Quantum size effect in the photoemission intensity emitted from thin metal films

Photoemission spectra are calculated for thin films of Ag on Au(111) using the method of Green's function matching. For very low photon energies (ω ≲ 10 eV) the peak intensities of the thin film states oscillate with the film thickness. These oscillations are caused by the relaxation of the k_⊥-conservation of the optical excitation in photoemission.     

Influence of “ytterbium nanofilm–silicon Si(111)” interfaces on the valence of ytterbium

The work function of ytterbium films of nanometer thickness (from 1 to 16 monolayers) has been measured. The films have been prepared by sputtering of ytterbium in an ultrahigh vacuum on n- and p-type Si(111)7 × 7 silicon substrates with an electrical resistivity from 1 to 20 Ω cm. It has been shown that, in the films with a thickness of less than 8 monolayers, the work function depends nonmonotonically on the amount of ytterbium deposited on the surface (Friedel oscillations), whereas in the films with a thickness of more than 8 monolayers, the work function takes on a constant value (3.3 eV) that exceeds the work function for macroscopic samples (2.6 eV). This difference is associated with the fact that, during the formation of an Yb–Si interface, the large difference in the work functions of ytterbium and silicon (4.63 eV) leads to the transfer of a significant fraction of electrons from the metal to the semiconductor. This transfer of electrons from the film to silicon is accompanied by the lowering of the Yb 5d level below the Fermi level. As a result, the valence of the metal and, accordingly, the work function increase.     

‘In-situ’ ink-jet printed Fe-doped MgO thin films with tunable ferromagnetism

Magnetism in wide band gap materials is of great interests for future spintronic device applications. We prepared MgO and Fe-doped MgO films ‘in-situ’ on substrates by inkjet printing, and investigated the ferromagnetism tuned by the doping of Fe, the annealing temperature and the film thickness. It is found that the Fe-doping improves the crystallinity of the films with lattice structure changed by annealing temperature. The saturation magnetization (M_s) of the films enhanced by ~5 times comparing with the pure MgO thin film of similar thickness (~90 nm), because of both the long-range ordering of localized 3d electrons in Fe and the defects induced magnetism. The M_s at 5 K decreases with the film thickness, which is mainly attributed to the interface induced ferromagnetism. The Fe-doped MgO films with ferromagnetism in this work can be used in future spintronic devices.     

The relationship between refractive index-energy gap and the film thickness effect on the characteristic parameters of CdSe thin films

CdSe thin films were deposited on glass substrates using Successive Ionic Layer Adsorption and Reaction (SILAR) method at room temperature and ambient pressure. The relationship between refractive index and energy bandgap was investigated. The film thickness effect on the structural, morphological, optical and electrical properties of CdSe thin films was investigated. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies showed that all the films exhibit polycrystalline nature with hexagonal structure and are covered well with glass substrates. The crystalline and surface properties of the films improved with increasing film thickness. The optical absorption studies revealed that the films are found to be a direct allowed transition. The energy bandgap values were changed from 1.93 to 1.87 eV depending on the film thickness. The electron effective mass (m_e^?/m_o), refractive index (n), optical static and high frequency dielectric constant (ε_o, ε_∞) values were calculated by using the energy bandgap values as a function of the film thickness. The resistivity of the films changed between 10⁶ and 10² Ω-cm with increasing film thickness at room temperature.     

Nonlocal effects in ellipsometry of metallic films on metals

A simple but exact generalization of optical surface response formalism beyond the long wavelength approximation (LWA) is developed and evaluated within the hydrodynamic approximation for a nonlocal three layer model describing a metal film between a dielectric and a metallic substrate. In the LWA an explicit analytical formula for the ellipsometry ratio ρ = r_p/r_s in terms of bulk optical constants of the layer materials is given. Model calculations show that classical optics can reproduce nonlocal results only with a strange effective dielectric function of the film reflecting substrate properties up to large film thickness.     

Thermally stimulated electromagnetic-field spectra in planar structures of complex composition: II. Radiative fields

It is demonstrated that the spectral composition of the radiative thermal fields of a Cd _x Zn_{1 ? x}Te solid solution film on a metallic substrate is sensitive to small changes in the impurity concentration and film thickness. The calculated spectral densities of the p- and s-polarized states of the radiative component of thermal fields in a plane-layered system are compared using the refraction additivity principle. The spectral densities are calculated at different values of the impurity concentration and film thickness.     

