A new strip line broad-band measurement evaluation for determining the complex permeability of thin ferromagnetic films

In the present paper, a new method for determining the frequency dependent complex permeability of thin magnetic films, designed for measurements up to 5 GHz, is presented. The measurement technique described here was carried out by a one-port permeameter, which is based on a short-circuited strip line. The complex permeability was deduced by a new analytical approach from the measured reflection coefficient of a strip line (S₁₁) with and without a ferromagnetic film material inside. An adaptive error correction was applied in the measurement procedure. The spectral permeability of thin FeCoAlN films with an in-plane uniaxial anisotropy of μ₀^*H_a=3.2 mT induced by annealing at CMOS temperatures in a static magnetic field was investigated. The measurements were compared with a theoretical model taking the Landau–Lifshitz and eddy current theories into account. A resonant frequency of about 1.6 GHz was observed.     

Synthesis of CuS thin films by microwave assisted chemical bath deposition

In this study, oriented CuS nanoplates standing perpendicularly on F: SnO₂ (FTO) coated glass substrates have been prepared through a mild microwave assisted chemical bath deposition process in which copper acetate reacted with ethylenediamine tetraacetate acid disodium and thioacetamide in aqueous solution within 40 min. The effects of reaction time and microwave radiation on the treatment process were investigated. The morphology, structure, and composition of the yielded nanostructures have been confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Also, the correlation between the reflectance, transmittance coefficient in the UV and the thickness of films was established. Furthermore, a two-point probe was used for resistivity measurements. We believe this simple chemical conversion technique can be further extended to the synthesis of other semiconductors with various morphologies.     

A contribution from the magnetoelastic effect to measured microwave permeability of thin ferromagnetic films

Microwave magnetic performance of thin ferromagnetic films is of interest in view of many technical problems. For measuring the microwave permeability, a shorted stripline technique is in common use. Recently, a coaxial technique has been developed for permeability measurements of films deposited onto a flexible substrate. The coaxial technique is reported to be advantageous over the conventional stripline method in wideband operating range and accuracy. In this paper, measurement results are presented which are obtained with these two techniques for Fe–N films. It is found that the magnetoelastic effect contributes greatly to the measured microwave permeability of the films. With the coaxial measurements under an external magnetic bias, this effect may be accounted for to estimate the permeability of a plane film sample. Additional information on the properties of the film can also be extracted from these data, such as estimations of average magnetic anisotropy field and of the magnetostriction constant of the film.     

Microstructure of microwave dielectricthin films by RF magnetron sputtering

The article describes the microstructure and morphological properties of microwave dielectric ceramic thin films. These thin films were successfully prepared on SiO₂ (1 1 0) single-crystal substrates by radio frequency magnetron-sputtering system. The microstructure and morphology of the thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The results show that the main phase is Ba_0.5Sr_0.5Nb₂O₆,which has a tetragonal perovskite structure, a long strip pattern, and uniform crystal-grain size of about 2-3 μm in length when annealed under 1150 °C for 30 min in an O₂ atmosphere. These thin films are of excellent crystallization quality, with a polycrystalline and dense structure.     

Microstructure and microwave permeability of FeCo thin films with Co underlayer

Microstructure, static magnetic properties and microwave permeability of sputtered FeCo films were examined. Fe₆₀Co₄₀ films (100 nm in thickness) deposited on glass substrates exhibited in-plane isotropy and a large coercivity of 161.1 Oe. When same thickness films were deposited on 2.5 nm Co underlayer, well-defined in-plane anisotropy was formed with an anisotropy field of 65 Oe. The sample had a static initial permeability of about 285, maximum imaginary permeability of 1255 and ferromagnetic resonance frequency of 2.71 GHz. Cross-sectional TEM image revealed that the Co underlayer had induced a columnar grain structure with grain diameter of 10 nm in the FeCo films. In comparison, FeCo films without Co underlayer showed larger grains of 70 nm in diameter with fewer distinct vertical grain boundaries. In addition, the Co underlayer changed the preferred orientation of the FeCo from (1 0 0) to (1 1 0). The improvement in soft magnetic properties and microwave behavior originates from the modification of the film microstructure, which can be well understood by the random anisotropy theory.     

