Enhanced ferroelectric,dielectric and leakage properties in Ce and Ti co-doping BiFeO3 thin films

Pure BiFeO₃ (BFO), Ce and Ti individual doping and co-doping BiFeO₃ thin films were fabricated via sol–gel process on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates. The microstructure, surface morphology, ferroelectric and dielectric properties of BFO and doped thin films were investigated in detail. X-ray diffraction reveal that all thin films are confirmed the formation of the distorted rhombohedral perovskite structure. No impure phase is identified in all the films. The Ce and Ti co-doping BiFeO₃ (BCFTO) thin films exhibited the enhanced ferroelectricity with a large remnant polarization (2P _r) of 130 μC/cm², and low leakage current density of 9.10 × 10^?6 A/cm² which is more than two orders of magnitude lower than that of pure BFO films at 100 kV/cm. The dielectric constant (364 at 1 kHz) of the BCFTO thin films is much larger than that of pure BFO thin films. These results suggest that the introductions of Ce and Ti provides an effective route for improving the ferroelectric, dielectric and leakage properties of BFO thin films.     

Responsive Gels with the Polymer Containing Alternating Naphthalene Diimide and Fluorinated Alkyl Chains: Gel Formation and Responsiveness as Well as Electrical Conductivity of Polymer Thin Films

A new electroactive polymer 1 with alternating NDI (naphthalene diimide) moieties and fluorinated alkyl chains was prepared and characterized. Gels of polymer 1 were formed in several solvents. Interestingly, gels of polymer 1 exhibited responsiveness toward N₂H₄, F^? and CN^?. Absorption and ESR spectroscopic studies revealed that such responsiveness is owing to the reduction of NDI moieties into the respective NDI^.?. In addition, thin films of polymer 1 were easily prepared with spin‐coating technique and the electrical conductivity of thin films reached 52.4 S/m after exposure to N₂H₄ vapor.     

SnOx thin films with tunable conductivity for fabrication of p–n homo‐junction

Tin oxide (SnO_x) has been widely used for the fabrication of transparent and flexible devices because of its excellent optical and electronic properties. In this work, we established a methodology for the synthesis of SnO_x thin films with p‐type and n‐type tunable conductivity by direct currecnt (DC) magnetron sputtering. The SnO_x thin films changed from p‐type to n‐type by increasing the relative oxygen partial pressure (ppO₂) from 4.8% to 18.5% and by varying the working pressure between 1.8 and 2.5 mTorr. The SnO_x thin films were annealed at 160°C, 180°C, and 200°C for 30 min to promote the formation of the desired crystalline structures. At the annealing temperature of 180°C in air ambient, the SnO_x thin films showed a tetragonal structure with Sn traces. Having found the optimal conditions, we deposited both types of SnO_x thin films with the same tetragonal structure and similar chemical stoichiometry. Also, the conditions to obtain thin films with the highest mobility values for p‐type (1.10 cm²/Vs) and n‐type (22.20 cm²/Vs) were used for fabricating the device. Finally, the implementation of a SnO_x‐based p–n diode was demonstrated using transparent SnO_x thin films developed in this work, illustrating their potential use in transparent electronics.     

Fabrication of a gas sensor using pentacene thin films as a detector

Highly sensitive gas sensors for both acidic and basic gases were fabricated based on conducting thin films of polyacene compounds. Gas sensors formed with pentacene thin films deposited on various kinds of substrates were found to exhibit high sensitivity in detecting subppm concentrations of NO₂ or Cl₂ by monitoring the conductivity of the thin film. Improvements in the conductance and duration period for detection were achieved by changing the shape of electrodes and substrate. The sensors with PEN thin films initially doped with iodine could detect ppm concentrations of ammonia gas, since iodine molecules were dedoped upon exposure to ammonia, causing the reduction of the conductivity.     

