Effect of bi-layer ratio in ZnO/Al2O3 multilayers on microstructure and functional properties of ZnO nanocrystals embedded in Al2O3 matrix

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanocrystals (NCs) embedded in alumina (Al₂O₃) matrix were produced via rapid thermal annealing (RTA) of pulsed laser deposited ZnO/Al₂O₃ multilayered nanostructures. The effect of the thickness ratio (R) between Al₂O₃ and ZnO in one bi-layer on the microstructure and functional properties of NCs has been investigated. Grazing incidence small angle X-ray scattering confirmed the formation of nanocrystals after RTA. Grazing incidence wide angle X-ray scattering studies revealed that ZnO NCs have a high crystalline quality with (100) as preferred orientation. Tensile strain of NCs decreases with increasing R and is correlated to the distribution of NCs. From Raman analysis, it is noticed that the phonon frequency of the E₂ mode, related to the ZnO wurtzite phase, in NCs is shifted towards that of bulk ZnO with increasing R. Photoluminescence studies revealed that the near edge peak position shifts from 382 nm to 371 nm as the ratio R changes from 1.5 to 4 and is attributed to the strain effect. The intensity of emission in the yellow–green region due to defects decreases significantly with increasing R. Current–voltage (I–V) characteristics of Al/ZnO NCs embedded in Al₂O₃/n-Si (100)/Al have shown a hysteresis behavior. The increasing width of the hysteresis with increasing R revealed that the origin of the hysteresis might be due to the existence of polar surface charges on well-separated NCs. The high-resistance and low-resistance states in I–V hysteresis curves seem to be governed by Fowler–Nordheim tunneling and Schottky emission mechanisms, respectively.     

Optical and paramagnetic properties of natural diamonds implanted with hydrogen ions

We used IR spectroscopy and electron spin resonance (ESR) to investigate defect reconstruction processes occurring in diamond crystals due to their implantation with H⁺ ions with energies of 65–350 keV and subsequent isochronous annealing in the temperature range 250–1550°C. We found that most of the hydrogen in diamonds implanted with protons is in an IR-inactive state. Magnetic hysteresis related to radiation defects in diamond is observed for the first time at room temperature using ESR. __________ Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 74, No. 4, pp. 485–490, July–August, 2007.     

Optical and electrical properties of nanostructured implanted silicon n+-p junction passivated by atomic layer deposited Al2O3

This paper investigates the optical and electrical properties of nanostructured implanted silicon junctions passivated by Al₂O₃ layers. A two-step ion implantation method has been developed to fabricate the nanostructured n⁺-p junctions with theoretical support of two dimensional Monte Carlo simulations to predict and optimize the junction profile. Dense and uniform arrays of silicon nanopillars and nanocones were formed by combining nanosphere lithography and dry etching, exhibiting a low reflectance in a broad spectrum from 300 to 800 nm. A conformal Al₂O₃ layer was deposited on the array by using thermal atomic layer deposition (ALD) to achieve chemical passivation effect. External quantum efficiency and power conversion efficiency of the junctions were measured versus nanostructuration and Al₂O₃ passivation. The results showed that significant enhancement of efficiency can be achieved on the passivated nanopillar-based junctions.     

Optical properties of Co/Al2O3 nano-array composite structure

Co/Al₂O₃ nano-array composite structure assemblies with Co grown in the pores of an anodic alumina membrane (AAM) were obtained by alternating current electrodeposition. X-ray diffraction pattern results show that a mixture of face-centred cubic and hexagonal-close-packed structures, with a preferred (100) direction, co-exists in the Co nanowires. The transmission electron microscopy image reveals that the nanowires are both very regular and uniform, with an average diameter of about 20 nm. The transmission ratio of Co/Al₂O₃ composite in the near-IR and mid-IR wavebands decreases with the increasing of the electrodeposition time, while it rises with the increasing of the pore-widening time. The Co/Al₂O₃ composite has good polarization in the near-IR waveband, and its extinction ratio increases significantly when extending the electrodeposition time. With the expanding of pores in the AAM, the extinction ratio first decreases and then rises. PACS 78.67.-n; 81.05.-t; 81.05.Rm; 81.40.Tv; 82.80.Fk     

