting incident neutrons and alpha-particles using the compounds are also provided. For thermal neutron detection applications, the compounds can be enriched with lithium-6 isotope (.sup.6Li) to enhance their neutron detecting capabilities.

Inorganic compounds having the formula LiMP.sub.2Q.sub.6, where M is Ga, In, Bi, Sb, As, Al, or a combination thereof, and Q is S and/or Se, are provided. Methods and devices for detecting incident neutrons and alpha-particles using the compounds are also provided. For thermal neutron detection applications, the compounds can be enriched with lithium-6 isotope (.sup.6Li) to enhance their neutron detecting capabilities.

The present invention provides an optical ZnS material and a preparation method thereof, wherein the preparation method comprises: charging zinc and sulfur into a first crucible and a feeding device of a chemical vapor deposition furnace, respectively; heating the first crucible, the second crucible and a deposition chamber, and charging sulfur into the second crucible through the feeding device; introducing an inert carrier gas into the first crucible, and introducing an inert carrier gas and hydrogen into the second crucible, flowing the carrier gas containing zinc vapor and sulfur vapor respectively into the deposition chamber through pipelines to deposit ZnS, and supplying the second crucible with sulfur regularly and quantitatively through the feeding device during the deposition process to maintain a saturated vapor pressure of sulfur in a range of 0.8 to 1.8 KPa. The preparation method of the present invention does not generate H.sub.2S; thus it can avoid the formation of hydrogen-zinc complexes by H ions produced from the decomposition of H.sub.2S and Zn vapor, which would otherwise affect the transmittance and emissivity of ZnS material.

The present invention provides an optical ZnS material and a preparation method thereof, wherein the preparation method comprises: charging zinc and sulfur into a first crucible and a feeding device of a chemical vapor deposition furnace, respectively; heating the first crucible, the second crucible and a deposition chamber, and charging sulfur into the second crucible through the feeding device; introducing an inert carrier gas into the first crucible, and introducing an inert carrier gas and hydrogen into the second crucible, flowing the carrier gas containing zinc vapor and sulfur vapor respectively into the deposition chamber through pipelines to deposit ZnS, and supplying the second crucible with sulfur regularly and quantitatively through the feeding device during the deposition process to maintain a saturated vapor pressure of sulfur in a range of 0.8 to 1.8 KPa. The preparation method of the present invention does not generate H.sub.2S; thus it can avoid the formation of hydrogen-zinc complexes by H ions produced from the decomposition of H.sub.2S and Zn vapor, which would otherwise affect the transmittance and emissivity of ZnS material.

A method of performing HVPE heteroepitaxy comprises exposing a substrate to a carrier gas, a first precursor gas, a Group II/III element, and ternary-forming gasses (V/VI group precursor), to form a heteroepitaxial growth of a binary, ternary, and/or quaternary compound on the substrate; wherein the carrier gas is H.sub.2, wherein the first precursor gas is HCl, the Group II/III element comprises at least one of Zn, Cd, Hg, Al, Ga, and In; and wherein the ternary-forming gasses comprise at least two or more of AsH.sub.3 (arsine), PH.sub.3 (phosphine), H.sub.2Se (hydrogen selenide), H.sub.2Te (hydrogen telluride), SbH.sub.3 (hydrogen antimonide, or antimony tri-hydride, or stibine), H.sub.2S (hydrogen sulfide), NH.sub.3 (ammonia), and HF (hydrogen fluoride); flowing the carrier gas over the Group II/III element; exposing the substrate to the ternary-forming gasses in a predetermined ratio of first ternary-forming gas to second ternary-forming gas (1tf:2tf ratio); and changing the 1tf:2tf ratio over time.

A method of performing HVPE heteroepitaxy comprises exposing a substrate to a carrier gas, a first precursor gas, a Group II/III element, and ternary-forming gasses (V/VI group precursor), to form a heteroepitaxial growth of a binary, ternary, and/or quaternary compound on the substrate; wherein the carrier gas is H.sub.2, wherein the first precursor gas is HCl, the Group II/III element comprises at least one of Zn, Cd, Hg, Al, Ga, and In; and wherein the ternary-forming gasses comprise at least two or more of AsH.sub.3 (arsine), PH.sub.3 (phosphine), H.sub.2Se (hydrogen selenide), H.sub.2Te (hydrogen telluride), SbH.sub.3 (hydrogen antimonide, or antimony tri-hydride, or stibine), H.sub.2S (hydrogen sulfide), NH.sub.3 (ammonia), and HF (hydrogen fluoride); flowing the carrier gas over the Group II/III element; exposing the substrate to the ternary-forming gasses in a predetermined ratio of first ternary-forming gas to second ternary-forming gas (1tf:2tf ratio); and changing the 1tf:2tf ratio over time.

A method of performing HVPE heteroepitaxy comprises exposing a substrate to a carrier gas, a first precursor gas, a Group II/III element, and ternary-forming gasses (V/VI group precursor), to form a heteroepitaxial growth of a binary, ternary, and/or quaternary compound on the substrate; wherein the carrier gas is Hz, wherein the first precursor gas is HCl, the Group II/III element comprises at least one of Zn, Cd, Hg, Al, Ga, and In; and wherein the ternary-forming gasses comprise at least two or more of AsH.sub.3 (arsine), PH.sub.3 (phosphine), H.sub.2Se (hydrogen selenide), H.sub.2Te (hydrogen telluride), SbH.sub.3 (hydrogen antimonide, or antimony tri-hydride, or stibine), H.sub.2S (hydrogen sulfide), NH.sub.3 (ammonia), and HF (hydrogen fluoride); flowing the carrier gas over the Group II/III element; exposing the substrate to the ternary-forming gasses in a predetermined ratio of first ternary-forming gas to second ternary-forming gas (1tf:2tf ratio); and changing the 1tf:2tf ratio over time.