Effect of temperature on pulsed laser deposition of HgCdTe films

HgCdTe thin films have been deposited on Si(1 1 1) substrates at different substrate temperatures by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). An Nd:YAG pulsed laser with a wavelength of 1064 nm was used as laser source. The influences of the substrate temperature on the crystalline quality, surface morphology and composition of HgCdTe thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The results show that in our experimental conditions, the HgCdTe thin films deposited at 200 °C have the best quality. When the substrate temperature is over 250 °C, the HgCdTe film becomes thermodynamically unstable and the quality of the film is degraded.     

Influence of substrate temperature on the optical and piezoelectric properties of ZnO thin films deposited by rf magnetron sputtering

In this study, ZnO thin films were fabricated using the rf magnetron sputtering method and their piezoelectrical and optical characteristics were investigated for various substrate temperatures. The ZnO thin film has the largest crystallization orientation for the (0 0 2) peak and the smallest FWHM value of 0.56° at a substrate temperature of 200 °C. The surface morphology shows a relatively dense surface structure at 200 °C compared to the other substrate temperatures. The surface roughness shows the smallest of 1.6 nm at a substrate temperature of 200 °C. The piezoelectric constant of the ZnO thin film measured using the pneumatic loading method (PLM) has a maximum value of 11.9 pC/N at a substrate temperature of 200 °C. The transmittance of the ZnO thin film measured using spectrophotometry with various substrate temperatures ranged from 75 to 93% in the visible light region. By fitting the refractive index from the transmittance to the Sellmeir dispersion relation, we can predict the refractive index of the ZnO thin film according to the wavelength. In the visible light range, the refraction index of the ZnO thin film deposited at a substrate temperature of 200 °C is the range of 1.88-2.08.     

Enhanced ferroelectric properties of vanadium doped bismuth titanate (BTV) thin films grown by pulsed laser ablation technique

Bi_3.99Ti_2.97V_0.03O₁₂ (BTV) thin films were grown by pulsed laser deposition at substrate temperatures ranging between 650 and 750 °C. The structural phase, and orientation of the deposited films were investigated in order to understand the effect of the deposition parameters on the properties of the BTV films. As the substrate temperature was increased to 700 °C, the films started showing a tendency of assuming a c-axis preferred orientation, while at lower temperatures polycrystalline films were formed. The Au/BTV/Pt capacitor showed an interesting dependence of the remnant polarization (P_r) as well as dc leakage current values on the growth temperature. The film deposited at 675 °C showed a very large 2P_r of 42 μC cm⁻², which is the largest for BTV thin films among the values reported so far.     

The influence of substrate temperature and annealing on the properties of pulsed laser-deposited YIG films on fused quartz substrate

Yttrium iron garnet (YIG) thin films were deposited on fused quartz substrate at different substrate temperatures (T_s) varying from room temperature (RT) to 850 °C using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. All the films in the as-deposited state were X-ray amorphous and non-magnetic at RT. The film deposited at RT after annealing at temperatures T_a?700 °C showed both X-ray peaks and the magnetic order. The films deposited at higher T_s (500–850 °C) and then annealed at 700 °C resulted in better-quality films with higher 4πM_s value. The highest value of magnetization was for the sample deposited at 850 °C and annealed at 700 °C, which is 68% of the bulk 4πM_s value.     

The effects of substrate temperature on the structure, morphology and photoluminescence properties of pulsed laser deposited SrAl2O4:Eu,Dy thin films

In this study, SrAl₂O₄:Eu²⁺,Dy³⁺ thin film phosphors were deposited on Si (1 0 0) substrates using the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. The films were deposited at different substrate temperatures in the range of 40-700 °C. The structure, morphology and topography of the films were determined by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Photoluminescence (PL) data was collected in air at room temperature using a 325 nm He-Cd laser as an excitation source. The PL spectra of all the films were characterized by green phosphorescent photoluminescence at ∼530 nm. This emission was attributed to 4f⁶5d¹→4f⁷ transition of Eu²⁺. The highest PL intensity was observed from the films deposited at a substrate temperature of 400 °C. The effects of varying substrate temperature on the PL intensity were discussed.     

The influence of substrate temperature variation on tungsten oxide thin film growth in an HFCVD system

Tungsten oxide (WO₃) thin films were deposited by a modified hot filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) technique using Si (1 0 0) substrates. The substrate temperature was varied from room temperature to 430 °C at an interval of 100 °C. The influence of the substrate temperature on the structural and optical properties of the WO₃ films was studied. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectra show that as substrate temperature increases the film tends to crystallize from the amorphous state and the surface roughness decreases sharply after 230 °C as confirmed from AFM image analysis. Also from the X-ray analysis it is evident that the substrate orientation plays a key role in growth. There is a sharp peak for samples on Si substrate due to texturing. The film thickness also decreases as substrate temperature increases. UV-vis spectra show that as substrate temperature increases the film property changes from metallic to insulating behavior due to changing stoichiometry, which was confirmed by XPS analysis.     

