Design of anisotropic reflector with birefringent thin films

A novel design for dielectric anisotropic mirrors with birefringent thin films for normal incidence is presented. This mirror consists of a stack of quarter-wave biaxial layers. The biaxial anisotropic layers can be fabricated by oblique deposition. The reflectance is different for two linear polarizations of light incidence on the mirrors. As a numerical example, the design is carried out on glass with TiO2 and ZrO2. These thin films could be applied to anisotropic reflective devices for lasers.     

Write-once medium with BiO_x thin films for blue laser recording

BiO_x films are prepared by reactive direct current(DC)magnetron sputtering from a metallic bismuth target in Ar O_2 with different O_2/Ar ratios.It is found that the optical property of BiO_x films is sensitive to O_2/Ar ratios and the films deposited at O_2/Ar ratio of 0.5 have the best reflectivity contrast under the same conditions.The structure and optical characteristics of the films are studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD),X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS),and spectrophotometer.As revealed by investigations, the phase transition is mainly responsible for the change of optical properties.The static test results indicate that the BiO_x films have good writing sensitivity for blue laser beams.A high reflectivity contrast of about 52% at a writing power of 11 mW and writing pulse width of 800 ns is obtained.In addition,the films demonstrate good stability after being read for 10000 times.     

Breakdown of thin films “cured” with tantalum oxide

Studies have been made of the temperature and time characteristics of breakdown in a thin Ta₂O₅ film produced by reactive evaporation with subsequent curing of the defect sites, with aluminum electrodes. The data obtained are explained from the viewpoint of classical thermal breakdown.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 4, pp. 120–124, April, 1977.In conclusion, we express our indebtedness to N. S. Mukhachev and N. R. Spiridonov for their assistance in measuring the temperature dependence of E_br.     

Role of Ti 3d carriers in mediating the ferromagnetism of Co∶TiO2 anatase thin films

We study the surface and bulk electronic structure of the room-temperature ferromagnet Co∶TiO(2) anatase films using soft- and hard-x-ray photoemission spectroscopy with probe sensitivities of ～1 and ～10 nm, respectively. We obtain direct evidence of metallic Ti(3+) states in the bulk, which get suppressed to give a surface semiconductor, thus indicating the difference in electronic structure between surface and bulk. X-ray absorption and resonant photoemission spectroscopy reveal Ti(3+) electrons at the Fermi level (E(F)) and high-spin Co(2+) electrons occurring away from E(F). The results show the importance of the charge neutrality condition: Co(2+)+V(O)(2-)+2Ti(4+)?Co(2+)+2Ti(3+) (V(O) is oxygen vacancy), which gives rise to the elusive Ti 3d carriers mediating ferromagnetism via the Co 3d-O 2p-Ti 3d exchange interaction pathway of the occupied orbitals.     

Transmission of positrons with aβ + energy distribution through thin films

The transmission through Al foils of isotropically implanted positrons from a²²Na ⁺ source has been measured. It is shown that the transmission is reasonably well-described using an exponential profile once backscattering is accounted for, except for thicknesses below approximately 7 mg/cm². Below this thickness, the measured transmission is slightly less than that predicted by the exponential profile. Such a deviation has previously been observed for collimated positrons, suggesting that the implantation profile has no significant dependence on the spatial distribution of the incident positrons. This deviation is critical for the proper interpretation of positron lifetime experiments on thin films using a conventional positron lifetime spectrometer.     

Investigation of ultra—thin ferromagnetic films with a simple cubic lattice

Using Green‘s function method,we investigate ferromagnetic films with a simple cubic lattice containing up to ten monolayers.The Hamiltonian includes the Heisenberg exchange term,surface anisotropy (SA) and dipole interaction (DI).We calculate the magnetization as a function of temperature and film thickness,and we analyse the behaviour of spin canting.The result is in agreement with experiments.We calculate phase diagrams of SA versus DI to show the conditions under which spontaneous magnetization can occur.As a special case,we discuss the Heisenberg model without SA and DI.     

Weak ferromagnetism and spin density distributions in thin films of Gd x Bi1 − x FeO3 solid solutions

Polycrystalline thin-film Gd _x Bi_{1 ? x} FeO₃ (x = 0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, or 0.20) samples are synthesized by means of thermal vacuum deposition. The concentrations, temperatures, and magnetic field dependences of specific magnetization are studied. Self-consistent calculations of the spin density distribution are performed for R3c BiFeO₃ and Pnma Gd_0.25Bi_0.75FeO₃ using the density functional theory in the LSDA approximation.     

