Linear and nonlinear optical properties of rare earth doped of Ba0.7Sr0.3TiO3 thin films

Ba_0.7Sr_0.3TiO₃:Eu ferroelectric films were deposited on quartz substrates by pulsed laser deposition. The linear absorption coefficient and the linear refractive index calculated from the transmission spectrum at 532 nm were found to be 1.67×10⁴ cm^?1 and 1.82 respectively. The room temperature photoluminescence shows the characteristic emission of Eu³⁺ ions. The nonlinear optical properties of the film were investigated by a single beam Z-scan setup. The negative nonlinear refractive index and two photon absorption coefficient was found to be ?1.508×10^?6 m²/GW and 240 m/GW respectively. The real and imaginary part of the third order susceptibility of the thin films is 2.58×10^?17 m²/V² and 1.16×10^?16 m²/V² respectively. The BST:Eu thin films show good optical limiting property.     

Fabrication and capacitive characteristics of conjugated polymer composite p-polyaniline/n-WO3 heterojunction

A nanocrystalline and porous p-polyaniline/n-WO₃ dissimilar heterojunction at ambient temperature is reported. The high-quality and well-reproducible conjugated polymer composite films have been fabricated by oxidative polymerization of anilinium ion on predeposited WO₃ thin film by chemical bath deposition followed by thermal annealing at 573 K for 1 h. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) analyses reveal a homogenous but irregular cluster of faceted spherically shaped grains with pores. The scanning electron microscopy confirms the porous network of grains, which is in good agreement with the AFM result. The optical absorption analysis of polyaniline/WO₃ hybrid films showed that direct optical transition exist in the photon energy range 3.50–4.00 eV with bandgap of 3.70 eV. The refractive index developed peak at 445 nm in the dispersion region while the high-frequency dielectric constant, ? _∞, and the carrier concentration to effective mass ratio, N/m^*, was found to be 1.58 and 1.10 × 10³⁹ cm^?3, respectively. The temperature dependence of electrical resistivity of the deposited films follows the semiconductor behavior while the C–V characteristics (Mott–Schottky plots) show that the flat band potential was ?791 and 830 meV/SCE for WO₃ and polyaniline.     

Effects of different deposition conditions on the properties of Cu2S thin films

Cu₂S thin films deposited on glass substrate by chemical bath deposition were studied at different deposition temperatures and times. The results of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), the Hall Effect measurement system and UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy indicate that both deposition temperature and time are important to obtain polycrystalline thin films. XRD showed that the polycrystalline Cu₂S thin films have monoclinic structure. Meanwhile, the structural variations were analyzed using SEM. EDX analysis results of the thin film showed that the atomic ratio of Cu/S was close to 2:1. It was found from the Hall Effect measurement that the resistivity varied from 4.59?×?10^?3 to 13.8?×?10^?3 (Ω?cm). The mobility values of the Cu₂S thin films having p-type conductivity varied from 15.16 to 134.6?cm²/V.s. The dark electrical resistivity measurements were studied at temperatures in the range 303–423?K. The electrical activation energies of Cu₂S thin films were calculated by using Arrhenius plots, from which two different activation energy values are estimated for each thin film. Using UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy (Ultraviolet/visible), the direct and indirect allowed optical band gap values were determined to lie between 2.16 and 2.37?eV and 1.79 and 1.99?eV, respectively. In addition, the values of the refractive index (n) and the extinction coefficient (k) were determined.     

