Transparent conducting AZO and ITO films produced by pulsed laser ablation at 355 nm

Thin films of aluminium-doped zinc oxide (AZO) and indium tin oxide (ITO) were deposited on glass substrates by laser ablation in an oxygen environment. The electrical and optical properties of films grown at various oxygen pressures were compared. With no substrate heating, highly transparent and conducting films were obtained with oxygen pressures between 15 and 23 mTorr for both materials. We obtained a specific resistivity of 1.8᎒^-3 Q cm for AZO and 1.1᎒^-3 Q cm for ITO. By heating the substrate to 160 °C or 200 °C, the resistivity was further reduced to 1.1᎒^-3 Q cm for AZO and 3.9᎒^-4 Q cm for ITO. The average transmission of visible light (450-750 nm) was between 82% and 98% in most cases. The results suggest that AZO is a promising alternative to ITO.     

Deposition of NbC thin films by pulsed laser ablation

Niobium carbide thin films were prepared by pulsed laser ablation of a stoichiometric NbC target. XeCl (308 nm, 30 ns) and Nd:YAG (266 nm, 5 ns) lasers operating at a repetition rate of 10 Hz were used. Films were deposited on Si (100) substrates at room temperature either in vacuum or in an argon atmosphere (2᎒^-1 mbar). Different laser fluences (2, 4 and 6 J/cm²) and different numbers of pulses (1᎒⁴, 2᎒⁴ and 4᎒⁴) were tested. For the first time, NbC films were prepared through a clean procedure without the addition of a hydrocarbon atmosphere. The phase constitution of the films, unit cell size, mean crystallite dimensions and preferred orientation are determined as a function of deposition conditions by X-ray diffraction. Complementary morphological and structural analysis of the films were performed by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy.     

Structural and electrical properties of La0.5Sr0.5CoO3 films on SrTiO3 and porous a-Al2O3 substrates

Films of La_0.5Sr_0.5CoO₃ (LSCO) have been deposited on specially treated TiO₂-terminated (001) SrTiO₃ substrate surfaces and on macroporous polycrystalline !-Al₂O₃ substrates, having a mean pore diameter of 80 nm, by pulsed laser deposition. The films deposited on SrTiO₃ are good conducting, (001) textured, and exceptionally smooth (1-2 Å for 100 nm thick films). LSCO films deposited on porous !-Al₂O₃ are polycrystalline and exhibit good crystallographic and electrical properties despite the large substrate roughness and the differences in lattice parameters and crystal structure between the film and the substrate. Different growth modes have been observed on the porous !-Al₂O₃ substrates depending on the oxygen pressure during film deposition. Films grown at an oxygen pressure of 10^-1 mbar are macroporous, whereas films grown at 10^-2 mbar completely cover the substrate pores. In the latter case, strain effects lead to film cracking.     

Pulsed laser deposition of carbon nitride films by a sub-ps laser

CN_x (0.01-2 to 0.6 mbar the nitrogen content of the films increases monotonously, as determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Raman spectroscopy reveals that the films consist predominantly of highly amorphous carbon.     

SnO2 thin films grown by pulsed Nd:YAG laser deposition

SnO₂ thin films have been deposited on glass substrates by pulsed Nd:YAG laser at different oxygen pressures, and the effects of oxygen pressure on the physical properties of SnO₂ films have been investigated. The films were deposited at substrate temperature of 500°C in oxygen partial pressure between 5.0 and 125 mTorr. The thin films deposited between 5.0 to 50 mTorr showed evidence of diffraction peaks, but increasing the oxygen pressure up to 100 mTorr, three diffraction peaks (110), (101) and (211) were observed containing the SnO₂ tetragonal structure. The electrical resistivity was very sensitive to the oxygen pressure. At 100 mTorr the films showed electrical resistivity of 4×10⁻² Ω cm, free carrier density of 1.03×10¹⁹ cm⁻³, mobility of 10.26 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ with average visible transmittance of ∼87%, and optical band gap of 3.6 eV.     

透光导电ITO膜的制备及其光电特性的研究

采用溶胶-凝胶方法制备ITO膜,并从制备工艺上研究了各种因素对ITO膜光电特性的影响.最后制出的ITO膜厚度约为50nm,在可见光区平均透射比达97%,最高达99.55%,电阻率在2.0Ω·cm左右,最低达到0.31Ω·cm.     