Enhanced photo-catalytic activity of TiO2 nanostructured thin films under solar light by Sn and Nb co-doping

In this study, preparation of Sn and Nb co-doped TiO₂ dip-coated thin films on glazed porcelain substrates via sol–gel process have been investigated. The effects of co-doping content on the structural, optical, and photo-catalytic properties of applied thin films have been studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission SEM (FE-SEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), and UV–Vis absorption spectroscopy. Surface chemical state of thin films was examined by atomic X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). XRD results suggest that adding impurities has a great effect on the crystallinity and particle size of TiO₂. Titania Rutile phase formation in thin film was promoted by Sn⁴⁺ addition but was inhibited by Nb⁵⁺ doping. The prepared co-doped TiO₂ photo-catalyst films showed optical absorption edge in the visible light area and exhibited excellent photo-catalytic ability for degradation of methylene blue (MB) solution under solar irradiation. Comparison with undoped and Sn or Nb-doped TiO₂, codoped TiO₂ shows an obviously higher catalytic activity under solar irradiation.     

Facile preparation of vanadium oxide thin films on sapphire(0001) by sol–gel method

The Ba_0.6Sr_0.4TiO₃ (BST60) thin films were deposited on Pt(111)/Ti/SiO₂/Si(100) substrates by a sol–gel method. The thickness of CeO₂, serving as a buffer layer, was varied from 0 to 75 nm, in order to optimize the dielectric tunable property. X-ray patterns analysis indicates that all the thin films exhibit good crystalline quality with a pure perovskite phase and insertion of the CeO₂ buffer layer does not change the crystal structure of BST60. Dielectric properties of the thin films were investigated as a function of both temperature and direct current electric field. The results show that dielectric constant and loss are modified by insertion of the CeO₂ buffer layer. The BST60 thin films with 25 nm thickness CeO₂ buffer layer have the highest figure of merit, low dielectric loss, and suitable dielectric constant, which render them attractive for the tunable microwave device applications.     

Effect of Li- and Ta-doping on the ferroelectric properties of Na0.5K0.5NbO3 thin films prepared by a chelate route

The effects of lithium and tantalum doping on the properties of Na_0.5K_0.5NbO₃ (NKN) thin films were investigated. The films were fabricated by an optimized chelate route which offers the advantage of a simple and rapid solution synthesis. The optimization was achieved by investigating the effects of alkaline volatilization loss on film properties. In this way, undoped NKN thin films fabricated by this conventional method exhibited good ferroelectric properties (P_r ~ 8 μC/cm², and E_c ~ 55 kV/cm for films annealed at 650 °C). The developed chelate route was then used to grow Li (5 %) and Ta (10 %) substituted thin films. Such structures allowed us to compare the effect of these dopant cations on phase formation, microstructure and ferroelectric properties. We show that both modifications produced a remarkable improvement on the ferroelectricity of the films. While the undoped material exhibited large leakage components in films annealed at 600 °C, films modified with Li or Ta presented well saturated ferroelectric hysteresis loops, indicating that those ions have a significant influence on the conducting process. The remnant polarizations of the Ta-doped films are greater than those of the Li-doped samples. This feature is however reversed for films annealed at low temperature (600 °C) due to the presence of a non-ferroelectric secondary phase in the Ta-doped composition.     

Structure and dielectric properties of 80%Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3–20%PbTiO3 thin films prepared by modified sol–gel process

80%Pb(Zn_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃–20%PbTiO₃ (PZN–PT) thin films have been prepared on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates using a modified sol–gel method. In our method, niobium pentaoxide is used as a substitution instead of niobium ethoxide which is moisture-sensitivity and much more expensive. Microstructure and electrical properties of PZN–PT thin films have been investigated. X-ray diffraction analysis shows that proper annealing temperature of PZN–PT thin films is 600 °C. The PZN–PT thin films annealed at 600 °C are polycrystalline with (111)-preferential orientations. Field-emissiom scanning electron microscope analysis revealed PZN–PT thin films possess well-defined and crack-free microstructure. The thickness of thin films is 290 nm. The Pt/PZN–PT/Pt capacitors have been fabricated and it presents ferroelectric nature. The remanent polarization (Pr), spontaneous polarization (Ps), and the coercive electric field (Ec) are 8.71 μC/cm², 43.06 μC/cm², and 109 kV/cm at 1 MHz, respectively. The dielectric constant (ε_r) and the dissipation factor (tan δ) are about 500.3 and 0.1 at 1 kHz, respectively.     

