Spectroscopy of Bragg-scattered surface plasmons for characterization of thin biomolecular films

We report a new approach to characterization of thin (bio)molecular films based on spectroscopy of Bragg-scattered surface plasmons (BSSPs) generated by diffraction-coupling of counterpropagating surface plasmons on a metal-coated diffraction grating. The BSSPs exhibit fields with different penetration depths into the medium adjacent to the metal and therefore exhibit unequal sensitivities to the presence of (bio)molecular films on the surface of the metal. Therefore, spectroscopy of BSSPs enables in situ observation of the formation of biomolecular films and determination of both their refractive index and thickness. We demonstrate this capacity of spectroscopy of BSSPs in a model experiment in which growth of protein layers on a gold surface is studied.     

Evaluation of carbon films electrodeposited on different substrates from different organic solvents

Diamond-like-carbon (DLC) films have been deposited on Si, aluminum and indium tin oxide-coated glass from several organic solvents with pulse-modulated power. The films are characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy. XPS spectra show that the main composition of the films is carbon and Raman spectra show that the films are typical DLC films and a high potential is preferable in the formation of sp ³-structure carbon. Comparing the results from different solvents and different substrates we deduce that the methyl group of the solvents has a critical function in forming the DLC films. However, the formation process and the characters of the films, such as appearance, resistivity and thickness, are mainly determined by the substrate. We may call this deposition a substrate-controlled reaction. Received: 31 May 2000 / Accepted: 9 January 2001 / Published online: 3 April 2001     

Raman characterization of the structural evolution in amorphous and partially nanocrystalline hydrogenated silicon thin films prepared by PECVD

Hydrogenated silicon (Si:H) thin films were obtained by plasma‐enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). Raman spectroscopy was used to investigate the structural evolution in phosphor‐doped n‐type amorphous hydrogenated silicon thin films, which were prepared under different substrate temperatures and gas pressures. Meanwhile, the effect of nitrogen doping on the structure of P‐doped thin films was also investigated by Raman spectroscopy. Moreover, the transition from the amorphous state to the nanocrystalline state of undoped Si:H films deposited through low argon dilution was studied by Raman spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. The results show that Raman spectroscopy can sensitively detect the structural evolution in hydrogenated silicon thin films deposited under different conditions in a PECVD system. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Preparation and photo-induced superhydrophilicity of composite TiO2-SiO2-In2O3 thin film

In this work, TiO₂-SiO₂-In₂O₃ composite thin films on glass substrates were prepared by the sol-gel dip coating process. X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to evaluate the structural and chemical properties of the films. UV-vis spectrophotometer was used to measure the transmittance spectra of thin films. The water contact angle (WCA) of thin films during UV/vis irradiation and storage in a dark place was measured by a contact angle analyzer. The results indicated that fabrication of composite film has a significant effect on transmittance and superhydrophilicity of TiO₂ films.     

Study of optical absorption differences of doped polyaniline films by photothermal spectroscopies

In this work, we studied the optical absorption spectral differences between doped and slightly doped polyaniline films and a derivative by photopyroelectric and photoacoustic spectroscopies. There exist great spectral differences between doped and slightly doped samples as shown by conventional optical absorption spectroscopy, but not greatly evidenced by photopyroelectric spectroscopy. The latter was applied to obtain thermal parameters such as thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity, and as a result it showed that these thermal properties of polyaniline films are very similar for doped and slightly doped samples. Also it showed that for thicker films (about 20 μm), there are no significant optical absorption differences between them. However, for thin films both techniques showed greater optical absorption differences for doped and slightly doped samples, mainly detected by photoacoustic spectroscopy. These behaviors are in accordance with published results which is the granular metal model for polyaniline. This model explains the polyaniline polymeric matrix as formed by conductive islands in the insulating bulk material. PACS 61.82.Pv; 82.35.Cd; 82.35.Lr     

Structural and optical properties of electrohydrodynamically atomized TiO2 nanostructured thin films

In this paper, we report an alternate technique for the deposition of nanostructured TiO₂ thin films using the electrohydrodynamic atomization (EHDA) technique using polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as a stabilizer. The required parameters for achieving uniform TiO₂ films using EHDA are also discussed in detail. X-ray diffraction results confirm that the TiO₂ films were oriented in the anatase phase. Scanning electron microscope studies revealed the uniform deposition of the TiO₂. The purity of the films is characterized by using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), confirming the presence of Ti–O bonding in the films without any organic residue. The optical properties of the TiO₂ films were measured by UV-visible spectroscopy, which shows that the transparency of the films is nearly 85% in the visible region. The current–voltage (I–V) curve of the TiO₂ thin films shows a nearly linear behavior with 45 mΩ?cm of electrical resistivity. These results suggest that TiO₂ thin films deposited via the EHDA method possess promising applications in optoelectronic devices.     

