Induced growth of high quality ZnO thin filmsby crystallized amorphous ZnO

This paper reports the induced growth of high quality ZnO thin film by crystallized amorphous ZnO. Firstly amorphous ZnO was prepared by solid-state pyrolytic reaction, then by taking crystallized amorphous ZnO as seeds (buffer layer), ZnO thin films have been grown in diethyene glycol solution of zinc acetate at 80℃. X-ray Diffraction curve indicates that the films were preferentially oriented [001] out-of-plane direction of the ZnO. Atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to evaluate the surface morphology of the ZnO thin film. Photoluminescence spectrum exhibits a strong ultraviolet emission while the visible emission is very weak. The results indicate that high quality ZnO thin film was obtained.     

Effect of Post-Annealing on Microstructural and Electrical Properties of N^＋Ion-Implanted into ZnO：In Films

We fabricate p-type conductive ZnO thin films on quartz glass substrates by codoping of In-N using radio frequency magnetron sputtering technique together with the direct implantation of acceptor dopants （nitrogen）. The effects of thermal annealing on the structure and electrical properties of the ZnO films are investigated by an x-ray diffractometer （XRD） and a Hall measurement system. It is found that the best p-type ZnO film subjected to annealed exhibits excellent electrical properties with a hole concentration of 1.22 × 10^18 cm^-3, a Hall mobility of 2.19 cm^2 V^-1 s^- 1, and a low resistivity of about 2.33 Ωcm, indicating that the presence of In may facilitates the incorporation of N into ZnO thin films.     

Absorption Spectra and Ionic Conductivity of RbxCs1-xAg4I5 Superionic Conductors Thin Films

A series of RbxCs1-xAg4I5(x=0-1) thin films were grown by vacuum evaporation on NaCI crystal substrates at 350K. The absorption spectra of these films were measured at 80K in the wavelength range from 240nm to 400nm. It is shown that superionic conductor thin films of quaternary compound Rb0.5Cs0.5Ag4I5 and ternary compound RbAg415 can be obtained at x=0.5-0.6 and x=0.7-1, respectively. At x=0.65, the combined compound film of the mixture of 30mol% RbAg4I5 and 70mol% Rb0.5Cs0.5Ag4I5 is presented. Then, based on the spectral positions of the A1 and A2 peaks, we determined that the Rb0.5Cs0.5Ag4I5 exciton coupling energy Rex is 0.21eV, the forbidden zone width Eg is 3.82eV and the exciton radius aex is 0.70hm. Furthermore, the ionic conductivities of superionic conductor thin films of RbAg4I5 and Rb0.5Cs0.5Ag4I5 and their mixture film are investigated, respectively, in the temperature range 303 K-393K.     

Effects of annealing rate and morphology of sol–gel derived ZnO on the performance of inverted polymer solar cells

The effects of annealing rate and morphology of sol–gel derived zinc oxide(ZnO)thin films on the performance of inverted polymer solar cells(IPSCs)are investigated.ZnO films with different morphologies are prepared at different annealing rates and used as the electron transport layers in IPSCs.The undulating morphologies of ZnO films fabricated at annealing rates of 10 C/min and 3 C/min each possess a rougher surface than that of the ZnO film fabricated at a fast annealing rate of 50 C/min.The ZnO films are characterized by atomic force microscopy(AFM),optical transmittance measurements,and simulation.The results indicate that the ZnO film formed at 3 C/min possesses a good-quality contact area with the active layer.Combined with a moderate light-scattering,the resulting device shows a 16%improvement in power conversion efficiency compared with that of the rapidly annealed ZnO film device.     

Magnetic Properties and Nanostructures of FePtCu：C Thin Films with FePt Underlayers

Magnetic properties and nanostructures of FePtCu：C thin films with FePt underlayers （ULs） are studied. The effect of FePt ULs on the orlentation and magnetic properties of the thin films are investigated by adjusting FePt UL thicknesses from 2nm to 14nm. X-ray diffraction （XRD） scans reveal that the orientation of the films is dependent on FePt UL thickness. For a 5-nm FePtCu：C nanocomposite thin film with a 2-nm FePt UL, the coercivity is 6.S KOe, the correlation length is 59 nm, the desired face-centred-tetragonal （fct） ordered structure [Llo phase] is formed and the c axis normal to the film plane [（001） texture] is obtained. These results indicate that the beffer orientation and magnetic properties of the films can be tuned by decreasing the thockness of the FePt UL.     