Proposal of switchable multiwavelength laser with continuously tunable spacing in MgO： APPLN waveguide

A switchable multiwavelength laser with a continuously tunable spacing is proposed and illustrated based on cascaded interactions of the second harmonic and difference-frequency generations in an aperiodically poled MgO-doped lithium niobate (MgO:APPLN) waveguide. The wavelengths and wavelength spacings of the four outputs are continuously varied and controlled by changing the two input pump wavelengths and spacings within a 3-nm flattop bandwidth of MgO:APPLN. In addition, the switchable states of the four outputs can be selected by inputting proper powers of the two pumps. The number of output wavelengths can also be increased by choosing the proper APPLN structure, the total length of MgO:APPLN, and higher powers of input pump lights.     

Growth of thin films of TiN on MgO(100) monitored by high-pressure RHEED

Reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) operated at high pressure has been used to monitor the initial growth of titanium nitride (TiN) thin films on single-crystal (100) MgO substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). This is the first RHEED study where the growth of TiN films is produced by PLD directly from a TiN target. At the initial stage of the growth (average thickness ∼2.4 nm) the formation of islands is observed. During the continuous growth the islands merge into a smooth surface as indicated by the RHEED, atomic force microscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy. These observations are in good agreement with the three-dimensional Volmer–Weber growth type, by which three-dimensional crystallites are formed and later cause a continuous surface roughening. This leads to an exponential decrease in the intensity of the specular spot in the RHEED pattern as well.     

Simulation of quantum wells with ‘spikes’ and ‘dips’

The use of thin high-bandgap ‘spikes’ or thin low-bandgap ‘dips’ inside conventional rectangular quantum wells (QWs) gives supplementary flexibility in engineering intra- and inter-band energy level separation. The paper presents simulation and experimental studies on the effects of ‘spikes’ and ‘dips’ on the fundamental quantum well properties.     

Femtosecond laser interaction with pulsed-laser deposited carbon thin films of nanoscale thickness

The dependence of optical, electronic and thermal penetration zones on the thickness of nanoscale layers grown on silicon wafers is reported. Tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) and amorphous carbon nitride (a-C_xN_y) films were prepared by inverse pulsed laser deposition (IPLD). Single-pulse modification thresholds for femtosecond laser processing proved to be dependent on the actual film thickness below 60 nm for ta-C and 90 nm for a-C_xN_y. The modification behaviour was governed by multiphoton processes. An effective penetration depth of the laser radiation in a-C_xN_y was of ca. 110 nm in accordance with two-photon absorption. Both the emergence length of ballistic hot electrons and the heat diffusion length are negligible in these thin film materials. The lower bulk value of the threshold fluence of the a-C_xN_y films as compared to ta-C is mainly controlled by optical contributions due to nitrogen-related defects.     

Integration of GaN thin films with silicon substrates by fusion bonding and laser lift-off

GaN thin films grown on sapphire substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) are successfully bonded and transferred onto Si receptor substrates using fusion bonding and laser lift-off (LLO) technique. GaN/Al_2O_3 structures are joined to Si substrates by pressure bonding Ti/Au coated GaN surface onto Ti/Au coated Si receptor substrates at the temperature of 400℃. KrF excimer laser with 400-mJ/cm~2 energy density, 248-nm wavelength, and 30-ns pulse width is used to irradiate the wafer through the transparent sapphire substrates and separate GaN films from sapphire. Cross-section scanning electron microscopy (SEM) combined with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) measurements show that Au/Si solid solution is formed during bonding process. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and photoluminescence (PL) measurements show that the qualities of GaN films on Si substrates degrade little after substrates transfer.     

Phase transitions in barium–strontium titanate films on MgO substrates with various orientations

A comparative study of the lattice dynamic upon phase transitions in a polycrystalline Ba_0.8Sr_0.2TiO₃ (BST) film on a Pt substrate and in epitaxial BST films grown on various sections of an MgO substrate has been performed by Raman spectroscopy. It has been found that different sequences of phase transitions take place in these films. The BST/Pt films demonstrate the same sequence of phase transitions that is observed in the bulk ceramics. The hardening of a soft mode in BST/(001)MgO and BST/Pt films shows that the transition from the tetragonal ferroelectric phase to the paraelectric phase has features of the displacement-type phase transition and also the order–disorder phase transition. When approaching the ferroelectric transition temperature, the soft mode in the BST/(111)MgO film is softened, following the Cockran law, which indicates the displacement-type phase transition.     

