High quality nitrogen-doped zinc oxide thin films grown on ITO by sol–gel method

Highly transparent N-doped ZnO thin films were deposited on ITO coated corning glass substrate by sol–gel method. Ammonium nitrate was used as a dopant source of N with varying the doping concentration 0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 at%. The DSC analysis of prepared NZO sols is observed a phase transition at 150 °C. X-ray diffraction pattern showed the preferred (002) peak of ZnO, which was deteriorated with increased N concentrations. The transmittance of NZO thin films was observed to be ~88%. The bandgap of NZO thin films increased from 3.28 to 3.70 eV with increased N concentration from 0 to 3 at%. The maximum carrier concentration 8.36×10¹⁷ cm⁻³ and minimum resistivity 1.64 Ω cm was observed for 3 at% N doped ZnO thin films deposited on glass substrate. These highly transparent ZnO thin films can be used as a window layer in solar cells and optoelectronic devices.     

Influence of annealing temperature on optical properties of zinc oxide thin films analyzed by spectroscopic ellipsometry method

Zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films were sol–gel spin coated on glass substrates, annealed at various temperatures 300 °C, 400 °C and 500 °C and characterized by spectroscopic ellipsometry method. The optical properties of the films such as transmittance, refractive index, extinction coefficient, dielectric constant and optical band gap energy were determined from ellipsometric data recorded over the spectral range of 300–800 nm. The effect of annealing temperature in air on optical properties of the sol–gel derived ZnO thin films was studied. The transmission values of the annealed films were about 65% within the visible range. The optical band gap of the ZnO thin films were measured between 3.25 eV and 3.45 eV. Also the dispersion parameters such as single oscillator energy and dispersive energy were determined from the transmittance graph using the Wemple and DiDomenico model.     

Comparison of ZnO thin films grown on a polycrystalline 3C-SiC buffer layer by RF magnetron sputtering and a sol-gel method

Zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films were deposited on a polycrystalline (poly) 3C-SiC buffer layer using RF magnetron sputtering and a sol-gel method. The post-deposition annealing was performed on ZnO thin films prepared using both methods. The formation of ZnO piezoelectric thin films with less residual stress was due to a close lattice mismatch of the ZnO and SiC layers as obtained by the sputtering method. Nanocrystalline, porous ZnO film prepared using the sol-gel method showed strong ultraviolet UV emission at a wavelength of 380 nm. The 3C-SiC buffer layer improved the optical and piezoelectric properties of the ZnO film produced by the two deposition methods. Moreover, the different structures of the ZnO films on the 3C-SiC intermediate layer caused by the different deposition techniques were also considered and discussed.     

GROWTH MODE AND SURFACE RECONSTRUCTION OF GaN(0001) THIN FILMS ON 6H-SiC(0001)

Two-dimensional growth of GaN thin films on an atomically flat C-face 6H-SiC(0001) surface prepared by ultra-high vacuum Si-etching is observed when using an AlN buffer layer in N plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. Scanning tunneling microscopy and reflection high energy electron diffraction observations reveal a series of Ga-stabilized reconstructions which are consistent with those reported for an N-polar GaN(0001) film. The result, including the effect observed previously for GaN thin film on Si-terminated 6H-SiC(0001), agrees with the polarity assignment of heteroepitaxial wurtzite GaN films on polar 6H-SiC substrates, i.e., GaN film grown on SiC(0001) is <0001> oriented (N-face) while that on SiC(0001) is <0001> oriented (Ga-face).     