Photoluminescence study of nitrogen-doped p-type Mg x Zn1−x O nanocrystalline thin film grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy

Tin sulfide thin films have been grown on glass substrates by chemical bath deposition technique (CBD) at room temperature and irradiated with UV light source of wavelength 355 nm. The effect of UV illumination on the physical properties of the films was compared with that of the as-prepared film. Though the thickness of the films was unaltered after illumination, the structural, optical and electrical properties changed considerably. Structural studies showed the polycrystalline nature of the UV-illuminated sample, whereas the as-prepared film was mono crystalline. Both films were orthorhombic structure with Sn₂S₃ phase. The optical properties of the films were systematically studied using the optical absorbance and reflection spectra. Studies on the reflection spectra showed higher reflectance in visible and infrared region for the UV-illuminated films and lower reflectance in the infrared region for the as-prepared one. The variation of the refractive index of the samples was also analyzed. The optical absorption coefficient and the optical band gap energy of the films were evaluated. The irradiated film exhibited lower band gap of 1.74 eV than the value of as-prepared film, i.e., 1.77 eV. The measured resistivity of the tin sulfide thin films was found to be of the order of 10⁸ and 10⁹ Ωcm for UV-illuminated and as-prepared films, respectively. The SEM images showed the presence of worm-like nanostructures with almost similar appearance in both the films.     

The conductivity and dielectric studies of solid polymer electrolytes based on poly (acrylamide-co-acrylic acid) doped with sodium iodide

Solid polymer electrolyte thin films based on polyacrylamide-co-acrylic acid (PAAC) doped with sodium iodide (NaI) with different ratios of polymer and salt added with fixed amount of additive of propylene carbonate (PC) were prepared by using solution casting method. The PC was added to the mixture of the solution to provide more flexibility to the polymer film by increasing the plasticity of the thin film membrane. The conductivity and dielectric studies were carried out on these thin films to understand the ion transport properties of the polymer electrolytes. The highest conductivity obtained was 1.88?×?10^?5 S cm^?1 for the 30% NaI salt-doped polymer electrolyte system at room temperature. The temperature-dependent conductivity agrees with Arrhenius relationship which shows that hopping mechanism of ions in the polymer matrix. The dielectric properties especially the loss tangent used to analyze the segmental relaxation of the polymer chain as more concentration of salt was incorporated. The electric modulus was studied to understand the electrical relaxation processes to overcome electrode polarization effect.     

Thickness dependent optical dispersion parameters and nonlinear optical properties of nanostructured Cr doped CdO thin films

Cr doped CdO thin films were deposited on glass substrates by reactive DC magnetron sputtering with varying film thickness from 250 to 400 nm. XRD studies reveal that the films exhibit cubic structure with preferred orientation along the (2 0 0) plane. The optical transmittance of the films decreases from 92 to 72%, whereas the optical energy band gap of the films decreased from 2.88 to 2.78 eV with increasing film thickness. The Wemple–DiDomenico single oscillator model has been used to evaluate the optical dispersion parameters such as dispersion energy (E_d), oscillator energy (E_o), static refractive index (n_o) and high frequency dielectric constant (ε_∞). The nonlinear optical parameters such as optical susceptibility (χ⁽¹⁾), third order nonlinear optical susceptibility (χ⁽³⁾) and nonlinear refractive index (n₂) of the films were also determined.     

Characterization of vacuum evaporated In - Se thin films

The InSe films of different thicknesses (290–730 mm) were deposited onto glass substrates under a pressure of 3×10^?5 Torr by vacuum evaporation method. The composition (In=53.50%, Se=46.50%) of this film was confirmed using Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES). Thicknesses of the deposited films have been measured using a Multiple Beam Interferometry. The amorphous nature of the film is confirmed with X-ray diffractogram. From the transmittance spectra in the range of 500 nm-1200 nm, it is observed that the film showed direct allowed transition. Effect of thickness on the optical parameters such as the fundamental band gap, absorption constant, refractive index of InSe thin films are reported. Under low electric field (～ 1.5×10⁵ Vcm^?1), the results of DC conductivity measurements revealed that the variable range hopping is the dominant conduction mechanism. The values of localized states density, localization radius and hopping energy of this film are estimated as 5.57×10²⁰ cm^?3eV^?1, 0.84 Å and 0.247 eV, respectively.     

