Effect of precursors on structure, optical and electrical properties of chemically deposited nanocrystalline ZnO thin films

Nanocrystalline ZnO thin films were chemically deposited on glass substrates using two different precursors namely, zinc sulphate and zinc nitrate. XRD studies confirm that the films are polycrystalline zinc oxide having hexagonal wurtzite structure with crystallite size in the range 25-33 nm. The surface morphology of film prepared using zinc sulphate exhibits agglomeration of small grains throughout the surface with no visible holes or faulty zones, while the film prepared using zinc nitrate shows a porous structure consisting of grains with different sizes separated by empty spaces. The film prepared using zinc sulphate shows higher reflectance due to its larger refractive index which is related to the packing density of grains in the film. Further, the film prepared using zinc sulphate is found to have normal dispersion for the wavelength range 550-750 nm, whereas the film prepared using zinc nitrate has normal dispersion for the wavelength range 450-750 nm. The direct optical band gaps in the two films are estimated to be 3.01 eV and 3.00 eV, respectively. The change in film resistance with temperature has been explained on the basis of two competing processes, viz. thermal excitation of electrons and atmospheric oxygen adsorption, occurring simultaneously. The activation energies of the films in two different regions indicate the presence of two energy levels - one deep and one shallow near the bottom of the conduction band in the bandgap.     

Influence of X-ray irradiation on the optical properties of CoMTPP thin films

Thin films of 5,10,15,20-Tetrakis (4-methoxyphenyl)-21H,23H-porphine cobalt (II), CoMTPP were prepared at room temperature (300K) by the thermal evaporation technique under vacuum pressure about 2 × 10^− 4Pa. The X-ray diffraction patterns showed the amorphous nature for the as-deposited and the irradiated films, whereas the powder has shown a polycrystalline with triclinic structure. Miller's indices, hkl, values for each diffraction peak in the XRD spectrum were calculated. Optical properties of CoMTPP thin films were characterized by using spectrophotometric measurements of transmittance and reflectance in the spectral range from 200 to 2500 nm. The refractive index, n, and the absorption index, k, were calculated. The obtained data were used to estimate the type of transitions and the optical and fundamental gaps before and after X-ray irradiation. In addition, the normal dispersion of the refractive index is discussed in terms of lorentz-lorentz free single oscillator model and modified lorentz Drude model of free carrier contribution.     

Effect of some preparative parameters on optical properties of spray deposited iridium oxide thin films

Optical properties of iridium oxide films fabricated by the spray pyrolysis technique (SPT) have been investigated. The transmission and reflection spectra of the sprayed films were measured by using a double-beam spectrophotometer in the wavelength range from 200 to 2500 nm. Influences of the preparative parameters; namely, substrate temperature (350-500 °C) and solution molarity (0.005-0.03 M), on the optical characteristics were examined. The solution molarity of the iridium chloride solution was varied so as to prepare iridium oxide thin films with thicknesses ranging from 160 to 325 nm. Some important characteristics of optical absorption, such as optical dispersion energies, the dielectric constant, the ratio of the number of charge carriers to the effective mass, the single oscillator wavelength, and the average value of the oscillator strength, were evaluated. The value of the refractive index was found to depend on the chemical composition as well as the degree of stoichiometry of IrO₂. The values obtained for the high frequency dielectric constant through two procedures are in the range of 2.8-3.9 and 3.3-4.6 over the relevant ranges of the substrate temperature and solution molarity, respectively. Analysis of the energy dispersion curve of the absorption coefficient indicated a direct optical transition with the bandgap energy ranging between 2.61 and 2.51 eV when the substrate temperature increases from 350 to 500 °C.     

Effect of intrinsic stress on the optical properties of nanostructured ZnO thin films grown by rf magnetron sputtering

In this paper we report the effect of deposition temperature on the structural and optical properties of ZnO thin films prepared by rf magnetron sputtering. The films grown at lower deposition temperatures were in a state of large compressive stress, whereas the films grown at higher temperature (450 °C) were almost stress free. In the absorption spectra, the ZnO excitonic and the Zn surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peaks have been observed. A redshift in the optical band gap of ZnO films has also been observed with the increase in the deposition temperature. The shift in the band gap calculated from the size effect did not match with the observed shift values and the observed shift has been attributed to the compressive stress present in the films.     