Optical characterization of periodically polarity-inverted ZnO structures on (0001) Al2O3 substrates

We investigated the optical properties of periodically polarity-inverted (PPI) ZnO structures formed on (0001) Al₂O₃ substrates by evaluating the cathodoluminescence (CL) as a function of the acceleration voltage (V_acc). At surface regions with a low V_acc, the emission from the interface region was dominant but the dominant emission source changed to the Zn-polar regions as V_acc was increased, which can be explained by the different exciton diffusion lengths. The dependence of the emission properties on V_acc showed a slight red shift as V_acc increased and a larger red shift was observed in the Zn-polar regions. Moreover, the interface regions showed the highest intensity compared to other regions, which can be explained by the results of the geometrical analysis conducted using a finite-differential time domain simulation.     

Optical properties of doubly doped ZnO phosphors co-activated with lithium ions

Time-resolved laser-induced optical properties of didymium (a mixture of neodymium and praseodymium) doped zinc oxide phosphors have been studied using nitrogen laser as an excitation source at room as well as at liquid nitrogen temperatures. A comparison of optical properties (oscillator strength and dipole-moment) at room temperature and liquid nitrogen temperature has been done and is reported in this article. It is found that oscillator strength and dipole-moment values for doped ZnO are increasing with decreasing temperature. The increasing trend of the optical parameters obtained at liquid nitrogen temperature of the doped phosphors indicates increase in efficiency.     

Structural, Morphology and Optical Properties of Epitaxial ZnO Films Grown on Al2O3 by MOCVD

Epitaxial ZnO films are grown on Al2O3 （0001） by the MOCVD method. These films are high quality wurtzite crystals with （0001） orientation. Big hexagonal crystallites （diameter from several decades to 100 μm） are found on the surface. Inside these crystallites, a stronger luminescence is observed compared with the plain area. Transmission electronic microscopy reveals that the film is thicker inside the hexagonal crystallites than the plain area, and some crystallites are not connected with each other and are slightly rotated with respect to their neighbours.     

Optical studies of ZnO nanocrystals doped with Eu3+ ions

Synthetic ZnO nanocrystals have been intentionally doped with Eu³⁺ ions. Structural analysis performed on the nanocrystals showed wurtzite-ZnO as the only phase present in the samples. Photoluminescence in emission and excitation modes allows the assignment of the intra-4f⁶ transitions for the Eu³⁺ ions. From the analysis of the optical data we are able to demonstrate that multiple Eu-related optical centres are present in the studied samples. Oxygen vacancies are likely candidates to be responsible for the ion accommodation in the ZnO lattice and from the photoluminescence excitation data we tentatively assign a trap level at ∼200 meV below the conduction band to this intrinsic defect. PACS 78.66.Hf; 78.67.-n; 82.80.Yc     

Optical properties of Sm3+ and Dy3+ ions in Gd2MoB2O9 host lattice

Gd₂MoB₂O₉ doped with Sm³⁺ and Dy³⁺ were used for this study. The photoluminescence behaviors of Sm³⁺ and Dy³⁺ in this phosphor material were investigated by the excitation and emission spectra. The Sm³⁺-doped Gd₂MoB₂O₉ phosphor powders show a red luminescence, whereas the Dy³⁺-doped Gd₂MoB₂O₉ phosphor powders show a yellow luminescence. In addition, the optimum doping concentration and the time-resolved luminescence spectroscopy were also investigated.     

Interfacial characteristics of Al/Al2O3/ZnO/n-GaAs MOS capacitor

The interfacial characteristics of Al/Al2O3/ZnO/n-GaAs metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitor are investigated. The results measured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) show that the presence of ZnO can effectively suppress the formations of oxides at the interface between the GaAs and gate dielectric and gain smooth interface. The ZnO-passivated GaAs MOS capacitor exhibits a very small hysteresis and frequency dispersion. Using the Terman method, the interface trap density is extracted from C-V curves. It is found that the ZnO layer can effectively improve the interface quality.     