Effect of annealing on photo accelerated chemically deposited Indium sulfide thin films with various cationic precursors

The present work reports the deposition of Indium sulfide thin films by a recently established novel method called photo-assisted chemical deposition technique. It is a very low cost method for the deposition of thin films, and can be easily scaled up for industrial production. Indium sulfide thin films are deposited on glass substrates through various cationic precursors and the effect of annealing on structural, optical and morphological properties was investigated. Films have been characterized with respect to their structural, optical and morphological properties by means of X-ray diffraction, UV–VIS-NIR Spectrophotometer, SEM and AFM techniques. As-deposited films on glass substrates were amorphous and became crystalline after annealing. The grain size of all the annealed films are larger than the as-prepared films and attained a maximum value for the film prepared with sulfate precursor. The calculated strain was compressive in nature. Surface roughness was estimated from the AFM measurements and found to be decreased in annealed samples. The film deposited with chloride precursor showed a higher visible transmittance of around 80 % and became 90 % on annealing. The variation of packing density follows the variation of the refractive index. The optical band gap of the samples was estimated and found to be within the range of 2.45–2.71 eV, which is in quite agreement with the literature.     

50 MeV Li3+ ion irradiation effect on structural, electrical, and dielectric properties of PVA-based nanocomposite polymer electrolytes

Nanocomposite polymer electrolyte thin films of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-orthophosphoric acid (H₃PO₄)-Al₂O₃ have been prepared by solution cast technique. Films are irradiated with 50 MeV Li³⁺ ions having four different fluences viz. 5?×?10¹⁰, 1?×?10¹¹, 5?×?10¹¹, and 1?×?10¹² ions/cm². The effect of irradiation on polymeric samples has been studied and characterized. X-ray diffraction spectra reveal that percent degree of crystallinity of samples decrease with ion fluences. Glass transition and melting temperatures have been also decreased as observed in differential scanning calorimetry. A possible complexation/interaction has been shown by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Temperature-dependent ionic conductivity shows an Arrhenius behavior before and after glass transition temperature. It is observed that ionic conductivity increases with ion fluences and after a critical fluence, it starts to decrease. Maximum ionic conductivity of ～2.3?×?10^?5 S/cm owing to minimum activation energy of ～0.012 eV has been observed for irradiated electrolyte sample at fluence of 5?×?10¹¹ ions/cm². The dielectric constant and dielectric loss also increase with ion fluences while they decrease with frequency. Transference number of ions shows that the samples are of purely ionic in nature before and after ion irradiation.     

Annealing-induced optical and sub-band-gap absorption parameters of Sn-doped CdSe thin films

Thin films of Sn-doped CdSe were prepared by thermal evaporation onto glass substrates in an argon gas atmosphere and annealed at different temperatures. Structural evaluation of the films was carried out using X-ray diffraction and their stoichiometry studied by energy-dispersive X-ray analysis. The films exhibit a preferred orientation along the hexagonal direction of CdSe. The optical transmittance of the films shows a red shift of the absorption edge with annealing. The fundamental absorption edge corresponds to a direct energy gap with a temperature coefficient of 3.34 × 10^?3 eV K^?1. The refractive index, optical conductivity and real and imaginary parts of the dielectric constants were found to increase after annealing. The sub-band gap absorption coefficient was evaluated using the constant photocurrent method. It varies exponentially with photon energy. The Urbach energy, the density of defect states, and the steepness of the density of localized states were evaluated from the sub-band-gap absorption.     

Optical and electrical properties of swift heavy ion beam-irradiated polycarbonate/polystyrene bilayer films

Polycarbonate/polystyrene bilayer films prepared by solvent-casting method were irradiated with 55 MeV carbon ion beam at different fluences ranging from 1×10¹¹ to 1×10¹³ ions cm^?2. The structural, optical, surface morphology and dielectric properties of these films were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–visible spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, optical microscopy and dielectric measurements. The XRD pattern shows that the percentage of crystallinity decreases while inter-chain separations increase with ion fluence. UV–visible spectroscopy shows that the energy band gap decreases and the number of carbon atoms in nanoclusters increase with the increase in ion fluences. The refractive index is also found to decrease with the increase in the ion fluence. Optical microscopy shows that after irradiation polymeric bilayer films color changes with ion fluences. The FTIR spectra evidenced a very small change in cross-linking and chain scissoring at high fluence. Dielectric constant decreases while dielectric loss and AC conductivity increase with ion fluences.     