Nonpolar a-plane GaN grown on r-plane sapphire using multilayer AlN buffer by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

Mirror-like and pit-free non-polar a-plane (1 1 −2 0) GaN films are grown on r-plane (1 −1 0 2) sapphire substrates using metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) with multilayer high-low-high temperature AlN buffer layers. The buffer layer structure and film quality are essential to the growth of a flat, crack-free and pit-free a-plane GaN film. The multilayer AlN buffer structure includes a thin low-temperature-deposited AlN (LT-AlN) layer inserted into the high-temperature-deposited AlN (HT-AlN) layer. The results demonstrate that the multilayer AlN buffer structure can improve the surface morphology of the upper a-plane GaN film. The grown multilayer AlN buffer structure reduced the tensile stress on the AlN buffer layers and increased the compressive stress on the a-plane GaN film. The multilayer AlN buffer structure markedly improves the surface morphology of the a-plane GaN film, as revealed by scanning electron microscopy. The effects of various growth V/III ratios was investigated to obtain a-plane GaN films with better surface morphology. The mean roughness of the surface was 1.02 nm, as revealed by atomic force microscopy. Accordingly, the multilayer AlN buffer structure improves the surface morphology and facilitates the complete coalescence of the a-plane GaN layer.     

Achieving desired quality of ZnS buffer layer by optimization using air annealing for solar cell applications

The possibility of maximum transmittance at lower thickness of light transmitting ZnS layer and its optimization by air-annealing as an alternative to hazardous and expensive CdS is reported in this communication in order to achieve better buffer layer for solar cells. Thin films of ZnS were deposited using e-beam evaporation on glass and ITO substrates and subjected to air-annealing followed by characterizations for physical properties. XRD patterns revealed amorphous behavior which transformed into cubic (111) plane with change of substrate and annealing whereas surface topography reveals hill and deep valley like structures. Optimal transmittance of maximum 95% in visible region, direct band gap of 3.38 eV and maximum electrical conductivity were observed for 200 °C annealed films. The study refers that films annealed at 200 °C are claimed to be suitable for buffer layer applications.     

Structural and electrical properties of fluorine-doped zinc tin oxide thin films prepared by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering

Transparent and conductive thin films of fluorine doped zinc tin oxide (FZTO) were deposited on glass substrates by radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering using a 30 wt% ZnO with 70 wt% SnO₂ ceramic targets. The F-doping was carried out by introducing a mixed gas of pure Ar, CF₄, and O₂ forming gas into the sputtering chamber while sputtering ZTO target. The effect of annealing temperature on the structural, electrical and optical performances of FZTO thin films has been studied. FZTO thin film annealed at 600 °C shows the decrease in resistivity 5.47 × 10⁻³ Ω cm, carrier concentration ∼10¹⁹ cm⁻³, mobility ∼20 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ and an increase in optical band gap from 3.41 to 3.60 eV with increasing the annealing temperatures which is well explained by Burstein–Moss effect. The optical transmittance of FZTO films was higher than 80% in all specimens. Work function (ϕ) of the FZTO films increase from 3.80 eV to 4.10 eV through annealing and are largely dependent on the amounts of incorporated F. FZTO is a possible potential transparent conducting oxide (TCO) alternative for application in optoelectronics.     

Low reflectance sputtered vanadium oxide thin films on silicon

Vanadium oxide thin films on silicon (Si) substrate are grown by pulsed radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering technique at RF power in the range of 100–700 W at room temperature. Deposited thin films are characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques to investigate microstructural, phase, electronic structure and oxide state characteristics. The reflectance and transmittance spectra of the films and the Si substrate are recorded at the solar region (200–2300 nm) of the spectral window. Substantial reduction in reflectance and increase in transmittance is observed for the films grown beyond 200 W. Further, optical constants viz. absorption coefficient, refractive index and extinction coefficient of the deposited vanadium oxide films are evaluated.     

SiC/AlN上外延GaN薄膜的黄带发光与晶体缺陷的关系

利用室温光致发光(PL)技术研究了在6HSiC(0001)上用金属有机物化学汽相沉积(MOCVD)外延生长的GaN薄膜“黄带”发光(YL)特点,与扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)技术得到的GaN薄膜的表面形貌质量和内部结晶质量的结果相对照,表明“YL”发光强度与GaN薄膜的扩展缺陷多少直接相对应通过二次离子质谱(SIMS)技术获取的GaN薄膜中Ga元素深度分布揭示出镓空位(V_Ga)最可能是“YL”发光的微观来源分析认为,虽然宏观扩展缺陷(丝状缺陷、螺形位错等)和微观点缺陷V_Ga及其与杂质的络合物(complexes)都表现出与“YL”发射密切相关,但V_Ga及其与杂质的络合物更可能是“YL”发射的根本微观来源室温下获得的样品“YL”发射强度和光谱精细结构可用于分析GaN薄膜缺陷和晶体质量.     