Luminescence properties of Tb implanted ZnO

ZnO [0 0 0 1] crystals were irradiated at room temperature with Tb⁺ ions of 400 keV with fluences from 1×10¹⁶ to 2×10¹⁷ cm⁻². The implanted layer was examined by several methods, including radioluminescence (RL), Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) and optical spectroscopy. The optical extinction spectra were simulated using Mie scattering theory. Absorption spectra predicted by Mie theory for particles of decreasing diameter were compared with those obtained experimentally. Some qualitative agreement between theoretical and experimental data was achieved. It was also shown that the intensities of the characteristic green emission bands associated with Tb produced by ⁵D₄→⁷F_j=5,4 transitions have increased about 8 times after annealing. Optical spectroscopy and radioluminescence data have revealed that the ion implantation is a promising tool for synthesizing Tb nanoparticles in the ZnO surface. The Tb nanoparticles exhibit a rather weak plasma resonance.     

SERS imaging of silver coated nanostructured Al and Al2O3 substrates. The effect of nanostructure

The last few years have witnessed rapid development of highly ordered and reproducible surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) nanostructured substrates for their potential medical and analytical application such as biosensing and bioimaging. In this work, 5‐nm silver films deposited on nanostructured Al and Al₂O₃ templates are investigated as substrates for SERS. The chosen templates show different honeycomb nanostructures with two sets of dimension, i.e. pore diameter of ca. 25 and 50 nm and interpore distance of ca. 56 and 100 nm. The SERS imaging results reveal that the signal of the probe molecule (4‐thiazolidinone‐2‐thione) is distributed inhomogeneously on the substrate surface, and this fact is correlated with the morphology of nanostructures determined by atomic force microscopy. The variation of SERS intensity among the substrates is strongly correlated with the shape and size of potential SERS‐active sites, e.g. nanocups and nanopores. The strongest SERS response is found for the Ag/Al₂O₃ template anodized in sulfuric acid, which represents the nanopore array with the smallest dimensions (e.g. pore diameter, interpore distance etc.). Furthermore, depending on size and nanostructure shape, changes in the adsorption mechanism of the probe molecule are observed. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The structural,magnetic,and optical properties of ZnO (0001) wafers implanted with Co ions

The ion implantation technique was employed to study the structural,magnetic,and optical properties of Co-doped crystalline ZnO.The photoluminescence measurements indicated that the center of green emission of implanted samples shifts gradually from 510 nm to 531 nm with an increase of Co concentrations.All implanted samples are ferromagnetic at room temperature with a saturation magnetization from 6.89×10-5 to 2.31×10-4 emu.The possible mechanisms on the observed ferromagnetism were discussed.     

Optical spectra and local structure of Eu3+ ions doped in Nb2O5-La2O3-B2O3-BaO glasses

The xNb2O5-(15-x)La2O3-40B2O3-45BaO (x = 5, 7.5, 12.5 mol%) glasses doped with Eu3+ ions in 1mol% are fabricated by the melting method. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra, phonon sideband spectra, emission and excitation spectra of the glasses are measured. The crystal field parameter and coordination number of Eu3+ ions in the glasses are obtained according to the splitting of their 5D0 - 7F1levels. The intensity parameters Ω2 and Ω4 of Eu3+ ions for optical transition are calculated from their emission spectra in terms of reduced matrix U(t) (λ= 2,4,6) character for optical transitions. The results indicate that the intensity parameters Ω2 and Ω4 increase with the increase of Nb2O5 content, suggesting that the symmetry becomes lower, the band of Eu and O atoms becomes stronger and the covalence increases with the increase of Nb2O5 content.     

Surface modifications of crystalline SiO2 and Al2O3 induced by energetic heavy ions

Abstract

Glasses with composition × CoO.(0.25-x) CaO.0.75 B₂O₃ have been prepared over the range 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.25 containing 2 mol% of V₂O₅. Electron paramagnetic Resonance spectra of VO²⁺ of these glasses has been measured at X-band (ν ≈ 9.15 GHz) at room temperature and at liquid nitrogen temperature. Spin Hamiltonian parameters of the VO²⁺ ions have been calculated. It is found that for x ≤ 0.12 the octahedral symmetry of the V⁴⁺ site is improved. A part of these glasses were annealed at 473 K for 24 hours and EPR spectra were recorded and analysed.