Elemental steps in the growth of thin β-Ga2O3 films on CoGa(1 0 0)

The oxidation of CoGa(1 0 0) at 700 K was studied by means of high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), scanning tunneling microscopy, low energy electron diffraction and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). At 700 K, thin well-ordered β-Ga₂O₃ films grow on CoGa(1 0 0). The EEL spectrum of the Ga-oxide films exhibit Fuchs–Kliewer phonons at 305, 455, 645, and 785 cm⁻¹. For low oxygen exposure (<0.2 L), the growth of oxide-islands starts at step edges and on defects. The oxide films have the shape of long, rectangular islands and are oriented in the [1 0 0] and [0 1 0] directions of the substrate. For higher oxygen exposure, islands of β-Ga₂O₃ are found also on the terraces. After an exposure of 200 L O₂ at 700 K, the CoGa(1 0 0) surface is homogeneously covered with a thin film of β-Ga₂O₃.     

不同Sb含量p-SnO2薄膜的制备和特性

采用化学气相沉积方法, 利用Sb₂O₃/SnO作为源材料, 在蓝宝石衬底上制备出不同Sb掺杂量的SnO₂薄膜, 并在此基础上制作出p-SnO₂:Sb/n-SnO₂同质p-n 结器件. 研究表明, 随着Sb含量的增加, 样品表面变得平滑, 晶粒尺寸逐渐增大, 且晶体质量有所改善, 发现少量Sb的掺入可以起到表面活化剂的作用. Hall测量结果证实适量Sb的掺杂可以使SnO₂呈现p型导电特性, 当Sb₂O₃/SnO的质量比为1:5时, 其电学参数为最佳值. 此外, p-SnO₂:Sb/n-SnO₂同质p-n结器件展现出良好的整流特性, 其正向开启电压为3.4 V.     

Effect of freon flow rate on tin oxide thin films deposited by chemical vapor deposition

High quality fluorine-doped tin oxide (SnO₂:F) films on glass substrates were been prepared using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. The electrical properties, surface morphologies, structural properties and optical properties of the films were studied by varying the freon flow rates. The structure was analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to study the morphology. Energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) was conducted to understand the surface fluorine composition of the film. The results showed that crystalline structure of the film had a have cassiterite-like diffraction patterns with a preferred orientation of (1 1 0). Surface roughness was evaluated by atomic force microscopy, characterized by root mean square (RMS) and average value (Ra). The SnO₂:F resistivity decreased as the freon flow rate increased. The films had a uniform thickness and a transmittance of 80–90% within the visible region of the spectrum.     

Optical characterization of amorphous Ga50Se45S5 films

The transmission spectra of thermally evaporated Ga₅₀Se₄₅S₅ films were measured over the wavelength range 300–900 nm. A simple method, suggested by Swanepoel, was used for the determination of the optical constants and thickness of the films. Increasing the thickness of the film beyond 450 nm does not affect the optical constants. The dependence of the absorption coefficient on the photon energy (hν) at the edge of the absorption band is well described by the relation hν=β(hν−E_opt)² with an optical gap equals 2.4 eV. A good fit of the experimental points with Tauc relation indicates that non-direct transition is the most probable mechanism responsible for the photon absorption inside the investigated film.     

Structural and optical properties of thermally evaporated Bi2Te3 films

Bi₂Te₃ films were prepared by thermal evaporation technique. X-ray diffraction analysis for as-deposited and annealed films in vacuum at 150 °C were polycrystalline with rhombohedral structure. The crystallite size is found to increase as the film thickness increases and has values in the range 67–162 nm. The optical constants (the refractive index, n, and absorption index, k) were determined using transmittance and reflectance data in the spectral range 2.5–10 μm for Bi₂Te₃ films with different thicknesses (25–99.5 nm). Both n and k are independent on the film thickness in the investigated range. It was also found that Bi₂Te₃ is a high refractive index material (n has values of 4.7–8.8 in the wavelength range 2.5–10 μm). The allowed optical transitions were found to be direct optical transitions with energy gap  eV. The optical conductivities σ₁ = ƒ(hν) and σ₂ = f(hν) show distinct peaks at about 0.13 and 0.3 eV, respectively. These two peaks can be attributed to optical interband transitions.     

