Enhanced birefingence of MgF2 thin film at 193 nm by serial bideposition

Magnesium fluoride films were coated by serial bideposition with a varying number of sub-deposited layers. The deposition angle 70° remained constant throughout the process by a single electron-beam source. One, 4, 20, and 100 sub-deposition layers were prepared. The microstructure, residual stress, absorption of water, and linear birefringence of serial bideposition of anisotropic thin film at 193 nm were investigated and discussed. Microstructures of the films were observed by scanning electron microscopy. The residual stress was measured by phase-shifting interferometer. The water absorption bands of the thin films were measured by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and refractive indices in two different directions (S- and P-polarized) were determined from a spectrometer equipped with a polarizer. The linear birefringence would increase and the stress would decrease when the sub-deposited layers were increased. When the number of layers was 100, the difference between the refractive indices for two different polarizations was able to reach 0.082.     

Optical and electrical properties of SnO2:Sb thin films deposited by oblique angle deposition

The antimony doped tin oxide (SnO₂:Sb) (ATO) thin films were prepared by oblique angle electron beam evaporation technique. X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, UV-vis-NIR spectrophotometer and four-point probe resistor were employed to characterize the structure, morphology, optical and electrical properties. The results show that oblique angle deposition ATO thin films with tilted columns structure are anisotropic. The in-plane birefringence of optical anisotropy is up to 0.035 at α = 70°, which means that it is suitable as wave plate and polarizer. The electrical anisotropy of sheet resistance shows that the sheet resistance parallel to the deposition plane is larger than that perpendicular to the deposition plane and it can be changed from 900 Ω/□ to 3500 Ω/□ for deposition angle from 40° to 85°, which means that the sheet resistance can be effectively tuned by changing the deposition angle. Additionally, the sandwich structure of SiO₂ buffer layer plus normal ATO films and oblique angle deposition ATO films can reduce the resistance, which can balance the optical and electrical anisotropy. It is suggested that oblique angle deposition ATO thin films can be used as transparent conductive thin films in solar cell, anti-foggy windows and multifunctional carrier in liquid crystal display.     

Biaxial stresses, surface roughness and microstructure in evaporated TiO2 films with different deposition geometries

The residual stresses, surface roughness and microstructure in titanium oxide films prepared by electron-beam evaporation and deposited with different geometries were investigated, with particular focus on the in-plane anisotropy of the biaxial stresses and microstructures. Thin films were deposited with various deposition angles on B270 glass substrates and silicon wafers. Two different types of deposition geometries were studied. The residual stress in the thin films was examined by a phase-shifting Twyman-Green interferometer. The optical constants, biaxial stress and surface roughness were found to be related to the evolution of the anisotropic microstructures in the films. The results revealed that the anisotropic stresses that developed in the evaporated titanium oxide films were dependent upon the deposition geometry and microstructure of the films.     

Enhanced photo-induced hydrophilicity of the sol-gel-derived ZnO thin films by Na-doping

Na-doped ZnO thin films with different Na/Zn ratio were prepared by sol-gel method. The microstructure, chemical composition, surface morphology, and wettability of the thin films were investigated by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy, and water contact angle apparatus. The relation of wettability and Na/Zn ratio has been studied in detail. The wetting behavior of the thin films can be reversibly switched from hydrophobic to hydrophilic, through alternation of UV illumination and dark storage (or thermal treatment). Photo-induced hydrophilicity of the thin films increases with increasing Na/Zn ratio up to 0.08 and then decreases. The mechanism can be attributed to surface nanostructure and the concentration of Na doping.     

Dependence of the optical properties of UHV deposited silver thin films on the deposition parameters and their relation to the nanostructure of the films

Silver films were deposited on glass substrates under different deposition conditions, i.e. different film thicknesses, deposition rates and deposition angles. Their optical properties were measured by spectrophotometry in the spectral range of 185–3300 nm. The Kramers–Kronig method was used to analyze the reflectivity curves of the silver films to obtain their optical constants. The influence of substrate temperature on the microstructure of thin metallic films, the structure zone model (SZM), is well established, whereas there has been some previous work on the influence of film thickness and morphology, deposition rate and deposition angle on the microstructure and morphology of thin films. An effective medium approximation (EMA) analysis was used to establish the relationship between the atomic force microscopy results, SZM predictions and EMA results, and hence the optical properties of silver thin films. The predictions of the Drude free-electron theory are compared with experimental results for dielectric functions of Ag films produced under different deposition conditions. The real part of the dielectric constant increases with film thickness and decreases with increasing deposition rate and with increasing incidence angle, whereas the imaginary part of the dielectric constant decreases with increasing film thickness and deposition rate and with decreasing incidence angle over the whole energy range measured, including the interaband and interband regions.     

