Structural and dielectric properties of Bi4Ti3O12 thin films prepared by metalorganic solution deposition

Ferroelectric Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ thin films with single phase and nanosized microstructure were prepared on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si(111) substrate by metalorganic solution deposition using titanium butoxide and bismuth nitrate at relatively low annealing temperatures. The internal strain in Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ thin films was calculated from the peak shifts and broadening of XRD patterns. With increase in annealing temperature, the uniform strain decreased from positive to zero and then to negative, and the non-uniform strain decreased and was negative. The total strain was negative and in the range of -0.2%–-1.0%, from which the stress of the films was calculated to be about -1.4×10⁹ N/m². The mode values of strain decreased with increase in annealing temperature and increased with increase in film thickness. The dielectric constant increased with increase in annealing temperature and film thickness. The dielectric properties were interpreted by considering the influence of strain, grain size, and grain boundaries. The strain lowered the polarization and increased the dielectric constant. The larger the grain size and the thinner the grain boundary, the greater the dielectric constant. The influence of grain size and grain boundary was stronger than that of the strain. Received: 23 September 1998 / Accepted: 6 January 1999 / Published online: 24 March 1999     

Influence of the thickness on structural,magnetic and electrical properties of La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 thin film

We have studied the effect of thickness on the structural, magnetic and electrical properties of La_0.7Ca_0.3MnO₃ thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition method using X-ray diffraction, electrical transport, magneto-transport and dc magnetization. X-ray diffraction pattern reflects that all films have c-axis epitaxial growth on LaAlO₃ substrate. The decrease in out-of-plane cell parameter specifies a progressive relaxation of in the plane compressive strain as the film thickness is increases. From the dc magnetization measurements, it is observed that ferromagnetic to paramagnetic transition temperature increases with increase in the film thickness. Magneto-resistance and temperature coefficient of resistance increases with film thickness and have maximum value near its metal to insulator transition temperature.     

Origin of compressive residual stress in polycrystalline thin films

We present a model for compressive stress generation during thin film growth in which the driving force is an increase in the surface chemical potential caused by the deposition of atoms from the vapor. The increase in surface chemical potential induces atoms to flow into the grain boundary, creating a compressive stress in the film. We develop kinetic equations to describe the stress evolution and dependence on growth parameters. The model is used to explain measurements of relaxation when growth is terminated and the dependence of the steady-state stress on growth rate.     

Effect of electromechanical boundary conditions on the properties of epitaxial ferroelectric thin films

The effects of internal stresses and depolarization fields on the properties of epitaxial ferroelectric perovskite thin films are discussed by employing the dynamic Ginzburg-Landau equation (DGLE). The numerical solution for BaTiO₃ film shows that internal stress and the depolarization field have the most effects on ferroelectric properties such as polarization, Curie temperature and susceptibility. With the increase of the thickness of the film, the polarization of epitaxial ferroelectric thin film is enhanced rapidly under high internal compressively stress. With the thickness exceeding the critical thickness for dislocation formation, the polarization increases slowly and even weakens due to relaxed internal stresses and a weak electrical boundary condition. This indicates that the effects of mechanical and electrical boundary conditions both diminish for ferroelectric thick films. Consequently, our thermodynamic method is a full scale model that can predict the properties of ferroelectric perovskite films in a wide range of film thickness.     

金刚石薄膜的结构特征对薄膜附着性能的影响

在不同实验条件下，用微波等离子体化学气相沉积设备在硬质合金(WC+6%Co)衬底上沉积了 具有不同结构特征的金刚石薄膜.用Raman谱表征薄膜的品质和应力，用压痕实验表征薄膜的 附着性能，考察了薄膜中sp²杂化碳含量、形核密度、薄膜厚度对薄膜附着性能 的影响.结 果表明：sp²杂化碳的缓冲作用使薄膜中sp²杂化碳的含量对薄膜中 残余应力有较大的影 响，从而使薄膜压痕开裂直径统计性地随sp²杂化碳含量的增加而减小；仅仅依 靠超声遗 留的金刚石晶籽提高形核密度并不能有效改变薄膜与硬质合金基体之间的化学结合状况，从 而不能有效提高薄膜在衬底上的附着性能；在薄膜较薄时，晶粒之间没有压应力的存在，开 裂直径并不明显随厚度增加而增加，只有当薄膜厚度增加到一定值，晶粒之间才有较强压应 力存在，开裂直径随厚度的增加而较为迅速地增加. 关键词： 金刚石薄膜 附着性能 2杂化碳')" href="#">sp²杂化碳 成核密度 薄膜厚度     

