Er:YAB nanoparticles and vitreous thin films by the polymeric precursor method

The synthesis of Y_0.9Er_0.1Al₃(BO₃)₄ crystalline powders and vitreous thin films were studied. Precursor solutions were obtained using a modified polymeric precursor method using d-sorbitol as complexant agent. The chemical reactions were described. Y_0.9Er_0.1Al₃(BO₃)₄ composition presents good thermal stability with regard to crystallization. The Y_0.9Er_0.1Al₃(BO₃)₄ crystallized phase can be obtained at 1,150 °C, in agreement with other authors. Crack- and porosity-free films were obtained with very small grain size and low RMS roughness. The films thickness revealed to be linearly dependent on precursor solution viscosity, being the value of 25 mPa s useful to prepare high-quality amorphous multi-layers (up to ∼ 800 nm) at 740 °C during 2 h onto silica substrates by spin coating with a gyrset technology.     

金属有机分解法制备的SrTiO3薄膜的光学特性

采用金属有机分解法（MOD）在石英衬底上沉积了SrTiO3薄膜。所制备的薄膜是晶格常数为a=b=c=3.90?的多晶结构。通过测量190—1100nm波段内的透射光谱，采用包络方法计算了薄膜的光学常数（折射率n和消光系数k）。结果表明，采用MOD方法制备的薄膜的折射率大于采用射频磁控溅射、溶胶—凝胶和化学气相沉积方法制备的薄膜的折射率；薄膜的折射率色散关系满足单振子模型，其中振子强度S0为0.88′1014m-2，振子能量E0为6.40eV；薄膜的禁带宽度为3.68eV。     

Effects of co-substitution on the electrical properties of BiFeO3 thin films prepared by chemical solution deposition

Ferroelectric BiFeO₃ thin films with Nd-Cr (or Sm-Cr) co-substitution (denoted by BNdFCr and BSmFCr, respectively) were deposited on the Pt(2 0 0)/TiO₂/SiO₂/Si(1 0 0) substrates by a chemical solution deposition method. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed the formation of BNdFCr and BSmFCr thin films without any secondary phases. The co-substituted BNdFCr (or BSmFCr) thin films, which were annealed at 550 °C for 30 min in N₂ atmosphere, exhibited enhanced electrical properties compared to BFO thin films with the remanent polarization (2P_r) and coercive electric field (2E_c) of 196, 188 μC/cm² and 600, 570 kV/cm with the electric field of 800 kV/cm, respectively. The leakage current densities of BNdFCr and BSmFCr thin films measured at room temperature were approximately three orders of magnitude lower than that of BFO thin film, and the leakage current at room temperature of the thin films exhibited three distinctive conduction behaviors. Furthermore, the values of pulse polarizations [i.e., +(P*-P^{^}) or −(P*-P^{^})] of BNdFCr and BSmFCr thin films were reasonably unchanged up to 1.4 × 10¹⁰ switching cycles.     

Electrochromic and photoluminescence properties of cobalt oxide thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis

Cobalt oxide thin films were prepared by a facile spray pyrolysis technique, using a perfume atomizer with an aqueous solution of hydrated cobalt chloride salt with a molar concentration of 0.025?M as a source of cobalt. The films were deposited onto glass substrates at temperature of 350?°C. The structural, morphological, and electrochromic properties of the obtained films were studied. It was found from X-ray diffraction analysis that the films were polycrystalline in nature with spinel-type cubic structure and preferred orientation along [111] direction. The Scanning Electron Microscopy images revealed a porous structure with the average grain size around 200?nm. The cyclic voltammetry measurements revealed that Cobalt oxide thin film is an anodically coloring electrochromic material with a transmittance variation in the visible range of 31%, and a fast response time (about 2?seconds) and a good cycling stability. These electrochromic performances make cobalt oxide thin film an attractive material for using as an anodic electrochromic material in smart windows devices. The photoluminescence spectra exhibited a strong emission in the visible region confirming the good crystallinity properties of Co₃O₄ thin films.     

