Electrons diffusion study on the nitrogen-doped nanocrystalline diamond film grown by MPECVD method

Nitrogen-doped nanocrystalline diamond (NNCD) films were deposited onto p-type silicon substrates with three different layer structures: (i) directly onto the silicon substrate (NNCD/Si), (ii) silicon with undoped nanocrystalline diamond layer which was deposited in the same way as the above mentioned NNCD by the recipe Ar/CH₄/H₂ with a ratio of 98%/1%/1% (NNCD/NCD/Si), and (iii) silicon wafer with 100 nm thickness SiO₂ layer (NNCD/SiO₂/Si). Atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy were employed to characterize the morphology and microstructure of the as-grown nitrogen-doped diamond films. Silver colloid/silver contacts were made at to measure the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics for the three different structures. Electrons from a CVD reactor hydrogen plasma diffuse toward the p-type silicon substrate during a deposition process under the high temperature (∼800 °C). The study concluded that the SiO₂ layer could effectively prevents the diffusion of electrons.     

Rare-earth-mediated magnetism and magneto-optical Kerr effects in nanocrystalline CoFeMn0.9RE0.1O4 thin films

A series of rare-earth (RE)-doped nanocrystalline CoFeMn_0.9RE_0.1O₄ thin films were prepared on monocrystalline silicon substrate by a sol–gel process, and the influences of the various RE³⁺ ions on the microstructure, magnetism and polar magneto-optical Kerr effects of the as-deposited films were examined. The results revealed that both of the magnetism and Kerr effect of CoFeMn_0.9RE_0.1O₄ films could be mediated by doping with various RE³⁺ ions. The trend of both M_S and H_C of CoFeMn_0.9RE_0.1O₄ films is similar to that of Bohr magneton across the series of rare-earth ions. The position of Kerr rotation peaks was red-shifted and their intensities increased, especially when doping with La³⁺, Tb³⁺, Y³⁺ or Yb³⁺ and so on. The enhanced MOKEs in CoFeMn_0.9RE_0.1O₄ nanocrystalline thin films might promise their applications for magneto-optical recording in the future.     

Tailoring the wettability of nanocrystalline TiO2 films

The water contact angle (WCA) of nanocrystalline TiO₂ films was adjusted by fluoroalkylsilane (FAS) modification and photocatalytic lithography. FAS modification made the surface hydrophobic with the WCA up to ∼156°, while ultraviolet (UV) irradiation changed surface to hydrophilic with the WCA down to ∼0°. Both the hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity were enhanced by surface roughness. The wettability can be tailored by varying the concentration of FAS solution and soaking time, as well as the UV light intensity and irradiation time. Additionally, with the help of photomasks, hydrophobic-hydrophilic micropatterns can be fabricated and manifested via area-selective deposition of polystyrene particles.     

Chemical synthesis of nanocrystalline SnO2 thin films for supercapacitor application

Nanocrystalline SnO₂ thin films were deposited by simple and inexpensive chemical route. The films were characterized for their structural, morphological, wettability and electrochemical properties using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy techniques (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), contact angle measurement, and cyclic voltammetry techniques. The XRD study revealed the deposited films were nanocrystalline with tetragonal rutile structure of SnO₂. The FT-IR studies confirmed the formation of SnO₂ with the characteristic vibrational mode of Sn-O. The SEM studies showed formation of loosely connected agglomerates with average size of 5-10 nm as observed from TEM studies. The surface wettability showed the hydrophilic nature of SnO₂ thin film (water contact angle 9°). The SnO₂ showed a maximum specific capacitance of 66 F g⁻¹ in 0.5 Na₂SO₄ electrolyte at 10 mV s⁻¹ scan rate.     

惰性气体对HFCVD沉积金刚石气相基团的影响

发射光谱法是对等离子进行在线诊断的常用方法。在丙酮/H2、丙酮/H2/He和丙酮/H2/Ar三种体系中,对热丝化学气相沉积金刚石薄膜过程中的等离子体进行了在线测量。研究了不同体积分数的惰性气体对等离子体中各活性基团强度的影响,以及CH,H与C2的相对强度的比值、电子温度的大小随惰性气体体积分数的变化关系。结果表明,各基团的强度随着惰性气体体积分数的增加呈现上升趋势,且加入同体积分数的氩气比加入氦气的影响更大;CH,H与C2的相对强度比值、电子温度随着惰性气体体积分数的增加而呈现下降趋势,且在丙酮/H2/Ar体系中要比丙酮/H2/He体系中小。     