掺杂钒和硅对TiO2薄膜超亲水性的影响

0引言 TiO2薄膜是众多氧化物半导体薄膜中研究最为广泛的一种材料．其表面的超亲水性和表面自清洁效应开辟了光催化薄膜功能材料的新的研究领域，已成为众多研究者研究的对象。但是如果薄膜仅由TiO2组成，当光照停止，水在TiO2薄膜表面的润湿角逐渐升高．并恢复原始状态。TiO2的禁带较宽，普通光线如太阳光等都不能将其激发．限制了其实际应用。因此如何使TiO2材料的光谱响应范围由紫外光反扩展到可见．光区一日如何更长时间地保持薄膜良好的亲水性是目前研究的重点。     

The oxygen sensitive properties of (LaBa)Co2O5+δ thin films fabricated by polymer-assisted deposition technique

(LaBa)Co₂O_5+δ (LBCO) thin films were successfully fabricated on Si (001) substrates by polymer-assisted deposition method. Microstructures were examined by X-ray diffraction technique, which confirmed the films were a single phase, pseudo cubic structure. The electrical transport properties of the films were investigated by the temperature dependence of films resistance, which suggested that LBCO films have typical semiconductor properties. After circle tests, the oxygen–hydrogen response rate did not show obvious variation in the specific temperature environment of 580 °C. This demonstrates that the LBCO thin films have a superior stability in both oxygen and hydrogen (6 % H₂, 94 % N₂) environment. Simultaneously, the drastic changes of films resistance (from ~10⁶ to ~10² Ω) with the switch of redox (O₂–H₂) environment within such a short time (~2.2 s) indicated that LBCO films have an excellent oxygen sensitive property and extraordinary fast surface exchange rate.     

Luminescence and dielectric properties of c-axis oriented (Bi1.90Eu0.10)(V1−zMoz)O5.5 ferroelectric thin films

(Bi_1.90Eu_0.10)(V_1−zMo_z)O_5.5 (z = 0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15 and 0.20) thin films with c-axis oriented were prepared on Pt(111)/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates by using chemical solution deposition method. The effect of Mo⁶⁺ concentration on the structure, luminescence properties and dielectric properties of the thin films were characterized systematically. X-ray diffraction data indicates that the thin films with low Mo⁶⁺-doping content can remain Bi₂VO_5.5 structure. When the Mo⁶⁺-doping content z reaches to 0.15, the thin films are a mixture of diphase with the main phase Bi₂VO_5.5 and secondary phase Bi₂MoO₆. Under UV irradiation, all the thin films emit a bright red or orange emission which origin from Eu³⁺. With increasing Mo⁶⁺-doping content z, the relative intensity of the Red and Orange emissions show obviously change. The value of Red/Orange ratio first decrease, and it reached minimum when z is 0.15, then it recover to the initial value. The variation trend of the Red/Orange ratio reflects the change of the lattice symmetry. Dielectric constant of the thin films increased with the increasing of the Mo⁶⁺ concentration while dielectric loss decreased. The decrease of the quantities of oxygen vacancies and the generation of Bi₂MoO₆ phase are responsible for the improvement of electric properties. These results explain that Eu³⁺ion can be used as an effective luminescent probe in (Bi_1.90Eu_0.10)(V_1−zMo_z)O_5.5 (z = 0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15 and 0.20) thin films, and the electric properties of the thin films can be improved by Mo⁶⁺ doping.     