Electronic properties of ultrathin films based on pyrrolofullerene molecules on the surface of oxidized silicon

Results of the investigation into the interface formation during the deposition of the films based on aziridinylphenylpyrrolofullerene (APP-C₆₀) up to 8 nm thick on the surface of the oxidized silicon substrate are presented. The procedure of detecting reflection of testing low-energy electron beam from the surface implemented in the total current spectroscopy mode with a change in the incident electron energy from 0 to 25 eV is used. The structure of maxima in the total current spectra induced by the APP-C₆₀ deposited film is established, and the character of interrelation of these maxima with π* and σ* energy bands in the studied materials is determined. It is revealed due to analyzing the variation in intensities of the total current spectra of the deposited APP-C₆₀ film and the (SiO₂)n-Si substrate that the APP-C₆₀ film is formed at the early deposition stage with the coating thickness thinner than one monolayer without the formation of the intermediate modified organic layer. As the APP-C₆₀/(SiO₂)n-Si interface is formed, the work function of the surface increases by 0.7 eV, which corresponds to the transfer of the electron density from substrate (SiO₂)n-Si toward the film APP-C₆₀. The optical absorption spectra of the APP-C₆₀ films are measured and compared with the spectra of films of unsubstituted C₆₀.     

Some aspects of interactions between HTSC-films and substrates

Different aspects of the interaction between YBa₂Cu₂O_y(YBCO) films and (100) ZrO₂〈Y〉 (YSZ) substrates have been investigated. It was determined using X-ray diffraction methods that the structural mismatch between the film and the substrate leads to a film deformation throughout its thickness. At the same time a strained layer appears in the substrate, whose thickness is proportional to the film thickness. The surface morphology changes of YBCO films which take place with variation of the growth temperaturet_sin the vicinity of the optimum temperature lead to changes of the film grain structure probably connected with nucleation centers. Tl₂Ba₂CaCu₂O_y(TBCCO) films on YSZ substrates were also synthesized. It was found that the dependence of the TBCCO film surface morphology changes with annealing temperature and the dependence of YBCO film surface morphology changes ont_sare similar.     

Texture and self-biased property of an oriented M-type barium ferrite thick film by tape casting

In this paper,the oriented M-type barium ferrite(BaM) thick films with different thicknesses are prepared by tape casting.It is found that the crystallographic alignment degree(f),the pore and the squareness ratio(Mr/Ms) are not affected by the thickness of the film.XRD and SEM results show that the thick film has hexagonal morphology with a crystal texture of c-axis grains perpendicular to film plane.The hysteresis curve indicates that the BaM thick film exhibits a self-biased property with a remanent magnetization of 3.30 T,a squareness ratio(Mr/Ms) of 0.81,and a coercivity of 0.40 T.The results show that the BaM thick film has potential for use in self-biasing microwave devices,and also proves that the tape casting technique is capable of fabricating high-quality barium ferrite films,thus providing a unique opportunity to realize the large area production of thick film.     

Structural-optical study of high-dielectric-constant oxide films

High-k polycrystalline Pr₂O₃ and amorphous LaAlO₃ oxide thin films deposited on Si(0 0 1) are studied. The microstructure is investigated using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Optical properties are determined in the 0.75-6.5 eV photon energy range using spectroscopic ellipsometry. The polycrystalline Pr₂O₃ films have an optical gap of 3.86 eV and a dielectric constant of 16-26, which increases with film thickness. Similarly, very thin amorphous LaAlO₃ films have the optical gap of 5.8 eV, and a dielectric constant below 14 which also increases with film thickness. The lower dielectric constant compared to crystalline material is an intrinsic characteristic of amorphous films.     

Optical properties of nanoscale BiFeO3/BaTiO3/Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 composite films obtained by the pulsed-laser deposition method

Nanoscale (30–100 nm) films of BiFeO₃/BaTiO₃/Ni_0.5Zn_0.5Fe₂O₄ complex composition have been obtained by the pulsed-laser deposition method. Optical properties of the films were studied in the wavelength range of 250–1000 nm. It is shown that the optical properties of amorphous films deposited at room temperature are explained by the Tauc model for amorphous semiconductors. An increase in the optical gap from 1.7 to 1.95 eV was observed with decreasing film thickness. Allowed direct-band transitions (E _g = 3.1 eV) were observed after annealing of films independent of their thickness.     