Effect of microstructure on thermoelectric properties of CSD-grown Bi2Sr2Co2Oy thin films

Three Bi₂Sr₂Co₂O_y thin films with different microstructures have been prepared by chemical solution deposition on LaAlO₃(001) through varying the annealing temperature. With the decrease in the annealing temperature, both the size and c-axis alignment degree of grains in the film decrease as well, leading to an increase in the film resistivity. In addition, the decrease in the annealing temperature also results in a slight increase in the seebeck coefficient due to the enhanced energy filtering effect of small-grain film. The nanostructured Bi₂Sr₂Co₂O_y film with the average grain size of about 100 nm shows a power factor comparable to that of the films with larger grains. Since the thermal conductivity of the nanostrcutured films can be depressed due to the enhanced phonon scattering by grain boundary, a higher figure of merit is expected in Bi₂Sr₂Co₂O_y thin film with grains in nanometer size.     

Low-temperature plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition of large area HfS_2 nanocrystal thin films

Hafnium disulfide(HfS2) is a promising two-dimensional material for scaling electronic devices due to its higher carrier mobility, in which the combination of two-dimensional materials with traditional semiconductors in the framework of CMOS-compatible technology is necessary. We reported on the deposition of HfS2 nanocrystals by remote plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition at low temperature using Hf(N(CH3)(C2H5))4 and H2S as the reaction precursors. Selflimiting reaction behavior was observed at the deposition temperatures ranging from 150℃ to 350℃, and the film thickness increased linearly with the growth cycles. The uniform HfS2 nanocrystal thin films were obtained with the size of nanocrystal grain up to 27 nm. It was demonstrated that higher deposition temperature could enlarge the grain size and improve the HfS2 crystallinity, while causing crystallization of the mixed HfO2 above 450℃. These results suggested that atomic layer deposition is a low-temperature route to synthesize high quality HfS2 nanocrystals for electronic device or electrochemical applications.     

Thickness dependence of optoelectrical properties of tungsten-doped indium oxide films

Pulsed laser deposition technique is used for deposition of tungsten-doped indium oxide films. The effect of film thickness on structural, optical and electrical properties was studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy, UV-visible spectroscopy, and electrical measurements. X-ray diffraction study reveals that all the films are highly crystalline and oriented along (2 2 2) direction and the film crystallinity increases with increase in film thickness. Atomic force microscopy analysis shows that these films are very smooth with root mean square surface roughness of ∼1.0 nm. Bandgap energy of the films depends on thickness and varies from 3.71 eV to 3.94 eV. It is observed that resistivity of the films decreases with thickness, while mobility increases.     

Effect of microstructure on the thermoelectric properties of CSD-grown Bi2Sr2Co2Oy thin films

Three Bi2Sr2Co2Oy thin films with different microstructures have been prepared by chemical solution deposition on LaAlO 3(001) through varying the annealing temperature.With the decrease in the annealing temperature,both the size and c-axis alignment degree of grains in the film decrease as well,leading to an increase in the film resistivity.In addition,the decrease in the annealing temperature also results in a slight increase in the Seebeck coefficient due to the enhanced energy filtering effect of the small-grain film.The nanostructured Bi2Sr2Co2Oy film with an average grain size of about 100 nm shows a power factor comparable to that of films with larger grains.Since the thermal conductivity of the nanostructured films can be depressed due to the enhanced phonon scattering by grain boundary,a higher figure of merit is expected in Bi2Sr2Co2Oy thin film with grains in nanometer size.     

Molecular dynamics simulations of AlN deposition on GaN substrate

ABSTRACT

In this work, we investigated the deposition of AlN film on GaN substrate by using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The effects of GaN substrate surface, growth temperature, and injected N: Al flux ratio on the growth of AlN film were simulated and studied. Consequently, the deposited AlN film on the (0001) Ga-terminated GaN surface achieves better surface morphology and crystallinity than that on the (000-1) N-terminated GaN surface due to the different diffusion ability of Al and N adatoms on two GaN surfaces. Furthermore, with the increase of growth temperature, the surface morphology and crystallinity of AlN film were improved owing to the enhanced mobility of adatoms. At the optimised injected N: Al flux ratio of 1, comparatively good surface morphology and crystallinity of deposited AlN films were realised. This method lays a foundation for the follow-up real-time study of defects and stress evolution of AlN on GaN and can be applied to film growth of other materials.     

