Short-Range Order in Amorphous and Crystalline Ferroelectric Hf<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>Zr<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>O<Subscript>2</Subscript>

The microstructures of amorphous and polycrystalline ferroelectric Hf_0.5Zr_0.5O₂ films are studied by X-ray spectroscopy and ellipsometry. EXAFS spectra demonstrate that the amorphous film consists of an “incompletely mixed” solid solution of metallic oxides HfO₂ and ZrO₂. After rapid thermal annealing, the mixed Hf_0.5Zr_0.5O₂ oxide films have a more ordered polycrystalline structure, and individual Hf and Zr monoxide islands are formed in the films. These islands are several nanometers in size and have a structure that is similar to the monoclinic structure of HfO₂ and ZrO₂. The presence of the HfO₂ and ZrO₂ phases in the Hf_0.5Zr_0.5O₂ films is also detected by ellipsometry.     

Formation of V2O3 nanocrystals by thermal reduction of V2O5 thin films

We report the formation of homogeneous and stable V₂O₃ nanocrystals, directly from V₂O₅ thin films, at 600 °C, as observed by using in situ electron microscopy experiments. Thermally-induced reduction of V₂O₅ thin films in vacuum is remarkably different when compared to reduction of V₂O₅ single crystals and results in the formation of nanophase V₂O₃. Thermally grown V₂O₃ nanocrystals exhibit hexagon or square shape and are stable at higher temperature as well as room temperature. The formation of stable nanocrystals through the reduction process in a non-chemical environment (vacuum) could provide a basis for understanding the complex processes of vanadium oxide phase transitions and for controlling the chemical processes to produce oxide nanocrystals.     

基片温度与氧分压对磁控溅射制备氧化钒薄膜的影响

采用磁控溅射工艺制备了V₂O₅薄膜.通过改变制备工艺中基片温度和氧分压两个条件，研究了薄膜的晶相组成、表观形貌以及氧化物中钒和氧元素的化合价态.当基片温度升高时，V₂O₅薄膜中颗粒结晶由细长针状转变为平行于基片的片状，V⁵⁺状态保持不变，但723 K时氧结合能向高键能态移动.氧分压较低时，薄膜表面有部分V⁴⁺态存在，但存在较多的高键能氧，此时薄膜中晶粒尺寸较小.随着氧分压的提 关键词： 氧化钒 磁控溅射 相变薄膜 X射线光电子能谱     

V2O5 aerogel-like lithium intercalation host

Thin self-standing films and powders of highly amorphous V₂O₅ have been prepared via a combined sol-gel and solvent exchange procedure. The amorphous V₂O₅ is a highly interconnected porous material with very thin solid walls and shows a unique lithium intercalation behavior. Electrochemical tests performed on composite cathodes made by mixing the material with carbon particles demonstrated a very high lithium insertion capacity.     

超高温度系数V0.97W0.03 O2多晶薄膜的制备研究

将V₂O₅粉体与WO₃粉体均匀混合并压制成靶，用离子束增强沉积加后退火技术在SiO₂衬底上制备掺钨VO₂多晶薄膜.X射线衍射表明，薄膜取向单一，为VO₂结构的［002］相,晶格参数d比VO₂粉晶增大约0.34%；薄膜从半导体相向金属相转变的相变温度约28；室温(300 K)时的电阻-温度系数(TCR)可大于10%/K，是目前红外热成像薄膜TCR的四倍.W离子的半径大于V离子的半径，W的掺入在薄膜中引入了张应力,使薄膜相变温度降低到室温附近，是IBED V_0.97W_0.03O₂薄膜的室温电阻温度系数提高的原因. 关键词： 二氧化钒薄膜 薄膜掺杂 离子束增强沉积     

Vanadium-Al2O3 nanostructured thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition: Optical switching

The formation and optical response of VO_x nanoparticles embedded in amorphous aluminium oxide (Al₂O₃) thin films by pulsed laser deposition is studied. The thin films have been grown by alternate laser ablation of V and Al₂O₃ targets, which has resulted in a multilayer structure with embedded nanoparticles. The V content has been varied by changing the number of pulses on the V target. It is found that VO_x nanoparticles with dimensions around 5 nm have been formed. The structural analysis shows that the vanadium nanoparticles are oxidized, although probably there is not a unique oxide phase for each sample. The films show a different optical response depending on their vanadium content. Optical switching as a function of temperature has been observed for the two films with the highest vanadium content, at transition temperatures of about −20 °C and 315 °C thus suggesting the presence of nanoparticles with compositions V₄O₇ and V₂O₅, respectively.     