Structural and magnetic properties of Si1−xGex thin films implanted with Fe ions

A series of Si_1?xGe_x (x = 1, 0.848, 0.591, 0.382, 0.209, 0.064, 0) thin films prepared by ion beam sputtering were implanted with Fe ions to different doses using the metal vapor vacuum arc technique. X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) was used to characterize the local microstructure around the Fe atoms in Fe-doped Si_1?xGe_x samples. Structural analysis showed that for annealed samples of Ge-rich thin films (including pure Ge) implanted with low doses of Fe ions, almost all the Fe ions substituted at Ge sites. However, an anti-ferromagnetic Fe₆Ge₅ impurity phase existed in the annealed samples implanted with high doses of Fe. It was also found that the solubility of Fe ions was highest in pure Ge films and that with increasing Si concentration, the solubility decreased. Magnetic analysis showed that for the as-implanted and annealed samples of Ge-rich thin films implanted with Fe ions, room-temperature ferromagnetism was strongest in the pure Ge series of samples and that as the Ge concentration decreased, the ferromagnetism at room temperature weakened. In addition, annealing could increase the number of Fe ions at substitution sites, which resulted in the observed increase in the saturated magnetization after annealing. Experiment and theoretical analysis showed that the ferromagnetism of Fe-doped Ge-rich Si_1?xGe_x thin films samples originated from the s, p–d exchange interactions between the Si_1?xGe_x matrix and those Fe ions which substituted at Ge sites and that the ferromagnetism was mediated by carriers.     

Optical properties and structures of silver thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering with different thicknesses

A series of thin Ag films with different thicknesses grown under identical conditions are analyzed by means of spectrophotometer. From these measurements the values of refractive index and extinction coefficient are calculated. The films are deposited onto BK7 glass substrates by direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering. It is found that the optical properties of the Ag films can be affected by films thickness. Below critical thickness of 17 nm, which is the thickness at which Ag films form continuous films, the optical properties and constants vary significantly with thickness increasing and then tend to a stable value up to about 40 nm. At the same time, X-ray diffraction measurement is carried out to examine the microstructure evolution of Ag films as a function of films thickness. The relation between optical properties and microstructure is discussed.     

Electron–phonon coupling in topological insulator Bi_2Se_3 thin films with different substrates

Broadband transient reflectivity traces were measured for Bi_2 Se_3 thin films with various substrates via a 400 nm pump–white-light-probe setup. We have verified the existence of a second Dirac surface state in Bi_2 Se_3 and qualitatively located it by properly analyzing the traces acquired at different probe wavelengths. Referring to the band structure of Bi_2 Se_3, the relaxation mechanisms for photo-excited electrons with different energies are also revealed and studied. Our results show a second rise of the transient reflection signal at the time scale of several picoseconds. The types of substrate can also significantly affect the dynamics of the rising signal. This phenomenon is attributed to the effect of lattice heating and coherent phonon processes. The mechanism study in this work will benefit the fabrication of high-performance photonic devices based on topological insulators.     

Practical issues in ultra-short-pulse measurements with ‘GRENOUILLE’

We examine the characteristics and limitations of GRENOUILLE, a simple and compact implementation of the second-harmonic-generation (SHG) frequency-resolved-optical-gating (FROG) technique. We show that it can be made to operate effectively over a relatively wide range of pulse lengths and wavelengths. We also describe procedures for its design and calibration, and we discuss the use of arbitrary nonlinear SHG crystals. PACS 42.65.-k; 42.65.ReAn erratum to this article can be found at     

Intriguing photoconductivity behaviors of SrTiO3−δ thin films with Pt contacts

The photoconductivity spectra of oxygen-deficient SrTiO_3−δ thin films with Pt contacts show two intriguing peaks at and above the band gap (∼3.2 eV). The first (second) peak, located at (above) the band gap, shows hysteretic (linear) photocurrent-voltage characteristics with a long (short) relaxation time. In addition, the first (second) peak shows a weak (strong) dependence on the surface treatment of the substrate as well as the surrounding atmosphere. These results have been discussed in terms of the Schottky contact, built-in voltage, and trapping/recombination process.     

Primary Cosmic Ray Energy Spectrum Above the ‘‘Knee’’ Measured with PRISMA-32 Array

Physics of Atomic Nuclei - PRISMA-32 (PRImary Spectrum Measurement Array) is working since 2012 in the Scientific & Educational Center NEVOD (NRNU ‘‘MEPhI’’,...