Chemical bath deposition of SnO2 and Cd2SnO4 thin films

A new approach of chemical bath deposition (CBD) of SnO₂ thin films is reported. Films with a 0.2 μm thickness are obtained using the multi-dip deposition approach with a deposition time as little as 8–10 min for each dip. The possibility of fabricating a transparent conducting oxide layer of Cd₂SnO₄ thin films using CBD is investigated through successive layer deposition of CBD-SnO₂ and CBD-CdO films, followed by annealing at different temperatures. High quality films with transmittance exceeding 80% in the visible region are obtained. Annealed CBD-SnO₂ films are orthorhombic, highly stoichiometric, strongly adhesive, and transparent with an optical band gap of ～4.42 eV. Cd₂SnO₄ films with a band gap as high as 3.08 eV; a carrier density as high as 1.7 × 10²⁰ cm^?3; and a resistivity as low as 1.01 × 10^?2 Ω cm are achieved.     

Structural and optical properties of amorphous Sb2S3 thin films deposited by vacuum thermal evaporation method

Sb₂S₃ thin films have been deposited by vacuum thermal evaporation onto glass substrates at various substrate temperatures in the range of 30–240 °C. Crushed powder of the synthesized Sb₂S₃ was used as raw material for the vacuum thermal evaporation. The structural investigation performed by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that the all as-deposited films present an amorphous structure and all the films were highly resistive. The reflectance and transmittance of the films are measured in the incident wavelength range 300–1800 nm. The absorption coefficient spectral analysis revealed the existence of long and wide band tails of the localized states in the low absorption region. The band tails width is calculated and found to be varying between 0.024 and 0.032 eV. The analysis of the absorption coefficient in the high absorption region revealed two direct forbidden band gaps between 1.78–1.98 eV and 1.86–2.08 eV.     

Effects of sic buffer layer on the optical properties of ZnO films grown on Si (1 1 1) substrates

ZnO films have been grown by a sol-gel process on Si (1 1 1) substrates with and without SiC buffer layers. The influence of SiC buffer layer on the optical properties of ZnO films grown on Si (1 1 1) substrates was investigated. The intensity of the E₂ (high) phonon peak in the micro-Raman spectrum of ZnO film with the SiC buffer layer is stronger than that of the sample without the SiC buffer layer, and the breadth of E₂ (high) phonon peak of ZnO film with the SiC buffer layer is narrower than that of the sample without the SiC buffer layer. These results indicated that the crystalline quality of the sample with the SiC buffer layer is better than that of the sample without the SiC buffer layer. In photoluminescence spectra, the intensity of free exciton emission from ZnO films with the SiC buffer was much stronger than that from ZnO film without the SiC buffer layer, while the intensity of deep level emission from sample with the SiC buffer layer was about half of that of sample without the SiC buffer layer. The results indicate the SiC buffer layer improves optical qualities of ZnO films on Si (1 1 1) substrates.     

图形硅衬底GaN基发光二极管薄膜去除衬底及AlN缓冲层后单个图形内微区发光及 应力变化的研究

研究了图形硅衬底上外延生长的氮化镓(GaN)基发光二极管(LED)薄膜、去除硅衬底后的无损自由状态LED薄膜以及去除氮化铝(AlN)缓冲层后的自由状态LED薄膜单个图形内的微区光致发光(PL)性能, 用荧光显微镜与扫描电镜观测了去除AlN缓冲层前后LED薄膜断面弯曲状况的变化. 研究结果表明: 1)去除硅衬底后, 自由支撑的LED薄膜朝衬底方向呈柱面弯曲状态, 且相邻图形的柱面弯曲方向不一致, 当进一步去除AlN缓冲层后薄膜会由弯曲变为平整; 2)LED薄膜在去除硅衬底前后同一图形内不同位置的PL谱具有显著差异, 而当去除AlN缓冲层后不同位置的PL谱会基本趋于一致; LED薄膜每一位置的PL 谱在去除硅衬底后均出现明显红移, 进一步去除AlN缓冲层后PL谱出现程度不一的微小蓝移; 3)自由支撑的LED薄膜去除AlN缓冲层后, PL光强随激光激发密度变化的线性关系增强, 光衰减得到改善.     