Effect of K-doping on structural and optical properties of ZnO thin films

In this work, K-doped ZnO thin films were prepared by a sol–gel method on Si(111) and glass substrates. The effect of different K-doping concentrations on structural and optical properties of the ZnO thin films was studied. The results showed that the 1 at.% K-doped ZnO thin film had the best crystallization quality and the strongest ultraviolet emission ability. When the concentration of K was above 1 at.%, the crystallization quality and ultraviolet emission ability dropped. For the K-doped ZnO thin films, there was not only ultraviolet emission, but also a blue emission signal in their photoluminescent spectra. The blue emission might be connected with K impurity or/and the intrinsic defects (Zn interstitial and Zn vacancy) of the ZnO thin films.     

Influence of Fe ions in characteristics and optical properties of mesoporous titanium oxide thin films

Fe-doped mesoporous titanium dioxide (M-TiO₂-Fe) thin films have been prepared on indium tin oxide (ITO) glass substrates by sol–gel and spin coating methods. All films exhibited mesoporous structure with the pore size around 5–9 nm characterized by small angle X-ray diffraction (SAXRD) and further confirmed by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Raman spectra illustrated that lower Fe-doping contributed to the formation of nanocrystalline of M-TiO₂-Fe thin films. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) data indicated that the doped Fe ions exist in forms of Fe³⁺, which can play a role as e⁻ or h⁺ traps and reduce e⁻/h⁺ pair recombination rate. Optical properties including refractive indices/n, energy gaps/E_g and Urbach energy width/E₀ of the thin films were estimated and investigated by UV/vis transmittance spectra. The presence of Fe content extended the light absorption band and decreased the values of n, implying enhanced light response and performance on dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC). The optimum Fe content in M-TiO₂-Fe thin films is determined as 10 mol%, for its compatibility of well crystalline and well potential electron transfer performance.     

Effect of boron ion implantation on the structural, optical and electrical properties of ZnSe thin films

Zinc Selenide (ZnSe) thin films were deposited onto well cleaned glass substrates using vacuum evaporation technique under a vacuum of 3×10⁻⁵ mbar. The prepared ZnSe samples were implanted with mass analyzed 75 keV B⁺ ions at different doses ranging from 10¹² to 10¹⁶ ions cm⁻². The composition, thickness, microstructures, surface roughness and optical band gap of the as-deposited and boron-implanted films were studied by Rutherford backscattering (RBS), grazing incidence X-ray diffraction, Atomic force microscopy, Raman scattering and transmittance measurements. The RBS analysis indicates that the composition of the as-deposited and boron-implanted films is nearly stoichiometric. The thickness of the as-deposited film is calculated as 230 nm. The structure of the as-deposited and boron-implanted thin films is cubic. It is found that the surface roughness increases on increasing the dose of boron ions. In the optical studies, the optical band gap value decreases with an increase of boron concentration. In the electrical studies, the prepared device gave a very good response in the blue wavelength region.     

Preparation and optical properties of barium titanate thin films

Barium titanate (BTO) films were prepared by sol-gel spin-coating technique. The crystal structure and optical properties of BTO films have been investigated. The results indicate that the BTO films are single perovskite phase having tetragonal symmetry. The band gap of the BTO films increases with the increasing of layer number and decreasing of solution concentration. The transmittance and band gap of the BTO films annealed at 900 °C is more than that of the BTO films annealed at 700 °C when wavelength is 200-1000 nm. When wavelength is 400-1000 nm, the absorption coefficient α obtained by experiment is higher than that obtained by calculation (close to zero).     

