Structural and optical properties of amorphous hydrogenated silicon carbonitride films produced by PECVD

Amorphous hydrogenated silicon carbonitride thin films (a-Si:C:N:H), deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) using hexamethyldisilazane (HMDSN) as monomer and Ar as feed gas, have been investigated for their structural and optical properties as a function of the deposition RF plasma power, in the range of 100-300 W. The films have been analysed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-vis-NIR spectrophotometry and atomic force microscopy (AFM). From the analysis of the FT-IR spectra it results that the films become more amorphous and inorganic as RF plasma power increases. The incorporation of oxygen in the deposited layers, mainly due to the atmospheric attack, has been evaluated by XPS and FT-IR spectroscopy. Reflectance/transmittance spectra, acquired in the range of 200-2500 nm, allow to descrive the film absorption edge for interband transitions. A relationship between the optical energy band gap, deduced from the absorption coefficient curve, and the deposition RF plasma power has been investigated. The reduction of the optical energy gap from 3.85 to 3.69 eV and the broadening of the optical absorption tail with RF plasma power increasing from 100 to 300 W are ascribed to the growth of structural disorder, while the increase of the refractive index, evaluated at 630 nm, is attributed to a slight densification of the film. The AFM analysis confirms the amorphous character of the films and shows how the deposited layers become rougher when RF plasma power increases. The wettability of the film has been studied and related to the chemical composition and to the morphology of the deposited layers.     

Effect of composition modulation on the structural and optical properties of Si/Ge bilayers

We report structural as well as optical studies on Si/Ge bilayer structures having different individual layer thicknesses. The Raman spectrum of [Ge (5 nm)/Si (5 nm)] bilayer structure shows amorphous nature, while the [Si (5 nm)/Ge (5 nm)] bilayer structure shows a mixed nanocrystalline/amorphous behaviour of the layers. As the thickness of the individual layers increases to 10 nm, the introduction of large number of Si atoms at the interface results in reduction of Ge crystallization as well as higher intensity of interfacial SiGe alloy formation. This may be regarded as a consequence of the island growth induced surface roughening in the later case (i.e. in [Si (10 nm)/Ge (10 nm)] bilayer) as also revealed by corresponding atomic force microscopy (AFM) images. These results are also supported by Photoluminescence (PL) spectra recorded using two different photon energies of 300 and 488 nm along with the optical absorption measurements giving higher values of band gap as compared to their corresponding bulks, revealing the effect of quantum confinement in the deposited layers.     

Structural, vibrational and optical studies on an amorphous Se90P10 alloy produced by mechanical alloying

We investigated some physicochemical properties of an amorphous Se(90)P(10) alloy produced by mechanical alloying through x-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, optical absorption spectroscopy and EXAFS techniques. The total structure factor obtained from x-ray diffraction and the EXAFS χ(k) oscillations on the Se K edge were used in reverse Monte Carlo simulations to obtain structural information such as average coordination numbers and interatomic distances and the distribution of structural units present in the alloy. In addition, we also determined the vibrational modes and the optical band gap energy of the alloy.     

Ge20Sb15Se65薄膜的热致光学特性变化研究

采用磁控溅射法制备了Ge₂₀Sb₁₅Se₆₅薄膜, 研究热处理温度(150—400 ℃)对薄膜光学特性的影响. 通过分光光度计、X射线衍射仪、显微拉曼光谱仪对热处理前后薄膜样品 的光学特性和微观结构进行了表征, 并根据Swanepoel方法以及Tauc公式分别计算了薄膜折射率色散曲线和光学带隙等参数. 结果表明当退火温度(T_a)小于薄膜的玻璃转化温度(T_g)时,薄膜的光学带隙(E_g^opt)随着退火温度的增加由1.845 eV上升至1.932 eV, 而折射率由2.61降至2.54; 当退火温度大于薄膜的玻璃转化温度时,薄膜的光学带隙随退火温度的增加由1.932 eV降至1.822 eV, 折射率则由2.54增至2.71. 最后利用Mott和Davis提出的非晶材料由非晶到晶态的结构转变模型对结果进行了解释, 并通过薄膜XRD和Raman光谱进一步验证了结构变化是薄膜热致变化的重要原因. 关键词： 20Sb₁₅Se₆₅薄膜')" href="#">Ge₂₀Sb₁₅Se₆₅薄膜 热处理 光学带隙 折射率     

Effect of RF power and sputtering pressure on the structural and optical properties of TiO2 thin films prepared by RF magnetron sputtering

