A simple method for preparation of transparent hydrophobic silica-based coatings on different substrates

A facile, inexpensive, and general approach is explored for the fabrication of transparent silica/organic silicon hybrid sol, which could form transparent hydrophobic coatings on different substrates conveniently. The sol was prepared by using hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) as a surface-modifying agent and the source of base catalyst required for the hydrolysis of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS). The resulting silica-based coatings on glass slide have shown an optical transmission over the visible range up to 89% (in reference to 100% transmission defined by a plain glass substrate) and high thermal stability. The water contact angle of the film reached 152^○. Hydrophobic coatings with excellent optical transmittance were also successfully formed on writing paper and aluminum foils. The transparent hydrophobic silica-based hybrid sol will have potential applications in creating outdoor building glass, protecting paper files from moisture and preventing metals from corrosion.     

Controlled fabrication of transparent and superhydrophobic coating on a glass matrix via a Green method

A facile, green method was explored for the organic-inorganic complex coating with superhydrophobic and transparent property on glass matrix. The glass surface was firstly treated with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and SiO₂ organic-inorganic solution and then modified with a layer of 1,1,1,3,3,3-Hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS). The glass samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), water contact angle (CA) measurement, and UV–Vis spectrophotometry. The results showed that the optical transmission over the visible range up to 89 % (in reference to 100 % transmission defined by bare glass substrate), and the water CA of the film reached 168^°. Superhydrophobic coatings with excellent optical transmittance will have potential applications in our daily life.     

Preparation and properties of transparent SnO–P2O5 glasses

Colorless, transparent SnO–P₂O₅ (SP) glasses with 60–70 mol% SnO compositions were prepared by melting at 880–1000 °C in Ar atmosphere using commercial SnO and P₂O₅ powders as raw materials and vitreous carbon crucibles. SP glasses are characterized by glass transition temperature, onset of crystallization, thermal expansion coefficient and weight loss after immersion test. The viscosity of 67SnO–33P₂O₅ glass was measured by a penetration method in the range of 10^7.9–10^10.5 Pa s at 267–290 °C. The results of optical properties show that the transparent SP glasses have high refractive indexes over 1.75 and high transmission over 80% in the visible and IR region of 380 and 2700 nm.     

Analysis and design of optically transparent antenna on photonic band gap structures

An optically transparent microstrip patch antenna is designed on photonic bandgap structures and its radiation characteristics are computed and analyzed in the visible spectrum region. The proposed antenna consists of indium tin oxide, a transparent conducting material used both as a radiating patch and a ground plane separated by the 5 μm thin glass substrate. The introduction of periodic cylindrical air cavity structures in the glass substrate leads to the formation of photonic band gap. The patch thickness is carefully selected based on the analysis of the optical transmission coefficient with respect to patch thickness. The effective dielectric constant of the photonic band gap loaded glass substrate is computed using the effective medium approach. The refractive index of the proposed antenna is presented and discussed. The radiation efficiency of the antenna is shown to improve significantly due to insertion of proposed photonic band gap structures. The proposed design has yielded a bandwidth of 2–2.3 THz for a return loss (S₁₁) of less than −15dB and achieved a peak gain of 4.97dB at 2.27 THz.     

掺杂半导体/金属膜系的光谱透射反射特性

提出了以改变半导体薄膜的掺杂浓度来调节它的等离子体频率ω_p,使它的高透射区移至可见光带.选择本征吸收频率在近紫外区的金属与之构成最佳的D/M光谱透射-反射膜系,同时结合掺杂半导体膜与金属膜的最佳厚度组合以形成较理想的透明隔热复合膜. 关键词：     

Selective patterning and scribing of Ti thin film on glass substrate by 532 nm picosecond laser

