Optical,photo-acoustic and electrical switching studies of amorphous GeS2 thin films

This paper reports optical, photo-acoustic and electrical switching investigations of GeS₂ amorphous thin films of different thicknesses, deposited on glass substrates in vacuum. The Tauc parameter (B ^1/2) and Urbach energy (E _U) have been determined from the transmittance spectra, to understand the changes in structural disorder; it is found that B ^1/2 increases whereas E _U decreases as the thickness of the films increases. Based on the results, it is suggested that bond re-arrangement, i.e. transformation from homopolar bonds to heteropolar bonds, takes place with increase in thickness. The thermal diffusivity values of GeS₂ thin films also show the presence of a chemically ordered network in the GeS₂ thin films. Further, it is found that these films exhibit memory-type electrical switching. The observed variation in the switching voltages has been understood on the basis of increase in chemical order.     

Structural and optoelectronic properties of amorphous GaN thin films

Amorphous gallium nitride (a-GaN) thin films were deposited on glass substrate by electron beam evaporation technique at room temperature and high vacuum using N ₂ as carrier gas. The structural properties of the films was studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). It was clear from XRD spectra and SEM study that the GaN thin films were amorphous. The absorbance, transmittance and reflectance spectra of these films were measured in the wavelength range of 300–2200 nm. The absorption coefficient spectral analysis in the sharp absorption region revealed a direct band gap of E _g = 3:1 eV. The data analysis allowed the determination of the dispersive optical parameters by calculating the refractive index. The oscillator energy E ₀ and the dispersion energy E _d, which is a measure of the average strength of inter-band optical transition or the oscillator strength, were determined. Electrical conductivity of a-GaN was measured in a different range of temperatures. Then, activation energy of a-GaN thin films was calculated which equalled E _a = 0:434 eV.     

椭偏透射法测量氢化非晶硅薄膜厚度和光学参数

针对多角度椭偏测量透明基片上薄膜厚度和光学参数时基片背面非相干反射光的影响问题,报道了利用椭偏透射谱测量等离子增强化学气相沉积法(PECVD)制备的a-Si:H薄膜厚度和光学参数的方法,分析了基片温度T_s和辉光放电前气体温度T_g的影响.研究表明,用椭偏透射法测量的a-Si:H薄膜厚度值与扫描电镜(SEM)测得的值相当,推导得到的光学参数与其他研究者得到的结果一致.该方法可用于生长在透明基片上的其他非晶或多晶薄膜. 关键词： 椭偏测量 透射法 光学参数 氢化非晶硅薄膜     

Optical absorption in PECVD deposited thin hydrogenated silicon in light of ordering effects

We report results obtained from measurements of optical transmittance spectra carried out on a series of silicon thin films deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) from silane diluted with hydrogen. Hydrogen dilution of silane results in an inhomogeneous growth during which the material evolves from amorphous hydrogenated silicon (a-Si:H) to microcrystalline hydrogenated silicon (μc-Si:H). Spectral refractive indices and absorption coefficients were determined from transmittance spectra. The spectral absorption coefficients were used to determine the Tauc optical band gap energy, the B factor of the Tauc plots, E ₀₄ (energy at which the absorption coefficient is equal to 10⁴ cm⁻¹), and the Urbach energy as a function of the hydrogen dilution. The results were correlated with microstructure, namely volume fractions of the amorphous and crystalline phase with voids, and with the grain size.      

Thickness-dependent electrical and optical properties of Ge8Sb2Te11 thin films

The amorphous Ge₈Sb₂Te₁₁thin films with varying thickness are thermally deposited on well-cleaned glass substrate from its polycrystalline bulk. Absence of any sharp peak confirms the amorphous nature of deposited films. Thickness-dependent electrical and optical properties including dc-activation energy, sheet resistivity, optical band gap, band tailing parameter, etc. of Ge₈Sb₂Te₁₁thin films have been studied. The optical parameters have been calculated from transmission, reflection and absorbance data in the spectral range of 200–1100 nm. It has been found that optical band gap and band tailing parameter decreases with the increase in Ge₈Sb₂Te₁₁thin films thickness. The dc-activation energy and sheet resistivity decreases while the crystallization temperature of the amorphous Ge₈Sb₂Te₁₁ films increases with the increase in thickness of the films. The decrease of the sheet resistivity has been substantiated quantitatively using the classical size-effect theory. These results have been explained on the basis of rearrangements of defects and disorders in the amorphous chalcogenide system.     