Ar/CH4等离子体射流发射光谱诊断研究

为了更加深入的研究大气压条件下Ar/CH₄等离子体射流的放电机理和其内部电子的状态,通过自主设计的针-环式介质阻挡放电结构,在放电频率10 kHz、一个大气压条件下产生了稳定的Ar/CH₄等离子体射流,并利用发射光谱法对其进行了诊断研究。对大气条件下Ar/CH₄等离子体射流的放电现象及内部活性粒子种类进行诊断分析,重点研究了不同氩气甲烷体积流量比、不同峰值电压对大气压Ar/CH₄等离子体射流电子激发温度、电子密度以及CH基团活性粒子浓度的影响规律。结果表明,大气压条件下Ar/CH₄等离子体射流呈淡蓝色,在射流边缘可观察到丝状毛刺并伴有刺耳的电离声同时发现射流尖端的形态波动较大;通过发射光谱可以发现Ar/CH₄等离子体射流中的主要活性粒子为CH基团,C,CⅡ,CⅢ,CⅣ,ArⅠ和ArⅡ,其中含碳粒子的谱线主要集中在400~600 nm之间,ArⅠ和ArⅡ的谱线分布在680~800 nm之间;可以发现CH基团的浓度随峰值电压的增大而增大,但CH基团浓度随Ar/CH₄体积流量比的增大而减小,同时Ar/CH₄等离子体射流中C原子的浓度随之增加,这表明氩气甲烷体积流量比的增大加速了Ar/CH₄等离子体射流中C-H的断裂,因此可以发现增大峰值电压与氩气甲烷体积流量比均可明显的加快甲烷分子的脱氢效率,但增大氩气甲烷体积流量比的脱氢效果更加明显。通过多谱线斜率法选取4条ArⅠ谱线计算了不同工况下的电子激发温度,求得大气压Ar/CH₄等离子体射流的电子激发温度在6 000~12 000 K之间,且随峰值电压与氩气甲烷体积流量比的增大均呈现上升的趋势;依据Stark展宽机理对Ar/CH₄等离子体射流的电子密度进行了计算,电子密度的数量级可达1017 cm-3,且增大峰值电压与氩气甲烷体积流量比均可有效的提高射流中的电子密度。这些参数的探索对大气压等离子体射流的研讨具有重大意义。     

Effect of nitrogen addition on hydrogen incorporation in diamond nanorod thin films

The effect of nitrogen addition in the feed gas on the finally incorporated amount of hydrogen in the diamond nanorods (DNRs) thin films has been investigated. The Raman spectroscopy measurements helped to understand the structural and quality changes with increasing nitrogen gas flow rate during CVD deposition. The hydrogen concentration was measured with 3.0 MeV He²⁺ beam using elastic recoil detection analysis technique and it was found that with the addition of nitrogen, the hydrogen concentration was increased. The results of non-Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (NRBS) used to measure the amount of nitrogen in the DNRs thin films have shown that the incorporated nitrogen is below the detection limit of NRBS technique. Our results suggested that the addition of nitrogen has affected the overall quality of diamond films in two ways; increasing the thickness of diamond films by increasing the non-diamond carbon content and increasing the hydrogen impurity incorporation. The role of nitrogen additive on diamond growth and hydrogen incorporation is discussed.     

High-density plasma etching of indium-zinc oxide films in Ar/Cl2 and Ar/CH4/H2 chemistries

The dry etching characteristics of transparent and conductive indium-zinc oxide (IZO) films have been investigated using an inductively coupled high-density plasma. While the Cl₂-based plasma mixture showed little enhancement over physical sputtering in a pure argon atmosphere, the CH₄/H₂/Ar chemistry produced an increase of the IZO etch rate. On the other hand, the surface morphology of IZO films after etching in Ar and Ar/Cl₂ discharges is smooth, whereas that after etching in CH₄/H₂/Ar presents particle-like features resulting from the preferential desorption of In- and O-containing products. Etching in CH₄/H₂/Ar also produces formation of a Zn-rich surface layer, whose thickness (∼40 nm) is well-above the expected range of incident ions in the material (∼1 nm). Such alteration of the IZO layer after etching in CH₄/H₂/Ar plasmas is expected to have a significant impact on the transparent electrode properties in optoelectronic device fabrication.     

