The film thickness dependent thermal stability of Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>:Ag thin films as high-temperature solar selective absorbers

The monolayer Al₂O₃:Ag thin films were prepared by magnetron sputtering. The microstructure and optical properties of thin film after annealing at 700 °C in air were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and spectrophotometer. It revealed that the particle shape, size, and distribution across the film were greatly changed before and after annealing. The surface plasmon resonance absorption and thermal stability of the film were found to be strongly dependent on the film thickness, which was believed to be associated with the evolution process of particle diffusion, agglomeration, and evaporation during annealing at high temperature. When the film thickness was smaller than 90 nm, the film SPR absorption can be attenuated until extinct with increasing annealing time due to the evaporation of Ag particles. While the film thickness was larger than 120 nm, the absorption can keep constant even after annealing for 64 h due to the agglomeration of Ag particles. On the base of film thickness results, the multilayer Al₂O₃:Ag solar selective thin films were prepared and the thermal stability test illustrated that the solar selectivity of multilayer films with absorbing layer thickness larger than 120 nm did not degrade after annealing at 500 °C for 70 h in air. It can be concluded that film thickness is an important factor to control the thermal stability of Al₂O₃:Ag thin films as high-temperature solar selective absorbers.     

光盘存储材料非晶GdTbFe膜的性能

用偏压磁控溅射所制备得的非晶钆铽铁膜具有适用于磁光存储的材料参数。垂直膜面磁各向异性能常数随着偏压的增加而增加,借助于Johnson-Mehl-Avrami方程和Kissinger方程的计算,报道了非晶Gd₂₇Tb₁₀Fe₆₃膜的晶化动力学参数,激活能△E=2.0电子伏,转变指数n=1。上述成份的GdTbFe膜的晶化温度、激活能都要高于二元系统的GdCo,GdFe膜,等温退火的结果表明,GdTbFe膜具有磁光存储应用所必须要求的较好的热稳定性。 关键词：     

Magnetization reversal process and intrinsic coercivity of sputtered Sm2Co17-based films

The Sm₂Co₁₇-based intermetallic films with additives of Fe, Cu, and Zr have been deposited on Si(1 0 0) substrates by dc magnetron sputtering process. Subsequent thermal treatment and the film thickness are found to have significant contribution to the crystal structure and grain structure, which determines the magnetization reversal process and intrinsic coercivity (H_C) of these films. The conventional thermal annealing (CTA) treatment almost failed to crystallize the as-deposited films, leading to a very low H_C. Continuous and homogeneous domain walls cannot form in this deteriorated microstructure, so that the pinning mechanism can be excluded. Contrarily, the films with thickness exceeding 0.8 μm treated by rapid recurrent thermal annealing (RRTA) show an improved H_C, which is attributed to the observed completed crystallization and compact microstructure. It is suggested that this film structure is responsible for providing continuous and homogeneous domain walls, leading to a magnetization reversal process controlled by domain wall pinning model. In special, the H_C of the RRTA-treated film with thickness of 1.8 μm shows a good temperature dependence from 25 to 300 °C, with intrinsic coercivity temperature coefficient β of −0.23%/°C.     

Structure,magnetic properties and magnetostriction of Fe81Ga19 thin films

The structure, magnetic properties and magnetostriction of Fe₈₁Ga₁₉ thin films have been investigated by using X-ray diffraction analysis, scanning electron microscope (SEM), vibrating sample magnetometer and capacitive cantilever method. It was found that the grain size of as-deposited Fe₈₁Ga₁₉ thin films is 50–60 nm and the grain size increases with increase in the annealing temperature. The remanence ratio (M_r/M_s) of the thin films slowly decreases with increase in the annealing temperature. However, the coercivity of the thin films goes the opposite way with increase in the annealing temperature. A preferential orientation of the Fe₈₁Ga₁₉ thin film fabricated under an applied magnetic field exists along 〈1 0 0〉 direction due to the function of magnetic field during sputtering. An in-plane-induced anisotropy of the thin film is well formed by the applied magnetic field during the sputtering and the formation of in-plane-induced anisotropy results in 90° rotations of the magnetic domains during magnetization and in the increase of magnetostriction for the thin film.     