Electrical,optical, and structural characterization of p‐type N‐doped SnO thin films prepared by thermal oxidation of sputtered SnNx thin films

We present a study of electrical and optical properties of nitrogen‐doped tin oxide thin films deposited on glass by the DC Magnetron Sputtering method. The deposition conditions to obtain p‐type thin films were a relative partial pressure between 7% and 11% (N₂ and/or O₂), a total working pressure of 1.8 mTorr and a plasma power of 30 W. The deposited thin films were oxidized after annealing at 250°C for 30 minutes. X‐ray diffraction results showed that the as‐deposited thin films exhibit a Sn tetragonal structure, and after annealing, they showed SnO tetragonal structure. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy results showed the presence of nitrogen in the samples before and after annealing. The measured physical parameters of the thin films were optical band gap between 1.92 and 2.68 eV, resistivity between 0.52 and 5.46 Ωcm, a concentration of p‐type carriers between 10¹⁸ and 10¹⁹ cm^?3, and a Hall mobility between 0.1 and 1.94 cm²V^?1s^?1. These thin films were used to fabricate p‐type thin film transistors.     

Barium Sodium Niobate Powders and Thin Films: Preparation and Ferroelectric Behavior

Powders and thin films of barium sodium niobate, Ba₄Na₂Nb₁₀O₃₀, of filled tungsten bronze type ferroelectric were processed by a sol-gel route using barium metal, niobium ethoxide and sodium methoxide as precursors. Polycrystalline powder resulted after heat treating the gel powder at or above 650°C. Thin films of Ba₄Na₂Nb₁₀O₃₀ showed no preferred orientation on Si(100), Pt/Si(100) and sapphire substrates. Hysteresis measurements at 1 kHz for the thin films annealed at 750°C, obtained using a prehydrolyzed precursor solution, and gave remanent polarization of 17.34 µC/cm² and coercive field of 62.5 kV/cm. Microstructural investigation of surface morphology of these films revealed grains about 0.3 µm in size. Prehydrolysis of the precursor solution was found to be necessary to achieve dense films with ferroelectric properties.     

Enhanced dielectric properties of LSCO-buffered Ba(Sn<Subscript>0.05</Subscript>Ti<Subscript>0.95</Subscript>)O<Subscript>3</Subscript> thin film prepared by sol–gel processing

Ferroelectric Ba(Sn_0.05Ti_0.95)O₃ (BTS) thin films were deposited onto Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates by sol–gel technique with a 100 nm thick LSCO buffer layer. The influence of buffer layer on the phase and microstructure of the thin films was examined. Dielectric properties of the thin films were investigated as a function of frequency and direct current (DC) electric field. The results show that the LSCO buffer layer had a marked effect on the dielectric properties of the BTS films. The BTS thin films with LSCO buffer layer had enhanced dielectric properties.     

不同基底对TiO2和SiO2薄膜的光学性能的影响

采用溶胶-凝胶法分别在K9玻璃、单晶硅和石英玻璃基底上制备了纳米TiO₂和SiO₂薄膜。利用SEM、UV-Vis及反射式椭圆偏振光谱仪对薄膜的微观结构及光学特性进行了表征和分析。结果表明:3种基底中, 单晶硅基底上TiO₂和SiO₂薄膜折射率最大;在非晶态K9玻璃和石英玻璃基底上TiO₂薄膜折射率和透光率差异较大;SiO₂薄膜在非晶态基底上折射率、透光率相近;3种基底上薄膜的折射率和消光系数都有随波长增大而减小的趋势, 同时Cauchy模型能较好的描述单晶硅基底上两种薄膜在400~800 nm波段的光学性能。     

不同基底对TiO2和SiO2薄膜的光学性能的影响

采用溶胶-凝胶法分别在K9玻璃、单晶硅和石英玻璃基底上制备了纳米TiO₂和SiO₂薄膜。利用SEM、UV-Vis及反射式椭圆偏振光谱仪对薄膜的微观结构及光学特性进行了表征和分析。结果表明：3种基底中, 单晶硅基底上TiO₂和SiO₂薄膜折射率最大;在非晶态K9玻璃和石英玻璃基底上TiO₂薄膜折射率和透光率差异较大;SiO₂薄膜在非晶态基底上折射率、透光率相近;3种基底上薄膜的折射率和消光系数都有随波长增大而减小的趋势, 同时Cauchy模型能较好的描述单晶硅基底上两种薄膜在400~800 nm波段的光学性能。     

