High frequency impedance spectroscopy study on Gd-doped CeO<Subscript>2</Subscript> thin films

The gadolinia-doped ceria (GDC) thin films were deposited by pulsed laser deposition. Samples with special geometry were prepared which allowed us to characterize GDC film in across-plane direction. The electrical properties of the films were investigated by means of impedance spectroscopy in the frequency range of 10 Hz to 10 GHz and 380–600 K temperature interval. The data analysis was performed by using appropriate equivalent circuit. The equivalent circuit modeled thin GDC film itself, platinum metal connections (traces) in the dielectric medium of sapphire substrate and interfaces between the film and platinum electrodes. Hence, several factors influenced the impedance spectra, namely the properties of substrate, the oxygen-ion transport in the film, ion blocking at the interface between the film and the electrode, and metal traces. The electrical properties of GDC thin films were compared with these of bulk ceramics and showed similar conductivity and dielectric permittivity values. The study also revealed that measurement data at electrical field frequencies of up to 10 GHz were particularly important to correctly estimate electrical properties of GDC thin films, because at high temperatures the electric response of GDC film shifts to high frequencies (higher than 1 MHz at 600 K). The thin film sample preparation for high frequency measurements and fitting of impedance data by using relatively simple equivalent circuit model is presented.     

Deposition and characterization of low temperature silicon nitride films deposited by inductively coupled plasma CVD

Silicon nitride films have been deposited at a low temperature (70 °C) by inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition (ICP-CVD) technique and their physical and chemical properties were studied. For a deposited SiN sample, β-phase was observed and refractive index of 2.1 at 13.18 nm/min deposition rate was obtained. The attained stress of 0.08 GPa is lower as compared to the reported value of 1.1 GPa for SiN thin films. To study the deposited film, characterization was performed using X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), micro Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transfer infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), cross-section scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM).     

The influence of Fermi energy on structural and electrical properties of laser crystallized P-doped amorphous silicon

A series of phosphorous-doped hydrogenated amorphous silicon films (a-Si:H) were crystallized using step-by-step laser crystallization process. The structural changes during the sequential crystallization process were detected by Raman measurements. The dehydrogenation was monitored by measuring the Si-H local vibrational modes using Raman spectroscopy and hydrogen effusion measurements. Interestingly, hydrogen bonding is affected by doping of the amorphous material. The influence of doping concentrations, thus the Fermi energy on electronic properties has been investigated employing secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS), dark-conductivity- and Hall-effect measurements. The results from hydrogen effusion are consistent with the results obtained from Raman spectroscopy, Hall-effect- and dark-conductivity measurements.     

Effects of SiNx on two-dimensional electron gas and current collapse of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors

SiN_x is commonly used as a passivation material for AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs). In this paper, the effects of SiN_x passivation film on both two-dimensional electron gas characteristics and current collapse of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs are investigated. The SiN_x films are deposited by high- and low-frequency plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition, and they display different strains on the AlGaN/GaN heterostructure, which can explain the experiment results.     

Characteristics of Ba0.5Sr0.5TiO3 thin films grown by ultraviolet-assisted pulsed laser deposition

The microstructure and properties of barium strontium titanate (BST) thin films grown by an in situ ultraviolet-assisted (UV-assisted) pulsed laser deposition (UVPLD) technique are reported in this paper. In comparison with BST films grown by conventional pulsed laser deposition (PLD) under similar conditions, but without UV illumination, the UVPLD-grown films exhibited improved structural, electrical, and optical properties. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that when exposed to atmosphere, Ba atoms from the outermost layers formed a thin layer of barium carbonate, which negatively affects the film electrical characteristics. UVPLD-grown films exhibited a smaller amount of Ba atoms within the carbonate layer, resulting in better electrical characteristics. The dielectric constant of 40-nm-thick films deposited at 650 °C by UVPLD and PLD were determined to be 281 and 172, respectively. The leakage current density of the UVPLD-grown films was in the mid-10^-8 A/cm² range, a factor of 2 lower than that obtained from PLD-grown films.     

