Enhanced acetone sensing characteristics by decorating Au nanoparticles on ZnO flower-like structures

A well-organized hierarchical structure of ZnO was developed by chemical bath deposition and used as templates for making gold-coated ZnO (Au/ZnO) hybrid nanostructures. The coverage of Au nanoparticles (Au NPs) on ZnO was controlled by changing the amount of the Au precursor. The Au/ZnO hybrids were applied as gas sensing materials to detect acetone. The improved sensor response, selectivity and short response, and recovery time to acetone vapor due to Au NPs on ZnO nanostructures has been observed and explained by considering the formation of Au/ZnO heterostructures, which are favorable for the diffusion of gas molecules. In addition, the dependence of Au amount on gas sensor properties was systematically investigated. ZnO decorated by 6 wt% Au NPs displayed a 9.05-fold enhancement in gas response to 100 ppm of acetone at 280 °C compared to pristine ZnO.     

Characteristics of SAW UV sensors based on a ZnO/Si structure using third harmonic mode

This paper describes the characteristics of surface acoustic wave (SAW) ultraviolet (UV) sensors fabricated from a ZnO thin film using the third harmonic mode. A ZnO thin film was used as an active layer for UV detection, and a piezoelectric layer was sputtered using magnetron sputtering. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and photoluminescence (PL) spectra showed that the ZnO sputtered onto Si(100) was highly (002)-oriented and had good optical properties. The two-port SAW resonator was based on an inter-digital transducer (IDT)/ZnO/Si structure and was fabricated and exposed under UV light at a wavelength of 380 nm. As a result, under a UV intensity of 3 mW/cm², the SAW UV sensor was greatly shifted by 400 kHz at the third harmonic mode compared to a frequency shift of 10 kHz in the fundamental mode.     

表面等离子共振金/钯复合膜氢敏传感器

提出了一种新颖的钯(Pd)/金(Au)复合膜表面等离子共振氢敏结构,与单一Pd膜氢敏传感器相比,具有可靠性好、灵敏度高和响应度大等特点。利用表面等离子共振理论建立了Au/Pd复合膜氢敏传感器的数学模型,并对Au/Pd复合膜氢敏传感器的灵敏度进行了数值模拟。数值模拟结果表明:基于Au(2nm)/Pd(20nm)复合膜氢敏传感器所获得的最佳灵敏度比单一Pd(20nm)膜氢敏传感器提高了49 4%。     

Crystallization and surface morphology of Au/SiO2 thin films following furnace and flame annealing

A crystallization and surface evolution study of Au thin film on SiO₂ substrates following annealing at different temperatures above the eutectic point of the Au/Si system are reported. Samples were prepared by conventional evaporation of gold in a high vacuum (10⁻⁷ mbar) environment on substrates at room temperature. Thermal treatments were performed by both furnace and flame annealing techniques. Au thin films can be crystallized on SiO₂ substrates by both furnace and flame annealing. Annealing arranges the Au crystallites in the (1 1 1) plane direction and changes the morphology of the surface. Both, slow and rapid annealing result in a good background in the XRD spectra and hence clean and complete crystallization which depends more on the temperature than on the time of annealing. The epitaxial temperature for the Au/SiO₂ system decreases in the range of 350-400 °C. Furnace and flame annealing also form crystallized gold islands over the Au/SiO₂ surface. Relaxation at high temperatures of the strained Au layer, obtained after deposition, should be responsible for the initial stages of clusters formation. Gold nucleation sites may be formed at disordered points on the surface and they become islands when the temperature and time of annealing are increased. The growth rate of crystallites is highest around 360 °C. Above this temperature, the layer melts and gold diffuses from the substrate to the nucleation sites to increase the distance between islands and modify their shapes. Well above the eutectic temperature, the relaxed islands have hexagonally shaped borders. The mean crystallite diameters grow up to a maximum mean size of around 90 nm. The free activation energy for grain boundary migration above 360 °C is 0.2 eV. Therefore the type of the silicon substrate changes the mechanism of diffusion and growth of crystallites during annealing of the Au/Si system. Epitaxial Au(1 1 1) layers without formation of islands can be prepared by furnace annealing in the range of 300-310 °C and by flame annealing of a few seconds and up to 0.5 min.     

