Single-layer and multilayered films for perpendicular recording based on a Co-Cr alloy

Results of materials research into the dependence of the magnetic properties of Co-Cr recording media on the structural properties are discussed in relation with results from recording experiments. The magnetic properties depend strongly on the preparation conditions. An increase in substrate temperature results in an increase of the coercivity, but also gives rise to inhomogeneities of the Co-Cr film in the growth direction and to lateral inhomogeneities due to Cr segregation. The inhomogeneities in the growth direction are suppressed by the application of a non-magnetic, amorphous Ge layer between the substrate and the Co-Cr layer, resulting in a magnetic layer with a large perpendicular anisotropy. From the slope of the hysteresis loops we obtain, using a model proposed by Kooy and Enz, an estimate for the mean size of the stripe domains, which is found to increase with increasing layer thickness and decrease with increasing substrate temperature. The change in the size of the stripe domains is consistent with the trends calculated from noise spectra obtained in recording experiments. Multilayers of thin Co-Cr layers alternated with non-magnetic Ge layers are also discussed.     

Account for the wedgeness and inhomogeneity of thin layers in the inverse problem of spectrophotometry on reflection

General formulas for reflectance of a weakly or moderately absorbing tapered layer and a layer with a linear dependence of the complex dielectric constant on the thickness, which are located on an absorbing substrate, are derived. Based on these formulas, a method for determining the optical constants, their dispersion, and the layer thickness from the envelopes of the extrema in the interference reflection spectrum is constructed, which generalizes the method proposed previously for homogeneous absorbing films.     

Spectral interference in a carbide-silicon n −-n + structure

The spectral interference in carbide-silicon structure in which the epitaxial layer and substrate differ only by the imaginary part of the refractive index is demonstrated. The thickness of the layer that is determined from the period of interference is verified using the direct measurements of the layer thickness with the aid of raster electron microscopy. The spectral dependence of the real part of refractive index of silicon carbide is extended to wavelength interval 1.5–7 μm.     

Hexagonal (wurtzite) GaN inclusions as a defect in cubic (zinc-blende) GaN

The dependence of the hexagonal fraction with thickness in MBE-grown bulk cubic (c-) GaN epilayer is presented in this paper. A number of c-GaN epilayers with different thicknesses were characterized via PL and XRD measurements. From the PL spectra, the signal due to h-GaN inclusions increases as the thickness of the c-GaN increases. On the contrary, in the XRD diffractogram, c-GaN shows a dominant signal at all thicknesses, and only a weak peak at ∼35° is observed in the diffractogram, implying the existence of a small amount of h-GaN in the c-GaN layer. The best quality of c-GaN is observed in the first 10 μm of GaN on the top of GaAs substrate. Even though the hexagonal content increases with the thickness, the average content remains below 20% in c-GaN layers up to 50 μm thick. The surface morphology of thick c-GaN is also presented.     

Enhanced dielectric constant resolution of thin insulating films by electrostatic force microscopy

Electrostatic force microscopy has been shown to be a useful tool to determine the dielectric constant of insulating films of nanometer thicknesses that play a key role in many electrical, optical and biological phenomena. Previous approaches have made use of simple analytical formulas to analyze the experimental data for thin insulating films deposited directly on a metallic substrate. Here we show that the sensitivity of the EFM signal to changes in the dielectric constant of the thin film can be enhanced by using dielectric substrates with low dielectric constants. We present detailed numerical calculations of the tip-sample electrostatic interaction in the following setup: an insulating thin film, a dielectric substrate (or spacing layer) of known low dielectric constant and a metallic electrode. The EFM sensitivity to the dielectric constant increases with the thickness of the spacing layer and saturates for thicknesses above 100-300 nm, when it is close to that of an infinite medium.     

有机半导体薄膜生长原位实时测量方法的研究

针对原位实时监测有机半导体薄膜生长情况的需求, 提出了差分反射光谱法与场效应晶体管法结合的光电联合测量方法, 设计研制了测量系统. 以并五苯有机分子为例, 通过自制底栅底接触式场效应管微结构, 实验测试了热蒸发法生长导电膜层过程中光电信号的演变与相互关联. 光谱信号显示, 并五苯以薄膜态结构进行生长, 光谱随生长进程变化显著. 实验数据与四相结构模型仿真结果的良好吻合, 表明因薄膜增厚引起干涉条件的改变是光谱变化的主因, 由此推算出薄膜生长速率为0.23 nm/min. 当薄膜等效厚度达到28 nm时, 场效应管的导电性显著增强, 标志着并五苯有效传输层的形成. 此后, 薄膜厚度持续增加, 但测试电流增长缓慢, 说明该结构进入电学特性饱和区. 光电联合法不仅有助于研究有机半导体薄膜的光谱信息、电学特性和薄膜结构之间的相互对应关系, 也为发展原位监测有机半导体薄膜制备过程, 探索最佳工艺提供了新的研究手段.     