Sputtering characteristics of fullerene C60 films under bombardment with 0.1–1-keV argon ions and atoms

The sputtering of fullerene C₆₀ films under bombardment with Ar⁺ ions was studied. In thin films, blistering effects related to diffusion of the implanted argon ions along the layer and substrate interface have been found to occur. A threshold behavior was observed for sputtering at ion energies around 0.2 keV, which is much higher than in graphites. It has been shown that dependence of the work function on ion energy can be described in the framework of Zigmund-Falcone’s approximation, which takes into account anisotropic effects in cascade collisions, and with Yudin’s approximation for the sputtering of elemental materials. The obtained surface binding energy for fullerenes is U _s?6.7 eV, which is less than the value for graphites, U _{s graph}=7.7 eV.     

Quantum size effects in the fermi energy and electronic density of states in a finite square well thin film model

The dependence of the Fermi energy, E_F, and the electronic density of states, ρ(E), of thin metallic films (L_z ≲ 50 Å) on film thickness, electron density, and potential well depth, is systematically investigated in a free-electron, finite square well model. Two size-dependent effects are observed: (1) oscillations in E_F and ρ(E) due to the size-quantization of the energy levels, and (2) changes in the mean values of these quantities, averaged over several oscillation periods, relative to their bulk values. The mean value of E_F is increased relative to its bulk value by as much as 5%–10% for physically reasonable well depths and typical metallic electron densities. For the special case in which the top energy level in the well is occupied, the mean value of E_F is equal to its bulk value. The mean value ofρ(E_F) can be either greater than or less than its bulk value, depending on the well depth. In contrast to the small amplitude oscillations in E_F, the oscillations in ρ(E_F) may have an amplitude as large as 25% of the mean value for sufficiently thin films. Accurate analytic expressions for the thickness dependence of the Fermi energy and density of states are derived.     

SrHf0.67Ti0.33O3 high-k films deposited on Si by pulsed laser deposition

Abstract: The large band gap (3.58?eV) and dielectric properties (?? _r =50) of bulk SrHf_0.67Ti_0.33O₃ (SHTO) make it a promising high-k material. SHTO films were deposited on p-type (100) Si single crystal substrates by pulsed laser deposition. The composition, structure, thickness, and roughness of the SHTO films have been studied using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, X-ray reflectivity, transmission electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The capacitance?Cvoltage and leakage current density characteristics of the films have been evaluated. For a post-annealed SHTO film with a thickness of 25 nm, the relatively high permittivity of 35 was achieved with the low leakage current density of 4.96×10^?4?A/cm² at ?2?V bias voltage.     

Structure and dielectric behavior of TlSbS2

A comparison of structure and dielectric properties of TlSbS₂ thin films, deposited in different thicknesses (400–4100 Å) by thermal evaporation of TlSbS₂ crystals that were grown by the Stockbarger–Bridgman technique and the bulk material properties of TlSbS₂ are presented. Dielectric constant ε ₁ and dielectric loss ε ₂ have been calculated by measuring capacitance and dielectric loss factor in the frequency range 20 Hz–10 KHz and in the temperature range 273–433 K. It is observed that at 1 kHz frequency and 293 K temperature the dielectric constant of TlSbS₂ thin films is ε ₁=1.8–6 and the dielectric loss of TlSbS₂ thin films is ε ₂=0.5–3 depending on film thickness. In the given intervals, both of dielectric constant and dielectric loss decrease with frequency, but increase with temperature. The maximum barrier height W _m is calculated from the dielectric measurements. The values of W _m for TlSbS₂ films and bulk are obtained as 0.56 eV and 0.62 eV at room temperature, respectively. The obtained values agree with those proposed by the theory of hopping over the potential barrier. The temperature variation of ac conductivity can be reasonably interpreted in terms of the correlated barrier hopping model since it obeys the ω ^s law with a temperature dependent s (s<1) and going down as the temperature is increased. The temperature coefficient of capacitance (TCC) and permittivity (TCP) are evaluated for both thin films and bulk material of TlSbS₂.     