Photoluminescence study of ZnO nano-islands

ZnO nano-islands, with much more uniform size, have been grown through two-step method by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The room temperature band-edge UV emission intensity of nano-islands was usually undetectable or much smaller than that of thin film. Photoluminescence (PL) emission of those nano-islands shows the high intensity nearly as that of ZnO thin film, which is great different from previous reports. By meaningfully analyzing both PL and growth condition of those three samples (bulk ZnO wafer, nano-islands and film), neutral-donor-bound-exciton (D⁰X) emission observed on ZnO nano-islands sample is eventually attributed to hydrogen and aluminum, respectively. The abnormal phenomenon of nano-islands PL intensity has been explained by the point of zinc vacancies (V_Zn) complex defects. It is considered to govern the nonradiative combination and lead enhanced intensity of UV emission in ZnO nano-islands.     

Sr/Si(100)表面TiSi2纳米岛的扫描隧道显微镜研究

为了解半导体衬底与氧化物之间存在的相互作用,以及量子尺寸效应对不同再构体的影响,制备了1—2个原子层厚的TiSi₂/Si(100)纳米岛,并使用扫描隧道显微镜(STM)表征手段详细地研究了TiSi₂ /Si(100)纳米岛的电子和几何特性. 结果发现:这些纳米岛表面显示出明显的金属性;其空态STM图像具有典型的偏压依赖性:在高偏压下STM 图像由三聚物形成的单胞构成,并在低偏压下STM 图像显示为密堆积的图案,这些不同的图案反映出不同能量位的态密度有明显差异. 关键词： 2纳米岛')" href="#">TiSi₂纳米岛 Sr/Si(100)表面 扫描隧道显微镜     

Improving light trapping and conversion efficiency of amorphous silicon solar cell by modified and randomly distributed ZnO nanorods

Three-dimensional （3D） nanostructures in thin film solar cells have attracted significant attention due to their appli- cations in enhancing light trapping. Enhanced light trapping can result in more effective absorption in solar cells, thus leading to higher short-circuit current density and conversion efficiency. We develop randomly distributed and modified ZnO nanorods, which are designed and fabricated by the following processes： the deposition of a ZnO seed layer on sub- strate with sputtering, the wet chemical etching of the seed layer to form isolated islands for nanorod growth, the chemical bath deposition of the ZnO nanorods, and the sputtering deposition of a thin Al-doped ZnO （ZnO：Al） layer to improve the ZnO/Si interface. Solar cells employing the modified ZnO nanorod substrate show a considerable increase in solar energy conversion efficiency.     

Studies of structural evolution and sensing properties of ZnO nanocrystalline films

ZnO nanocrystalline films have been prepared on Si(1 0 0) substrate using direct current (D.C) magnetron sputtering technique at room temperature. The thickness of nanocrystalline films almost linearly increased with deposition duration and the sizes of crystalline grains almost kept unchanged. After deposition, thermal annealing was performed at 800 °C in atmosphere for 2 h in order to improve the qualities of ZnO thin films. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images showed the surface roughness of the films less than 45 nm. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns revealed the slight evolution of the crystal structures. Raman scattering spectra confirmed the data obtained from X-ray diffraction measurements.With these ZnO nanocrystalline films, prototypic gas sensors were fabricated. Both sensitivity and response of the sensors to different gases (H₂ and CH₄) were investigated. A quick response of time, less than 1 second to CH₄ gas sensor has been achieved.     

Deposition and microstructure characterization of atmospheric plasma-sprayed ZnO coatings for NO2 detection

This work studied the possibility of using a sensor based on plasma-sprayed zinc oxide (ZnO) sensitive layer for NO₂ detection. The atmospheric plasma spray process was employed to deposit ZnO gas sensing layer and the obtained coating structure was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis. The influences of gas concentration, working temperature, water vapor in testing air on NO₂ sensing performance of the ZnO sensors were studied. ZnO sensors showed a good sensor response and selectivity to NO₂ at an optimal working temperature.     