Improved dielectric properties of (Pb,Ca)TiO3 thin films prepared by metal-organic decomposition method

(Pb,Ca)TiO₃ (PCT) thin films have been deposited on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrate by metal-organic decomposition (MOD) technique. The film processing parameters such as drying and annealing temperatures have been optimized to obtain good-quality PCT films. Compositional analysis of the film has been studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The effect of the annealing temperature on the crystalline structure, microstructure and electrical properties have been investigated by X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and impedance analyzer, respectively. Amorphous PCT films form at 350 °C and crystallize in the perovskite phase following the isothermal annealing at ?650 °C for 3 h in oxygen ambient. Typical tetragonal structure of the PCT film is evidenced from X-ray diffraction pattern. The grain size in the PCT films increases with an increase in annealing temperature. Significant improvement in the dielectric constant value is observed as compared to other reported work on PCT films. The observed dielectric constant and dissipation factor at 100 kHz for 650 °C annealed PCT films are 308 and 0.015, respectively. The correlation of the film microstructural features and electrical behaviors is described.     

Effect of film thickness on interface and electric properties of BiFeO3 thin films

Bismuth ferrite (BFO) thin films were fabricated by RF-magnetron sputtering deposition method on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si(1 0 0) substrate. The effect of the thickness of BFO films varying from 85 to 280 nm on electrical properties was investigated. Saturated coercive fields were found to increase with the BFO film thickness. The dielectric constant of BFO thin films measured at 1 kHz decreased with decreasing thickness from 98 to 86, while tangent losses increased from 0.013 to 0.021. The presence of bismuth oxide at the interface between BFO films and Pt bottom electrodes was responsible for the high leakage currents in thin BFO thin films as was demonstrated by X-ray diffraction, grazing-incident X-ray diffraction, and secondary ion mass spectroscopy analysis.     

Effect of substitution group on dielectric properties of 4H-pyrano [3,2-c] quinoline derivatives thin films

The AC electrical conductivity and dielectrical properties of 2-amino-6-ethyl-5-oxo-4-(3-phenoxyphenyl)-5,6-dihydro-4H-pyrano[3, 2-c]quinoline-3-carbonitrile(Ph-HPQ) and 2-amino-4-(2-chlorophenyl)-6-ethyl-5-oxo-5,6-dihydro-4H-pyrano [3, 2-c] quinoline-3-carbonitrile(Ch-HPQ) thin films were determined in the frequency range of 0.5 k Hz–5 MHz and the temperature range of 290–443 K. The AC electrical conduction of both compounds in thin film form is governed by the correlated barrier hopping(CBH) mechanism. Some parameters such as the barrier height, the maximum barrier height, the density of charges, and the hopping distance were determined as functions of temperature and frequency. The phenoxyphenyl group has a greater influence on those parameters than the chlorophenyl group. The AC activation energies were determined at different frequencies and temperatures. The dielectric behaviors of Ph-HPQ and Ch-HPQ were investigated using the impedance spectroscopy technique. The impedance data are presented in Nyquist diagrams for different temperatures. The Ch-HPQ films have higher impedance than the Ph-HPQ films. The real dielectric constant and dielectric loss show a remarkable dependence on the frequency and temperature. The Ph-HPQ has higher dielectric constants than the Ch-HPQ.     

Electron-beam irradiation effects on poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) polymer

Poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) (EVA) films were irradiated with a 1.2 MeV electron beam at varied doses over the range 0–270 kGy in order to investigate the modifications induced in its optical, electrical and thermal properties. It was observed that optical band gap and activation energy of EVA films decreased upon electron irradiation, whereas the transition dipole moment, oscillator strength and number of carbon atoms per cluster were found to increase upon irradiation. Further, the dielectric constant, the dielectric loss, and the ac conductivity of EVA films were found to increase with an increase in the dose of electron radiation. The result further showed that the thermal stability of EVA film samples increased upon electron irradiation.     

Enhanced functionalities of DNA thin films by facile conjugation with conducting polymers

In this study, we discuss a method to embed PEDOT:PSS into DNA with a designated concentration of PEDOT:PSS and construction of PEDOT:PSS-embedded DNA thin films. In order to shed light on the interaction between PEDOT:PSS and DNA, optical spectroscopy measurements were performed. DNA-PEDOT:PSS thin films showed a broad absorption band around 800 nm which was associated with PEDOT:PSS. The electrical properties of DNA-PEDOT:PSS thin films were assessed. A significant enhancement in current for DNA-PEDOT:PSS thin films DNA was observed which agreed with the decrement in band gap of DNA-PEDOT:PSS thin films. For the energy storage capability and dielectric constant of DNA-PEDOT:PSS thin films, capacitance measurements were conducted. Frequency-dependent capacitance indicated enhancement in the capacitance and dielectric constant by electric polarization of PEDOT:PSS in a DNA thin film. Our approach may assist in development of various biosensors and electronic devices with specific functionalities based on biomaterials and conducting polymer complexes.     

