Enhancing the thermal conductivity of polymer-assisted deposited Al2O3 film by nitrogen doping

<正>Polymer-assisted deposition technique has been used to deposit Al₂O₃ and N-doped Al₂O₃（AlON） thin films on Si（100） substrates.The chemical compositions,crystallinity,and thermal conductivity of the as-grown films have been characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy（XPS）,X-ray diffraction（XRD）,and 3-omega method,respectively. Amorphous and polycrystalline Al₂O₃ and AlON thin films have been formed at 700℃and 1000℃.The thermal conductivity results indicated that the effect of nitrogen doping on the thermal conductivity is determined by the competition of the increase of Al-N bonding and the suppression of crystallinity.A 67%enhancement in thermal conductivity has been achieved for the samples grown at 700℃,demonstrating that the nitrogen doping is an effective way to improve the thermal performance of polymer-assisted-deposited Al₂O₃ thin films at a relatively low growth temperature.     

Ferromagnetism,variable range hopping,and the anomalous Hall effect in epitaxial Co：ZnO thin film

A series of high quality single crystalline epitaxial Zn 0.95 Co 0.05 O thin films is prepared by molecular beam epitaxy.Superparamagnetism and ferromagnetism are observed when the donor density is manipulated in a range of 10 18 cm 3-10 20 cm 3 by changing the oxygen partial pressure during film growth.The conduction shows variable range hopping at low temperature and thermal activation conduction at high temperature.The ferromagnetism can be maintained up to room temperature.However,the anomalous Hall effect is observed only at low temperature and disappears above 160 K.This phenomenon can be attributed to the local ferromagnetism and the decreased optimal hopping distance at high temperatures.     

Growth and structural characteristics of metastable β-In_2Se_3 thin films on H-terminated Si(111) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy

Epitaxial growth and structural characteristics of metastable β-In_2Se_3 thin films on H-terminated Si(111) substrates are studied. The In_2Se_3 thin films grown below the β-to-α phase transition temperature(453 K) are characterized to be strained β-In_2Se_3 mixed with significant γ-In_2Se_3 phases. The pure-phased single-crystalline β-In_2Se_3 can be reproducibly achieved by in situ annealing the as-deposited poly-crystalline In_2Se_3 within the phase equilibrium temperature window ofβ-In_2Se_3. It is suggeted that the observed γ-to-β phase transition triggered by quite a low annealing temperature should be a rather lowered phase transition barrier of the epitaxy-stabilized In_2Se_3 thin-film system at a state far from thermodynamic equilibrium.     

Influences of Pressure and Substrate Temperature on Epitaxial Growth of γ-Mg2SiO4 Thin Films on Si Substrates

An epitsucial γ-Mg2SiO4 thin film can be a good buffer between the Si substrate and some oxide thin films. For high temperature superconducting multilayer structures, hopefully it can be taken as an insulating layer to replace the widely used MgO film. To explore such possibilities, we carry out systematic studies on the influences of pressure and substrate temperature on the epitaxy of γ-Mg2SiO4 thin films grown on Si （100） substrates using rf magnetron sputtering with an Mg target of purity of 99.95 percent. With the substrate temperature kept at 500℃ and the pressure changing from lO Pa to 15 Pa, in the XRD spectra the 7-Mg2SiO4 （400） peak grows drastically while the MgO （200） peak is suppressed. Keeping the pressure at 15Pa and increasing the temperature from 500℃ to 570℃ further can improve the film epitaxy, while working at 780℃ and 11Pa seems to give very good results. X-ray photoelectronic spectroscopy and φ scan are used to characterize the stoichiometry, crystallinity, and in-plane growth of the samples.     

Two crucial factors influencing quality of GaAs on Ge substrate

High-quality GaAs films with fine surfaces and GaAs/Ge interfaces on Ge have been achieved via molecular beam epitaxy. The influence of low temperature annealing and low temperature epitaxy on the quality of the film when GaAs is grown on a （100） 6 ° offcut towards [111] Ge substrate are investigated by analyzing and comparing the GaAs films that are fabricated via three different processes. A low temperature annealing process after high temperature annealing and a low temperature epitaxy process after the initial GaAs growth play a vital role in improving the quality of GaAs film on a Ge substrate.     

Spin-glass-like behaviour and positive magnetoresistance in oxygen deficient La2/3Ca1/3MnO3-δ thin films

The magnetism and magnetoresistance (MR) in a series of oxygen-deficient La_{2/3}Ca_{1/3}MnO_{3-δ} (LCMO) thin films have been investigated. Compared with the films with stoichiometric oxygen concentration, the oxygen-deficient LCMO thin films show a spin-glass-like behaviour at low temperatures, and a positive MR effect above the metal－insulator transition temperature. The mechanism of such unusual phenomena is discussed.     