Room-Temperature Ferromagnetism in Zn1-xMnxO Thin Films Deposited by Pulsed Laser Deposition

Zn1-xMnxO （x = O.Olq3.1） thin films with a Curie temperature above 300K are deposited on Al2O3 （0001） substrates by pulsed laser deposition. X-ray diffraction （XRD）, ultraviolet （UV）-visible transmission and Raman spectroscopy are employed to characterize the microstructural properties of these films. Room temperature ferromagnetism is observed by superconducting quantum interference device （SQUID）. The results indicate that Mn doping introduces the incorporation of Mn^2＋ ions into the ZnO host matrix and the insertion of Mn^2＋ ions increases the lattice defects, which is correlated with the ferromagnetism of the obtained films. The doping concentration is also proven to be a crucial factor for obtaining highly ferromagnetic Zn1-xMnxO films.     

Effects of doping concentration on properties of Mn-doped ZnO thin films

This paper reports that the radio frequency magnetron sputtering is used to fabricate ZnO and Mn-doped ZnO thin films on glass substrates at 500~°C. The Mn-doped ZnO thin films present wurtzite structure of ZnO and have a smoother surface, better conductivity but no ferromagnetism. The x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results show that the binding energy of Mn_2p3 / 2 increases with increasing Mn content slightly, and the state of Mn in the Mn-doped ZnO thin films is divalent. The chemisorbed oxygen in the Mn-doped ZnO thin films increases with increasing Mn doping concentration. The photoluminescence spectra of ZnO and Mn-doped ZnO thin films have a similar ultraviolet emission. The yellow green emissions of 4~wt.% and 10~wt.% Mn-doped thin films are quenched, whereas the yellow green emission occurs because of abundant oxygen vacancies in the Mn-doped ZnO thin films after 20~wt.% Mn doping. Compared with pure ZnO thin film, the bandgap of the Mn-doped ZnO thin films increases with increasing Mn content.     

Structure Properties of MgxZn1-xO Films Deposited at Low Temperature

MgxZn1-xO films (x = 0.23) have been prepared on silicon substrates by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering at 80℃. The structure properties of Mgx Zn1-xO films are studied using x-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectra. The analysis of XRD and HRTEM indicates that the Mgx Zn1-xO films have hexagonal wurtzite single-phase structures and a preferred orientation with the c axis perpendicular to the substrates. Raman spectra of ZnO and MgxZn1-xO films reveal that the MgxZn1-xO films have not only the hexagonal wurtzite structure but also higher crystalline quality than ZnO films.     

Photoluminescence and Optically Pumped Ultraviolet Lasing from Nanocrystalline ZnO Thin Films Prepared by Thermal Oxidation of High—Quality ZnS Thin Films

We present a simple and useful method for preparing high-quality nanocrystalline ZnO thin films,i.e.the thermal oxidation of high-quality ZnS films prepared by the low-pressure metal-organic chemical vapour deposition technique.The x-ray diffraction measurements reveal that the nanocrystalline ZnO has a hexagonal wurtzite structure.Raman spectra show that the longitudinal optical phonon with the E1-mode appears at 578 cm^-1.The multiple phonon scattering process is also observed,indicating the formation of a high-quality nanocrystalline ZnO thin film.The photoluminescence spectrum has a single emission peak at 3.264eV from the free-exciton mission,under the condition of low excitation power at room temperature.However,when excitation intensities exceed the threshold of 150kW/cm^2,a new and narrow peak emerges at lower energies,which are attributed to exciton-exciton collisions,and is called the P line.The intensity of this peak increases superlinearly with the pumping power over a threshold value.This supplies strong evidence of stimulated emission.The multiple longitudinal cavity modes observed in the stimulated emission spectrum indicate the successful realization of optically pumped lasing from nanocrystalline ZnO films at room temperature.     