氢退火的BZO前电极对非晶硅薄膜太阳能电池性能的影响

采用低压化学气相沉积方法在玻璃衬底上制备了B掺杂的ZnO（BZO）薄膜,通过氢退火对BZO进行处理,然后作为前电极进行了非晶硅薄膜太阳能电池的制备及性能研究。结果表明：在氢气气氛下退火后,BZO薄膜的载流子浓度基本无变化,但Hall迁移率显著提高,这使得BZO薄膜的导电能力提高;当采用厚度较小、透光率较高的BZO薄膜进行氢退火后作为前电极结构时,非晶硅薄膜太阳能电池的短路电流密度提高0.3~0.4 mA/cm²,电池的转化效率提高0.2%。实验结果可为通过优化前电极结构来提高非晶硅薄膜太阳能电池转化效率提供一种简易的方法。     

Behavior of polymer-based electroactive actuator incorporated with mild hydrothermally treated CNTs

We fabricated an actuator that was made from polyurethane (PU) with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as the filler. To improve the dispersion of the CNTs, a mild hydrothermal treatment was carried out. Carboxyl and hydroxyl groups were introduced to the surface of the CNTs, and they were found to be highly dispersed in polar solvents such as dimethylformamide. To evaluate these films, we mainly focused on electrical properties, such as dielectric spectroscopy, space charge measurements, and actuator behavior. We found that the PU/CNTs film bents toward the cathode when an electric field was applied, and it reverted to its original position when the electric field was removed. Upon the inclusion of the CNTs as the filler for the polymer, the electrical properties of the films improved significantly. The highly polarized films had a high relative permittivity, and this produced a higher Maxwell pressure, which assisted the actuation. A high accumulated charge density was observed from space charge measurements in some of the films, and this explains the bending direction and the actuation mechanism.     

Synthesis and characterization of superhard Ti-Si-N films obtained in an inductively coupled plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (ICP-CVD) with magnetic confinement

Using a novel inductively coupled plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (ICP-CVD) with magnetic confinement system, Ti-Si-N films were prepared on single-crystal silicon wafer substrates by sputtering Ti and Si (5 at.%:1 at.%) alloyed target in argon/nitrogen plasma. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Nano Indenter XP tester were employed to characterize nanostructure and performances of the films. These films were essentially composed of TiN nanocrystallites embedded in an amorphous Si₃N₄ matrix with maximum hardness value of 44 GPa. Experimental results showed that the film hardness was mainly dependent on the TiN crystallite size and preferred orientation, which could be tailored by the adjustment of the N₂/Ar ratio. When the N₂/Ar ratio was 3, the film possessed the minimum TiN size of 10.5 nm and the maximum hardness of 44 GPa.     

红外光谱法研究射频功率对微晶硅薄膜微结构的影响

采用射频等离子体增强化学气相沉积(RF-PECVD)技术,在硅衬底上以不同的射频功率生长微晶硅(μc-Si:H)薄膜,利用傅里叶变换红外透射光谱技术对薄膜进行测试.通过对红外透射光谱的高斯拟合分析,结果表明薄膜中的氢含量和硅氢键合模式跟射频功率密切相关;当射频率从30W增加到110W时,薄膜中的氢含量先减少后慢慢增加,而结构因子逐渐增加后再减小,并且硅氢键合模式由以SiH为主转变为以SiH2为主.并讨论了这些参量随射频功率变化的机理.     

Microstructure of hydrogenated silicon thin films prepared from silane diluted with hydrogen

We report results obtained from FTIR and TEM measurements carried out on silicon thin films deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) from silane diluted with hydrogen. The hydrogen content, the microstructure factor, the mass density and the volume per Si-H vibrating dipoles were determined as a function of the hydrogen dilution. Hydrogen dilution of silane results in an inhomogeneous growth during which the material evolves from amorphous hydrogenated silicon (a-Si:H) to microcrystalline hydrogenated silicon (μc-Si:H). With increasing dilution the transition from amorphous to microcrystalline phase appears faster and the average mass density of the films decreases. The μc-Si:H films are mixed-phase void-rich materials with changing triphasic volume fractions of crystalline and amorphous phases and voids. Different bonding configurations of vibrating Si-H dipoles were observed in the a-Si:H and μc-Si:H. The bonding of hydrogen to silicon in the void- and vacancy-dominated mechanisms of network formation is discussed.     