SIMULATION OF FRACTAL GROWTH OF THIN FILMS AT LOW TEMPERATURE

Fractal growth of thin films at low temperature (50－175 K) is simulated by Monte Carlo method. It is shown that the thin film growth is quite different from the diffusion-limited aggregation (DLA) model when the coverage is larger than 0.1 ML. The average branch width of clusters increases with increasing temperature and it usually larger than the branch width (1.9 atom) in the classic DLA model. The average fractal dimension of clusters increases also with increasing coverage while the fractal dimension of DLA model remains constant. This difference comes from the weak screening effect during the late stage of thin film growth. The relationship between the saturation island number n_s and deposition interval Δt is described in a power law: n_s∝Δt^γ, where γ=-0.332 is very close to the theoretical value -1/3 of rate equations from nucleation theory.     

Molecular beam epitaxy growth of iodide thin films

Study of two-dimensional(2D)magnetic materials is important for both fundamental research and application.Here we report molecular beam epitaxy growth of iodides,candidates for exhibiting 2D magnetism.Decomposition of CrI₃is utilized to produce stable gaseous I₂flux.Growth of MnI₂,GdI₃,and CrI₂down to monolayer is successful achieved by co-depositing I2 and corresponding metal atoms.The thin films of the three materials are characterized by scanning tunneling microscope and found to be insulators with bandgaps of 4.4 e V,0.6 e V,and 3.0 e V,respectively.The film growth paves the way for further study of magnetic properties at the 2 D limit.     

Molecular beam epitaxy and superconductivity of stoichiometric FeSe and KxFe2_ySe2 crystalline films

Our recent progress in the fabrication of FeSe and KxFe2_ySe2 ultra thin films and the understanding of their superconductivity properties is reviewed. The growth of high-quality FeSe and KxFe2_ySe2 films is achieved in a well controlled manner by molecular beam epitaxy. The high-quality stoichiometric and superconducting crystalline thin films allow us to investigate the intrinsic superconductivity properties and the interplay between the superconductivity and the film thickness, the local structure, the substrate, and magnetism. In situ low-temperature scanning tunneling spectra reveal the nodes and the twofold symmetry in FeSe, high-temperature superconductivity at the FeSe/SrTiO3 interface, phase separation and magnetic order in KxFe2_ySe2, and the suppression of superconductivity by twin boundaries and Fe vacancies. Our findings not only provide fundamental information for understanding the mechanism of unconventional superconductivity, but also demonstrate a powerful way of engineering superconductors and raising the transition temperature.     

Columnar growth of crystalline silicon films on aluminium-coated glass by inductively coupled plasma CVD at room temperature

Silicon films were grown on aluminium-coated glass by inductively coupled plasma CVD at room temperature using a mixture of SiH₄ and H₂ as the source gas. The microstructure of the films was evaluated using Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. It was found that the films are composed of columnar grains and their surfaces show a random and uniform distribution of silicon nanocones. Such a microstructure is highly advantageous to the application of the films in solar cells and electron emission devices. Field electron emission measurement of the films demonstrated that the threshold field strength is as low as ～9.8V/μm and the electron emission characteristic is reproducible. In addition, a mechanism is suggested for the columnar growth of crystalline silicon films on aluminium-coated glass at room temperature.     

Oxygen vacancy induced magnetism in BaTiO_(3-δ) and Nb:BaTiO_(3-δ) thin films

The unusual magnetic properties are observed in oxygen deficient BaTiO3-δ(BTO) and Nb:BaTiO3-δ(BNTO) thin films fabricated on SrTiO3 substrates by laser molecular beam epitaxy.The distinct magnetic hysteresis loops are observed in the oxygen deficient BTO and BNTO thin films in a temperature range of 5 to 300 K,whereas the diamagnetism is observed in both BTO and BNTO annealed at 1 atm of oxygen.The dopant Nb only enhances the magnetization in BNTO thin films,but has little effect on the coercivity.The magnetism of BTO and BNTO films is proposed to be the oxygen vacancies by origin.     

Molecular Beam Epitaxy of GaSb on GaAs Substrates with AlSb Buffer Layers

We investigate the molecular beam epitaxy growth of GaSb films on GaAs substrates using AlSb buffer layers. Optimization of AlSb growth parameter is aimed at obtaining high GaSh crystal quality and smooth GaSh surface. The optimized growth temperature and thickness of AlSb layers are found to be 450℃ and 2.1 nm, respectively. A rms surface roughness of 0.67 nm over 10 × 10 μm^2 is achieved as a 0.5 μm GaSh film is grown under optimized conditions.     

Growth of Mn5Ge3 ultrathin film on Ge（111）

The growth of Mn5Ge3 ultrathin films with different thicknesses, prepared by solid phase epitaxy, is studied. The results of scanning tunnelling microscopy and low energy electron diffraction studies show that the film can be formed and it is terminated with a （√3 × √3） R30° surface reconstruction when the thickness of Mn exceeds 3 monolayers. The magnetic properties show that the Curie temperature is about 300 K and the T^2-dependent behaviour is observed to remain up to 220 K.     