Effects of relativity and “atomic structure” in the KLL Auger spectrum of Sr generated in the EC-decay of Y

The KLL Auger electron spectrum of ⁸⁸Sr generated in the EC-decay of ⁸⁸Y has been analyzed at the instrumental resolution of 11 eV using a combined electrostatic spectrometer. Energies and relative intensities of the all nine transitions were determined and compared with theoretical predictions. Our value of 12067.3(12) eV measured for the absolute energy of the dominant KL₂L₃(¹D₂) transition was found to be higher by 7.4 eV (i.e., more than 3σ) than that one obtained in a measurement with external excitation. The discrepancy indicates substantial influence of the “atomic structure effect” on absolute transition energies in our experiment. Very good agreement of the measured 0.14(3) and predicted 0.12 values for the KL₁L₂(³P₀/¹P₁) Auger transition intensity ratio clearly proved the predicted strong influence of the relativistic effects on the KL₁L₂(³P₀) transition rate even at Z = 38.     

Optical constants of Tl4Ga3InSe8 layered single crystals

The optical properties of Tl₄Ga₃InSe₈ layered single crystals have been studied by means of transmission and reflection measurements in the wavelength range of 500–1100 nm. The analysis of the room temperature absorption data revealed the presence of both optical indirect and direct transitions with band gap energies of 1.94 and 2.20 eV, respectively. Transmission measurements carried out in the temperature range of 10–300 K revealed that the rate of change of the indirect band gap with temperature is γ=−4.1×10⁻⁴ eV/K. The absolute zero value of the band gap energy was obtained as E_gi(0)=2.03 eV. The dispersion of the refractive index is discussed in terms of the Wemple–DiDomenico single-effective-oscillator model. The refractive index dispersion parameters: oscillator energy, dispersion energy, oscillator strength and zero-frequency refractive index were found to be 4.10 eV, 23.17 eV, 6.21×10¹³ m⁻² and 2.58, respectively. From X-ray powder diffraction study, the parameters of monoclinic unit cell were determined.     

Synthesis and physical behaviour of In2S3 films

In₂S₃ layers have been grown by close-spaced evaporation of pre-synthesized In₂S₃ powder from its constituent elements. The layers were deposited on glass substrates at temperatures in the range, 200–350 °C. The effect of substrate temperature on composition, structure, morphology, electrical and optical properties of the as-grown indium sulfide films has been studied. The synthesized powder exhibited cubic structure with a grain size of 63.92 nm and S/In ratio of 1.01. The films grown at 200 °C were amorphous in nature while its crystallinity increased with the increase of substrate temperature to 300 °C. The films exhibited pure tetragonal β-In₂S₃ phase at the substrate temperature of 350 °C. The surface morphological analysis revealed that the films grown at 300 °C had an average roughness of 1.43 nm. These films showed a S/In ratio of 0.98 and a lower electrical resistivity of 1.28 × 10³ Ω cm. The optical band gap was found to be direct and the layers grown at 300 °C showed a higher optical transmittance of 78% and an energy band gap of 2.49 eV.     

Enhanced magnetic properties of Nd–Fe–B thin films crystallized by heat treatment

Nd₂Fe₁₄B Φ phase crystallites were formed in Nd_16.7Fe_65.5B_17.8 thin films prepared by RF sputtering with subsequent heat treatment. The 2 μm-thick films were deposited onto 0.1 mm Mo sheets at an average substrate temperature (T_s) of 365°C. The enhanced magnetic properties of the magnetically anisotropic thin films were investigated using different heating rates (h_r) of 10°C, 20°C, 50°C and 100°C/min in an annealing experiment. Transformation from the amorphous phase to the crystalline phase is clearly manifested by the formation of fine crystallites embedded as a columnar matrix of Nd₂Fe₁₄B phase. High-resolution scanning electron microscope data of the cross-section of the annealed films show columnar stacking of Nd₂Fe₁₄B crystallites with sizes <500 nm. Transmission electron microscope observations revealed that the microstructure of these films having out-of-plane magnetization consists of uniformly distributed Φ phase with grain size around 400 nm together with small Nd rich particles. This grain size of Φ phase is comparable to the single domain particle diameter of Nd₂Fe₁₄B. Significant change in _iH_c, 4πM_r and 4πM_s with h_r was confirmed. Annealing conditions with a heating rate of 50°C/min to an annealing temperature (T_a) of 650°C for 30 min was consequently found to give optimum properties for the NdFeB thin films. The resulting magnetic properties, considered to be the effect of varying h_r were _iH_c= 1307–1357 kA/m, 4πM_r=0.78–1.06 T and 4πM_s=0.81–1.07 T.     