TiO₂ thin films were deposited onto quartz substrates by RF magnetron sputtering. The samples deposited at various RF powers and sputtering pressures and post annealed at 873 K, were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), micro Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-vis spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. XRD spectrum indicates that the films are amorphous-like in nature. But micro-Raman analysis shows the presence of anatase phase in all the samples. At low sputtering pressure, increase in RF power favors the formation of rutile phase. Presence of oxygen defects, which can contribute to PL emission is evident in the XPS studies. Surface morphology is much affected by changes in sputtering pressure which is evident in the SEM images. A decrease in optical band gap from 3.65 to 3.58 eV is observed with increase in RF power whereas increase in sputtering pressure results in an increase in optical band gap from 3.58 to 3.75 eV. The blue shift of absorption edge in all the samples compared to that of solid anatase is attributed to quantum size effect. The very low value of extinction coefficient in the range 0.0544-0.1049 indicates the excellent optical quality of the samples. PL spectra of the films showed emissions in the UV and visible regions.     

Structural and optical properties of nitrogen-containing tetrahedral amorphous carbon films

Tetrahedral amorphous carbon films (ta-C) and nitrogen-containing ta-C films have been prepared using a magnetic-filtered plasma-deposition method in pure Ar, and Ar with N₂ ambient, respectively. The structural and optical properties of these films have been studied using UV-visible optical absorption spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and measurements of electrical conductivity in the temperature range from 300 to 500 K. The value of the optical band gap for the ta-C films deposited at suitable conditions were found to be larger than 3 eV. For nitrogen-containing ta-C films deposited at low partial pressure of nitrogen, the incorporation of a small amount of nitrogen will result in a slight drop in activation energy of conductivity and a decrease in band gap, which indicates that there are evidently both doping effect of nitrogen and graphitization of bonding. The study of surface morphology has been performed using atomic force microscopy (AFM), and results show that the surface roughness increases with the amount of nitrogen incorporated in ta-C films. The correlation between surface roughness and configuration of N atoms in ta-C network is also discussed.     

Effect of vertical deposition angle on structural and optical properties of tantalum oxide nano layers deposited by electron gun evaporation

Tantalum oxide nano layers were deposition on glass substrate with different thicknesses (30, 60, 90 and 120 nm) in vertical deposition angle and high vacuum condition at room temperature by using electron gun evaporation method. There were no specific peaks in XRD patterns because of amorphous nature of these layers. AFM results show that surface roughness is reduced by increasing the thickness of the layers. FESEM images show nucleation, growth, accession and integration as interconnected islands in the lower thickness and re-nucleation at higher thicknesses (120 nm). We studied Raman spectra of the produced Ta₂O₅ amorphous layers. The calculated optical coefficients by using Kramers-Kronig relations show that with increasing film thickness, dielectric properties, absorption coefficient and band gap energy have increased.     

Plasma characteristics and broadband electromagnetic wave absorption in argon and helium capacitively coupled plasma

A one-dimensional self-consistent calculation model of capacitively coupled plasma(CCP) discharge and electromagnetic wave propagation is developed to solve the plasma characteristics and electromagnetic wave transmission attenuation.Numerical simulation results show that the peak electron number density of argon is about 12 times higher than that of helium, and that the electron number density increases with the augment of pressure, radio frequency(RF) power, and RF frequency. However, the electron number density first increases and then decreases as the discharge gap increases. The transmission attenuation of electromagnetic wave in argon discharge plasma is 8.5-d B higher than that of helium. At the same time, the transmission attenuation increases with the augment of the RF power and RF frequency, but it does not increase or decrease monotonically with the increase of gas pressure and discharge gap. The electromagnetic wave absorption frequency band of the argon discharge plasma under the optimal parameters in this paper can reach the Ku band. It is concluded that the argon CCP discharge under the optimal discharge parameters has great potential applications in plasma stealth.     

Influence of electron beam irradiation on structural and optical properties of α-Ag2WO4 nanoparticles

The influence of 8 MeV electron beam irradiation on the structural and optical properties of silver tungstate (α-Ag₂WO₄) nanoparticles synthesized by chemical precipitation method was investigated. The dose dependent effect of electron irradiation was investigated by various characterization techniques such as, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, UV–vis absorption spectroscopy, photoluminescence and Raman spectroscopy. Systematic studies confirm that electron beam irradiation induces non-stoichiometry, defects and particle size variation on α-Ag₂WO₄, which in turn results changes in optical band gap, photoluminescence spectra and Raman bands.     

