Influences of Annealing on the Opto—electronic Properties of ZnO Films Grown by Plasma—Enhanced MOCVD

ZnO thin films have been grown on C-plane sapphire substrates by plasma-enhanced metal-organic chemical vapour deposition.The samples are then annealed at a higher temperature.The resistivity,concentration of electron,mobility and optically pumped threshold of both as-grown and annealed films are investigated.Furthermore,their structural and optical properties are also examined with x-ray diffraction,emission spectra and optical transmission spectra.The results indicate that the quality of ZnO thin films can be improved by annealing.     

Annealing effect on structure and green emission of ZnO nanopowder by decomposing precursors

ZnO nanopowder is successfully synthesized by annealing the precursors in oxygen gas using the chemical precipitation method. Structural and optical properties of thus synthesized ZnO nanopowder are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and photoluminescence (PL). The morphology of ZnO nanopowders evolves from nanorod to cobble as annealing temperature increases from 500 to 1000~\du, while spiral structures are observed in the samples annealed at 900 and 1000~\du. The PL spectra of ZnO nanopowder consist of largely green and yellow emission bands. The green emission from ZnO nanopowder depends strongly on the annealing temperature with a peak intensity at a temperature lower than 800~℃ while the yellow emission is associated with interstitial oxygen \rm O_\i.     

Microstructure and photoluminescence of Er-doped SiOx films synthesized by ion beam assisted deposition

Er-doped SiO_x films were synthesized at 500℃ by ion beam assisted deposition technique and annealed at 800 and 1100℃ for 2h in the air atmosphere. The analysis by using energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy showed that the ratio of Si to O decreased from 3 in the as-deposited films to about 1 in the annealed films. The investigation by using transmission electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction indicated that annealing induces a microstructure change from amorphous to crystalline. The grain sizes in the films were about 10 and 40nm when annealed at 800 and 1100℃, respectively. The films annealed at temperatures of 800 and 1100℃ exhibited a sharp photoluminescence (PL) at 1.533μm from the Er centres when pumped by 980nm laser. The influence of microstructure and grain size on the PL from Er-doped SiO_x films has been studied and discussed.     

Growth of β-Ga_2O_3 Films on Sapphire by Hydride Vapor Phase Epitaxy

Two-inch Ga_2O_3 films with(ˉ201)-orientation are grown on c-sapphire at 850–1050°C by hydride vapor phase epitaxy. High-resolution x-ray diffraction shows that pure β-Ga_2O_3 with a smooth surface has a higher crystal quality, and the Raman spectra reveal a very small residual strain in β-Ga_2O_3 grown by hydride vapor phase epitaxy compared with bulk single crystal. The optical transmittance is higher than 80% in the visible and near-UV regions, and the optical bandgap energy is calculated to be 4.9 e V.     

optical, Structural and Laser-Induced Damage Threshold Properties of HfO2 Thin Films Prepared by Electron Beam Evaporation

We prepare HfO2 thin films by electron beam evaporation technology. The samples are annealed in air after deposition. With increasing annealing temperature, it is found that the absorption of the samples decreases firstly and then increases. Also, the laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) increases firstly and then decreases.When annealing temperature is 473 K, the sample has the highest LID T of 2.17 J/cm^2, and the lowest absorption of 18ppm. By investigating the optical and structural characteristics and their relations to LIDT, it is shown that the principal factor dominating the LIDT is absorption.     

Photoluminescence evolution in self-ion-implanted and annealed silicon

Si⁺ ion-implanted silicon wafers are annealed at different temperatures from room temperature to 950~℃ and then characterized by using the photoluminescence (PL) technique at different recorded temperatures (RETs). Plentiful optical features are observed and identified clearly in these PL curves. The PL spectra of these samples annealed in different temperature ranges are correspondingly dominated by different emission peaks. Several characteristic features, such as an R line, S bands, a W line, the phonon-assistant W^\rm TA and Si^\rm TO peaks, can be detected in the PL spectra of samples annealed at different temperatures. For the samples annealed at 800~\du, emission peaks from the dislocations bounded at the deep energy levels of the forbidden band, such as D_1 and D₂ bands, can be observed at a temperature as high as 280~K. These data strongly indicate that a severe transformation of defect structures could be manipulated by the annealing and recorded temperatures. The deactivation energies of the main optical features are extracted from the PL data at different temperatures.     

