Structural and Optical Properties of Nanocrystal In2O3 Films by Thermal Oxidation of In2S3 Films

In₂S₃ nanocrystalline films are prepared on glass substrates by the spray pyrolysis technique using indium chloride and thiourea as precursors. The deposition is carried out at 350°C on glass substrates. The films are then annealed for two hour at 200, 400, 600, and 800°C in O₂ flow. This process allows the transformation of nanocrystal In₂O₃ films from In₂S₃ films and the reaction completes at 600°C. These results indicate that the In₂O₃ film prepared by this simple thermal oxidation method is a promising candidate for electro-optical and photovoltaic devices.     

Preparation of Cu（In,Ga）Se2 Thin Film Solar Cells by Selenization of Metallic Precursors in an Ar Atmosphere

Cu（In, Ga）Se2 thin films are deposited on Mo-coated glass substrates by Se vapour selenization of sputtered metallic precursors in the atmosphere of Ar gas flow under a pressure of about 10 Pa. The in situ heat treatment of as-grown precursor leads to the formation of a better alloy. During selenization, the growth of CuInSe2 phase preferably proceeds through Se-poor phases as CuSe and InSe at relatively low substrate temperature of 250℃, due to the absence of In2Se3 at intermediate stage at low reactor pressure. Subsequently, the Cu（In,Ga）Se2 phase is produced by the reactive diffusion of CuInSe2 with a Se-poor GaSe phase at high temperature of up to 560℃. The final film exhibits smooth surface and large grain size. The absorber is used to fabricate a glass/Mo/Cu（In, Ga）Se2/CdS/ZnO cell with the total-area efficiency of about 7%. The low open-circuit voltage value of the cell fabricated should result from the nonuniform distribution of In and Ga in the absorber, due to the diffusion-controlled reaction during the phase formation. The films, as well as devices, are characterized.     

Growth of InN thin films on ZnO substrate by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy

We have studied the microstructure property of InN epitaxial films grown on ZnO substrate by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. We found that the In₂O₃ compound was produced on ZnO substrate and many pits were formed on the InN films when InN was directly grown on ZnO substrate with the N/In flux ratio less than 40. We demonstrated that the quality of InN film was significantly improved when the In₂O₃ layer was used as a buffer to prevent the reaction between In and the ZnO substrate.     

Magnetic Properties of Exchange-Coupled Dual-Layer SmTbCo Thin Films

Exchange-coupled SmTbCo dual-layer media are prepared by an r.f magnetron sputtering system and their magnetic properties are investigated. The prepared SmTbCo dual layer is composed of a 340 emu/cm^3 TM-rich readout layer and a 5.80 kOe RE-rich memory layer, meeting the requirements of high saturation magnetization and large coercivity for hybrid recording. Through exchange coupling, the coercivity of the high-saturation- magnetization SmTbCo layer is greatly enhanced from 1.85 to 5.96 kOe. The calculated interface wall energy for Sm6.65Tb12.35Co81 （20nm）/Sm1.22Tb42.16Co56.62 （20hm） is about 3.85erg/cm62. The reversal magnetization of the SmTbCo exchange-coupling dual-layer films is analysed based on a micro-magnetic model.     

Band gap energy and bowing parameter of In-rich InAlN films grown by magnetron sputtering

The crystal structure, band gap energy and bowing parameter of In-rich In_xAl_1−xN (0.7 < x < 1.0) films grown by magnetron sputtering were investigated. Band gap energies of In_xAl_1−xN films were obtained from absorption spectra. Band gap tailing due to compositional fluctuation in the films was observed. The band gap of the as-grown InN measured by optical absorption method is 1.34 eV, which is larger than the reported 0.7 eV for pure InN prepared by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) method. This could be explained by the Burstein-Moss effect under carrier concentration of 10²⁰ cm⁻³ of our sputtered films. The bowing parameter of 3.68 eV is obtained for our In_xAl_1−xN film which is consistent with the previous experimental reports and theoretical calculations.     