Correlation between lithium storage and diffusion properties and electrochromic characteristics of WO3 thin films

As essential electrochromic(EC) materials are related to energy savings in fenestration technology,tungsten oxide(WO3) films have been intensively studied recently.In order to achieve better understanding of the mechanism of EC properties,and thus facilitate optimization of device performance,clarification of the correlation between cation storage and transfer properties and the coloration performance is needed.In this study,transparent polycrystalline and amorphous WO3 thin films were deposited on SnO2:F-coated glass substrates by the pulsed laser deposition technique.Investigation into optical transmittance in a wavelength range of 400-800 nm measured at a current density of 130 μA·cm-2 with the applied potential ranging from 3.2 to 2.2 V indicates that polycrystalline films have a larger optical modulation of ～ 30% at 600 nm and a larger coloration switch time of 95 s in the whole wavelength range compared with amorphous films(～ 24% and 50 s).Meanwhile,under the same conditions,polycrystalline films show a larger lithium storage capacity corresponding to a Li/W ratio of 0.5,a smaller lithium diffusion coefficient(2×10-12cm2·s-1 for Li/W=0.24) compared with the amorphous ones,which have a Li/W ratio of 0.29 and a coefficient of ～2.5×10-11cm2·s-1 as Li/W=0.24.These results demonstrate that the large optical modulation relates to the large lithium storage capacity,and the fast coloration transition is associated with fast lithium diffusion.     

Structural and optical properties of nanocrystalline ZnO thin films synthesized by the citrate precursor route

Nanocrystalline zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films have been deposited by spin-coating polymeric precursors synthesized by the citrate precursor route using ethylene glycol and citric acid as chelating agents. The ZnO thin films were annealed in air at different temperatures for 10 min. The films were characterized by different structural and optical techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), optical transmission spectroscopy, and photoluminescence (PL). The thermal decomposition of polymeric precursor was studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). XRD analysis with grazing incidence and rocking curves indicate that the ZnO films are polycrystalline with preferential orientation along the c-axis direction with a full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of 0.31° for 600 °C-annealed samples. On annealing, the texturing in films increased along with a decrease in FWHM. AFM micrographs illustrate that the ZnO films are crack-free with well-dispersed homogeneous and uniformly distributed spherical morphology. The synthesized ZnO thin films have transparency >85% in the visible region exhibiting band edge at 375 nm, which becomes sharper with anneal. Room temperature PL spectra of these films show strong ultraviolet (UV) emission around 392 nm with an increase in intensity with annealing temperature, attributed to grain growth. Deconvolution of the PL spectra reveals that there is coupling of free excitons with higher orders of longitudinal optical (LO) phonon replicas leading to a broad asymmetric near-band-edge peak.     

Influence of citric acid on the morphology and magnetic properties of barium ferrite thin films

Hexagonal barium ferrite (BaFe₁₂O₁₉) thin films were fabricated by spin coating of precursors from sol-gel methods. Different amount of citric acid was added. Weight loss and changes of chemical bonds during the heat treatment below 500 °C were recorded by thermogravity analyzer and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, respectively. The morphology of the films, i.e. the amount of acicular crystallites in the film, was controlled by adjusting the quantity of citric acid. The X-ray diffraction shows that the films are c-axis oriented, but the crystallization is less perfect with the increase of the citric acid. With the increase of the citric acid, the percentage of the acicular crystallites increased. At the same time, the coercivity force increased. The acicular crystallites were not exchange-coupled to the platelet crystallites. The citric acid was understood to form complex with iron ions and accelerate the exothermal auto-combustion. The c-axis oriented growth of the film was thus deteriorated.     

