Control of polarity of heteroepitaxial ZnO films by interface engineering

Control of polarity of heteroepitaxial ZnO films has been examined by interface engineering. ZnO films were grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy on Ga-polar GaN template and c-plane sapphire substrates. Polarity of all the samples is determined by coaxial impact collision ion scattering spectroscopy. Zn- and O-polar ZnO films have successfully grown by Zn- and O-plasma pre-exposures on Ga-polar GaN templates prior to ZnO growth. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy revealed formation of a single-crystalline monoclinic Ga₂O₃ interface layer by O-plasma pre-exposure on Ga-polar GaN templates, while no interface layer was observed for Zn pre-exposed ZnO films. The polarity of ZnO films grown under oxygen ambient on c-plane sapphire with MgO buffer is revealed as O-polar. Fabrication of polarity inverted ZnO heterostructure has been studied: polarity of ZnO films on Ga-polar GaN templates was changed from Zn-polar to O-polar by inserting a MgO layer. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy revealed atomically flat interfaces at both lower and upper ZnO/MgO interfaces and no inversion domain boundaries were detected in the upper ZnO layer.     

Reactivity of ZnO: Impact of polarity and nanostructure

The effects of atomic hydrogen and nitrogen produced by remote r.f. H₂ and N₂ plasmas on the structure, morphology, and optical and electrical properties of Zn- and O-polar ZnO crystals and on ZnO thin films grown by metal–organic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD) have been studied. It is found that the Zn-polar form is highly reactive with atomic hydrogen, while the O-polar form is almost inert. This difference in reactivity allows one to discern the O-polarity of the (0001) oriented ZnO thin films grown by MOCVD. A decrease of the resistivity of the grain-like MOCVD films is found upon atomic hydrogen treatment. Conversely, atomic nitrogen treatment results in p-type doping of the ZnO film and in an improvement of the surface morphology and microstructure.     

Effect of Si doping on optical and thermal properties of MOVPE GaN thin layers

Photothermal deflection spectroscopy is used to investigate thermal and optical properties of MOVPE grown GaN thin layers deposited on sapphire substrate. The effects of Si doping on absorption spectrum and gap energy are revealed. Also, doping-induced free carrier absorption is extracted from absorption in the sub-gap region. Moreover, the variations of photothermal signal versus modulation frequency are used to determine thermal properties of these films. The measured thermal conductivity is clearly decreased by Si doping, the main reason should be the phonon scattering on point defects.     

Influence of thickness and crystalline structure on thermal and optical properties of ZnO thin films

Measurements of the temperature dependence of refractive index of ZnO thin films and thermal diffusivity using photothermal deflection technique are presented. Thin film thickness and surface homogeneity were found to be the effective parameters on optical and thermal properties of the thin films. High refractive index gradient with temperature was found for films of a nonuniform distribution and gathered in clusters, and a high predicted value for thermal diffusivity. Optical properties of the thin films revealed that films with disorder in the deposition and gathered clusters showed poor transmittance in visible region with a pronounced peak in the near IR, and also a reduction in the band gap. A detailed parametric analysis using analytical solution of one-dimensional heat equation had been performed. A discontinuity in the temperature elevation at the ZnO-glass interface was found.     

Nitrogen oxides and ammonia sensing characteristics of SILAR deposited ZnO thin film

Pure and Sn, Ni doped ZnO thin films were deposited on glass substrates using a novel successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method at room temperature. Microstructures of the deposited films were optimized by adjusting growth parameters. The variation in resistivity of the ZnO film sensors was performed with rapid photothermal processing (RPP). The effect of rapid photothermal processing was found to have an important role in ZnO based sensor sensitivity to NO₂, NH₃. While the undoped ZnO film surface exhibited higher NH₃ sensitivity than that of NO₂, an enhanced NO₂ sensitivity was noticed for the ZnO films doped with Sn and higher NH₃ sensitivity was obtained by Ni doping.     

Effect of substrates on the properties of p-type ZnO films

Influence of substrates on the properties of p-type ZnO films, which were fabricated by N–Al co-doping technique, was studied. Hall measurement results indicated that ZnO films deposited on common glass substrate were p-type conductivity when Zn:N:Al atomic ratio amounts to 1:3:0.1. However, ZnO films deposited on corning 7059 glass substrate showed n-type conductivity. Secondary ion mass spectroscopy demonstrated that Na content incorporated into ZnO films deposited on common glass substrate was more evident than that of corning 7059 glass. In addition, Hall mobility and conductivity of p-type ZnO thin films deposited on silicon substrate were improved largely.     