Flexible Cu（In,Ga）Se2 Thin-Film Solar Cells on Polyimide Substrate by Low-Temperature Deposition Process

The electrical and structural properties of polycrystalline Cu（In, Ga）Se2 films grown on polyimide （PI） substrates below 400℃ via one-stage and three-stage co-evaporation process have been investigated by x-ray diffraction spectra （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and Hall effect measurement. As shown by XRD spectra, the stoichiometric CIGS films obtained by one-stage process exhibit the characteristic diffraction peaks of the （In0.68Ga0.32）2Se3 and Cu（In0.7Ga0.3）2Se. It is also found that the film structures indicate more columnar and compact than the three-stage process films from SEM images. The stoichiometric CIGS films obtained by three-stage process exhibit the coexistence of the secondary phase of （In0.68Ga0.32）2Se3, Cu2-xSe and Cu（In0.7Ga0.3）2Se. High net carrier concentration and sheet conductivity are also observed for this kind of film, related to the presence of Cu2-xSe phase. As a result, when the CIGS film growth temperature is below 400℃, the three-stage process is inefficient for solar cells. By using the one-stage co-evaporation process, the flexible CIGS solar cell on a PI substrate with the best conversion efficiency of 6.38% is demonstrated （active area 0.16cm^2）.     

Tight-binding studies of the electronic band structure of GaAlN and GaInN alloys

The semi-empirical tight-binding (TB) approach with an sp³s^* orbital basis is used to investigate the electronic band structure of cubic Ga_1-xAl_xN and Ga_1-xIn_xN alloys. The spin–orbit splitting in the Hamiltonian and first- and second-neighbour interactions are considered to explore the gap evolution as a function of the concentration x. The TB parameters used in the studies were obtained within the virtual crystal approximation using those of the binary compounds AlN, GaN, and InN. The binary parameters are calculated by applying an empirical TB Hamiltonian taking into account first- and second-neighbour interactions. A direct to indirect gap transition is obtained for Ga_1-xAl_xN at x=0.60. In contrast, the Ga_1-xIn_xN alloys exhibit direct-gap characteristics as a consequence of being formed by the direct-gap binary compounds GaN and InN. PACS 71.20.Nr; 71.23.-k; 71.55.Eq     

Characterization of single-crystalline In2O3 films deposited on Y-stabilized ZrO2 (1 0 0) substrates by MOCVD

Epitaxial In₂O₃ films have been deposited on Y-stabilized ZrO₂ (YSZ) (1 0 0) substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The films were deposited at different substrate temperatures (450-750 °C). The film deposited at 650 °C has the best crystalline quality, and observation of the interface area shows a clear cube-on-cube epitaxial relationship of In₂O₃(1 0 0)||YSZ(1 0 0) with In₂O₃[0 0 1]||YSZ[0 0 1]. The Hall mobility of the single-crystalline In₂O₃ film deposited at 650 °C is as high as 66.5 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ with carrier concentration of 1.5 × 10¹⁹ cm⁻³ and resistivity of 6.3 × 10⁻³ Ω cm. The absolute average transmittance of the obtained films in the visible range exceeds 95%.     

Quasi-monocrystalline silicon for thin-film devices

Thermal crystallization of a double layer porous Si film creates a monocrystalline Si film with a thin separation layer between the Si film and the reusable starting wafer. The process enables transfer of thin monocrystalline Si films to foreign substrates, whereby devices may be formed before or after separation of the film. Sub-micrometer thick films are almost compact, while films with a thickness of several μm contain voids, and are therefore termed “quasi-monocrystalline”. Internal voids strongly enhance optical absorption by light scattering. The hole mobility is 78 cm² V^-1 s^-1 at a p-type starting wafer resistivity of 0.05 Ω cm. Received: 24 March 1999 / Accepted: 29 March 1999 / Published online: 5 May 1999     

Influence of Polarization-Induced Electric Field on Subband Structure in AlxGa1-xN/GaN Double Quantum Wells

The influence of the polarization-induced electric field and other parameters on the subband structure in Al_xGa_1-xN /GaN coupled double quantum wells (DQWs) has been studied by solving the Schrödinger and Poisson equations self-consistently. It is found that the polarization effect leads to an asymmetric potential profile of Al_xGa_1-xN/GaN DQWs although the two wells have the same width and depth. The polarization effect also leads to a very large Stark shift between the odd and the even order subband levels that can reach 0.54eV. Due to the polarization-induced Stark shift, the wavelength of the intersubband transition between the first odd order and the second even order subband levels becomes smaller, which is useful for realization of optoelectronic devices operating within the telecommunication window region.     