In this paper, the feasibility of Ti film coated on glass substrate scribed via a 532 nm picosecond laser is investigated. Laser irradiations from the film side and from the transparent substrate side are performed for comparison. Optical microscopy, SEM, surface stylus and contact resistance measurement reveal that the Ti film can be completely removed with no damage to the glass substrate, using optimized process parameters. The complete removal threshold for the film for front-side scribing is found at 120 mJ/cm², while the minimum laser fluence for complete scribing is 70 mJ/cm² in the case of back-side scribing. The lines scribed from the front side exhibit obvious thermal effects such as heat affected zones, burr and micro cracks. Back-side scribing exhibits non-thermal behavior, which also can increase the process speed for the scribing of a Ti film on glass to 1000 mm/s. This makes the back-side laser scribing of Ti film a promising technique.     

Development of conductive transparent indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films deposited by direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering for photon-STM applications

Highly conductive and transparent indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films, each with a thickness of 100 nm, were deposited on glass and Si(100) by direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering under an argon (Ar) atmosphere using an ITO target composed of 95% indium oxide and 5% tin oxide for photon-STM use. X-ray diffraction, STM observations, resistivity and transmission measurements were carried out to study the formation of the films at substrate temperatures between 40 and 400 °C and the effects of thermal annealing in air between 200 and 400 °C for between1 and 5 h. The film properties were highly dependent on deposition conditions and on post-deposition film treatment. The films deposited under an Ar atmosphere pressure of ∼1.7×10^-3 Torr by DC power sputtering (100 W) at substrate temperatures between 40 and 400 °C exhibited resistivities in the range 3.0–5.7×10^-5 Ω m and transmissions in the range 71–79%. After deposition and annealing in air at 300 °C for 1 h, the films showed resistivities in the range 2.9–4.0×10^-5 Ω m and transmissions in the range 78–81%. Resistivity and transmission measurements showed that in order to improve conductive and transparent properties, 2 h annealing in air at 300 °C was necessary. X-ray diffraction data supported the experimental measurements of resistivity and transmission on the studies of annealing time. The surface roughness and film uniformity improve with increasing substrate temperature. STM observations found the ITO films deposited at a substrate temperature of 325 °C, and up to 400 °C, had domains with crystalline structures. After deposition and annealing in air at 300 °C for 1 h the films still exhibited similar domains. However, after deposition at substrate temperatures from 40 °C to 300 °C, and annealing in air at 300 °C for 1 h, the films were shown to be amorphous. More importantly, the STM studies found that the ITO film surfaces were most likely to break after deposition at a substrate temperature of 325 °C and annealing in air at 300 °C for 2 or 3 h. Such findings give some inspiration to us in interpreting the effects of annealing on the improvement of conductive and transparent properties and on the transition of phases. In addition, correlations between the conductive/transparent properties and the phase transition, the annealing time and the phase transition, and the conductive/transparent properties and the annealing time have been investigated. Received: 10 July 2000 / Accepted: 27 October 2000 / Published online: 9 February 2001     

Metal-based transparent heat mirror for ultraviolet curing applications

Metal-based transparent heat mirror for ultraviolet curing applications was designed in terms of induced transmission principle, good ultraviolet transparency and high infrared ray (IR) reflection properties can be obtained by the means of optimal layers design. After a comprehensive analysis to materials properties, TiO₂/Ag/TiO₂ nano-multilayers with a Ultraviolet (UV) transmission of 81% (at 365 nm) and an IR reflectivity of 90% (at 1600 nm) were designed and prepared by conventional evaporation. The multilayers exhibit a sharp interface between dielectric and metal layers by spectroscopic ellipsometry analysis. The experiment results prove that critical thickness of metal layer determined in light of admittance match and skin effect has no applicable meaning in long-wavelength UV region. Dependence of transmittance in near UV spectra on the thickness of metal layer is less sensitive than that in near IR. This transparent heat mirror can be applied in the “windows” of ultraviolet curing system for heat insulation.     

