Dry etching of CuCrO2 thin films

Highly conducting films of p-type CuCrO₂ are attractive as hole-injectors in oxide-based light emitters. In this paper, we report on the development of dry etch patterning of CuCrO₂ thin films. The only plasma chemistry that provided some chemical enhancement was Cl₂/Ar under inductively coupled plasma conditions. Etch rates of ∼500 Å min⁻¹ were obtained at chuck voltages around −300 V and moderate source powers. In all cases, the etched surface morphologies were improved relative to un-etched control samples due to the smoothing effect of the physical component of the etching. The threshold ion energy for the onset of etching was determined to be 34 eV. Very low concentrations (≤1 at.%) of residual chlorine were detected on the etched surfaces but could be removed by simple water rinsing.     

Growth of Pt thin films on WSe2

The morphology and structure of Pt deposited on a WSe₂(0 0 0 1) van der Waals surface have been investigated by reflection high energy electron diffraction and scanning tunneling microscopy. At room temperature, the initial growth is characterized by the formation of three-dimensional fcc Pt islands with (1 1 1) orientation. In contrast, at higher temperatures of about 450 °C the formation of a novel chemically ordered Pt-Se alloy is observed. Based on the diffraction patterns, a tetragonal DO₂₂-type structure of a Pt₃Se compound is suggested. With increasing Pt thickness, this chemically ordered alloy disappears and an additional superstructure occurs, which is accompanied by the coalescence of the islands. The observed superstructure is attributed to a strong Se diffusion towards the growth surface, forming most likely a PtSe₂ alloy with the CdI₂-type layered structure on the top surface. Due to the lateral lattice mismatch between the Pt(1 1 1) layers and the PtSe₂(1 1 1) top layer, a Moiré pattern with a period of 1.1 nm is created, which might be used as a long-range atomic pattern for further nanostructure growth.     

Effect of Co doping on CIS2 thin films

In recent years, substantial scientific attention has been focused on renewable energy resources, which utilize natural resources for the production of electrical energy. Chalcopyrite semiconductors are used as one of the alternatives, Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ (CIGS) and CuInS₂ (CIS) are used for the fabrication of solar cells. These materials possess various properties Viz. ideal band gap (1.5?eV), high optical absorption, low light degradation, high radiation resistance, etc., hence they are suitable in the fabrication of solar cells. In contrast to other chalcopyrates, CuInS₂ is nontoxic, low-cost and easy to prepare by simple deposition techniques. Several impurities were doped to CuInS₂ bulks, to control conduction and also to obtain low resistivity. In this context, the structural, morphological and optical properties are reported for cobalt-doped CuInS₂ (CIS₂) thin films prepared by electro-deposition technique at room temperature. In the present study, we have used different cobalt concentration in the range of 0–5?wt.%. Doping of cobalt does not lead to the formation of any secondary phase, either in the form of metallic clusters or impurity complexes. However, with increase in cobalt concentration a decrease in the optical band gap, from 2.10 to 1.53?eV, is observed. In addition, implantation of cobalt in the CIS₂ gave changes in structural and surface properties of the thin films obtained. These thin films are also subjected to elemental analysis using EDAX.     

Template-free synthesis of MnO2 nanowires with secondary flower like structure: Characterization and supercapacitor behavior studies

Manganese dioxide (MnO₂) nanowires with diameter about 30-70 nm is achieved via a two-step process: first, template-free cathodic electrodeposition from aqueous solution of Mn(NO₃)₂ on steel substrate and followed by heat treatment. The temperature-annealed sample was studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) methods and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The electrochemical performance of the MnO₂ sample was studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronopotentiometry in Na₂SO₄ solutions. The sample showed excellent supercapacitive behavior. The specific capacitance (SC) of 237 F g⁻¹ in a potential window of 0-0.9V was obtained at the scan rate of 2 mV s⁻¹. The SC calculated from the chronopotentiometry data is about 246 F g⁻¹. The SC was decreased by 16% after 1000 cycles.     

Effect of annealing on the physical properties of thermally evaporated In2S3 thin films

The structural, compositional, morphological and optical properties of In₂S₃ thin films, prepared by thermal evaporation technique and annealed in sulfur ambient at different temperatures have been investigated. The grazing incident X-ray diffraction patterns have indicated polycrystalline form and predominantly cubic structure of annealed In₂S₃ films. The scanning electron microscopy revealed textured surface with uniformly distributed grains and the grain size increased with increase of annealing temperature. The optical parameters of the films have been determined using conventional transmission and reflection spectra as well as from surface photovoltage measurements.     