吸收层特性和异质结界面电荷对12.5 μm长波HgCdTe光伏探测器响应率的影响研究

研究了12.5 μm长波HgCdTe探测器的吸收层厚度和异质结界面电荷对器件光响应率的影响.分析了吸收层厚度与吸收长度、扩散长度之间的联系,获得了设计最佳吸收层厚度的经验公式.研究结果显示入射光波长超过截止波长时,响应率随吸收层厚度增加单调增加,并逐渐饱和.响应率峰值对应的波长随吸收层厚度增加,有向长波偏移的趋势.最佳吸收层厚度值随少子寿命或入射光波长的增大而增大.同时,研究了衬底、钝化层与HgCdTe材料之间异质界面电荷对光响应率的影响,发现正的界面电荷在衬底异质结界面处形成诱导pn结,对响应率影响显著 关键词： 长波HgCdTe器件 光伏型红外探测器 光响应率 少子寿命     

Femtosecond laser application for high capacity optical data storage

A femtosecond (fs) laser application for multi-layer optical recording is investigated. Information patterns at different layer depths were written inside a transparent glass substrate due to micro-void formation by fs laser ablation, which causes re-distribution in glass materials and a refractive index modification. The information bits recorded in a single layer can be retrieved clearly without interference from the neighboring layers. A fs laser irradiation of a transparent polymer matrix (doped with fluorescent materials for use as low-cost recording media) is also studied. A fs laser induced photo-chemical reaction changes the chemical properties of the fluorescent materials and records information bits inside the matrix. With an ultra-fast laser as a new light source, 3D optical recording can be available for high capacity data storage up to 1 TB per disc. PACS 82.50.-m; 42.65. Re; 72.70.Jk.     

Enhanced Coupling of Light from Organic Electroluminescent Device Using Diffusive Particle Dispersed High Refractive Index Resin Substrate

To improve light extraction from organic electroluminescent (EL) devices, we introduced a diffusive substrate with 25 μm thickness consisting of high refractive index resin and scattering particles. It is expected that the diffusive substrate with high refractive index matrix converts the waveguided emission into external emission from both glass substrate and indium-tin-oxide/organic layer. We used the ray tracing method to optimize the scattering effect and to verify the coupling out effect of the diffusive high refractive index substrate. With the use of the ray tracing calculation, an increase in the external emission up to a factor of 2.7 was expected compared to use of a common glass substrate. Experimentally, the coupling out effect of the diffusive high refractive index substrate strongly depended on the thickness of electron transporting layer (ETL) due to the well-known interference effect. The current efficiency increased by a factor of 1.3 for an organic EL device with a 60-nm-thick ETL and by a factor of 6.8 for one with a 120-nm-thick ETL.     

Thermocapillary deformation of a water layer at local heating

A horizontal water layer of 0.29-0.44 mm thickness, locally heated from the substrate, is investigated. The value of thermocapillary deformation occurring at local heating is measured by an inverted laser scanning confocal microscope Zeiss LSM 510 Meta. The heater in the form of strip of 0.5-mm width, 40-mm length, and 0.5-mm height made of indium oxide is sputtered on a sapphire substrate. The water temperature from the side of the substrate is measured using the infrared scanner Titanium 570M. We studied in detail the effect of the initial layer thickness and heating power on the value of thermocapillary deformation and temperature field. It is shown that deformation increases with an increase in thermal capacity and decrease in the layer thickness. Results of numerical simulation are in good qualitative agreement with the measurement results.     