Ammonia sensing characteristics of ZnO nanowires studied by quartz crystal microbalance

The ZnO nanowires have been prepared and studied as the sensing element for the detection of ammonia. The ZnO nanowires were first synthesized by evaporating high purity zinc pellets at 900 °C and then distributed onto the electrode surfaces of quartz crystals at room temperatures. Gas sensitive properties of ZnO nanowires layer were studied in terms of the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) at room temperature. It is found that the obtained response of the sensors varied with the thickness of the ZnO nanowires layer. ZnO nanowires showed high sensitivity to ammonia in the range of 40-1000 ppm. The response time of the sensor was as fast as ∼5 s at any concentration (40-1000 ppm) of ammonia gas. The ZnO nanowires-coated sensors have a good frequency stability and reproducibility. All results demonstrated that the ZnO nanowire was a potential gas sensing material for practical use.     

ZnO纳米/微米结构传感器对乙醇气敏性研究

采用化学气相法分别在石英舟内表面和单晶硅衬底上制备了ZnO微米片、纳米线、微米四足体以及微米球4种结构,并制作了相应的气敏传感器。扫描电子显微镜、气敏测试仪等结果显示：合成的ZnO纳米/微米结构尺寸在200 nm~100 μm之间,传感器最佳工作电流区间为120~130 mA,其中微米四足体制备的传感器灵敏度高达127,展现出优异的气敏特性。在4种结构中,微米四足体材料内部的V_O缺陷含量最高,结合气敏测试与荧光光谱结果,我们认为材料内部的V_O缺陷含量是影响材料气敏特性的最重要因素。     

ZnO thin film with nanorod arrays applied to fluid sensor

A ZnO guiding layer with nanorod arrays grown on a 90°-rotated ST-cut (42°45) quartz substrate was used to fabricate a Love wave fluid sensor. ZnO nanorod arrays synthesized on the guiding layer enhance the sensitivity of the flow rate. ZnO thin films were deposited by radio frequency magnetron sputtering and ZnO nanorod arrays were then synthesized on the thin films via the hydrothermal method. The crystalline structure and surface morphology of ZnO thin films and nanorod arrays were examined by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The effects of the thickness of ZnO thin film and the surface morphology of ZnO nanorod arrays on the sensitivity of flow rate were investigated. A linear response between flow rate and the return loss of the sensor with one-port resonator type can be obtained by adjusting the thickness of ZnO thin film and the length of nanorod arrays.     

Al掺杂原子分数及退火温度对ZnO薄膜光学特性的影响

 采用溶胶凝胶法在（0001）Al₂O₃衬底上制备了不同掺杂原子分数的ZnO:Al薄膜，在Ar气氛中进行了600～950 ℃不同温度的退火处理，研究了掺杂原子分数和退火温度对薄膜光致发光、光吸收和透射的影响。结果显示，薄膜的紫外峰强度随掺杂原子分数和退火温度的提高而增强，与缺陷相关的绿光强度却随着掺杂原子分数和退火温度的提高而降低；薄膜光学带隙随掺杂原子分数的提高从3.21 eV增大到3.25 eV；光吸收在可见光区随着退火温度的升高而增大，在紫外区却随着退火温度的升高而减小，透射与吸收的变化规律相反；薄膜吸收边随退火温度的升高出现轻微的红移。     

Evaluation of acoustoelectric UV sensor according to ZnO thin film properties

This paper presents an improvement of the acoustoelectric effect by sensitivity and response of ultraviolet (UV) sensors by changing the argon/oxygen ratio. The acoustoelectric sensor is a delay-line type with a center frequency of 240.2625 MHz and fabricated on a piezoelectric substrate. Aluminum thin films were deposited as interdigitated transducers and patterned, and the ZnO thin film was deposited as a UV sensing layer by controlling the ratio of argon and oxygen with an RF magnetron sputtering. By increasing the oxygen partial pressure during ZnO deposition, the photoconductivity increased by 6.5 times, thereby increasing the frequency change related to the sensitivity of the sensor. The sensitivity to UV light was 110.4 Hz cm²/μW under an argon/oxygen ratio of 6:4, which is an increase of 5.1 times from 21.76 Hz cm²/μW obtained under a ratio of 10:2. In addition, the response and recovery times were improved by 2.85 times and 3.02 times, respectively.     