激光光热偏转成象法无损检测光学薄膜的激光损伤

介绍了应用激光光热偏转成象法无损检测光学薄膜激光损伤的基本原理，由此建立了实验检测装置，对光学薄膜表面的激光损伤进行了扫描检测，并以直观的灰度象显示. 实验结果证明了激光光热偏转成象法检测光学薄膜激光损伤具有直观、有效、可确定损伤阈值的优点.     

Investigation of the thermal conductivity of diamond film on aluminum nitride ceramic

Diamond films were successfully synthesized on aluminum nitride(AlN) ceramic substrates by hot-filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) method. The thermal conductivity of the diamond film/aluminum nitride ceramic (DF/AlN) composites was studied by photothermal deflection (PTD) technique. It has reached 2.04 W/cm K, 73% greater than that of AlN ceramic. Compared with the measurement of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Raman spectroscopy, the influence of diamond films on the thermal conductivity of the composites was pointed out. The adhesion and the stresses were also studied. The unusual stability and very good adhesion of the diamond film on AlN ceramic substrate obtained is attributed to the formation of aluminum carbide. Received: 24 March 1998 / Accepted: 8 March 1999 / Published online: 5 May 1999     

在不同衬底上制备的ZnO薄膜透射率的研究

采用反应磁控溅射在不同结构衬底上生长ZnO薄膜,通过X-ray衍射(XRD)及透射光谱来分析薄膜的成膜情况,并得出在Al₂O₃/AlN复合基上溅射沉积的ZnO薄膜比单独在AlN薄膜衬底的结晶质量好且透过率也较高。而经不同的快速热退火温度验证,发现在400 ℃时,ZnO薄膜的结晶化及在(002)方向上的择优取向达到最好,并在可见光范围内的平均透过率达到88%以上。当退火温度超过450 ℃时,温度过高改变了ZnO薄膜的内部结构,使其氧原子和锌原子发生了较大距离的位移,导致薄膜内部缺陷的增多,从而存在过多的晶界,增加了其薄膜的散射机制,使光的透过性变差,退火温度为500 ℃时,薄膜的平均透过率为80%。     

Growth of InN thin films on ZnO substrate by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy

We have studied the microstructure property of InN epitaxial films grown on ZnO substrate by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. We found that the In₂O₃ compound was produced on ZnO substrate and many pits were formed on the InN films when InN was directly grown on ZnO substrate with the N/In flux ratio less than 40. We demonstrated that the quality of InN film was significantly improved when the In₂O₃ layer was used as a buffer to prevent the reaction between In and the ZnO substrate.     

ZnO hedgehog-like structures for control cell cultivation

Growth of biocompatible zinc oxide hedgehog-like structures on glass substrates using hydrothermal method at low temperature is demonstrated. The as-grown samples are characterized by scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The optical absorption of the as-grown ZnO microstructures measured with photothermal deflection spectroscopy showed very low optical absorption and strong scattering making ZnO microrods an ideal diffuser in the visible and near IR regions. In addition, the effect of ZnO microstructures on the cultivation of osteosarcoma cells (SAOS-2) is presented. During the 48 h cultivation period, no toxic effect of ZnO as a chemical agent on SAOS-2 cells was observed.     

Effects of crystalline quality on the ultraviolet emission and electrical properties of the ZnO films deposited by magnetron sputtering

The ZnO films were deposited on c-plane sapphire, Si (0 0 1) and MgAl₂O₄ (1 1 1) substrates in pure Ar ambient at different substrate temperatures ranging from 400 to 750 °C by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence and Hall measurements were used to evaluate the growth temperature and the substrate effects on the properties of ZnO films. The results show that the crystalline quality of the ZnO films improves with increasing the temperature up to 600 °C, the crystallinity of the films is degraded as the growth temperature increasing further, and the ZnO film with the best crystalline quality is obtained on sapphire at 600 °C. The intensity of the photoluminescence and the electrical properties strongly depend on the crystalline quality of the ZnO films. The ZnO films with the better crystallinity have the stronger ultraviolet emission, the higher mobility and the lower residual carrier concentration. The effects of crystallinity on light emission and electrical properties, and the possible origin of the n-type conductivity of the undoped ZnO films are also discussed.     

The influence of substrate and annealing temperatures on electrical properties of p-type ZnO films

In this study, p-type ZnO films with excellent electrical properties were prepared by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP) combining with a N-Al codoping technique. The influence of the substrate temperature and annealing temperature on electrical properties of ZnO films was investigated. The growth and doping process of ZnO films was explored by thermogravimetry, differential scanning calorimetry and mass spectrum (TG-DSC-MS) measurements. It is suggested that the variation of electrical properties of ZnO films with the substrate temperature and annealing temperature results from the removal of H element out of the films.     