Ellipsometry,FTIR, Raman and X-Ray Spectroscopy Analysis of PECVD a-Si1-xCx:H Film

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide (a-Si_1-xC_x:H) films were deposited by RF plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) and subsequently annealed in N₂ atmosphere at different temperatures. Systematic investigations of the deposition temperature and annealing effect on the film's properties, including film thicknesses, optical bandgap, refractive indexes, absorption coefficient (α), chemical bond configurations, stoichiometry and crystalline structures, were performed using ellipsometry, FTIR absorbance spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, XPS, and XRD. All of the results indicate that the structural and optical properties of the a-Si_1-xC_x:H film can be effectively engineered by proper annealing conditions. Moreover, molecular vibrational level equation was introduced to explain the peak shift detected by FTIR and Raman spectroscopy.     

非晶SiO2薄膜中氧双键缺陷电子及光学特性的第一性原理研究

利用第一性原理对离子溅射沉积的非晶SiO2薄膜微观结构进行了分析、研究,结果表明,氧双键缺陷（SGs）可以作为体缺陷稳定存在于非晶SiO2中,SGs缺陷导致非晶SiO2薄膜材料禁带中引入了新的电子态,减小了禁带宽度;同时采用时相关密度泛函理论（TDDFT）对其光学特性进行了研究,得到非晶SiO2薄膜介电常数与入射光子能量间的关系曲线,从介电常数的虚部发现SGs缺陷在3.6eV处存在一个光学吸收峰。     

非晶SiO_2薄膜中氧双键缺陷电子及光学特性的第一性原理研究

利用第一性原理对离子溅射沉积的非晶SiO2薄膜微观结构进行了分析、研究,结果表明,氧双键缺陷(SGs)可以作为体缺陷稳定存在于非晶SiO2中,SGs缺陷导致非晶SiO2薄膜材料禁带中引入了新的电子态,减小了禁带宽度;同时采用时相关密度泛函理论(TDDFT)对其光学特性进行了研究,得到非晶SiO2薄膜介电常数与入射光子能量间的关系曲线,从介电常数的虚部发现SGs缺陷在3.6eV处存在一个光学吸收峰.     

不同工作压强下辉光放电聚合物薄膜的表面形貌与光学性质

利用低压等离子体聚合技术在不同工作压强下制备了辉光放电聚合物(GDP)薄膜。利用原子力显微镜、傅里叶红外光谱仪、元素分析仪和紫外-可见光谱仪对GDP薄膜的表面形貌、化学结构、碳氢原子数比以及光学性质进行了表征。分析了工作压强对薄膜表面形貌、化学结构、碳氢原子比和光学性质的影响以及相互关系。结果表明:GDP薄膜的表面形貌随工作压强的增大而变得平整光滑,均方根粗糙度逐渐减小。随工作压强增大,GDP薄膜的化学结构的相互交联化程度减弱,C=C双键含量不断减小,碳氢原子数比不断减小,氢元素含量逐渐增大,薄膜的光学透过率截止波长发生"蓝移",光学间隙不断增加。     

不同工作压强下辉光放电聚合物薄膜的表面形貌与光学性质

利用低压等离子体聚合技术在不同工作压强下制备了辉光放电聚合物 (GDP) 薄膜。利用原子力显微镜、傅里叶红外光谱仪、元素分析仪和紫外-可见光谱仪对GDP薄膜的表面形貌、化学结构、碳氢原子数比以及光学性质进行了表征。分析了工作压强对薄膜表面形貌、化学结构、碳氢原子比和光学性质的影响以及相互关系。结果表明:GDP薄膜的表面形貌随工作压强的增大而变得平整光滑,均方根粗糙度逐渐减小。随工作压强增大,GDP薄膜的化学结构的相互交联化程度减弱,C=C双键含量不断减小,碳氢原子数比不断减小,氢元素含量逐渐增大,薄膜的光学透过率截止波长发生蓝移,光学间隙不断增加。     

Gamma irradiation effects on structural and optical properties of amorphous and crystalline Nb<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>5</Subscript> thin films

The structural and optical properties of RF sputtered Nb₂O₅ thin films are studied before and after gamma irradiation. The films are subjected to structural and surface morphological analyses by using X-ray (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscope techniques. In the wavelength range of 300–2000 nm, the optical parameters for amorphous and crystalline Nb₂O₅ thin films are estimated at differently exposed γ-irradiation doses (0, 50, 100 and 200 kGy). The optical constants, such as optical energy band gap, absorption coefficient, refractive index and oscillators parameters of amorphous and crystalline Nb₂O₅ thin films are calculated. The optical band gaps of γ-irradiated amorphous and crystalline Nb₂O₅ thin films are determined. In the non-absorbing region, the real part of the refractive index of amorphous and crystalline Nb₂O₅ thin films slightly increases with the increase in the exposed γ-irradiation dose.     