Synthesis and optical characterization of c-axis oriented GaN thin films on amorphous quartz glass via sol–gel process

c-Axis oriented GaN nanocrystalline thin films were fabricated by nitridation of three different thin films of -GaO(OH), -Ga₂O₃ or β-Ga₂O₃ obtained by sol–gel technique on amorphous quartz glass substrates. All these GaN thin films showed near band edge emission at 390 nm and yellow luminescence at 570 nm. The crystalline nature and c-axis orientation as well as luminescence properties of the GaN thin films increased by several times by using a buffer layer of GaN on the substrate.     

Composition and thermal-induced effects on the optical constants of Ge20Se80−xBix thin films

 The effects of composition and thermal annealing near crystallization temperature, T_c on the optical and structural properties of Ge₂₀Se_80−xBi_x (x=0, 2.5, 5 and 7.5 at%) was investigated. The influence of incorporation Bi content in Ge₂₀Se_80−xBi_x system results in a gradual decrease in the indirect optical gap from 1.89 to 1.44 eV, this behavior can be explained as increased tailing. On annealing, the optical band gap E_g decreases gradually for the crystallized films while the refractive index increases, this behavior can be attributed to transformation from amorphous to crystalline and was explained in the light of dangling bond model. The refractive index n of as-prepared and annealed films has been analyzed according to the Wwmple–DiDominico single oscillator model and the values of E_o and E_d were determined. The effect of annealing on the nature and degree of crystallization has been investigated by studying the structure using transmission electron microscope, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope.     

Optoelectronic properties of SnO_2 thin films sprayed at different deposition times

This article presents the elaboration of tin oxide(SnO_2) thin films on glass substrates by using a home-made spray pyrolysis system. Effects of film thickness on the structural, optical, and electrical film properties are investigated. The films are characterized by several techniques such as x-ray diffraction(XRD), atomic force microscopy(AFM), ultravioletvisible(UV–Vis) transmission, and four-probe point measurements, and the results suggest that the prepared films are uniform and well adherent to the substrates. X-ray diffraction(XRD) patterns show that SnO_2 film is of polycrystal with cassiterite tetragonal crystal structure and a preferential orientation along the(110) plane. The calculated grain sizes are in a range from 32.93 nm to 56.88 nm. Optical transmittance spectra of the films show that their high transparency average transmittances are greater than 65% in the visible region. The optical gaps of SnO_2 thin films are found to be in a range of 3.64 e V–3.94 e V. Figures of merit for SnO_2 thin films reveal that their maximum value is about 1.15 × 10-4-1?atλ = 550 nm. Moreover, the measured electrical resistivity at room temperature is on the order of 10-2?·cm.     

Coadsorption of lanthanum with boron and gadolinium with boron on Mo(1 1 0)

Submonolayer to multilayer coadsorption of lanthanum (La) with boron (B) and gadolinium (Gd) with boron on the surface of Mo(1 1 0) has been studied by means of Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) and work function () measurements. The equilibrium state of double adsorbate systems achieved either by adsorption of rare-earth metal (REM) on boron precovered Mo(1 1 0) surface held at room temperature or after moderate annealing of the system with opposite order of adsorption (B on REM films) is the layer which is the inhomogeneous mixture of boron and REM atoms with preferential concentration of boron in the surface area of the mixed film. The work function of such films even at REM to boron concentration ratio much higher than 1/6 are very close to the values of corresponding bulk LaB₆ and GdB₆, favoring assumption of surface rearrangement as the dominant reason of high electron emission efficiency of hexaborides. Almost total similarity of the results for La–B and Gd–B systems can be viewed as the consequence of weak participation of Gd f-electrons in determining the thermionic properties of corresponding double layers.     