Effect of Al-doping on optical and electrical properties of spray pyrolytic nano-crystalline CdO thin films

CdO and Al-doped CdO nano-crystalline thin films have been prepared on glass at 300 °C substrate temperature by spray pyrolysis. The films are highly crystalline with grain size (18–32 nm) and found to be cubic structure with lattice constant averaged to 0.46877 nm. Al-doping increased the optical transmission of the film substantially. Direct band gap energy of CdO is 2.49 eV which decreased with increasing Al-doping. The refractive index and dielectric constant varies with photon energy and concentration of Al as well. The conductivity of un-doped CdO film shows metallic behavior at lower temperature region. This behavior dies out completely with doping of Al and exhibits semiconducting behavior for whole measured temperature range. Un-doped and Al-doped CdO is an n-type semiconductor having carrier concentration is of the order of ∼10²¹ cm⁻³, confirmed by Hall voltage and thermo-power measurements.     

Effect of environment and heat treatment on the optical properties of RF-sputtered SnO2 thin films

Thin films of SnO₂ were deposited by RF-magnetron sputtering on quartz substrates at room temperature in an environment of Ar and O₂. The XRD pattern shows amorphous nature of the as-deposited films. The optical properties were studied using the reflectance and transmittance spectra. The estimated optical band gap (E_g) values increase from 4.15 to 4.3 eV as the Ar gas content decreases in the process gas environment. The refractive index exhibits an oscillatory behavior that is strongly dependent on the sputtering gas environment. The Urbach energy is found to decrease with increase in band gap. The band gap is found to decrease on annealing the film. The role of oxygen defects is explored in explaining the variation of optical parameters.     

Annealing temperature effect on the structural, optical and electrical properties of ZnS thin films

Zinc sulfide thin films were prepared on glass substrates at room temperature using a chemical bath deposition method. The obtained films were annealed at temperatures ranging from 100 to 500 °C in steps of 100 °C for 1 h. The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), optical absorption spectra, and electrical measurements. X-ray diffraction analysis indicates that the deposited films have an amorphous structure, but after being annealed at 500 °C, they change to slightly polycrystalline. The optical constants such as the refractive index (n_r), the extinction coefficient (k), and the real (ε₁) and imaginary (ε₂) parts of the dielectric constant are calculated depending on the annealing temperature. Aside from the ohmic characteristics of the I-V curve, a nonlinear I-V curve owing to the Schottky contact is also found, and the barrier heights (?_bn) for Au/n-ZnS and In/n-ZnS heterojunctions are calculated. The conductivity type was identified by the hot-probe technique.     

Interrelation between microstructure and optical properties of erbium-doped nanocrystalline thin films

Nanocrystalline silicon thin films codoped with erbium, oxygen and hydrogen have been deposited by co-sputtering of Er and Si. Films with different crystallinity, crystallite size and oxygen content have been obtained in order to investigate the effect of the microstructure on the photoluminescence properties. The correlation between the optical properties and microstructural parameters of the films is investigated by spectroscopic ellipsometry. PL response of the discussed structures covers both the visible wavelength range (a crystallite size-dependent photoluminescence detected for 5–6 nm sized nanocrystals embedded in a SiO matrix) and near IR range at 1.54 μm (Er-related PL dominating in the films with 1–3 nm sized Si nanocrystals embedded in a-Si:H). It is demonstrated that the different PL properties can be also discriminated on the basis of ellipsometric spectra.     

Effect of In-content on the optical properties of a-Se films

The optical transmission spectra of amorphous (a-) Se_1−xIn_x films, with x = 0.0, 0.05, 0.18 and 0.35, that prepared by thermal evaporation from their corresponding bulk ingots, are recorded over the spectral region of 500–2500 nm. A simple straight forward procedure proposed by Swanepeol has been applied to determine the two components of the complex refractive index (). The dispersion of is examined in terms of the Wemple and DiDomenico model and is discussed in terms of In-content. An estimation of various optical parameters such as, the optical energy gap (E_g = 1.96–1.33 eV), single oscillator energy (E_o = 3.95–3.16 eV), oscillator dispersion energy (E_d = 22.6–31.6 eV), lattice oscillator strength (E_l = 0.38–0.61 eV) and wavelength at zero material dispersion (λ_c = 2.0569–2.0879 μm) have been given and discussed in relation to the coordination number, hydrostatic density and formed chemical bonds that are introduced in the network of a-Se with the introduction of up to 35 at.% In.     