多孔ZnO微米球的制备及其优异的丙酮敏感特性

以六水合硝酸锌、尿素为原料,以六亚甲基四胺为表面活性剂,利用水热法合成了多孔氧化锌微米球.通过X射线衍射仪、扫描电子显微镜和吸附仪对样品的结构、形貌、比表面积和孔径进行了表征.利用所得多孔微米球氧化锌制备了气敏元件,并对其气敏特性进行了测试.结果表明:在280℃的工作温度下,表面多孔氧化锌微米球气敏元件对50 ppm的丙酮气体的灵敏度为26.8,响应时间和恢复时间分别约为4 s和10 s,并具有良好的选择性.     

Ni/Au与N掺杂p型ZnO的欧姆接触

研究了Au,In,Ni/Au三种不同金属膜与N掺杂p型ZnO的接触特性,发现Ni/Au双层膜更适合作为其欧姆电极材料,并比较了不同气氛和不同温度退火对Ni/Au电极的影响.发现在O₂中退火电极性能发生蜕变,而在N₂中退火性能得到改善.指出即使在N₂中退火,退火温度的选择也是至关重要的,本实验在400℃,氮气气氛下退火150s,得到了较好的欧姆接触特性.     

Effect of substrate and annealing on the structural and optical properties of ZnO:Al films

ZnO:Al thin films with c-axis preferred orientation were deposited on glass and Si substrates using RF magnetron sputtering technique. The effect of substrate on the structural and optical properties of ZnO:Al films were investigated. The results showed a strong blue peak from glass-substrate ZnO:Al film whose intensity became weak when deposited on Si substrate. However, the full width at half maxima (FWHM) of the Si-substrate ZnO:Al (0 0 2) peaks decreased evidently and the grain size increased. Finally, we discussed the influence of annealing temperature on the structural and optical properties of Si-substrate ZnO:Al films. After annealing, the crystal quality of Si-substrate ZnO:Al thin films was markedly improved and the intensity of blue peak (∼445 nm) increased noticeably. This observation may indicate that the visible emission properties of the ZnO:Al films are dependent more on the film crystallinity than on the film stoichiometry.     

Gas sensor using gold doped copper oxide nanostructured thin films as modified cladding fiber

We investigate the spectral response of nanostructured copper oxides thin film. Gold was doped in two different concentrations (2% and 4%) using the spray method. A novel ammonia gas sensor at various concentrations (0-500 ppm) was fabricated by replacing CuO films with a clad region. In addition, the effect of gold doping on structural, optical, and morphological properties has been demonstrated. The study shows that the spectral intensity increases linearly with ammonia concentration. The 4% Au doped CuO presents higher sensitivity compared with 2% doped and pure copper oxides. Time response characteristics of the sensor are also reported.     

Preparation of Cu-Zn/ZnO core-shell nanocomposite by wire electrical explosion and precipitation process in aqueous solution and CO sensing properties

Cu-Zn/ZnO nanocomposites with a novel core-shell structure have been prepared by a surface precipitation process in aqueous solution. X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy are employed to analyze the structure and morphology of the present products. The influence of the annealing temperature on the core-shell structure of the nanocomposites is investigated, and a possible growth model is proposed. Furthermore, the gas sensors based on the Cu-Zn/ZnO nanocomposites are fabricated and tested, which exhibits high sensitivity and fast response to CO. The best results are obtained for the sensor based on the film annealed at 350 °C, which shows that the sensitivity is about 6.3 when the sensor is exposed to 100 ppm CO at the operating temperature of 240 °C. The possible sensing mechanism of the Cu-Zn/ZnO sensing film has also been discussed.     

Analytical sensitivity and reflected power through a D-shape optical fibre sensor

In this paper, the reflection properties and sensitivity of a D-shape optical fibre sensor are investigated theoretically and numerically with the emphasis on the metal layer [gold (Au), silver (Ag), copper (Cu), and aluminum (Al)]. Maxwell’s equations are used to determine the electric and magnetic fields of the incident waves at each layer. Snell’s law is applied and the boundary conditions are imposed at each layer interface to calculate the reflected power and sensitivity of the sensor. In the numerical results, the mentioned power is computed and illustrated as a function of wavelength, angle of incidence, metal layer thickness and refractive index of the external medium when the metal layer changes. The variation of sensitivity with the wavelength of the incident radiations is also proposed for some of the given metals.