Structure and optical properties of ZnS thin films grown by glancing angle deposition

The glancing angle deposition (GLAD) technique was used to deposit ZnS films by electron beam evaporation method. The cross sectional scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image illustrated a highly orientated microstructure composed of slanted column. The atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis indicated that incident flux angle had significant effects on the nodule size and surface roughness. Under identical nominal thickness, the actual thickness of the GLAD films is related to the incident flux angle. The refractive index and in-plane birefringence of the GLAD ZnS films were discussed, and the maximum birefringence Δn = 0.036 was obtained at incident flux angle of α = 80°. Therefore, the glancing angle deposition technique is a promising way to create a columnar structure with enhanced birefringent property.     

Molecular dynamics simulation of low-energy bombardment of Pt (1 1 1) surface by Cu atoms with various incident angles

The low-energy bombardment of Pt (1 1 1) surface by Cu atoms with various incident angles (θ) is studied with MD simulations. In the case of near-normal incidence (θ≤20°), the result of energy deposition is similar to that of θ=0°. In contrast, in the case wherein the incident angles are higher than 60°, the incident atom cannot penetrate through the first layer and is scattered directly on the surface. The low-energy deposition has no obvious effect on the substrate. For 20°≤θ≤60°, the oblique incidence contributes to uniformity of nucleation and layer-by-layer growth of film as well as the layer-by-layer removal of atoms in the surface layers. Based on our MD simulations, the mechanism behind the deposition and thin film formation is related to the horizontal component and the vertical component of the impact momentum.     

Control of polarization deviation at two separate wavelength by using all dielectric thin film materials

Two separate wavelength 1315 nm and 1550 nm were most widely used in near-infrared spectrum region. Based on a four-layer structure and a symmetry structure, a initial thin film stack system was constructed. Then it was optimized alternately by simplex and conjugate graduate algorithm, a beam splitter with splitting ratio R:T = 50:50 at this two wavelength was gained. The design result showed that the difference between reflectivity of P and S light around wavlength range 1300?1330 nm and 1535?1565 nm at incident angle 40°?50° was all below 2%. That indicated our design controlled the polarization deviation well at two separate wavelength with a reasonable range for both wavelength and incident angle.     

The effect of incident angle on the C60 bombardment of molecular solids

The effect of incident angle on the quality of SIMS molecular depth profiling using C₆₀⁺ was investigated. Cholesterol films of ∼300 nm thickness on Si were employed as a model and were eroded using 40 keV C₆₀⁺ at an incident angle of 40° and 73° with respect to the surface normal. The erosion process was characterized by determining at each angle the relative amount of chemical damage, the total sputtering yield of cholesterol molecules, and the interface width between the film and the Si substrate. The results show that there is less molecule damage at an angle of incidence of 73° and that the total sputtering yield is largest at an angle of incidence of 40°. The measurements suggest reduced damage is not necessarily dependent upon enhanced yields and that depositing the incident energy nearer the surface by using glancing angles is most important. The interface width parameter supports this idea by indicating that at the 73° incident angle, C₆₀⁺ produces a smaller altered layer depth. Overall, the results show that 73° incidence is the better angle for molecular depth profiling using 40 keV C₆₀⁺.     

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.     

Experimental investigation of plume expansion dynamics of nanosecond laser ablated Al with small incident angle

Experimental study of expansion dynamics of pulsed-laser ablation plasmas from Al is presented. A systematic investigation of plasma plume expansion is done. The laser beam is focused on the target with an incident angle between 0° and 20°. The results show that the plume growth is almost normal to the target surface, irrespective of the incident angle of the laser. Besides, the time evolution of the plasma plume geometry ratio at different incident angles shows that the incident angle of laser beam influences very slightly its shape at later delay time. The results imply that when the incident angle is small (ranging from 0° to 20°), the influence of the incident angle on the plume expansion is rather trivial.     