Structural-optical study of high-dielectric-constant oxide films

High-k polycrystalline Pr₂O₃ and amorphous LaAlO₃ oxide thin films deposited on Si(0 0 1) are studied. The microstructure is investigated using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Optical properties are determined in the 0.75-6.5 eV photon energy range using spectroscopic ellipsometry. The polycrystalline Pr₂O₃ films have an optical gap of 3.86 eV and a dielectric constant of 16-26, which increases with film thickness. Similarly, very thin amorphous LaAlO₃ films have the optical gap of 5.8 eV, and a dielectric constant below 14 which also increases with film thickness. The lower dielectric constant compared to crystalline material is an intrinsic characteristic of amorphous films.     

Evolution from vanadium pentoxide xerogel to sodium-containing vanadates in thin films on ITO-coated glasses

In this work, the mechanism of the “gelation” process and the thermal-induced structural modifications of thin film of vanadium pentoxide xerogels deposited on indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glasses have been studied. Vanadium pentoxide xerogel has been prepared by using the sol–gel proton exchange resin route without any resin pretreatment. To monitor the effect of the “resin efficiency” on the gelation process, the solution coming out from the resin has been collected in a sequence of different containers (vials), separately investigated by Raman spectroscopy. After the spin coating deposition, the thin films of vanadium pentoxide gel have been subjected to different annealing treatments. The highest thermal treatment (600 °C) induces a complete transformation of the gel phase into an anhydrous polycrystalline phase of a sodium-containing vanadate, different from the usual V₂O₅ crystal. It is due to the diffusion of foreign ions (mainly sodium) coming from the substrate into the vanadium oxide layer.     

Reactivity of monolayer V2O5 films on TiO2(1 1 0) produced via the oxidation of vapor-deposited vanadium

The growth, and reactivity of monolayer V₂O₅ films supported on TiO₂(1 1 0) produced via the oxidation of vapor-deposited vanadium were studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and temperature programmed desorption (TPD). Oxidation of vapor-deposited vanadium in 10⁻⁷ Torr of O₂ at 600 K produced vanadia films that contained primarily V³⁺, while oxidation in 10⁻³ Torr at 400 K produced films that contained primarily V⁵⁺. The reactivity of the supported vanadia layers for the oxidation of methanol to formaldehyde was studied using TPD. The activity for this reaction was found to be a function of the oxidation state of the vanadium cations in the film.     

Formation of ZrO<Subscript>2</Subscript> cubic phase microcrystals during crystallization of amorphous films deposited by laser ablation of Zr in an oxygen atmosphere

The structure and phase transformations during annealing of zirconium dioxide films grown by pulsed laser sputtering of a Zr target in an oxygen atmosphere have been studied by transmission electron microscopy and electron diffraction methods. The conditions of the formation of both amorphous and cubic ZrO₂ phases have been determined. The electron beam impact on the amorphous film in vacuum is accompanied by the formation of zirconium dioxide microcrystals with fcc lattice. The average grain size in the crystallized film is ～0.5 μm. The phase transformation is accompanied by film material densification. The relative change in the density during ZrO₂ crystallization is 10.27 ± 2.14%.     

Prototype electrochromic device and dye sensitized solar cell using spray deposited undoped and ‘Li’ doped V2O5 thin film electrodes

Lithium (Li) (0–5 wt%) doped V₂O₅ thin films were spray deposited at 450 °C onto ITO substrates. Structural analysis using X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy revealed orthorhombic phase of the films. In addition to the V₂O₅ phase, presence of VO₂ peaks due to high deposition temperature is also evident from structural and optical characterization. The non-stoichiometric nature of the films due to loss of the terminal O atom was confirmed from Raman spectroscopy. The direct band gap, indirect bandgap, and phonon energies were also calculated from optical studies. Different charge states of vanadium ions present in the film were identified from X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study. Results from cyclic voltammetry experiments reflected significant differences between the undoped and Li doped V₂O₅ samples. Transport properties by Hall-effect measured at room temperature indicated significant increase in conductivity, carrier concentration and mobility of V₂O₅ thin films on doping with Li. A Dye Sensitized Solar Cell (DSSC) was fabricated using mobility enhanced 5 wt% Li doped V₂O₅ film as photoanode and its efficiency was found to be 2.7%. A simple electrochromic cell is fabricated using undoped V₂O₅ thin film to demonstrate the colour change.     