Effects of Ti-doped concentration on the microstructures and optical properties of ZnO thin films

The Ti-doped ZnO (ZnO:Ti) thin films have been deposited on glass substrates by radio frequency (RF) reactive magnetron sputtering technique with different Ti doping concentrations. The effect of Ti contents on the crystalline structure and optical properties of the as-deposited ZnO:Ti films was systematically investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and fluorescence spectrophotometer. The XRD measurements revealed that all the films had hexagonal wurtzite type structure with a strong (100) preferential orientation and relatively weak (002), (101), and (110) peaks. It was found that the intensity of the (100) diffraction peaks was strongly dependent on the Ti doping concentration. And the full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of (002) diffraction peaks constantly changed at various Ti contents, which decreased first and then increased, reaching a minimum of about 0.378° at 1.43 at.% Ti. The morphologies of ZnO:Ti films with 1.43 at.% Ti showed a denser texture and better smooth surface. All the films were found to be highly transparent in the visible wavelength region with an average transmittance over 90%. Compared with E_g = 3.219 eV for pure ZnO film, all the doping samples exhibited a blue-shift of E_g. It can be attributed to the incorporation of Ti atoms and raising the concentration of carriers. Five emission peaks located at 412, 448, 486, 520, and 550 nm were observed from the photoluminescence spectra measured at room temperature and the origin of these emissions was discussed.     

Investigation of optical properties of annealed aluminum phthalocyanine derivatives thin films

Semiconducting molecular materials based on aluminum phthalocyanine chloride (AlPcCl) and bidentate amines have been successfully used to prepare thin films by using a thermal evaporation technique. The morphology of the deposited films was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Studies of the optical properties were carried out on films deposited onto quartz and (1 0 0) monocrystalline silicon wafers and films annealed after deposition. The absorption spectra recorded in the UV–vis region for the as-deposited and annealed samples showed two absorption bands, namely the Q- and B-bands. In addition, an energy doublet in the absorption spectra of the monoclinic form at 1.81 and 1.99 eV was observed. A band-model theory was employed in order to determine the optical parameters. The fundamental energy gap (direct transitions) was determined to be within the 2.47–2.59 and 2.24–2.44 eV ranges, respectively, for the as-deposited and annealed thin films.     

Effect of oxygen deficiency on optical band gap shift in Er-doped ZnO thin films

Er-doped ZnO films were deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering technique at different oxygen flow rate. The microstructures, the chemical state of the oxygen and the optical absorption properties of ZnO:Er films were investigated. The X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD) results and the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses about the oxygen in the doped samples indicated that oxygen flow rate has great effect on the crystalline quality of ZnO:Er films. It was concluded that the decrease of the crystalline quality of the samples was caused by the oxygen deficiency. The optical absorption properties and the shift of the optical band gaps were investigated. The analysis reveals that the blue shift of the band gaps was caused due to the decreasing of O²⁻ions at the intrinsic sites and the increasing of O²-ions at the oxygen deficient regions.     

Structural and optical properties of chromotrope 2R thin films of different thicknesses

Chromotrope 2R (CHR) films of different thicknesses have been prepared using spin coater. The material has been characterized using FT-IR, DTA and X-ray diffraction. The XRD of the material in powder and thin film forms showed polycrystalline structure with triclinic phase. Preferred orientation at the (1 1 4) plane is observed for the deposited films. Initial indexing of the XRD pattern was performed using “Crystalfire” computer program. Miller indices, h k l, values for each diffraction line in X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectrum were calculated and indexed for the first time. The DTA thermograms of CHR powder have been recorded in the temperature range 25–350 °C with different heating rates. The spectra of the infra-red absorption allow characterization of vibration modes for the powder and thin film. The effect of film thickness on the optical properties has been studied in the UV-visible-NIR regions. The films show high transmittance exceeding 0.90 in the NIR region λ > 800 nm. The intensity of the absorption peaks for λ < 800 nm are enhanced as the film thickness increase. The absorption bands are attributed to the (π–π*) and (n–π*) molecular transitions. The optical properties have been analyzed according to the single-oscillator model and the dispersion energy parameters as well as the free charge carrier concentration have been determined. The optical energy gap as well as the oscillator strength and electric dipole strength have been calculated.     