Green route fast synthesis and characterization of chemical bath deposited nanocrystalline ZnS buffer layers

Zinc sulphide (ZnS) thin films are deposited using chemical bath deposition method on the glass substrates in an aqueous alkaline reaction bath of zinc acetate and thiourea along with non-toxic complexing agent tri-sodium citrate at 95 °C. The results show noteworthy improvement in the growth rate of the deposited ZnS thin films and thickness of the film increases with the deposition time. From X-ray diffraction patterns, it is found that the ZnS thin films exhibit hexagonal polycrystalline phase reflecting from (101) and (0016) planes. The high resolution transmission electron microscopy studies confirmed the formation of hexagonal phase from the d-value calculation which was 0.3108 nm. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals that the Zn–S bonding energy is at 1022.5 and 162.1 eV for Zn 2p_3/2 and S 2p_1/2 states, respectively. Field emission scanning electron microscopy study shows that deposited thin films are highly uniform, with thin thickness and completely free from large ZnS clusters which usually form in aqueous solutions. Atomic force microscopy investigates that root mean square values of the ZnS thin films are from 3 to 4.5 nm and all the films are morphologically smooth. Energy dispersive spectroscopy shows that the ZnS thin films are relatively stoichiometric having Zn:S atomic ratio of 55:45. It is shown by ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy that ～90% transmittance and ～10% absorbance for the ZnS films in the visible region, which is significantly higher than that reported elsewhere and the band gap energy of the ZnS films is found to be 3.76, 3.74, and 3.71 eV, respectively.     

The development of the physical and electrical characteristics of multi-layer TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>–W–TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> thin films

In this study, two different thin films, TiO₂ thin film and TiO₂–W–TiO₂ multi-layer thin films (W, tungsten), are prepared by RF magnetron sputtering onto glass substrates. The crystal structure, morphology, and transmittance of TiO₂ and TiO₂–W–TiO₂ multi-layer thin films are investigated by X-ray diffraction, SEM, and UV-Vis spectrometer, respectively. The amorphous, rutile, and anatase TiO₂ phases are observed in the TiO₂ thin film and in the TiO₂–W–TiO₂ multi-layer thin films. The deposition of tungsten as the inter-layer will have large effect on the transmittance and phase ratios of rutile and anatase phases in the TiO₂–W–TiO₂ multi-layer thin films. The crystal intensities of amorous TiO₂ will decrease as the tungsten is used as the middle layer in the multi-layer structure. The band gap energy values of TiO₂ thin film and TiO₂–W–TiO₂ multi-layer thin films are evaluated from (αhν)^1/2 versus energy plots, and the calculated results show that the energy gap decreases from 3.21 eV (TiO₂ thin film) to 3.08∼3.03 EV (TiO₂–W–TiO₂ multi-layer thin films).     

Investigation of porous silicon carbide as a new material for environmental and optoelectronic applications

In this paper, we present an experimental study on the chemical and electrochemical etching of silicon carbide (SiC) in different HF-based solutions and its application in different fields, such as optoelectronics (photodiode) and environment (gas sensors). The thin SiC films have been grown by pulsed laser deposition method. Different oxidant reagents have been explored. It has been shown that the morphology of the surface evolves with the etching conditions (oxidant, concentration, temperature, etc.). A new chemical polishing solution of polycrystalline 6H-SiC based on HF:Na₂O₂ solution has been developed. Moreover, an electrochemical etching method has been carried out to form a porous SiC layer on both polycrystalline and thin SiC films. The PL results show that the porous polycrystalline 6H-SiC and porous thin SiC films exhibited an intense blue luminescence and a green-blue luminescence centred at 2.82 eV (430 nm) and 2.20 eV (560 nm), respectively. Different device structures based on both prepared samples have been investigated as photodiode and gas sensors.     