Influence of glucose on the structural and optical properties of ZnO thin films prepared by sol-gel method

In this work, ZnO thin films were prepared by sol-gel method on glass substrates followed by calcinations at 500 °C for an hour. The effect of glucose on the structure and optical properties of the films was studied. The structural characteristics of the samples were analyzed by X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and atomic force microscope (AFM). The optical properties were studied by a UV-visible spectrophotometer. The results show that some of the prepared ZnO thin films have a high preferential oriented c-axis orientation with compact hexagonal wurtzite structure due to a proper amount of glucose introducing. After introducing the glucose additive in ZnO colloids, the intensity of (002) peak, the transmittance, and the optical band gap of the ZnO thin films increases because of the enhanced ZnO crystallization. On the contrary, the absorbance, the film thickness, and the surface root-mean-square (RMS) roughness of the ZnO thin films decreases. The glucose additive could not only improve the surface RMS roughness and microstructure of ZnO thin films, but also enhance the transmittance and the energy band gap more easily.     

Physico-chemical, optical and electrochemical properties of iron oxide thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis

Iron oxide thin films were prepared by spray pyrolysis technique onto glass substrates from iron chloride solution. They were characterized by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and (UV-vis) spectroscopy. The films deposited at T_s ≤ 450 °C were amorphous; while those produced at T_sub = 500 °C were polycrystalline α-Fe₂O₃ with a preferential orientation along the (1 0 4) direction. By observing scanning electron microscopy (SEM), it was seen that iron oxide films were relatively homogeneous uniform and had a good adherence to the glass substrates. The grain size was found (by RX) between 19 and 25 nm. The composition of these films was examined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). These films exhibited also a transmittance value about 80% in the visible and infrared range. The cyclic voltammetry study showed that the films of Fe₂O₃ deposited on ITO pre-coated glass substrates were capable of charge insertion/extraction when immersed in an electrolyte of propylene carbonate (PC) with 0.5 M LiCLO₄.     

Effect of annealing temperature on photocatalytic activity of ZnO thin films prepared by sol-gel method

Zinc oxide thin films are deposited on Si and quartz substrates using the sol-gel method. The thin films, annealed at 400, 600 and 800 °C respectively, are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer (UV-Vis), fluorescence spectrometer (FL) and the photocatalytic activity is tested by the decomposition of methyl orange dye under UV illumination. The results show that the mean grain size, surface-to-volume ratio, rms roughness and degradation efficiency of the thin films increases with increasing annealing temperature. In particular, ZnO thin film annealed at 800 °C exhibits the highest photocatalytic activity, degrading methyl orange by almost 88% in 180 min. Photocatalytic reaction mechanism of the ZnO thin films is discussed in detail, and the oxygen defects are proposed to be the active sites of the ZnO photocatalyst.     

Effect of RF power and sputtering pressure on the structural and optical properties of TiO2 thin films prepared by RF magnetron sputtering

TiO₂ thin films were deposited onto quartz substrates by RF magnetron sputtering. The samples deposited at various RF powers and sputtering pressures and post annealed at 873 K, were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), micro Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-vis spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. XRD spectrum indicates that the films are amorphous-like in nature. But micro-Raman analysis shows the presence of anatase phase in all the samples. At low sputtering pressure, increase in RF power favors the formation of rutile phase. Presence of oxygen defects, which can contribute to PL emission is evident in the XPS studies. Surface morphology is much affected by changes in sputtering pressure which is evident in the SEM images. A decrease in optical band gap from 3.65 to 3.58 eV is observed with increase in RF power whereas increase in sputtering pressure results in an increase in optical band gap from 3.58 to 3.75 eV. The blue shift of absorption edge in all the samples compared to that of solid anatase is attributed to quantum size effect. The very low value of extinction coefficient in the range 0.0544-0.1049 indicates the excellent optical quality of the samples. PL spectra of the films showed emissions in the UV and visible regions.     