CH4或CH4+Ar介质阻挡放电中的离子能量和类金刚石膜制备

实验上，利用纯CH₄及CH₄+Ar在几百帕量级气压下的介质阻挡放电 制备类金刚石膜，研究了气压p与放电间隙d乘积(pd值)以及Ar的体积百分比R_Ar 对膜硬度的影响.理论上，从离子与气体分子的双体碰撞出发，利用较高折合电场强度E/n( 电场强度与粒子数密度之比)下离子及中性粒子速度分布的双温模型、离子在其他气体中运 动时遵守的朗之万方程及离子在混合气体中运动时遵守的布兰克法则，对CH⁺4和Ar⁺离子能量进行了分析.结果表明：1)CH₄介质阻挡 放电中，pd值由1.862×10³Pa mm降低至2.66×10²Pa mm时，CH+₄能量由5.4eV增加到163eV，类金刚石膜硬度由2.1GPa提高到17.6GPa ; 2) 保持总气压p=100Pa,放电间距d=5mm不变，在CH₄中加入Ar气，当R_Ar 由20％增加至83%时，CH⁺₄的能量由69eV增加到92eV,而Ar＋能量由93eV降低至72eV.虽然CH⁺₄能量增加有助于提高 沉积膜硬度，但当R_Ar大于67%，高强度Ar⁺轰击会导致膜表面石墨 化，膜硬度降低.为了验证离子能量理论模型的正确性，实验测量了H₂介质阻挡 放电中离子能量，测量结果与理论计算之间最大相对误差为16%. 关键词： 离子能量 介质阻挡放电 类金刚石膜     

Synthesis of nano-phase TiO2 crystalline films over premixed stagnation flames

A new method is proposed to fabricate nanocrystalline titania (TiO₂) films of controlled crystalline size and film thickness. The method uses the laminar, premixed, stagnation flame approach, combining particle synthesis and film deposition in a single step. A rotating disc serves as a combination of substrate-holder and stagnation-surface that stabilizes the flame. Disc rotation repetitively passes the substrates over a thin-sheet, fuel-lean ethylene–oxygen–argon flame doped with titanium tetraisopropoxide. Convective cooling of the back side of the disc keeps the substrate well below the flame temperature, allowing thermophoretic forces to deposit a uniform film of particles that are nucleated and grown via the flame stabilized just below the surface. The particle film grows typically at 1 μm/s. The film is made of narrowly distributed, crystalline TiO₂ several nanometers in diameter and forms with a 90% porosity. Analysis shows that the rotation of the stagnation-surface does not reduce the stability of a stagnation flame, nor does it affect the fundamental chemistry of particle nucleation and growth that occurs between the flame and the stagnation surface.     

Electron behaviour in CH4／H2 gas mixture in electron-assisted chemical vapour deposition

The behaviour of electrons in CH_{4}/H_{2} gas mixture in electron-assisted chemical vapour deposition of diamond is investigated using Monte Carlo simulation. The electron drift velocity in gas mixture is obtained over a wide range of E/P (the ratio of the electric field to gas pressure) from 1500 to 300000 (V/m kPa^{-1}). The electron energy distribution and average energy under different gas pressure (0.1－20kPa) and CH_{4} concentration (0.5%－10.0%) are calculated. Their effects on the diamond growth are also discussed. It is believed that these results will be helpful to the selection of optimum experimental conditions for high quality diamond film deposition.     

Characteristics of electron beam evaporated nanocrystalline SnO2 thin films annealed in air

Tin oxide (SnO₂) thin films (about 200 nm thick) have been deposited by electron beam evaporation followed by annealing in air at 350-550 °C for two hours. Optical, electrical and structural properties were studied as a function of annealing temperature. The as-deposited film is amorphous, while all other annealed films are crystalline (having tetragonal structure). XRD suggest that the films are composed of nanoparticles of 5-10 nm. Raman analysis and optical measurements suggest quantum confinement effects that are enhanced with annealing temperature. For instance, Raman peaks of the as-deposited films are blue-shifted as compared to those for bulk SnO₂. Blue shift becomes more pronounced with annealing temperature. Optical band gap energy of amorphous SnO₂ film is 3.61 eV, which increases to about 4.22 eV after crystallization. Two orders of magnitude decrease in resistivity is observed after annealing at 350-400 °C due to structural ordering and crystallization. The resistivity, however, increases slightly with annealing temperature above 400 °C, possibly due to improvement in stoichiometry and associated decrease in charge carrier density.     