Effect of spin polarization on the optical properties of Co-doped TiO2 thin films

A non-linear variation of bandgap energy with Co doping is observed in sputter deposited Co-doped TiO₂ thin films. This peculiar behavior is explained on the basis of mechanical stress in the films together with spin polarization due to s,p-d exchange interaction between the localized Co 3d electrons and delocalized electrons. Quantitative analyses of mechanical stress and grain boundary barrier potential due to spin polarization are performed from the below bandgap absorption tail. Furthermore, anomalous variations in both the refractive indices and extinction coefficients with Co doping are noted and are explained on the basis of ab-initio calculations based on density functional theory.     

Effect of substrate temperature and oxygen partial pressure on microstructure and optical properties of pulsed laser deposited yttrium oxide thin films

Yttrium oxide thin films were deposited on Si (1 1 1) and quartz substrates by pulsed laser deposition technique at different substrate temperature and oxygen partial pressure. XRD analysis shows that crystallite size of the yttrium oxide thin films increases as the substrate temperature increases from 300 to 873 K. However the films deposited at constant substrate temperature with variable oxygen partial pressure show opposite effect on the crystallite size. Band gap energies determined from UV-visible spectroscopy indicated higher values than that of the reported bulk value.     

Oxidation-induced changes in the electro-optical properties of thin copper films

Summary The room temperature oxidation of vapour deposited copper films has been investigated as a function of film thickness and time by the sheet resistance and optical transmittance measurements. An increase of both sheet resistance and transmittance with a tendency to saturation has been observed. Time variation of the sheet resistance shows that the kinetics of oxidation could be described by a model whereby an initial logarithmic oxide growth changes to an inverse logarithmic one as time progresses; the thicker the film, the longer the change-over time. Absorption coefficients of oxidized films show that the resulting oxide is most probably Cu₂O. Evaluation of the oxidized films for possible use as transparent electrode material shows the existence of an optimum thickness value.

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Riassunto Si è studiata l’ossidazione a temperatura ambiente di pellicole di rame depositate per vaporizzazione in funzione dello spessore della pellicola e del tempo mediante la resistenza del foglio e misurazioni di trasmittenza ottica. Si è osservato un aumento sia della resistenza del foglio, sia della trasmittenza con una tendenza alla saturazione. La variazione temporale della resistenza del foglio mostra che la cinetica di ossidazione potrebbe essere descritta da un modello con cui un’iniziale crescita logaritmica dell’ossido cambia in una logaritmica inversa al crescere del tempo; più spessa è la pellicola più lungo è il tempo del cambiamento. I coefficienti di assorbimento delle pellicole ossidate mostrano che l’ossido risultante è molto probabilmente il Cu₂O. La valutazione delle pellicole ossidate per un possibile uso come materiale di elettrodo trasparente mostra l’esistenza di un valore ottimo dello spessore.

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Резюме Исследуется окисление при комнатной температуре пленок меди в зависимости от толщины пленки и времени, используя измерения сопротивления слоя и оптической прозрачности. Наблюдается увеличение сопротивления слоя и прозрачности с тенденцией к насыщению. Временное изменение сопротивления слоя показывает, что кинетика окисления может быть описана с помощью модели, согласно которой начальный логарифмический рост окисла изменяется на обратно логарифмический, когда время увеличивается; для более толстой пленки изменение происходит при больщих временах. Коэффициенты поглощения окисленных пленок показывают, что результирующий окисел представляет Cu₂O. Оценка возможности использования окисленных пленок в качестве прозрачного материала электродов указывает на существование оптимальной толщины пленки.