Multifunctional thin films of lactoferrin for biochemical use deposited by MAPLE technique

Lactoferrin (Lf) is an iron-binding glycoprotein present in almost all mammalian secretions which plays an important role in host defense against microbial and viral infections. The protein has been reported to also have anti-inflammatory activity and antitumoral effects in vitro and in vivo.Thin films of Lf were deposited on silicon, quartz and Thermanox plastic coverslip substrates by Matrix Assisted Pulsed Laser Evaporation (MAPLE) technique, using a Nd:YAG laser working at 266 nm, at different laser fluences (0.1-0.8 J cm⁻²). The deposited layers have been characterized by Fourier Transformed Infra-Red spectroscopy (FTIR), and the morphology of the various substrates was investigated by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). The biocompatibility of lactoferrin thin films was evaluated for each substrate, by in vitro biochemical tests.     

高电阻率多层纳米颗粒膜软磁特性及微波磁导率

研究了应用于微波频段的多层纳米颗粒膜的电阻率、软磁特性和微波磁导率.采用多次顺序沉积Co₄₀Fe₄₀B₂₀和SiO₂薄层制备了薄膜.在100kA/m均匀面内磁场经过250℃真空退火2h,制备的Co₄₀Fe₄₀B₂₀/SiO₂多层膜具有难轴矫顽力为210A/m、饱和磁化强度为838.75kA/m、电阻率为2.06×10^{3关键词： 纳米颗粒膜 电阻率 软磁特性 微波磁导率}     

Structural and optical properties of YSZ thin films grown by PLD technique

We report on the structural and optical properties of yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique and in situ crystallized at different substrate temperatures (T_s = 400 °C, 500 °C and 600 °C). Yttria-stabilized zirconia target of ∼1 in. diameter (∼95% density) was fabricated by solid state reaction method for thin film deposition by PLD. The YSZ thin films were grown on an optically polished quartz substrates and the deposition time was 30 min for all the films. XRD analysis shows cubic crystalline phase of YSZ films with preferred orientation along 〈1 1 1〉. The surface roughness was determined by AFM for the films deposited at different substrate temperatures. The nano-sized surface roughness is found to increase with the increase of deposition temperatures. For the optical analysis, a UV-vis-NIR spectrophotometer was used and the optical band gap of ∼5.7 eV was calculated from transmittance curves.     

Photoluminescence study of pure and Li-doped ZnO thin films grown by sol-gel technique

The effect of annealing atmosphere, temperature and aging on the photoluminescence of pure and Li-doped ZnO thin films has been investigated. Annealing the pure ZnO in N₂ and He above 800 °C results in green emission centered at ca. 500 nm; however annealing in air red-shifts the green emission to 527 nm. The visible emission of the Li-doped ZnO is found to be largely dependent on the annealing atmosphere. Warm-white photoluminescence with a broad emission band covering nearly the whole visible spectrum is obtained for the Li-doped ZnO films annealed in helium. The substitutional and interstitial extrinsic point defects created by lithium doping may mediate the relative concentration of the intrinsic defects and thereby tune the intrinsic-defect-related visible emission. The enhanced intensity ratio of near-band-edge ultraviolet emission to deep-level visible emission with aging time may be ascribed to both in-diffusion of oxygen from air and self-diffusion of oxygen interstitials to heal the oxygen vacancies during the aging process.     

Adjustable microwave permeability of nanorings: A micromagnetic investigation

Based on the three-dimensional micromagnetic simulations, we present a method to tailor the microwave permeabilities of magnonic metamaterials cells by a designed nanoring structure. The results show that the permeabilities and resonant frequency are depended on the wall?s thickness of nanorings. The underlying mechanism is ascribed to the presence of strong demagnetization fields, which are associated to the ring?s wall. In addition, the products of magnetic susceptibility and resonant frequency are larger than that predicted from Snoek?s law in polycrystalline particles. These results are direct manifestations of the bi-anisotropy model.     