Characterization of high-k gate dielectric/silicon interfaces

We have shown that, for thermally evaporated Ta₂O₅ or ZrO₂ thin films on Si(1 0 0), O₂ annealing at 300–500 °C causes the formation of an interfacial silicon oxide layer as thin as 1–2 nm which can be interpreted in terms of their high permeability to oxygen. And we have demonstrated how useful the energy loss spectra of photoexcited electrons from core levels such as O 1s are to measure the energy bandgaps of very thin insulators. With the combination of measured bandgaps and valence band lineups determined for X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy valence band spectra, we have determined the energy band alignments of Ta₂O₅ and ZrO₂ with Si(1 0 0) before and after the O₂ annealing at 500 °C. In addition, we have demonstrated that total photoelectron yield spectroscopy provides us direct information to quantify the energy distributions of both the defect states in the high-k dielectrics and the dielectric/Si(1 0 0) interface states over nearly entire Si bandgap.     

Structural, optical and electrical studies on pulse electrodeposited CdIn2S4 thin films

CdIn₂S₄ thin films were prepared by pulse electrodeposition technique over F:SnO₂ glass and stainless steel substrates in galvanostatic mode from an aqueous acidic bath containing CdSO₄, InCl₃ and Na₂S₂O₃. The growth kinetics of the film has been studied and the deposition parameters such as electrolyte bath concentration, bath temperature, time of deposition, deposition current and pH of the bath are optimized. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of the as deposited and annealed films shows polycrystalline nature. Energy dispersive analysis by X-ray (EDAX) confirms nearly stoichiometric CdIn₂S₄ nature of the film. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) studies show that, the deposited films are well adherent and grains are uniformly distributed over the surface of the substrate. The optical transmission spectra show a direct band gap of 2.16 eV. Conductivity measurements have been carried out at different temperatures and electrical parameters such as activation energy, trapped energy state and barrier heights etc. have been determined.     

Growth and characterization of model oxide catalysts

Oxide catalysts are frequently used to convert toxic species to environmentally benign molecules, and to prevent the formation of toxic species in the first place. In this paper, growth and characterization of model oxide systems employed in both approaches is discussed. An example of the former approach is the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO emitted from power plants by NH₃, which employs tungsten and vanadium oxides supported on the anatase polymorph of TiO₂. To model SCR catalysts, epitaxial titanium, vanadium and tungsten oxide films were grown using molecular beam epitaxy and magnetron sputtering. Two different anatase orientations were grown on LaAlO₃ substrates and their interactions with vanadia were characterized. On LaAlO₃ (0 0 1), anatase exposed a (4 × 1) reconstructed (0 0 1) surface. Vanadia lifted the reconstruction and at 1 ML a (1 × 1) surface with mostly V⁵⁺ was observed. Continued V₂O₅ growth led to loss of order, but at high temperatures epitaxial VO₂ could be grown; vanadia behaved similarly on anatase films on LaAlO₃ (1 1 0). Results suggested that the monolayer is pseudomorphic with O adsorption oxidizing the surface V to 5+, since the anatase structure cannot accommodate more bulk oxygen, only a monolayer can be pseudomorphic and have only V⁵⁺. Thus the vanadia monolayer has unique structural and chemical properties that can help explain why vanadia monolayers on TiO₂ are much more active than bulk V₂O₅. For WO₃, a series of added row reconstructions were observed as the epitaxial films were reduced. The effect of these structures on surface chemistry was characterized by studying 1-propanol adsorption. The results indicated that the structure of the WO₃ surface did not alter its catalytic function but had a strong effect on reaction kinetics. As an example of a system where catalysts prevent the formation of toxic species, the reactivity of oxidized Pd surfaces used in CH₄ catalytic combustion were studied. An ordered PdO-like monolayer was found to be less reactive towards CO than adsorbed O on Pd. On the other hand, the PdO layer favored a lower activation energy C₃H₆ oxidation pathway. The results indicated that Pd oxidation reduces the sticking coefficient of reactive species but once molecules adsorb, the oxide surface can reduce the activation energy for subsequent reaction.     