Plasma-aided hydrogenation and Al-doping: Increasing the conductivity and optical transparency of ZnO transparent conducting oxide

Plasma-assisted magnetron sputtering with varying ambient conditions has been utilised to deposit Al-doped ZnO (AZO) transparent conductive thin films directly onto a glass substrate at a low substrate temperature of 400 °C. The effects of hydrogen addition on electrical, optical and structural properties of the deposited AZO films have been investigated using X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Hall effect measurements and UV-vis optical transmission spectroscopy. The results indicate that hydrogen addition has a remarkable effect on the film transparency and conductivity with the greatest effects observed with a hydrogen flux of approximately 3 sccm. It has been demonstrated that the conductivity and the average transmittance in the visible range can increase simultaneously contrary to the effects observed by other authors. In addition, hydrogen incorporation further leads to the absorption edge shifting to a shorter wavelength due to the Burstein-Moss effect. These results are of particular relevance to the development of the next generation of optoelectronic and photovoltaic devices based on highly transparent conducting oxides with controllable electronic and optical properties.     

Temperature effects in the photolytic LCVD of platinum

The photolytic laser chemical vapor deposition (LCVD) rate of platinum from its bishexafluoroacetylacetonate precurser has been measured in situ and in real time. Optical transmission of the 350 nm photolysis light through the deposited platinum film and a transparent glass substrate is monitored and analysed in detail. From these measurements, as well as measurements of the reflected light, the fraction of the laser beam power absorbed in the metal film is found. The latter allows a simple estimate of the laser-induced temperature rise at the metal surface. It is shown that even rather small temperature increases of the order of several tens of degrees centigrade can completely change the photolysis mechanism and hence drastically influence the photolytic LCVD rate. A simple modification of Lax's model, in which a temperature dependent thermal conductivity of the substrate is introduced, is used to describe the laser-induced heating of a strongly absorbing thin metal film on a glass substrate.     

A transparent electromagnetic-shielding film based on one-dimensional metal–dielectric periodic structures

In this study, we designed and fabricated optical materials consisting of alternating ITO and Ag layers. This approach is considered to be a promising way to obtain a light-weight, ultrathin and transparent shielding medium, which not only transmits visible light but also inhibits the transmission of microwaves, despite the fact that the total thickness of the Ag film is much larger than the skin depth in the visible range and less than that in the microwave region. Theoretical results suggest that a high dielectric/metal thickness ratio can enhance the broadband and improve the transmittance in the optical range. Accordingly, the central wavelength was found to be red-shifted with increasing dielectric/metal thickness ratio. A physical mechanism behind the controlling transmission of visible light is also proposed. Meanwhile, the electromagnetic shielding effectiveness of the prepared structures was found to exceed 40 dB in the range from 0.1 GHz to 18 GHz, even reaching up to 70 dB at 0.1 GHz, which is far higher than that of a single ITO film of the same thickness.     

Synthesis and characterization of electro-crystallized Cd-Sn-Se semiconductor films for application in non-aqueous photoelectrochemical solar cells

In the present investigation, thin films of CdSnSe have been developed on transparent conducting oxide (TCO) coated glasses by electrolytic deposition. The controlled incorporation of Sn in the semiconducting layer have been achieved by varying the concentration of Sn²⁺ from 5 to 22 g/l of SnCl₂ in the deposition bath. The semiconductor film grown on the glass substrate consisted of n-type CdSnSe semiconductor compounds (alloyed and/or mixed type) in the form of highly dispersed, spherically shaped polycrystallites as detected from X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Their optoelectronic properties were determined by spectroscopic analysis and electrochemical measurements. The performance characteristics of a photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell fabricated with the prepared photo-electrode and ferrocene-ferricenium redox couple in dimethyl formamide were observed under dark and illuminated conditions. The prepared semiconductor films were electrochemically characterized through capacitance-voltage measurements. The film that was obtained from 10 g/l of Sn²⁺ in the bath, showed an optimum spectral sensitivity and corresponded to a film thickness of 0.65 μm and stoichiometry of Cd:Sn:Se as 1:1:1. The pronounced PEC activity of this film compared to the others was attributed to the combined effect of space charge properties, electron-hole recombination processes and transfer of charges through the Helmholtz layer at the semiconductor-solution interface.     