Elucidating surface properties of dry-etched ZnO using H2/CH4 and H2/CH4/Ar plasma

This paper reports a study of reactive ion etching (RIE) of n-ZnO in H₂/CH₄ and H₂/CH₄/Ar gas mixtures. Variables in the experiment were gas flow ratios, radio-frequency (rf) plasma power, and total pressure. Structural and electrical parameters of the etched surfaces and films were determined. Both the highest surface roughness and highest etching rate of ZnO films were obtained with a maximum rf power of 300 W, but at different gas flow ratios and working pressures. These results were expected because increasing the rf power increased the bond-breaking efficiency of ZnO. The highest degree of surface roughness was a result of pure physical etching by H₂ gas without mixed CH₄ gas. The highest etching rate was obtained from physical etching of H₂/Ar species associated with chemical reaction of CH₄ species. Additionally, the H₂/CH₄/Ar plasma treatment drastically decreased the specific contact and sheet resistance of the ZnO films. These results indicated that etching the ZnO film had roughened the surface and reduced its resistivity to ohmic contact, supporting the application of a roughened transparent contact layer (TCL) in light-emitting diodes (LEDs).     

Growth and electron field emission of ZnO nanorods on diamond films

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods grown on chemical vapor deposited diamond films by thermal vapor transport method have been investigated. In the initial growth status, the semi-spherical ZnO nuclei were preferably deposited near the growth steps on the terraces and the boundaries of diamond grains. With increasing the growth time, the [0 0 0 1] orientated ZnO nanorods appeared and further covered the whole diamond film. It is found that the size of diamond grains would determine the diameter of ZnO nanorods. The electron field emission properties of the ZnO nanorods/diamond system have been significantly improved with respect to pure diamond film. The feature of the ZnO nanorods grown on diamond films played an important role in further enhancing the electron field emission performances.     

Mechanisms of metastable N2 and Kr electron stimulated desorption from N2---Kr double layer and mixed films

Desorption of metastable particles from layered and mixed films, composed of N₂ and Kr, is induced by the impact of 6–50 eV monoenergetic electrons. From yield functions and time-of-flight analysis of the metastable particles emanating from these films, N*₂ and Kr* are identified as the desorbing species. Basic mechanisms responsible for their desorption are discussed. It is suggested that the desorption of Kr* arises from dissociation of transitory [Kr·N₂]* excimers. The desorption of N*₂ can arise from cavity expulsion, intramolecular vibrational energy transfer (with or without prior electronic excitation energy transfer from Kr excitions to N₂) and the dissociation of [Kr·N₂]* excimers.     

Permeability of C60 films deposited on polycarbonatesyloxane to N2, O2, CH4, and He gases

In this study, we report on the gas permeability of non-polymerized and polymerized fullerene films (thickness about 0.5 μm) grown on an organic polymer substrate, polycarbonatesyloxane (PCS), using a high vacuum deposition method. The photopolymerized C₆₀ films were prepared by a simultaneous thin film deposition and UV-vis irradiation method which was reported previously [V.A. Karachevtsev, P.V. Mateichenko, N.Y. Nedbailo, A.V. Peschanskii, A.M. Plokhotnichenko, O.M. Vovk, E.N. Zubarev, A.M. Rao, Carbon 42 (2004) 2091]. Raman spectroscopy revealed that ∼90% of the C₆₀ molecules are covalently linked to neighboring C₆₀ molecules in the photopolymerized film after 20 h of film deposition/irradiation. Permeability of the resulting membranes consisting of polymer PCS base and fullerene films to the N₂, O₂, CH₄, and He gases has been investigated. Our experiments revealed that the gas permeability properties are dependent on the age of the membrane. In particular, the aged membrane exhibited an enhanced permeability for O₂ and He gases in comparison to N₂ and CH₄, respectively.     