The dc magnetic field,temperature and film thickness dependence of microwave surface resistance of YBCO and DyBCO thin films

We investigated the dc magnetic field and temperature dependences of the microwave surface resistance (R_s) of YBa₂Cu₃O_y (YBCO) and DyBa₂Cu₃O_y (DyBCO) superconducting thin films. The YBCO and DyBCO thin films, each with a thickness of 300, 500, or 700 nm, were deposited on MgO (1 0 0) substrates by the thermal co-evaporation method. The R_s was measured using the dielectric resonator method. A dc magnetic field of up to 5.0 T was applied parallel to the c-axis of the superconducting thin films. The results showed that the R_s value had almost the same temperature dependence at various thicknesses in a zero-external field. The R_s of the YBCO and DyBCO thin films increased with the applied dc magnetic field. The DyBCO thin films showed weaker magnetic field dependence of R_s than the YBCO thin films. The R_s ratio (defined as R_s(5 T)/R_s(0 T)) linearly increased with the film thickness. These results show that pinning strength decreased with an increasing film thickness.     

The adsorption of carbon monoxide,ammonia, and wet air on gold

The work functions of gold films which were deposited on glass substrates in UHV were 0.5–0.9 eV higher than the work function of a well-baked gold sheet. The contact potential difference between a film and the sheet was reduced by wet air admitted to both surfaces at room temperature. Carbon monoxide admitted to both surfaces reduced the contact potential difference reversibly at pressures from 1 × 10^? to 2 × 10^?2 torr, and the evidence suggested that most of the change was owing to a reduction in the work function of the gold film. This reduction varied linearly with the gas pressure; it also depended on the temperature; decreasing from 2.8 eV torr^? at 17°C to < 0.25 eV torr^? at 72°C. The results for CO fitted a simple classical model, from which the mean adsorption energy for CO/Au was estimated as 11.3 ± 0.3 kcal mole^?. Ammonia at 17°C caused a similar reduction of work function at much lower pressures, ～ 10^?4 torr, and its adsorption energy was estimated as 13.6 kcal mole^?1. The films and the sheet gold were polycrystalline with their crystal orientations random in two directions, but their {100} planes were preferentially parallel to the exposed surface. The films were rougher than the sheet. The positive surface potentials for CO/Au and NH₃/Au seem to be due either to weakly bound electropositive states, or to their molecules penetrating into the sub-surface region of the film.     

Auger line shape changes in epitaxial (111)Pd/(111)Cu films

Epitaxial Pd films ranging in thickness from a few tenths of a monolayer up to many monolayers were formed on (111)Cu substrate films at room temperature under UHV conditions. The growth of these Pd films was monitored in situ by Auger electron spectroscopy. The line profiles of the Cu MMM (61 eV) and Pd MVV (329 eV) AES doublets varied significantly with the amount of Pd deposited. A new measure of the AES doublet line profile, called the R-factor, was defined. A graph R_pd versus Pd film thickness shows a sharp decline with increasing thickness. Superimposed on the major trend is a cyclical variation. A corresponding periodicity in R_cu was observed for the Cu MMM (61 eV) AES doublet. The results suggest that the R-factor provides a direct measure of changes in the electronic structures of the overgrowth and substrate films as the former thickens by a layer-growth mechanism.     

Magnetic properties of strontium hexaferrite films prepared by pulsed laser deposition

The magnetic properties of strontium hexaferrite (SrFe₁₂O₁₉) films fabricated by pulsed laser deposition on the Si(100) substrate with Pt(111) underlayer have been studied as a function of film thickness (50–700 nm). X-ray diffraction patterns confirm that the films have c-axis perpendicular orientation. The coercivities in perpendicular direction are higher than those for in-plane direction which indicates the films have perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. The coercivity was found to decrease with increasing of thickness, due to the increasing of the grain size and relaxation in lattice strain. The 200 nm thick film exhibits hexagonal shape grains of 150 nm and optimum magnetic properties of M_s=298 emu/cm³ and H_c=2540 Oe.     

Atomic and electronic structures of lutetium oxide Lu2O3

The chemical composition, electronic structure, structure, and physical properties a lutetium oxide Lu₂O₃ film are studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ellipsometry, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The short-range order in Lu₂O₃ is found to correspond to its cubic modification. The binding energies of the 1s and 2p levels of oxygen and the 4d _5/2 and 4f _7/2 levels of lutetium are 529.2, 5.0 and 7.4, 195.9 eV, respectively. The energy gap determined from the electron energy loss spectrum of the film is 5.9 eV. The electron energy loss spectra have two peaks at 17.4 and 22.0 eV, which can be attributed to the excitation of bulk plasma oscillations. The dispersion of the refractive index is measured by spectral ellipsometry. The refractive index is shown to increase from 1.82 at 1.5 eV to 2.18 at 5.0 eV, and the high-frequency permittivity of Lu₂O₃ is 3.31.