Metal thin film ablation with femtosecond pulsed laser

Micromachining thin metal films coated on glass are widely used to repair semiconductor masks and to fabricate optoelectrical and MEMS devices. The interaction of lasers and materials must be understood in order to achieve efficient micromachining. This work investigates the morphology of thin metal films after machining with femtosecond laser ablation using about 1 μm diameter laser beam. The effect of the film thickness on the results is analyzed by comparing experimental images with data obtained using a two-temperature heat transfer model. The experiment was conducted using a high numerical aperture objective lens and a temporal pulse width of 220 fs on 200- and 500-nm-thick chromium films. The resulting surface morphology after machining was due to the thermal incubation effect, low thermal diffusivity of the glass substrate, and thermodynamic flow of the metal induced by volumetric evaporation. A Fraunhofer diffraction pattern was found in the 500-nm-thick film, and a ripple parallel to the direction of the laser light was observed after a few multiple laser shots. These results are useful for applications requiring micro- or nano-sized machining.     

Electrical responses and dielectric relaxations in giant permittivity NaCu3Ti3TaO12 ceramics

Conductive and highly transparent indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films were prepared on photosensitive glass substrates by the combination of sol–gel and spin-coating techniques. First, the substrates were coated with amorphous Sn-doped indium hydroxide, and these amorphous films were then calcined at 550^∘C to produce crystalline and electrically conductive ITO layers. The resulting thin films were characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry. The measurements revealed that the ITO films were composed of spherical crystallites around 20 nm in size with mainly cubic crystal structure. The ITO films acted as antireflection coatings increasing the transparency of the coated substrates compared to that of the bare supports. The developed ITO films with a thickness of ∼170–330 nm were highly transparent in the visible spectrum with sheet resistances of 4.0–13.7 kΩ/sq. By coating photosensitive glass with ITO films, our results open up new perspectives in micro- and nano-technology, for example in fabricating conductive and highly transparent 3D microreactors.     

How to increase S/N ratio by 10:1 in FIR transmission spectroscopy of high extinction index materials

To obtain transmission spectra of materials with a high index of extinction is very difficult in the far IR for metals, superconductors, some ferroelectrics, etc. because films as thin as 300 Å are often transmitting less than 1%. It is shown that sticking the film onto a transparent plate and looking at the interference fringes can multiply transmission by a factor of 10 or more.     

All-in-one-type organic light-emitting diodes for color tuning using phosphor in glasses with Pb-free silicate powders

We demonstrate all-in-one-type organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) that are fabricated using a color converting plate as a substrate. The color converting plate is Pb-free phosphor-in-glass (PiG), which is prepared by mixing Y₃Al₅O₁₂:Ce³⁺ (YAG:Ce³⁺) and SiO₂–B₂O₃–RO (R = Ba, Zn) glass frit by sintering at 750 °C for 30 min. The maximum luminance, luminance efficiency, and power efficiency of blue OLEDs fabricated on commercial glass are measured as 10500 cd/m², 10.18 cd/A, and 2.95 lm/W, respectively. The Commission Internationale de l'Eclairge (CIE) coordinates of blue OLEDs is (0.167, 0.325). Our obtained results show that the luminance value decreased as the PiG thickness increased, and the glass to phosphor (GTP) ratio decreased. The OLED devices fabricated on the PiG substrate (GTP ratio = 9:1, thickness: 150 μm) showed a maximum luminance, luminance efficiency, and power efficiency of 7600 cd/m², 8.76 cd/A, and 2.85 lm/W, respectively. The CIE color coordinates changed to (0.286, 0.504) at 200 mA/cm². These results proved that color coordination can be easily adjusted by varying the GTP ratio and the thickness of the PiG.     

