Electrical and structural properties of In-doped ZnO films deposited by RF superimposed DC magnetron sputtering system

Zinc-indium-oxide (ZIO) films were deposited on non-alkali glass substrates by RF superimposed DC magnetron sputtering with a ZIO (9.54 wt% In₂O₃ content) high-density, sintered target at room temperature. The electrical, structural and optical properties of the ZIO films deposited with different sputtering parameters were examined. The total power for RF superimposed DC magnetron sputtering was 80 W. The RF power ratio in the total sputtering power was changed from 0 to 100% in steps of 25%. The ZIO films deposited with a 100% RF discharge showed the lowest resistivity, 1.28×10⁻³ Ω cm, due to the higher carrier concentration. The ZIO film deposited at 50% RF power showed a relatively larger grain size and smaller FWHM. XPS suggested an increase in the level of In³⁺ substitution for Zn²⁺ in the ZnO lattice with increasing RF/(DC+RF) due to the low damage process. The average transmittance of all ZIO films in the visible light region was >80%. The increasing RF power portion of the total sputtering power led to a broadening of the optical band gap, which was attributed to the increase in carrier density according to Burstein-Moss shift theory.     

高阻隔铝塑膜辉光放电发射光谱深度谱测量参数的优化

脉冲-射频辉光放电发射光谱(GDOES)深度剖析是一种基于辉光放电原理的原子光谱技术,广泛应用于薄膜材料与功能多层膜结构中成分随深度分布的表征.该技术具有真空度要求低,灵敏度高,溅射速率快等优点.同时脉冲-射频电源所采用的瞬间高功率模式可使得氩离子周期性轰击样品表面,避免了由于热量积累所导致的熔融或碳化,因此脉冲-射频...     

The effect of electro-annealing on the electrical properties of ITO film on colorless polyimide substrate

The effect of different annealing methods on the sheet resistance of indium tin oxide (ITO) on polyimide (PI) substrate has been investigated. ITO thin films were prepared by RF magnetron sputtering in pure Ar gas and electro-annealing, this was carried out in the flow of an electric current at several temperatures between 100 and 180 °C in air. Electro- and thermal annealing were compared in order to confirm differences between the electrical, optical and microstructural properties of the ITO thin films. As electro-annealing induced the predominant growth of crystallites of ITO thin films along (4 0 0) plane, the sheet resistance of ITO films that were electro-annealed for 2 mA at 180 °C considerably decreased from 50 to 28 Ω/cm².     

射频溅射功率对AZO薄膜结构及光电特性和热稳定性的影响

采用射频磁控溅射法,在玻璃基片上制备了ZnO:Al(AZO)透明导电薄膜。用X射线衍射(XRD)仪、紫外-可见分光光度计、方块电阻测试仪和台阶仪对不同溅射功率下Al掺杂ZnO薄膜的结晶、光学、电学性能、沉积速率以及热稳定性进行了研究。研究结果表明:不同溅射功率下沉积的AZO薄膜具有六角纤锌矿结构,均呈c轴择优取向;(002)衍射峰强和薄膜的结晶度随溅射功率的提高逐渐增强;随溅射功率的提高,AZO薄膜的透射率有所下降,但在可见光(380～780nm)范围内平均透射率仍80%;薄膜的方块电阻随溅射功率的增加逐渐减小;功率为160～200W时,薄膜的热稳定性最好,升温前后方块电阻变化率为13%。     

等离子体发射光谱诊断用于射频磁控溅射GaP薄膜的工艺参数优化

以GaP为靶材、Ar为工作气体,采用射频磁控溅射法制备了厚层GaP膜.对沉积过程中的辉光放电等离子体进行了发射光谱诊断,发现只有ArⅠ发射谱线.研究了工艺参数对发射谱线强度的影响规律,并在此基础上通过同时改变射频功率、Ar气流量及工作气压,使ArⅠ发射谱线强度保持相同.发现通过增大射频功率、减小工作气压而保持ArⅠ发射谱线强度不变可以提高GaP膜的沉积速率,并使GaP膜的沉积工艺参数得到优化.在优化后的工艺参数下制备出了符合化学计量比、红外透过性能好的厚层GaP膜. 关键词： GaP薄膜 射频磁控溅射 等离子体发射光谱 红外透射     