Investigation of electrochromic tungsten trioxide thin films prepared by the ILGAR method

An ion layer gas reaction dip coating process for the deposition of tungsten trioxide has been developed. Thin films of electrochromic tungsten trioxide with thicknesses of up to 150 nm were prepared. The films were found to be microcrystalline by X-ray diffraction analysis. The growth rate of the films was measured by profilometry. The chemical diffusion coefficient of lithium was investigated as a function of the concentration of lithium by the electrochemical galvanostatic intermittent titration technique. The chemical diffusion coefficient was found to increase slightly from 7×10⁻¹² to 3×10⁻¹ cm²/s, with x increasing from 0.2 to 0.8 in Li _x WO₃.     

Deposition of Na2WO4 films by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis: effect of thickness on the crystallographic and sensing properties

Na₂WO₄ films have been grown on Si (1 0 0) and glass substrate using ultrasonic spray pyrolysis. The films are prepared from aqueous solution containing Na₂WO₄·2H₂O at 475 °C temperature and characterized by XRD and SEM techniques and the chemical composition of the films have been verified by EDX and PIXE and its formula Na₂WO₄ is confirmed by XRD. The evolution of the crystallinity was studied as a function of film thickness ranging from 2500 to 4200 nm, which corresponds to a deposition time from 10 to 30 min, respectively. The crystalline quality was found to improve, where the grain size values increased with increasing thickness. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) was used to study the morphology evolution with the deposition time, where porous films were found due to the synthesis parameters, and a better sensing response to gases was developed with increasing thickness. Thus, this study demonstrates the possibility of utilizing Na₂WO₄ thick films as a sensor element for the detection of ethanol vapor at room temperature, where thicker films exhibit excellent ethanol vapor sensing properties with a maximum sensitivity at 25 °C in air atmosphere with fast response time.     

Structure, electrochromic and optical properties of WO3 film prepared by dip coating-pyrolysis

The tungsten oxide (WO₃) film was grown by dip coating-pyrolysis method with the PEG-400 as the structure-directing agent. Microstructure of the WO₃ film was characterized by TG-DSC, XRD and SEM techniques. It was found that the film annealed at 350 °C for 2 h comprised cubic WO₃ and orthorhombic WO₃. The measurements of the cyclic voltammetry (CV) and UV-vis spectrum suggested that the WO₃ film had a good electrochromic reversibility performance. The film possessed excellent modulation to the visible light and the maximal average transmittance modulation reached 70.06%.     

Structural, electrical and optical properties of TiO2 doped WO3 thin films

TiO₂ doped WO₃ thin films were deposited onto glass substrates and fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) coated conducting glass substrates, maintained at 500 °C by pyrolytic decomposition of adequate precursor solution. Equimolar ammonium tungstate ((NH₄)₂WO₄) and titanyl acetyl acetonate (TiAcAc) solutions were mixed together at pH 9 in volume proportions and used as a precursor solution for the deposition of TiO₂ doped WO₃ thin films. Doping concentrations were varied between 4 and 38%. The effect of TiO₂ doping concentration on structural, electrical and optical properties of TiO₂ doped WO₃ thin films were studied. Values of room temperature electrical resistivity, thermoelectric power and band gap energy (E_g) were estimated. The films with 38% TiO₂ doping in WO₃ exhibited lowest resistivity, n-type electrical conductivity and improved electrochromic performance among all the samples. The values of thermoelectric power (TEP) were in the range of 23-56 μV/K and the direct band gap energy varied between 2.72 and 2.86 eV.     

前驱液成分对TFA-MOD法制备YBa2Cu3O7-x薄膜超导性能的影响

采用三氟乙酸盐-金属有机沉积法(TFA-MOD)在铝酸镧单晶基体上制备了YBa₂Cu₃O_7-x (YBCO)超导薄膜.通过改变前驱液的成分,研究了金属元素的不同化学计量比对YBCO薄膜的结构和性能的影响.结果表明,按照钇盐Y(CH₃COO)₃与钡盐Ba(CH₃COO)₂的比例为Y ∶Ba=1 ∶1.5时所制备的YBCO薄膜的临界电流密度比严 关键词： 三氟乙酸盐-金属有机沉积 钇钡铜氧薄膜 前驱液成分 磁通钉扎     