Morphology of alkali halide thin films

Two alkali halide adsorbate-substrate systems were investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) working in contact mode. Adsorbate film orientation relative to the substrate was determined from the arrangement of the atomic steps of the substrate and the edges of the forming islands. In this work we present experimental results obtained for systems: NaCl/LiF(0 0 1) and LiF/NaCl(0 0 1), which exhibit a strong tendency of the self-assembly into regular structures.     

Preparation of CuInS2 thin films by metal-organic decomposition

Metal-organic decomposition (MOD) technique has been developed as a low cost thin film CuInS₂ preparation method for solar cell application. XRD and Raman spectra measurement revealed that deposited films contain CuInS₂. Stoichiometric films with a bandgap of 1.53 eV and an FWHM of 0.45° were obtained from a solution with Cu/In=1.5.     

Electrosynthesis and characterization of CdSe thin films: Optimization of preparative parameters by photoelectrochemical technique

CdSe thin films have been electrodeposited potentiostatically onto stainless-steel and fluorine-doped tin oxide-coated glass substrates from an aqueous acidic bath using cadmium acetate ((CH₃COO)₂Cd·2H₂O) as a Cd ion source. Preparative parameters such as deposition potential, solution concentration, bath temperature, pH of the electrolytic bath and deposition time have been optimized by using photoelectrochemical (PEC) technique to obtain well adherent and uniform thin films. The electrodeposits were dark brown in colour. The films have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical absorption techniques. XRD studies reveal that films are polycrystalline, with hexagonal crystal structure. SEM shows that the films are compact, with spherical grains. Optical absorption studies reveal that the material exhibits a direct optical transition having band gap energy ∼1.72 eV. PEC study shows that the films are photoactive.     

Synthesis and characterization of porous crystalline SiC thin films prepared by radio frequency reactive magnetron sputtering technique

Hexagonal SiC thin films have been deposited using radio frequency reactive magnetron sputtering technique by varying the substrate temperature and other deposition conditions. Prior to deposition surface modification of the substrate Si(1 0 0) played an important role in deposition of the hexagonal SiC structure. The effect of substrate temperature during deposition on structure, composition and surface morphology of the SiC films has been analyzed using atomic force microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry. X-ray diffraction in conventional θ-2θ mode and omega scan mode revealed that the deposited films were crystalline having 8H-SiC structure and crystallinity improved with increase of deposition temperature. The bonding order and Si-C composition within the films showed improvement with the increase of deposition temperature. The surface of thin films grew in the shape of globes and columns depending upon deposition temperature. The optical properties also showed improvement with increase of deposition temperature and the results obtained by ellipsometry reinforced the results of other techniques.     

Infrared reflectivity and dielectric permeability of ultra-thin Cu and Al films

In this report we present an experimental investigation of the reflectivity (R) and the dielectric permeability () for Cu and Al ultra-thin films ranging in thickness from a few monolayers to 12 nm at infrared and visible wavelengths. The metal films were prepared by RF-sputtering on SiO₂ (glass) and Si substrates. IR reflectivity was measured at 9.2 μm, while was measured with the help of laser ellipsometer at a wavelength of 632.8 nm. Two types of oscillations on R(d) and (d) were discovered for two thickness regions determined by the critical thickness value d*. Oscillations at d<d* with periods near 0.3 nm for Al and Cu films were observed on R(d) and (d) due to quantum sized effects (QSEs). At d>d* (thickness between 6–12 nm) we discover a new type of strong oscillation of R(d) and (d) with an oscillating period of 0.2 nm. For thickness larger than 12 nm all the oscillations tend to disappear and R and behave almost as their volume values. A possible explanation for the appearance of these two kinds of oscillations is based on the introduction of the critical film thickness d*.     