Characterization of high-quality MBE-grown GaN films on intermediate-temperature buffer layers

High-quality GaN thin films are grown by rf-plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The quality of the GaN epitaxial layer is significantly improved by using an intermediate-temperature GaN buffer layer (ITBL) in addition to a conventional 20-nm-thick low-temperature buffer layer. The GaN epitaxial layers demonstrate systematic improvements in the electron mobility increasing from 82 cm² V^-1 s^-1, for films grown with just the low-temperature buffer layer, to about 380 cm² V^-1 s^-1 for films grown with an ITBL of thickness 800 nm. The photoluminescence also indicates systematic improvements in the intensity and the full-width-half-maximum with the use of ITBL. Photoreflectance spectra are measured from the GaN films. Detailed analyses of the excitonic transition energy demonstrate that the residual strain relaxes rapidly with the use of ITBL, which is attributed to the observed improvements in the mobility and the PL spectra. Received: 30 November 2000 / Accepted: 4 December 2000 / Published online: 9 February 2001     

A Small Signal Equivalent Circuit Model for Resonant Tunnelling Diode

We report a resonant tunnelling diode （RTD） small signal equivalent circuit model consisting of quantum capacitance and quantum inductance. The model is verified through the actual InAs/In0.53Ga0.47As/AlAs RTD fabricated on an InP substrate. Model parameters are extracted by fitting the equivalent circuit model with ac measurement data in three different regions of RTD current-voltage （I-V） characteristics. The electron lifetime, representing the average time that the carriers remain in the quasibound states during the tunnelling process, is also calculated to be 2.09ps.     

六方相InGaN外延膜的显微Raman散射

用X射线衍射(XRD)技术和显微Raman散射方法对金属有机化学气相沉积(MOCVD)法生长的六方相In_xGa_1-xN薄膜样品进行了研究，观察到了相分离现象和LO声子-等离子耦合模(LPP⁺)，讨论了In_xGa_1-xN的A₁(LO)模被屏蔽的主要物理机制.同时，对Raman谱中E₂和A₁(TO)声子模进行了分析和讨论.在In_xGa_1-xN样品的低温Raman谱中还观察到单电子跃迁产生的Raman散射信号. 关键词： Raman散射 X射线衍射 相分离 应力 LO声子-等离子耦合     

Structural, electrical, and optical properties of ZnInO alloy thin films

Indium zinc oxide (IZO) thin films with different percentages of In content (In/[In+Zn]) are synthesized on glass substrates by magnetron sputtering, and the structural, electrical and optical properties of IZO thin films deposited at different In₂O₃ target powers are investigated. IZO thin films grown at different In₂O₃ target sputtering powers show evident morphological variation and different grain sizes. As the In₂O₃ sputtering power rises, the grain size becomes larger and electrical mobility increases. The film grown with an In₂O₃ target power of 100 W displays the highest electrical mobility of 13.5 cm·V^-1·s^-1 and the lowest resistivity of 2.4 × 10^-3 Ω·cm. The average optical transmittance of the IZO thin film in the visible region reaches 80% and the band gap broadens with the increase of In₂O₃ target power, which is attributed to the increase in carrier concentration and is in accordance with Burstein-Moss shift theory.     

Near Infrared Photoluminescence from Yb,Al Co-implanted SiO2 Films on Silicon

Intense room-temperature near infrared （NIR） photoluminescence （980 nm and 1032 nm） is observed from Yb,Al co-implanted SiO2 films on silicon. The optical transitions occur between the ^2F5/2 and ^2F7/2 levels of Yb^3＋ in SiO2. The additional Al-implantation into SiO2 films can effectively improve the concentration quenching effect of Yb^3＋ in SiO2. Photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy shows that the NIR photoluminescence is due to the non-radiative energy transfer from Al-implantation-induced non-bridging oxygen hole defects in SiO2 to Yb^3＋ in the Yb-related luminescent complexes. It is believed that the defect-mediated luminescence of rare-earth ions in SiO2 is very effective.     