Effects of post-annealing on crystalline and transport properties of Bi_2Te_3 thin films

A well-established method is highly desirable for growing topological insulator thin films with low carrier density on a wafer-level scale. Here, we present a simple, scalable method based on magnetron sputtering to obtain high-quality Bi_2 Te_3 films with the carrier density down to 4.0 × 10~(13) cm~(-2). In contrast to the most-used method of high substrate temperature growth, we firstly sputtered Bi_2 Te_3 thin films at room temperature and then applied post-annealing. It enables the growth of highly-oriented Bi_2 Te_3 thin films with larger grain size and smoother interface. The results of electrical transport show that it has a lower carrier density as well as a larger coherent length(～ 228 nm, 2 K). Our studies pave the way toward large-scale, cost-effective production of Bi_2 Te_3 thin films to be integrated with other materials in wafer-level scale for electronic and spintronic applications.     

Effect of RF power on the properties of transparent conducting zirconium-doped zinc oxide films prepared by RF magnetron sputtering

Transparent and conducting zirconium-doped zinc oxide films with high transparency and relatively low resistivity have been successfully prepared by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering at room temperature. The RF power is varied from 75 to 150W. At first the crystallinity and conductivity of the film are improved and then both of them show deterioration with the increase of the RF power. The lowest resistivity achieved is 2.07×10^-3\Omegacm at an RF power of 100W with a Hall mobility of 16cm²V^-1s^-1 and a carrier concentration of 1.95×10²⁰cm^-3. The films obtained are polycrystalline with a hexagonal structure and a preferred orientation along the c-axis. All the films have a high transmittance of approximately 92% in the visible range. The optical band gap is about 3.33eV for the films deposited at different RF powers.     

Growth and photoluminescence properties of inclined ZnO and ZnCoO thin films on SrTiO_3（110） substrates

ZnO thin film growth prefers different orientations on the etched and unetched SrTiO 3（STO）（110） substrates.Inclined ZnO and cobalt-doped ZnO（ZnCoO） thin films are grown on unetched STO（110） substrates using oxygen plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy,with the c-axis 42 inclined from the normal STO（110） surface.The growth geometries are ZnCoO[100]//STO[110] and ZnCoO[111]//STO[001].The low temperature photoluminescence spectra of the inclined ZnO and ZnCoO films are dominated by D 0 X emissions associated with A 0 X emissions,and the characteristic emissions for the 2 E（2G）→ 4A2（4F） transition of Co 2＋ dopants and the relevant phonon-participated emissions are observed in the ZnCoO film,indicating the incorporation of Co 2＋ ions at the lattice positions of the Zn 2＋ ions.The c-axis inclined ZnCoO film shows ferromagnetic properties at room temperature.     

Growth and photoluminescence properties of inclined ZnO and ZnCoO thin films on SrTiO₃（110） substrates

ZnO thin film growth prefers different orientations on the etched and unetched SrTiO 3(STO)(110) substrates.Inclined ZnO and cobalt-doped ZnO(ZnCoO) thin films are grown on unetched STO(110) substrates using oxygen plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy,with the c-axis 42 inclined from the normal STO(110) surface.The growth geometries are ZnCoO[100]//STO[110] and ZnCoO[111]//STO[001].The low temperature photoluminescence spectra of the inclined ZnO and ZnCoO films are dominated by D 0 X emissions associated with A 0 X emissions,and the characteristic emissions for the 2 E(2G)→ 4A2(4F) transition of Co 2+ dopants and the relevant phonon-participated emissions are observed in the ZnCoO film,indicating the incorporation of Co 2+ ions at the lattice positions of the Zn 2+ ions.The c-axis inclined ZnCoO film shows ferromagnetic properties at room temperature     

Interfacial photoconductivity effect of type-Ⅰ and type-Ⅱ Sb2Se3/Si heterojunctions for THz wave modulation

An in-depth understanding of the photoconductivity and photocarrier density at the interface is of great significance for improving the performance of optoelectronic devices. However, extraction of the photoconductivity and photocarrier density at the heterojunction interface remains elusive. Herein, we have obtained the photoconductivity and photocarrier density of 173 nm Sb₂Se₃/Si(type-Ⅰ heterojunction) and 90 nm Sb₂Se₃/Si(type-Ⅱ heterojunction) util...     

Growth and transport features of electron-doped superconductor Pr1-xLaCexCuO4-δ thin films

<正>T’-phase electron-doped superconductor Pr_1-xLaCe_xCuO_4-δ（PLCCO） thin films are successfully prepared on SrTiO₃（100） substrates by using the dc magnetron sputtering method.It is found that the films each have a highly oriented structure along the c-axis.For optimally doped films with x≈0.10,the superconducting transition temperature T_c is 23.5 K,which is similar to that of a single crystal.The quadratic temperature dependence of the resistivity is observed when T > T_c,which can be attributed to the two-dimensional Fermi liquid behaviour.Besides,the optimal conditions for preparing the T’-phase PLCCO thin films are also discussed in detail.     

Wet Mechanical Milling Induced Phase Transition to Cubic Anti-Perovskite Li2OHCl

Anti-perovskite solid-state electrolyte Li₂ OHCl usually exhibits orthorhombic phase and low ionic conductivity at room temperature. However, its ionic conductivity increases greatly when the temperature is up to 40℃, while it goes through an orthorhombic-to-cubic phase transition. The cubic Li₂ OHCl with high ionic conductivity is stabilized at room temperature and even lower temperature about 10℃ by a simple synthesis method of wet mechanical milling. The cubic Li₂