The adsorption of oxygen and water on Ca and CaO films studied with MIES, UPS and XPS

Metastable induced electron spectroscopy (MIES), Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) are employed to study the adsorption of water on Ca and CaO films as well as the adsorption of oxygen on Ca films. Ca films are prepared by evaporation of Ca onto clean Si(1 0 0) substrates. CaO films are produced by Ca evaporation in an oxygen atmosphere at a substrate temperature of 400 °C. Gas adsorption on the Ca films at room temperature, both for oxygen and water, is initiated by complete dissociation of the impinging molecules leading to the formation of Ca–O bonds. Exposure to water furthermore leads to the formation of hydroxyl groups via hydrogen abstraction from water forming a complete surface layer. Hydroxyl groups are also formed upon exposure of CaO films to water, but to a significantly smaller amount compared to Ca films exposed to water.     

Synthesis and characterization of ZnO thin films by thermal evaporation

ZnO thin films have been successfully synthesized by thermal evaporation of pure zinc at 900 °C under the flow of different percentages of argon and oxygen gases. The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), variable pressure scanning electron microscopy (VPSEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and UV–vis spectroscopy. The aim of this paper is to study the influence of the oxygen percentage on the structural and morphological properties of the ZnO films. VPSEM results show that very thick needle structures were produced at high oxygen percentages. EDS results revealed that only Zn and O are present in the sample, indicating a composition of pure ZnO. XRD results showed that the ZnO synthesized under different quantities of oxygen were crystalline with the hexagonal wurtzite structure. UV–vis spectroscopy results indicated that the optical band gap energies from the transmission spectrum are between 3.62 and 3.69 eV for ZnO thin films.     

脉冲激光制备类金刚石薄膜及原位激光等离子体发射光谱

用ＹＡＧ脉冲激光轰击真空室内的石墨靶,可以形成包含碳素的激光等离子体,并在硅或石英衬氏上淀积形成某种类型的碳膜。用光学多道分析仪原位测量了激光等离子体的发射光谱,给出反应空间可能存在的反应基团有碳原子、碳离子、碳分子等,用拉曼光谱研究了薄膜的结构,证明所形成的薄膜为类金刚石膜,并得出碳原子和碳离子与薄膜的类金刚石结构有关。制备过程中,氢的参与有利于薄膜中金刚石成分的形成。空间分辨的原位激光等离子体发射光谱表明,在反应空间存在薄膜形成的最佳位置。     

Thin films prepared from tungstate glass matrix

Vitreous samples containing high concentrations of WO₃ (above 40% M) have been used as a target to prepare thin films. Such films were deposited using the electron beam evaporation method onto soda-lime glass substrates. These films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), perfilometry, X-ray energy dispersion spectroscopy (EDS), M-Lines and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. In this work, experimental parameters were established to obtain stable thin films showing a chemical composition close to the glass precursor composition and with a high concentration of WO₃. These amorphous thin films of about 4 μm in thickness exhibit a deep blue coloration but they can be bleached by thermal treatment near the glass transition temperature. Such bleached films show several guided modes in the visible region and have a high refractive index. Controlled crystallization was realized and thus it was possible to obtain WO₃ microcrystals in the amorphous phase.     

Dynamics of a pulsed laser generated tin plasma expanding in an oxygen atmosphere

Semiconducting tin oxide can be successfully deposited by means of the laser ablation technique. In particular by ablating metallic tin in a controlled oxygen atmosphere, thin films of SnO _x have been deposited. The partial oxygen pressure at which the films are deposited strongly influences both the stoichiometry and the structural properties of the films. In this work, we present a study of the expansion dynamics of the plasma generated by ablating a tin target by means of a pulsed laser using time and space resolved optical emission spectroscopy and fast photography imaging of the expanding plasma. Both Sn I and Sn II optical emission lines have been observed from the time-integrated spectroscopy. Time resolved-measurements revealed the dynamics of the expanding plasma in the ambient oxygen atmosphere. Stoichiometry of the films has been determined by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and correlated to the expansion dynamics of the plasma.     

电解有机溶液法在Si表面制备类金刚石薄膜及退火对其结构的影响

在对不同有机溶剂分子结构分析的基础上,选取甲醇、DMF(N,N-二甲基甲酰胺)和乙腈溶液为碳源,以脉冲直流电源电解有机溶液的方法在Si片上制得了含氢类金刚石薄膜(DLC薄膜),并研究了退火对薄膜结构的影响.通过X射线光电子能谱(XPS),喇曼(Raman)和红外(IR)光谱对薄膜的结构进行了分析表征.XPS表明薄膜的主要成分为C,喇曼光谱显示所得薄膜为典型DLC薄膜.喇曼和红外光谱还表明,膜中含有大量H并且主要键合于sp³碳处.随着退火的进行薄膜中的H被去除.随温度升高薄膜电阻率的下 关键词： 类金刚石薄膜 退火     