Monte Carlo model for the argon ions and fast argon atoms in aradio-frequency discharge

A three-dimensional Monte Carlo model has been developed for the argon ions and fast argon atoms in the RF sheath of a capacitively coupled RF glow discharge in argon. Our interest in the argon ions and fast argon atoms in the RF sheath arises from the fact that the glow discharge under study is used as sputtering source for analytical chemistry. This source operates at typical working conditions of a few torr pressure and about 10 W incoming power. The argon ion and atom Monte Carlo model has been coupled to a hybrid Monte Carlo-fluid model for electrons and argon ions developed before to obtain fully self-consistent results. Typical results of this model include, among others, the densities, fluxes, collision rates, mean energies, and energy distributions of the argon ions and atoms. Moreover, we have investigated how many RF cycles have to be followed before periodic steady state is reached, and the effects of all previous RF cycles are correctly accounted for. This is found to be the case for about 20-25 RF cycles     

射频磁控溅射法制备的Eu掺杂ZnO薄膜的结构及其发光性质

用射频磁控溅射法在石英衬底上制备了ZnO:Eu3+薄膜,通过X射线衍射仪、扫描电子显微镜和荧光光谱仪测试了薄膜结构、形貌以及发光性能,重点考察了溅射功率和退火工艺对其组织结构和发光性能的影响.结果表明:样品均呈现ZnO的六角纤锌矿结构,增大溅射功率有利于形成ZnO的c轴择优取向;增大溅射功率以及高温退火会使晶粒尺寸增大...     

The Radio Frequency Hollow Cathode Discharge Induced by the RF Discharge in the Plasma‐Jet Chemical Reactor

In the recent decade an RF driven, low‐pressure plasma reactor with supersonic plasma jet was developed (RPJ). This reactor was successfully used for deposition of thin films of various materials. The deposition of thin films indicates that the properties of the deposited films are dependent on the sputtering or reactive sputtering processes appearing inside the nozzle (hollow athode). The nozzle (hollow athode) fabricated of different kinds of materials and alloys works both as a cathode of the radio frequency (RF) hollow cathode discharge and as a nozzle for plasma jet channel generation as well. The RF hollow cathode discharge is a secondary discharge, which is induced by the primary RF plasma generated in the reactor chamber. The present paper deals with the experimental study of this RF hollow cathode discharge. The stress is laid on the investigation of the axial distribution of discharge parameters and sputtering processes inside the nozzle. On the base of experiments, the simple model of the axial distribution of the investigated RF hollow cathode discharge has been developed.     

Gasaufheizung und Energiebilanz einer stationären hochfrequenten Ringentladung in Edelgasen

Gasheating and Energy Balance of a Stationary High Frequency Ring Discharge in Rare Gases The energy balance of an inductively coupled high frequency (28,5 Mhz) discharge in a cylindrical vessel (11,2 cm diam.) in Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe at pressures between 0,1 and 10 Torr and at power inputs between 10 and 1000 W is investigated. The heat power transferred to the neutral gas in the stationary discharge is determined from the time behaviour of the neutral gas pressure in the afterglow period. The power measurements are completed by probe measurements of the electron density and energy distribution function. The measured electron energy distribution functions are maxwellian with a slight deficit electrons in the energy range of inelastic collisions. The electron temperatures show a rather low radial space dependence which can be explained on the basis of the local energy, balance by thermal conduction in the electron gas. The measured gas heating power is within the experimental error (factor 2) in agreement with calculations from the measured electron temperature and density under the assumption that the gas is heated by elastic electron-atom-collision only. A discussion of the energy balance for the total discharge indicates volume recombination losses of the ions which increase the density of the excited atoms and hence the energy losses by stepwise exitations.     

SERS activity of silver and gold nanostructured thin films deposited by pulsed laser ablation

The deposition power dependence of visible transmittance and refractive index of room temperature-deposited ZnO:Al thin films by RF magnetron sputtering has been studied. All films exhibited high visible transmittance and near-complete UV absorption. The refractive index of the films decreased continuously with an increase in the RF power at all photon energies in the visible and near-IR region, which has been partially attributed to the decreased packing density of the films. For each film, the refractive index exhibited strong frequency dispersion in the weak-absorption region. The origin of optical dispersion at different RF power has been discussed in the light of a single-oscillator model.     