CMOS-compatible light-emitting devices based on thin aluminum nitride film containing Al nanocrystals

Electroluminescence (EL) from Al-rich AlN thin films grown on p-type Si substrate by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering has been observed at room temperature. The light-emitting structure based on the thin films can be driven by an electrical pulse as short as 10⁻⁵ s. No obvious change in the light emission intensity was observed after 10⁶ pulse cycles. It has been found that the light emission intensity increases with the Al concentration. It is shown that the phenomenon is due to the enhancement of the percolative conduction via the Al nanocrystals distributed in the AlN matrix as a result of the increase in Al concentration.     

Structure and properties of GZO thin films grown on ZnO buffer layers

Thin gallium-doped zinc oxide (in GZO the Ga₂O₃ contents are approximately 3 wt%) films having different ZnO buffer layers were deposited using radio frequency (rf) magnetron sputtering. The use of a grey-based Taguchi method to determine the processing parameters of ZnO buffer layer deposition has been studied by considering multiple performance characteristics. A Taguchi method with an L₉ orthogonal array, signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) is employed to investigate the performance characteristics in the deposition operations. The effect and optimization of ZnO buffer deposition parameters (rf power, sputtering pressure, thickness, and annealing) on the structure, morphology, electrical resistivity, and optical transmittance of the GZO films are studied. Annealing treatment and reduction in thickness resulted in a decrease in root-mean-square (RMS) surface roughness of the ZnO buffer layer. Using the optimal ZnO buffer layer obtained by the application of the grey-based Taguchi method, the electrical resistivity of GZO films was decreased from 2.94×10⁻³ to 9.44×10⁻⁴ Ω cm and the optical transmittance in the visible region was slightly increased from 84.81% to 85.82%.     

Influence of buffer layer thickness on the structure and optical properties of ZnO thin films

A series of ZnO thin films were deposited on ZnO buffer layers by DC reactive magnetron sputtering. The buffer layer thickness determination of microstructure and optical properties of ZnO films was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence (PL), optical transmittance and absorption measurements. XRD results revealed that the stress of ZnO thin films varied with the buffer layer thickness. With the increase of buffer layer thickness, the band gap edge shifted toward longer wavelength. The near-band-edge (NBE) emission intensity of ZnO films deposited on ZnO buffer layer also varied with the increase of thickness due to the spatial confinement increasing the Coulomb interaction between electrons and holes. The PL measurement showed that the optimum thickness of the ZnO buffer layer was around 12 nm.     

Development of sulphurized SnS thin film solar cells

Thin films of tin sulphide (SnS) have been grown by sulphurization of sputtered tin precursor layers in a closed chamber. The effect of sulphurization temperature (T_s) that varied in the range of 150–450 °C for a fixed sulphurization time of 120 min on SnS film was studied through various characterization techniques. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis demonstrated the transformation of metallic tin layers into SnS single phase for T_s between 300 °C and 350 °C. The X-ray diffraction measurements indicated that all the grown films had the (111) crystal plane as the preferred orientation and exhibited orthorhombic crystal structure. Raman analysis showed modes at 95 cm⁻¹, 189 cm⁻¹ and 218 cm⁻¹ are related to the A_g mode of SnS. AFM images revealed a granular change in the grain growth with the increase of T_s. The optical energy band gap values were estimated using the transmittance spectra and found to be varied from 1.2 eV to 1.6 eV with T_s. The Hall effect measurements showed that all the films were p-type conducting nature and the layers grown at 350 °C showed a low electrical resistivity of 64 Ω-cm, a net carrier concentration of 2 × 10¹⁶ cm⁻³ and mobility of 41 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹. With the use of sprayed Zn_0.76Mg_0.24O as a buffer layer and the sputtered ZnO:Al as window layer, the SnS based thin film solar cell was developed that showed a conversion efficiency of 2.02%.