Amorphous and crystalline IrO2 thin films as potential stimulation electrode coatings

Amorphous and crystalline iridium oxide thin films with potential use as coating materials for stimulation electrodes were studied. Characterization of these films by cyclic voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy has revealed a considerable decrease in impedance and an increase in charge capacity of iridium oxide thin films after an electrochemical activation process in 0.9% NaCl solution. The surface morphology of these films was studied by scanning electron microscopy. The two types of IrO₂ films were also compared under conditions relevant to applications as stimulation electrodes. The results indicate that amorphous IrO₂ films have significantly higher charge storage capacity and lower impedance than crystalline IrO₂ films. This makes the amorphous films a preferable coating material for stimulation applications.     

Electrodeposited ruthenium oxide thin films for supercapacitor: Effect of surface treatments

Amorphous and porous ruthenium oxide thin films have been deposited from aqueous Ru(III)Cl₃ solution on stainless steel substrates using electrodeposition method. Cyclic voltammetry study of a film showed a maximum specific capacitance of 650 F g⁻¹ in 0.5 M H₂SO₄ electrolyte. The surface treatments such as air annealing, anodization and ultrasonic weltering affected surface morphology. The supercapacitance of ruthenium oxide electrode is found to be dependent on the surface morphology.     

Thickness dependence of microstructures in La0.9Sr0.1MnO3 thin films grown on exact-cut and miscut SrTiO3 substrates

The thickness dependence of microstructures of La_0.9Sr_0.1MnO₃ (LSMO) thin films grown on exact-cut and miscut SrTiO₃ (STO) substrates, respectively, was investigated by high-angle X-ray diffraction (HXRD), X-ray small-angle reflection (XSAR), X-ray reciprocal space mapping and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Results show that the LSMO films are in pseudocubic structure and are highly epitaxial [0 0 1]-oriented growth on the (0 0 1) STO substrates. The crystalline quality of the LSMO film is improved with thickness. The epitaxial relationship between the LSMO films and the STO substrates is [0 0 1]_LSMO[0 0 1]_EXACT-STO, and the LSMO films have a slight mosaic structure along the q_x direction for the samples grown on the exact-cut STO substrates. However, an oriented angle of about 0.24° exists between [0 0 1]_LSMO and [0 0 1]_MISCUT-STO, and the LSMO films have a mosaic structure along the q_z direction for that grown on the miscut STO substrates. The mosaic structure of both groups of the samples tends to reduce with thickness. The diffraction intensity of the (0 0 4) peaks increases with thickness of the LSMO film. The XSAR and AFM observations show that for both groups, the interface is sharp and the surface is rather smooth. The mechanism was discussed briefly.     

Effect of complexing agent on the properties of electrochemically deposited Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) thin films

The Cu₂ZnSnS₄ (CZTS) thin films have been electrochemically deposited on Mo-coated glass substrate from weak acidic medium (pH 4.5-5) at room temperature. The effect of complexing agent (tri-sodium citrate) on the structural, morphological and compositional properties of CZTS thin films has been investigated. The as-deposited and annealed thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM),EDAX and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques for their structural, morphological, compositional and chemical properties, respectively. XRD studies reveal that the amorphous nature of as-deposited thin film changes into polycrystalline with kesterite crystal structure after annealing in Ar atmosphere. The film prepared without complexing agent showed well-covered surface morphology on the substrate with some cracks on the surface of the film whereas those prepared using complexing agent, exhibited uneven and slightly porous and some overgrown particles on the surface of the films. After annealing, morphology changes into the flat grains, uniformly distributed over the entire surface of the substrate. The EDAX and XPS study reveals that the films deposited using 0.2 M tri-sodium citrate are nearly stoichiometric.     

The properties of the Y2O3 films exposed at elevated temperature

Yttrium trioxide (Y₂O₃) thin films have been deposited on silicon (1 1 1) substrates by RF magnetron sputtering. The influences of thermal exposure at high temperature in air on the structure, the surface morphology, roughness, and the refractive index of the Y₂O₃ thin film were investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE). The results indicate that chemical composition of the as-deposited Y₂O₃ film is apparently close to the stoichiometric ratio, and it has a cubic polycrystalline structure but the crystallinity is poor. The monoclinic and cubic phases can coexist in the Y₂O₃ film after thermal exposure to 900 °C, and the monoclinic phase disappears completely after 300 s exposure to 950 °C. The changes of the surface morphology, roughness, and the refractive index of the Y₂O₃ film are closely related to the crystal structure, the internal stress, and various defects influenced by thermal exposure temperature and time.     