Improved contrast polymer light-emitting diode with optical interference layers

An improved contrast polymer light diode based on the destructive optical interference layers deposited between the glass substrate and ITO anode is fabricated. It is unnecessary to be considered that the additional optical interference structure will impede carrier injection from the electrode to the carrier-transporting layer. Due to the quarter-wavelength thickness of medial ITO layer, the reflected light from first Cr layer is inverted 180° out of phase with the reflected light from second Cr layer, resulting in the destructive interference. It is evident that the contrast ratio of the device with the optical interference structure is about three times higher than that of the conventional device.     

Processing an acoustic microscope’s spatiotemporal signal to determine the parameters of an isotropic layer

This paper presents a method for measuring the thickness and velocities of body waves and the density of an isotropic layer by a pulse scanning acoustic microscope. The method is based on recording the microscope signal as a function of the displacement magnitude of the focused ultrasonic transducer along its axis perpendicular to the sample surface and on the decomposition of the recorded 2D spatiotemporal signal into the spectrum of plane pulse waves. The velocities of the longitudinal and transverse waves and the layer’s thickness are calculated from the relative delays of the components of the spectrum of plane waves reflected from the surfaces of the layer and the density is computed by the amplitudes of these components. An experimental investigation of a test sample in the form of a glass plate carried out in the 50-MHz range shows that the error in measuring the thickness and velocities of body waves does not exceed 1% and the density measurement error does not exceed 10%.     

Magnetic and Microstructure of Triple C/Co73Cr22Tas/Ti for Perpendicular Media

The magnetic properties and microstructure of triple C/CoCrTa/Ti perpendicular recording films have been studied. Magnetic measurements show that the optimal thickness of Ti underlayer is 4Ohm and that of CoCrTa is 35 nm. The optimal value of substrate temperature is found to be 400℃. A suitable Ti underlayer causes a magnetic layer to have a near-perfect hcp texture, with Co grains in the （002） preferred orientation. The film with needle-like grains is more suitable for perpendicular recording films.     

Influence of the buffer layer properties on the intensity of Raman scattering of graphene

Using a model of oscillating dipoles, we simulate the intensity of the G‐band in the Raman signal from structures consisting of graphene, separated by an arbitrary buffer layer from a substrate. It is found that a structure with an optimized buffer layer refractive index and thickness exhibits a Raman signal which is nearly 50 times more intense than that from the same structure with a non‐optimized buffer layer. The theoretical simulations are verified by Raman measurements on structures consisting of a layer of graphene on SiO₂ and Al₂O₃ buffer layers. The optical contrast of the single graphene layer is calculated for an arbitrary buffer layer. It was found that both the Raman intensity and optical contrast can be maximized by varying the buffer layer thickness. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Optical properties of a thermocapillary depression

An axisymmetrical thermocapillary depression is induced by a He-Ne laser beam in a plane-parallel layer of a transparent liquid on an absorbing substrate. The focal length of the central part of this depression in the form of a concave mirror is studied as a function of thickness of the benzyl-alcohol layer and beam power. At a laser power of 3.5–16.5 mW, the focal length increases almost linearly with the layer thickness changing from 200 to 1000 μm. In this range of thicknesses, an increase in the beam power leads to a decrease in the focal length following a power law with an exponent close to −0.8. __________ Translated from Optika i Spektroskopiya, Vol. 92, No. 4, 2002, pp. 665–670. Original Russian Text Copyright ? 2002 by Bezuglyĭ, Tarasov.     

Ultrasonic characterization of liquids using resonance antireflection

This paper presents an ultrasonic method for measuring the density of liquids with a solid layer separating a reference fluid and a test fluid. By adjusting the frequency of the exciting signal according to the thickness of the layer, it is possible to generate destructive interference of the waves reflected at the first and at the second boundary of the layer. Thus, the layer appears to vanish for the incident waves. The resulting echo signal depends only on the acoustic impedances of the reference fluid and the test fluid and the density which is of interest can be extracted. Short and long-term drifts of the electronics and the ultrasonic transducer implied are eliminated by using the well-known pulse-echo technique with additional frontwave detection.     