Fabrication of superhydrophobic surface of hierarchical ZnO thin films by using stearic acid

Flower-like hierarchical ZnO microspheres were successfully synthesized by a simple, template-free, and low-temperature aqueous solution route. The morphology and microstructure of the ZnO microspheres were examined by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The bionic films with hydrophobicity were fabricated by the hierarchical ZnO microspheres modified by stearic acid. It was found that the hydrophobicity of the thin films was very sensitive to the added amount of stearic acid. The thin films modified with 8% stearic acid took on strong superhydrophobicity with a water contact angle (CA) almost to be 178° and weak adhersion. The remarkable superhydrophobicity could be attributed to the synergistic effect of micro/nano hierarchical structure of ZnO and low surface energy of stearic acid.     

Modelling of an obliquely deposited thin film in three dimensions by kinetic Monte Carlo method

A simulation of the growth of an obliquely deposited thin film in a three-dimensional lattice was made using kinetic Monte Carlo method. Cu growth in three dimensions on a (001) substrate with high deposition rates has been simulated in this model. We mainly investigated the variation of three-dimensional morphology and microstructure offilms with incidence angle of sputtered flux. The relation of roughness and densities of films with incidence angle was also investigated. The simulation results show that the surface roughness increases and the relative density of thin film decreases with increasing incidence angle, respectively; the columnar structures were separated by void regions for large incidence angle and high deposition rate. The simulation results are in good agreement with experimental results.However, the orientation angle of columns is not completely consistent with the classical tangent rule.     

Defect studies of hydrogen-loaded thin Nb films

Hydrogen interaction with defects in thin niobium (Nb) films was investigated using slow positron implantation spectroscopy (SPIS) combined with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Thin Nb films on Si substrates were prepared using cathode beam sputtering at room temperature. Initially, the microstructure of the virgin (hydrogen-free) films was characterized. Subsequently, the films were step-by-step electrochemically charged with hydrogen and the evolution of the microstructure with increasing hydrogen concentration was monitored. Hydrogen loading leads to a significant lattice expansion which was measured by XRD. Contrary to free-standing bulk metals, thin films are highly anisotropic. The in-plane expansion is prevented because the films are clamped on the elastically hard substrate. On the other hand, the out-of-plane expansion is substantially higher than in the bulk samples. Moreover, an enhanced hydrogen solubility in the α-phase was found in nanocrystalline Nb films. It was found that most of positrons in the films are trapped at open-volume defects at grain boundaries (GBs). These defects represent trapping sites also for hydrogen atoms. Hydrogen trapping at vacancy-like defects like GBs leads to a local increase of the electron density and is reflected by a pronounced decrease of the S parameter in the hydrogen-loaded samples. In addition, it was found that new defects are introduced at higher concentrations of hydrogen due to the formation of NbH (β-phase) particles.     

Controllable nanostructure and optical properties of ZrO2 thin films by glancing angle deposition

In this paper, nanostructured ZrO₂ films were prepared by electron beam evaporation with the glancing angle deposition (GLAD) technique. Columnar films with voids in between formed owing to the self-shadowing effect and the limited diffusion of deposited atoms. The microstructure evolves from slanted columnar structure to helical and pillar structures as the substrate rotational speed increases. The diameter of the columns is in the range of 30–50 nm. A higher rotational speed favors a larger nodule size and a greater surface roughness. Due to the porous structure, the refractive index n of GLAD ZrO₂ films varies from 1.75 to 1.80, lower than that of bulk material. A maximum value of birefringence (Δn=0.03) is obtained in a slanted columnar structure, and the relationship between birefringence and microstructure orientation is discussed. Our results demonstrate that glancing angle deposition is a feasible approach for designing the nanostructure and optical properties of thin films.     