Optimization of ZnSe film growth conditions for p-type doping

Wide bandgap semiconductors such as ZnSe and ZnO have attracted great interest due to their applications in solar cells, light emitting diodes, and lasers. However, these wide bandgap semiconductors are frequently difficult to be doped to heavy concentrations, greatly limiting their application. A substrate holder with a natural temperature gradient was developed for batch growth of films at different deposition temperatures, in order to investigate ZnSe film growth and doping challenges. Thin ZnSe films were grown by pulsed laser deposition and characterized using X-ray diffraction, optical transmission and reflection, Raman spectroscopy, and Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis. Deposition temperature and film stoichiometry (Zn:Se) are shown to be significant factors affecting ZnSe growth and doping. ZnSe films with improved crystallinity have been obtained by enriching with selenium and depositing at an optimized temperature. Heavily p-type ZnSe films with hole concentrations of ~2.7 × 10¹⁹ cm^?3 and resistivities of ~0.099 Ohm cm have been obtained (compared with previous reports of ~1 × 10¹⁸ cm^?3 and ~0.75 Ohm cm). The results, which are consistent with previous theoretical prediction of compensating defects in ZnSe films, can help to optimize ZnSe growth conditions and understand doping challenges in wide bandgap semiconductors.     

Determination of optical constants and nonlinear optical coefficients of Violet 1-doped polyvinyl alcohol thin film

The optical properties of Violet 1-doped polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) have been investigated using Wemble and Didomenico (WD) method. The optical constants such as refractive index n, the dispersion energy E _d, the oscillation energy E ₀, the lattice dielectric constant \(\varepsilon _{\infty } \), light frequency dielectric constant ε ₀ and the ratio of carrier concentration to the effective mass N/m* have been determined using reflection spectra in the wavelength range 300–900 nm. The single- beam Z-scan technique was used to determine the nonlinear optical properties of Violet 1:polyvinylalcohol (PVA) thin film. The experiments were performed using continuous wave (cw) laser with a wavelength of 635 nm. The calculated nonlinear refractive index of the film, n ₂ = ?2.79×10^?7 cm²/W and nonlinear absorption coefficient, β = 6.31×10^?3 cm /W. Optical limiting characteristics of the dye-doped polymer film was studied. The result reveals that Violet 1 can be a promising material for optical limiting applications.     

Improving the mobility of CuPc OFETs by varying the preparation conditions

In this work, three different preparation conditions were used for testing the performance of p-conducting copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). The charge carrier mobility (μ _sat=(1.5±0.6)×10^?3 cm²/V?s) of the CuPc OFETs with the CuPc film deposited while keeping the substrate at room temperature could be improved when the gate dielectric was modified by a self-assembled monolayer of n-octadecyltrichlorosilane (μ _sat=(3.8±0.4)×10^?3 cm²/V?s) or when elevated temperatures were applied to the substrate (T _S,av=127 ^°C) during the deposition of the organic film (μ _sat=(6.5±0.8)×10^?3 cm²/V?s). For the latter case, the dependence of the mobility and threshold voltage with increasing thickness of the organic film was tested—above 13 nm film thickness, no further significant increase of the hole mobility or change in the threshold voltage could be observed. The environmental stability of the OFETs was checked by performing ex situ measurements immediately as the sample was exposed to atmosphere and after 40 days of exposure. The effect of the different preparation conditions on the morphology of the organic films prepared in this work is also discussed in this context.     