Growth of n-type ZnO thin films by using mixture gas of hydrogen and argon

High-quality oxide semiconductor ZnO thin films were prepared on single-crystal sapphire and LaAlOZnO薄膜 氩氢混合气体 薄膜生长 异质结构 薄膜物理学ZnO, PLD, heterostructureProject supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No 19974001) and the National Key Basic Research Special Foundation of China (Grant No NKBRSF G1999064604 and G2000036505).2005-05-309/3/2005 12:00:00 AMHigh-quality oxide semiconductor ZnO thin films were prepared on single-crystal sapphire and baAlO3 substrates by pulsed laser deposition （PLD） in the mixture gas of hydrogen and argon. Low resistivity n-type ZnO thin films with smoother surface were achieved by deposition at 600℃ in 1Pa of the mixture gas. in addition, ferromagnetism was observed in Co-doped ZnO thin films and rectification Ⅰ - Ⅴ curves were found in p-GaN/n-ZnO and p-CdTe/n-ZnO heterostructure junctions. The results indicated that using mixture gas of hydrogen and argon in PLD technique was a flexible method for depositing high-quality n-type oxide semiconductor films, especially for the multilayer thin film devices.     

Influence of Surface Transition Layers on Phase Transformation and Pyroelectric Properties of Ferroelectric Thin Film

Taking into account surface transition layers （STLs）, we study the phase transformation and pyroelectric properties of ferroelectric thin films by employing the transverse Ising model （TIM） in the framework of the mean field approximation. The distribution functions representing the intra-layer and inter-layer couplings between the two nearest neighbour pseudo-spins are introduced to characterize STLs. Compared with the results obtained by the traditional treatments for the thin films using only the single surface transition layer （SSL）, it is shown that the STL model reflects a more realistic and comprehensive situation of films. The effects of various parameters on the phase transformation properties have shown that STL can make the Curie temperature of the film higher or lower than that of the corresponding Sulk material, and the thickness of STL is a key factor influencing the film properties. For a film with definite thickness, there exists a critical STL thickness at which ferroelectricity will disappear when the intra-layer and inter-layer interactions are weak.     

Structural Characterization and Photoluminescent Properties of Zn1—xMgxO Films on Silicon

Zn1-xMgxO films have been grown on silicon at various substrate temperatures by pulsed laser deposition.The structural and photoluminescent properties of films as a function of substrate temperature have been studied.The optimized substrate temperature is 650℃.The x-ray diffraction spectra indicate that the films are highly C-axis oriented,and no phase separation is observed.The crystal grain size of the films is about 100nm as examined by atomic force microscopy.The cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy verified the C-axis orientation of the Zn1-xMgxO.Thesr films showed ultraviolet photoluminescence at room temperature.The near-band-edge emission peak of the Zn1-xMgxO film deposited at 600℃ has a blueshift (0.40eV) larger than that of the film deposited at 500℃ (0.33eV).The ratio of the near-band-edge to defect level peak intensity is as large as 159.     

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.     

Effect of Post-Annealing on Structural and Electrical Properties of ZnO:In Films

Indium-doped ZnO(ZnO:In) films are deposited on quartz substrates by rf magnetron sputtering. The effects of post-annealing on structural, electrical, optical and Raman properties are investigated by x-ray diffraction,Raman scattering, Hall measurement and first-principles calculation. The results indicate that all of the ZnO:In films have excellent crystallinity with a preferred ZnO(002) orientation. It is found that the incorporation of In can dramatically increase the intensity of the 274 cm~(-1) Raman mode. However, both post-annealing treatment and increasing O_2 partial pressure in the process of preparing thin films can reduce the intensity of the 274 cm~(-1) mode or even eliminate it, and relax compressive stress of the ZnO:In film judged by analyzing the shifts of the(002) Bragg peaks and E_2(high) mode. Finally, the origin of the 274 cm~(-1) mode is inferred to be the vibration of Zn interstitial(Zni) defects, which play a crucial role in the high electron concentration and low resistivity of ZnO:In films annealed in an appropriate temperature range(450–600℃).     

Artificial Modulation of Ferroelectric Thin Films into Antiferroelectric through H+ Implantation for High-Density Charge Storage

Hydrogen ions are implanted into Pb（Zro.3Tio.7）03 1014 ions/cm^2. Pseudo-antiferroelectric behaviour in thin films at the energy of 40keV with a flux of 5 x the implanted thin films is observed, as confirmed by the measurements of polarization versus electric hysteresis loops and capacitance versus voltage curves. X-ray diffrac- tion patterns show the film structures before and after H＋ implantation both to be perovskite of a tetragonal symmetry. These findings indicate that hydrogen ions exist as stable dopants within the films. It is believed that the dopants change domain-switching behaviour via the boundary charge compensation. Meanwhile, time dependence of leakage current density after time longer than lOs indicates the enhancement of the leakage cur- rent nearly in one order for the implanted film, but the current at time shorter than i s is mostly the same as that of the original film without the ionic implantation. The artificial tailoring of the antiferroelectric behaviour through H＋ implantation in ferroelectric thin films is finally proven to be achievable for the device application of high-density charge storage.     