Microstructural investigation of nickel silicide thin films and the silicide-silicon interface using transmission electron microscopy

This article discusses the results of transmission electron microscopy (TEM)-based investigation of nickel silicide (NiSi) thin films grown on silicon. Nickel silicide is currently used as the CMOS technology standard for local interconnects and in electrical contacts. Films were characterized with a range of TEM-based techniques along with glancing angle X-ray diffraction. The nickel silicide thin films were formed by vacuum annealing thin films of nickel (50 nm) deposited on (100) silicon. The cross-sectional samples indicated a final silicide thickness of about 110 nm. This investigation studied and reports on three aspects of the thermally formed thin films: the uniformity in composition of the film using jump ratio maps; the nature of the interface using high resolution imaging; and the crystalline orientation of the thin films using selected-area electron diffraction (SAED). The analysis highlighted uniform composition in the thin films, which was also substantiated by spectroscopy techniques; an interface exhibiting the desired abrupt transition from silicide to silicon; and desired and preferential crystalline orientation corresponding to stoichiometric NiSi, supported by glancing angle X-ray diffraction results.     

小尺寸正方形铁磁薄膜边界效应对磁化翻转过程的影响

用自旋动力学方法系统地研究磁偶极相互作用表现的边界效应对小尺寸正方形铁磁薄膜的磁化翻转过程的影响.在确定的磁偶极相互作用强度下,针对不同的单轴各向异性强度和不同的磁化角(外磁场与易轴间的夹角),具体给出矫顽场与磁化角及单轴各向异性强度之间的依赖关系和-些有代表性的磁滞回线,并给出磁化翻转过程中-些有代表性的微观磁结构.模拟结果表明:磁偶极相互作用表现的边界钉扎作用与单轴各向异性场之间的竞争决定磁滞回线的形状和矫顽场的大小,从而在不同磁化角情况下会导致不同的矫顽场机理.本文提出可有效地描述正方形铁磁性薄膜复杂微观磁畴结构的形成与演变的五磁畴模型.这种五磁畴模型既能直接揭示单轴各向异性正方形铁磁薄膜的几何特性和物理特性,也方便于磁化翻转过程的分析.     

Microstructure of microwave dielectricthin films by RF magnetron sputtering

The article describes the microstructure and morphological properties of microwave dielectric ceramic thin films. These thin films were successfully prepared on SiO₂ (1 1 0) single-crystal substrates by radio frequency magnetron-sputtering system. The microstructure and morphology of the thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The results show that the main phase is Ba_0.5Sr_0.5Nb₂O₆,which has a tetragonal perovskite structure, a long strip pattern, and uniform crystal-grain size of about 2-3 μm in length when annealed under 1150 °C for 30 min in an O₂ atmosphere. These thin films are of excellent crystallization quality, with a polycrystalline and dense structure.     

反应离子镀光学薄膜的微观结构分析

用反应离子镀方法制备了ＴｉＯ２单层膜及ＴｉＯ２／ＳｉＯ２多层膜，用透射电子显微镜分别观察了由反应离子镀方法及传统蒸镀法二种不同工艺制得的ＴｉＯ２单层膜及ＴｉＯ２／ＳｉＯ２多层膜的断面结构，并对ＴｉＯ２单层膜进行了喇曼分析和卢瑟福背散射分析。     

用于MiniLED背光模组的亮度增强薄膜设计与制备

传统的两层棱镜膜对于MiniLED背光的增亮效果不明显,因此设计了一种微结构薄膜来代替两层棱镜膜。首先,根据MiniLED背光的配光曲线及尺寸,对微结构进行分段设计。将与MiniLED芯片等宽区域设定为顶角90°的棱柱结构,对2个MiniLED芯片之间的区域,将MiniLED芯片作为扩展光源,芯片2个端点发出的光束到达微结构底面会形成一个夹角,将夹角的角平分线处光线准直到轴向方向,结合Snell定律进行计算,得到棱柱微结构倾角。然后,通过LightTools仿真软件对单个微结构及微结构阵列分别进行了建模和仿真,仿真结果表明:加微结构薄膜后的轴向视角亮度相比于加两层棱镜膜提升了31.3%。最后,通过无掩模光刻设备对设计的微结构薄膜进行加工制备,并对样片进行测试。实测结果表明:加微结构薄膜后的轴向视角亮度相较于加两层棱镜膜提升了25.7%。实现了针对MiniLED背光模组的亮度增强设计。     

纳米BST薄膜的制备及其折射率特性.