Thermal stability of Ag films in air prepared by thermal evaporation

The thermal stability of silver films in air has been studied. Pure Ag films, 250 nm in thickness, were prepared on glass substrates by thermal evaporation process, and subsequently annealed in air for 1 h at temperatures between 200 and 400 °C. The structure and morphology of the samples were investigated by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectra and atomic force microscopy. It is found that the crystallization enhances for the annealed films, and film surface becomes oxidized when annealing temperature is higher than 350 °C. The electrical and optical properties of the films were studied by van der Pauw method and spectrophotometer, respectively. Reflectance drops sharply as Ag films are annealed at temperatures above 250 °C. Film annealed at 250 °C has the maximum surface roughness and the minimum reflectance at 600 nm optical wavelength. Film annealed at 200 °C has the minimum resistivity, and resistivity increases with the increasing of the annealing temperature when temperature is above 200 °C. The results show that both oxidization on film surface and agglomeration of silver film result in infinite of electrical resistivity as the annealing temperature is above 350 °C.     

Stability of MgO(1 1 1) films grown on 6H-SiC(0 0 0 1) by molecular beam epitaxy for two-step integration of functional oxides

Crystalline magnesium oxide (MgO) (1 1 1), 20 Å thick, was grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on hydrogen cleaned hexagonal silicon carbide (6H-SiC). The films were further heated to 740 °C and 650 °C under different oxygen environments in order to simulate processing conditions for subsequent functional oxide growth. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness and stability of crystalline MgO films and the MgO/6H-SiC interface for subsequent heteroepitaxial deposition of multi-component, functional oxides by MBE or pulsed laser deposition processes. The stability of the MgO films and the MgO/6H-SiC interface was found to be dependent on substrate temperature and the presence of atomic oxygen. The MgO films and the MgO/6H-SiC interface are stable at temperatures up to 740 °C at 1.0 × 10⁻⁹ Torr for extended periods of time. While at temperatures below 400 °C exposure to the presence of active oxygen for extended periods of time has negligible impact, exposure to the presence of active oxygen for more than 5 min at 650 °C will degrade the MgO/6H-SiC interface. Concurrent etching and interface breakdown mechanisms are hypothesized to explain the observed effects. Further, barium titanate was deposited by MBE on bare 6H-SiC(0 0 0 1) and MgO(1 1 1)/6H-SiC(0 0 0 1) in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the MgO as a heteroepitaxial template layer for perovskite ferroelectrics.     

Substrate temperature influence on the properties of nanostructured ZnO transparent ultrathin films grown by PLD

Zinc oxide films of 40 nm thickness have been deposited on glass substrates by pulsed laser deposition using an excimer XeCl laser (308 nm) at different substrate temperatures ranging from room temperature to 650 °C. Surface investigations carried out by using atomic force microscopy have shown a strong influence of temperature on the films surface topography. UV-VIS transmittance measurements have shown that our ZnO films are highly transparent in the visible wavelength region, having an average transmittance of ∼90%. The optical band gap of the films was found to be 3.26 eV, which is lower than the theoretical value of 3.37 eV. Besides the normal absorption edge related to the transition between the valence and the conduction band, an additional absorption band was also recorded in the wavelength region around 364 nm (∼3.4 eV). This additional absorption band may be due to excitonic, impurity, and/or quantum size effects. Photoreduction/oxidation in ozone of the ZnO films lead to larger conductivity changes for higher deposition temperature. In conclusion, the ozone sensing characteristics as well as the optical properties of the ZnO thin films deposited by pulsed laser deposition are strongly influenced by the substrate temperature during growth. The sensitivity of the films towards ozone might be enhanced significantly by the control of the films deposition parameters and surface characteristics.     

Effects of substrate temperature and Zn addition on the properties of Al-doped ZnO films prepared by magnetron sputtering

Al-doped ZnO (AZO) films prepared at different substrate temperature and AZO films with intentional Zn addition (ZAZO) during deposition at elevated substrate temperature were fabricated by radio frequency magnetron sputtering on glass substrate, and the resulting structural, electrical, optical properties together with the etching characteristics and annealing behavior were comparatively examined. AZO films deposited at 150 °C showed the optimum electrical properties and the largest grain size. XPS analysis revealed that AZO films deposited at elevated temperature of 450 °C contained large amount of Al content due to Zn deficiency, and that intentional Zn addition during deposition could compensate the deficiency of Zn to some extent. It was shown that the electrical, optical and structural properties of ZAZO films were almost comparable to those of AZO film deposited at 150 °C, and that ZAZO films had much smaller etching rate together with better stability in severe annealing conditions than AZO films due possibly to formation of dense structure.     