Effect of environment and heat treatment on the optical properties of RF-sputtered SnO2 thin films

Thin films of SnO₂ were deposited by RF-magnetron sputtering on quartz substrates at room temperature in an environment of Ar and O₂. The XRD pattern shows amorphous nature of the as-deposited films. The optical properties were studied using the reflectance and transmittance spectra. The estimated optical band gap (E_g) values increase from 4.15 to 4.3 eV as the Ar gas content decreases in the process gas environment. The refractive index exhibits an oscillatory behavior that is strongly dependent on the sputtering gas environment. The Urbach energy is found to decrease with increase in band gap. The band gap is found to decrease on annealing the film. The role of oxygen defects is explored in explaining the variation of optical parameters.     

Calculation of optical constant of amorphous germanium arsenoselenide wedge-shaped thin films from their shrunk transmittance and reflectance spectra

The optical transmittance spectrum is influenced by inhomogeneities in germanium arsenoselenide thin films. The non-uniformity of thickness, found under the present deposition conditions, gives rise to a clear shrinking of the interference fringes of the transmittance spectrum at normal incidence. Inaccuracies and even serious errors occur if the refractive index and film thickness are calculated from such a shrunken transmittance spectrum, under the unrealistic assumption that the film is uniform. The analytical expressions proposed by Swanepoel [J. Phys. E. Sci. Instrum. 17 (1984) 896] enabled derivation of the refractive index and film thickness of a wedge-shaped thin film from its shrunk transmittance spectrum. This method was applied in this study making it possible to derive the refractive index and average thickness to an accuracy better than 1%. Dispersion of the refractive index is discussed in terms of the single-oscillator Wemple–DiDomenico model [Phys. Rev. B 3 (1971) 1338]. The absorption coefficient and, thus the extinction coefficient, can be calculated from transmittance and reflectance spectra in the strong absorption region. The optical energy gap is derived from Tauc's extrapolation [Amorphous and Liquid Semiconductor (Plenum Press, New York, 1974)]. The relationship between the optical gap and chemical composition in the Ge _x As_{30– x} Se₇₀ (with 0 ≤ x ≤ 30) amorphous system is discussed in terms of the chemical bond approach and cohesive energy.     

Effect of substrate temperature on the structural and optical properties of ZnO and Al-doped ZnO thin films prepared by dc magnetron sputtering

ZnO and Al-doped ZnO(ZAO) thin films have been prepared on glass substrates by direct current (dc) magnetron sputtering from 99.99% pure Zn metallic and ZnO:3 wt%Al₂O₃ ceramic targets, the effects of substrate temperature on the crystallization behavior and optical properties of the films have been studied. It shows that the surface morphologies of ZAO films exhibit difference from that of ZnO films, while their preferential crystalline growth orientation revealed by X-ray diffraction remains always the (0 0 2). The optical transmittance and photoluminescence (PL) spectra of both ZnO and ZAO films are obviously influenced by the substrate temperature. All films exhibit a transmittance higher than 86% in the visible region, while the optical transmittance of ZAO films is slightly smaller than that of ZnO films. More significantly, Al-doping leads to a larger optical band gap (E_g) of the films. It is found from the PL measurement that near-band-edge (NBE) emission and deep-level (DL) emission are observed in pure ZnO thin films. However, when Al was doped into thin films, the DL emission of the thin films is depressed. As the substrate temperature increases, the peak of NBE emission has a blueshift to region of higher photon energy, which shows a trend similar to the E_g in optical transmittance measurement.     

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.     

Effects of annealing temperature on the structural and photoluminescence properties of nanocrystalline ZrO2 thin films prepared by sol-gel route

Highly transparent nanocrystalline zirconia thin films were prepared by the sol-gel dip coating technique. XRD pattern of ZrO₂ thin film annealed at 400 °C shows the formation of tetragonal phase with a particle size of 13.6 nm. FT-IR spectra reveal the formation of Zr-O-Zr and the reduction of OH and other functional groups as the temperature increases. The transmittance spectra give an average transmittance greater than 80% in the film of thickness 262 nm. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra give intense band at 391 nm and a broad band centered at 300 nm. The increase of PL intensity with elevation of annealing temperature is related to reduction of OH groups, increase in the crystallinity and reduction in the non-radiative related defects. The luminescence dependence on defects in the film makes it suitable for luminescent oxygen-sensor development. The “Red shift” of excitation peak is related to an increase in the oxygen content of films with annealing temperature. The “Blue shift” of PL spectra originates from the change of stress of the film due to lattice distortion. The defect states in the nanocrystalline zirconia thin films play an important role in the energy transfer process.     

