Work function measurements on indium tin oxide films

We determined the work function of indium tin oxide (ITO) films on glass substrates using photoemission spectroscopy (PES). The ITO coated glass substrates were chemically cleaned ex-situ, oxygen plasma treated ex-situ, or sputtered in-situ. Our results suggest that the performance of ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy (UPS) measurements can induce a significant work function reduction on the order of 0.4–0.5 eV, on ex-situ chemically and oxygen-plasma treated ITO samples. This was demonstrated by the use of low intensity X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) work function measurements before and after the UPS measurements were carried out.     

The effect of carbon contamination and argon ion sputtering on the work function of chlorinated indium tin oxide

The work function of indium tin oxide (ITO) was increased by treating ITO with dichlorobenzene with UV light. Carbon contamination of the Cl-ITO was measured using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and argon ion sputtering was used to remove the carbon from the surface. It was found that the carbon contamination from residual dichlorobenzene significantly lowered the work function of the ITO and after argon ion sputtering the work function increased to 5.8 eV. It was found that chlorination of ITO occurs after more than 6 min of UV exposure. Further sputtering of ITO resulted in the removal of the functionalized chlorine, the introduction of argon ion contaminants on the ITO decreases its work function.     

Morphological control of copper phthalocyanine films by protonation-electrophoretic deposition

Films composed of various nanostructured copper phthalocyanine are controllably prepared by the method of protonation-electrophoretic deposition. The ultralong nanowires of copper phthalocyanine are grown at the deposition temperature of 70 °C. And the results of films UV-vis absorption spectra and X-ray diffraction indicate that copper phthalocyanine possesses the transformation tendency from α-phase to thermostable β-phase under the higher deposition temperature. The formation process of the ultralong nanowires illustrates that the nanowires grow in longitudinal orientation much faster than in lateral direction. And the time dependence of the films morphology, from another point of view, proves that copper phthalocyanine is dissolved in the precursor solutions, and the formation of the nanostructured copper phthalocyanine contains the process of crystal growth, which is different from the traditional electrophoretic deposition. So the films morphology is flexible to be controlled by varying the deposition conditions. These diverse nanostructured films have potential applications in the electrochemical and optoelectrical equipments.     

Work function of sol-gel indium tin oxide (ITO) films on glass

Indium tin oxide (ITO) films (physical thickness, 250-560 ± 25 nm) were deposited on soda lime silica (SLS) glass and silica layer coated (∼200 nm physical thickness) SLS glass substrates by sol-gel technique using alcohol based precursors containing different In:Sn atomic percentages, namely, 90:10, 70:30, 50:50, 30:70. Cubic phase of In₂O₃ was observed up to 50 at.% Sn while cassiterite SnO₂ phase was observed for 70 at.% Sn. Work function of the films was evaluated from inelastic secondary electron cutoff of ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) energy distribution curve (EDC) obtained under two experimental conditions (i) as-introduced (ii) after the cleaning of the surface by sputtering. Elemental distribution and the presence of oxygen containing contaminant and carbon contaminant of the samples were done by XPS analysis under same conditions. The work function changed little due to the presence of surface contaminants. It was in the range, 3.9-4.2 eV (±0.1 eV).     

A scanning tunneling microscopy study on the effect of post-deposition annealing of copper phthalocyanine thin films

Using scanning tunneling microscopy, overlayer lattice structures and thin film morphology of copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) have been investigated while varying posterior, annealing temperatures. The room temperature deposition of CuPc on Ag(1 1 1) resulted in ordered domains, which were three molecular layers high and separated with disordered regions. The ordered surface also exhibited an oblique lattice with the lattice constants of 13.3 Å and 16.4 Å and the angle of 74° between the two. By annealing the thin films systematically to 580 K, the symmetry of overlayer lattice increased from the oblique to the square lattice, commonly observed on various substrates. Further annealing to 780 K desorbed much of the CuPc molecules. However, the remaining molecules reacted and formed dendrite-like chains, in which each CuPc molecule was linked through its isoindole rings. A possible model for the formation of dendritic chains through polymerization is discussed.     

Dependence of electron work function of Al-Mg alloys on surface structures and relative humidity

In many fields the determination of electronic structures of a solid material is a prerequisite in order to investigate its physical/chemical properties as well as related applications. The effect of surface structures and ambient environment on the electronic behavior is of both fundamental and practical significance. In this study, the electron work function (EWF) of Al-Mg alloys is investigated using a scanning Kelvin probe. The results show that the EWF decreases with the increase of surface smoothness, whereas surface oxidation layers would result in the increase of the EWF. Furthermore EWF is strongly dependent on the relative humidity, especially when the relative humidity is higher than 70%, implying that considerable care should be takenon such dependence in order to gain a meaningful parameter for the characterization of surface behavior.     

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.     

