Effect of 100 MeV O7+ ion beam irradiation on structural,optical and electronic properties of SnO2 thin films

In this paper, we present the impact of swift heavy ion beam irradiation on the structural, optical and electronic properties of SnO₂ thin films. Thin films were deposited using the pulsed laser deposition technique on Al₂O₃ substrates. Atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction, UV–visible absorption and temperature-dependent resistivity measurements were performed to explore the morphological, structural, optical and electronic properties of the as-deposited and irradiated samples. The peak intensity of the (200) peak was found to decrease monotonously with increasing irradiation fluence. The band gap energy of the 1×10¹¹ ion/cm² irradiated sample was found to increase. The electrical resistivity of the samples showed a continuous increase with the irradiation fluence.     

Investigation of structural and optical properties of 100 MeV F7+ ion irradiated Ga10Se90-xAlx thin films

Present work focuses on the effect of swift heavy ion (SHI) irradiation of 100 MeV F⁷⁺ ions by varying the fluencies in the range of 1 × 10¹² to 1 × 10¹³ ions/cm² on the morphological, structural and optical properties of polycrystalline thin films of Ga₁₀Se_90-xAl_x (x = 0, 5). Thin films of ~300 nm thickness were deposited on cleaned Al₂O₃ substrates by thermal evaporation technique. X-ray diffraction pattern of investigated thin films shows the crystallite growth occurs in hexagonal phase structure for Ga₁₀Se₉₀ and tetragonal phase structure for Ga₁₀Se₈₅Al₅. The further structural analysis carried out by Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy verifies the defects or disorder of the investigated material increases after SHI irradiation. The optical parameters absorption coefficient (α), extinction coefficient (K), optical band gap (E_g) and Urbach’s energy (E_U) are determined from optical absorption spectra data measured from spectrophotometry in the wavelength range 200–1100 nm. It was found that the values of absorption coefficient and extinction coefficient increase while the value of optical band gap decreases with the increase in ion fluence. This post irradiation change in the optical parameters was interpreted in terms of bond distribution model.     

Effect of 50 MeV Li+3 and 80 MeV C+5 ions’ beam irradiation on the optical,structural, chemical and surface topographic properties of PMMA films*

The self-standing films of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) were irradiated under vacuum with 50?MeV lithium (Li³⁺) and 80?MeV carbon (C⁵⁺) ions to the fluences of 3?×?10¹⁴, 1?×?10¹⁵, 1?×?10¹⁶ and 1?×?10¹⁷ ions µm^?2. The pristine and irradiated samples of PMMA films were studied by using ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectrophotometry, Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffractrometer and atomic force microscopy. With increasing ion fluence of swift heavy ion (SHI), PMMA suffers degradation, UV–Vis spectra show a shift in the absorption band from the UV towards visible, attributing the formation of the modified system of bonds. E_g and E_a decrease with increasing ion fluence. The size of crystallite and crystallinity percentage decreases with increasing ion fluence. With SHI irradiation, the intensity of IR bands and characteristic bands of different functional groups are found to shift drastically. The change in (E_g) and (N) in carbon cluster is calculated. Shifting of the absorption band from the UV towards visible along with optical activity and as a result of irradiation, some defects are created in the polymer causing the formation of conjugated bonds and carbon clusters in the polymer, which in turn lead to the modification in optical properties that could be useful in the fabrication of optoelectronic devices, gas sensing, electromagnetic shielding and drug delivery.     

Effects of heat treatment and TiO2 content on the optical properties of Eu3+ doped TiO2–SiO2 thin films

The photoluminescence properties of Eu³⁺-doped TiO₂–SiO₂ thin films were investigated. The films were deposited on silicon substrates by the sol–gel process using the dip-coating method. The molar ratio of TiO₂ content was varied from 25% to 100%, while Europium concentration was fixed to 1%. The obtained films were calcinated at various temperatures ranging from 400 °C to 1300 °C, which allowed determining the optimal conditions for the Eu³⁺ luminescence. Meanwhile, the structure of TiO₂–SiO₂ powders, prepared in the same conditions as the films, was also studied by Raman spectroscopy. It revealed the role of Europium and SiO₂ on the stabilization of the anatase phase and the importance of the silica matrix in the control of titania particle size.