Chemical,optical, and electrical characterization of Ga2O3 thin films grown by plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition

Thin Ga₂O₃ films were grown on Si (100) using trimethylgallium (TMG) and oxygen as the precursors through plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition. The depositions were made over a temperature range of 80–250?°C with a growth per cycle of around 0.07 nm/cycle. Surface self-saturating growth was obtained with TMG pulse time ≥20?ms?at a temperature of 150?°C. The root mean square surface roughness of the obtained Ga₂O₃ films increased from 0.1?nm to 0.3?nm with increasing the growth temperature. Moreover, the x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis indicated that the obtained film was Ga-rich with the chemical oxidation states Ga³⁺ and Ga¹⁺, and no carbon contamination was detected in the films after Ar⁺ sputtering. The electron density of films measured by x-ray reflectivity varied with the growth temperature, increasing from 4.72 to 5.80?g/cm³. The transmittance of Ga₂O₃ film deposited on a quartz substrate was obtained through ultraviolet visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy. An obvious absorption in the deep UV region was demonstrated with a wide band gap of 4.6–4.8?eV. The spectroscopic ellipsometry analysis indicated that the average refractive index of the Ga₂O₃ film was 1.91?at 632.8?nm and increased with the growth temperature due to the dense structure of the films. Finally, the I-V and C-V characteristics proved that the Ga₂O₃ films prepared in this work had a low leakage current of 7.2?×?10^?11 A/cm² at 1.0?MV/cm and a high permittivity of 11.9, suitable to be gate dielectric.     

The relationship between refractive index-energy gap and the film thickness effect on the characteristic parameters of CdSe thin films

CdSe thin films were deposited on glass substrates using Successive Ionic Layer Adsorption and Reaction (SILAR) method at room temperature and ambient pressure. The relationship between refractive index and energy bandgap was investigated. The film thickness effect on the structural, morphological, optical and electrical properties of CdSe thin films was investigated. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies showed that all the films exhibit polycrystalline nature with hexagonal structure and are covered well with glass substrates. The crystalline and surface properties of the films improved with increasing film thickness. The optical absorption studies revealed that the films are found to be a direct allowed transition. The energy bandgap values were changed from 1.93 to 1.87 eV depending on the film thickness. The electron effective mass (m_e^?/m_o), refractive index (n), optical static and high frequency dielectric constant (ε_o, ε_∞) values were calculated by using the energy bandgap values as a function of the film thickness. The resistivity of the films changed between 10⁶ and 10² Ω-cm with increasing film thickness at room temperature.     

Effect of Al doping on structural,optical and electrical properties of SnO2 thin films synthesized by pulsed laser deposition

Aluminium-doped (Al = 0–5?wt.%) SnO₂ thin films with low-electrical resistivity and high optical transparency have been successfully synthesized by pulsed laser deposition technique at 500 °C. Structural, optical and electrical properties of the as-deposited and post-annealed thin films were investigated. X-ray diffraction patterns suggest that the films transform from crystalline to amorphous state with increasing aluminium content. The root mean square (R_q) surface roughness parameter, determined by atomic force microscopy decreases upon annealing of the as-deposited film. While resistivity of the film is the lowest (9.49 × 10^?4 Ω-cm) at a critical doping level of 1?wt.% Al, optical transparency is the highest (nearly 90%) in the as-deposited condition. Temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity suggests that the Mott’s variable range hopping process is the dominant carrier transport mechanism in the lower temperature range (40–135 K) for all the films whereas, thermally activated band conduction mechanism seems to account for conduction in the higher temperature region (200–300 K).     

Effect of ozone treatment on the optical and electrical properties of HfSiO thin films

The effect of room temperature ozone oxidation treatment on thin HfSiO film grown by atomic layer deposition (ALD) has been investigated. The optical and electrical properties with different post-ozone oxidation time were characterized. The evolution of ozone interacting with HfSiO films was clearly illuminated. Ozone can repair the lossy chemical bonds and vacancies, resulting in the improvement of packing density and polarizability of HfSiO films. With more ozone entering the HfSiO films, the refractive index, dielectric constant, and interfacial properties can be greatly upgraded. Furthermore, the frequency dispersion of ALD-HfSiO film can be improved after O₃ treatment time for 8 min.     