Positron lifetime spectroscopic studies of as-grown 6H-silicon carbide

Positron lifetime spectroscopy has been employed to study the as-grown n-type 1.2᎒¹⁸ cm^-3 N-doped and p-type 1.8᎒¹⁸ cm^-3 Al-doped 6H-silicon carbide in the temperature range 10 K-300 K. For the p-type material, a positron trapping site, which has a lifetime of 225ᆟ ps, was found and is attributed to positron annihilating from the V_SiV_C divacancy-related defect having a neutral charge. For the case of the n-type material, a positron trapping centre having a lifetime of 200Nj ps, attributed to a V_Si-related defect, and a shallow trap were observed. The shallow trap, having binding energy of l8 meV was attributed to Rydberg-like states resulting from positron binding with a negative ion.     

Epitaxial Properties of Co-Doped ZnO Thin Films Grown by Plasma Assisted Molecular Beam Epitaxy

High quality Co-doped ZnO thin films are grown on single crystalline Al2O3（0001） and ZnO（0001） substrates by oxygen plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy at a relatively lower substrate temperature of 450℃. The epitaxial conditions are examined with in-situ reflection high energy electron diffraction （RHEED） and ex-situ high resolution x-ray diffraction （HRXRD）. The epitaxial thin films are single crystal at film thickness smaller than 500nm and nominal concentration of Co dopant up to 20%. It is indicated that the Co cation is incorporated into the ZnO matrix as Co^2＋ substituting Zn^2＋ ions. Atomic force microscopy shows smooth surfaces with rms roughness of 1.9 nm. Room-temperature magnetization measurements reveal that the Co-doped ZnO thin films are ferromagnetic with Curie temperatures Tc above room temperature.     

Electrical Characterization of Deep Trap Properties in High-k Thin-Film HfO2 Dielectric

Deep-trap properties of high-dielectric-constant （k） HfO2 thin films are investigated by deep-level transient spectroscopy and capacitance-voltage methods. The hole traps of the HfO2 dielectric deposited on a p-type Si substrate by sputtering are investigated in a metal-oxide-semiconductor structure over a temperature range of 300-500K. The potential depth, cross section and concentration of hole traps are estimated to be about 2.5eV, 1.8 ×10^-16 cm^2 and 1.0 × 10^16 cm^-3, respectively.     

Vacuum versus gas environment for the synthesis of nanocomposite films by pulsed-laser deposition

Nanocomposite films formed by Cu nanocrystals (NCs) with sizes <10 nm embedded in an amorphous Al₂O₃ host have been grown by alternate pulsed-laser deposition both in vacuum and in a buffer gas (Ar) up to pressures of 0.1 Torr. The dimensions, dimension distributions, and shape of the NC produced in vacuum and in Ar up to pressures of 5᎒^-3 Torr follow a similar trend as a function of the Cu areal density. This allows us to conclude that the nucleation and growth of the NC are dominated by processes occurring at the substrate surface rather than in the gas phase. For Ar pressures ̓᎒^-2 Torr, the anisotropy of the NC is enhanced, the deposition rate decreases abruptly and a significant amount of the buffer gas is incorporated into the host, thus leading to the formation of a porous material.     

Defect generation in polycrystalline Cu(In,Ga)Se2 by high-energy electron irradiation

We investigate the degradation of ZnO/CdS/ Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ heterojunction solar cells for space applications and the defect generation in polycrystalline Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ thin films by irradiation with 1-MeV electrons with fluences J_e up to J_e=5᎒¹⁸ cm^-2. Notable degradation of the solar cell performance starts at fluences of J_e=10¹⁷ cm^-2 where the open circuit voltage decreases by about 5% while short circuit current and fill factor remain essentially unaffected. Thus, Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ solar cells withstand electron fluences which are higher by one order of magnitude or more when compared to other technologies. A model describes the absolute open circuit voltage loss considering the increase of space charge recombination by electron irradiation-induced defects. Defect analysis by admittance spectroscopy shows that acceptor defects with an energy distance of approximately 300 meV from the valence band are generated at a rate %=0.017 (ǂ.01) cm^-1.     