The characterization of fluorocarbon films on NiTi alloy by magnetron sputtering

Fluorocarbon films were deposited on nickel-titanium (NiTi) alloy substrate by radio-frequency (RF, 13.56 MHz) magnetron sputtering using a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) target. The deposition parameters of fluorocarbon films including the RF power, the working gas pressure and Ar flow rate were systematically studied. The structure of the deposited films was studied by attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The surface morphology of the deposited films was measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The mechanical properties of the deposited films were characterized by a nanoindenter. C-Fx and C-C units were found in the deposited fluorocarbon films, which corresponded to the results of XPS. The surface roughness of the fluorocarbon film was 7.418 nm (Ra).     

Properties of ITO films prepared by rf magnetron sputtering

Recently, a detailed study of the properties of ITO thin films deposited under various preparation conditions using the rf magnetron sputtering technique (from ITO target in pure Ar gas) has been undertaken in our laboratory. The effect of substrate temperature has been studied in a previous paper. Here the results of a study of the structural, electrical and optical properties of the ITO films with different thickness are presented. The figure of merit for the films, which is a measure of the quality of the films as transparent conductive layers for photovoltaic applications, has been evaluated.     

Laser capabilities of CuBr mixture excited by RF discharge

Our investigations demonstrated that utilizing copper bromide (CuBr) mixture as a source of Cu atoms in a RF-excited discharge can be a promising alternative to the Cu sputtered system, when the development of Cu ion gas laser is considered. Both spectroscopic and laser investigations showed that the threshold input power for lasing was reduced about 5 times using the CuBr-based system instead of the Cu-sputtered system. Pulsed and CW laser oscillation on Cu⁺ transitions in the near IR spectral region was obtained in RF-excited He-CuBr discharge operated at 13.56 MHz and 27.12 MHz. At input RF power of 800 W, a laser output power of 10 mW at the 780.8 nm Cu ion laser line was achieved. An increase of laser output power by a factor of two, as well as better Cu vapour axial distribution and better discharge stability, was attained when DC discharge was superimposed on the RF discharge. Laser gain on 11 UV Cu ion lines was observed in RF-excited Ne-CuBr discharge. basing on the obtained results, we consider the CuBr laser system excited by RF discharge capable of generating UV laser radiation at relatively low input power. Received 4 January 1999     

Sub-stochiometric MoOx by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering as hole-selective passivating contacts for silicon heterojunction solar cells

The silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cell has long been considered as one of the most promising candidates for the next-generation PV market. Transition metal oxides (TMOs) show good carrier selectivity when combined with c-Si solar cells. This has led to the rapid demonstration of the remarkable potential of TMOs (especially MoO_x) with high work function to replace the p-type a-Si:H emitting layer. MoO_x can induce a strong inversion layer on the interface of n-type c-Si, which is beneficial to the extraction and conduction of holes. In this paper, the radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering is used to deposit MoO_x films. The optical, electrical and structural properties of MoO_x films are measured and analyzed, with focus on the inherent compositions and work function. Then the MoO_x films are applied into SHJ solar cells. When the MoO_x works as a buffer layer between ITO/p-a-Si:H interface in the reference SHJ solar cell, a conversion efficiency of 19.1% can be obtained. When the MoO_x is used as a hole transport layer (HTL), the device indicates a desirable conversion efficiency of 17.5%. To the best of our knowledge, this current efficiency is the highest one for the MoO_x film as HTL by RF sputtering.     

Study of hydrogenated amorphous silicon nitride films prepared by RF magnetron sputtering

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon nitride films have been deposited by the rf magnetron sputtering method with non-stoichiometric and stoichiometric compositions using a poly-Si target and a mixture of Ar, H₂ and N₂ as the sputtering gas. Data on optical and infrared absorption, electrical conductivity, breakdown voltage, capacitance measurements and thermal evolution of hydrogen have been presented as a function of nitrogen concentration in the films, especially in the stoichiometric region of composition. Attempts have been made to identify the roles of hydrogen and nitrogen in determining the electrical and optical properties and thermal stability exhibited by the films. Properties relevant for device application of the material have been shown to be comparable to those obtained by glow discharge or electron cyclotron resonance plasma chemical vapour deposition methods of deposition. RF magnetron sputtering has therefore been suggested as a viable alternative to the more widely adopted CVD methods for device applications of silicon nitride, where the use of hazardous process gases can be avoided.     