Molecular dynamics and experimental studies on deposition mechanisms of ion beam sputtering

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation and experimental methods are used to study the deposition mechanism of ionic beam sputtering (IBS), including the effects of incident energy, incident angle and deposition temperature on the growth process of nickel nanofilms. According to the simulation, the results showed that increasing the temperature of substrate decreases the surface roughness, average grain size and density. Increasing the incident angle increases the surface roughness and the average grain size of thin film, while decreasing its density. In addition, increasing the incident energy decreases the surface roughness and the average grain size of thin film, while increasing its density. For the cases of simulation, with the substrate temperature of 500 K, normal incident angle and 14.6 × 10⁻¹⁷ J are appropriate, in order to obtain a smoother surface, a small grain size and a higher density of thin film. From the experimental results, the surface roughness of thin film deposited on the substrates of Si(1 0 0) and indium tin oxide (ITO) decreases with the increasing sputtering power, while the thickness of thin film shows an approximately linear increase with the increase of sputtering power.     

In-situ surface stress and magnetic property of CoCrX(X = Pt, Ta)/CrTi bilayer during sputter-deposition

The measurement of the force per width of CoCrX(X = Pt, Ta)/CrTi bilayer showed that both the surface structure state and surface stress of CoCrX magnetic layer can be controlled by regulating the average film stress of CrTi underlayer through a variation of deposition conditions such as deposition rate and temperature as well as underlayer thickness. As the tensile surface stress of CoCrX magnetic layer was more, its coercivity was also more. This was because not a dynamic phase decomposition with a compressive ledge due to high adatoms mobility but an epitaxial film growth with a tensile ledge due to low adatoms mobility. Thus, the development of the crystallographic texture of CoCrX alloy can largely improved its coercivity. It is believed that the principal mechanism determining the coercivity of CoCrX/CrTi film is the optimized development of the crystallographic texture through an evolution of the surface stress of CrTi underlayer.     

Atomic simulation of AlGaN film deposition on AlN template

In this article, we study the deposition of AlGaN film on AlN template by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The effects of growth temperature and film thickness on the dislocation of deposited AlGaN film are simulated and studied. The atomic structure of deposited AlGaN film is also investigated. We find that the dislocations usually occur at the interface between AlN template and AlGaN film and then extend towards the growth direction. The dislocation density decreases with the increase of AlGaN film thickness, which indicates that increasing the thickness of deposited AlGaN film to a certain extent is beneficial to reducing dislocation. In addition, increasing the growth temperature can also effectively reduce the dislocation in deposited AlGaN film. Furthermore, the crystallinity of deposited AlGaN film could be improved by increasing the growth temperature. This is consistent with the dislocation discussion. The mobility of adatoms increases as the growth temperature increases. So it is easier for adatoms to find their ideal lattice points at higher temperature. Thus the dislocation and other defects can be effectively reduced and the crystal quality of deposited AlGaN film could be improved.     

Microstructure, chemical bonds, and friction properties of nanocrystalline diamond films deposited in two different plasma media

Nanocrystalline diamond films with the properties dependent on the composition of the gaseous medium have been prepared using the microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (MPECVD) method. A nanocrystalline film formed in the Ar/CH₄ plasma is characterized by a high crystallinity factor, a small grain size, a large fraction of sp ²-amorphous carbon, and, consequently, by an increase in the hardness and elastic modulus. The low value of the friction coefficient of this film is associated with the small grain size and large fraction of the sp ²-amorphous carbon boundary phase that ensures an easy sliding. The contact angle of the film is small (hydrophilic properties) in the case when the plasma consists of an Ar/CH₄ mixture. It has been shown that the wetting properties of the films are provided by a thin layer of carboxyl and hydroxyl functional groups passivating the dangling bonds at the surface that are responsible for the boundary lubrication mechanism. It has also been found that the friction coefficient of these films is inversely proportional to the contact pressure dependent on the diameter of the sliding counterbody ball.     

沉积温度对钛硅共掺杂类金刚石薄膜生长、结构和力学性能的影响

采用中频磁控溅射Ti80Si20复合靶在单晶硅表面制备了共掺杂的类金刚石薄膜.研究了沉积温度对薄膜生长速率、化学成分、结构、表面性质和力学性能的影响.结果表明:随沉积温度升高,薄膜生长速率降低,薄膜Ti和Si原子浓度增加,C原子浓度降低;在高温下沉积的薄膜具有低sp3C含量、低表面接触角、低内应力和高的硬度与弹性模量.基于亚表层注入生长模型分析了沉积温度对薄膜生长和键合结构的影响,从薄膜生长机制和微观结构解释了表面性质和力学性能的变化.     

