Oxidation temperature dependent optical properties of bismuth oxide thin films: Effect of vapour chopping and air exposure

The optical properties of vapour chopped and nonchopped bismuth oxide thin films of two thicknesses 1500 Å and 2000 Å have been studied. The films were prepared by thermal oxidation in air; of vacuum evaporated vapour chopped and nonchopped bismuth thin films. As revealed by XRD studies, multiphase and polycrystalline bismuth oxide thin films were obtained. The refractive index was found to increase with the thickness and exposure to air for 40 days. The vapour chopped films showed higher refractive index, band gap and lower grain size than those of nonchopped films. The films showed high transmittance in the visible spectrum. The ageing effect on the vapour chopped films was found low.     

SiNx薄膜热物性参数实验测量与分析研究

采用一种新的实验测量方案，将金属加热单元与温度探测单元合二为一，间接获得了在半导体和微电子学MEMS领域内有重要用途的SiN_x薄膜的导热系数、发射率、比热容和热扩散系数，并对实验结果进行了不确定度分析，为微电子电路设计和掩模成型工艺等提供了可靠的热物性数据. 实验结果表明，薄膜的导热系数、发射率、热扩散系数远比相应体材质低，而且还与温度、厚度有关，尺寸效应显著，而比热容则与体材质相差不大. 关键词： 微尺度传热 热物性参数 x薄膜')" href="#">SiN_x薄膜 测量技术     

Modulation of refractive index and thickness of poly(methyl methacrylate) thin films with UV irradiation and heat treatment

This paper reports changes in refractive index and thickness of spin-coated poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) thin films upon irradiation by a conventional high-pressure mercury UV lamp. Significant increase in refractive index and reduction in thickness are detected. Index modulations of greater than 0.01 are achieved in the thin films after 4 min of irradiation. The thickness reduction of an irradiated PMMA film is consistent with its weight loss. This is caused by the escape of the volatile molecules generated during the irradiation process. A slight increase in the refractive index is also found in the film, heat-treated above its glass transition temperature (Tg). This thermal effect is detected in the UV irradiation process. We propose three possible aliphatic structures that are formed during the photochemical reaction and may exist in the main chain of irradiated PMMA after the irradiation. Their refractive indices in aggregate state are greater than that of PMMA based on an evaluation using the Lorentz-Lorenz equation. This is suggested to be an important reason for the refractive index increase in the UV-irradiated PMMA films. A UV-irradiated film, heat-treated above its Tg, has a rough surface with many tiny holes as illustrated by atomic force microscopy. These holes are attributed to the evaporation of the small molecules generated during the irradiation process.     

Optical properties of polysiloxane hybrid thin films containing nano-sized Ag–As–Se chalcogenide clusters

Chalcogenide glasses are attractive for all-optical signal processing due to their outstanding optical properties, including large optical nonlinearity, a high refractive index and high photosensitivity. In device fabrication, a challenge lies in the difficulty of obtaining thin films with a high stability and good uniformity. In this paper, optical thin films containing nano-sized chalcogenide clusters in polysiloxane matrices are fabricated by a modified plasma deposition process. The optical absorption and luminescence emission properties of the hybrid thin films were characterized by UV-Vis-NIR and fluorescence spectroscopy. Luminescent emission from Ag–As–Se nano-sized clusters was observed for the first time in these nano-hybrid thin films, and the mechanism was discussed.     

纳米BST薄膜的制备及其折射率特性.

" 采用射频磁控溅射法在石英衬底上沉积了纳米BST(Ba0:65Sr0:35TiO3)薄膜．为了制备优质的BST薄膜,借助X射线衍射仪、场发射扫描电镜和原子力显微镜研究了BST薄膜的晶化行为和显微结构．结果显示在衬底温度600 ℃下制备的BST薄膜经700 ℃退火处理后,具有较强的特征衍射峰和极好的晶化．同时还研究了纳米BST薄膜的制备参数和特性,BST薄膜的折射率是由测量的透射谱中获得的．实验结果表明：纳米BST薄膜的沉积参数对其折射率特性的影响是不尽相同的．折射率随着衬底温度的上升而增加;在较低的溅射     

A study of the oxidation of tantalum nitride by ellipsometry and auger electron spectroscopy

Ellipsometry and Auger electron spectroscopy in conjunction with in-situ ion sputtering have been used to study the thermal and anodic oxidation of thin tantalum nitride (Ta₂N) resistor films which are used in microelectronic circuits. In addition, the effects of thermal oxidation on the resistor-conductor contact resistance and conductor adhesion have been investigated.Thermal oxide thickness and stoichometry were estimated by Auger electron spectroscopy. A more accurate determination of oxide thickness was obtained by using multiple angle-of incidence ellipsometry. The thermal oxide was found to demonstrate a parabolic growth rate, in agreement with other workers. It was determined that the contact resistance should not be adversely affected by oxidation of the tantalum nitride at room temperature for storage times of several months; no significant decrease in the conductor adhesion was observed for oxide thicknesses up to 8 nm.A significant difference in the stoichiometry and refractive index of the thermally and anodically oxidized films was found, however. Depletion of the nitrogen from the surface of the anodically oxidized Ta₂N films resulted in an increase in the refractive index of the anodic oxide layer to a value close to that of pure Ta₂O₅.     