Growth of Ni-Mn-Ga high-temperature shape memory alloy thin films by magnetron sputtering technique

Ni-Mn-Ga thin films have been fabricated by using magnetron sputtering technique under various substrate negative bias voltages. The effect of substrate negative bias voltage on the compositions and surface morphology of Ni-Mn-Ga thin films was systematically investigated by energy dispersive X-ray spectrum and atomic force microscopy, respectively. The results show that the Ni contents of the thin films increase with the increase of the substrate negative bias voltages, whereas the Mn contents and Ga contents decrease with the increase of substrate negative bias voltages. It was also found that the surface roughness and average particle size of the thin films remarkably decrease with the increase of substrate negative bias voltages. Based on the influence of bias voltages on film compositions, a Ni₅₆Mn₂₇Ga₁₇ thin film was obtained at the substrate negative bias voltage of 30 V. Further investigations indicate that the martensitic transformation start temperature of this film is up to 584 K, much higher than room temperature, and the film has a non-modulated tetragonal martensitic structure at room temperature. Transmission electron microscopy observations reveal that microstructure of the thin film exhibits an internally (1 1 1) type twinned substructure. The fabrication of Ni₅₆Mn₂₇Ga₁₇ high-temperature shape memory alloy thin film will contribute to the successful development of microactuators.     

Studies on surface deformation of copper sulphide thin films by holographic interferometry technique

Holographic interferometry technique used to study the surface deformation of electrodeposited copper sulphide thin films on stainless steel substrate is here presented. It is concerned with the formation and interpretation of fringe patterns, which appears when a wave generated at some earlier time and stored in a hologram is later reconstructed by interfering with comparison wave. The proposed technique uses double exposure holographic interferometry (DEHI) together with simple mathematical relation, which allows immediate finding of stress, mass deposited and thickness of thin film. It must be further noted that, fringe spacing changes with time of deposition as well as solution concentration. The structural study (XRD) is carried out for the confirmation.     

Preparation and characterization of transparent NiO thin films deposited by spray pyrolysis technique

Nickel oxide thin films were successfully fabricated with various deposition time (t_d = 5, 10, and 15 min) on glass substrates using spray pyrolysis technique. The deposited films undergo thermal treatment at 350 °C for various annealing time (t_a = 0, 15, 30 and 60 min). In this study, the effect of t_d and t_a on film thickness was observed and their influence on structural, morphological and optical properties were investigated. The films deposited with t_d = 5 min showed amorphous structure while the films grown at higher deposition time became partially crystallized with preferred growth along (1 1 1) direction. Heat treatment carried out in air allowed us to tune the polycrystalline structure and the diffraction intensity at preferred peak increases with the increase in t_a which is a consequence of better crystallinity. This was reflected in the AFM micrographs of the films which suggested that the thermal annealing (or increasing t_a) facilitates the process of grain-growth, and improves the crystalline microstructure. The optical transmission of the films was found to vary with t_d and t_a and thus film thickness. The thinner films show higher transparency in the UV–vis spectral region. The optical band gap was blue-shifted from 3.35 eV to 3.51 eV depending on t_a. The effect of t_a on the various optical constants of the NiO films has also been discussed.     

Investigations on the mechanism of carrier transport in plasma polymerized pyrrole thin films

Plasma polymerization is found to be an excellent technique for the preparation of good quality, pinhole-free, polymer thin films from different monomer precursors. The present work describes the preparation and characterization of polypyrrole (PPy) thin films by ac plasma polymerization technique in their pristine and in situ iodine doped forms. The electrical conductivity studies of the aluminium-polymer-aluminium (Al-polymer-Al) structures have been carried out and a space charge limited conduction (SCLC) mechanism is identified as the most probable mechanism of carrier transport in these polymer films. The electrical conductivity shows an enhanced value in the iodine doped sample. The reduction of optical band gap by iodine doping is correlated with the observed conductivity results.