" 采用射频磁控溅射法在石英衬底上沉积了纳米BST(Ba0:65Sr0:35TiO3)薄膜．为了制备优质的BST薄膜,借助X射线衍射仪、场发射扫描电镜和原子力显微镜研究了BST薄膜的晶化行为和显微结构．结果显示在衬底温度600 ℃下制备的BST薄膜经700 ℃退火处理后,具有较强的特征衍射峰和极好的晶化．同时还研究了纳米BST薄膜的制备参数和特性,BST薄膜的折射率是由测量的透射谱中获得的．实验结果表明：纳米BST薄膜的沉积参数对其折射率特性的影响是不尽相同的．折射率随着衬底温度的上升而增加;在较低的溅射     

A new method for determining birefringence dispersion

A method is proposed for the determination of birefringence in thin transparent anisotropic films. The modifications produced by the thin anisotropic films in the channeled spectra of an anisotropic crystal are used. The channeled spectra were recorded on a spectrophotometer provided with a device developed by us.     

稀土永磁薄膜材料

简要地介绍在纳米复合稀土永磁薄膜材料、各向异性稀土永磁薄膜材料方面的进展。在纳米复合稀土永磁薄膜材料中实现磁性交换耦合和剩磁增强效应，系统地研究了其结构与磁性的关系。制备成功高磁能积的各向异性稀土永磁薄膜材料，比较了Ti或Mo缓冲层对Nd-Fe-B薄膜的表面形貌、磁畴结构和磁性能的影响。发现薄膜的表面形貌强烈地依赖于缓冲层的厚度。由于它极大地影响薄膜的成分，溅射速率被证明是控制薄膜的显微结构、表面形貌和磁性能的一个重要因素。在微磁学模型的基础上，通过分析从5到300K的矫顽力温度依赖关系。研究了各向异性Pr-Fe-B薄膜的矫顽力机制。在晶粒表面，由于磁各向异性的降低和局域退磁场的提高导致的反转畴的形核被确定为控制各向异性Pr-Fe—B薄膜的磁化反转过程的首要机制。     

Structural Variation and Its Influence on the 1/f Noise of a-Si_(1-x)Ru_x Thin Films Embedded with Nanocrystals

The structural variation and its influence on the 1/f noise of a-Si_(1-x)Ru_x thin films are investigated by Raman spectroscopy,transmission electron microscopy, and low frequency noise measurement. The Ru atoms are introduced into the amorphous silicon thin films by rf magnetron co-sputtering. Ru2 Si nanocrystals are found in the as-deposited samples. It is shown that the 1/f noise of the films can be reduced by a slight doping with Ru atoms. Moreover, both the microstructure and the 1/f noise performance of a-Si_(1-x)Ru_x thin films could be improved through a high-temperature annealing treatment.     

LBO晶体上ZrO2薄膜的显微结构和光学性质

用电子束蒸发方法在三种不同取向的三硼酸锂(LiB3O5,简称LBO)晶体上沉积了ZrO2薄膜.采用分光光度计和X射线衍射技术对LBO晶体基底结构对薄膜光学性质和显微结构的影响进行了研究.实验结果表明基底结构对薄膜的显微结构和光学性质具有明显影响,即X-LBO,Y-LBO和Z-LBO上沉积的ZrO2薄膜分别沿m(-212),m(021)和o(130)择优生长,且m(021)择优取向的ZrO2薄膜具有最高的折射率和最小的晶格不匹配.     

Cluster organization in co-sputtered platinum-carbon films as revealed by grazing incidence X-ray scattering

Nanostructured platinum-carbon thin films were prepared by magnetron co-sputtering method for designing efficient catalytic thin films, like fuel cells electrodes. The in-depth morphology of composite films was studied using surface sensitive X-ray techniques (grazing incidence small-angle scattering and reflectivity), consolidated by electron microscopy investigations. This study elucidates the growth mode of co-sputtered platinum-carbon thin film: 2-nm-sized platinum clusters are growing in surrounding simultaneously growing carbon columns (20-nm diameter range). In particular, the platinum cluster growth and distribution in the plane of the substrate surface are driven by surface diffusion and coalescence phenomena. Finally, this anisotropic distribution of platinum clusters correlated to the textured morphology of carbon matrix leads to a catalytic thin film morphology very suitable for electrochemical processes in fuel cell electrodes.