The preparation and refractive index of BST thin films

Radio-frequency magnetron sputtering technique is used to deposit Ba_0.65Sr_0.35TiO₃ (BST) thin films on fused quartz substrates. In order to prepare the high-quality BST thin films, the crystallization and microstructure of the films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). More intense characteristic diffraction peaks and better crystallization can be observed in BST thin films deposited at 600 °C and subsequently annealed at 700 °C. The refractive index of the films is determined from the measured transmission spectra. The dependences of the refractive index on the deposition parameters of BST thin films are different. The refractive index of the films increases with the substrate temperature. At lower sputtering pressure, the refractive index increases from 1.797 to 2.197 with pressure increase. However, when the pressure increases up to 3.9 Pa, the refractive index reduces to 1.86. The oxygen to argon ratio also plays an important effect on the refractive index of the films. It has been found that the refractive index increases with increase in the ratio of oxygen to argon. The refractive index of BST thin films is strongly dependent on the annealing temperature, which also increases as the annealing temperature ascends. In a word, the refractive index of BST thin films is finally affected by the films’ microstructure and texture.     

Low temperature N2-based passivation technique for porous silicon thin films

A technique is presented for the passivation of porous silicon (PS) thin films via nitrogen based annealing at the lowest temperature ever reported. Annealing freshly anodized PS thin films at temperatures as low as 520  ^°C under N₂ flow in a rapid thermal annealer produces films that show no change in refractive index when exposed to ambient conditions over 60 days. These films also exhibited chemical resistance by surviving a brief dip in both concentrated KOH and buffered HF. Unlike most other PS surface passivation methods, this technique causes negligible reduction in refractive index of the annealed PS thin films. Passivation only occurs when dangling bonds and mono-hydrides populate the PS surface, providing a path for thermal interactions with the N₂ gas.     

电子束、离子辅助和离子束溅射三种工艺对光学薄膜性能的影响

 运用电子束、离子辅助和离子束溅射三种镀膜工艺分别制备光学薄膜，包括单层氧化物薄膜和增透膜，然后采取一系列测试手段，如Zygo轮廓仪、原子力显微镜、表面热透镜技术和X射线衍射等技术，来分析和研究不同的工艺对这些薄膜性能的不同影响，以判断合理的沉积工艺。     

Structure and properties of zinc oxide films deposited in the recombination burning zone of a low-temperature plasma

The structure and refractive index of thin zinc oxide films grown in reactive gas-discharge plasma have been studied. Reactions on the substrate and film growth occur under conditions of complete or partial reagent ionization. The ion recombination and kinetic energies activate film growth. Thermal heating of the films is absent. Under certain concentration of recombining ions, the films are found to acquire new structural and electrooptic properties rather than being destructed. To a thickness of 1500 Å, the films are optically dense and have high mechanical and chemical resistance and changed interplanar spacing and refractive index as compared to the analogous properties of the ZnO films synthesized during thermal activation.     

AlF3 film deposited by IAD with end-Hall ion source using SF6 as working gas

A novel and effective process to fabricate high quality fluoride thin films was presented. Aluminum fluoride films deposited by a conventional thermal evaporation with an ion-assisted deposition (IAD) using SF₆ as a working gas at around room temperature were investigated. In this study, the optimal voltage and current, 50 V and 0.25 A, were found according to the optical properties of the films: high refractive index (1.489 at 193 nm), low optical absorption and extinction coefficient (<10⁻⁴ at 193 nm) in the UV range. The physical properties of the film are high packing density and amorphous without columnar structure. It was proved that using SF₆ working gas in IAD process is a good choice and significantly improves the quality of AlF₃ films.     

Optimization of the optical and electrical properties of electron beam evaporated aluminum-doped zinc oxide films for opto-electronic applications

Aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) thin films have been deposited by electron beam evaporation technique on glass substrates. The structural, electrical and optical properties of AZO films have been investigated as a function of annealing temperature. It was observed that the optical properties such as transmittance, reflectance, optical band gap and refractive index of AZO films were strongly affected by annealing temperature. The transmittance values of 84% in the visible region and 97% in the NIR region were obtained for AZO film annealed at 475 °C. The room temperature electrical resistivity of 4.6×10⁻³ Ω cm has been obtained at the same temperature of annealing. It was found that the calculated refractive index has been affected by the packing density of the thin films, whereas, the high annealing temperature gave rise to improve the homogeneity of the films. The single-oscillator model was used to analyze the optical parameters such as the oscillator and dispersion energies.     

Thermal properties of 15-mol% gadolinia doped ceria thin films prepared by pulsed laser ablation

Thermal properties of 15-mol% gadolinia doped ceria thin films (Ce_0.85Gd_0.15 O_1.925) prepared by pulsed laser ablation on silicon substrates in the temperature range 473–973 K are presented. Thermal diffusivities and thermal conductivities were evaluated using photoacoustic spectroscopy. The influence of grain size on thermal properties of the films as a function of deposition temperature is studied. It is observed that the thermal diffusivity and the conductivity of these films decreases up to 873 K and then increases with substrate temperatures. The thermal properties obtained in these films are discussed on the basis of influence of grain size on phonon scattering.     