Preparation and characterization of transparent conducting Zn−Sn−O films deposited on organic substrates at low temperature

Transparent conducting Zn−Sn−O films were deposited on Polypropylene adipate thin-film substrates at low temperature by r. f. magnetron sputtering. The structural, electrical and optical properties of the deposited films were investigated. All the obtained films are of amorphous structure and have a very good adhesion to the substrates. The resistivity, carrier concentration and Hall mobility of the film are 1.3×10⁻² Ω·cm, 4.1×10¹⁹ cm⁻³ and 12.4 cm²· V⁻¹· s⁻¹, respectively. The transmittance of the film reaches 82%.     

Structural relation and epitaxial properties of hexagonal InN and oxidized cubic In2O3

The epitaxial properties and structural relation between hexagonal InN and cubic In₂O₃ phases were studied by synchrotron X-ray scattering and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The cubic bixbyite In₂O₃ phase on the sapphire(0001) substrate was formed after an annealing time of 10 min at 10⁻⁵ Torr after the hexagonal InN film was grown at 550 °C, above the dissociation temperature of InN, by RF-magnetron sputtering. The crystal orientation was cubic In₂O₃(222), parallel to Al₂O₃(0001) and parallel to hexagonal InN(0002) before the oxidation process. The cubic In₂O₃ phase was believed to be formed layer by layer by the oxidation of the hexagonal InN phase.     

Effect of RF power on the properties of transparent conducting zirconium-doped zinc oxide films prepared by RF magnetron sputtering

Transparent and conducting zirconium-doped zinc oxide films with high transparency and relatively low resistivity have been successfully prepared by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering at room temperature. The RF power is varied from 75 to 150W. At first the crystallinity and conductivity of the film are improved and then both of them show deterioration with the increase of the RF power. The lowest resistivity achieved is 2.07×10^-3\Omegacm at an RF power of 100W with a Hall mobility of 16cm²V^-1s^-1 and a carrier concentration of 1.95×10²⁰cm^-3. The films obtained are polycrystalline with a hexagonal structure and a preferred orientation along the c-axis. All the films have a high transmittance of approximately 92% in the visible range. The optical band gap is about 3.33eV for the films deposited at different RF powers.     

Electrical Properties of La-Doped Al2O3 Films on Si （100） Substrates as a High-Dielectric-Constant Gate Material

Amorphous La-doped Al2O3 （La： Al2O3） thin films are deposited on n-type （100） Si substrates by rf magnetron co-sputterlng. The composition of the deposited films is measured by energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy： Capacitance-voltage measurement shows that the dielectric constant k of La-doped Al2O3 films ranges from 8.5 to 11.6 with the increasing La content, and the highest k value of 11.6 is obtained for the 20.14% La content film. In the structure of the Al/La：Al2O3/Si metal oxide semiconductor, the dominant conduction stems from the space- charge-limited current at different temperatures. In addition, the wavelength dependence of the transmittance is studied by ultraviolet spectroscopy and the band gap of all the deposited films is above 5.5eV. The results demonstrate that La-doped Al2O3 can meet the requirement of next-generation gate materials.     

Enhancement of Critical Current Density in Graphite Doped MgB2 Wires

Graphite doped MgB2-xCx (x = 0.00, 0.05, 0.10) wires were fabricated via the in situ powder-in-tube method in flowing argon by using low carbon steel tubes as the sheath materials. With the increase of graphite concentration,the amount of unreacted graphite in the core area increases, and the average grain size of MgB2 decreases. It is found that the critical current density Jc can be significantly improved by graphite doping. The MgB2 wire with x = 0.05 exhibits the best Jc value of 16710 A/cm^2 at 6K, 4.5T, but the MgB1.9C0.1 wire has the highest Jc value of 2060 A/cm^2 at 6 K, 8 T. It is suggested that the enhancement of Jc is due to not only the improvement of the microstructure features but also the introduction of pinning centres.