Structure and Optical Properties of 0.1BiFeO3-0.9SrBi2Nb2O9 Thin Films Using a Modified Sol-Gel Technique

Fe-doped SrBi₂Nb₂O₉ precursor solution was synthesized using bismuth nitrate Bi(NO₃)₃·5H₂O, strontium nitrate Sr(NO₃)₂, iron nitrate Fe(NO₃)₃·9H₂O, and niobium ethoxide Nb(OC₂H₅)₅ as starting materials, ethylene glycol monomethyl ether (C₃H₈O₂) as the solvent. 0.1BiFeO₃-0.9SrBi₂Nb₂O₉ thin films were prepared on fused quartz substrates using sol-gel processing. The surface morphology and crystal structure and optical properties of the thin films were investigated. The thin film annealing at 400°C were found to be amorphous, and the thin films crystallize to a perovskite structure after a post-deposition annealing at 600°C for 1 h in air. The grain of thin film was evenly distributed. The thin films exhibit the designed optical transmission, while the optical transition is indirect in nature. Their optical band gap is about 2.5 eV.     

Dielectric and optical properties of BaTiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> thin films prepared by low-temperature process

Barium titanate (BaTiO₃) thin films have been prepared by low temperature processing on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates using sol-gel-hydrothermal (SGHT) technique, which combined the conventional sol-gel process and hydrothermal method. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the barium titanate thin films are polycrystalline. As-reacted barium titanate films grown on Pt(111)/Ti/SiO₂/Si(100) substrates had a dielectric constant (ε) and loss tangent (tanδ) of 80 and 0.05 at 1 MHz, respectively. The optical constants including refractive index n, extinction coefficient k, and absorption coefficient α of the barium titanate thin films in the wavelength range of 2.5–12.6 μm were obtained by infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry.     

Magnetoelectric Bi3.25Nd0.75Ti3O12–La0.6Ca0.4MnO3 composite thin films derived by SOL–GEL method

Magnetoelectric (ME) Bi_3.25Nd_0.75Ti₃O₁₂–La_0.6Ca_0.4MnO₃ (BNT–LCMO) composite thin films were deposited on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si(100) substrates by a simple SOL–GEL method and spin-coating process with two different deposition sequences: BNT/LCMO/Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si(BLP) and LCMO/BNT/Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si(LBP). Our results show the composite thin films exhibit both good ferroelectric and magnetic properties, as well as a ME effect. BLP thin films have larger maximum ME voltage coefficient values than LBP structured thin films. The deposition sequence has a notable effect on the ferroelectric and magnetic properties and ME coupling behavior of the bi-layer thin films.     

Relaxor type perovskites: Primary candidates of nano-polar regions

Relaxor properties of 0.7Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃-0.3PbTiO₃ (PMN-PT) and non-lead perovskite thin films have been analysed in terms of large frequency dispersion of dielectric response at low temperatures. A wide spectrum of dielectric relaxation was observed in the frequency-dependent response of the imaginary part of the dielectric permittivity. Transformation from normal ferroelectric to relaxor behaviour has been observed in the case of the Ca substituting the BaTiO₃ thin films. A number of techniques were exploited to investigate the wide spectrum of relaxation times in pulsed laser ablated thin films.ac anddc electric field induced complex dielectric properties of 0.7Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃-0.3PbTiO₃ (PMN-PT) thin films were studied as function of frequencies at different temperatures. Nonlinear behaviour of dielectric susceptibility with respect to the amplitude of theac drive was observed at lower temperatures. The frequency dependence of transition temperatureT _m (temperature of the maximum of dielectric constant) was studied using the Vogel-Fulcher relation. Dedicated to Professor C N R Rao on his 70th birthday