Oblique angle deposition of TiO2 thin films prepared by electron-beam evaporation

Optical, structural and photocatalytic properties of TiO₂ thin films obliquely deposited on quartz glass substrate using an electron-beam evaporation method were investigated. The photocatalytic activity of the films was evaluated by photodecomposition of methylene blue. An increase in incident deposition angle increased the porosity and surface roughness of the TiO₂ films. As a result, the photocatalytic activity was enhanced with incident deposition angle up to 60°. However, a further increase in incident deposition angle to 75° reduced the photocatalytic activity due to a lack of the crystalline phase.     

Mass flow in laser-plasma deposition of carbon under oblique angles of incidence

The angular distribution of the mass flow in carbon laser plasmas, generated from graphite targets at laser power densities around 10¹¹ W/cm² and 1064 nm, was studied. Under oblique angles of incidence the mass flow is not perpendicular to the target surface but rather symmetrical around the bisecting angle between the laser beam and the surface normal. For all angles, however, a cos⁴-pattern is observed. Compared to normal incidence the mass flow is weaker by about a factor of 2 to 3 for 30° and 50° angle of incidence. The dependence of film quality on deposition angle with regard to the symmetry axis of the plume is demonstrated.Presented at LASERION '91, June 12–14, 1991, München (Germany)     

Influence of the substrate position angle on the adhesion of ZnO thin films deposited on polyimide foil substrates

ZnO thin films, as polymer protection layers against ultraviolet radiation, were deposited on polyimide foil substrates using cathodic vacuum arc deposition technique. X-ray diffraction results showed that all the samples had (0 0 2) preferred orientation and the FWHM decreased as the position angle decreased. A fragmentation test was employed to investigate the influence of substrate position angle on the adhesion of ZnO thin films. It was found that the intrinsic adhesion between the ZnO film and the polyimide substrate is about 60 MPa at the substrate position angle of 0°. When the position angle increases to ±60°, the value of intrinsic adhesion decreases to about 30 MPa.     

Preparation of hybrid film with superhydrophobic surfaces based on irregularly structure by emulsion polymerization

A superhydrophobic surface originated from quincunx-shape composite particles was obtained by utilizing the encapsulation and graft of silica particles to control the surface chemistry and morphology of the hybrid film. The composite particles make the surface of film form a composite interface with irregular binary structure to trap air between the substrate surface and the liquid droplets which plays an essential role in obtaining high water contact angle and low water contact angle hysteresis. The water contact angle on the hybrid film is determined to be 154 ± 2° and the contact angle hysteresis is less than 5°. This is expected to be a simple and practical method for preparing self-cleaning hydrophobic surfaces on large area.     

Preparation and in vitro characterization of aerosol-deposited hydroxyapatite coatings with different surface roughnesses

Hydroxyapatite (HA) coatings with different surface roughnesses were deposited on a Ti substrate via aerosol deposition (AD). The effect of the surface roughness on the cellular response to the coating was investigated. The surface roughness was controlled by manipulating the particle size distribution of the raw powder used for deposition and by varying the coating thickness. The coatings obtained from the 1100 °C-heated powder exhibited relatively smooth surfaces, whereas those fabricated using the 1050 °C-heated powder had network-structured rough surfaces with large surface areas and were superior in terms of their adhesion strengths and in vitro cell responses. The surface roughness (R_a) values of the coatings fabricated using the 1050 °C-heated powder increased from approximately 0.65 to 1.03 μm as the coating thickness increased to 10 μm. The coatings with a rough surface had good adhesion to the Ti substrate, exhibiting high adhesion strengths ranging from 37.6 to 29.5 MPa, depending on the coating thickness. The optimum biological performance was observed for the 5 μm-thick HA coating with an intermediate surface roughness value of 0.82 μm.     