Vanadium oxide thin films deposited on indium tin oxide glass by radio—frequency magnetron sputtering

Highly oriented VO₂(B), VO₂(B) + V₆O₁₃ films were grown on indium tin oxide glass by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering. Single phase V₆O₁₃ films were obtained from VO₂(B) +V₆O₁₃ films by annealing at 480℃ in vacuum. The vanadium oxide films were characterized by x-ray diffraction and x-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS). It was found that the formation of vanadium oxide films was affected by substrate temperature and annealing time, because high substrate temperature and annealing were favourable to further oxidation. Therefore, the formation of high valance vanadium oxide films was realized. The V₆O₁₃ crystalline sizes become smaller with the increase of annealing time. XPS analysis revealed that the energy position for all the samples was almost constant, but the broadening of the V_2p3/2 line of the annealed sample was due to the smaller crystal size of V₆O₁₃.     

Optical characteristics of amorphous V2O5 thin films colored by an excimer laser

The V₂O₅ films were prepared by an RF sputtering method, and the amorphous films were colored by an UV excimer laser. The crystallinity of the as-grown V₂O₅ film was degenerated greatly by laser irradiation, as determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman studies. The transmission and complex refractive index spectra of the V₂O₅ film were affected by variations in the microstructure, including the surface morphology, crystalline structure, and substoichiometry with an oxygen deficiency. Considerable emissions due to oxygen vacancies and band transition of photoluminescence (PL) peaks were observed, and the peaks were significantly changed after laser irradiation. The variations in the optical properties in both films may be attributed to oxygen deficiency induced by laser irradiation.     

Structural and optical properties of low temperature synthesized Nanostructured BiFeO3 thin films

Nanostructured bismuth ferrite (BiFeO₃) thin films were deposited on glass substrate by the sol-gel process. The as-fired film at 250 °C was found to be amorphous crystallizing to pure rhombohedral phase after annealing at 450 °C for 2 h in air. The XRD pattern shows that the sample is polycrystalline in nature. The average grain size of the film calculated from the XRD data was found to be 16 nm. The as-fired film show high transmittance that decreases after crystallization. The absorption edge of the films was found to be sharper and shifting towards the lower energy as the annealing temperature increases. The optical energy band gaps of the amorphous and crystalline films were found to be 2.63 and 2.31 eV, respectively. The refractive indices of the amorphous and crystalline films were 2.05 and 2.26, respectively.     

Elaboration and characterization of crystalline RF-deposited V2O5 positive electrode for thin film batteries

Investigations were realized on the microstructural and morphological evolution of RF-sputtered vanadium pentoxide thin films during growth. V₂O₅ thin films at different stages of growth were studied by spectroscopic ellipsometry, X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Film grain orientation, roughness and density were found to have notable evolution during growth. Electrochemical tests in liquid and solid electrolyte state configuration showed non-linear relationship between discharge capacity and V₂O₅ film thickness (<1 μm), which could be attributed in parts to the observed morphological and microstructural changes during growth, mainly the existence of a gradient density through film thickness and the pronounced top surface roughness.     

Electron microscopic investigation of the kinetics of the layer and island crystallization of amorphous V<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> films deposited by pulsed laser evaporation

An electron microscopic investigation was performed on the kinetics of the layer and island crystallization of amorphous V₂O₃ films deposited by pulsed laser evaporation of vanadium in an oxygen atmosphere. The crystallization was initiated by the action of an electron beam on an amorphous film in the column of a transmission electron microscope. The kinetic curves were plotted on the basis of a frame-by-frame analysis of the video recorded during the crystallization of the film. It was found that the layer crystallization of amorphous films is characterized by a quadratic dependence of the fraction of the crystalline phase x on the time t, whereas the island crystallization is described by an exponential dependence of x on t. The kinetic curves of island crystallization of amorphous films were analyzed on the basis of the α-version of the Kolmogorov model. For each type of crystallization, there are specific values of the dimensionless relative length unit δ₀, which is equal to the ratio of the characteristic length unit to the parameter characterizing the unit cell of the crystal. It was established that, for the layer crystallization, the relative length unit lies in the range δ₀ ~ 4300–4700, whereas for the fine-grained island crystallization, it amounts to δ₀ ~ 110.     