光学薄膜热膨胀系数的研究

光热位移偏转技术结合横向光热偏转技术可用于研究薄膜样品的热膨胀系数.本文以SiO_2、TiO_2、ZrO_2、MgF_2、ThF4等单层光学薄膜为例.报道相关的实验方法及实验结果.     

Solid-state reaction synthesis of boron carbonitride nanotubes

ZnO films were deposited by RF magnetron sputtering at the substrate temperature of 120∼420°C. XRD measurements revealed the improvement of crystalline quality and grain size of the films with substrate temperature. The dielectric function of the films was determined by fitting the experimental transmission spectra with Tauc–Lorentz (TL) model and a single Lorentzian oscillator (SLO) dispersion function in the energy range of 1∼5 eV. The optical properties of the ZnO films strongly depended on the substrate temperature. The optical band gap and the Penn gap of the ZnO films increased with the substrate temperature. The band gap of the ZnO films indicated a direct interband transition between the valence and conduction band, and the change of the in-plane film stress promoted the enhancement of the band gap. These results of the optical properties of the ZnO films might be very meaningful to the application in the window design in solar cells.     

ZnO外延膜与蓝宝石衬底的取向偏差及其弯曲变形

采用常压MOCVD方法在Al2O3(00．1)衬底上生长出了高质量ZnO单晶薄膜。由ZnO(00．2)面和Al2O3(00．6)面及ZnO(10．2)面和Al2O3(11．6)面X射线双晶(w／2θ衍射曲线的相对峰位,得到ZnO外延膜的晶格常数及外延层和衬底间的取向差异角。结果表明外延层和衬底在应力作用下产生了取向差和晶格畸变,并且取向倾斜方向与衬底的切割倾角方向一致;高温直接生长的样品的取向差比有低温缓冲层样品更大,晶格畸变也更严重。高温直接生长的样品弯曲半径小而应力更大;实验测量的应力值和理论计算的热应力值之间存在差异,原因主要是晶格失配应力的存在。有缓冲层的样品由于能更好地弛豫晶格失配引入的应力,热应力所占整个残余应力的比例相对更大。     

ZnO thin film with nanorod arrays applied to fluid sensor

A ZnO guiding layer with nanorod arrays grown on a 90°-rotated ST-cut (42°45) quartz substrate was used to fabricate a Love wave fluid sensor. ZnO nanorod arrays synthesized on the guiding layer enhance the sensitivity of the flow rate. ZnO thin films were deposited by radio frequency magnetron sputtering and ZnO nanorod arrays were then synthesized on the thin films via the hydrothermal method. The crystalline structure and surface morphology of ZnO thin films and nanorod arrays were examined by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The effects of the thickness of ZnO thin film and the surface morphology of ZnO nanorod arrays on the sensitivity of flow rate were investigated. A linear response between flow rate and the return loss of the sensor with one-port resonator type can be obtained by adjusting the thickness of ZnO thin film and the length of nanorod arrays.     

Study of luminescent defects in hafnia thin films made with different deposition techniques

Hafnia thin films for high-power optical coatings have been characterized by photoluminescence pumped by 4.66 eV photons and photothermal deflection measurements. These data are compared to the statistical laser damage behavior in order to find correlations between destructive and non-destructive characterizations. Thin films have been produced at two thicknesses and using different thin-film deposition techniques typically employed for optical coating fabrication: EBD (HfO₂ target), EBD (Hf target), RLVIP and DIBS. The photoluminescence spectra show significant differences depending on the deposition techniques and thicknesses. EBD films show significant luminescence but the luminescence of ion-assisted films could not be distinguished from the uncoated substrate. All EBD coating spectra could be described by a linear combination of four bands. Further, XRD measurements show that the 255-nm-thick films had a relatively high crystallinity: EBD films contained the monoclinic phase and the ion-assisted films contained oriented nanocrystals of orthorhombic hafnia. The presence of orthorhombic phases indicates high compressive strain quenching the photoluminescence of these samples.     

高导热金刚石薄膜的研究

分析了影响金刚石膜热导率的主要因素，指出声子的散射是造成金刚石膜热导率降低的主要原因．采用光热偏转法实现了金刚石薄膜热导率的测试，测量误差小于5%，从减少杂质和晶界对导热声子的散射入手，研究了在不同的制备方法下碳源气体和金刚石膜内晶粒取向对其热导率的影响．结果表明在低碳源气体浓度下采用微波等离子体化学汽相沉积方法制备的具有较高程度（400）晶粒取向的金刚石薄膜具有高的热导率性质．优化的工艺条件制备出热导率为15.2W/（K·cm）左右的金刚石膜． 关键词：