可见光区大角度减反射光学薄膜制备工艺研究

为获得可见光波长范围的大角度减反射光学薄膜,采用电子束蒸发斜角蒸镀工艺,按照设计好的膜系,通过蒸镀一系列低折射率膜层,最终得到在380～780nm波长间,入射角0～70°,平均反射率低于1%的光学薄膜。实验结果表明利用斜角蒸镀工艺镀制出折射率从基底到空气的渐变多层膜结构以取得优良的减反射效果是可行的。     

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采用分子动力学方法模拟200eV的CH3粒子轰击到不同基底温度的钨样品上,分析了C、H原子在钨表面的沉积、散射及溅射情况,结果表明C、H原子的沉降量均随入射剂量的增加而增加。在基底温度为100K时,相同入射剂量下沉积的C原子最多,而当基底温度为1200K,在入射剂量大于1.5X1016cm-2时,C原子的沉降量小于其它基底温度下的C的沉降量。CH3在轰击样品时发生了分解,各种分解情况随基底温度变化较小,其中不同基底温度下一级分解率在40%上下波动,二级分解在23%左右,而完全分解的CH3在9%左右。C、H原子的散射角主要分布在5°~85°间,散射C原子分布的最大值分布在40%~50°或50°~60°间,散射C原子分布的最小值分布在0°~10°或80°~90°间;而不同基底温度下散射H原子分布的最大值均在40°~50°间,最小值均在0°~10°间。散射C原子的能量在0~140eV之间,散射能量为0~120eV的C原子占散射总量的98%以上,散射C原子平均能量随基底温度的增加而增加,其变化从65.5eV增加到68.5eV;散射H原子的能量也在0~140eV之间,但大约70%的散射H原子能量在40eV以内,散射平均能量随基底温度的增加而减小,其变化从13.92eV减小到13.05eV。     

Monolayer deposition of L10 FePt nanoparticles via electrospray route

The deposition monolayers of L1₀ FePt nanoparticles via an electrospraying method and the magnetic properties of the deposited film were studied. FePt nanoparticles in a size of around 2.5 nm in diameter, prepared by a liquid process, were used as a precursor. The size of the deposited particles can be controlled up to 35 nm by controlling the sprayed droplet size that is formed by adjusting the precursor concentration and the precursor flow rate. The droplets were heated in a tubular furnace at a temperature of up to 900 °C to remove all organic compounds and to transform the FePt particles from disordered face centered cubic to an ordered FCT phase. Finally, the particles were deposited in the form of a monolayer film on a silicon substrate by electrostatic force and characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The monolayer of particles was obtained by the high charge on particles obtained during the electrospraying process. The magnetic properties of the monolayer were investigated by magneto-optic Kerr effect measurements. Coercivity up to 650 Oe for a film consisting of 35 nm L1₀ FePt nanoparticles was observed after heat treatment at a temperature of 800 °C.     

An angle-resolved laser incident beam detector based on a pair ofFabry-Perot etalons

An angle-resolved laser detector based on a pair of a non-mechanical scanning Fabry-Perot cavities is described. The differential signal from the two cavities is approximately independent from the polarization of the incident laser beam and it is used to determine the angle of incidence of the beam on the Fabry-Perot cavities. The F-P etalon is made of interferometric filter combination. A laser incident angle sensor experimental platform is built up, and the experiment is carried out with a given laser range finder. When the incident angle is less than 5°, the transmission difference measured by the laser angle sensor is significantly lower than theoretical value, and deviation is more than 10%. When the incident angle is greater than 10°, the deviation is much lower than that of the situation of the incident angle is lower than 10°.     

不同入射角度下强流脉冲电子束能量沉积剖面和束流传输系数模拟计算

 强流脉冲电子束在材料中的能量沉积剖面、能量沉积系数和束流传输系数受其入射角的影响很大，理论计算了0.5~2.0MeV的电子束以不同的入射角在Al材料中的能量沉积剖面和能量沉积系数，并且还计算了0.4~1.4MeV电子束以不同入射角穿透不同厚度C靶的束流传输系数。计算结果表明，随着入射角的增大，靶材表面层单位质量中沉积的能量增大，电子在靶材料中穿透深度减小，能量沉积系数减小，相应的束流传输系数也减小；能量为0.5~2.0MeV的电子束当入射角在60°~70°时在材料表面层单位质量中沉积的能量较大。     

Relatively low temperature synthesis of graphene by radio frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition

We present a simple, low-cost and high-effective method for synthesizing high-quality, large-area graphene using radio frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (RF-PECVD) on SiO₂/Si substrate covered with Ni thin film at relatively low temperatures (650 °C). During deposition, the trace amount of carbon (CH₄ gas flow rate of 2 sccm) is introduced into PECVD chamber and the deposition time is only 30 s, in which the carbon atoms diffuse into the Ni film and then segregate on its surface, forming single-layer or few-layer graphene. After deposition, Ni is removed by wet etching, and the obtained single continuous graphene film can easily be transferred to other substrates. This investigation provides a large-area, low temperature and low-cost synthesis method for graphene as a practical electronic material.     

气溶胶凝聚粒子散射特性的数值计算

利用Cluster-cluster aggregation (CCA)模型,模拟了由相同数目球形原始微粒凝聚而成的四种随机取向气溶胶凝聚粒子．根据物质的电结构,将气溶胶凝聚粒子离散为一系列偶极子,结合离散偶极子近似方法,在获得每一个偶极子的电偶极矩之后,数值计算了气溶胶凝聚粒子散射强度的角分布,并分析了散射强度随入射光入射角度和气溶胶凝聚粒子尺寸参数变化的规律．结果显示：当散射角较小时,气溶胶凝聚粒子取向和入射光的入射角度对散射强度影响不大,当散射角增大时,散射强度则明显依赖于气溶胶凝聚粒子取向和入射光的入射角度;对于不同尺寸参数的气溶胶凝聚粒子,在同一角度入射情况下,随尺寸参数的增加,气溶胶凝聚粒子的散射主要集中于前向散射．     

Towards the synthesis of MAX-phase functional coatings by pulsed laser deposition

Pulsed laser deposition with a Nd:YAG laser was used to grow thin films from a pre-synthesized Ti₃SiC₂ MAX-phase formulated ablation target on oxidized Si(1 0 0) and MgO(1 0 0) substrates. The depositions were carried out in a substrate temperature range from 300 to 900 K, and the pressure in the deposition chamber ranged from vacuum (10⁻⁵ Pa) to 0.05 Pa Argon background pressure. The properties of the films have been investigated by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry for film thickness and stoichiometric composition and X-ray diffraction for the crystallinity of the films. The silicon content of the films varied with the energy density of the laser beam. To suppress especially the silicon re-sputtering from the substrate, the energy of the incoming particles must be below a threshold of 20 eV. Therefore, the energy density of the laser beam must not be too high. At constant deposition energy density the film thickness depends strongly on the background pressure. The X-ray diffraction measurements show patterns that are typical of amorphous films, i.e. no Ti₃SiC₂ related reflections were found. Only a very weak TiC(2 0 0) reflection was seen, indicating the presence of a small amount of crystalline TiC.     

Optical and electrical properties of SnO2:Sb thin films deposited by oblique angle deposition

The antimony doped tin oxide (SnO₂:Sb) (ATO) thin films were prepared by oblique angle electron beam evaporation technique. X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, UV-vis-NIR spectrophotometer and four-point probe resistor were employed to characterize the structure, morphology, optical and electrical properties. The results show that oblique angle deposition ATO thin films with tilted columns structure are anisotropic. The in-plane birefringence of optical anisotropy is up to 0.035 at α = 70°, which means that it is suitable as wave plate and polarizer. The electrical anisotropy of sheet resistance shows that the sheet resistance parallel to the deposition plane is larger than that perpendicular to the deposition plane and it can be changed from 900 Ω/□ to 3500 Ω/□ for deposition angle from 40° to 85°, which means that the sheet resistance can be effectively tuned by changing the deposition angle. Additionally, the sandwich structure of SiO₂ buffer layer plus normal ATO films and oblique angle deposition ATO films can reduce the resistance, which can balance the optical and electrical anisotropy. It is suggested that oblique angle deposition ATO thin films can be used as transparent conductive thin films in solar cell, anti-foggy windows and multifunctional carrier in liquid crystal display.