Role of bismuth precursor in crystallization of SrBi2Ta2O9 thin films

Crystallization of SrBi₂Ta₂O₉ (SBT) thin films was studied as a function of viscosity of bismuth precursor and baking temperature, in order to fabricate capacitors with improved ferroelectric properties. SBT thin films were deposited on to Pt substrates using a chemical solution deposition (CSD) technique. Post-deposition anneal at 750 °C for 1 h in oxygen atmosphere revealed a significant influence of baking temperature and the viscosity of bismuth precursor on the microstructure and the ferroelectric properties of SBT thin films. A high baking temperature (350 °C) and a low viscosity of bismuth precursor (8 cp) yielded larger amounts of Bi₂O₃ secondary phase, smaller SBT grains (104 nm), and lower remanent polarization (P_r=2.0 7c/cm²). Additionally, these films exhibited a very high rate of ageing (>45% reduction in P_r after 7 days). A modified CSD process is suggested, which could suppress the formation of Bi₂O₃ secondary phase. Films fabricated using modified CSD technique exhibited a much larger grain size of 165 nm, higher P_r of 7.2 7c/cm², and significantly improved ageing characteristics (<1% reduction in P_r after 7 days). A qualitative model to describe the ageing in SBT-based capacitors is also suggested.     

Growth of oriented Pb(ZrxTi1-x)O3 thin films on glass substrates by pulsed laser deposition

Oriented crystalline Pb(Zr_xTi_1-x)O₃ (x=0.53) (PZT) thin films were deposited on metallized glass substrates by pulsed laser deposition (1060-nm wavelength Nd:YAG laser light, 10-ns pulse duration, 10-Hz repetition rate, 0.35-J/pulse and 25-J/cm² laser fluence), from a commercial target at substrate temperatures in the range 380-400 °C. Thin films of 1-3 7m were grown on Au(111)/ Pt/NiCr/glass substrates with a rate of about 1 Å/pulse on an area of 1 cm². The deposited PZT films with perovskite structure were oriented along the (111) direction, as was revealed from X-ray diffraction spectra. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was performed on different PZT films so that their vibrational modes could be determined. Piezoelectric d₃₃ coefficients up to 30 pC/N were obtained on as-deposited films. Ferroelectric hysteresis loops at 100 Hz revealed a remanent polarization of 20 7C/cm² and a coercive field of 100 kV/cm.     

Transport Behaviour of La0.8Sr0.2AlO3 Thin Film on Oxygen Deficient SrTiO3 Substrate

La_0.8Sr_0.2AlO₃ (LSAO) thin films are grown on SrTiO₃ (STO) and MgO substrates by laser molecular beam epitaxy. The LSAO thin film on oxygen deficient STO substrate exhibits metallic behaviour over the temperature range of 80--340K. The optical transmittance spectrum indicates that theLSAO thin films on MgO substrate are insulating at room temperature. The transport properties of LSAO thin films on STO substrates deposited in different oxygen pressure are compared. Our results indicate that oxygen vacancies in STO substrates should be mainly responsible for the transport behaviour of LSAO thin films.     

Optimization of F-doped SnO2 electrodes for organic photovoltaic devices

Fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) thin films have been investigated as an alternative to indium tin oxide anodes in organic photovoltaic devices. The structural, electrical, and optical properties of the FTO films grown by pulsed laser deposition were studied as a function of oxygen deposition pressure. For 400 nm thick FTO films deposited at 300°C and 6.7 Pa of oxygen, an electrical resistivity of 5×10⁻⁴ Ω-cm, sheet resistance of 12.5 Ω/□, average transmittance of 87% in the visible range, and optical band gap of 4.25 eV were obtained. Organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells based on poly(3-hexylthiophene)/[6,6]-phenyl-C₆₁-butyric acid methyl ester bulk heterojunctions were prepared on FTO/glass electrodes and the device performance was investigated as a function of FTO film thickness. OPV cells fabricated on the optimum FTO anodes (∼300–600 nm thick) exhibited power conversion efficiencies of ∼3%, which is comparable to the same device made on commercial ITO/glass electrodes (3.4%).     

Substitution mechanism of Ga for Zn site depending on deposition temperature for transparent conducting oxides

High quality transparent conductive gallium-doped zinc oxide (GZO) thin films were deposited on glass substrates using rf-magnetron sputtering system at the temperature ranging from room temperature (RT) to 500 °C. The temperature-dependence of Ga doping effect on the structural, optical and electrical properties in ZnO has been investigated. For the GZO thin films deposited at over 200 °C, (103) orientation was strongly observed by X-ray diffraction analysis, which is attributed to the substitution of Ga elements into Zn site. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements have confirmed that oxygen vacancies were generated at the temperature higher than 300 °C. This might be due to the effective substitution of Ga³⁺ for Zn site at higher temperature. It was also found that the optical band gap increases with deposition temperature. The optical transmittance of GZO thin films was above 87% in the visible region. The GZO thin films grown at 500 °C showed a low electrical resistivity of 4.50 × 10^?4 Ω cm, a carrier concentration of 6.38 × 10²⁰ cm^?3 and a carrier mobility of 21.69 cm²/V.     