Studies of some physical properties of PrFe0.7Ni0.3O3 thin films after 200 MeV Ag15+ irradiation

PrFe_0.7Ni_0.3O₃ thin films (thickness ~ 200 nm) were prepared by pulsed laser ablation technique on LaAlO₃ substrate. These films were irradiated with 200?MeV Ag¹⁵⁺ ions at various fluencies, ranging from 1 × 10¹¹ to 1 × 10¹² ions/cm². These irradiated thin films were characterized by using X-ray diffraction, dc conductivity, dc magnetization and atomic force microscopy. These films exhibit orthorhombic structure and retain it even after irradiations. The crystallite size (110–137?nm), micro strain (1.48 × 10^?2–1.75 × 10^?2 line^?2?m^?4) and dislocation density (79.7 × 10¹⁴–53.2 × 10¹⁴ line/m²) vary with ion fluencies. An enhancement in resistivity at certain fluence and then a decrease in its value (0.22175–0.21813?Ω?cm) are seen. A drastic change in observed magnetism after ion irradiation is seen. With ion irradiation, an increase in surface roughness, due to the formation of hillocks and other factors, is observed. Destruction of magnetic domains after irradiation can also be visualized with magnetic force microscopy and is in close agreement with magnetization data. The impact on various physical properties in these thin films after irradiation indicates a distortion in the lattice structure and consequently on single-particle band width caused by stress-induced defects.     

A New Candidate Laser Dye Based 1,4-Bis[β-(2-Naphthothiazolyle)Vinyl]Benzene. Spectroscopic Behavior,Laser Parameters and Excitation Energy Transfer

A new candidate laser dye based 1,4-bis[β-(2-naphthothisolyl) vinyl] benzene (BNTVB) were prepared, and characterized in various organic solvents. The center polarity is less sensitive than electronic absorption. A red shift was noticed in the fluorescence spectra (ca. 40 nm) with increment in the solvent’s polarity, this means that BNTVB’s polarity appreciates upon excitation. The dipole moment of ground state (μ_g) and the excited singlet state dipole moment (μ_e) are determined from Kawski – Chamma and Bakshiev–Viallet equations using the disparity of Stokes shift with solvent polarity function of ε (dielectric constant) and n (refractive index) of the solvent. The result was found to be 0.019D and 5.13D for ground and exited state, in succession. DFT/TD-DFT manners were used to understand the electronic structures and geometric of BNTVB in other solvents. The experimental and theoretical results showed a good agreement. The photochemical quantum yield (Ф_c) of BNTVB was calculated in variable organic reagents such as Dioxane, CHCl₃, EtOH and MeOH at room temperature. The values of φ_c were calculated as 2.3?×?10^?4, 3.3?×?10^?3, 9.7?×?10^?5 and 6.2?×?10^?5 in Dioxane, CHCl₃, EtOH and MeOH, respectively. The dye solutions (2?×?10^?4 M) in DMF, MeOH and EtOH give laser emission in the blue-green region. The green zone is excited by nitrogen pulse 337.1 nm. The tuning range, gain coefficient (α) and cross – section emission (σ_e) of laser were also estimated. Excitation energy transfer from BNTVB to rhodamine-6G (R6G) and N,N-bis(2,6-dimethyphenyl)-3,4:9,10-perylenebis-(dicarboximide) (BDP) was also studied in EtOH to increase the laser emission output from R6G and BDP when excited by nitrogen laser. The dye-transfer power laser system (ETDL) obeys the Foster Power Transmission (FERT) mechanism with a critical transmission distance, R_o of 40 and 32 ? and k_ET equals 2.6?×?10¹³ and 1.06?×?10¹³ M^?1 s^?1 for BNTVB / R6G and BNTVB / BDP pair, respectively.