High rotatable magnetic anisotropy in MnBi thin films

The variations of the structural and magnetic properties of Bi/Mn/Bi and Mn/Bi/Mn trilayer film systems of equiatomic composition in the process of vacuum annealing are studied. The annealing of Bi/Mn/Bi films at a temperature of 270°C for an hour results in the synthesis of the well-studied highly oriented low-temperature LT-MnBi(001) phase with the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy K _u ～ 1.1 × 10⁷ erg/cm³ and coercivity H _C ～ 1.5 kOe. In contrast to Bi/Mn/Bi, polycrystalline LT-MnBi nanoclusters are formed in Mn/Bi/Mn films under the same annealing conditions. A high rotatable magnetic anisotropy exceeding the shape anisotropy is detected in the films under consideration: the easy axis of anisotropy with the inclusion of the delay angle in magnetic fields above the coercivity H &gt; H _C = 9.0 kOe can be oriented in any spatial direction. It is shown that the nature of rotatable magnetic anisotropy is due to the structural coexistence of epitaxially coupled LT-MnBi and QHTP-Mn_1.08Bi phases. The reported experimental results indicate the existence of a new class of ferromagnetic film media with the spatially tunable easy axis.     

Electronic structure of the PLD grown mixed phase MoS2/GaN interface and its thermal annealing effect

We report the electronic structure of Molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) ultrathin 2D films grown by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on top of GaN/c-Al₂O₃ (0001) substrates annealed up to 550 °C in an ultrahigh vacuum. Our X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) study shows that the grown films are mixed phase character with semiconducting 2H and metallic 1T phases. After ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) annealing, the 1T/2H phase ratio is significantly modified and film-substrate bonding becomes the leading factor influencing variation of mixed phase compositions. The semiconducting phase is partially transformed to metallic phase by thermal annealing; suggesting that the metallic phase observed here may indeed have more stability compared to the semiconducting phase. The notable enhancement of the 1T/2H ratio induces significant changes in Ga 3d core level spectra taken from bare GaN and MoS₂/GaN sample. The impact of S and/or Mo atoms on the Ga core level spectra is further pronounced with the thermal annealing of grown films. The analysis shows that an enhancement of 1T metallic phase with thermal annealing in MoS₂ layers is manifested by the occurrence of new spectral component in the Ga 3d core level spectra with the formation of Ga-S adlayer interaction through the Ga bonding in defect assisted GaN structure.     

The wavelength of the magnetization ripple of electrodeposited Ni-Fe films

Thin films of Ni-Fe were electrodeposited onto Cu-substrates, subsequently stripped from their substrates and examined by Lorentz microscopy. The long range wavelengthλ _LR of the magnetization ripple, the anisotropy fieldH _K, the distance between crossties in cross-tie walls, and average crystallite size were determined for several films. Within a certain range of anisotropy fields the relationshipλ _LR=2.99H+ _K ^?1/2 +0.2 micron was experimentally found for as-stripped films. Each film was also given a series of annealing treatments. A large decrease of anisotropy field, and an increase of ripple wavelength occurred after the first few anneals. On increased annealing no significant change in ripple wavelength could be measured although the anisotropy field continued to decrease. This result might suggest that only a part ofH _K is effective in determining the wavelength.     

Studies of the magnetic and reversal properties for thin CoCrTa films

The effects of magnetic layer thickness on film structural and magnetic properties were studied systematically with emphasis on the thermal effects on thin recording media films. X-ray diffraction measurements reveal structural changes as thickness decreases, and the existence of a “Cr enriched phase” associated with the interface. The saturation magnetization M_s decreases with thickness and the thickness of the “dead layer” was found to be ∼23 Å. Systematic measurements of effective anisotropy, coercivity and saturation magnetization as functions of temperature have been carried out. Magnetic viscosity measurements reveal that thermal stability is affected not only by grain sizes but also by anisotropy reduction associated with nanostructure evolution, as the film thickness decreases.     