A novel chemical synthesis and characterization of Mn3O4 thin films for supercapacitor application

Mn₃O₄ thin films have been prepared by novel chemical successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method. Further these films were characterized for their structural, morphological and optical properties by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FTIR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), wettability test and optical absorption studies. The XRD pattern showed that the Mn₃O₄ films exhibit tetragonal hausmannite structure. Formation of manganese oxide compound was confirmed from FTIR studies. The optical absorption showed existence of direct optical band gap of energy 2.30 eV. Mn₃O₄ film surface showed hydrophilic nature with water contact angle of 55°. The supercapacitive properties of Mn₃O₄ thin film investigated in 1 M Na₂SO₄ electrolyte showed maximum supercapacitance of 314 F g⁻¹ at scan rate 5 mV s⁻¹.     

Wavelet analysis of the surface morphologic of nanocrystalline TiO2 thin films

Surface morphologies of nanocrystalline TiO₂ thin films were studied by analyzing the surface profile of AFM images using wavelet transform method. Based on characterizing the fractal feature and computing the image details at different orientations and resolutions, the surface textures of nanocrystalline TiO₂ thin films before and after chemical treatment were examined. The results reveal that titanium isopropoxide treatment leads to an increase of surface roughness. The related mechanism of modification of the microstructure by chemical treatment associated with the improvement of the photocurrent response is discussed.     

Study of the effect of initial conditions on the scaling properties of CaF2 thin films

The growth of thermally deposited CaF₂ films was studied using three different substrates for deposition: glass, gold and silicon. Each substrate was chosen because of its different topography and used to determine the effect of substrate roughness on the growth of CaF₂ films. After thermally depositing a range of CaF₂ film thicknesses on the substrates, the CaF₂ surfaces were imaged using atomic force microscopy. The images were then used to determine the characteristic exponents which described the surface. In each case the Hurst exponent, H was found to rapidly increase from the initial substrate condition to a constant value (H ≈ 0.85) with increasing CaF₂ film thickness. This rapid crossover is quite remarkable and occurs in films with nominal thicknesses less than ≈20 nm. These data indicate that the roughness of the substrate, or in other words the initial conditions, have little effect on the growth properties of CaF₂ films beyond the crossover at very small values of the film thickness. The scaling of the dynamic exponent, β, is also presented as are measurements of the CaF₂ film porosity.     

Oxygen transfer processes in (La,Sr)MnO3/Y2O3-stabilized ZrO2 cathodes: an impedance spectroscopy study

Impedance spectroscopy was used to study the oxygen reaction kinetics of La_0.8Sr_0.2MnO₃ (LSM)-based electrodes on Y₂O₃-stabilized ZrO₂ (YSZ) electrolytes. Three types of electrodes were studied: pure LSM, LSM–YSZ composites, and LSM/LSM–YSZ bilayers. The electrodes were formed by spin coating and sintering on single-crystal YSZ substrates. Measurements were taken at temperatures ranging from 550 to 850°C and oxygen partial pressures from 1×10⁻³ to 1 atm. An arc whose resistance R_el had a high activation energy, E_a=1.61±0.05 eV, and a weak oxygen partial pressure dependence, (P_O2)^−1/6, was observed for the LSM electrodes. A similar arc was observed for LSM–YSZ electrodes, where R_el(P_O2)^−0.29 and the activation energy was 1.49±0.02 eV. The combination of a high activation energy and a weak P_O2 dependence was attributed to oxygen dissociation and adsorption rate-limiting steps for both types of electrodes. LSM–YSZ composite cathodes showed substantially lower overall interfacial resistance values than LSM, but exhibited an additional arc attributed to the resistance of YSZ grain boundaries within the LSM–YSZ. At 850°C and low P_O2, an additional arc was observed with size varying as (P_O2)^−0.80 for LSM and (P_O2)^−0.57 for LSM–YSZ, suggesting that diffusion had become an additional rate limiting step. Bilayer LSM/LSM–YSZ electrodes yielded results intermediate between LSM and LSM–YSZ. The results showed that most of the improvement in electrode performance was achieved for a LSM–YSZ layer only ≈2 μm thick. However, a decrease in the grain-boundary resistance would produce much better performance in thicker LSM–YSZ electrodes.     