Synthesis and Optical Properties of ZnO Nanostructures

ZnO nanostructures with different morphologies were fabricated by changing the partial oxygen pressure. The structures, morphologies and optical properties of ZnO nanostructures were investigated by x-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy and photoluminescence (PL) spectra at room temperature. All the samples show preferred orientation along the c-axis. The oxygen partial pressure and the annealing atmosphere have important effect on the PL property of ZnO nanostructures. The high oxygen partial pressure during growth of samples and high-temperature annealing of the ZnO samples in oxygen can increase oxygen vacancies and can especially increase antisite oxygen (OZn) defects, which degraded the near band-edge emission. However, the annealing in 1-12 can significantly modify the NBE emission.     

Optical properties of ZnO thin films on SiO_2 substrates deposited by radio frequency magnetron sputtering

The optical properties of both the annealed and as-deposited ZnO thin films by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering on SiO2 substrates were studied. In the annealed films, two pronounced well defined exciton absorption peaks for the A and B excitons were obtained in the absorption spectra, a strong free exciton emission without deep-level emissions was observed in the photoluminescence (PL) spectra at room temperature. It was found that annealing the films in oxygen dramatically improved the optical properties and the quality of the films.     

Investigation of the thermal stability of Mn ferrite particles synthesized by a modified co-precipitation method

Manganese ferrite particles with spinel structure were synthesized by a modified co-precipitation method,and then the thermal stability on their structural and magnetic properties was investigated by thermal annealing at different gas ambients.Experimental results showed that decomposition of metal oxides occurred when Mn ferrite particles with spinel structure were annealed under air ambient,while samples annealed in vacuum or argon remained in the spinel structural form.The highest saturation magnetization value of 58 emu/g was obtained when the sample was annealed at 400℃ in argon.The result showed that the thermal stability of MnFe2O4 was better under Ar ambient conditions or in vacuum.     

Temperature dependences of optical properties,chemical composition,structure,and laser damage in Ta2O5 films

Ta2O5 films are prepared by e-beam evaporation with varied deposition temperatures,annealing temperatures,and annealing times.The effects of temperature on the optical properties,chemical composition,structure,and laserinduced damage threshold(LIDT) are systematically investigated.The results show that the increase of deposition temperature decreases the film transmittance slightly,yet annealing below 923 K is beneficial for the transmittance.The XRD analysis reveals that the film is in the amorphous phase when annealed below 873 K and in thehexagonal phase when annealed at 1073 K.While an interesting near-crystalline phase is found when annealed at 923 K.The LIDT increases with the deposition temperature increasing,whereas it increases firstly and then decreases as the annealing temperature increases.In addition,the increase of the annealing time from 4 h to 12 h is favourable to improving the LIDT,which is mainly due to the improvement of the O/Ta ratio.The highest LIDT film is obtained when annealed at 923 K,owing to the lowest density of defect.     

Fabrication and Magnetic Properties of Co-Doped TiO2 Powders Studied by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

Co0.04 Ti0.96O2 powders are fabricated by sol-gel method. The structure and magnetic properties are investigated under different annealing conditions systematically with emphasis on the influence of oxygen pressure. Pure anatase structure was acquired for all the samples annealed at 450℃ for one hour. The samples annealed in air exhibit evident room-temperature ferromagnetism (RTFM) with a small magnetic moment of 0.029μB per Co atom and coercivity Hc of 26 Oe, while the samples annealed in vacuum have strong RTFM with a larger magnetic moment of 1.18μB per Co atom and Hc of 430 Oe. The zero-field spin echo nuclear magnetic resonance spectrum of ^59Co is obtained to prove the existence of Co dusters in the latter samples, implying that the Co dusters are responsible for the strong RTFM in the samples annealed in vacuum. No Co cluster could be observed using both XPS and NMR techniques in the samples annealed in air, implying that the RTFM found in these sample sis intrinsic.     