Ultrathin ZrO2 films on Si-rich SiC(0 0 0 1)-(3 × 3): Growth and thermal stability

The growth and thermal stability of ultrathin ZrO₂ films on the Si-rich SiC(0 0 0 1)-(3 × 3) surface have been explored using photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). The films were grown in situ by chemical vapor deposition using the zirconium tetra tert-butoxide (ZTB) precursor. The O 1s XAS results show that growth at 400 °C yields tetragonal ZrO₂. An interface is formed between the ZrO₂ film and the SiC substrate. The interface contains Si in several chemically different states. This gives evidence for an interface that is much more complex than that formed upon oxidation with O₂. Si in a 4+ oxidation state is detected in the near surface region. This shows that intermixing of SiO₂ and ZrO₂ occurs, possibly under the formation of silicate. The alignment of the ZrO₂ and SiC band edges is discussed based on core level and valence PES spectra. Subsequent annealing of a deposited film was performed in order to study the thermal stability of the system. Annealing to 800 °C does not lead to decomposition of the tetragonal ZrO₂ (t-ZrO₂) but changes are observed within the interface region. After annealing to 1000 °C a laterally heterogeneous layer has formed. The decomposition of the film leads to regions with t-ZrO₂ remnants, metallic Zr silicide and Si aggregates.     

Preparation and characterization of thermally evaporated titanium phthalocyanine dichloride thin films

Titanium phthalocyanine dichloride (TiPcCl₂) thin films are prepared on glass substrates by vacuum-sublimation technique. The optical constants of thin films are obtained by means of thin film spectrophotometry. Planar structures for the study of electrical properties are fabricated with TiPcCl₂ as active layer and silver as the contact electrodes. The effects of post-deposition annealing on the optical band gap have been studied. The optical transition is found to be direct allowed in nature. The invariance in the optical band gap shows the thermal stability of the material. The activation energies are determined using the Arrhenius plots between electrical conductivity and inverse temperature. The variation in activation energy with post-deposition annealing is investigated. The unit cell dimensions of TiPcCl₂ thin films are also determined by indexing the powder diffraction data. The variations of the surface morphology and grain size with annealing have also been studied.     

Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy of CoPt–AlN composite film with nano-fiber structure

Co–Pt–AlN films were prepared by sputtering a Co–Pt–Al composite target in Ar+N₂ atmosphere. Upon thermal annealing at elevated temperatures, fcc CoPt and a-AlN are formed in the films as phases separated from one other. Both phases develop as fiber-like columnar grains vertical to the substrate and with their lateral size less than 10 nm. Because of the shape anisotropy of the magnetic fiber grains the CoPt–AlN film shows a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy at a thickness equal to or larger than about 25 nm while the Co–TiN [6] and CoPt–TiO₂ [11] films do not unless their thicknesses reach 50 and 100 nm, respectively. This suggests that both the shape anisotropy of the CoPt magnetic fiber grains and their mutual separation in an a-AlN medium work more effectively in the formation with the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Such a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy of the CoPt–AlN film associated with the nano-scale feature makes it a very promising candidate for future recording media with ultra-high area density . PACS 75.30.Gw; 75.50.Kj; 81.15.Cd     

Effect of substrate temperature and annealing temperature on the structural, electrical and microstructural properties of thin Pt films by rf magnetron sputtering

Influence of both substrate temperature, T_s, and annealing temperature, T_a, on the structural, electrical and microstructural properties of sputtered deposited Pt thin films have been investigated. X-ray diffraction results show that as deposited Pt films (T_s = 300, 400 °C) are preferentially oriented along (1 1 1) direction. A little growth both along (2 0 0) and (3 1 1) directions are also noticed in the as deposited Pt films. After annealing in air (T_a = 500-700 °C), films become strongly oriented along (1 1 1) plane. With annealing temperature, average crystallite size, D, of the Pt films increases and micro-strain, e, and lattice constant, a₀, decreases. Residual strain observed in the as deposited Pt films is found to be compressive in nature while that in the annealed films is tensile. This change in the strain from compressive to tensile upon annealing is explained in the light of mismatch between the thermal expansion coefficients of the film material and substrate. Room temperature resistivity of Pt films is dependant on both the T_s and T_a of the films. Observed decrease in the film resistivity with T_a is discussed in terms of annihilation of film defects and grain-boundary. Scanning electron microscopic study reveals that as the annealing temperature increases film densification improves. But at an annealing temperature of ∼600 °C, pinholes appear on the film surface and the size of pinhole increases with further increase in the annealing temperature. From X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic analysis, existence of a thin layer of chemisorbed atomic oxygen is detected on the surfaces of the as deposited Pt films. Upon annealing, coverage of this surface oxygen increases.     