基于GIXRR反射率曲线的二氧化硅纳米薄膜厚度计算

为了快速、准确得到纳米薄膜厚度,采用Kiessig厚度干涉条纹计算薄膜厚度的线性拟合公式,计算了不同系列厚度(10~120 nm)的二氧化硅薄膜。薄膜样品采用热原子层沉积法(T-ALD)制备,薄膜厚度使用掠入射X射线反射(GIXRR)技术表征,基于GIXRR得到的反射率曲线系统讨论了线性拟合公式计算薄膜厚度的步骤及影响因素,同时使用XRR专业处理软件GlobalFit2.0比较了两种方法得到的膜厚,最后提出一种计算薄膜厚度的新方法-经验曲线法。结果表明：峰位级数对线性拟合厚度产生主要影响,峰位级数增加,厚度增大;峰位对应反射角同样对线性拟合厚度有较大影响,表现为干涉条纹周期增大,厚度减小。但峰位级数及其对应反射角在拟合薄膜厚度过程中引入的误差可进一步通过试差法,临界角与干涉条纹周期的校准来减小。对任意厚度的同一样品,线性拟合和软件拟合两种方法得到的薄膜厚度具有一致性,厚度偏差均小于0.1 nm,表明线性拟合方法的准确性。在厚度准确定值的基础上提出薄膜厚度与干涉条纹周期的经验关系曲线,通过该曲线,可直接使用干涉条纹周期计算薄膜厚度,此方法不仅省略了线性拟合过程中确定峰位级数及其对应反射角的繁琐步骤,而且避免了软件拟合过程中复杂模型的建立,对快速、准确获得薄膜厚度信息具有重要的意义。     

Determination of isotropic layer parameters from spatiotemporal signals of an ultrasonic array

The paper discusses a method for measuring the velocities and attenuation of longitudinal and transverse ultrasonic waves and the density and thickness of the isotropic layer with an array placed in an immersion liquid parallel to the sample. The method is based on the recording of the total spatiotemporal signal of the array and its expansion into a spatial spectrum of pulse plane wave response. The ultrasonic velocity and sample thickness depend on the response delay of the plane wave in the layer from the transverse projection of the slowness vector. The density and attenuation are determined from the behavior of the amplitudes of spectral responses. To confirm this method in experiment, the parameters of a polystyrene plate have been measured using a linear 32-element array with a central frequency of 17 MHz.     

Temperature profile of the multilayer structure irradiated by pulsed laser

Two programs are developed to calculate the temperature profile, as well as the reflectance, transmittance and absorption of a given multilayer film structure, in order to better understand the laser energy distribution between the reflectance, transmittance and absorption in each film layer. An inorganic Blu-ray recordable disc (BD-R) structure is used as a practical demonstration of the multilayer structure. The reflectance and absorption of the BD-R structure exhibit opposite trends and oscillate repeatedly with varying lower or upper dielectric layer thickness while the rest of the film thickness remains unchanged. The energy absorption in an absorbed layer depends on the thickness of the dielectric layers, its relative position in the structure and the extinction coefficient of its optical constant. The total absorption ratio of its maximum to minimum can be over 3 when changing the lower dielectric layer thickness of the studied structure. The layer thickness acts as an energy valve to control the energy flow into the multilayer structure. The thermal profile of the multilayer film structure irradiated by a pulsed laser is calculated at different positions in the film layers with time. The calculated temperatures in the recording alloy layer exhibit linear relationship with the applied power level. The effect of the laser duration time on the temperature increase in the recording layer is significant in the first few nanoseconds and becomes saturated if the heat balance is established in the structure. The calculated temperature is consistent with the experimental recording result when the structure is recorded at 4-time BD-R recording speed.     

Enhanced light trapping for the silver nanoparticles embedded in the silica layer atop the silicon substrate

The optical properties of the structures with silver nanoparticles embedded in the silica layer atop the silicon substrate are simulated by the finite-difference time-domain method. The effects of nanoparticle size, period, silica layer thickness, and the angle of incidence of the illuminated light on optical transmissions are studied. It is found that there is the red-shift for the maximum of the total light transmitting into the silicon substrate as the silica layer thickness increases. The electric field intensity distributions and the average power densities for the structure with largest optical transmission is studied, and the strong electric field intensities are found in the silica regions surrounding to the silver nanoparticles, which can help the light energy going into the silicon substrate. By controlling the structure parameters, the optical transmissions of the structures with the silica layer can have higher optical transmissions than the cases without the silica layer. The silica layer plays the role as the graded refractive index layer between the air and the silicon substrate, and the light power from the incident wave can transmit into the silicon substrate with less optical reflections for choosing a suitable silica layer thickness. A guideline to design the structures with high optical transmissions for the solar spectra is given. This study cannot only be useful for the solar cells applications, but also other antireflection applications.