High quality PdTe_2 thin films grown by molecular beam epitaxy

PdTe_2,a member of layered transition metal dichalcogenides(TMDs),has aroused significant research interest due to the coexistence of superconductivity and type-II Dirac fermions.It provides a promising platform to explore the interplay between superconducting quasiparticles and Dirac fermions.Moreover,PdTe_2 has also been used as a substrate for monolayer antimonene growth.Here in this paper,we report the epitaxial growth of high quality PdTe_2 films on bilayer graphene/SiC(0001)by molecular beam epitaxy(MBE).Atomically thin films are characterized by scanning tunneling microscopy(STM),X-ray photoemission spectroscopy(XPS),low-energy electron diffraction(LEED),and Raman spectroscopy.The band structure of 6-layer PdTe_2 film is measured by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy(ARPES).Moreover,our air exposure experiments show excellent chemical stability of epitaxial PdTe_2 film.High-quality PdTe_2 films provide opportunities to build antimonene/PdTe_2 heterostructure in ultrahigh vacuum for future applications in electronic and optoelectronic nanodevices.     

High resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy surface studies of hydrogenated detonation nano-diamond spray-deposited films

Nano-diamond films composed of 3–5 nm grains prepared by the detonation method and spray deposited onto silicon substrates were examined by high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HR-EELS), Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The HR-EEL spectrum of the annealed and hydrogenated films displays dominant C–H losses at 360–365 meV; the diamond optical phonon and its overtones. These results suggest that the films reveal well defined hydrogenated diamond surfaces on the nanometric scale. Detailed analysis of the diamond optical phonon overtone revealed a red-shift of the basic C–C vibration by 5 meV. We attribute this shift to a phonon quantum confinement effect detected by HR-EELS spectroscopy.     

Formation of CNx thin films by reactive pulsed laser deposition assisted by electron cyclotron resonance microwave discharge

Amorphous carbon nitride thin films were synthesized by pulsed laser deposition combined with electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) microwave discharge in nitrogen gas. The ECR discharge supplies active nitrogen species in the deposition environment and to the growing film surface, enhancing the film growth in complex processes accompanied by chemical reaction. The synthesized films were characterized by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Raman spectroscopy. The films were determined to consist purely of carbon and nitrogen with a nitrogen concentration of 42%, and have a thickness of 550 nm over which carbon and nitrogen are well distributed. Structural characterizations based on XPS, FTIR and Raman analysis showed that these films appear to contain several bonding configurations between carbon and nitrogen with a small amount of C≡N bonds compared with other bonding states. Received: 31 August 2000 / Accepted: 12 December 2000 / Published online: 23 May 2001     

反应离子镀光学薄膜的微观结构分析

用反应离子镀方法制备了ＴｉＯ２单层膜及ＴｉＯ２／ＳｉＯ２多层膜，用透射电子显微镜分别观察了由反应离子镀方法及传统蒸镀法二种不同工艺制得的ＴｉＯ２单层膜及ＴｉＯ２／ＳｉＯ２多层膜的断面结构，并对ＴｉＯ２单层膜进行了喇曼分析和卢瑟福背散射分析。     

微波ECR等离子体增强磁控溅射制备SiNx薄膜及其性能分析

利用微波ECR磁控反应溅射法在室温下制备无氢SiN_x薄膜.通过傅里叶红外光谱 、X射线电子谱、膜厚仪、纳米硬度仪、原子力显微镜等分析手段，分析了N₂流 量、Si靶溅射功率等实验参数对SiN_x薄膜结构、化学配比以及机械性质的影响. 结果表明，SiN_x薄膜中Si-N结构、化学配比及机械性质与等离子体中的Si元素 含量关系密切，随着N₂流量的增加或者Si靶溅射功率的降低，等离子体中的Si 元素含量降低，SiN_x薄膜结构、化学配比及硬度发生变化，红外光谱发生偏移 ，硬度下降，沉积速率降低. 关键词： x')" href="#">SiN_x 磁控溅射 傅里叶变换红外吸收光谱 X射线电子谱     

Study of multigraphene films prepared by sublimation on the sic surface

Graphene films were prepared by sublimation epitaxy of SiC under vacuum. The films were studied by Auger electron spectroscopy, reflection high-energy electron diffraction, atomic force microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. It is concluded that the films prepared are polycrystalline and consist of graphene single crystals about 50 nm in size.     

Electrodeposition of diamond-like amorphous carbon films on aluminum from acetonitrile

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films were electrodeposited on aluminum from acetonitrile with a pulse-modulated power at room temperature. The films were grey with 1 7m in thickness. The resistivity of the films was of the order of 10⁷ Q cm The films were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy. XPS shows that the main composition of the films is carbon. Raman spectra indicate that typical DLC films were formed when high potential (>800 V) was applied.     

Evanescent wave spectroscopy of methylene blue solutions at surfaces using a continuum generated by a nonlinear fiber

The way organic thin films properties are affected by molecular interactions at surfaces is an important research topic because thin molecular films constitute a model system for biological research and have applications ranging from light-emitting diodes and solar cells to chemical sensors. In this work, the formation of thin films of Methylene Blue in aqueous solution at a fused quartz surface was investigated with evanescent wave absorption spectroscopy, using a continuum spectrum generated in a non-linear fiber by short laser pulses.