SiCN thin film prepared at room temperature by r.f. reactive sputtering

Silicon–carbon nitride (SiCN) thin films were deposited on Si substrate at room temperature by r.f. reactive sputtering. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), optical absorption spectra (α(λ)) and electrical conductivity (σ) were studied for the thin films. The effect of the annealing on IR and σ was investigated at different temperatures. IR analysis indicates that Si–H, C–N, Si–C, Si–N, C–N and CN bonds are present in a-SiCN:H films. A shift of the stretching mode for Si–H bond to the high-wavenumber side is observed with increasing the nitrogen flow ratio γ_N2(=N₂/(Ar+H₂+N₂+CH₄)). The shift is from 2000 to 2190 cm⁻¹ when γ_N2=13.7%. The study shows that the film structure and optical and electrical properties are obviously modified readily by controlling the process parameters of deposition. The improvement in the film properties, e.g., good thermal stability, is explained mainly in terms of the cross-linked structure between the Si, C and N atoms.     

Thermal and chemical passivation of gallium-arsenide films deposited from ablation plasma

The electric and photoelectric properties of gallium-arsenide films deposited on a polycrystalline corundum substrate from the ablation plasma formed by a high-power ion beam are investigated. It is ascertained that vacuum and air annealing (in the former case, P = 10^?2 Pa and T = 300–1200 K) and sulfide chemical passivation in an alcoholic solution affect the characteristics of the dark conductivity and photo-conductivity of the film surfaces. The optimal conditions for thermal and chemical treatment, at which the most stable changes in film the properties are attained, are determined. Enhancement in the stability of the electrical and photoelectric characteristics of films, which is achieved after thermal treatment, arises from the annealing of defects and their clusterization. Sulfide passivation leads to changes in the characteristics and increases the stability of properties under air oxidation.     

低相变温度垂直取向的CoPtCu/Ag纳米复合膜

采用磁控溅射(Ag/Cu/CoPt)_n多层膜先驱体结合真空退火的方法制备了一系列CoPtCu/Ag纳米复合薄膜，通过优化薄膜中Ag以及Cu的含量，成功制备出了低相变温度垂直取向的CoPtCu/Ag纳米复合膜，该膜在450℃退火即可发生相变，该温度比目前所报导的CoPtAg纳米复合膜的相变温度降低了150℃. 实验结果表明，薄膜中一定含量的Ag元素能够有效诱导薄膜的(001)取向，Cu元素的加入能有效降低薄膜的有序化温度. 对于特定组分为Co₄₀Pt₃₆Cu₈Ag₁₆的薄膜，经500℃退火后已经显示了明显的(001)取向，垂直于膜面方向上的矫顽力为5.0×10⁵A/m，并且薄膜中晶粒尺寸仅为4—5nm，为将来CoPt-L1₀有序相合金薄膜用于超高密度垂直磁记录介质打下了基础. 关键词： 磁记录材料 CoPt 纳米复合膜     

Heat-Treatment Induced Magnetic Anisotropy of GaMnSb Films

Conditions and mechanisms of controlled variation of the magnetic anisotropy of GaMnSb films containing magnetic MnSb nanoinclusions by means of heat treatment have been determined. For this purpose, the temperature and magnetic-field dependences of the magnetic moments of samples before and after thermal annealing were measured using a SQUID magnetometer. It is established that the heat treatment of GaMnSb films leads to a significant increase in the values of characteristics determined by the magnetic anisotropy, including the growth of blocking temperature (from 95 to 390 K) and the magnetic anisotropy field (from 330 to 630 Oe). Results of transmission electron microscopy investigation indicate that a change in the magnetic anisotropy of GaMnSb films as a result of their thermal annealing can be related to a transition of the crystalline structure of magnetic MnSb nanoinclusions from hexagonal (space group P6₂/mmc) to cubic (space group F-43m).     