Radiation Induced Optical Absorption of Cubic Lead Fluoride Crystals and the Effect of Annealing

Transparent and colorless lead fluoride crystals with sizes of 20 × 20 × 20 （ram3） are irradiated with several doses of γ-rays from a ^60Co source. Their transmittance spectra before and after irradiation are measured, and a new parameter ΔT = Tb - Ta is defined to evaluate the irradiation damage. Three optical absorption bands peaking at 27Onto, 37Onto and 50Onto are found in the plots of AT versus wavelength, and their intensities increase with the irradiation dose. These optical absorption bands, except the one at 27Onto, can recover spontaneously with time. Thermal annealing treatment can enhance this recovery of the transmittance, while the optimum annealing temperature for different samples depends on the irradiation dose.     

Effects of high-dose Ge ion implantation and post-implantation annealing on ZnO thin films

This paper reports that ion implantation to a dose of 1×10¹⁷ ions/cm² was performed on c-axis-orientated ZnO thin films deposited on (0001) sapphire substrates by the sol-gel technique. After ion implantation, the as-implanted ZnO films were annealed in argon ambient at different temperatures from 600-900℃. The effects of ion implantation and post-implantation annealing on the structural and optical properties of the ZnO films were investigated by x-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence (PL). It was found that the intensities of (002) peak and near band edge (NBE) exitonic ultraviolet emission increased with increasing annealing temperature from 600-900℃. The defect related deep level emission (DLE) firstly increased with increasing annealing temperature from 600- 750℃, and then decreased quickly with increasing annealing temperature. The recovery of the intensities of NBE and DLE occurs at \sim 850℃ and \sim 750℃ respectively. The relative PL intensity ratio of NBE to DLE showed that the quality of ZnO films increased continuously with increasing annealing temperature from 600 - 900℃.     

Influences of annealing temperature on properties of Fe~(2+):ZnSe thin films deposited by electron beam evaporation and their applications to Q-switched fiber laser

Fe~(2+):ZnSe thin films are prepared on sapphire substrate at room temperature by electron beam evaporation and then annealed in vacuum(about 1 × 10~(-4) Pa) at different temperatures. The influences of thermal annealing on the structural and optical properties of these films such as grain size and optical transmittance are investigated. The x-ray diffraction patterns show that the Fe~(2+):ZnSe thin film is preferred to be oriented along the(111) plane at different annealing temperatures.After the film is annealed, the full-width-at-half-maximum( FWHM) of the x-ray diffraction peak profile(111) of the film decreases and its crystal quality is improved. Scanning electron microscope images show that the films are more dense after being annealed. Finally, the sample is used as a saturable absorber in ZBLAN fiber laser. The annealed Fe~(2+):ZnSe thin films can be used to realize stable Q-switching modulation on ZBLAN fiber laser. The results demonstrate that the Fe~(2+):ZnSe thin film is a promising material for generating the high-power pulses of mid-infrared Q-switched fiber lasers.     

Effects of Annealing Temperature on Structural and Optical Properties of ZnO Thin Films

The effects of annealing temperature on the structural and optical properties of ZnO films grown on Si （100） substrates by sol-gel spin-coating are investigated. The structural and optical properties are characterized by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and photoluminescence spectra. X-ray diffraction analysis shows the crystal quality of ZnO films becomes better after annealing at high temperature. The grain size increases with the temperature increasing. It is found that the tensile stress in the plane of ZnO films first increases and then decreases with the annealing temperature increasing, reaching the maximum value of 1.8 GPa at 700℃. PL spectra of ZnO films annealed at various temperatures consists of a near band edge emission around 380 nm and visible emissions due to the electronic defects, which are related to deep level emissions, such as oxide antisite （OZn）, interstitial oxygen （Oi）, interstitial zinc （Zni） and zinc vacancy （VZn^-）, which are generated during annealing process. The evolution of defects is analyzed by PL spectra based on the energy of the electronic transitions.     