Influence of thermal treatment on the performance of copper phthalocyanine thin-film transistors

Organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) with bottom-gate and bottom-contact configuration based on copper phthalocyanines (CuPc) as active layer were fabricated. The performance of CuPc OTFTs was studied before and after thermal treatment on CuPc layer. The values of the threshold voltage before and after thermal treatment are −6.3 and −5.7 V, respectively. The field-effect mobility values in saturation regime of CuPc thin-film transistors before and after thermal treatment are 0.014 cm²/Vs and 0.0068 cm²/Vs, respectively. The experimental results indicate that there is a heavy decay on the mobility of CuPc based OTFTs mostly due to the crystalline morphology change induced by the thermal treatment, and absolute value of the threshold voltage after thermal treatment decreases with the decrease of the CuPc film thickness and the roughness.     

Self-assembly and growth of manganese phthalocyanine on an Au（111） surface

Self-assembly and growth of manganese phthalocyanine (MnPc) molecules on an Au(111) surface is investigated by means of low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy. At the initial stage, MnPc molecules preferentially occupy the step edges and elbow sites on the Au(111) surface, then they are separately adsorbed on the face-centered cubic and hexagonal closely packed regions due to a long-range repulsive molecule—molecule interaction. After the formation of a closely packed monolayer, molecular islands with second and third layers are observed.     

Twin—layer films of copper phthalocyanine and amorphous titanyl or vanadyl phthalocyanine

Metallophthalocyanine (MPc) twin-layer thin films on glass substrates, consisting of copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) overlayer and amorphous vanadyl phthalocyanine (VOPc) as well as titanyl phthalocyanine (TiOPc) buffers, were found to have different gas sensing characteristics. These twin-layer thin films were studied using x-ray photoemission spectroscopy. Photoelectrons of either V or Ti core levels were found to be present at the surface, indicating the existence of possible molecular migrations. The stability of the twin-layers under thermal annealing up to a maximum temperature of 250℃ and low-energy Ar ion bombardment was also examined and compared with that of CuPc directly grown on the substrates. We concluded that the twin-layer structures were thermally fairly stable. Ar ion bombardment, however, caused substantial damage to the Pc ligands and a reduction of the valence state of the central Cu atoms.     

Work function changes and surface chemistry of oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon on indium tin oxide

The surface chemistry of indium tin oxide (ITO) has been investigated with Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS). A vibrating Kelvin probe (KP) with a graphite reference was used to monitor the absolute work function (Φ) of ITO as a function of chemical modification. The ITO was exposed in situ to molecular hydrogen (H₂), hot-filament-activated oxygen (O₂^*), and hot-filament-activated deuterium (D₂^*). The initial Φ of ITO was determined to be 5.2 eV, and surface chemical changes had strong effects on this value, as seen by KP. Exposure of clean ITO to O₂^* increased Φ to 5.6 eV, but the increase was short-lived. The changes in Φ over time were correlated with the uptake of carbon impurities in ultra high vacuum (UHV), as monitored by AES.

The HREELS of ITO revealed significant hydrocarbon impurities. Chemical reduction of ITO produced a metallic surface and dehydrogenated the adsorbed hydrocarbons. Both re-oxidation of metallic ITO and oxidation of clean ITO temporarily removed adventitious carbon from the surface, but oxidized ITO adsorbed an even larger quantity of carbon over time.     

Indium oxide, tin oxide and indium tin oxide nanostructure growth by vapor deposition

Indium oxide, tin oxide and indium tin oxide nanowires have been grown by vapor deposition on Si and quartz substrates. Under the growth conditions used, pure SiO_x nanowires, a mixture of SiO_x and indium oxide, tin oxide or indium tin oxide nanostructures, or pure indium oxide, tin oxide or indium tin oxide nanostructures could be obtained at different substrate temperatures. The growth mechanism of the obtained nanostructures at different substrate temperatures is discussed. Optical and electrical properties of the deposited pure indium oxide, tin oxide or indium tin oxide nanostructures have been measured, and low sheet resistances on quartz substrates have been obtained for indium oxide and indium tin oxide nanostructures.     

Variations of work function and corrosion behaviors of deformed copper surfaces

Surface work function (WF) and the corrosion behavior of copper under influence of plastic strain were investigated using experimental and computational approaches. It was observed that both the corrosion potential (Ecorr) and the WF decreased while the corrosion rate increased with an increase in plastic strain, indicating that the strained surface layer became more electrochemically active. Ecorr and WF eventually became stable when the plastic strain reached a certain level. However, the corrosion rate continuously increased. It was demonstrated that this continuous increase in corrosion rate could be dominated by the dislocation density rather than the corrosion potential. The study has shown that the WF is closely related to the corrosion potential and could thus be a sensitive parameter for investigating mechanisms responsible for corrosive wear. The investigation of the effects of plastic deformation on the corrosion behavior would help to fundamentally understand the synergism of wear and corrosion.     