Study of the substructure in nanometer copper thin films treated by laser shock processing

We study nanometer copper thin films prepared by magnetron sputtering and treated with laser shock processing (LSP). We observe the formation of firstborn twin crystals and some complete twin crystals in the copper thin films. After LSP, scanning electron microscope (SEM) images show obvious plastic deformation of the copper grain on the film surface, dramatically increased grain size, and the appearance of a large number of twin crystals. Moreover, the width of the crystals is a few dozen nanometers, and the cross angle is more than or close to 90°.Many vacancy defects appear during the sliding of atomic plane, which leads to a faulty structure; however, no obvious dislocation is observed. These substructures play a significant role in improving the mechanical performance of nanometer copper thin films.     

Ll_0 FePt thin films with 001crystalline growth fabricated by ZnO addition and rapid thermal annealing

FePt films with a high degree of order S of the L1 0 structure (S 0.90) and well defined 001crystalline growth perpendicular to the film plane are fabricated on thermally oxidized Si substrates by the addition of ZnO and a successive rapid thermal annealing (RTA) process. The optimum condition to prepare high-ordering L1 0 FePtZnO films is 20 vol% ZnO addition and 450℃annealing. The effect of the ZnO additive on the ordering process of the L1 0 FePtZnO films is discussed. In the annealing process, Zn atoms move to the film surface and evaporate. The motion of the Zn atoms accelerates the intergrain exchange and decreases the ordering temperature.     

Effect of Ag Doping on Optical and Electrical Properties of ZnO Thin Films

ZnO thin films were prepared on p-type Si (100) substrates by the sol-gel process. The influence of Ag doping at a content of 0.002% on the photoluminescence and current-voltage (I - V) characteristics of ZnO thin films has been investigated. It is found that Ag doping leads to a pronounced increase in the intensity of near band edge emission at 3.23eV and a remarkable red shift of the visible broadband at room temperature. The I - V characteristics of ZnO/p-Si heterojunctions are also changed. These results could be explained by Ag substituting for Zn in Ag doped ZnO thin films.     

Double-layer indium doped zinc oxide for silicon thin-film solar cell prepared by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis

Indium doped zinc oxide(ZnO:In) thin films were prepared by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis on corning eagle 2000 glass substrate.1 and 2 at.% indium doped single-layer ZnO:In thin films with different amounts of acetic acid added in the initial solution were fabricated.The 1 at.% indium doped single-layers have triangle grains.The 2 at.% indium doped single-layer with 0.18 acetic acid adding has the resistivity of 6.82×10-3Ω·cm and particle grains.The doublelayers structure is designed to fabricate the ZnO:In thin film with low resistivity(2.58×10-3Ω·cm) and good surface morphology.It is found that the surface morphology of the double-layer ZnO:In film strongly depends on the substratelayer,and the second-layer plays a large part in the resistivity of the double-layer ZnO:In thin film.Both total and direct transmittances of the double-layer ZnO:In film are above 80% in the visible light region.Single junction a-Si:H solar cell based on the double-layer ZnO:In as front electrode is also investigated.     

Investigation of a Microcalorimeter for Thin-Film Heat Capacity Measurement

A microcalorimeter is studied for testing heat capacity of thin films. The microcalorimeter is a suspended membrane supported by six microbridges, which is fabricated by the front-side surface micromachining. Compared to the bulk micro-machined one, the microcalorimeter has excellent mechanical strength and precisely controlled pattern size as well as good thermal characteristics that are essential to a microcalorimeter. The heating rate of the microcalorimeter is up to 2 × 10^5Kis with 4.5mW heating power in vacuum, and the heat capacity of the corresponding empty microcalorimeter is about 23.4nJ/K at 30OK. By a pulse calorimetry, the heat capacity of A1 thin films with thickness of 40-1150nm are measured in the temperature range from 300K to 420K in vacuum. The mass of each sample is evaluated and the specific heat capacity is calculated. The results show that specific heat capacity of the 1150-nm A1 film agrees well with the data of bulk A1 reported in the literature. For the thinner films, enhanced heat capacity is observed.