Structural and optical analysis of 60Co gamma-irradiated thin films of polycrystalline Ga10Se85Sn5

The present study focuses on the effects of gamma irradiation on structural and optical properties of polycrystalline Ga₁₀Se₈₅Sn₅ thin films with a thickness of ～300?nm deposited by the thermal evaporation technique on cleaned glass substrates. X-ray diffraction patterns of the investigated thin films show that crystallite growth occurs in the orthorhombic phase structure. The surface study carried out by using the scanning electron microscope (SEM) confirms that the grain size increases with gamma irradiation. The optical parameters were estimated from optical transmission spectra data measured from a UV–vis-spectrophotometer in the wavelength range of 200–1100?nm. The refractive index dispersion data of the investigated thin films follow the single oscillator model. The estimated values of static refractive index n₀, oscillator strength E_d, zero frequency dielectric constant ε₀, optical conductivity σ_optical and the dissipation factor increases after irradiation, while the single oscillator energy E_o decreases after irradiation. It was found that the value of the optical band gap of the investigated thin films decreases and the corresponding absorption coefficient increases continuously with an increase in the dose of gamma irradiation. This post irradiation changes in the values of optical band gap and absorption coefficient were interpreted in terms of the bond distribution model.     

Dielectric modelling of the transmittance spectra of thin As20S80 films

As₂₀S₈₀ thin films with different thicknesses (49.4-763.1 nm) were deposited on glass substrates using a thermal evaporation technique. Spectrophotometric measurements of the films' transmittance were taken in the wavelength range of 190-2500 nm. The transmission spectra were simulated with a computer model based on dielectric modelling to determine the optical constants and thicknesses of the films. The O'Leary-Johnson-Lim (OJL) models implemented in the commercial software programme SCOUT were used. Thicknesses obtained by the simulated method were correlated to the results obtained from a surface profiler technique. Optical parameters, such as the refractive index n, the absorption coefficient k, the optical band gap E_g, the high-frequency dielectric constant ε_∞, the Urbach energy E_U, the single-oscillator energy and the dispersion energy, were determined. The results indicated that the thickness effect can be separated into two distinct groups for films of thicknesses either less than or greater than 312 nm.     

A study of optical absorption in amorphous hydrogenated silicon thin films of varied thickness

We report results obtained from optical absorption studies carried out on amorphous silicon thin films deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) from silane plasma. The influence of the film thickness was studied on the two series of samples deposited from undiluted silane and under moderate hydrogen dilution of silane. Spectral refractive indices and absorption coefficients were determined from transmittance spectra. The spectral absorption coefficients were used to determine the Tauc optical band-gap energies E_g, the B factors of the Tauc plots, the iso-energy values E₀₄ (energy at which the absorption coefficient is equal to 10⁴ cm⁻¹). The results were correlated with volume fractions of the amorphous phase and voids and with the film thickness.     

Structural-optical study of high-dielectric-constant oxide films

High-k polycrystalline Pr₂O₃ and amorphous LaAlO₃ oxide thin films deposited on Si(0 0 1) are studied. The microstructure is investigated using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Optical properties are determined in the 0.75-6.5 eV photon energy range using spectroscopic ellipsometry. The polycrystalline Pr₂O₃ films have an optical gap of 3.86 eV and a dielectric constant of 16-26, which increases with film thickness. Similarly, very thin amorphous LaAlO₃ films have the optical gap of 5.8 eV, and a dielectric constant below 14 which also increases with film thickness. The lower dielectric constant compared to crystalline material is an intrinsic characteristic of amorphous films.     

Thickness dependent optical dispersion parameters and nonlinear optical properties of nanostructured Cr doped CdO thin films

Cr doped CdO thin films were deposited on glass substrates by reactive DC magnetron sputtering with varying film thickness from 250 to 400 nm. XRD studies reveal that the films exhibit cubic structure with preferred orientation along the (2 0 0) plane. The optical transmittance of the films decreases from 92 to 72%, whereas the optical energy band gap of the films decreased from 2.88 to 2.78 eV with increasing film thickness. The Wemple–DiDomenico single oscillator model has been used to evaluate the optical dispersion parameters such as dispersion energy (E_d), oscillator energy (E_o), static refractive index (n_o) and high frequency dielectric constant (ε_∞). The nonlinear optical parameters such as optical susceptibility (χ⁽¹⁾), third order nonlinear optical susceptibility (χ⁽³⁾) and nonlinear refractive index (n₂) of the films were also determined.     