Large crystalline grain growth using current-induced Joule heating

Electrical-current-induced Joule heating was applied to crystallization of 60-nm-thick amorphous silicon films formed on glass substrates. 3-7s-pulsed voltages were applied to silicon films connected with a capacitance in parallel. Coincident irradiation with 28-ns-pulsed excimer laser melted films partially and reduced its resistance. Complete melting for 12 7s and a low cooling rate at 1.1᎒⁸ K/s were achieved by Joule heating from electrical energy accumulated in the capacitance at 0.22 7F. For 7.4᎒¹⁷ cm^-3 phosphorus-doped films, analysis of temperature change in the electrical conductivity gave that the density of defect states localized at grain boundaries was 1.5᎒¹² cm^-2. Formation of 3.5-7m-long crystalline grains was observed by transmission electron micrograph. Preferential crystalline orientation was (110).     

Quantitative ferroelectric characterization of single submicron grains in Bi-layered perovskite thin films

The local polarization state and the electromechanical properties of ferroelectric thin films can be probed via the converse piezoelectric effect using scanning force microscopy (SFM) combined with a lock-in technique. This method, denominated as piezoresponse SFM, was used to characterize at the nanoscale level ferroelectric SrBi₂Ta₂O₉ and Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ thin films, grown by pulsed laser deposition. Two types of samples were studied: polycrystalline films, with grains having random orientations, and epitaxial films, consisting of (100)_orth- or (110)_orth-oriented crystallites, 100 nm to 2 7m in lateral size, which are embedded into a (001)-oriented matrix. The ferroelectric domain structure was imaged and the piezoelectric response under different external conditions was locally measured for each type of sample. Different investigation procedures are described in order to study the ferroelectric properties via the electromechanical response. A distinct ferroelectric behavior was found for single grains of SrBi₂Ta₂O₉ as small as 200 nm in lateral size, as well as for 1.2 7m쏿 nm crystallites of Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂. By probing separately the crystallites and the matrix the investigations have demonstrated at the nanoscale level that SrBi₂Ta₂O₉ has no spontaneous polarization along its crystallographic c-axis, whereas Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ exhibits a piezoelectric behavior along both the a- and c-directions. The electrostriction coefficients were estimated to be 3᎒^-2 m⁴/C² for polycrystalline SrBi₂Ta₂O₉ and 7.7᎒^-3 m⁴/C² for c-orientedBi₄Ti₃O₁₂. Quantitative measurements at the nanoscale level, within the experimental errors give the same values for remanent polarization and coercive field as macroscopic ferroelectric measurements performed on the same samples.     

Optical detection of ballistically injected electrons in III/V heterostructures

We present a novel spectroscopic technique that is based on the ballistic injection of minority carriers from the tip of a scanning-tunneling microscope into a semiconductor heterostructure. By analyzing the resulting electro-luminescence spectrum as a function of tip-sample bias, both the injection barrier height and the carrier relaxation rate &_s after injection can be determined. At 4.2 K we found &_s=5᎒¹³ s^-1 and at 77 K we found &_s=8᎒¹³ s^-1. From current-dependent measurements we find that, at room temperature, a large fraction of the carriers is trapped prior to radiative recombination. At high currents or low temperatures the traps become saturated. We tentatively identify the Be acceptors in the structure as trapping centers.     

Dependence of functional properties on processing in sol-gel (Pb,La)TiO3 thin films

Pb_0.88La_0.08TiO₃ films were processed on Si-based substrates by a diol-based sol-gel route from solutions with variable content of PbO excess. Crystallisation was performed at heating rates of 10 °C min^-1 and higher than 500 °C min^-1 (rapid heating). The pyroelectric coefficient was measured after poling the samples by two methods: applying a sinusoidal wave and applying a train of square pulses, with the latter showing a higher poling efficiency. The piezoelectric d₃₃ coefficient was determined by double-beam interferometry. Strain vs. field measurements provided evidence of 90° domain orientation in these films. Those crystallised at 10 °C min^-1 showed the highest functional properties (%=1.7᎒^-2 7C cm^-2 K^-1 and d₃₃=57 pm V^-1). This is a consequence of the higher stability of the 90° domains oriented during poling, caused by the lower tensile stress arising during preparation. The voltage responsivity of these films also benefited from the lower permittivity arising from their higher porosity. These films are good candidates for applications in infrared detectors and microelectromechanical devices.