Effect of substrate temperature on the growth of ITO thin films

Indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films were deposited onto glass substrates by rf magnetron sputtering of ITO target and the influence of substrate temperature on the properties of the films were investigated. The structural characteristics showed a dependence on the oxygen partial pressure during sputtering. Oxygen deficient films showed (4 0 0) plane texturing while oxygen-incorporated films were preferentially oriented in the [1 1 1] direction. ITO films with low resistivity of 2.05 × 10⁻³ Ω cm were deposited at relatively low substrate temperature (150 °C) which shows highest figure of merit of 2.84 × 10⁻³ square/Ω⋅     

Epitaxial growth of InN on nearly lattice-matched (Mn,Zn)Fe2O4

We have grown InN films on nearly lattice-matched (Mn,Zn)Fe₂O₄ (111) substrates at low temperatures by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) and investigated their structural properties. InN films grown at substrate temperatures above 400 °C show poor crystallinity, and their in-plane epitaxial relationship is [10-10]InN//[11-2](Mn,Zn)Fe₂O₄, which means that their lattice mismatch is quite large (11%). By contrast, high quality InN films with flat surfaces can be grown at growth temperatures lower than 150 °C with the ideal in-plane epitaxial relationship of [11-20]InN//[11-2](Mn,Zn)Fe₂O₄, which produces lattice mismatches of as low as 2.0%. X-ray reflectivity measurements have revealed that the thickness of the interfacial layer between the InN and the substrates is reduced from 14 to 8.4 nm when the growth temperature is decreased from 400 °C to room temperature. This suppression of the interface reactions by reducing the growth temperature is probably responsible for the improvement in crystalline quality. These results indicate that the use of (Mn,Zn)Fe₂O₄ (111) substrates at low growth temperatures allows us to achieve nearly lattice matched epitaxial growth of InN.     

Preparation of (CdO)1−x(PbO)x and (CdS)1−x(PbS)x thin films by spray pyrolysis technique and their characterization

Mixed thin films of (CdO)_1−x(PbO)_x and (CdS)_1−x(PbS)_x (x=0.25) were prepared on glass substrates by spray pyrolysis technique for various substrate temperatures 300, 320 and 340 °C. Structural and optical properties were studied. XRD studies reveal the formation of mixed films. The substrate temperature of 340 °C seems to be critical for the formation of CdO-PbO mixed films. It is observed that (CdS)_1−x(PbS)_x mixed films were formed at all the three substrate temperatures. The direct band gap value of (CdO)_1−x(PbO)_x and (CdS)_1−x(PbS)_x mixed films is about 2.6 and 2.37 eV, respectively.     

Effect of composition and deposition temperature on the characteristics of Ga doped ZnO thin films

ZnO films doped with Ga (GZO) of varying composition were prepared on Corning glass substrate by radio frequency magnetron sputtering at various deposition temperatures of room temperature, 150, 250 and 400 °C, and their temperature dependent photoelectric and structural properties were correlated with Ga composition. With increasing deposition temperature, the Ga content, at which the lowest electrical resistivity and the best crystallinity were observed, decreased. Films with optimal electrical resistivity of 2-3 × 10⁻⁴ Ω cm and with good crystallinity were obtained in the substrate temperature range from 150 to 250 °C, and the corresponding C_Ga/(C_Ga + C_Zn) atomic ratio was about 0.049. GZO films grown at room temperature had coarse columnar structure and low optical transmittance, while films deposited at 400 °C yielded the highest figure of merit (FOM) due to very low optical absorption despite rather moderate electrical resistivity slightly higher than 4 × 10⁻⁴ Ω cm. The optimum Ga content at which the maximum figure of merit was obtained decreased with increasing deposition temperature.     

Structural and optical characterization of Ce-doped Gd2SiO5 films by sol-gel technique

Cerium-doped Gd₂SiO₅ (GSO:Ce) films have been prepared on (1 1 1) silicon substrates by the sol-gel technique. Annealing was performed in the temperature range from 400 to 1000 °C. X-ray diffraction (XRD), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to investigate the structure and morphology of GSO:Ce films. Results showed that GSO:Ce film starts to crystallize at about 600 °C, GSO:Ce films have a preferential (0 2 1) orientation, as the annealing temperature increase, the (0 2 1) peak intensity increases, the full width of half maximum (FWHM) decreases, and the grain size of GSO:Ce films increases. Emission spectra of GSO:Ce films were measured, results exhibit the characteristic blue emission peak at 427 nm.     