硅掺杂辉光放电聚合物薄膜的热稳定性研究

采用等离子体辉光放电聚合技术,在不同四甲基硅烷(TMS)流量条件下制备了硅掺杂辉光放电聚合物(Si-GDP)薄膜,采用傅里叶变换红外光谱、X射线光电子能谱和热重(TG)分析技术分析了不同TMS流量对Si-GDP薄膜结构与热稳定性的影响.结果表明:随着TMS流量在0–0.06 cm³/min范围变化,Si-GDP薄膜中Si的原子含量C_Si为0–16.62%;含Si红外吸收峰的相对强度随TMS流量的增加而明显增大;Si-GDP薄膜的TG分析显示,温度在300 ℃时,随TMS流量的增加,Si-GDP薄膜的失重减少,热稳定性增强. 关键词： 硅掺杂辉光放电聚合物薄膜 X射线光电子能谱 热稳定性     

The optoelectronic properties of silicon films deposited by inductively coupled plasma CVD

Hydrogenated amorphous and microcrystalline silicon films were deposited by inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition (ICP-CVD) at low substrate temperatures using H₂-diluted SiH₄ as a source gas. High-density plasma generated by inductively coupled excitation facilitates the crystallization of silicon films at low temperatures, and microcrystalline silicon films were obtained at the substrate temperature as low as 180 °C. The columnar structure of the films becomes more and more compact with an increase of their crystallinity. The reduction of hydrogen content in the films causes a narrowing of the optical bandgap and an enhancement of the absorption with increasing the substrate temperature. The microcrystalline silicon films show two electronic transport mechanisms: one is related to the density of state distribution in the temperature region near room temperature and the other is the variable range hopping between localized electronic states close to the Fermi level below 170 K. A reasonable explanation is presented for the dependence of the optoelectronic properties on the microstructure of the silicon films. The films prepared at a substrate temperature of 300 °C have highly crystalline and compact columnar structure, high optical absorption coefficient and electrical conductivity, and a low hydrogen content of 3.8%.     

From silver nanoparticles to thin films: Evolution of microstructure and electrical conduction on glass substrates

Silver nanoparticles embedded in a dielectric matrix are investigated for their potential as broadband-absorbing optical sensor materials. This contribution focuses on the electrical properties of silver nanoparticles on glass substrates at various morphological stages. The electrical current through thin films, consisting of silver nanoparticles, was characterized as a function of film thickness. Three distinct conductivity zones were observed. Two relatively flat zones (“dielectric” for very thin films and “metallic” for films thicker than 300-400 Å) are separated by a sharp transition zone where percolation dominates. The dielectric zone is characterized by isolated particle islands with the electrical conduction dominated by a thermally activated tunneling process. The transition zone is dominated by interconnected silver nanoclusters—a small increase of the film thickness results in a large increase of the electrical conductivity. The metallic conductivity zone dominates for thicknesses above 300-400 Å.     

Dielectric properties of Sb2O3 films

A study has been made of the dielectric constant, dielectric loss, electrical conductivity in weak and strong fields, and the dielectric strength of polycrystalline Sb₂O₃ films produced by vacuum evaporation. Electronic polarization is shown to dominate in these films. The nonlinear voltage dependence of the current in strong fields is easily explainable in terms of a Frenkel mechanism for electrostatic ionization. The film breakdown is due to impact ionization of impurities and the formation of a shower.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii Fizika, Vol. 12, No. 5, pp. 52–55, May, 1969.     

PECVD a-SiNx:H薄膜中的氢分布

用红外光谱、质子核磁共振谱对以SiH₄/NH₃/N₂混合气体为源、用等离子体增强化学气相淀积法淀积的非晶氢化氮化硅(a-SiNx:H)薄膜进行了分析,结果表明膜中H以Si-H和N-H形式存在,均呈集聚和疏散两种分布状态,衬底温度影响氢的总量和分布均匀性,射频功率显著影响[N-H]/[Si-H],退火后氢仍呈集聚和疏散两种分布.