Effect of deposition method on the optical and microstructural properties of vacuum-deposited MgF2 thin films

The optical and structural properties of magnesium fluoride films deposited by conventional e-beam evaporation and sputtering have been investigated herein. Deposition processes were carried out on the glass substrates in the absence of any reactive gases. The results show that the deposition method has a considerable effect on the optical and microstructural properties MgF₂ film. Also, the results show that the deposition parameters of the sputtered MgF₂ films can be easily controlled to yield the desired layer. The optical, chemical, and structural properties of the deposited MgF₂ films were characterized by using spectrophotometer, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy.     

Effect of [Cu]/[In] ratio on properties of CuInS2 thin films prepared by successive ionic layer absorption and reaction method

CuInS₂ ternary films were prepared by a soft solution processing, i.e. successive ionic layer absorption and reaction (SILAR) method. The films were deposited on glass substrates at room temperature and heat-treated under Ar atmosphere at 500 °C for 1 h. CuCl₂ and InCl₃ mixed solutions with different ionic ratios ([Cu]/[In]) were used as cation precursor and Na₂S as the anion precursor. The effect of the [Cu]/[In] ratio in precursor solution on the structural, chemical stoichiometry, topographical, optical and electrical properties of CuInS₂ thin films was investigated. XPS results demonstrated that stoichiometric CuInS₂ film can be obtained by adjusting [Cu]/[In] ratios in solution. Chalcopyrite structure of the film was confirmed by XRD analysis. The near stoichiometric CuInS₂ film has the optical band gap E_g of 1.45 and resistivity decreased with increase of [Cu]/[In] ratios.     

Influences of oxygen partial pressure on structure and related properties of ZrO2 thin films prepared by electron beam evaporation deposition

ZrO₂ thin films were prepared by electron beam evaporation at different oxygen partial pressures. The influences of oxygen partial pressure on structure and related properties of ZrO₂ thin films were studied. Transmittance, thermal absorption, structure and residual stress of ZrO₂ thin films were measured by spectrophotometer, surface thermal lensing technique (STL), X-ray diffraction and optical interferometer, respectively. The results showed that the structure and related properties varied progressively with the increase of oxygen partial pressure. The refractive indices and the packing densities of the thin films decreased when the oxygen partial pressure increased. The tetragonal phase fraction in the thin films decreased gradually as oxygen partial pressure increased. The residual stress of film deposited at base pressure was high compressive stress, the value decreased with the increase of oxygen partial pressure, and the residual stress became tensile with the further increase of oxygen pressure, which was corresponding to the evolution of packing densities and variation of interplanar distances.     

A comparative study of thermal properties of similar Zn-free and Zn-doped thin films

Zn-doped sprayed thin films have been grown on binary In₂S₃ substrates under the mean temperature (T_d = 320 °C). Further studies Amlouk et al. [M. Amlouk, M.A. Ben Said, N. Kamoun, S. Belgacem, N. Brunet, D. Barjon, Japan Journal of Applied Physics 38 (1999) 26-30]; Lazzez et al. [S. Lazzez, K. Boubaker, M. Amlouk, Indirect measurement of Zn-doped In₂S₃ NANO films SPECIFIC heat capacity, International Journal of Nanoscience 7 (2008) 1–5.]; Lazzez et al. [S. Lazzez, K. Boubaker, T. Ben Nasrallah, M. Mnari, R. Chtourou, M. Amlouk, S. Belgacem, Structural and optoelectronic properties of InZnS sprayed layers, Acta Physica Polonica A 114 (2008) 869–880.] investigated the band gap shift, the structural and morphological changes induced by this doping. In this study, a quantitative comparative evaluation of the thermal properties of the as-grown layers is carried out. The obtained results, parallel to further information, plea for the superior thermal efficiency of the recently proposed Zn-doped ternary compounds.