ITO导电膜红外发射率理论研究

根据红外辐射理论和薄膜光学原理计算了高品质ITO(indium tin oxide)导电膜的红外发射 率,其理论曲线与实测曲线基本符合. 并得出方块电阻小于30Ω时,ITO膜在红外波段8—14μ m的平均红外发射率理论值小于0.1.实际制备方块电阻小于10Ω的ITO膜具有优良的红外隐身 性能. 讨论了高品质ITO膜具有低红外发射率的物理机理,并提出了低红外发射率临界方块电 阻值,这有利於理论研究和工艺制备红外隐身ITO膜. 关键词： 红外发射率 ITO薄膜 理论计算 方块电阻     

Field- and thickness-dependent performance of tandem organic light-emitting diodes with buffer-modified fullerene/copper phthalocyanine heterojunction as interconnector

Tandem organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) with the buffer-modified fullerene/copper phthalocyanine (LiF/C60/CuPc/MoO₃) as interconnector have been investigated. The properties of tandem OLEDs are dependent on electric field, which is induced by electric-field-dependence of charge generation (by electric filed and photons) and separation in such an interconnector structure. At low electric field, because of less generated-charges and light-absorption of C60/CuPc film, current efficiency and brightness of tandem OLEDs with two emissive units exhibit less than twice higher than those of conventional single-unit device. But more than twofold enhancement of current efficiency and brightness is observed at higher electric field due to a large number of charges generated in the interconnector. Meanwhile, the performance of tandem devices is affected by the thickness of C60 and CuPc. The optimal thickness is related to their exciton diffusion length.     

Surface composition and electronic properties of indium tin oxide and oxynitride films

The surface properties of indium tin oxynitride films prepared by rf-sputtering in nitrogen atmosphere were investigated by X-ray and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy as well as electron energy loss spectroscopy and Auger electron spectroscopy depth profiling. The results are compared to reference measurements on conventional rf-sputtered indium tin oxide films. The incorporated nitrogen is present in different chemical environments. Employing these different spectroscopic techniques, it was found that desorption of nitrogen from the ITON structure upon annealing is the origin of the observed drastical changes in the surface composition and electronic structure. The formation of oxygen vacancies and Sn surface segregation upon annealing is linked to improvements in the physical properties (larger spectral range of transmittance and higher conductivity) of the films.     

Effects of electron beam irradiation on the friction and work function of the wrinkled graphene

The ability to control the tribological and electrical properties of graphene is critical to the fabrication of micro- and nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS) devices. Due to its high energy, electron beam irradiation has been widely used to adjust the local electrical properties of the graphene, such as inducing local defects or n-type doping. However, whether electron beam irradiation can affect the local tribological properties of wrinkled graphene has not been investigated yet. In this research, we demonstrated that the lateral force signal and the work function of the wrinkled monolayer graphene were affected by the electron beam irradiation.By using Kelvin-probe force microscopy (KPFM) and Raman spectroscopy, we measured the local electrical properties of the wrinkled monolayer graphene and confirmed that the electron-beam exposed area was changed as n-doped graphene. We compared the lateral force signal with surface potential data and concluded that the n-type doping induced by electron beam affected the tribological characteristics. Characterization of the electron-beam exposed wrinkled graphene provides a physical insight that the electrical and tribological characteristics of wrinkled graphene are correlated.     

反应离子镀制备ITO膜

采用反应离子镀新工艺成功地在K9玻璃上制备了ITO(Indium Tin Oxide)透明导电膜,所制备的ITO膜在550～600nm波长范围内,典型的峰值透过率为89%,面电阻为34Ω/□。     

A spatially resolved investigation of oxygen adsorption on polycrystalline copper and titanium by means of photoemission electron microscopy

The interaction of oxygen with polycrystalline copper and titanium surfaces was studied by means of photoemission electron microscopy. Variations in the image brightness were used to determine the work function of different Cu crystallites. The change of the work function was monitored during oxygen adsorption on both, Cu and Ti. Those changes are smooth for Cu whereas different Ti crystallites exhibit a rather complicated behavior during oxygen adsorption. The transformation of brightness versus exposure curves into work function versus coverage curves allows to determine the initial dipole moment of the adsorbed oxygen atoms. A value of about 20 mD was found for O on Cu(1 1 0). Variations of the initial sticking probability of oxygen on different copper crystallites were directly mapped.     

Synthesis of P-type transparent conducting silver:indium oxide (AIO) thin films by reactive electron beam evaporation technique

Present paper reports the synthesis, electrical and optical properties of p-type conducting and transparent silver indium oxide (AIO) thin films prepared on glass substrates by reactive electron beam evaporation technique at three substrate temperatures (50, 200 and 250 °C) and at five evaporation rates (0.05 to 16.0 nm/s). The source material is pure powders of Ag₂O:In₂O₃=50:50 mol%. The AIO films are amorphous. The films, though not corresponding to Delafossite crystal structure, exhibit p-type conductivity, when prepared at an evaporation rate of 0.05 nm/s at all the three substrate temperatures. With increasing filament current, it is observed that (i) the electrical resistivity decreases and (ii) the refractive index of the films (at 632.8 nm, and is in the range: 1.219-1.211) decreases. The work function (effective Fermi level) has been measured on these samples by Kelvin Probe method. The results are explained on the basis of partial ionic charge and localization of covalent bonds in the AIO thin films.