Atomic layer deposition of Cr2O3 thin films: Effect of crystallization on growth and properties

Atomic layer deposition of Cr₂O₃ thin films from CrO₂Cl₂ and CH₃OH on amorphous SiO₂ and crystalline Si(1 0 0) and -Al₂O₃() substrates was investigated, and properties of the films were ascertained. Self-limited growth with a rate of 0.05–0.1 nm/cycle was obtained at substrate temperatures of 330–420 °C. In this temperature range epitaxial eskolaite was formed on the -Al₂O₃() substrates. The predominant crystallographic orientation in the epitaxial films depended, however, on the growth temperature and film thickness. Sufficiently thick films grown on the SiO₂ and Si(1 0 0) substrates contained also the eskolaite phase, but thinner films deposited at 330–375 °C on these substrates were amorphous. The growth rate data of films with different phase composition allowed a conclusion that the crystalline phase grew markedly faster than the amorphous phase did. The amorphous, polycrystalline and epitaxial films had densities of 4.9, 5.1 and 5.1–5.3 g/cm³, respectively.     

Structural and optical properties of GaN thin films grown on Al2O3 substrates by MOCVD at different reactor pressures

GaN thin films grown by MOCVD on (0 0 0 1) Al₂O₃ substrates at different growth pressures were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, micro-Raman, and photoluminescence at room temperature. It was found that there is an optimum pressure of 76 Torr at which the structural and optical properties of the GaN samples are superior. On the other hand samples grown at higher pressure exhibited hexagonal surface pits and surface spirals. The results showed that the growth pressure strongly influences the morphology, and significantly affects the structural and optical properties of the GaN epilayers.     

SrF2-CaF2混合物薄膜的物理及红外光学特性研究

采用热蒸发和电子束蒸发两种沉积方式分别沉积了相同厚度的SrF₂-CaF₂ (比例为1∶1) 的混合物薄膜,对其物理和光学特性进行了研究,并定量地给出了其在红外波段的光学常数,填补了这一数据的空白. 同时提供了一种获得不同低折射率薄膜的方法.文中还以该比例的混合物作为低折射率材料,研制出具有很好的光学性能的长波红外宽光谱增透膜.     

Electronic properties of thin films of laser-ablated Al2O3

Laser ablation coupled to mass quadrupole spectrometry (LAMQS) has been used to prepare thin films of aluminum oxide deposited on Si substrates starting from commercial Al₂O₃ polycrystalline targets. X-ray photoemission (XPS) and reflection electron energy loss spectroscopy (REELS) have allowed the investigation of the electronic properties of the produced films. In particular, it was found that the Al/O atomic ratio assumes a value very near to 0.7 (stoichiometric ratio) only for films deposited normally with respect to the target surface, while films grown at larger deposition angles are more rich in oxygen content.The composition, the mass density, the optical energy gap, the complex dielectric function and refraction index of the films have been calculated and compared with the results obtained from our starting target material and with the literature. The morphology of the deposited samples has been analyzed by the AFM technique.     

Chemical synthesis of nanocrystalline SnO2 thin films for supercapacitor application

Nanocrystalline SnO₂ thin films were deposited by simple and inexpensive chemical route. The films were characterized for their structural, morphological, wettability and electrochemical properties using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy techniques (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), contact angle measurement, and cyclic voltammetry techniques. The XRD study revealed the deposited films were nanocrystalline with tetragonal rutile structure of SnO₂. The FT-IR studies confirmed the formation of SnO₂ with the characteristic vibrational mode of Sn-O. The SEM studies showed formation of loosely connected agglomerates with average size of 5-10 nm as observed from TEM studies. The surface wettability showed the hydrophilic nature of SnO₂ thin film (water contact angle 9°). The SnO₂ showed a maximum specific capacitance of 66 F g⁻¹ in 0.5 Na₂SO₄ electrolyte at 10 mV s⁻¹ scan rate.     

Surface morphological changes and magnetic properties of Sc-substituted Y3Fe5O12 epitaxial films deposited on the GGG substrate

Sc-doped YIG films were grown on (1 1 1) oriented GGG crystalline substrate with disorientation angle within the range 0-25′. Sc³⁺ ion substitution was varied within the range 0.25-0.3 per formula unit. The films demonstrate different types of surface morphology versus film growth rate and substrate disorientation. Conditions for existence of these types of the surface morphology were defined. The field dependence of magnetic susceptibility at magnetization reversal in film plane and Faraday rotation at wavelength 633 nm for a magnetic field applied in perpendicular direction were measured to characterize the films grown. Films with “mirror-like” surface demonstrate a planar magnetization at room temperature.