Influence of ion bombardment on residual stresses in diamond-like carbon films

The dependence of internal residual stresses in thin diamond-like carbon films grown by the PECVD technique on the most important growth parameters such as the power of the exciting RF discharge and the substrate bias potential is considered. The results have shown that the mechanical stresses in films reach the uppermost value of 1.9 GPa at the smallest values of power and potential. The stress decreases with the growth of both parameters and has only a slight dependence on the film thickness in the range 0.1–1 μm. The bombardment of the obtained films by argon ions with energy of 300 keV and phosphorus ions with energy of 200 keV has resulted in the reduction of compressive stress with the ion dose growth down to its inversion. AFM study of the bombarded films has revealed significant changes in their surface morphology.     

Optical,electrical, structural and microstructural characteristics of rf sputtered ITO films developed for art protection coatings

Transparent and conductive tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) films have been prepared by rf sputtering in an Ar and Ar+O₂ gas mixture, both with and without additional substrate heating. The influence of both deposition conditions and post-annealing treatment on optical, electrical, structural and microstructural properties of the ITO films has been investigated. The optical constants have been calculated in the range 320–2500 nm using a combination of several theoretical models. A schematic diagram for the film properties change versus composition has been proposed in terms of a generalized parameter characterising the energy efficiency of the film formation. The deposition conditions and the optical and electrical properties of the films have been optimized with respect to the requirements for their application in art protection coatings. PACS 78.66-w; 68.55.Jk; 81.15.Cd; 81.40-z     

Photomodulated reflectance study on optical property of InN thin films grown by reactive gas-timing rf magnetron sputtering

The photoreflectance (PR) spectroscopy has been applied to investigate the band-gap energy (E_g) of indium nitride (InN) thin films grown by rf magnetron sputtering. A novel reactive gas-timing technique applied for the sputtering process has been successfully employed to grow InN thin films without neither substrate heating nor post annealing. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns exhibit strong peaks in the orientation along (0 0 2) and (1 0 1) planes, corresponding to the polycrystalline hexagonal-InN structure. The band-gap transition energy of InN was determined by fitting the PR spectra to a theoretical line shape. The PR results show the band-gap energy at 1.18 eV for hexagonal-InN thin films deposited at the rf powers of 100 and 200 W. The high rf sputtering powers in combination with the gas-timing technique should lead to a high concentration of highly excited nitrogen ions in the plasma, which enables the formation of InN without substrate heating. Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) measurements further reveal traces of oxygen in these InN films. This should explain the elevated band-gap energy, in reference to the band-gap value of 0.7 eV for pristine InN films.     

射频激励扩散型冷却板条波导千瓦CO激光器

报道了一种射频激励扩散型冷却千瓦 CO板条波导激光器。其上下两电极均采用液氮冷却 ,射频气体放电激励频率为 90 MHz,板条状波导增益区为 178mm(宽 )× 2 mm (高 )× 50 0 mm(长 )。气体是配比为 2 4 :71:4 :1的 CO、He、Xe、O2 混合气。所用的激光谐振腔由一个离轴虚焦非稳腔和一个平面后反馈镜构成。实验中 ,获得了 10 2 0瓦的 CO激光功率输出     

RF溅射的SiO_2和SiO_2/Al/SiO_2薄膜的喇曼散射光谱研究

用射频溅射(RF Sputtering)法制成了SiO_2和SiO_2/Al/SiO_2薄膜。应用喇曼光谱研究了薄膜结构。结果表明:RF溅射制成的SiO_2薄膜是含有大量环结构缺陷的玻璃态;SiO_2/Al/SiO_2层状薄膜的喇曼光谱中观察到Al_2O_3的特征峰,证实了Al/SiO_2薄膜界面确有氧化还原反应发生;从喇曼光谱中Al_2O_3的特性峰的位置和相对强度可推断出,SiO_2/Al/SiO_2薄膜界面处的Al_2O_3是非晶γ-Al_2O_3。