DC discharge experiment in an Ar/N2/CO2 ternary mixture: A laboratory simulation of the Martian ionosphere's plasma environment

A low-pressure DC plasma discharge sustained in a 1.6%Ar–2.7%N₂–95.3%CO₂ ternary mixture is studied. This plasma was generated in a total pressure range from 1.0 to 4.0 Torr, a power of 6.3 W and a 12 l/min flow rate of gases. The electron temperature was found to be 8.41 eV and the ion density, in the order of 10⁹ cm⁻³. The species observed in the plasma mixture were CO₂, CO₂⁺, CN, CO, CO⁺, O₂, O₂⁺, N₂, N₂⁺, NO, C⁺, Ar and Ar⁺. At the pressure range in the present study, the species observed do not change their intensity due to an increase in the pressure and they separate in two groups according to their emission intensity: the band of the first group (CO₂, CO₂⁺ and CN) is approximately a factor of 3 more intense than that of the second group (CO, CO⁺, O₂, O₂⁺, N₂, N₂⁺, NO, C⁺, Ar and Ar⁺). The behavior of the emission intensities may be correlated to the constant ion density and electron temperature measured. Also, we observed the same constant behavior in the ratios of the neutral and positive species intensities to that of the N₂ intensity, as a function of pressure. This may suggest that the different rate coefficients and cross sections of elastic collision, excitation and de-excitation of electronic or vibrational levels, inelastic and superelastic collisions of electrons with the gas phase and products, neutral–neutral interactions, resonant charged transfer processes, recombination, to mention some, to produce these species change in the same proportion, as a function of the pressure to keep the relative ratios of the species almost constant.     

Investigation into the photo-induced change in wettability of hydrophobized TiO2 films

The photo-induced change in wettability of hydrophobized TiO₂ films has been investigated for steel coated with acidic TiO₂ nanosols containing varying concentrations of dispersed nanocrystalline titania, such as Degussa P25. The photo-induced change in wettability was evaluated by measuring the time-dependent drop of water contact angle (WCA) after samples had been soaked in either n-octyltriethoxysilane (OTS) or decanoic acid (DA). TiO₂ films treated in this way exhibit superhydrophobic behaviour, with WCA greater than 160°. After radiation with UV (black light), the superhydrophobic properties are transformed into superhydrophilic properties, with WCA of almost 0°. As P25 content and layer thickness increase, high rates of photo-induced change are found, but a moderate calcination regime is required. On the other hand, hardness and E modulus pass through a maximum at 25 wt% P25, so that a P25 content between 25 and 50 wt% is the optimum for practical uses. With such stable coatings, wettability can be controlled over a wide range, and the switch between hydrophobic and hydrophilic states can be carried out repeatedly when DA is used as the hydrophobizing agent. Use of a low calcination temperature (450 °C) for the intermediate annealing of the single layers in multilayer coatings and a short final sintering step at a relatively high temperature (e.g. 630 °C for 10 min) allow the preparation of relatively thin TiO₂ films on steel with a high photoactivity.     

Spectroscopic characterization of TiCx films produced by pulsed laser deposition in CH4 environments

Titanium carbide (TiC_x) thin films were grown on (1 0 0)-Si substrates by a pulsed laser deposition (PLD) method using a Ti target in methane gas. The films are characterized in situ by Auger (AES), electron energy loss (EELS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies (XPS). It was found that the reaction between the ablated Ti species and CH₄ in the plasma plume influenced the C:Ti ratio. XPS numerical fitting for the C 1s transition revealed three Gaussians components. The main component, binding energy of 282.8 eV, is assigned to C making bonds with Ti, like in stoichiometric TiC. The second component, binding energy of 284.9 eV, is assigned to C---C bonds. A third component is found for films deposited at pressures higher than 25 mTorr at 286.5 eV. A post-deposition thermal treatment demonstrates that the Ti---C and C---C peaks are very stable, whereas, the third peak tends to decrease for temperatures higher than 200 °C. It is assumed that this last component is due to carbonyl complexes remnant in films. Finally, it can be concluded that the titanium carbide films processed by PLD is a chemically inhomogeneous material; mostly composed of sub-stoichiometric TiC and particulates of segregated carbon.     

ZnO nanostructured thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition in mixed O2 / Ar background gas

We report on the properties of ZnO nanostructured thin films grown on either bare or gold patterned a-plane sapphire substrates. The pulsed laser deposition technique was used to deposit all the films at a temperature of 700 C in a mixture of oxygen and argon under a total pressure of 35 Pa. SEM surface characterizations typically showed pyramidal nanostructures with hexagonal symmetry and a coverage density strongly dependent on the O₂ partial pressure. For the patterned samples, wall-like structures of nanoneedles were observed. For all samples, x-ray diffraction results confirmed the high crystalline quality of the nanostructures, with the rocking curve widths of the (0002) reflection as low as 0.09. Similarly, photoluminescence results at room temperature testified to the high optical quality of the material.