Temperature effects on optical properties of InN thin films

Transmission measurements have been carried out on InN thin films grown by radio frequency magnetron sputtering on a sapphire (0001) substrate at 10–300 K. With the aid of a novel procedure developed for analyzing the transmission spectra, the effect of temperature on optical properties, such as the absorption coefficient, band-gap, Urbach bandtail characteristics, refractive index and extinction coefficient, of InN thin films has been determined. The wavelength and temperature dependence of the absorption coefficient in both the Urbach and intrinsic absorption regions has been described by a series of empirical formulae. The temperature dependence of the refractive index dispersion below the band-gap is also found to follow a Sellmeier equation. These formulae are very useful for the characterization and device design of InN films. The free-electron concentration in the InN thin film determined here is also found to be in good agreement with that obtained from infrared reflection measurements. PACS 78.66.Fd; 78.40.Fy; 78.20.Bh; 78.20.Ci     

Thermal characterization of film-on-substrate system by photothermal method and genetic algorithm

For a film-on-substrate system, in the case of thin films with lower thermal diffusivities compared to substrates, the phase characterization of the photothermal signals is analyzed. Moreover, the numerical estimations of multiparameter are performed, which show the feasibility of simultaneous determination of the thermal diffusivities of the film and the substrate, as well as the thermal interface resistance of the film/substrate. Because the thermal diffusivity of the thin-film and the thermal interface resistance may be highly correlated, a genetic algorithm is used as an estimation method for the determination of the thermal properties of thin films with low thermal diffusivity.     

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.     

Laser radiation effects on optical and structural properties of nanostructure CdSe thin film

Cadmium selenide (CdSe) thin films were deposited on a glass substrate using the thermal evaporation method at room temperature. The changes in the optical properties (optical band gap and absorption coefficient) after irradiation by TEA N₂ laser at different energies were measured in the wavelength range 190–800 nm using a spectrophotometer. It was found that the optical band gap is decreased after irradiating the thin films. The samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), and the grain size of the CdSe thin film was calculated from XRD data, which was found to be 41.47 nm as-deposited. It was also found that grain size increases with laser exposure. The samples were characterized using a scanning electron microscope and it was found that big clusters were formed after irradiation by TEA N₂ laser.     

射频磁控反应溅射氮氧化硅薄膜的研究

利用SiOxNy薄膜光学常数随化学计量比连续变化的特性,给出了制备折射率连续可调的SiOxNy薄膜的实验条件。用磁控反应溅射法制备了不同氮氧比的SiOxNy薄膜。研究了不同气流比率条件下薄膜光学常数、化学成分及溅射速率等的变化。用UV-VIS光谱仪测试了透射率曲线,利用改进的单纯型法拟合透射率曲线计算得到了折射率和消光系数。测试了红外傅立叶光谱(FTIR)曲线和X光光电子能谱(XPS)分析了薄膜成分的变化。实验表明薄膜特性与N2／O2流量比率密切相关,通过控制总压和改变气体流量比可控制SiOxNy薄膜的折射率n从1．92到1．46连续变化,应用Wemple-DiDomenico模型计算出光子带隙在6．5eV到5eV之间单调变化。     

Effects of refractive index modifiers and UV light on an epoxy-functional inorganic-organic hybrid sol-gel derived thin film system

Thin film systems consisting of (3-glycidyloxypropyl)trimethoxysilane (GDPTMS), dimethyldimethoxysilane (DMDMOS) and, either zirconium(IV) n-propoxide (Zr(OPrⁿ)₄) or diphenyldimethoxysilane (DPDMS) were synthesised via the sol-gel method. GDPTMS and DMDMOS were employed as the main network formers, whereas Zr(OPrⁿ)₄ or DPDMS was both a network former and a refractive index modifier. The comparative effects of Zr and DPDMS content, and UV light on the optical and thermal properties of the system were evaluated. Refractive index measurements and cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy of the resultant thin films were performed. The thermal stability of each system, in terms of temperature at 10% mass loss, was characterised by dynamic thermogravimetry. It was demonstrated that the selection of refractive index modifier along with UV irradiation plays an important role in tuning the optical and thermal properties of an epoxy-functional inorganic-organic hybrid sol-gel derived thin film system.     

Optical constants of thermally evaporated arsenic triselenide using only transmission spectrum

A procedure to calculate the optical constants and Thickness of thin films, using only data from the transmission spectrum has been employed in the case of arsenic triselenide films prepared by thermal evaporation. Using this technique, the Calculated thickness was found to an accuracy ranging between 1.0 to 3.5 % compared to other methods used. The refractive index and absorption coefficient, as a function of photon energy, have been calculated using this technique and showed to be accurate enough. The surface roughness calculated is compared to that determined using stylus profile technique.