Microstructures and optical properties of Cu-doped ZnO films prepared by radio frequency reactive magnetron sputtering

Pure and Cu-doped ZnO (ZnO:Cu) thin films were deposited on glass substrates using radio frequency (RF) reactive magnetron sputtering. The effect of substrate temperature on the crystallization behavior and optical properties of the ZnO:Cu films have been studied. The crystal structures, surface morphology and optical properties of the films were systematically investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and a fluorescence spectrophotometer, respectively. The results indicated that ZnO films showed a stronger preferred orientation toward the c-axis and a more uniform grain size after Cu-doping. As for ZnO:Cu films, the full width at half maxima (FWHM) of (0 0 2) diffraction peaks decreased first and then increased, reaching a minimum of about 0.42° at 350 °C and the compressive stress of ZnO:Cu decreased gradually with the increase of substrate temperature. The photoluminescence (PL) spectra measured at room temperature revealed two blue and two green emissions. Intense blue-green luminescence was obtained from the sample deposited at higher substrate temperature. Finally, we discussed the influence of annealing temperature on the structural and optical properties of ZnO:Cu films. The quality of ZnO:Cu film was markedly improved and the intensity of blue peak (∼485 nm) and green peak (∼527 nm) increased noticeably after annealing. The origin of these emissions was discussed.     

Magnetic and spectroscopic characteristics of ZnMnO system

We report on the observation of room-temperature ferromagnetism in epitaxial (Zn,Mn)O films grown by a pulsed-laser deposition technique using high-density targets. The X-ray, microscopic, spectroscopic and magnetic properties of target material containing 6 at.% of Mn and films were compared. The target shows the presence of large clusters exhibiting paramagnetic behavior. However, ferromagnetic properties were observed in (Zn,Mn)O films grown at a substrate temperature of 500 °C and with an oxygen partial pressure of 1 mTorr. Although, crystalline quality of the film improves with increasing substrate temperature, the ferromagnetism becomes weaker.     

Strengthening sapphire at elevated temperatures by SiO2 films

SiO₂ films have been prepared on sapphire by radio frequency magnetron reactive sputtering in order to increase the optical and mechanical properties of infrared windows and domes of sapphire at elevated temperatures. Infrared transmission and flexural strength of uncoated and coated sapphires have been investigated at different temperatures. SiO₂ films were shown to have apparent antireflective effect on sapphire substrate at room temperature. With increasing temperature, the coated sapphires have larger average transmission than the uncoated ones. The temperature was proven to only weakly affect the absorption coefficient and antireflection capability of the deposited films. It is also indicated that the flexural strengths of the c-axis sapphire samples coated with SiO₂ films are increased by 1.2 and 1.5 times than those of uncoated at 600 and 800 °C, respectively.     

Amorphous to crystalline phase transition in pulsed laser deposited silicon carbide

SiC thin films were grown on Si (1 0 0) substrates by excimer laser ablation of a SiC target in vacuum. The effect of deposition temperature (up to 950 °C), post-deposition annealing and laser energy on the nanostructure, bonding and crystalline properties of the films was studied, in order to elucidate their transition from an amorphous to a crystalline phase. Infra-red spectroscopy shows that growth at temperatures greater than 600 °C produces layers with increasingly uniform environment of the Si-C bonds, while the appearance of large crystallites is detected, by X-ray diffraction, at 800 °C. Electron paramagnetic resonance confirms the presence of clustered paramagnetic centers within the sp² carbon domains. Increasing deposition temperature leads to a decrease of the spin density and to a temperature-dependent component of the EPR linewidth induced by spin hopping. For films grown below 650 °C, post-deposition annealing at 1100 °C reduces the spin density as a result of a more uniform Si-C nanostructure, though large scale crystallization is not observed. For greater deposition temperatures, annealing leads to little changes in the bonding properties, but suppresses the temperature dependent component of the EPR linewidth. These findings are explained by a relaxation of the stress in the layers, through the annealing of the bond angle disorder that inhibits spin hopping processes.     

Effects of deposition temperature and thickness on the structural properties of thermal evaporated bismuth thin films

Bismuth (Bi) thin films of different thicknesses were deposited onto Si(1 0 0) substrate at various substrate temperatures by thermal evaporation technique. Influences of thickness and deposition temperature on the film morphologies, microstructure, and topographies were investigated. A columnar growth of hexahedron-like grains with bimodal particle size distribution was observed at high deposition temperature. The columnar growth and the presence of large grains induce the Bi films to have large surface roughness as evidenced by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The dependence of the crystalline orientation on the substrate temperature was analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), which shows that the Bi films have completely randomly oriented polycrystalline structure with a rhombohedral phase at high deposition temperature (200 °C) and were strongly textured with preferred orientation at low deposition temperatures (30 and 100 °C).