Comparison of TiO2 and ZrO2 Films Deposited by Electron-Beam Evaporation and by Sol-Gel Process

TiO2 and ZrO2 films are deposited by electron-beam （EB） evaporation and by sol-gel process. The film properties are characterized by visible and Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry, x-ray diffraction analysis, surface roughness measure, absorption and laser-induced damage threshold （LIDT） test. It is found that the sol-gel films have lower refractive index, packing density and roughness than EB deposited films due to their amorphous structure and high OH group concentration in the film. The high LIDT of sol-gel films is mainly due to their amorphous and porous structure, and low absorption. LIDT of EB deposited film is considerably affected by defects in the film, and LIDT of sol-gel deposited film is mainly effected by residual organic impurities and solvent trapped in the film.     

Effect of the substrate temperature and deposition rate on the initial growth of thin lithium niobate-tantalate films deposited from a thermal plasma

Thin lithium niobate-tantalate (LiNb_0.5Ta_0.5O₃) films are studied at the initial stage of deposition from a thermal plasma. The effect of two deposition parameters (the substrate temperature and the deposition rate) on the film morphology, the film crystallinity, and the density of nuclei growing on a (0001) sapphire substrate are investigated. It is shown that the crystalline structure and roughness of a film are determined, for the most part, in the initial growth stage and therefore depend directly on both parameters. At the optimum temperatures and growth rates for obtaining good characteristics of (0006) texture, crystallinity, and surface roughness of the films, the film nuclei on the substrate have a high density and good epitaxial orientation to it. If the growth conditions are not optimum, the islands are either amorphous or have a low density on the substrate surface. The nucleation activation energy is observed to decrease as the deposition rate increases, which supports the assumption that the species that are active in film deposition are “hot” clusters forming in an oxygen-argon plasma in the immediate vicinity of the substrate.     

Effect of different types of annealing on the thermal oxidation of V x O y /InP structures formed by the deposition of vanadium(V) oxide gel on the phase composition and morphology of films

The effect of different types of annealing (thermal or pulsed photon) of V _x O _y /InP structures synthesized using vanadium pentoxide gel on the process of their thermal oxidation, and the phase composition and morphology of the films are studied by the methods of X-ray phase analysis (XRD), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Thermal annealing makes it possible to synthesize films with a smoother surface relief in the absence of film-substrate interaction before thermal oxidation. Pulsed photon treatment compared with thermal annealing leads to more effective and rapid crystallization of the amorphous phase of the V₂O₅ gel and faster growth of oxide films during the thermal oxidation of V _x O _y /InP structures. As a result, pulsed photon treatment leads to the formation of InVO₄ as a product of the interaction between the semiconductor substrate and the chemostimulator, which is an attribute of the “hard” methods of chemostimulator deposition, i.e., magnetron sputtering and electric explosion of the conductor.     

(Zr,V)N复合膜的结构、力学性能及摩擦性能研究

通过非平衡磁控溅射的方法制备了不同V含量的(Zr,V)N复合薄膜, 采用EDS, XRD, XPS, 纳米压痕仪和摩擦磨损仪等对薄膜的化学成分、微结构、力学性能及摩擦性能进行了研究. 结果表明, V的加入虽未改变ZrN的fcc晶体结构, 但使薄膜的择优取向由ZrN的(200)面转变为(Zr,V)N的(111)面. 随着V含量增加, (Zr,V)N复合膜的硬度略有升高后缓慢降低, 并在含25.8 at.%V后迅速降低. 与此同时, 薄膜的常温摩擦系数亦有小幅降低. 高温摩擦研究表明, (Zr,V)N薄膜在300 ℃时出现V₂O₃, V₂O₅ 在500 ℃后形成, 其含量也随温度的提高而增加. 薄膜的摩擦系数因V₂O₅ 的形成而得到显著降低. 关键词： (Zr,V)N 薄膜 微结构 力学性能 摩擦性能