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.     

Modulation of electrical and optical properties of gallium-doped ZnO films by radio frequency magnetron sputtering

Ga-doped ZnO(GZO) films are prepared on amorphous glass substrates at room temperature by radio frequency magnetron sputtering.The results reveal that the gallium doping efficiency,which will have an important influence on the electrical and optical properties of the film,can be governed greatly by the deposition pressure and film thickness.The position shifts of the ZnO(002) peaks in X-ray diffraction(XRD) measurements and the varied Hall mobility and carrier concentration confirms this result.The low Hall mobility is attributed to the grain boundary barrier scattering.The estimated height of barrier decreases with the increase of carrier concentration,and the trapping state density is nearly constant.According to defect formation energies and relevant chemical reactions,the photoluminescence(PL) peaks at 2.46 eV and 3.07 eV are attributed to oxygen vacancies and zinc vacancies,respectively.The substitution of more Ga atoms for Zn vacancies with the increase in film thickness is also confirmed by the PL spectrum.The obvious blueshift of the optical bandgap with an increase of carrier concentration is explained well by the Burstein-Moss(BM) effect.The bandgap difference between 3.18 eV and 3.37 eV,about 0.2 eV,is attributed to the metal-semiconductor transition.     

Effects of temperature-induced stress on the structural,electrical, and optical properties of ZnO:Ga thin films grown on Si substrates

Crystalline ZnO:Ga thin films with highly preferential c-axis oriented crystals were prepared on Si(001) substrates at different temperatures using the reactive magnetron sputtering technique. Effects of temperature-induced stress in ZnO:Ga films were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), electrical transport, and spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements. XRD results showed that the films were highly c-axis (out-of-plane) oriented and crystallinity improved with growth temperature. The residual compressive stress in films grown at low temperature relaxes with substrate temperature and becomes tensile stress with further increases in growth temperature. Resistivity of the films decreases with increasing stress, while the carrier concentration and mobility increase as the stress increases. The mechanism of the stress-dependent bandgap of ZnO:Ga films grown at different temperatures is suggested in the present work.     

氢稀释对多晶硅薄膜结构特性和光学特性的影响

以SiCl₄和H₂为气源，用等离子体增强化学气相沉积技术，在250℃的低温下，研究氢稀释度对多晶硅薄膜结构特性的影响.实验结果表明，对于以SiCl₄和H₂组成的反应源气体，氢对薄膜生长特性的影响有异于SiH₄/H₂，在一定功率下，薄膜的晶化率随氢稀释度的减小而增加，在一定的氢稀释度下薄膜晶化度达到最大值85％；随着氢稀释度的继续减小，薄膜晶化度迅速下降，并逐渐向非晶态结构转变.随氢稀释度的减小，薄膜的光学带隙由 1.5eV减小至约1.2eV，而后增大至1.8eV.沉积速率则随氢稀释度的减小先增加后减小，在无氢条件下，无薄膜形成.在最佳氢稀释度条件下，Cl基是促进晶化度提高，晶粒长大的一个主要因素. 关键词： 多晶硅薄膜 微结构 氢稀释 4')" href="#">SiCl₄     

Effect of temperature on residual stress and mechanical properties of Ti films prepared by both ion implantation and ion beam assisted deposition

Ti films with a thickness of 1.6 μm (group A) and 4.6 μm (group B) were prepared on surface of silicon crystal by metal vapor vacuum arc (MEVVA) ion implantation combined with ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD). Different anneal temperatures ranging from 100 to 500 °C were used to investigate effect of temperature on residual stress and mechanical properties of the Ti films. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was used to measure residual stress of the Ti films. The morphology, depth profile, roughness, nanohardness, and modulus of the Ti films were measured by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), scanning Auger nanoprobe (SAN), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and nanoindentation, respectively. The experimental results suggest that residual stress was sensitive to film thickness and anneal temperature. The critical temperatures of the sample groups A and B that residual stress changed from compressive to tensile were 404 and 428 °C, respectively. The mean surface roughness and grain size of the annealed Ti films increased with increasing anneal temperature. The values of nanohardness and modulus of the Ti films reached their maximum values near the surface, then, reached corresponding values with increasing depth of the indentation. The mechanism of stress relaxation of the Ti films is discussed in terms of re-crystallization and difference of coefficient of thermal expansion between Ti film and Si substrate.