Effect of oxide thickness on the capacitance and conductance characteristics of MOS structures

In this work, the investigation of the interface states density and series resistance from capacitance–voltage (C–V) and conductance–voltage (G–V) characteristics in Au/SnO₂/n-Si (MOS) structures prepared at various SnO₂ layer thicknesses by spray deposition technique have been reported. It is fabricated five samples depending on deposition time. The thicknesses of SnO₂ films obtained from the measurement of the oxide capacitance in the strong accumulation region for MOS Schottky diodes are 37, 79, 274, 401, and 446 Å, for D1, D2, D3, D4, and D5 samples, respectively. The C–V and G–V measurements of Au/SnO₂/n-Si MOS structures are performed in the voltage range from −6 to +10 V and the frequency range from 500 Hz to 10 MHz at room temperature. It is observed that peaks in the forward C–V characteristics appeared because of the series resistance. It has been seen that the value of the series resistance R_s of samples D1 (47 Ω), D2 (64 Ω), D3 (98 Ω), D4 (151 Ω), and D5 (163 Ω) increases with increasing the oxide layer thickness. The interface state density D_it ranges from 2.40×10¹³ cm⁻² eV⁻¹ for D1 sample to 2.73×10¹² cm⁻² eV⁻¹ for D5 sample and increases with increasing the oxide layer thickness.     

Covalent binding of cyclohexene, 1,3-cyclohexadiene and 1,4-cyclohexadiene on Si(1 1 1)-7 × 7

The adsorption reactions and binding configurations of cyclohexene, 1,3-cyclohexadiene and 1,4-cyclohexadiene on Si(1 1 1)-7 × 7 were studied using high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS), ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and DFT calculation. The covalent attachments of these unsaturated hydrocarbons to Si(1 1 1)-7 × 7 through the formation of Si–C linkages are clearly demonstrated by the observation of the Si–C stretching mode at 450–500 cm⁻¹ in their HREELS spectra. For chemisorbed cyclohexene, the involvement of π_C=C in binding is further supported by the absence of C=C stretching modes and the disappearance of the π_C=C photoemission. The chemisorption of both 1,3-cyclohexadiene and 1,4-cyclohexadiene leads to the formation of cyclohexene-like intermediates through di-σ bonding. The existence of one π_C=C bond in their chemisorbed states is confirmed by the observation of the C=C and (sp²)C---H stretching modes and the UPS and XPS results. DFT calculations show that [4 + 2]-like cycloaddition is thermodynamically preferred for 1,3-cyclohexadiene on Si(1 1 1)-7 × 7, but a [2 + 2]-like reaction mechanism is proposed for the covalent attachment of cyclohexene and 1,4-cyclohexadiene.     

Influence of different deposition potentials on morphology and structure of CdSe films

Cadmium selenide (CdSe) thin films have been electrodeposited on the titanium or ITO substrate in an electrolyte containing CdSO₄ and H₂SeO₃ at pH = 2.50 and temperature 298 K. Influence of different deposition potentials on the surface morphology and crystal structure of CdSe films has been discussed. Compared with other deposition potentials (−0.65, −0.71 and −0.72 V versus SCE), the nearly stoichiometric CdSe nanocrystalline films with smaller grain sizes of 80 nm were obtained from 0.25 M CdSO₄ + 0.25 mM H₂SeO₃ + 0.25 M Na₂SO₄ solution at deposition potential of −0.70 V versus SCE. X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscope and scanning electron microscope were used to measure structure and morphology of CdSe films. The results indicated that the electrodeposited films were the smooth, compact and uniform at deposition potentials of −0.70 V versus SCE.     

Superconducting Nd1.85Ce0.15CuO4 films grown by the pulsed electron deposition technique

Nd_1.85Ce_0.15CuO_4−δ superconducting thin films were prepared on (1 0 0) SrTiO₃ substrates by pulsed electron deposition technique without reducing atmosphere. Oxygen content is finely controlled by high temperature vacuum annealing, and optimal superconductivity has been obtained. The deposition conditions of the film are discussed in details. Higher deposition temperature and lower gas pressure result in the loss of copper and the appearance of the foreign phase Ce_0.5Nd_0.5O_1.75. High quality Nd_1.85Ce_0.15CuO_4−δ epitaxial films are deposited at 840–870 °C in the mixed gas with a ratio of O₂:Ar = 1:3.