Effect of preparation procedure on the magnetic and transport properties of double perovskite Sr2FeMoO6

Ordered and disordered double perovskite Sr2FeMoO6 ceramics have been investigated by powder x-ray diffraction,magnetic and transport measurements, as well as Moessbauer spectroscopy. The heavily disordered sample can be acquired by annealing the ordered samples in argon. The annealing procedure affects not only the nature of grain boundaries but also the grain itself. The evidence of Moessbauer spectra performed at 77 and 300K indicates that there exist small oxygen deficient clusters of SrFeO3-y in the disordered sample. The paramagnetic Fe^4 and Fe^3 ions in the compound subsist down to 77K and the ratio of Fe^4 /Fe^3 increases with decreasing temperature.     

Synthesis of Bio-organic Molecules of Life Induced by Low Energy Ion Implantation

Gase discharge and ion implantation are respectively used in some simple water solution and solid molecular samples. The implanted samples are analysed by the ^1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectra and the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The results show that some new NO3^- anion, NO2^- anion, dimethyl ether, and ethanol are formed in the water solution samples with nitrogen, methane and carbon dioxide gas discharge. New cyano groups (-CN) and amino groups (-NH2) are formed in the irradiated solid sodium carboxylic sample with N^ ion irradiation. The experimental results present a new way to synthesize small molecules of life by low-energy ion implantation.     

Structural Change in Au^3＋-Doped BK7 Glass Irradiated by Femtosecond Laser

We report on structural change in an Au^3＋-doped BK7 glass irradiated by an infrared femtosecond laser at 800 nm. A grating structure is inscribed in the glass sample. The glass sample is then annealed at various temperatures. Structural change of the grating is observed by an optical microscope. Absorption spectra indicate that colour centres are induced after the laser irradiation, and they decrease with increasing annealing temperature. Au nanoparticles are precipitated at high temperatures （≥ 600℃）. The mechanisms of the phenomena are discussed.     

Optical Characterization of rf-Magnetron Sputtered Nanostructured SnO2 Thin Films

Tin oxide （Sn02 ） thin films are deposited by rf-magnetron sputtering and annealed at various temperatures in the range of 100-500 ℃ for 15 min. Raman spectra of the annealed films depict the formation of a small amount of SnO phase in the tetragonal Sn02 matrix, which is verified by x-ray diffraction. The average particle size is found to be about 20-30 nm, as calculated from x-ray peak broadening and SEM images. Various optical parameters such as optical band gap energy, refractive index, optical conductivity, carrier mobility, carrier concentration etc. are determined from the optical transmittance and reflectance data recorded in the wavelength range 250-2500 nm. The results are analyzed and compared with the data in the literature.     

Luminescence properties of ZnS：Cu, Eu semiconductor nanocrystals synthesized by a hydrothermal process

ZnS:Cu, Eu nanocrystals with an average diameter of ～ 80 nm are synthesized using a hydrothermal approach at 200 C. The photoluminescence (PL) properties of the ZnS:Cu, Eu nanocrystals before and after annealing, as well as the doping form of Eu, are studied. The as-synthesized samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry, and the excitation and emission spectra (PL). The results show that both Cu and Eu are indeed incorporated into the ZnS matrix. Compared with the PL spectrum of the Cu mono-doped sample, the PL emission intensity of the Cu and Eu-codoped sample increases and a peak appears at 516 nm, indicating that Eu 3+ ions, which act as an impurity compensator and activator, are incorporated into the ZnS matrix, forming a donor level. Compared with the unannealed sample, the annealed one has an increased PL emission intensity and the peak position has a blue shift of 56 nm from 516 nm to 460 nm, which means that Eu 3+ ions reduce to Eu 2+ ions, thereby leading to the appearance of Eu 2+ characteristic emission and generating effective host-to-Eu 2+ energy transfer. The results indicate the potential applications of ZnS:Cu, Eu nanoparticles in optoelectronic devices.