Magnetic Resonance Properties of a Nanogranular Ni<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">m</Emphasis></Subscript>C<Subscript>100 − <Emphasis Type="Italic">m</Emphasis></Subscript> Film Structure

Magnetic resonance properties characteristic of nanogranular film structure Ni_mC_{100 ? m} with different concentrations m of its magnetic phase are studied. Samples are subjected to annealing at temperatures of 200 and 300°C. With tangential magnetization in the planes of films with m ranging from 70 to 89.8 at %, anisotropy is observed for the resonance field and the width of the absorption line. This anisotropy is explained by the uneven shapes of magnetic granules along different directions in the films.     

Effects of rapid thermal annealing on the morphology and optical properity of ultrathin InSb film deposited on SiO2/Si substrate

Ultrathin InSb thin films on SiO₂/Si substrates are prepared by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering and rapid thermal annealing (RTA) at 300, 400, and 500℃, respectively. X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicates that InSb film treated by RTA at 500℃, which is higher than its melting temperature (about 485℃), shows a monocrystalline-like feature. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) micrograph shows that melt recrystallization of InSb film on SiO₂/Si(111) substrate is along the (111) planes. The transmittances of InSb films decrease and the optical band gaps redshift from 0.24 eV to 0.19 eV with annealing temperature increasing from 300℃ to 500℃, which is indicated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) measurement. The observed changes demonstrate that RAT is a viable technique for improving characteristics of InSb films, especially the melt-recrystallized film treated by RTA at 500℃.     

Formation of linear polyenes in poly(vinyl alcohol) films catalyzed by phosphotungstic acid,aluminum chloride,and hydrochloric acid

Formation of linear polyenes–(CH=CH)_n–via acid-catalyzed thermal dehydration of polyvinyl alcohol in 9- to 40-µm-thick films of this polymer containing hydrochloric acid, aluminum chloride, and phosphotungstic acid as dehydration catalysts was studied by electronic absorption spectroscopy. The concentration of long-chain (n ≥ 8) polyenes in films containing phosphotungstic acid is found to monotonically increase with the duration of thermal treatment of films, although the kinetics of this process is independent of film thickness. In films containing hydrochloric acid and aluminum chloride, the formation rate of polyenes with n ≥ 8 rapidly drops as film thickness decreases and the annealing time increases. As a result, at a film thickness of less than 10–12 µm, long-chain polyenes are not formed at all in these films no matter how long thermal duration is. The reason for this behavior is that hydrochloric acid catalyzing polymer dehydration in these films evaporates from the films during thermal treatment, the evaporation rate inversely depending on film thickness.     

Influence of thickness and annealing on linear and nonlinear optical properties of manganese (III) chloride tetraphenyl porphine (MnTPPCl) organic thin films

Thin films of manganese (III) chloride 5,10,15,20-tetraphenyl-21H,23H-porphine (MnTPPCl) with different film thickness were deposited by an evaporation technique. Some optical constants were calculated for these films at a thickness of 110, 220 and 330 nm and annealing temperature of 373 and 437 K. IR spectrum demonstrating that the thermal evaporation method is a good one to acquire undissociated and stoichiometric MnTPPCl films. Our perceptions demonstrate that the mechanism of the optical absorption obeys with the indirect transition. It was found that the energy gap, E_g, affected by the film thickness and annealing. Dispersion of the refractive index is described using single oscillator model. Dispersion parameters are calculated as a function of the film thickness and annealing temperature. In addition, the third-order nonlinear susceptibility, χ⁽³⁾, and the nonlinear refractive index, n₂, were calculated.