新型GeSe2-In2Se3-AgI玻璃性能研究

采用传统熔融-淬冷法制备了一系列新型(100-x) (4GeSe₂-In₂Se₃) -xAgI(x=20,30,40 mol%)硫系玻璃样品.利用X射线衍射分析、差热分析、可见-近红外吸收光谱、红外透过光谱、喇曼分析等技术手段研究了该玻璃系统的组成、结构、热稳定性和光学特性等.利用Tauc方程计算出了样品的间接带隙;测试了部分样品在不同升温速率下的差示扫描量热曲线,并采用Kissinger法计算了玻璃样品的析晶活化能.X射线衍射数据表明,该玻璃体系在较宽的组分范围内有良好的非晶特性,成玻范围较宽;差热分析和析晶动力学研究表明,玻璃样品70(4GeSe₂-In₂Se₃)-30AgI具有较好的热稳定性(ΔT=114℃)和较高的活化能(E_a=320.4 kJ/mol).随着AgI含量的增加,玻璃的短波吸收限蓝移,并且光学带隙有增大的趋势.此外,红外透过光谱分析表明该玻璃体系具有良好的红外透过性能,其红外截止波长不会随着AgI含量的增加而发生明显变化,皆为16μm左右.     

Laser-induced changes on optical band gap of amorphous and crystallized thin films of Se75S25−xAGx

Optical band gap of amorphous, crystallized, laser induced amorphous and laser induced crystallized films of Se₇₅S_25−xAg_x (x=4, 6 and 8) glassy alloys was studied from absorption spectra. The amorphous and crystallized films were induced by pulse laser for 10 min. After laser irradiation on amorphous and crystalline films, optical band gap was measured. It has been found that the mechanism of the optical absorption follows the rule of indirect transition. The amorphous thin films show an increase in the optical band gap, while the crystallized (thermally annealed) thin films show a decrease in the optical band gap by inducing laser irradiation. Crystallization and amorphization of chalcogenide films were accompanied with the change in the optical band gap. The change in optical energy gap could be determined by identification of the transformed phase. These results are interpreted in terms of concentration of localized states due to shift in Fermi level.     

Effects of laser irradiation on optical properties of a-Se100−x Te x thin films

The effect of laser irradiation on the optical properties of thermally evaporated Se_100?x Te _x (x=8, 12, 16) chalcogenide thin films has been studied. The result shows that the irradiation causes a shift in the optical gap. The results have been analyzed on the basis of laser irradiation-induced defects in the film. The width of the tail of localized state in the band gap has been evaluated using the Urbach edge method. As the irradiation time increases, the values of the optical energy gap for all compositions decrease, while tail energy width increases. It is also observed that the optical energy gap decreases with increasing Te content in the alloy. These changes are a consequence of an increment in disorder produced by laser irradiation in the amorphous structure of thin film.     

Light-induced transmittance oscillation in GeSe2 thin films

The light-induced light transmittance oscillation observed in GeSe₂ thin films can be maintained only within a certain light intensity range, in our case between 1.4 and 2.7 kW cm^-2. Oscillation frequency and the transmittance change are controlled by energy absorption and loss; they could be varied from 3–50 Hz and ～ 10–90%, respectively. Oscillation is caused by differences in the absorption coefficients of the melt and the crystalline GeSe₂ leading to successive cooling (crystallization) and heating (melting) cycles if the rate of energy absorption and loss are close to equilibrium.     

Room temperature deposition of amorphous SiC thin films using low energy ion bombardment

Silicon carbide (SiC) films are prepared by single- and dual-ion beam sputtering deposition at room temperature, respectively. An assisting argon ion beam (ion energy Ei=150 eV) bombards directly the substrate surface to modify the SiC film surface. The thin films are characterized by the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and the Raman spectra. With assisting ion beam bombardment, the density of the Si–C bond in the film increases. Meanwhile, the excess carbon or the size of the sp² bonded clusters and the amorphous Si (a-Si) phase decrease. These results indicate that the composition of the films is mainly Si–C bond. UV-vis transmission shows that the E_opt increases steadily from 1.85 eV for the amorphous SiC (a-SiC) films without bombardment to about 2.29 eV for those with assisting ion beam bombardment.