Investigation of ultra-thin and flexible Au–Ag–Au transparent conducting electrode

The performance of ultra-thin Au–Ag–Au tri-layer film deposited thermally over a flexible substrate is investigated using structural, optical, mechanical and electrical-transport measurements. The optimum total thickness of the tri-layer for high transparency and conductivity is determined to be around 8 nm using a theoretical model. The Au–Ag–Au tri-layer shows maximum transmittance (≅ 62%) at wavelength 500 nm. XRD pattern shows peak corresponding to (111) plane of Au and/or Ag. Sheet resistance (≅ 10.42 Ω/□) measured at 300 K using four probe technique is stable up to 150 °C. Hall effect measurements show high conductivity (1.34 × 10⁵ (Ω cm)⁻¹), carrier concentration (2.48 × 10²³/cm³), and mobility (3.4 cm²/Vs). Scotch tape test confirms good adhesion of the film onto PET substrate. Bending-twisting tests using an indigenous apparatus indicate high resistance-stability even after 50,000 cycles. These results imply the viability of Au–Ag–Au tri-layer film as a transparent conducting electrode worth exploring for optoelectronic applications.     

Characteristics of ZnO:In thin films prepared by RF magnetron sputtering

In-doped ZnO (ZnO:In) transparent conductive thin films were deposited on glass substrates by RF magnetron sputtering. The effect of substrate temperature on the structural, electrical and optical properties of the ZnO:In thin films was investigated. It was found that higher temperature improves the crystallinity of the films and promotes In substitution easily. ZnO:In thin films with the best crystal quality were fabricated at 300 °C, which exhibit a larger grain size of 29 nm and small tensile strain of 0.9%. The transmittance of all the films was revealed to be over 85% in the visible range independence of the substrate temperatures and the lowest resistivity of ZnO:In thin films is 2.4×10⁻³ Ω cm.     

Transparent and UV-Reflective Photonic Films and Supraballs Composed of Hollow Silica Nanospheres

For an optically transparent, UV-reflective film, hollow silica nanospheres smaller than the visible wavelength (<λ_vis) are prepared and assembled into colloidal glasses, of which interstices are then backfilled with a polymer. The polymer refractive index is matched with the silica shell to minimize backscattering in the visible range, and the average distance between the hollow silica particles is adjusted by tuning the shell thickness to satisfy the interference resonance condition for a UV selective reflection. The resulting composite film shows a strong UV reflection as expected, but it is translucent in visible light due to non-negligible backscattering, which may be caused by large defects or fluctuation of the particle concentration. In order to avoid such backscattering, another polymer is introduced of which the refractive index is matched with the average refractive index of the hollow nanospheres. This allows an optically transparent film that selectively reflects the UV light. Furthermore, spherical aggregates of hollow silica nanospheres called “supraballs” are prepared and their average refractive index is matched with a solvent by adjusting the mixture ratio of water and ethylene glycol, which yields an optically transparent solution, selectively reflecting UV.     

Analysis on effect of low dielectric permittivity on indium-doped tin oxide based optically transparent terahertz patch antenna

Indium-doped tin oxide based optically transparent rectangular patch antennas are designed to resonate at 750 GHz; one on the glass substrate and the other on the polyimide substrate. Characteristics of both the transparent antennas such as impedance bandwidth, radiation efficiency, directivity and gain are analyzed and compared. Polyimide substrate has a lower dielectric permittivity than the glass substrate. The effect of low dielectric permittivity substrate on the radiation characteristics of the terahertz transparent patch antenna is analyzed. The transparent antenna on polyimide substrate is shown to have gain greater than 3.97dB in 714–795 GHz. The proposed transparent antennas are designed and simulated by using finite element method based electromagnetic solver, Ansys–HFSS.