超薄氢化非晶锗膜的结构与光电性质

通过PECVD制备出了不同厚度的a-Ge∶H膜,采用Raman光谱对样品进行了结构表征,由椭圆偏振光谱仪得到样品的厚度和光学常数,并计算了样品的光学带隙。由变温电导率分析了薄膜的电学输运性质,结果表明,载流子的传输机制为扩展态电导。进而利用变温PL谱研究了薄膜的发光性能,发现其发光峰在1.63 μm处;随着膜厚的减小,峰位和峰形都有改变,且强度明显提高。进一步分析发现,随着膜厚的减小非辐射复合跃迁的激活能增大,从而导致辐射复合过程增强。     

Influence of deposition temperature on amorphous structure of PECVD deposited a-Si:H thin films

The effect of deposition temperature on the structural and optical properties of amorphous hydrogenated silicon (a-Si:H) thin films deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) from silane diluted with hydrogen was under study. The series of thin films deposited at the deposition temperatures of 50–200°C were inspected by XRD, Raman spectroscopy and UV Vis spectrophotometry. All samples were found to be amorphous with no presence of the crystalline phase. Ordered silicon hydride regions were proved by XRD. Raman measurement analysis substantiated the results received from XRD showing that with increasing deposition temperature silicon-silicon bond-angle fluctuation decreases. The optical characterization based on transmittance spectra in the visible region presented that the refractive index exhibits upward trend with increasing deposition temperature, which can be caused by the densification of the amorphous network. We found out that the scale factor of the Tauc plot increases with the deposition temperature. This behaviour can be attributed to the increasing ordering of silicon hydride regions. The Tauc band gap energy, the iso-absorption value their difference were not particularly influenced by the deposition temperature. Improvements of the microstructure of the Si amorphous network have been deduced from the analysis.     

Structural,optical and electrical properties of laser irradiated Pb doped Ga–Se chalcogenide thin films

Using the Transverse Electrical Excitation at Atmospheric Pressure (TEA) nitrogen laser, we had irradiated the amorphous thin films of Ga₁₀Se₈₁Pb₉ chalcogenide glass and the results have been discussed in terms of the structural aspects of Ga₁₀Se₈₁Pb₉ glass. The observed changes are associated with the interaction of the incident photon and the lone-pairs electrons which affects the band gap. The X-ray structural characterization revealed the amorphous nature of as prepared films and polycrystalline nature of the laser irradiated films. The optical band gap of these thin films is measured by using the absorption spectra as a function of photon energy in the wavelength region 400–1200 nm. It is found that the optical band gap decreases while the absorption coefficient increases with increasing the irradiation time. The decrease in the optical band gap has been explained on the basis of change in nature of films, from amorphous to polycrystalline state, with the increase in exposure time. The dc conductivities and activation energies of these thin films are measured in temperature range 303–403 K. It has been found that the activation energy in Ga₁₀Se₈₁Pb₉ chalcogenide thin films decreases whereas the dc conductivity increases at each temperature by increasing the irradiation time.     

Infrared absorption and Raman spectroscopy studies of InSbBi layers grown by liquid phase epitaxy

We report on the results of optical absorption and Raman spectroscopy measurements on InSbBi layers grown by liquid phase technique. A maximum Bi content of 0.4 at.%, as measured by energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) technique, is used in the experiments. Optical absorption measurements made on the samples indicate a room temperature energy band gap reduction up to about 6 meV with respect to undoped InSb layers grown by the same technique. Bi content calculated from this band gap reduction agrees with that obtained from EDX. A weak peak obtained at 152 cm^?1 in the Raman spectrum of the material is identified with the longitudinal optical phonon mode of InBi. Further a mode at 140 cm^?1 is observed due to isolated Bi atoms at the interstitial sites.     

Effect of sputtering pressure on structural and optical properties of silver oxide thin films; Kramers–Kronig method

Silver oxide nano layers were prepared by RF magnetron sputtering on amorphous SiO₂ substrates. O₂ pressure in chamber was varied from 1 to 4 and 7 mTorr during growth process. The effects of different O₂ pressure on structural, morphological and optical properties of the films were investigated by means of X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and UV–Vis spectroscopy analyses. Optical reflectance measured in the wavelength of 350–950 nm by spectroscopy. Other optical properties and optical band gaps were calculated using Kramers–Kronig relations. The X-ray diffraction measurements showed change in crystalline structure with increasing O₂ pressure. Preferred orientation has been changed to another growth orientation at 4 mTorr O₂ pressure. The Atomic force microscope images showed increasing in roughness consistently by increasing oxygen pressure. The thickness of the thin films decreases (from 217 to 180 nm) with increasing O₂ pressure. Optical results revealed that the highest optical band gap of 3.1 eV and the highest transmittance of?~?80% were achieved at lower O₂ pressure (1 mTorr).